The Final Stretch Home

I didn't forget about the final and most important recap of my trip Westward. Final Day! I had been through little parts of Arizona before but had certainly never driven through the entire state. I am in love with Arizona. The way the state changes gradually yet so dramatically all at the same time. It is truly a work of art and something that has to be seen to understand.

The morning started off on Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ - home of the Wigwam Village Motel #6. [That's right. #6. It's not the only one!] My favorite part was obviously the retro cars! I can only imagine what it would be like to stay there in a wigwam!

Next stop — Winslow, Arizona. Many of you have heard the song by The Eagles, Take It Easy. There's a line in the song that says, "I was standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona..." So, sure enough, they dedicated that very corner of the town of Winslow to that song. It was really pretty neat. 

Reading about that town and how it was frozen in time after Route 66 was done away with, was pretty heartbreaking. It's such a small, little town now. It's hard to believe how much it once thrived. This corner was a way to bring tourists back into town. I'm so glad we were able to stop on by and pay a visit.

Then it was off to beautiful Flagstaff. I didn't know much about Flagstaff other than it tends to snow there a lot. Did you know the snowfall averages around 100 inches per year? That makes it one of the snowiest cities in the U.S.

Anyway, we stopped for coffee in Flagstaff and not only was everyone friendly there but it really was breathtaking. It was such a pretty drive meandering through all the pine trees.

After Flagstaff, I learned a new life lesson:

Always take the scenic route.

Always. At the last minute, we decided to veer off the road at the "scenic view" sign. Friends, what I'm about to show you is the true, untouched beauty of the United States. This is the kind of view I live for. The kind of view that makes everything around you stop. All the worries float away. Life is just good.

Here is a glimpse into the land known as Sedona. Raw. Untouched. And unedited.

We made a stop at Sunset Point before driving into Phoenix for lunch. Then, it was onward into a tiny town known as Gila Bend [please note the Space Age Lounge] and then into Yuma before finally crossing into the California border :)

Pardon the horrible quality of that picture but I had to snap it! I was finally in my new state. Finally. However, the drive wasn't over yet. There were still a few hours ahead. Those hours consisted of driving through the desert. The real desert. It might as well have been the Mexican desert. The largest sand dunes I have ever seen.

And then we skimmed next to the border of Mexico, into the mountains full of boulders, through the border checkpoint [that was fun], and finally... onto my street :) But not until we saw that beautiful sunset...

Home Sweet San Diego

Tomorrow will mark one month since I officially made this city home.

And Monday will mark my 27th birthday.

This birthday will be different... for many reasons.

For now, I'll be enjoying my last weekend as a 26-year-old here in sunny Californ-i-a!

Catch up on the trip:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

I know, I know... some of you just aren't into recaps but these pictures are too good not to share. Day Three and Final Day were my absolute favorites. I have fallen in love with the Southwest - the views, the architecture, the history. It is all so rich. Read along and find out which state was my favorite [California doesn't count.]

Texas

Texas began the day-long stretch of having zero Internet reception on my phone. I'm sure it's hard to believe but this was my first time ever setting foot in Texas. The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo was my favorite thing about the Lone Star State. I was disappointed that after the thousands and possibly millions of poor cows I saw, I only saw one LONE longhorn. C'mon, Texas!

New Mexico

By far, the coolest part of the drive cross country was Historic Route 66. Typical Chelsea, of course, did research on the road about how it was one of the original U.S. Highways and how the implementation of the Interstate Highway System in the 60s wiped out many of the little towns Route 66 used to go through, leaving ghost towns. 

On the side of the freeway, you'd see deserted gas stations, car repair shops, etc. Old cars, tractors, trucks. Below you will see certain stretches of Route 66 we were able to drive through. It was truly fascinating. I also picked up an authentic dream catcher in New Mexico - something I had been wanting :)

We decided to drive through the city of Albuquerque [do you realize how difficult it is to spell that?] and again, drive on the strip of Historic Route 66. It's also pretty cool to have driven through now that I just started watching Breaking Bad which is filmed there. ABQ had a different feel to it. Something I hadn't experienced in any of the other U.S. towns. It was distinct. Unique. Additionally, the sunsets in New Mexico are out of this world...

As the sun sank into the horizon, we eventually drove into Arizona and stayed in Holbrook for the night. Holbrook definitely felt like taking a step back into time into the 60s. The final leg of the cross country journey was just around the corner and I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that by the end of the next day, I'd be home sweet San Diego :)

Day Two Delirium

Day Two of the cross country trek was probably the worst. Not only was it the first day waking up in a hotel with only one quarter of the drive complete, but I just wasn't thrilled about the road ahead of us that day: The rest of Tennessee, Arkansas, and half of Oklahoma.

For some reason, the drive into Memphis, reminded me of the drive into St. Louis from the West. Total deja vu. Maybe it has something to do with the Mississippi...

And then there was Arkansas. Ohhhhh, Arkansas. There really just wasn't much to look at along the I-40 stretch until Little Rock finally came along. You know it's bad when the only pictures on your iPhone for a large stretch of the way are taken inside the car... of Stella.

I originally had Stella in her carrier, secured in the backseat while I was driving but decided when I wasn't driving to hold her in my lap while still in the carrier. She enjoyed the security of having the carrier around her. I unzipped each end and occasionally placed my hand inside to say "hi" and give her some comfort. She loved snuggling up to me :)

We stopped in Little Rock for a quick lunch right in the middle of the city. It was fun to finally see a town in the state and get a somewhat better feel for Arkansas. There wasn't much after that until the Oklahoma border. Oh, except for a stuffed bear dressed in Razorback gear...

Then it was onward into Oklahoma! I enjoyed the sunset while watching the terrain start to change a bit [which I always find fascinating from state to state.] It's also fun to look up the state on Wikipedia and find out some interesting facts which I also did. Read up a ton on Native Americans in the land. Very cool!

I chatted with Lauren who's now living in OK and she mentioned that the buildings in OKC might be lit up with crosses since it's Christmastime. She was right! I enjoyed driving through the Oklahoma City area [although it was unfortunately dark by that point.] It was one of the more occupied areas we had seen in quite some time!

Day Two ended West of OKC in a small town right on Historic Route 66 called Weatherford. It's hard to believe Day Two started all the way back East in Nashville! Look THAT distance up on the map! And Day Three was going to be yet another long day... A day that I was so very excited for!

I won't be writing tomorrow as tomorrow many of us in the blogging community are having a blogger day of silence for the victims of Newtown, CT. Join us as we remember the heroes and those lost this past Friday.