America the Beautiful

Things rarely go as planned and our Texas exodous was no different.  We had every intention of leaving on August 10 at 2:00pm but between a nephew's first birthday and a severely ignored alarm clock, our launch was pushed back by nearly 16 hours. Alas, finally we left and started our 32 hour road trip and headed west.  We decided to make the most of it and see a few of the beautiful natural wonders of the American west.  Our first day of driving took us deep into alien country

Julie rubbing elbow's with the locals.

as we passed through Roswell, New Mexico and ended the day in the Monument Valley region of southern Utah/ northern Arizona.  We learned a lot during our first night of camping.  The main lesson was this, Jet hates camping, for now at least and if we do not figure this out it is going to be a long trip.  On the plus side, Jet trembling in fear kept us up long enough to see Perseid, an annual meteor shower.  The moonless night sky was lit only by an arching milky and the frequent meteors that streaked through the sky.

Jet at sunrise, at the end of his night security detail.

Matt testing the law of gravity on the canyon's edge.

Day two of our road trip was more of a marathon than a sprint and we planned on visiting a few of the natural wonders along our route. Our first stop was Goosenecks State park along the entrenched San Juan River.  This part of America really embodies the west for me; vast, wild and largely empty.  It is great to simply sit in solitude and soak in the power of Mother Nature.

 Julie and a Goosenecks s-curve.

Old westerns tricked me into thinking this is Texas.

Wild ponies grazing in Monument Valley.