Day 1 – Left Mystic at 730am with sights on Murray, Kentucky, 18 hours away. Stopped for a break in Bethelhem, Pa to visit Missy and Russ (and Riley.. mostly Riley). 18 hours is a lot further than you think and we arrive late at Laurs house.

Day 2 – Spend the day with Laur. Activities include mini golf, bookstore visit (closest one being an hour north), sno cone chomping, breakfast at Cracker Barrel and a tour of MSU.

Day 3 – Another solid driving day, with no real objective other than to get as far into Texas as possible before sleeping in the car. First stop – the Eiffel tower of Paris, Tennessee. After satisfying any need to visit Europe with that simple stop, it was along some two lane road to Memphis, and onto the interstate through Arkansas and Texas. A stop in Ft. Worth permitted the first internet access of the trip and segue wayed into driving until around 1am. Notable event: Speeding warning ticket from Texas highway patrol. Its not a road trip unless I get a break from a cop.

Day 4 – Moving along the vast openness of Texas through oil fields and interstate towns, we head into the first evidence of elevation since West Virginia. Receiving some sage advice to eat Mexican food as close to the border as possible, the map reveals a location only 20 miles from the bold line in the atlas. A gas station attendant points us to Chuy’s down the road. After a breakfast/lunch there, we head off to Guadalupe National Park before heading up to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. With enough daylight to burn, we then venture out to White Sands, up and over the mountains between. Sunset at White Sands and a late, stressful camp setup around 10pm

Day 5 – An attempt at catching sun rise over the dunes of White Sands National Park results in little more than sleep deprivation – the park doesn’t open till 7am. A couple more hours of wandering aimlessly around the endless whiteness, its off towards Tucson with a brief stop at the Missle Range en route. The stifling heat and amazingly high campground prices lead us to a 27 dollar a night hotel. Air conditioning. AC power.

Day 6 – From Tucson it’s North by Northwest towards Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Over some 5 mile long, 8% ascents we get our first painful evidence of heats onslaught on mechanical components. The temperature spikes to ¾ scale on the hills. A lunch on Route 66 and its off into the dual parks. As the sun set it’s a race to try and get to Meteor Crater before the close. On arrival, only 30 mins to spare, we find its 24 bucks to get in.. more than the Grand Canyon. So we watch the sunset from their elevated parking lot before moving into the Flagstaff area to set up camp.

Day 7 – The day starts with a visit to the combination park of Sunset Crater and Wupatki Ruins. From there its over to the ski lift to bring us to the 11,500 foot demarcation point for winter skiers of the Snow Bowl on Mt. Humphrey. An afternoon drive through the scenic roads south of Flagstaff brings us to the red rock country of Sedona. A night at a B&B awaits.

Day 8 – A hike to one of Sedona’s “vortex” locations, or Cathedral Rock, per the recommendation of our B&B hosts. From there it’s a push north towards the Grand Canyon. Arriving 30 miles south, we find a campground and dig in for a night of storms.

Day 9 – On the Canyon rim by 730am and spend the rest of the day on the eastern bus system, doing some hiking on the Rim Trail, and making our way to Desert View. A stop at the Backcountry Office procures us a Backcountry permit and solidifies a venture down to the Colorado. A beautiful sunset tinged with fast moving thunderstorms and an early bedtime to prepare for a 3am rousing.

Day 10 – Taking the early morning shuttle to the S. Kaibab trailhead, the sun is just peaking up when we hit the trail. 4 hours and bruised toenails later, we’re at the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River. A lazy day of trying to stay cool and some exploring of the general vicinity.

Day 11 – Nearly 6 miles are put on the books before any sunlight gets to us. Between leaving at 4am and hiking to the noise of an invisible river running by, and the natural morning shade the Bright Angel Trail provides it makes for a nice hike… up until the last 2.5 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain in direct sun. The remainder of the day we make tracks towards Page, Az to set up an attempt at Utah slot canyons.

Day 12 – An early morning departure toward Grand Escalante NM is junked by some wisps of white smoke 5 miles north of Page. A quick pull over reveals oil and coolant all over the engine compartment. Car: AAA -> mechanic Us: Back to a hotel. Rest of day spent playing cards, MaryBeth doing work, and watching TV. 2500 miles from home.

Day 13 – Car is done by 330pm. Water pump failure, total bill: 700 dollars. Instead of making our grand exit from the West on that note, the venture north to the slot canyons is resumed. Down a 9 mile heavily washboarded dirt road (taking 1 hour to traverse) and off into Wire Pass. After a few hours there, the sunset saw us driving as far toward Albuquerque as my eyes would carry us, with a brief stop off some nowhere exit to look at one of the most clearly defined Milky Ways I’ve ever seen. Drive till 2am.

Day 14 – Up at 530am, a brief stop in Albuquerque to visit some of MaryBeth’s family, and we are off headed north into the Rockies of Colorado. Sunset over the most perfect background bids us fairwell as the plains of mid America absorb us. Drive till 3am.

Day 15 – Up at 6am, across Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania. A decision to just make the final push home solidified by a 4 hour sleep break provided by MaryBeth, and into..

Day 16 – Arrive home around 930am.