Sedona AZ

Wow. Did we land on Mars? That's what Sedona feels like. Out of this world scenery, I'd dare say more impressive than the Grand Canyon. And the people are a little.. well to quote a local.. "quirky." Nestled in the heart of amazing piles of mountainous red red rock is this pristine and artsy town. The drive down through 89A was something I'd love to do again. Quite a few creekside campsites that I could spend some time in awe.

My pictures really fail. It was really more like a 360 of this:

GRAND Canyon !

Made it into Grand Canyon village at 11 pm. Stayed at Yavapai lodge and it was very comfortable. We couldn't swing getting a permit to hike over night :( . But we hiked down a couple miles on the South Kaibab trail and it was stunning. Perfect weather, cool in the shade and warm sun on our backs. Chatted with a variety of folks down and back up, even raced a couple the last jaunt to the top. As expected, photos do not do it justice.

Gallup TX

Quaint town with some history. We stopped for dinner at historic El Rancho hotel, an old attraction for Hollywood stars. Food was decent enough but the nostalgic atmosphere was something to see.

Amarillo TX

Got up and made our way to Amarillo for lunch at Jorge's, had some mighty good ceviche and guac and the best margarita I've ever had to wash it down!

Wide Open Spaces

I saw my first real tumbleweed! Took one for a souvenir.
Made some friends at 75 and Campbell Starbucks in Dallas.

Big Easy

So. New Orleans is... Interesting. Fascinating really. Not really my cup of tea at night but we did get in late and didn't get to search out the blues as much as I wanted. We had a frustrating time finding parking, it boggles my mind how they accommodate tourists, which is the livelihood of the town. But it worked out swell, settled into our apartment, and we did find unexpectedly good food and good company. The fascinating part was seeing it in the daytime. Umpteen layers of history and paint and architecture and culture packed into every inch.

"When it's time for leaving... I hope you'll understand"

Day one of roadtrip!

My leaving song: Allman Bros. - Ramblin Man

"On my way to New Orleans this morning... "

Just for the Halibut

The best meal of my life was a Halibut dish in a small fine restaurant on a dock along the western coast of Oregon US. It was also the fattest filet of fish I have seen. Something like this. So this is really why I'm moving to that area. For the Halibut. :)

It's a Jeep thing

I am pretty sure my car would not make it cross-country, and for the cost of shipping it there... I could just buy a new car. So I did! I am officially in the Jeep club. Woo.

Change

I am so looking forward to my next apartment. 

But I will miss my home of four years. As I paint our walls to white, I think:

It's part painful and yet part symbolic of change.. a blank canvas.

Bye green (yellow?) wall!