THE GRAND CANYON!! [& Sedona, too!]

I officially ♥ Arizona.

Well, at least Sedona & The GC.

bell rock | sedona!

After sleeping in to a whopping 8:30AM [we’re crazy like that, *smirk], the three of us loaded up in the Benz [yeah, I said it] with first destination: Sedona. Kalyn drove us up there, and I had the liberty of riding shotgun in the White Spaceship [aka Mercedes C-Class] through the gorgeous landscapes of Arizona on the way to Sedona.



benz c class



delicious.



We stopped at the Sedona Olive Oil Company for an open tasting; I very well could’ve stayed there all day if it weren’t for the impending appointment with the Grand Canyon. We were educated on the truth behind vinaigrettes, their origins, and how to discern between a real vin and an imposter. Fascinating. I have a form for ordering, because although snagging a bottle of $16 vinaigrette was tempting, I have no desire to check my bag at the airport on Thursday for its sake. We lunched at one of the touristiest [new word, chya….] places around, meaning the food’s well-overpriced and pretty lame at the same time.

After choking down some weak margherita pizza and what I’m convinced was just a melted craft cheese square quesadilla, we set out for the canyon of grandeur, as it should aptly be credited. We rendezvoused with Aly and another park ranger, and tailed her back into the park. [[THANKS!]]

aly | our very own park ranger!

While I was absolutely breathless by the intrinsic beauty of this national park, I was sorely disappointed that Joe couldn’t have been there to share that moment. I made myself a promise that we would take another trip out this way as a family and we would go there together. Of course, throwing in a planned hike and/or a camping trip wouldn’t hurt, either. ;) As I stood marveling at this creation whose scenery reflects the inherent spirit of the one who created it, I was refreshed. I can’t explain it, but I needed this. Thank you, Lord.

the. grand. canyon. || thank you, lord.

Here’s a true story: we’re immersed deep in elk territory, yet are still waiting to set eyes on an actual elk. So we’re driving back from the canyon, conversing about horseback riding when I spot four very large silhouettes perched on a bank right along the roadside. Before I could spit it out, we had zoomed right past the largest bull elk I’ve ever seen. We turned around just to see them again, but, instead of intelligently reacting when we spotted them the second time, we screamed at them through open windows like 12-year-olds a Bieber concert.

Not my proudest moment.

BUT, it doesn’t change the fact that we did see them and they were incredible, from their towering body size to their massive antlers. Good stuff.

Long day. National park #3, in 3 days. Tomorrow I fly back to MO/IL. It’s bittersweet.

Time to dream about the Canyon….   

xo | cmd

Rocky Mountains, Sand Dunes, & Albuquerque

world's best shower, ever



Haha. If you’ve ever been forced to go without showering for a few days, or if you’ve just endured a night tenting in 45 degree weather with 50+ mph winds, than a hot shower paired with solid water pressure will be one of the best showers you’ve ever had. That was our thinking this morning out of the KOA showers after a ridiculous night that was more riddled with sleep than filled with it.



rain in co. springs

Once on the road, it was a soggy entrance into Colorado Springs. That meant the Rocky Mountains were shrouded with fog and haze; we were sad our first glance of the mountains was dampened by the weather. We saw some light once we parked at the Omelette Parlour in Colorado Springs.



omelette parlor

We definitely put our diets on hold for this trip, but know this: It was worth every bite. Ha.

After brunch, the weather seemed to clear some, and those majestic Rockies came out of hiding. They’re absolutely breathtaking, and even though we were unable to see Pike’s Peak, but what we did see was enough to make us smile and get us going on our way.



great sand dunes national park



Kalyn found a national park that was about 20 minutes off our path, but we figured the opportunity to see this would hardly present itself so willingly again anytime soon. Off we were: Great Sand Dunes National Park.

If you’ve never seen these dunes, my saying they are incredible does them little justice, if any at all. They’re created by sands off the Rockies, and the only place in the world these exact type of dunes are found. Pretty intriguing, to me at least. So it was there that we ate lunch, took some silly pictures, and got back on the road.



sand dunes & rocky mountains .... and jumping kids :)



best friends | enjoying the landscape!



 Don’t ask me how, but somehow we atlas’d ourselves around Santa Fe, but we were taking a scenic route and figured bypassing to Albuquerque would be just as good as anything else. We stopped for dinner at the Church Street Café, and enjoyed some fajitas, taco salad, and Pacifico to a soundtrack of a strung out guitarist ;)



albuquerque, nm!

Since our first attempt to sleep on the road wasn’t a complete success, we opted for bunking in an actual hotel tonight: Sleep Inn in Gallup, NM. It’s another early day tomorrow!

xo | cmd