Day 18: Deserty Utah

Our legs were so sore when we got up, we could barely move. Driving 8 hours was going to be interesting!

We decided to drive the scenic route to Salt Lake City that would take us past Monument Valley and Moab.

The views all along the drive were incredible. Red dirt and crazy rock formations. We also got a brilliant alternate view of the Grand Canyon as were we driving out of the area. When we got out of the car to take a look at the view, we were in the middle of nowhere and at 7.30am, there were no other cars. We took these snaps and I heard a series of 'meows'. And as were were walking back to the car, a cat started running towards us. OK - so America hasn't eradicated rabies, so we were pretty quick to jump in the car and close the doors, but the cat didn't give up! It stayed by the car door and kept meowing. It then went underneath the car - meaning we couldn't start driving or we'd risk killing the cat. So, we had to throw raisins out of the window as far as we could to tempt the car from under the car. It worked. And we were able to speed off. Poor cat.

Monument Valley is a great drive-by attraction!

Mexican Hat Rock

We arrived in Salt Lake City in a dark fog and found a great retro city centre motel - Shilo Inn. We walked to a cool Italian restaurant with kitschy stuff all over the walls including a pope in a box!

On the walk back we discovered that by pedestrian crossing there are red high vis flags that pedestrians take with them to cross the road and the deposit on the other side. Apparantly, this is because the streets are very wide and sometimes fog can restrict view of walkers.

We slept very soundly and sorely.

Day 15-17: Killer walk and stunning scenery: The Grand Canyon

We spent the day in Flagstaff mooching around and going to Target to buy supplies. Flagstaff has a backdrop of snow capped mountains that looks as if they've been photoshopped in. Just beautiful!

At the end of the day, we drove up to Tusayan at the entrance of the Grand Canyon National park and on the way stopped to play in the snow. We had to stay close by because we wante

d to get to the Canyon for 6.30am the next day. We had read about The Phantom Ranch in a guide book. It's the only accommodation actually 'in' the Grand Canyon and can only be reached by hiking or by mule. To get a cabin or dorm you have to book 13 months in advance. We rang up the day before just to try our luck. We were told to arrive at the visitor centre at the top of the GC by 6.30am on the day we wanted to stay and if there were any cancellations, we could get a cabin.

So at 6.30am, we found that we were lucky enough to get a cabin! All we had to do now was hike down the Grand Canyon to stay in it!

We watched the sunrise and then caught the 'hikers express' bus to the the start of the Kaibab Trail. We decided to take this trail down and then take the more popular, easily accessible, Bright Angel Trail on the way back up.

The Kaibab Trail is 6.5 miles (10.4km) and descends 4820 feet (1472 m). It has stunning views across the canyon and is very steep in many places. At the top of the trail we were joined by a number of hikers - all kitted out with hiking gear, including icy crampons and hiking sticks. Of course, we didn't have any of this.

Here is what the start of the trail looked like - packed snow and ice:

And looking at this photo, you can see where the trail goes and how narrow it can be:

We were so surprised how much the weather changed as we descended. It felt like we were going through 4 different seasons. At the start we were in full coats, scarves, hats and gloves and by the bottom we were in shorts and tshirts basking in the sun.

At the base of the Canyon is the Colorado River - it has a beautiful green colour and there are 2 suspension bridges across it. It really was stunning.

We arrived at Phantom Ranch after 5 hours and 45 minutes of hiking. Basic, but comfortable, the cabin was built in the 1930's of stone and wood. All meals are served 'family style' on long tables in the canteen building and its a great chance to chat with other hikers. It made us feel like we were in a little club - we had made it down the canyon!

After almost 6 hours of walking, beef stew and a beer never tasted so good!

Our legs were killing us and Lucy had a huge blister on the side of her foot. We asked hikers advice on what to do with the blister and it was agreed that it had to be popped and then some plaster put in layers around it to build the other skin up to the same level, so when you walk it is not sticking out to be grazed by the shoe again. Of course, we didn't bring a first aid kit down with us! But one of the hikers very kindly lent me hers. So armed with the only sharp thing I could find - a paperclip, we had to pop the blister.

After an early night (nothing like no TV and a long walk to put you to sleep) we were up at 5.30am for breakfast and to collect our lunch sacks.

We set off of 7.30am - literally as soon as it was light enough to see in front of us. We were told the journey UP, takes 6-10hours. So if we set off at sunrise, 7.30am, that gave us exactly 10 hours until sunset at 5.30pm. Nothing like a bit of pressure to start a 9 mile walk! We really really really didn't want to be walking up the snow packed trail in the dark!

I'd love to show you some pictures of the way up, but we don't have any. We decided at first not to waste time stopping to take pictures, so we could make good time. By the time we had made good time, we were too exhausted to move any part of our bodies that didn't help us get up the mountain. So, no pictures. But essentially, the canyon looked pretty much like it did the day before - but the trail was a bit different and more lush, as it followed a creek a lot of the way.

The Bright Angel Trail is 9.5 miles (15.2km) and ascends 4500 feet (1371 m). I know it seems completely bonkers to choose to go UP the mountain on a trail that is 3 miles longer than the one we went down on. BUT, the Bright Angel is more popular (ie more people) and also has a half way ranch that has water. This was the key thing in our decision making. Would we rather take the slightly shorter, steeper trail but not have a chance to refill our water bottles and risk being stranded if we got injured as there are not many people on the trail OR should we take the longer, safer, with-water trail? Longer won out.

We reached the half way mark in very good time - we were averaging 1.5 miles an hour. This point was where it began it get a bit chilly and we stopped for half and hour to eat lunch and chat to the other lovely hikers.

It was from this point that the journey became very very tough. We had 4.5 miles to go - uphill. There was a rest point at 3 miles and a rest point at 1.5 miles. The mentally hardest section was between 3 and 1.5 miles - we thought we'd never get there. And then came the pure physical pain for the last 1.5 miles. Each step was like dragging concrete. Lucy perfected a slightly mad laugh/cry and we focused on doing 50 steps then stopping. And the worst was when the trail was snowy there was no where to sit down. We just took to lying on the path it got so bad.

The funny thing was, on the Bright Angel Trail, on the last 1.5 miles, you get a lot of general tourists walking a mile down and then back up again. I'm pretty sure they just thought we were completely deranged as we struggled up.

But, we made it! It took 8 hours and 15 mins and really was one of those achievements we'll never forget!

We got back to the motel in Tusayan and showered, bathed and lay on the bed. The blister had come back with a vengeance and both of us could barely get off the bed. Never have I had such sore legs.

Day 13 & 14: Roswell & Gallup - New Mexico

The drive to Roswell, New Mexico was mainly back roads and it was the first time the landscape looked desert-y.

It was a clear, sunny day (although still cold!) and we managed to get a little sunburnt in the car.

We rolled into Roswell in the evening and bartered with couple of hotels before settling on a Motel6 for a bargain $49. We walked to the highly recommended Mexican restaurant for a very delicious mexican feast and drinks. Yum! Lucy had a mix plate of enchalada, tamale and taco with sides of refried beans and rice with some seriously spicy green sauce and Darren had mild chicken fajitas. It was great to be able to walk back to the motel and not drive - i think that's the one thing that's hard about the US - you have to drive everywhere!

The next morning we put on our alien fact finding hats and headed to the International UFO Museum. Roswell as a town goes gung-ho for everything alien since the infamous 'Roswell incident' in the 50's. The museum was far more factually balanced than we thought it would be - presenting all the options for how the 'ufo' remnants could have got there (and been covered up).

Roswell was only a short visit, so we jumped in the car for the journey to Flagstaff (near the Grand Canyon). We wanted to include a drive on some of the original parts of the famous Route 66 as it correlated roughly with the way we were going on this trip.

Well, Route 66 was great - stunning scenery, narrow road and curves around big red deserty hills. It was like a desert race track and had hardly any other cars. We then skirted the Freeway on Route 66 for a while before realizing it was was getting dark, fast. We still had 3 hours to get to Flagstaff and it was a light-less freeway and very unhelpful cats eyes on the road, with some roadworks thrown in for fun. We also realized that we were getting to see such awesome scenery when we were driving in the light, it would be such a shame to miss out on the scenery while driving at night, so we decided to stop in a town called Gallup just outside Navajo Nation Indian reservation. We had picked up a voucher book at a petrol station and there were 'deals' for motels on the Route 66 bit of Gallup - so we headed there. Well. Deals they were not - every motel said they either 'didn't have any of those rate rooms left' or that there was some additional charge. I think we got further in previous towns by just bargaining them down rather than trying to use a voucher. We went for a Travelodge which was the cheapest motel we'd found to date - $39 + tax for the night. And to our delight they even had a laundry room - yippee! - we could clean some clothes!

We went searching for a restaurant and to our dismay, discovered that all the incredibly cool, retro, original Route 66 motels were just down the road. We had been allured by the voucher book to the area of Gallup with all the soulless chain motels, when if we'd driven around we could have found $25/night retro flouro glamour motels!

We went for dinner at one of the more famous Route 66 motel/hotel/restaurants - El Rancho, which was full of antiques and pictures of all the famous Western movies and their stars that had stayed/filmed there. We had grilled fish and a local beer as we were started to feel a little poisoned by all the fast food we were eating on the road, and then headed back to the motel to do some washing.

Day 12: Shootin' and Drinkin' in Dallas

Today was the day. The day we were going to shoot a gun for the very first time. We walked into the gun range and was greeted with 'Let me guess, you're tourists and you've never fired a gun before?'. Um... Were we that obvious?

We stumped up the cash ($150 if you're wondering) to shoot a fully automatic machine gun - an Uzi - and handguns - a Smith and Wesson for Darren and a Glock for Lucy.

So, the first gun we shot was an Uzi - not bad for a first gun experience ever! It was a little unnerving going into the range. There were people firing on the other half of the range separated by a wall, but the shots are so loud they really make you jump. The instructor was very patient and reassuring though. We were then taught to load the handguns. Seriously, we didn't think we actually would have to load them before we shot them! We have 50 rounds of ammo each, which meant loading each gun 5 times. This involved pushing the bullets into the magazine and then flipping the little top slider thing. This time, there were other people in the same range as us, separated by clear plastic dividers. It was at this time we both realized, we weren't afraid of guns. We were afraid of other people with guns. Loaded guns. A metre away.

Lucy had a little freak out and had to be reassured again by the instructor, but came back and we managed to shoot our guns at the paper man target. Darren's gun kept locking - which is a little concerning, so he got another gun. We were both shocked at the power of the gun - it really is an explosion in your hand.

Our adrenalin filled shooting experience even came complete with souvenirs - the paper man target riddled with bullet holes and 2 bullet shell casings.

We drove around Dallas for a bit before trying to find a money exchange place (which we did finally!) and then grabbing sushi for lunch. Mmmm, sweet sushi, how we missed you!

We then met up with an old school friend of Lucy's for a drink. A drink turned into a very fun evening of more drinks, dinner and more drinks. We had a great time with Gus and his friend Molly - I think we scared some Texans out of a posh cocktail bar with our very loud antics.

Gus was amazing and managed to get us a room in the Sheraton for free that night - so we had a great view of Dallas in a free suite on the 20th floor! Lovely!

Day 11 - Texas.

Our Sunday began with quick daylight tour of Natchez at 8am before starting the drive to Dallas, Texas. On the way we stopped at a Texas SmokeHouse for lunch. Oh my god. Meat, meat and a bit more meat. All smoked and with bbq sauce. With fried bread.

We arrived in Fort Worth late in the afternoon and decided to drive straight to the historic stockyard district to check it out before finding a cheap motel on the outskirts of town. We wandered around it the lovely temperatures –ABOVE FREEZING for the first time in our trip! Found some vintage cowboy boots that were perfect and cheap! Bought them straight away and also got a recommendation from the shop owner to check out a B&B next door.

Wow, wow, wow. Each room in the B&B was decorated in a different theme – ranch, train, cow and a more expensive, bordello room complete with roll-top bath in room. It was only $100 for the night for the most luxuriously decorated bordello room on the main street of Fort Worth’s historic area – so we jumped at it!

Went out to find a juicy steak for dinner only to find that Texans must really like to eat early, because every restaurant bar one closed at 9pm. It was 8.l0pm. So we went into the only open one and it was fantastic! Guacamole for starter - which the waiter makes at the table, then steaks for main, accompanied by local beer. It was one of the best meals of the trip.

Day 10 - New Orleans and Natchez

Set off at 7am for New Orleans. Just outside Grove Hill there was a little town called Coffeeville – and we thought, we really should stop for a coffee in Coffeeville. We stopped at a little independent shop/cafe where we were welcomed by the owner, the towns mayor’s wide. The town has a population of 187. The woman was so excited to hear we were from London, the next 3 people that came in to the cafe she made sure she told them where we were from.

The approach to New Orleans was a massive bridge across what must have been about 5 miles of water – this is the mouth of the Mississippi river when it hits the Gulf Coast. Immediately, it signs of the devastation Hurricane Katrina from 05’ brought became apparent. The bridge was actually a rebuilt one – the old one was ripped to shreds for most of the 5miles beside the new one. Once into NOLA, you could still see boarded up remnants of houses and there was a lot of new development – we’re guessing from where whole blocks were destroyed. If we were in NOLA longer, I would’ve really have liked to take a tour of areas that were hardest hit and how they are going at rebuilding.

Anyway, we went straight into the French Quarter. Really beautiful architecture. All the buildings, no higher than 4 storeys and all have iron balconies all the way around. Quite a few street entertainers – simple stuff like tap dancing, singing and harmonica, but really great. We were really surprised at what was in the French Quarter. It felt like a whole collection of high end antique and art galleries. Felt like it was aimed at older travellers with quite a bit of money. But food was the main reason for our ½ day visit. We attempted to go to a place recommended by Lonely Planet, but the queues were huge and we couldn’t be bothered waiting in the cold, so we went across the road. I had turtle soup, blackened alligator and sweet potato chips, while Darren had Seafood Gumbo and Jambalaya rice. Gumbo is NOLA’s speciality and it did not disappoint! It was so good we went and bought a recipe book so we could make it when we get home.

We left New Orleans after lunch so we could get to Natchez before dark. But whilst driving we both felt really tired, so felt it was best to pull in and have a little nap in the car before continuing. Back on the road half hour later, refreshed from our car nap, we got into the town of Natchez, Mississippi at 6pm. Natchez is a historical town on the Mississippi river. It has been an English, Spanish and Indian town and showcases some great colonial houses from about 1845 onwards. Spring and Fall is pilgrimage seasons for Natchez and they open up the historical houses with costumed characters and re-enactments. But, not in January! So we went to Berry’s Seafood House for dinner, where we got to try some of Alabama and Mississippi’s famous foods. Fried Green Tomatoes, stuffed crab, deep fried oysters, Louisiana prawns, fried okra, and Peach cobbler. It was an average kinda place, but afterwards we went for an explore of the town. We found the river and on it, a big paddle boat that had been turned into a floating casino. So we decided to check it out. Bizarrely, it was called The Isle of Capri casino and it dawned on me that all the visuals, logos etc were very familiar. That was because it was the same company that opened the casino in Coventry that I did the PR for years ago. The bouncer didn’t seem to believe it was me in passport picture, but let me in anyway.

The casino was boring, smoky and filled with very fat, older Americans, so we left pretty quickly.

Day 9 - Sweet Home Alabama

After our great experience of small town Tennessee, we decided to change our route to include a bit more small town southern hospitality. We looked at how to visit New Orleans but not stay there. We picked a town 3 hours drive from NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) that was also under 6 hours from Nashville. Grove Hill it was. We also choose Natchez as the other location to stay that was also 3 hours from NOLA.

We set out pretty late on the bitterly cold morning and had to pop into downtown Nashville to change some pounds into dollars. Well, we can reliably inform you, that there is nowhere in the whole of Nashville that will change pounds.

We stopped at a steakhouse/all you can eat joint. Darren had a huge 1 pound steak. The soft drinks came in jugs for one. The serving sizes in this country are unbelievable!

Once we were off the main interstate, we really got to see the landscape. It was very bushy, but dry and red. Also lots of waterways and swampy land. The houses along these smaller roads were small, shack like or trailer houses. I always thought ‘trailer park’ referred to something like a caravan, but now realise it means the unique American style house that is literally a semi trailer size container, on concrete bricks, with windows and a door. It is literally a trailer-home. They are everywhere. Sometimes by themselves and sometimes grouped together in what I’m guessing is officially known as a ‘trailer park’.

In the dark, we arrived in Grove Hill, to find a very very small town. 2 motels and 2 restaurants – a burger king and a fried chicken joint. Exciting. To make matters worse, it was in a ‘dry’ county. No alcohol shops and no bars.

So after checking into the very retro (read: dated) motel, we went to Burger King. Luckily our accents helped us get chatting to a young couple from Grove Hill, Charity and Josh. We chatted over dinner. They had a southern drawl and a friendly nature. Josh had just been huntin’ and Charity just finished work. We talked football, huntin’ (it is deer season and soon it will be squirrel season) fishin’ travelling and work. The told us how some of the older locals like to eat squirrels brains and how it was difficult to hunt for ducks cause of the laws. Josh had never been on a plane.