Unexpected Arizona

I thought Arizona would be flat, and mostly brown. I was wrong. We woke up early to begin the long drive to Tucson from Holbrook. I wasn’t really looking forward to it because I thought the landscape wouldn’t be very interesting. Around an hour into the drive is when we learned that Arizona has mountains. […]

There are Dinosaurs in Holbrook

The little, almost ghost town, of Holbrook is off of the old route 66 in Arizona. We spent the night there in the Wigwams Motel and had fun exploring this old retro town on a cold and windy winter afternoon.  I was surprised, and overjoyed to discover all of the dinosaur statues that are just hanging […]

Just Off the Desert Road

Just a few turns off the interstate, in the vast open desert, abandoned towns and buildings sit. Free to explore, there are no fences or barriers.  No one else is even in sight. The sun was setting over this forgotten little campground. A place where people probably spent many fun summer vacations, now overgrown on […]

Monument Sunrise

Monument Valley was one of my favorite places on the Desert Trip. It was such a peaceful and calming place. We stayed at the only hotel around called The View hotel, which overlooks the giant rock formations. I woke up early to watch the sunrise, before we raced off to our next destination.  There was some […]

The Trail to Oatman

The last day in the desert led us to the little town of Oatman, which is nestled high up in the mountains between Arizona and California. I didn’t realize the drive to get there would be so scenic. We left the red rocky landscape behind us and headed towards these jagged rocky ridges. We had […]

Chloride Ghost Town

In north western Arizona, about an hour and a half outside of Las Vegas, is the little almost forgotten town of Chloride. Chloride was once a busy mining town with over 5000 residents, but over the years that number steadily declined to around just a few hundred and Chloride was on it’s way to becoming […]

A Night in a Wigwam

When I was planning a trip to the desert and clicking around on google maps to get an idea of places to go, I saw the Wigwam village in Arizona and knew it had to be part of the trip.  I had heard of this place before, and seen pictures, but was never exactly sure […]

A Desert Painted

Parts of northern Arizona had reminded me of what Mars might look like.  But upon entering the Petrified Forest and seeing the Painted Desert, this area really looked like we had just been transported over to the red planet. The bright sun gave a false impression of a warm day. The air was cold, and […]

Two Guns Ghost Town

Just off of interstate 40, formally the old route 66, is Two Guns Ghost Town. The land where this ghost town now sits, holds many stories. A group of Native Americans were killed by an enemy tribe that set fire to a cave where they were hidden.  After that tragic event, the area is now […]

Just (2000 Miles) Down the Road

The interstate in my backyard, if followed long enough, will eventually lead to the small town of Holbrook Arizona. It’s a little town that the old route 66 used to run right through until it got bypassed in recent years by the construction of big interstate 40. Holbrook also inspired the little desert town in […]