Southwest, USA
WHY WE WENT
Friends of ours live in New Mexico and had told us about the balloon fiesta in Albuquerque so we decided to go but make it a two week trip.
HOW LONG WE STAYED
September 30 - October 14, 2017
WHO WENT
Dave, Ana and Owen (2.5 years old)
WHERE WE WENT
We started in Last Vegas because flights are direct and cheap. We drove to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon, then drove through the Valley of Fire to get to Utah, where we did Zion and Moab. We then drove through Colorado and finally ended in New Mexico. We flew home from there.
HOW WE DID THE SOUTHWEST
What.a.trip. This was such a fun trip and so kid-friendly, Owen had a blast. There are so many places in the USA that we still want to see but we’re on a bit of a hiatus. We actually left Las Vegas on the afternoon of the mass shooting at Mandalay Bay and that really freaked us out.
Time change
Las Vegas is a three hour time change for us and then the other states we visited were only two hours. This allowed us to be loose with Owen’s schedule. We drove a lot so he took his naps in the car but we also exhausted him so he was happy to go to bed when we said it was time.
Transportation
We rented a car and car seat in Las Vegas and didn’t let it go until we flew out of Albuquerque. A car was the only option as sometimes we were out in the middle of nowhere. Truthfully. We went 60 miles on empty because there were no gas stations to be found. Or anything else around for that matter.
Accommodations
We did a combo of hotels, motels, AirBnBs, and then also stayed with our friends in Albuquerque.
Basically I booked what looked cool or close to where we wanted to be.
For example, we wanted to visit Zion National Park so we glamped at Under Canvas Zion which was unreal.
We were going to be in Durango, Colorado which has a 19th-century Narrow Gauge Railroad steam train that still passes through so stayed at a motel right on the tracks. There was a picnic table outside our door so we could sit and watch the trains go by. Owen was obsessed.
Have you heard of earthship homes? The first one ever is available for rent on AirBnb. That’s where we stayed in Taos, New Mexico and it was really cool.
Our days
This trip was different from our others because we drove a lot. Our destinations were a bit further apart than we expected but at least the scenery was worth it - what a magical two weeks. We were in the desert, drove by and through so many rock formations, saw snow-capped mountains and drove through fall-coloured forest.
We went from being so hot in Vegas to freezing in Utah. We enjoyed so many sunsets and breweries, and wonderful hospitality. We saw wild buffalos, loved visiting cute little towns and hiking in some beautiful national parks. Oh and to top it all off, we went to the balloon fiesta right at the end of the trip and it did not disappoint!