Eastward Ho.

So I guess it's two days and that many cities later than I said I would post next... mainly because I wanted to accumulate enough pictures and stories to fill a whole entry of respectable length (read: I kept telling Michelle I just didn't feel like it until she finally made me do it.)

So let's begin with the El Tovar dinner recap... we didn't take any pictures because that's not classy. I got the duck, Michelle had crab-stuffed trout filet, all with a distinctly southwestern flair. Delicious and fancy, but nothin' really weird. We missed the view of the canyon since we went out after sundown, so we made a second appearance for breakfast before heading out to see the east side of the park, which offered vast views of the desert juxtaposed with a different angle on the expanse of the Canyon.

See? Grand Canyon is still awesome...
And Michelle is still a good photographer :)
The mural on the inside of the watchtower built in the style of the Native structures that have been found around the area.
The following is the biggest snake I have ever seen in nature:
He was about 3-1/2 feet long. No joke.

So after saying goodbye to our slithery buddy, we hit the road again, heading back East. It feels like our trip is ending, but we're still pretty far away I guess.

Th' open road.
Some scene in New Mexico.

So then I guess we crashed in Albuquerque, after consulting our Fodor's guide (thanks Lindsay!) which directed us to some delicious green chile stew and a chimichanga, our only Tex-Mex meal so far, if you can believe it. Gotta love those authentic Mexican-American eats... they're not necessarily pretty, but they always have the perfect amount of spicy flavor and fill you up like nothing else. Cheap too. (sorry, no picture.)

Next thing we know, we're in Texas, passing through on our way to Oklahoma City.

Greener, huh? More cows too, it turns out.

This was our only non-gasoline stop in the great state of Texas. Can you find the reason why in the picture above? That's right, it's because I am unable to resist going through anything sounding as awesome as "Fried Pie Door."
A satisfied customer.
Why do people think windmills ruin the landscape? We think they look awesome!
Yup, those aren't slurpee prices, gasoline really just is a dollar cheaper than in Fairfield County.
This is the beer menu from the place we hung out in Oklahoma City's Bricktown that night. All those varieties are on draft. They also had a $3.5o "Mystery Bottle" where they just reach into a big ice chest and you get whatever comes out, which is good for the indecisive like me.

Bricktown, apparently (from what we could tell by just walking around), is a now-defunct industrial quarter of Oklahoma City which they are now trying to rehabilitate by selling property to restaurants, bars, and other entertainments. The catch seems to be that they have to convert the old factories and warehouses into whatever sort of venue they are going to be, rather than demolishing the buildings and constructing new ones. So they places look pretty cool, outside and in. I don't know how long they've been trying to make this place happen, but it seems like it could work eventually.

Finally we got up today and drove hard to make it to Memphis. We hit up Beale Street to see what all the fuss was about.

The street...

the meal (dry ribs, pork shoulder, buffalo wings, AND BBQ-rub chicken among various sides)...
the entertainment (yup that's an Elvis impersonator, and Pig is the simple name of the establishment)...
...and the after-dinner coffee joint.

Adventure fans, I fell asleep like 3 times while posting this because I am so full of barbeque I can't even think straight. We'll let you know in a few days how Graceland was, and also how warmly we were welcomed to Nashville by my aunt and uncle! (Hope they are ready for adventure too!!)

Oh no, not just ANY canyon. Please.

After the overwhelming cuteness of the last couple of days, it was nice to get back on the road and resume the adventurous lifestyle more characteristic of a couple who was JUST married (rather than one with a small family in tow.) The next stop was, as I cleverly hinted in the post title, The Grand Canyon. We got there in the early evening, leaving us time to take some quick snapshots...
...and set up our tent again.
We were so impressed, we stuck around the rim until sunset.
(Nice, right?) The next day we rose and shone basically pretty early in order to attempt a hike into the canyon itself. It took us a little longer to get started than we had hoped, but we managed to crank out six miles, down and back, beneath the canyon rim. The trail, which was originally based on the paths deer took to travel from rim to river (probably), winds back and forth among the various geological strata visible on the canyon walls. There's a rest station with water at 1.5 miles and at 3 miles below the rim. The following pictures may all look pretty similar to you... but just imagine them as a sequenced account of our trek and maybe it will be sort of exciting.

The verrrry top of the trail! Note the feature at the left, casting a shadow.

A step further.
What has Lucas so worried?
Perhaps it is the threat of inclement weather, visible all the way across the canyon. (That particular thunderstorm didn't reach us, but we could see the lightning!)
That awesome-looking hump on the right is the same feature from the first pic I asked you to note... our view of it helped us get a feel for how much we had descended or ascended during the hike. See how we're almost level now?
The same feature! (on the right.) But what's that sign say?
Hm, good point, sign. Time to turn back, I guess, since we can hear the thunder not too far off and it's beginning to sprinkle.

Really? Do we really have to go ALLL the way back up?
This is a pic Michelle snapped so she would have an excuse to stop and rest. (Note the distinct lack of interesting background scenery which is clearly present in all her other photos :D )
20 minutes later... we're only this far up?? (You can see the 3-mile rest house, the bottom point of our hike, in the upper right where the trail seems to end.)
Mules pass us, kicking up some dirt.
Um... a LOT of dirt.
Phew!! Almost at the top... see the 3-mile rest house waaaaay down there? Really? Look closer, it's right there just above the little zigzag in the middle. (Really far away!!)
See? (I wouldn't lie.)

Finally as we closed in on the very last steps of our hike, ominous storm-cloud shadows covered our side of the canyon, though you can see the other side is clear and pleasant. Boy, after that long hike wouldn't it be nice to wash up in a REAL hotel, instead of camping out again?

Aw yeah... a place just like that... with a niiiice comfy bed instead of hard tent floor...

But how are we ever going to find a place like that all the way out here in the middle of the desert? And even if we did, wouldn't it be booked solid for like a year in advance? Oh wait, I forgot, yesterday when we got in we strolled up to the front desk of El Tovar and asked if they happened to have any rooms for two that just serendipitously opened up for a night... and they did!

Our dinner reservation is at 8:30. Don't be too jealous, adventure fans! See you in Albuquerque.

Thanks Uncle Ricky, Aunt Bonnie, Devin, Kaleigh and Lacie!

Sooooo, after having one more insane meal...


and viewing some more incredible scenery...



We were missin' something.... a little more cute and cozy, namely...

relatives! (In the form of my Aunt Bonnie and three really cute kids)!

After our final day in San Diego, we packed up, had breakfast and headed to Scottsdale, Arizona - a development right outside of Phoenix. The last day an half gave Lucas and I the opportunity to relax:






to meditate:


to sleep in:

... well, lets face it, we did some laundry and played with my cousins! :)) Ahh. I guess after today it will be hard to say good bye to these faces,

but at least we're headed to the Grand Canyon! No wi-fi there, adventure fans, but we'll be back from Albuquerque in a few days! :)

Gettin' some San Diego rays...

Well, our last stop on West Coast (before we start our slow trek back east) was the sandy shore of San Diego. As we arrived in town, we stopped to see some tide pools before the Cabrillo Monument closed for the evening.



Climbing (errr.... driving) to the top of the monument was worth it for the view of San Diego:

The weather in San Diego is typically sunny and beautiful... between 75-85 degrees daily. Easy to get used to for couple New Englanders. Inspired by the beautiful scenery, Lucas and I hit the historical downtown Gaslamp Quarter for our first night on the town.
There's the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Theater. Mmmm! After our first night out, we decided to spend our next day on the beach, but instead of relaxin' and catching rays, we kayaked across the bay in La Jolla! Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures while we zipped over the water! (We actually caught a few small waves on our kayak!) We also met up with Lucas's friend Julie who lives in the area! She took us out to tour various shops and restaurants for the remainder of the day.

I know you're probably wondering with all the fun that is to be had in San Diego how we spent our final day in Cali... well, first we started with the most ridiculous breakfast of my life at Hash House A-Gogo.

We started with a few morning cocktails:


and here's a shot of Lucas's hash. Um..... yeah. After that nutritious starter, we headed to the "World Famous" San Diego Zoo! One of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world! There are over 4,000 animals of 800 species housed in Balboa Park. We stopped in to visit:

The sleepy Koalas! (They sleep 18-20 hours a day!)

The Giraffes. Here's a picture of a mother with her two kids! Cuuute!

The Orangutans were awesome!

Check out the Flamingos! Did you know their pink coloring is caused by the amount of shrimp in their diet? It's true. :)
I loved this guy.


Annndd... after 3 hours of tours, I needed a quick foot massage here on the Footsy Wootsy. (It really just tickled your feet for 25 cents.

Here are some faceless camels. (Oops)

and a rather active turtle.

After a full day, Lucas and I filled up at a Sushi Buffet and are getting ready to slowly head back east. Our first stop? Arizona! :) Until then, adventure fan(s)! :)