Time Warp

As the start of the school year approaches I realize that I never really "blogged" about your trip from California to our new home in Missouri. Thinking back on it now, it seems like years ago, though we've only been in Chesterfield a few short weeks. So bear with me as I try and piece together our big summer road trip of 2010 (insert Scoobey Doo time warp here)
We left California on May 28th following my final performance at Country Day. We were hoping to drive as far as Yuma, Arizona but thanks to a very cooperative toddler in the back seat, and little traffic we made it to Gila Bend where we stayed the night at the Space Age Lodge. Decorated with lots of stainless steel, and a UFO on its sign, the place had clearly been a tourist trap some years ago.
The next day we moved on towards Albuquerque New Mexico, via Flagstaff. This particular part of the road was lovely. We started the day surrounded by desert and saguaro cacti, drove through mountains dotted with lush pine forests, and finally stopped when we made it to the red rock hills of New Mexico. Throughout the drive Andrew and I reminisced about our trip on this very road some eight years earlier. At that time we were driving in the other direction, stopping at all points of interest no matter how tacky or cliché. This time however, with Ernie and JP in tow we thought it best to make our way to St. Louis with little delay. That said - we did stop a few times along the way from Arizona to New Mexico taking in a few favorite sights including the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, The Range Cafe, and Chief Yellow Horses Trading Post.
The next day our goal was to drive from New Mexico to Oklahoma, stopping for lunch in Amarillo, Texas. Again luck was on our side, (as well as an I-phone chocked full of Thomas the Train videos to keep JP engaged), and we managed to make it to the "Cadillac Ranch" before too long. Not to be confused with a bar in Las Vegas, the "Cadillac Ranch" is one of the most interesting places I've ever seen. Andrew and I stumbled across it eight years earlier on our Chicago to San Diego Route 66 Road Trip and wanted to share this place with James. Just outside of Amarillo someone had the idea of burying 10 Cadillac cars, nose down into a field. Some people think that it is a piece of art, while others see nothing artistic about the heaps of rusting metal. But that's not all. Passersby over the years have tagged the cars with spray paint so that the cars are covered with various symbols and phrases. Personally I find it rather interesting, though I was a bit disappointed to find piles of wasted, empty spray paint cans littering the surrounding field this time. Moving on - after our brief stop we were back in the car and headed toward the Big Texan in time for lunch! If you've never been to the Big Texan, you must try and go sometime. Home of the 72oz steak challenge, this blast from the past restaurant is nearly always full. It's a great place to people watch as it is full of travelers and locals alike. After lunch, we piled into the car and pushed on towards Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Our third and final day in the car moved rather quickly, despite growing more anxious about reaching our final destination. We drove from Tulsa to Chesterfield without stopping arriving in time to enjoy a few day light hours in our new home – including a quick dip in our new hot tub! (Insert time warp music here)
That about summarizes our road trip adventure. Though it wasn’t packed full of tourist stops and interesting side trips it was an adventure nonetheless driving some 2000 miles with an 18 month old and 14 year old cat.