After my two boys got out of school for the summer it was time to debark on an adventure. My Outschool classes ended on Saturday, June 18th so we decided to get out of Dodge for an epic 10 day road trip.

Last year we went up the west Coast and covered San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and The Red Woods National Forest on the way down. This year we would conquer the American Southwest. Destinations were The Grand Canyon in Arizona, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Denver, Colorado, Moab, Utah, and a stop in Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate. Each location was an average of 6 1/2 hours apart with the exception being home to The Grand Canyon (8 hours) and Las Vegas to Home (about 4 hours). I was determined to make this work!

Sunday, June 19th

I bought a Toyota 4runner earlier this year. It is pretty much my dream truck and I upgraded the tires and got a suspension lift on it just in case I wanted to get into some offroad trouble. The boys are just at the age where camping and outdoor journeys are possible so this vehicle is perfect for that stuff. This is the age where they make memories and I wanted to make these years count.

We loaded up the truck and we were on our way. It was Father’s Day and I really don’t think that it could have gone better for me. Monica got me a Yeti cooler and it was perfect!

We wound up in Tusayan, just 5 miles south of The Grand Canyon later that evening.

Monday, June 20th

I woke up early the next day. I never could sleep in when I”m not sleeping in my own bed. I went to the gym at the hotel we were staying at and helped myself to some of the free coffee they had in the lobby. We booked The Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon and we all thought it was pretty nice.

We made our way into The Grand Canyon about 8:30 AM. I had never seen it before and I wanted to share the experience with my kids. We drove up to the gate, into the park and found decent parking at the Visitors Center. From there we made our way up to Mather Point. What I saw simply blew my mind. I felt torn open with wonder. I couldn’t look at just one rock formation, one specific peak, one particular point in my field of vision. The whole thing was too dazzling to take in all together. It was simply stunning. I was afraid to go near the edge and I was particularly scared for my kids to go near it. Julian plays it pretty safe but Ethan is a madman and he has very little fear of adventure. Here’s some pictures of Mather point and a few points along the Southern Rim.

We walked around and used the shuttle buses to get around the area. There really is too much to see and do in a single day. We really ought to go back and take in more of the place. We ate lunch at the El Tovar hotel as we were famished from skipping breakfast. We had a great meal and decided to take on the Bright Angel Trail which leads into the canyon.

We are not hikers at all. Julian is in Cub Scouts and it was high time that we prepare his legs for hiking with his scout troop. The day was not unreasonably hot so after some hesitation from Julian, we began out trek. Once you enter the trail, you are greeted by a sheer drop 2 feet to your left. It’s best just to keep your cool and not look over the edge. This sheer drop terrified Julian, so he was careful to hold my hand. I was actually terrified for Ethan. He’s a little daredevil so I did not want him getting away from us. We were all safe at the end of the day.

After a while, it began to become a conflict. Julian was scared and wanted to go back, I was resolved to continue to the 1.5 mile mark and back. We decided after 1 mile to split up so Monica took Julian back up while I took Ethan. Ethan is 4 years old and the nice thing about it is he doesn’t complain and doesn’t ask how long it is. I still didn’t know if he could make it out and back but I figured that the worst case scenario is that i would carry him back. Ethan and I made our way to the 1.5 mile mark and back. He was the champion of the trail!

It was quite a bit more than 3 miles total. It’s a good thing Monica and Julian didn’t come with or I would not have heard the end of it. I did not create the trail, guys.

My kid really impressed me. He had a bunch of issues with his lungs and his health early on in his life but now he is a full on beast. His spirit is unbeatable. He earned his nap that day.

We ended the day by traveling to the East of the Southern Rim. I wanted to catch the sunset from Desert View tower. It did not disappoint.

On the way back it was dark. We encountered a huge bull elk trying to cross the road as we approached. It decided to turn back around and I was glad that it did not charge my 4Runner. We also saw another elk after that. It was neat stuff. We had dinner and got to bed. The next day was the trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Tuesday, June 21st

I was tempted to spend more time at the Grand Canyon but it was time to hit the road. We drove the 50 miles to Williams from the Grand Canyon and got on the highway headed East. It was pretty much a straight line through the remainder of Arizona. The drive was nice, Eastern Arizona has beautiful views that reminded me of Oregon. I decided that we should try to get to El Morro in New Mexico once we crossed the border. Once we got to the huge stone monument, it began to rain. It began as a light drizzle but pretty soon it picked up. We headed out of El Morro and pretty soon a thunder storm bore upon us. We saw lightning and the 4Runner got a nice car wash. At times, it was torrential downpour. Once we got onto the 40 freeway, the storm lifted and we were in the beautiful sunshine of Western New Mexico. It was an interesting drive for sure.

My aunt Martha and uncle Leo live in Albuquerque and I felt like it was a great idea to let them get to know the kids. I love my aunt Martha to pieces and we always have a good hang when we meet up. They have a beautiful home and it was so nice to see them again. We had a great dinner and headed to bed.

Wednesday, June 22nd

This was our day to explore Albuquerque. We were gifted tickets up the Tramway leading up to the Sandia Mountains overlooking the city. Julian was pretty skittish as he is afraid of heights, but we reassured him and up we went!

Once we reached the top we were literally inside of a cloud. We could not see anything but the mist surrounding us, which actually might have been reassuring for Julian.

The tramway was such a cool and unique experience! Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at the Sawmill Market (similar to the Grand Central Market in LA) and took the kids to the Explora Children’s museum. It was a blast!

The museum closed at 5 PM so we were searching for something to do before dinner. I am an avid fan of Breaking Bad and since the story and scenes were shot in Albuquerque, I was on a hunt for some landmarks.

Walter White’s house was on my short list. In the years since the show ended, the house has been a tourist trap for fans who have been throwing pizza on the roof and taking rocks from the front yard. The current owners of the house do NOT like people visiting or taking pictures, as I soon found out.

The place is now fenced up and there are cones in the front.

I drove past just as the owner, an older white-haired lady was sitting on a lawn chair in front. I guess she just sits there and tells people to go away. What an existence. I did one pass and I was freaking out, cupping my hands over my mouth. I did a U-turn at the end of the street and I asked her as politely as I could:

“I’m sorry, would you mind if I took a picture?”

She replied with a tone of pure vitriol, “Yes I would mind. This is a private home!”

I drove off after that. To be admonished by the owner of Walter White’s home seemed to be a badge of honor. I guess when you live in such an iconic home you get sick of people stopping by. She didn’t have to be such a Tuco about it though.

We had dinner at my aunt’s home and got ready for the day ahead.

Thursday, June 23rd

We said goodbye to my aunt and uncle and started on our way to Denver, Colorado. We had such a good time and a really nice visit.

We love you, Martha and Leo! (sorry we caught you in the robe)

First, a stop by Twisters, which is the restaurant location of Pollos Hermanos in Breaking Bad. Their breakfast burritos are BOMB. I got this photo.

The drive up to Colorado was cool and scenic. The drive up the 25 freeway past Santa Fe was really nice. Monica has a friend from college named Angela who lives about 30 minutes north of Denver in a city called Longmont. We arrived just as the sun was going down. Angela is a close friend to us and was very accommodating to the four of us. She lives with her husband, Joe in a nice home near the Rocky Mountains. I knew what I wanted to do the next day and Angela was of the same mind. We were going to go the The Rocky Mountain National Park and drive the famous Trail Ridge Road.

Friday, June 24th

Up and at them to the Rocky Mountain National Park! The first stop on the way was to the town of Estes outside of the National Park.

We arrived in Estes and decided to tour the Stanley Hotel. I’m a big Stephen King fan, as well as a Stanley Kubrick fan so it was only natural that I see the hotel where they filmed The Shining. It was really cool! We decided to take a hike on the Lumpy Ridge trail before we entered the Rocky Mountain National Park.

After the hike we went into Rocky Mountain National Park. There we went to Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the country. The elevation reached up to 12,000 feet above sea level. We had strange weather. One moment the sun sun would be out, the next it was torrential downpour. We got caught in an accidental rainstorm while trying to take in the views outside of the 4Runner. It was a mad dash back into the truck, but man the views were something else.

We were up in the Tundra! It was unreal. We saw a herd of elk and a massive moose as well. Once we went down the mountains we made the long trek back to Longmont. We had dinner and prepared for our trip the next day to Moab, Utah.

Saturday, June 25th

This was probably my favorite drive of the trip. We traversed the Western side of Colorado into Utah. The 70 Interstate travels along gorgeous white water rafting areas. It was really beautiful driving. We skipped lunch and arrived in Moab hungry and ready to get settled in. We stopped by a diner around 7 PM and then headed straight to KOA Moab. My friends had recommended this place and it did not dissapoint.

We got a deluxe cabin. The boys had bunk beds and were so excited. This place has a great pool as well. Moab is one of the most impressive geological places I have ever seen. All around you is giant, gorgeous red sandstone. It was a place ripe for adventure. We settled in for the night and had big pans for the next day.

Sunday, June 26th

The 2 things I wanted to do was Arches National Park and some off-roading excursions. We grabbed some breakfast burritos and some coffee and headed up the road to Arches National Park.

Moab and the Arches National Park simply blew my mind open with wonder. These monolithic geological formations illicit a jaw-dropping experience. I could not get enough of it. We got a good general view of the park but we did not have time for the long hikes in the Devil’s Garden deeper inside of the park. I am determined to go back and explore the great hiking this place has to offer, perhaps when the weather is more agreeable and my legs are in better shape.

After we left the park I made a bee-line to the off-roading area a few miles away. Moab is notorious for it’s off-road trails and I needed to get a piece of it while I was there. I had no idea what I was in for.

Fins and Things OHV trail

I aired down the tires and set off for an area I found on All Trails, an app on my phone. This was graded a bit easier than the famous “Hells Revenge” trail that I was not about to do with my family and no support/spotters. I aired down my tires, paid the $5 entrance fee, and got down to it.

Things were going fine and dandy until I got into some unusually rocky areas and had to determine what line I should take. Without a solid spotter, I wound up destroying my aluminum side steps. These Toyota “Predator steps” fell prey to the rocks on this trail. The scraping sounds scared Monica and Julian and she was no longer having quite as good a time. It was definitely scary at times and I did not expect for the trail to get so technical. I definitely could have used some help on my angles, but it was a great learning opportunity.

Knowing that I was in trouble with the wife for my off-road follies I left the trail halfway through the route. There was fortunately an option to pull back on to the main road after 4 miles. I definitely enjoyed it, but I will have to come back again to conquer it another time with more friends and a lot more experience.

Time for another modification. Rock sliders!!

We got back to Moab KOA in relative silence. I was in the dog house and the only way to redeem myself was to do what I was told. I barbecued some hotdogs and vegetable skewers on the outdoor BBQ and we made a nice dinner.

Monday, June 27th

So long, Moab! Until next time. Monday was a straight travel day to Vegas. I had the option to head straight home but I had no interest in the 11-hour drive from Moab to Monrovia, CA. I am glad that we had a stop because at this point I am exhausted from driving. I did all of the driving on this trip by choice. Monica offered but I was determined to be behind the wheel this entire time, my family in tow. Vegas was, simply Vegas. It was hot, 104 degrees at night. We stayed at the Paris hotel, which was decent enough. Had a sushi dinner and then went to the M&M store with the kids. I took no pictures. It has been years since I have been excited about going to Vegas and I was tired.

Tuesday, June 28th

From Vegas to home. Nothing much to say except that traveling during a week day is ideal. We got home and I was so happy I couldn’t stand it. Part of you wants to stay on vacation indefinitely and another part of you yearns for the routinization of everyday life. I think this was a great trip and it went (mostly) without a hitch. We all arrived safe and sound and with minimal damage to the 4runner. 😆

With age, health crises, and a pandemic we are still working through I have become keenly aware of the impermanence of existence. I am here in this form with this conscientiousness for a limited amount of time. With the time I have left I plan on filling in the blanks that I wish were filled in during my youth as well as giving my family memories that they won’t soon forget. 2020 and 2021 were some BAD TIMES. I want these years to feel like mostly good times in retrospect to my kids. In this sense, the vacation was a success that’s immeasurably more valuable than the souvenirs we brought back. These memories will stay with them and hopefully they can look at this blog years and years later to remember the adventure.

Thanks for reading! Be kind to each other.

-Phil

5 states in 10 days Our 2022 road trip