Day 2: Desert, dust and one HUGE grasshopper!

Just shy of 575 miles, we arrived in Flagstaff, AZ. It was dark when we got here, so I’m not sure what it looks like but from what we can see it reminds us of Bend, OR. Flagstaff is a high desert town located at 7,000 ft. There are some trees, though they’re scrawny and scattered and it’s cold! At only 36 degrees, this is the first stop on our journey that feels like winter.

Today went well. We started out a little late following some car checks, but were able to hit the road before noon. We said farewell to Texas shortly after leaving El Paso (the area is quite an eyesore by day) and hit two states along our way– New Mexico and Arizona, both of which Mikayla has visited before. Mikayla was a trooper. Sleeping on and off, we played with her new piano from Grammy, sang songs and danced to whatever beat we could come up with. We didn’t stop much, but there may have been a roadside diaper change that resulted in the discovery of the biggest grasshopper ever!

"Bye, bye Texas!"

"I'm going to get 'em"

The Wild West goes solar!

Taking in the view, and the breeze!

One of the prettier views along the way ;-)

King of the grasshoppers!

Halfway through, we relaxed for dinner in Tuscan where we explored the University of Arizona and found real grass! For anyone who has lived in Del Rio, you’ll understand the significance of being able to sit in the grass without being pricked! Mikayla ran around until she wobbled and when she decided to setup her plate and cup in the sidewalk, we figured it was time to find food.

"Here I come!"

"If I sit here, food will come..."

Happy girl with her Daddy

I’d tell you more about the scenery, if there was more to see. Hopefully it will get more colorful from here. For the most part everything is brown, New Mexico had lots of warning signs about dust storms and zero visibility and I’m pretty sure that we passed all of Arizona’s people-like cactus after dark.

We’re not sure where we’ll end up tomorrow night, but we’re headed to the Grand Canyon in the morning which none of us have been to before. Stay tuned for more on our adventure.

Cheers!