Me and my friends on the road.Me and my friends on the road.
This year, over spring break, my mom, my grandma, my best friend Amanda and I went on an amazing road trip to the natural wonder known as the grand canyon. Living just outside Kansas City, this trip would take at least three days, so we decided to make it a week long trek there and back, stopping at many wonderful places along the way.
The first part of our Journey was from Shawnee, Kansas to Amarillo, Texas, a drive that would take 9 hours and 39 minutes (without stops). As anyone who has taken a road trip may know, the car rides can be painstakingly boring and drawn out, but we made the most out of it with music and good conversations.
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For lunch we stopped at a historic dinner along Route 66 in Bethany Oklahoma, where the food was fresh and the people were friendly. If your road trip takes you onto Route 66, there are plenty of great places to eat, sites to see and memories to be made. Here are the 10 great spots to check out next time you’re on Route 66!
When we arrived in Amarillo, we ate fast and bedded down at a small hotel on the west side of town. When we awoke the next morning we were ready for the second part of our journey, a 4 and a half hour drive to New Mexico’s famous and beautiful city, Albuquerque. Just outside Amarillo though, our car broke down and we had to wait a while just outside Adrian Texas for a tow truck to arrive (AAA Roadside Assistance was a huge blessing). Finally back and Amarillo we rented a car and decided to leave our car in the hands of a friendly mechanic. While it was a setback in our plans, we decided no road trip is complete without a few bumps in the road. Once we finally arrived in Albuquerque, we bedded down at a quaint bed and breakfast called Casas De Suenos. This little inn is made up of 21 separate cabins, each with its own special features including hot tubs, kitchens, private patios and more. We spent the next two days in New Mexico, mainly shopping and dining at many local spots in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We shopped at the Old Town Historic District and even visited a number of tourist hot spots such as the Mysterious Staircase at the Loretto Chapel where it is believe that Jesus Christ came and helped the nuns build a magnificent staircase that had nothing supporting it.
After our time in Albuquerque was through we headed to our finally destination – the Grand Canyon. We followed the road and stopped at all the sweet spots for pictures and to take in the natural beauty of the stunning mile deep canyon. When it started to get dark we ate dinner at a modest little hotel called El Tovar. The view overlooked the canyon and the food was both flavorful and affordable. Then we headed into town to see the IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon (a great evening activity for visitors), before going to bed.
The next day we started back again, picking up our car in Amarillo and finally heading back to the Sunflower State. While we only spent a day at our final destination, the trip we took to get there was one of the best experiences of my life. I was able to see things I’ve never seen before and get to know some of the people closest to me just a little bit better.
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