We were very thankful for this time with friends and big, yummy meal, but our gratitude for it grew the further we traveled. There were virtually no places to stop — we were, after all, in the desert— and when we did find a place, the eateries were closed, given that it was Thanksgiving day. Thankfully, we had loaded up on some Zoe's chicken salad and pimiento cheese while we were in Tuscaloosa that Monday, so we had plenty to fuel our tummies along the trip.
Initially, our plan was to leave the Abruzzo's and head to the Grand Canyon. When the punks in OKC broke into our car, we hastily canceled our reservations at the Grand Canyon, thinking we may be stuck in Oklahoma for days. Well, it turns out we could still have made it there, but by that point, we were just ready to get to Monterey. Plus, we would have been rushed to see the Canyon and decided it will be better to go there when we have more time. So, Mike insisted we'd drive the WHOLE way from Albuquerque to Monterey. Ben & Tasha tried to talk us into stopping in Vegas. They didn't have to twist my arm much, but Mike was a different story. He just didn't want to stop anywhere and risk getting our car broken into...again!
Not too far into Arizona, we saw signs for The Painted Desert and The Petrified Forest. We decided we'd at least stop at the visitor's center and check it out. So, this is how The O'Donnells spent our first married Thanksgiving! I know I'm way behind on this post, but I hope you and yours had a great day too! Honestly, it didn't even feel like Thanksgiving, except that I really missed the leftovers this year.
FYI, the pictures do the beauty of it no justice. I would have loved to use my nicer camera, but it was in a pawn shop in OKC. Seriously though, seeing this among the many other natural wonders of our beloved country reminded me of God's love for us and of his grace. America the Beautiful!
The Pups loved it too!
The only family picture we could get. I don't think the guy I asked to snap the photo was too eager to do so.
This was my favorite part, The Blue Mesa
Mike's favorite was The Tepees
All of these formations you see are naturally created. The colors and the formations are breathtaking!
We also liked Newspaper Rock
Newspaper Rock has hundreds of petroglyphs etched into the stone by the people who farmed the Puerco River Valley 650 to 2,000 years ago. It was really neat! The sun was starting to set, so we didn't get to spend as much time here as I would have liked.
It may just look like a rock to you, but there's a story etched into the stone (the dark part).
And there you have it....Our First Thanksgiving!!!
We spent the rest of the day driving!
Our driver:
I'll leave you with a few more pictures.
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