| More and more people are getting in their cars and | | | | they were huge snowdrifts. This is another must see |
| driving across the USA or across Canada on a | | | | adventure. |
| vacation trip that they may have planned on doing | | | | There are many things to see in Arizona. We chose |
| for years. The price of gas has been somewhat of a | | | | the Tucson area for this trip and spent time around |
| deterrent, however the price of fuel is going up | | | | Sabino Canyon, Tubac, Nogales, and Bensen. A |
| regardless of whether you drive, fly, take the train | | | | combination of hiking, shopping for arts and crafts |
| or the bus! Traveling by car allows you to see so | | | | and a little star gazing at Mount Kitts kept us busy |
| much more that we are convinced that this is the | | | | for over five days. The last part of our trip heading |
| best and the only way to travel and see the various | | | | south west was a stay in Laughlin, Nevada, Las |
| sites across America. One of the things we | | | | Vegas, Nevada and Palm Springs. |
| discovered is that there are so many different | | | | Laughlin, Nevada is on the Colorado River and we |
| interesting things to see and do, that we are already | | | | took advantage of the water taxis that will take you |
| planning to do this same trip all over again. | | | | along the river to the various casino hotels. There are |
| We started from eastern Canada and traveled | | | | boat cruises and a line up of great entertainment. |
| through Windsor and Detroit and headed towards St | | | | This area of Nevada is definitely a good deal. Prices |
| Louis. Everyone should see the beautiful arch that | | | | for rooms are reasonable as are the meals. |
| marks the entrance to St Louis at least once! Next | | | | Next we visited Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a gambling |
| we traveled further south towards Texas. We | | | | mecca with over 100,000 rooms available and millions |
| bypassed a lot of states since we had a plan in mind. | | | | of people visiting every year for a combination of |
| We wanted to see the Texas panhandle and into | | | | good times, great food and entertainment and of |
| Amarillo, Texas. What we got was miles and miles of | | | | course a little gambling. |
| scorched earth! The fires that spread across Texas | | | | Palm Springs is a gem in the California desert. Nestled |
| have to be really seen to be believed. Miles and miles | | | | in a valley, protected from the wind and rain, you can |
| of blackened grass really tells you just how immense | | | | count on great weather over 300 days a year. |
| these fires can be. We were a bit disappointed in | | | | We spent over a month traveling throughout the US, |
| Amarillo, so we moved on to Roswell, New Mexico. | | | | concentrating on the southwest. The only |
| Roswell, New Mexico, of course is home to the | | | | reservations we made were in Las Vegas and Palm |
| Roswell UFO museum. This museum got its start with | | | | Springs. As seasoned travelers we find that a |
| the cover-up of the crash of a UFO in 1947 by the | | | | cross-country car trip such as this is best done in the |
| US military or so it is claimed. This is a must see stop | | | | spring or in the fall when all of the kids are in school |
| if you are interested at all in UFO's. | | | | and lineups are relatively short. |
| Next on our itinerary was the White Sands National | | | | Next year we plan to do it all again, traveling to the |
| Monument in New Mexico. With over 250 square | | | | north west of the USA and then head south to |
| miles of gypsum sand, so white it is blinding and the | | | | California. |
| kids toboggan down the 60-foot sand dunes as if | | | | |