9 Days, 4099.6 miles

My family and I embarked on a road trip.

It was a road trip.. there were ups, there were downs, and it was a last minute plan.

I only have a couple of rules for traveling.  I do my best to eat at restaurants I can’t eat at when I’m home.  I don’t mind chains, as long as they aren’t in my area, but generally try to stick to mom-and-pop stops.  As hard as I try, sometimes it’s just not realistic due to time, cost, or convenience.

This road trip is also the first time I’ve rented a car for a road trip.  I highly recommend this practice.  10 days for $450 is a steal, and an incredible piece of mind.  Good gas mileage, comfortable seats.. and no worrying about throwing 2-4k miles on the vehicle you own in 10 days.  Another perk is no longer spending excessive amounts of time trying to park your car in the best possible spot.

When doing road trips, I also prefer to get to hotels in time to clean up for dinner, relax, and get to bed.  This allows me to wake up bright and early and got on the road.  No reason I want to be driving at night.  Funk dat.

Here’s the brief list of the route/stops we took on this trip. I may break out a separate post for each day to provide any details.

• • Saturday (1,041 miles / 16h 10m)
    • • Leave Home
    • • Stonehenge II / Easter Island Heads (Ingram, TX)
    • • Isaack’s Restaurant (Junction, TX)
    • • International UFO Museum and Research (Roswell, NM)
    • • Peppers Grill and Bar (Roswell, NM)
    • Hotel (Gallup, NM)

• • Sunday (236 Miles / 4h 16m)
    • • Hotel (Gallup, NM)
    • • Yellowhorse Trading Post (Lupton, AZ)
    • • Petrified Forest / Painted Desert National Park (AZ)
    • • Dobell Curios (AZ)
    • • El Rancho Restaurant
    • • Standing on a Corner (Winslow, AZ)
    • Hotel (Williams, AZ)

• • Monday (0 Miles Driven)
    • • Hotel (Williams, AZ)
    • • Grand Canyon Train
    • • Grand Canyon National Park
    • • Grand Canyon Train
    • • Cruiser’s Route 66 Cafe (Williams, AZ)
    • Hotel (Williams, AZ)

• • Tuesday (529 Miles / 9h 21m)
    • • Hotel (Williams, AZ)
    • • Hoover Dam (NV)
    • • Las Vegas (NV)
    • • Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel (Las Vegas, NV)
    • • Del Taco (Henderson, NV)
    • Hotel (Bakersfield, CA)

• • Wednesday (365 Miles / 8h 45m)
    • • Hotel (Bakersfield, CA)
    • • Sequoia National Park (Three Rivers, CA)
    • • Marie Callender’s Restaurant (Visalia, CA)
    • Hotel (Santa Cruz, CA)

• • Thursday (81.6 Miles / 2h 43m)
    • • Hotel (Santa Cruz, CA)
    • • Starbucks (Santa Cruz, CA)
    • • Burger King (Santa Cruz, CA)
    • • The Mystery Spot (Santa Cruz, CA)
    • • Cannery Row (Monterey Bay, CA)
    • • The Fish Hopper (Monterey Bay, CA)
    • • Chili’s Grill & Bar (Salinas, CA)
    • Hotel (Salinas, CA)

• • Friday (690 Miles / 12h 7m)
    • • Hotel (Salinas, CA)
    • • Starbucks (Salinas, CA)
    • • James Dean Memorial Junction (Shandon, CA)
    • • Hotel (Bakersfield, CA)
    • • Henry’s Cafe (Tehachapi, CA)
    • Hotel (Phoenix, AZ)

• • Saturday (561 Miles / 8h 15m)
    • • Hotel (Phoenix, AZ)
    • • Kranberry’s Family Restaurant (Lordsburg, NM)
    • • Bowlin’s Old West Trading Post (Las Cruces, NM)
    • Hotel (Van Horn, TX)

• Sunday (596 Miles / 8h 46m)
  • • Hotel (Van Horn, TX)
  • • Cracker Barrel Old Country Store ( Kerrville, TX)
  • Home Sweet Home