The Big Trip West....and 20 years of blogging???!!!

So Gatsby and I left Ohio on Monday, 17 Aug started off to St Louis.  We had a stop at the Giant Bottle of Catsup (which was really not worth it) and the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO site.  We managed to grab some Culvers in Illinois.  We stayed the night in St Louis.

Gatsby at Jazz on the Lawn before we left Ohio

Dad baked me a lovely lemon birthday cake before we left as well

Giant Bottle of Catsup

Culver's Pup Cup

Cahokia Mounds - you can see the steps going up as well

The next day we headed off on the road to Tulsa, OK.  This was a big Route 66 Day.  We stopped in Cuba, Missouri to see the murals.  We also went to see Cars on the Route and the Blue Whale of Catoosa.  We stayed at The Campbell Hotel in our Cowboy themed room.  Really fun.

Murals in Cuba

Cars on the Route

More Route 66 Artwork - in Kansas

Blue Whale of Catoosa

Gatsby inside the Blue Whale

Day Three saw us heading off to Amarillo, Texas for the night.  We stopped a few times this day.  We saw Pops Soda Ranch, had the Onion Burger at Sid's Diner (Gatsby got a hot dog), stopped in to the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, TX, and saw the amazing Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.  We also stopped at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum.

Pops Soda Ranch

The Onion Burger at Sid's

Tower Station

Route 66 Museum

Cadillac Ranch

Then we started driving on Day Four.  First stop was the Mid-Point Cafe and trading post.  Very cool.  We also saw a true Ghost Town in Glenrio.  Completely abandoned.  There are a lot of these towns on the original Route 66 because the interstate basically killed them.  Then we got to see the Blue Swallow Motel and Tee Pee Curios in Tucumcari, New Mexico before heading to Albuquerque to pick up our friend, Bernie.  Sadly her husband Patrick couldn't join us, but he assures me he will come to visit in LA.  

Mid-Point!

Just me at Gatsby hanging out

Glenrio Ghost Town

Tucumcari

Blue Swallow Motel

Tee Pee Curios

First Wine Bar Stop with Bernie

We headed up towards Santa Fe, but stopped in a cute artist colony called Madrid.  It was mostly closed, but we had a fun time at this artist's cut out gallery.

Madrid

We did a bit of shopping in Santa Fe, had some nice drinks and food, but our big plan on day 5 was to see the Petroglyph National Monument.  They were a bit tough to see and it was pretty hot, but it was worth it.  Gatsby also got his first official Bark Ranger Badge.

Shopping / Drinking in Santa Fe

The Petroglyphs

Here's one you can actually see

Day 6 we drove to Sedona with a few stops along the way.  We went to the Petrified Forest National Park (more Bark Ranger gear), saw the stunning desert mountains and the Painted Desert Inn.  We stopped in Holbrook at the Studio 66 Cafe for burgers.  Then we headed to Winslow, Arizona to stand on the corner before heading to see the flatbed Ford (it's an Eagles song for those not getting it).  We stopped at the Mother Road Brewing Company in Flagstaff where I bought the coolest beer koozie ever.  It was two slap bracelets so you could wrap your beverage up.  So cool.   I got a michelada.  Gracias Mexico!

Petrified Forest

Painted Desert Inn

Holbrook

Winslow Arizona

Mother Road Brewing

We stayed in the most amazing place in Sedona, the Cozy Cactus Inn.  Totally recommend and will probably go back.  We also had the best winery tour guide on Day 7, Mark from Sparta, NJ.  Very good Tempranillo in the region.  We also learned about the Vortexes.  Amazing place Sedona.  Loved it.

The view from our patio at the Cozy Cactus

Wine Touring

Seeing a vortex spot

So Day 8, we drove to Palm Springs with several stops along the way.  We saw Montezuma's Well & Castle (both a misnomer apparently as he never really lived there). More Bark Ranger stuff!  We stopped for lunch in very cute Prescott, Arizona -- the original capital of Arizona.  Then it was too hot to stop really anywhere.  So we were happy the AC was blasting, and it was cool enough to get in the pool when we arrived at our house in Palm Springs.  

Montezuma's Well

Montezuma's Castle (Gatsby sporting his Bark Ranger Vest)

Our Palm Springs view from the pool

Day 9 we got up early and drove out to Joshua Tree National Park.  It was the 100th birthday of the National Parks, so it was free.  Sadly no Bark Ranger gear here, but it was still an amazing park to see.  Then we drove out to see the Whitewater Preserve, stopped by the Cabazon Dinos made famous in Pee Wee's Big Adventure and had lunch at In-N-Out.  

Joshua Tree National Park

Cholla Gardens

Giant Rocks

Whitewater Preserve

Cabazon Dinos

Bernie's first In-N-Out

That evening we did a little driveby some famous houses including this one which belongs to Leonardo di Caprio, apparently.  And we stopped by the Forever Marilyn sculpture after dinner.  

Forever Marilyn

Bernie flew back to Philly the morning of Day 10.  Gatsby and I are still hanging around Palm Springs for the moment.  We head to LA in a few days!  Can't wait.

I also noticed this blog has officially be going for over 20 years!  That is insane.  I know I haven't always been super good at updating it, but it is really quite nuts to think about all the places I have been in that time.  This trip has been a great addition to the blog, and I hope that being in LA will add more stories to share as well.

More to come!
Love,

Sarah