Roadtrip 2018

Matt gets antsy for the road at least once a year. He gives the car a good tune up, packs everything up just so in the back, and navigates cross country with a paper atlas that he prefers over Google Maps. I haven't always loved road trips as much as I do now, but when you see the road through his eyes, you can't help but fall in love with changing landscape and the slow rhythm of highway travel. 
Most of all, I've come to love the feeling of tucking my family into the car and shutting the doors, pulling out of the driveway and leaving the world behind. Everyone together and on our way. We want our vacations to start from that moment, not just when we arrive at our ultimate destination. So we make a point of stopping along the way and enjoying the drive as much as any other part of the trip.
This year, the plan was to drive to Arizona for an annual family reunion, but the fit in so much more than that. 

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Las Palomas hotel

​Santa Fe, New Mexico

This first stop was all Matt's idea. He thought it would be fun to visit Santa Fe, and picked a place to stay the night that would feel like a vacation in and of itself. We stayed at Las Palomas Hotel, just a couple blocks from the Historical Santa Fe Plaza and plenty of delicious places to eat, but still nestled quietly away from it all, a world apart. We ordered Mexican food and fell asleep to a crackling fire in the fireplace before spending a lazy morning exploring the city on foot.

We loved Santa Fe- It has an old spirit that feels like something out of a textbook, so rich with American history and flavored with southwestern culture. So we took our time, purposefully enjoying a slow morning before the next leg of our journey, and it was the perfect respite. Someday, though, we'll go back and stay for a long weekend.

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The Ranch
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Pine Dale, Arizona

The Ranch is a family tradition and a legacy started by my great-great grandfather. We used to go every summer when I was little, always in August, just in time for Arizona's monsoon season. It's where I learned to love the smell of pine and built my first tree house. It is the kind of place where you sleep outside on the porch swing and wake up to the sounds of elk calling or rain falling on the dry ground.
So after a four year hiatus, I felt a pull to go back, to take Annie to the place where I had spent my summers and to be with family in a place we all share. She wore the same curlers I wore when I was her age, and played with her cousins, fifth generation beneficiaries of the Ranch.

My favorite part? I couldn't pick one. One night we drove my uncle's ATV out into the dark, chasing a storm. Another day, Matt pushed Annie and me in a tire swing. I can still feel the sensation of looking up and watching the tops of the pine trees as we swung back and forth beneath them. On one night, I had my grandma all to myself. We watched bad sci-fi movies and chatted with Annie at our feet. 
Everyday, I laughed out loud with my brothers and treasured the borrowed time that we so rarely get to spend together. I've been to the ranch before when no one else was there, and it is almost alive with memories like these, so much so that you can't help but feel that everyone is there with you, just around a corner or behind a closed door.

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Mesa Verde National Park

​Cortez, Colorado

And then there was Mesa Verde. I don't know what it was about this place, but it's been calling to me for years. It's just mystical- I can't think of any other way to describe it. When we toured Cliff Palace, one of the men on our tour was a Pueblo Indian, descended from the cliff dwellers who had once lived on these ancient sites. He welcomed us in his native tongue and provided insight and perspective throughout the tour. 

Mesa Verde is a National Park and a World Heritage Site. The cliff dwellings date back to the 1190s, and the spirit of these places speaks to the people who called them home. We were both most moved by the quiet of the surroundings, interrupted only by human voices, bird calls, and the wind through the trees. We camped in the park, visited both mesas, and left feeling better for the experience. ​It's a timeless place that stays with you.

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And that was just a fraction of our trip! 11 days, 9 states, 3,134 miles, and 49 hours in the car. Besides the places we saw and the things we did, we also got to catch up with family and friends along the way.
And in case you're wondering how Annie fared on the road, she did great! Her biggest complaints were boredom and a lack of consistency with her sleeping arrangements. But with one of her parents sitting with her in the back seat for company (and the ample amount of toys, snacks, books and bubbles we brought along for her enjoyment), she was a trooper! Still, it's not like this was her first rodeo- baby girl has already seen 18 states by car, plane, boat, and train. And with parents like hers, it's a good thing she's happy to tag along for the ride :)