Tag Archives: hotel

Mexican Border to Mazatlán

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Our good old Forester takes a break to watch the sunset in Mazatlán
Our good old Forester takes a break to watch the sunset in Mazatlán

Phew, we made it into Mexico, and we’re blowing through the north part of it to get closer to somewhere we can settle down a bit longer.  We entered Mexico on Tuesday, and we’ve been driving almost everyday since to get farther and farther south.  It’s more driving than I expected, but it’s also going better than I’d hoped.  It’s definitely hot, but surprisingly green for what I expected to be desert landscape.  Apparently there’s been a lot of rain here this season, so it’s not normally so green.

The border crossing at the Nogales truck route was easy – almost too easy.  At the border itself there was a sign that said to stop and wait for someone to inspect you.  We did so and two cars drove around us, and there was nobody in sight to actually do anything, so we kept driving too.  We knew from research that most of what we needed to do happened around kilometer 21, so we kept going until we got there.  Continue reading Mexican Border to Mazatlán →

Phoenix Area to the Mexican Border

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Ubu exemplifies how I feel about the heat
Ubu exemplifies how I feel about the heat

After leaving Sedona we spent a few nights in Scottsdale right outside Phoenix.  It seems like Phoenix might be a somewhat interesting place to visit, that is if it weren’t almost 110 degrees outside.  None of us are accustomed to or fans of this kind of extreme heat, so all we wanted to do was sit in the AC in our room or in the pool.  Our dog Ubu can’t be left in the car for even a brief time anywhere regardless of shade, and even though she’s pretty good left in a hotel room on her own, we’re not supposed to leave her like that and try not to leave her for a really long time.  We definitely haven’t spent enough time doing stuff in the city to judge very well, but it feels a lot like Florida but with dry heat, which I prefer to stifling humidity.  Kim has a cousin living in the area, so it was nice to visit her for one dinner one evening.  If she hadn’t been in the area to visit we probably would have moved on after one night.  We also had to get a rabies shot and letter from a vet to prep Ubu for her border crossing. Continue reading Phoenix Area to the Mexican Border →

Grand Canyon

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The Robinsons at the Grand Cayon
The Robinsons at the Grand Canyon

This was the only definite thing I had on our itinerary before we started the trip, and now I’ve seen it. It’s definitely an impressive site, and I hate for there to be a but, but it wasn’t as amazing as I’d hoped given the hype and some of the rock formations we had recently seen. Part of the lack of being amazed could have been that I was just getting over a cold and grumpy, or that we’re close to 3 weeks into a road trip and getting a little road weary, or maybe it was the Disneyworld kind of atmosphere for what I believe might be the most visited national park in the country. Whatever it was, it still definitely worth seeing and something I’m glad I saw, just not the standout highlight of trip so far. Continue reading Grand Canyon →

Salt Lake City

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Taken just as Geneveve started screaming because she was itchy
Taken just as Geneveve started screaming because she was itchy

Our first stop in Utah was the Great Salt Lake.  Unfortunately it was a bit of a disaster.  We went to antelope island since it was recommended as a good place to try swimming in the salty, smelly lake.  Geneveve was psyched to try swimming in water this salty since we told her she’d float better than anywhere else she’s ever been.  We drove to the coast and saw the beach was probably over 1/4 mile out since so much of the lake is evaporated at this point in the summer.  So we hiked through the sand and across the somewhat smelly dried up shore out to where the water was.  We got sunblock on and walked through the clouds of flies that line the beach and finally we got in the water…  And then Geneveve started screaming bloody murder that she was itchy all over.  It seems she has extra sensitive skin and the salt water irritated it.  So I carried her on my shoulders screaming most of the way the 1/4 mile back through the sand to where there were shower facilities and rinsed her off while she screamed about being cold.  Phew. Continue reading Salt Lake City →

Missoula to Challis Hot Springs

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A Carousel for Missoula
A Carousel for Missoula

We had planned to just ride the carousel in Missoula and move on, but I discovered there was a convenient Holiday Inn downtown that had a pool for the kids, accepted dogs and I had points for a free night.  I signed up for an IHG credit card before we left on this trip and got enough points for 4 – 5 free hotel nights.  The challenge is to find places that both accept points for free nights and allow dogs.  Taking a shower and sleeping in a bed after camping and hiking always feels luxurious.  I’ll be curious to see what our ratio of tent nights to hotel nights will be for this trip. So far 3 nights camping to 1 night in a hotel. Continue reading Missoula to Challis Hot Springs →