Our Trip ~ Part 1 ~ Utah to New Mexico

My dad is from Alabama. He was born and mostly raised there. He likes to go back every few years to visit family and this trip we invited ourselves along. Really, it's dangerous to tell us you're going on vacation. You've been warned. I'll be doing this trip in several posts, and I also reserve the right to re-do it after I get the pictures back from Dad's camera. He's got a better camera than me, so we took more photos on it than on mine.

We decided to go the week of Natalee's spring break and drive down and fly home. We weren't really looking forward to the drive, but we knew there were lots of fun things we could see on the way. Also, we planned to do about 10 hours of driving per day, so that wasn't bad.

We left on the 2nd very, very, very early in the morning. This is Natalee, clutching her Bambi after being ripped from sweet slumber. Natalee has never really been a great car sleeper, so when she's up, she's up for good. I couldn't bring myself to get her dressed. It seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.
We made a quick stop, still in pajamas at the temple in Monticello. We did change her clothes at some point during the day, but I can't remember exactly when. It might have been when we stopped for lunch in Cortez, Colorado, but I can't promise anything.

Have you ever wondered why they call it Shiprock, New Mexico? Did you even know there's a town called Shiprock in New Mexico? Well, no one ever said this blog wasn't educational. Apparently the people who settled Shiprock thought this rock looked like a ship. Personally, I don't see it. Maybe it's erosion. Maybe it's that the people who settled Shiprock and were 1,000 miles in any direction form the ocean thought this is what a ship looks like.

Ahhhh, arrival in Albuquerque was sweet indeed. We checked into our hotel and headed for Old Town. When Nathan worked for Delta Airlines we flew to Albuquerque one day for lunch and this is where we ate. If you're ever in Albuqueruqe and need a place to eat (and don't mind a little heat on the Mexican food) stop here for sure. They also have sopapillas which are to die for! There's also a tree growing out of the roof. Kinda kooky.

We spent a few hours in Old Town and got Southwestern Overloaded. They have lots of shops that are cute, a quaint town square and an adobe church that was built in 1706.

We were there on Good Friday and apparently Catholics have a special Mass that night called Stages of the Cross where they basically act out the crucifixion. We didn't attend the Mass, but as it got dark all these people came pouring out of the church with candles and made their way in procession around the square singing. It was pretty cool to watch and dad got some great photos. You'll have to wait to see those.

There are chili peppers hanging everywhere.

As we were watching the procession, we spotted this car with a unique plate. We are fans too! We went to bed, but it wasn't long enough. The next day we prepared to head into Texas!!!