20th - 26th January 2019
We're in Dallas and it's the run up to the Super Bowl. Football fever is officially in town! And no one takes football more seriously than the Texans. To start our 3rd week off we were invited to an all American football house party to watch the decider between the LA rams and the New Orleans Saints. Now I'm the first to tell anyone that I am not that huge of a sports fan. I'm not the one crying in the corner or yelling at the TV. But I can hold my own through a game of NRL, NFL, AFL or cricket when needed. And today it was needed.
Through a mutual friend we met in Las Vegas last year, we scored an invite to the Texan football party. Complete with a fire pit outside, beer kegs, indoor and outdoor bar areas, a buffet of food and a pour your own margarita fountain - our afternoon was set. Our new friends who welcomed us into their home were fellow LA Rams supporters so we were in the right place. It was a fun game with great home atmosphere and to top it off the Rams won in overtime to score a ticket to the Superbowl keeping the hubby and the host very happy. We had the best time and met so many new people who loved our accent and wanted to know everything about Australia.
It was time to say goodbye to Texas as we started our longest drive yet heading west once again towards New Mexico. Completely out of the way but a must see for Caleb, we took a detour that covered the entirety of West Texas just to visit a town called Odessa made famous by the hight school football team the Permian Odessa Panthers and subject of the movie Friday Night Lights. After seeing the stadium and the town we continued our 9 hour journey which was as dull and flat as you can imagine. The only thing breaking up the landscape were the massive wind farms and the secluded mini-oil derricks along the straight and narrow highway. Just to show how 'in the middle of nowhere' we were, we had tumbleweeds blowing across the road just like the movies.
The long drive was worth it because we finally made it to Roswell! Home of the alien crash all those years ago. Being the fourth largest city in New Mexico, we were pleasantly surprised with how big this place really is. Of course the whole premise of the city is based around aliens. They have their alien street lights, UFO McDonald's, alien museums and the huge Dunkin Donut alien is just the best. Today I was in my element. For so long I've wanted to visit and just see what it's all about. We visited the UFO museum and read affidavits of the locals back when the crash happened, old new paper clippings, saw 'artifacts' & of course read all about the US military cover ups. All in all I thought it was done quite well. Caleb, the self proclaimed logical one, thought it was just like stepping inside the mind of a conspiracy theorist. Whether you believe it or not (and our household is much divided on this topic) Roswell is definitely worth the visit and the experience.
As we headed to our next planned destination, we decided to break up the drive and spend a night somewhere. Looking at the map there were a lot of scattered towns between us and Phoenix so based on the name alone, we decided to make our stop in a town called Truth or Consequences or T or C as the locals call it. Fun fact: Originally named Hot Springs, the city changed it's name to T or C, the title of a popular radio program. In March 1950, the host of the radio quiz show Truth or Consequences announced that he would air the program on it's 10th anniversary from the first town that renamed itself after the show and well Hot Springs won the honor and officially changed it's name on March 31, 1950.
Now there's not much to do in town but they are famous for their hot springs go figure. In googling things to do near by, Caleb made the fun discovery of Spaceport America - the worlds first commercial spaceport for private travel. We were really excited to see this and as we traveled the 50km outside of town it was official - we were in the middle of nowhere once again. Built in 2011 for Virgin Galactic and SpaceX for their commercial trips to space, after a test flight crashed in 2014 and SpaceX moving base to somewhere in Texas, this site is now pretty much empty and useless. Their website hasn't been updated in years and their info centre in T or C is opened by the library staff and left vacant each day. When we arrived we saw a very bored security guard, a model of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft and the spaceport off in the distance. Such a shame and waste considering there is no concrete timeline on if this port will ever be used in the future.
That evening we finally made it to Phoenix where we caught up with our good Aussie friends Daryl and Leah whose wedding we attending in Las Vegas last year. We were greeted by their little man Harry with a wave and a smile and we were glad to call their home ours for the next couple of days. They played perfect tour guides and on the first day took us for a drive down to Tombstone. Historic town of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Gunfight of the O.K. Corral we were standing on the streets of a real life western movie. Our day started off at the Tombstone brewery. After the boys enjoyed a paddle each we walked into the centre of town. As we neared the main street it's like walking through a time warp as we swapped cars for horse drawn carriages and asphalt for dirt.
As we strolled down the street we passed saloons, shops and the site of the O.K Coral gun fight. The town has been very well preserved in keeping it's 1800's charm and history. We walked past live reenactments of cowboys hanging out on the street in preparation for the live O.K Corral gunfight showdown. They were in such perfect character as you walked past them in the street I had to do a double take as you felt like you'd been transported back in time. After lunch we headed back to the brewery a couple of blocks away from the main part of town where we were transported back to real time with cars on the road once again. Such an awesome place, set up so well to really make you feel like you are in the town of Tombstone, 1881.
To cap off week 3 of the road trip, we celebrated Australia Day in Phoenix with our fellow Aussies. In true American style, Daryl took us to a shooting range. We met up with 2 of his friends who bought their own fire power and drove out to the park preserve to secure our spot. As it was the weekend and one half of the preserve was closed, it was busy with fellow shooters trying to find a safe place to shot not to mention sharing the area with ATV riders who race around on the dirt tracks. With the table set up, guns of all sizes and amo laid out and the cool desert breeze in the air there was nothing left to do than to put the earmuffs on and go for gold. Not many targets were hit but all in all it was a fun way to spend the morning.
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Our last couple of days in Phoenix were spent relaxing and catching up with Daryl and Leah while hubby recuperates and tries to fend off a wicked cough. Little man Harry kept him entertained as did a large sectional couch, flat screen TV and Red Dead Redemption 2. I was able to get him outside the house in small doses but our friends didn't seem to mind the downtime at home and the boys definitely didn't mind channeling their youth and playing the playstation for hours on end. As with our time with friends in Louisiana it was so great seeing friendly faces and having the comforts of home for a short time.
But there is no rest for the wicked! We packed the bags back into the car and we were off. Before we reached our next planned destination of Viva Las Vegas, we decided to make an over night stop in the jaw dropping Monument Valley. This place is unparalleled in natural beauty. We stayed at the View Hotel run by the local native tribe and gives you some spectacular views of the entire park. There are roads through the park which we drove to view different monuments and land marks that make this place so famous.As we watched the sun go down, along with the temperature we decided to call it a night.
As we left the hotel, that straddles the Utah & Arizona border, we drove about 20kms into Utah just to find the iconic spot from the Forrest Gump movie. We found it and it was totally worth the drive and straddling the middle of the road to get the perfect shot! Sadly Caleb lost his Pop just before we got to the Valley and in talking with his mum, she reminded him of his great love for the old John Wayne movies, especially the ones based in Monument Valley. Being able to come here less than a week of losing such a great man was Caleb's way of being able to say goodbye to him without being able to be home with the rest of the family. This one is for you Pop Craine.
As we watched the magnificent silhouettes of Monument Valley fade in the rear vision mirror we headed north west through the Virgin River Gorge towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. Even though Caleb was still down and out with the man flu no one could wipe the smile off his face as he was back to his happy place. We had our own apartment for the next 10 days and I was excited to finally have my own kitchen, do the washing and have the facilities of a great resort. Caleb set off to the tables the first change he got and I was more than happy to stay 'home'. While he was dusting off his poker skills, I relished in the mundane tasks of grocery shopping. I know I'm going to regret saying that when we eventually head home! The resort has a cinema, gym and pools with hot tubs. I'm set.
