Vegas to Pagosa

As we passed through The Kaibab National Forest a light rain blessed our drive and left a wonderful scent in the air. Neither of us could remember the last time we experienced that aroma – you know, the kind of fresh and dank rain that you can smell coming on the horizon. After several days in the dry desert the lush green forest couldn’t have come sooner. We nestled into a cozy campsite next to a pasture of horses and sat around the fire drinking cold beers and taking swigs from a bottle of E&J. Vegas was buckets of fun, but as we both unwind under the stars we finally feel like we’re on vacation.

In the morning we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which was absolutely AMAZING. I visited the South Rim when I was a kiddo, but this less populated view is spectacular and the drive in is great too. I learned a Native American folk tale about how the Grand Canyon was formed – “According to an Indian legend there was a very honored and great chief who loved his wife dearly. Upon her death, his grief was so great that the gods offered to take him to visit his wife, who was in a happy land, to see that she was really contented. In exchange he was to stop mourning her loss when he returned to the land of the living. After the chief had promised this, the gods made a trail through the mountains and created the Grand Canyon. When the chief returned, the gods sent a river running over the trail so that no one could ever use it again, and this is how the Colorado River came into existence.”

The next stop on our Arizona Desert Extravaganza is Monument Valley. The drive through the desert is almost overwhelming as skyscraping rocks reach over the car and huge vast landscapes make us look incredibly small. The sun is baking the world around us and we are thankful for the air conditioning inside the car. As we wind over the Colorado River and past Lake Powell we made a spontaneous decision to skip our camping plans at the San Jose River for the night and haul ass to Colorado for some heat relief. We stop in Monument Valley Navajo Lands for a Red Bull and a cigarette. Sand storms pellet our skin with red dirt and we make friends with a couple of Natives. The monuments are amazing and their shier magnitude is utterly impressive.

I have been waiting for miles for a bathroom and as we approach the four corners I can’t wait to pee in four states at once. Little did we know that the four corners is a fenced in area that was “closed” for construction. Jarvis finds it hilarious – it was one thing that he was really looking forward to on our trip. I step one foot into New Mexico and feel at peace knowing I’m getting closer to my loves at home.

We book it to Durango and then wind through the rolling green foothills of Colorado. We pull into Pagosa just as the sun is setting over the deck in the back of the house. It was a long day of driving, but we are thankful to be home. Frozen pizza never tasted so good.

It’s Saturday evening and my parents just arrived at the house. Hanging with Mamma T while Jarvis and Dad are playing horseshoes and grilling out back. Totally happy...Couldn’t ask for more!