Everyone lived, and that is the most important thing, really. 
It took 38 hours to drive there and another 35 back, despite GoogleMap’s assurances it would only take 33. On the trip out, we stopped over night in a town in Oklahoma that I am pretty sure was wholly made up of a tangle of highways and rest stops. We took a few minor detours to see things like the World’s Largest Rocking Chair (in super adorable, kitschy Cuba, MO) and Cadillac Ranch (Outside of Amarillo, TX. No photos, the camera battery died). On the way home, we drove straight through only stopping for potty and food breaks. We skipped the detour to Graceland due to bad weather on that route. The ride home was really, really tough… Sarah cried most of the way due to a sudden ear infection and Mother moaned about a migraine so, yeah, as quick as possible was the only way to go.
While the ride was mostly boring – there is a whole lot of nothin’ in middle America, broken up by steer, giant crosses, Jesus billboards and more steer- the vacation itself was very nice.
We stayed in a fabulous, quaint, not-too-rustic cabin on the edge of Gila National Forest in the tall pines. Timothy was delighted they had satellite TV, Sarah was enchanted by the HUGE squirrels with tufted ears, Aldo and I loved the huge soft beds and the hot tub. We asked the locals where to go to eat and enjoyed every morsel of super yummy Mexican food.
We visited the Gila National Forest (of course), and took the crazy, twisty 2 hour long drive a whole 34 miles up to the Cliff Dwellings National Monument. That was amazing beyond words. Another day, we went to visit the site Mother is going to build on and the City of Rocks. I have never seen such blue sky, nor so much of it as when we were out there. The stars at night were breathtaking.
I admit, the terrain was completely alien to me. I missed the trees and felt a little agoraphobic out there in all that nothing. It made me feel very, very small. I did not feel that feeling like I belonged in the high desert that I hear people talk about. When it was time to come home, I was ready.
And that’s it, in a nut shell. Mother laughed when she talked about us coming to visit next year and I told her we were never going out there again, but I was dead serious. It was beautiful, it was quite an experience, it was worth it… but I have no plans to ever repeat it again. My wanderlust is waning as I age I suppose.
1 Comment
March 10, 2009 at 11:27 pm
My wanderlust is waning as I age too. Still, it does sound like an amazing experience. I would love to try it myself!