5th day of trip - arrival in Arizona!

It was a relatively short drive from Albuquerque to Northern Arizona. Before I knew it, we were pulling into a Cracker Barrel in Flagstaff. After lunch, we made our way down to Sedona. We stopped to check out some pretty awesome vistas on the way. Our string of good luck continued when we were able to check into our room early. Dad and I went on a Pink Jeep Tour of the red rocks of Sedona. The specific tour we did was the Scenic Rim tour. It took about 2 hours. It was so much fun and offered spectacular views of the landscape around Sedona. This is seriously one of the most beautiful places I've seen. Dad and I both really enjoyed the Jeep tour. Tomorrow morning I'm going on a hike, first thing. It's a more advanced hike, so hopefully I'll be okay. I'm looking forward to that and doing some swimming and relaxing tomorrow.

It feels good to finally be in Arizona. 5 days ago, we left Pennsylvania. Somehow, 2400 or so miles later, we find ourselves in Arizona. The trip out here went really well. I hope the trip home will be the same if not better.

4th day of trip - Albuquerque, NM

I think I finally spelled Albuquerque correctly. It only took me about three tries and two days, but I think I got it. Anyway, Albuquerque is where we're spending our last night before arriving in Arizona. We drove slightly more miles than yesterday; so over 500. Fortunately, the speed limits were high again, so we made great time. For lunch we stopped at an A&W Root Beer/Long John Silver's. It was an interesting combination. I was glad that we stopped at those chain restaurants instead of going to McDonald's which was located right at the end of the ramp of the exit off the interstate. We had to drive a little further down the road to find an alternative to the king of fast food. For dinner on the other hand, fast food was simply not a viable option. We found a great Thai restaurant. I really love Thai food. It's probably my favorite cuisine; right up there with Mexican. We made it back to the motel to watch the Eagles game. They lost to the Bears. It was a close game, but the Bears wanted it more. Oh well. I can't really complain that much. The Phillies clinched the NL East yesterday for the second straight year. Penn State won defeated Illinois last night to remain undefeated.

Tomorrow, we have a short drive--350 miles--to Sedona, AZ. Finally, we'll be staying in a place for more than one night. I'm looking forward to that as well as picturesque scenery, laundry, a swimming pool, and maybe even a jacuzzi.

Day 3 - Oklahoma City, (I'm not gonna tell you which state)

Once again, nothing to eventful on the road today. Probably the most exciting thing was the 75 mph speed limit we encountered in Oklahoma. It was 70 most of the time in Mizzou and Oklahoma, but then we got a real treat. We drove about 500 miles total. These car rides are beginning to go more quickly. Maybe I'm just insane now, but 200 miles to drive before stopping for lunch, no longer seems that far. I think it's all relative. I remember when 100 miles seemed like a lot. And 3 hours in the car seemed like a full day. Well, those days are gone.

We have one more big day of travel followed a single night stay in Albuerquerque before heading to Sedona, AZ where we will spend two nights. It's really is neat to see so much of the U.S. I definitely recommend crossing the country by car or train or bus, when possible. Not that the troposphere isn't absolutely enthralling, 'cause it is. You just get a much better view of the landscape from ground level. We're all pretty tired tonight after a short night's sleep last night. Time to make up for missed sleep and prepare for one more big travel day before a break.

Day 2 - Meet me in St. Louis

After 420 uneventful miles driving across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, we arrived in Collinsville, IL. Collinsville is located about 10 miles from St. Louis. Once we arrived, we had a few hours of time to rest before the ball game. We saw the Cardinals defeat the Reds. It was a pretty exciting game. Albert Pujols, a native of Santo Domingo (my future home), hit a 2-run home run. It was a good night all around in baseball. The Fish defeated the Mets and my Phillies swatted the Nats. We changed time zones today. Back in good old Central Time. So it feels kind of late now, but I'm still going to watch some of the replay of the Presidential debate tonight. We're off tomorrow morning around the same time as today after a complimentary breakfast from Days Inn. We're Oklahoma City bound!

First stop--Columbus, Ohio

Today my parents and I left Southeastern PA quite early in the morning, thus kicking off our westwardly trek across the country. We arrived in Columbus at around 3:30 pm after driving around 450 miles. We visited with my cousin Josh and ate at Don Pablo's. It was great seeing him and catching up with my cuz. Josh has just started graduate school, both his own studies and teaching a freshman writing course. We're only here in Columbus for one night. Tomorrow, we're on our way to St. Louis. I'm excited to have this opportunity to travel with my parents and see new places. Our ultimate destination is Tucson, AZ to visit my sister, Katie. She is a first-year grad student at the University of Arizona. I can't wait to see her and spend about a week in Tucson.