In the last week I’ve put on a lot of miles and seen many amazing things. The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, the Very Large Array, and the dunes of white sand desert. I’ve also been polishing off audiobooks and podcasts during the hours I’ve had to sit behind the wheel.
The trip has been satisfying but I’m getting really tired. I wake up, answer some email, get a photo ready for the day, drive several hours, take photos and find a room for the night tired from sitting all day. The thing with driving all day long is that you don’t get much exercise and most of the food options along highways aren’t very good.
Tonight I’m in Carlsbad, New Mexico where I got my oil changed and will take off tomorrow for Carlsbad Caverns. The town seems pretty empty this time of year. The motels are advertising walk-in specials and there are few cars in the parking lots.
From here I have a long drive to Dallas where I’ll be able to work for several days before heading to Florida on November 5. I have thousands of photos and stories to work on during December before I take off again and leave the US in January.
If you are in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area and would like to meet sometime next week let me know. I’ll probably be doing a formal meet up with my friend Scott Kurtz sometime next week in the Dallas area. More details to follow.
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I drove across the US once in 3 days (2 people, 14-16h/day of driving). That was rough, but we had to get to Cali and find a job. If I ever do it again, I’ll stop a lot of places along the way. I bet with a portable stove and cooler of ice (or 12V fridge) you could cook some tasty grub on the road at rest areas. McD’s for weeks at a time just doesn’t cut it :-)
That is some adventure you are on. Ive been to the Grand Canyon a few times and it never gets boring to look at.
That sounds like a busy week for you, but it is great that you can combine work and travel.
But would you not like to slow the pace of journey, spend more time in each place and take off days once in a while – says every 10-15 days or so? It doesn’t have to slow travel for the fad of it, but personally, sometimes I just don’t feel like leaving some places and end up wanting to spend a lot more time.
I was in Vegas for a week, and there are several places I’ve stayed 2 or 3 days. The distances out west are just enormous. You can’t just drive for an hour or two between most of these destinations. You have to drive 4-5 hours a day minimum, not including the other stuff you do.