McCulloughver's Travels: From a Mile Up to a Mile Down

I probably should warn you first off, as I write this I am suffering from a horrible case of highway hypnosis/delirium! We are somewhere in the middle of the Mojave desert (I assure you this is no dessert. My eyes are peeled for a Dairy Queen right now, seeing as how it's approximately 96 bajillion degrees here). We have been on this road forever and apparently we have forever to go...at least that's the answer I keep getting.

But let me back up and fill you in on the past couple of days. I think when I left off last time, we were heading for Albuquerque. We just stayed one night there, but we really liked the city, and the New Mexican food was awesome (thanks for the recommendation, Sam!). The second night of the trip went much smoother than the first...we didn't have to nurse anyone back to health or anything like that.

Sandia Crest (1 mile above Albuquerque)

From there we headed toward the Grand Canyon, but not until after a quick tour of the Sandia Crest, which was a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the city from a mile up. We also saw our first cute, cuddly "grizzly" bear. I know, I know! Only Yogi is cute and cuddly...the rest are terrifying and dangerous (I'm working on changing my mindset toward that - blame Teddy Ruxpin).

We made a few stops along the way, usually just whenever our butts could not stand it anymore or if we needed a PB&J. We stopped for what we thought would be a brief visit at the Petrified Forest National Park. We were surprised by how pretty it was, but if you go see it be sure to go on the way to the Grand Canyon as opposed to on the way back from the Grand Canyon. One thing we have learned so far is that seeing things like the Grand Canyon has a way of shadowing the things that we used to think were the most gorgeous.

Our sweet families

We used the Grand Canyon as a little bit of a family vacation. Daniel's parents were there by the time we arrived, and my parents and brother were not far behind (even though they were the first to leave Alabama - they don't miss anything in between). I am so thankful that everything worked out for all of us to be able to see the Grand Canyon together. Most of us had never been there before. We had a blast hanging out, fighting squirrels, making omelets and smore's, walking trails, hiking to my near death, and watching sunsets with the people that we love most! As far as the views, I literally don't know what to say except, "Praise God!" Just check it out for yourself...we are putting up a few of our favorite pics. Better yet, go, get in the car, and drive west for a couple of days...pictures don't do the Grand Canyon justice.

So far, God has been 100% faithful to completely overwhelm us with His creation, which was our hope for this trip, and this was only our first major stop!

We can't wait to see more!

Next Stop - San Diego CA!!!