The Wild, Wild West

My husband and I are empty-nesters now. That means we can spend more time traveling. When our kids were younger, we did the expected beach trips, trips to regional favorites like New Orleans and Dallas, we schlepped to Disney World, and even trekked across the pond to the Europe. But now Kris and I are doing things where we don’t have to make sure everyone’s packed a toothbrush. Kris traveled to Phoenix from Little Rock for a business trip, and he drove there. Yes, I know that airplanes go there, but he loves the West so much, that he took the time (like 24 hours) and drove there for the scenery. I reminded him that I have the Internet here at the house, and I could easily just look at Google images. But no. He always likes an adventure. He has done this trip with our youngest child and his own sister for a couple of years. They weren’t available this year, so I got talked into going. I am so glad I did. We did Santa Fe, Flagstaff, AZ, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona, AZ. Beautiful vistas. Fabulous weather. And charming cities and towns and great food. That’s what makes a trip a good one. And we even drove back together in a car for 12 ½ hours with just a few stops. One was at the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX. That’s where if you eat the 72 oz. steak, you get your picture on the wall. That is, IF YOU DON’T DIE FROM OVEREATING. We were there at 10am after leaving Santa Fe at 5am so we ate a quick breakfast just so we could say we went. We bought a beer growler for our son-in-law and drove east. We arrived in Little Rock that night at 6:45pm central time and had a few people waiting on us when we did. That’s the beauty of being empty-nesters. You get to come home to a college kid who’s home for fall break, and your married daughter who brings over a granddaughter. Oh my. That’s worth the 12 ½ hour drive right there.

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