Our cell phone alarms were set to 4:30 am this morning, as there was no clock radio in our wigwam. As early as it seemed, it really didn't make much of a difference from our other mornings because Holbrook, AZ is actually on Pacific time during Daylight Savings. So, basically it was more like 5:30 am since we were on our way back to the Mountain time zone today, ultimately to end up at my parents' house in Las Cruces.
After taking some shots of our wigwam, we loaded up the car, hit up a McDonald's for a mcgriddle and latte, and got on the road by about 7 am (MST). The first 50 or so miles of the drive were fairly boring as we worked our way southward through Arizona. Then, once we hit the Apache National Forest, I got a chance to test my driving skills in curvy, mountainous terrain.
Around 10 am, we approached our first side activity for the day by way of a "ghost town" called Mogollon. The town was about 10 miles from the main highway, accessible only by a one lane road (not to mention that this one lane road was riddled with blind turns and sheer drop-offs the entire way). That was one thing I had not bargained for, but on the way to the town we did not pass one car.
When we got to the town, it was pretty quiet and ghostlike, as none of the little shops or museums were open. You could also tell that there were a few residents in the town, but all was quiet on this Monday morning. Justin took several pictures of the historic buildings such as the theater, general store and museum. I also saw a little gray kitty while I was walking around, but he was a bit to skittish to come out to see me.
Once Justin finished taking pics, we decided to move it a long to our next activity. On the way out, we passed three cars and safely made it back to highway 180 unscathed. Then, we drove about another 10 miles into the town of Glenwood and then out to the Catwalk/Whitewater Canyon area. The road obstacle adventure continued as we had to drive through water wash areas twice, as we made our way to the parking area. Luckily, the current was very light and very shallow...it was more fun than anything.
At the Catwalk Canyon, we decided to do the 1.1 mile trail that weaved it's way up, down and across the canyon multiple times as water rushed below. Even though parts of the trail were labeled as "difficult," it was nothing compared to the Canyon de Chelly trail from the day before. The only major difference is that it was both hot and sunny on this trail, so we were pretty darn sweaty by the end.
When we returned to our vehicle, Justin improvised with his pocket knife and made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Then, we were swiftly on the road again to continue our journey to Las Cruces. We made one more little side trip to the town of Pinos Altos around 2 pm, but a literal drive-by was sufficient as the historical elements were a little too kitschy for our tastes.
As the afternoon wore on, we both started to feel the race against the clock to get to Las Cruces by 5:30 pm to return our rental car. There was about a 30 mile stretch of road through the Gila National Forest that was so mountainous and curvy that there were road signs neither of us had ever seen before. Plus, it's kind of tough to make good time when you have to contest with 10 mph turns. But eventually, we crested our last hill in the range and descended towards Interstate 25 and 75 mph speed limits. We breezed through the last 60 miles of our drive and reached Las Cruces by 5:15 pm.
After dropping off our car, my dad picked us up and we made our way to Casa Palmier. The rest of the evening was spent eating delicious food such as homemade, fresh salsa, grilled potato slices with citrus aioli, grilled shrimp and Mexican corn salad PLUS drinking way to much wine and beer. It was also a cloudless evening, so the stars were in full force as we chilled out on the back patio. I counted at least 4 shooting stars before I basically got too inebriated to pay attention anymore. Eventually, I went to bed and somehow managed to brush my teeth and wash my face on autopilot. I guess it goes without saying that I let loose and enjoyed my first evening in Las Cruces - what are vacations for, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment