Two Kelly's to Cali, Day 3

We hopped back on I-40 early in the morning for a 10-hour drive through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. At this point, the terrain really started to change to first the golden prairies and then to desert once we hit New Mexico. This day was full of driving, driving, driving. We made an intentional effort to talk a lot more intentionally today about stuff – our dreams and goals for the next three years in Pasadena. We also listened to several podcasts: Dave Ramsey and NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.”

It was obvious that in Texas we needed a break from driving. Hubs said that if we saw a cowboy boot store along the interstate we could stop. {I’ve been wanting a pair of boots for a while now}. As luck would have it, we found one and stopped. It was good to get out of the car for half an hour to look around…too bad the boots I liked were Lucchese, another name for WAY out of my price range. We stopped in New Mexico twice – once to update my blog at a McDonald’s and again in Albuquerque for supper. We had super spicy, authentic Mexican food covered in green chile sauce. It’s really different than salsa verde because the base is chiles instead of tomatillos.

We arrived at our campground in Arizona pretty tired , but it wasn't all that late because Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings time.

Two Kelly's to Cali, Day 2

First off, we stopped at Graceland – quite the cultural experience. The entire house and grounds have been preserved just as Elvis left it – with 70s décor to the hilt: shag carpet on the floor {and ceiling}, dark wood paneling, and lots of bold colors. Hubs’ favorite room was the Blue & Yellow TV room. It was decorated with Elvis’ logo from the 70s “TCB” with a lightening bolt. It was his personal slogan that means “Taking Care of Business.” We both enjoyed our little detour, but were a bit disappointed as there was not an Elvis sighting while we were there.

Uga meets Elvis

The Blue & Yellow room.

We hit the road again and immediately crossed over the great Mississippi River. After a few quick stops we made it to Little Rock, and I took over the driving until almost Oklahoma City {it’s been an interesting adjustment in driving a stick shift}. We only made it through 2 states on Day 2: Arkansas and Oklahoma.

An Oklahoma sunset. The advantage of traveling west is that you get to see a spectacular sunset each day.

We decided to stay at a KOA Kamping Kabin for the night, and it worked out great. The campsite was clean and easy on our budget. We’ll probably stay at KOA’s the rest of the way. {Thanks, Mom & Dad for the suggestion and the guidebook}.

Our KOA Kabin in OK. :)

Two Kelly's to Cali, Day 1

Mom & Dad saying goodbye outside of my first home with hubs.

My family was absolutely incredible and helpful in getting us out the door on Saturday {more about them later}. After a quick bite to eat downtown and finding our travel companion, Uga, we hit the road at about 1 pm. On the first day of our trip westward, we passed through four states {can you count the state you start in??}: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. It rained almost the entire drive. Mike was a total champ in getting us through the bad weather.

Our trusty companion.

Uga helping me with sandwiches for supper.

I convinced hubs that we needed to stop in Memphis for the night so that we could tour Graceland the next morning. I found a deal on our hotel though Priceline. Unfortunately, we arrived way past supper-time and weren’t able to get some famous Memphis BBQ. Maybe next time…