grand canyon bound

Hey everyone!  I finally got my information together, slide shows created, & thoughts down on paper (virtual paper of course), so I can now officially post about our vacation!  For those of you that don’t know; Cody & I took an 11 day road-trip from Texas to the Grand Canyon, to Venice Beach, to San Diego, & back to our home here in Texas. It was an amazing trip that we’d do all over again..

Home-TO-flagstaff

Roadtrip Day 1: June 5th

We woke up refreshed and roaring to go, but unfortunately, we left later than we wanted {2 hours to be exact} due to a packing issue.  Let’s face it, we BOTH took advantage of not having restrictions on luggage so we each had 2 suitcases and 1 storage tub… well, I had 3 suit cases, but who’s counting?

*Dog Tip: Plan to stop at a dog park a few hours in to your trip. This will help tire your dogs out and make them way better passengers. Even if they don't play, the new smells are enough stimulation!

Fort Woof Dog Park

We stopped at a dog park in Fort Worth.  It was a very nice dog park, but it was in desperate need of more shade! We only stayed 30 min due to it being over 100 degrees & humid. The dogs weren’t even playing, but we did meet some really nice people that were just as chatty at us.

NEW MEXICO STATE LINE

Road Trip Day 2: June 6th  

*Dog Tip: Don't leave food in the backseat where your dogs can easily lay/step on it. Exhibit A: Zebra [pan] Cakes

The dogs got to eat their breakfast while the sun rose over the mountains

Best part of roadtrips?  You can veer off coarse! 
After we entered into Arizona we saw a billboard advertising "Meteor Crater-Experience the Impact!"  so we drove 8 miles off course to check it out.  Unfortunately we didn't get to witness it due to it being behind a giant wall & dogs not permitted and It was too hot to keep them in the car.  So we "eeew'd & awwwe'd" at the outer wall, stretched our legs, and got back on coarse.

We finally arrived at La Quinta Inn at 8:45am; we brought in the luggage, ate a sandwich with smashed bread {Thanks D}, & took a well deserved 4 hour nap...

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WE MADE IT TO Flagstaff!

Still Day 2: June 6th

…After waking up from our nap, showering, & bushing our teeth, We took the dogs to Thorpe Dog Park which was a huge sand pit!  The dogs got filthy there but the weather was amazing, the people extremely friendly, & we got a lot of good tips of places to stop & eat while in San Diego.  After the dogs were tired out, we stopped back off at La Quinta to spruce ourselves up for dinner

We found a place to eat that was on the show, “Diner’s Drive Ins & Dives.” Guy ate at Salsa Brava and he made it look amazing, so that’s where we went.  While waiting for our table the hotel called & alerted me about some complaints they’ve been receiving about a dog whining in our room, so poor Cody drove back to the hotel and as he was walking to our room he could hear Lashes from down the hall crying, it had been over 30 minutes!  Poor kid, she did NOT like that room and we felt so bad for the other guest.  I guess their peanut butter filled kongs weren’t good enough.  Since it was only 45 degrees outside we decided they could relax in the car while we enjoyed a nice sit down meal and it was delicious!

Salsa bar?  Don't mind if I do!

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The Grand Canyon

Roadtrip Day 3: June 7th

Originally we were going to arrive there by 4:30am to catch the sunrise at 5:00, but our eyes REFUSED to open at 2:30.  We ended up getting there at 8:00 am, but lucky for us, there weren’t many people visiting the Canyon that day. 

It was cold when we left our hotel but by the time we arrived it started to “warm” up.  I had to take off my tights and boots & switch to flip flops {good thing I was wearing a dress...of course}.

I can’t explain the Grand Canyon, it’s something you have to see for yourself, with your own eyes, pictures don’t do it justice. 

*DOG TIP: There are two main trails that allow dogs if leashed. There is even a driving trail with places for you to park along the way so you can snap a few photos. Our dogs did phenomenal there, they made us look good!  Diesel let people pet him, Lashes didn't pull on her leash, & they posed for photos (I brought my tripod & remote. We amused quite a few people).

After spending 3 hours walking & marveling at the great vastness that is the Grand Canyon, we got back on the road and headed to our next destination, Venice Beach...