July 2015: A Quick Stop in New Mexico Before Exploring Utah in Depth (page 13 of 15)

Hi Chloé!

Wow, I just read your travel journal almost in one go!

That’s the nice thing about discovering a journal once it’s already finished—you get the whole story in one piece. No need to go back to dive back in. I like it, but it does take time!😉

Lovely photos, as always. Calista has grown so much! And your kids are so brave—real little hikers!

Thanks for the photos—I’ll pass them on to the photographer, who’ll be happy to hear that! Yeah, we can’t complain about the kids—they walk well! Hugo’s even better than me, actually! Calista shouldn’t be far behind either, so soon *they’ll* be dragging *me* along...

Thanks to you, I’m discovering Paw Hole, Little Wild Horse, and White Sands. I’m seriously itching to go back to the West now—I don’t know if I should thank you!😏

You’re welcome...😛

Have you made any progress on your plans for next summer? I can’t wait to start planning another trip!!! I’m eagerly awaiting your future itinerary! (Well, if you want to share it, of course)

For our next trip, we’re going to limit the miles by focusing on this area: We’ve got a ton of things on our "wish list," but we’ll see depending on the weather and especially the car we get when we arrive. So the exact program will be in the next travel journal...😉

Have a great day!

Hi Christine,

A huge thank you for sharing this. I love your travel journals. They’re so pleasant to read and beautifully illustrated. They’re among my favorites. They’re really helpful for planning my upcoming road trip.

I’d already noticed you liked my journals since I see you quoting me now and then to new travelers in the West to give them tips...😉 It really makes me happy to see that my journals are useful and enjoyable to read—after all, we write for ourselves but also for others!

I’ll take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the new year. I think you’re heading off again next summer, camping this time.

Happy New Year to you too! Yes, it’s our first time camping this year, but we won’t overdo it... Yannick’s a bit nervous about it, so there’ll be more nights in hotels than camping !😉

Hi Peggy,

Camping has its advantages: you sleep in nature, and it's much cheaper than a hotel. My best memory was in the Canadian Rockies, when a herd of elk settled in the meadow where we were camping, just a few meters from our tent. I photographed the females and the calves until the male sounded the gathering call and they all galloped away.

We camped when we were in our thirties. Now, we’ve grown fond of comfort.

Anyway, if in addition to traditional camping on a designated site, you plan to bivouac, it opens up new possibilities when sleeping in the wild.

Yes, for a first time, it’s better to take it gradually, especially for your husband who doesn’t seem very enthusiastic.

Happy planning!

As for us, we’ll be following in your footsteps in some places next summer (southern Arizona, New Mexico... and the Page area for CBS).

Have a nice afternoon! !

Hi Christine,

Wishing you and yours an excellent year. I’m thrilled to see you’re heading back to the West next summer! We’ll have to put together a travel journal when you get back... 😉 Have a great day!

Laure

Hi Laure,

I also want to wish you and your loved ones all the best for the new year.

Yes, when I get back, I’m gonna start a travel journal. But my itinerary covers places a lot of people on this forum already know.

How about you? Any plans in the West this year?

Have a great afternoon!

Christine

Thanks Christine for your wishes.

But my itinerary revisits places well-known to many people on this forum.

No big deal! If we stopped at that, we’d never write another travel journal! Since you treat us to such beautiful photos in your replies, this will make a really lovely journal. I’m not putting any pressure on you here... 😏

And you? Do you have any plans for the West this year?

Yes 😊 And it’s coming up soon! Departing on February 20th for LV and returning via Phoenix—a short trip, but we managed to squeeze in one extra day compared to last February. Have a great evening

Wow, I’ll really need to focus on taking good photos this time! And we’ll absolutely have to be in the right place at the right time, with the sun cooperating—no hide-and-seek—because a sunset with clouds just isn’t the same. That’s exactly what happened to us in 2013 at Monument Valley. We’re giving it another shot in July, and this time, we’re staying at "The View."

"Leaving on February 20th for LV and returning via Phoenix—a short trip, but we managed to squeeze in one extra day compared to last February." You must be so excited to go. I assume your itinerary is all set. Hope you get great weather, like last year. I’ll be keeping an eye out for your travel journal—I’ll read it before my own trip to get inspired. We’re also flying back from Phoenix.

Have a great evening!

Hi Laure,

Leaving on February 20 for LV and returning via Phoenix, a short stay, but we managed to scrape an extra day compared to last February.

Can't wait to read the travel journal you'll definitely post when you get back!! 😛

We’re also dreaming of the West in winter or fall, but can’t decide on the best season. We’d love to explore New Mexico and revisit northern Arizona. What’s your itinerary for this new winter getaway?

Best wishes to you, Peggy, and everyone who contributed to that amazing travel journal!

Hello Peggy, As promised, I’m diving deeper into your travel journal! The Apache Trail was on our "Fall 2015" itinerary: We passed through some stunning landscapes we followed the Salt River I recognize all these spots (we did them in reverse order): a great tip, especially that long trail. We were lucky it was almost deserted—no dust as a result! 🙂 We really enjoyed going all the way up to Tonto, though. Again, no one around! We chatted a lot with the ranger, who gave us some great details about the site. I’ll keep reading! See you soon

Hello Peggy

Wishing you a year of discoveries and joy for you and your family.

I’m looking forward to your next trip’s itinerary. Maybe some new ideas for me too!

Hi there,

I assume the route is all set.

Well, just in broad strokes for now—I’m waiting to see what the weather’s like. So far, I’ve only booked the first night in LV and the last two in Phoenix. As for the travel journal, I can’t promise anything—I’ve started a training course that’s taking up a lot of my time, on top of my job. Later, Laure

Hi Virginie

Wishing you and your family an excellent year.

What’s your itinerary for this new winter getaway?

As I mentioned to Christine, I haven’t made a detailed plan yet, but the rough idea is: maybe 1 day in Zion, some time between Page and Kanab (Edmaier's Secret, Yellow Rock, etc.), then a detour on the way to Sedona via Coal Mine, and possibly Petrified Forest. I’ll also spend some time around Sedona, Phoenix, and the Apache Trail... I’ll fine-tune it the week before we leave once I have the weather forecast. See you soon, Laure

For the travel journal, I can't promise anything—I started a training program that's taking up a lot of my time, on top of my job.

I went through that three years ago (an 8-month degree program). Hard to juggle four lives at once! Your professional life, family life, social life (gotta keep seeing friends so you don’t lose it!), and student life with homework on top of everything else 🏴‍☠️

You’ll find five minutes to come tell us how it went, right?!?!

Good luck with your training. The reward you’ll get in return will be worth the sacrifices.

Hi Virginie,

Thanks for your encouragement—it’s really exciting to discover new horizons through training!

Yep, I’ll definitely find some time to share a recap, even if it’s just a quick one...

Have a great weekend. Laure

Day 3 Thursday, July 9

It was during this first hour of hiking that we had our first encounter with a rattlesnake. Yannick and Hugo were walking ahead and didn’t hear anything. I was in third position and heard that unmistakable sound that made my heart leap: my gaze was immediately drawn to the right, and I saw a snake hidden under a rock, less than a meter away from me. I hurried past, but my legs were like jelly… Yannick turned back to look for Calista, who didn’t dare move forward…

Hi Peggy! During our stop in Chiricahua, we didn’t have the luck (or misfortune?) to run into any rattlesnakes 😜 We’d been warned, though, and had our hiking poles with us… They look so intimidating in photos! It must be quite a shock, especially with kids around. I see you guys covered an impressive distance the day before, going from Apache Trail all the way to Wilcox. We opted for a stop in Tucson instead. After Chiricahua, we actually wanted to head to Tombstone. Congrats again on this travel journal—it really resonates with us! To be continued.

PS: Quick logistical question—how do you add that "the next part is here" link at the bottom of each page? Thanks!

I just finished reading this really comprehensive travel journal with gorgeous photos! I was especially thinking about some spots we flew over back in 2011 between Zion and Bryce. Looks like there’s plenty to see. I was blown away by the stunning photos of Coyote Buttes! Absolutely beautiful. This year we tried our luck with the Wave lottery... no luck though. 🏴‍☠️ So we headed straight to Moab instead. Great job and thanks again for this amazing journey!🙂🙂🙂

So many posts since last Wednesday! 🙂 Alright, no individual replies this time, ladies (I’m starting to run a bit short on time! ;)), but thank you for following along to the end, and I wish you all more amazing trips in 2016! It’s looking great for both Lauras in February (won’t you two cross paths somewhere, by the way?), for Virginie in April, and for Christine and me in July. Enjoy them to the fullest and share your travel journals with us!

Good luck with your training, Laura!

Now over to Gilles,

I can’t wait to hear about your next trip’s itinerary. Maybe some new ideas for me!

That’s not a given... Right now, I’m actually taking inspiration from you since we’ve planned a little detour through Tuba City to see Coal Mine Canyon, Ha Ho Noh Geh, and, if all goes well, Blue Canyon...

Hi Joël,

I see you had quite the journey the previous day, going from Apache Trail all the way to Wilcox. We preferred to stop in Tucson. It’s true that after Chiricahua, we wanted to go to Tombstone.

Yeah, the drive was a bit long, but generally, that doesn’t bother us too much when it’s the first day—we’re excited, up early because of the time difference, and not yet tired of spending time in the car! 😉 We’d already been to Tucson the year before, as well as Tombstone. And the constraint was arriving in Taos by Sunday the 12th at the latest to attend the Pow Wow. Otherwise, I think we would’ve taken a little more time.

PS: Quick logistical help—how do you add the "the rest is this way" link at the bottom of each of your posts? Thanks!

First, go to the post you’re interested in. Then click on "Share," and at the very bottom of the dropdown menu, you’ll see "Get the address of this message." Copy the address from the address bar. Next, in the post you’re writing, highlight a word with your mouse and click on the little intertwined paperclip icon. A window should open where you can paste the address you copied earlier.

There you go—it’s longer to explain than to do, you’ll see! 😉

Hi Peggy,

It looks like things are shaping up for both Lauras in February (Won’t you two cross paths somewhere, by the way?)

Not a chance! Lol, she’s leaving a week before us... Though maybe on I-15 north of Vegas...

And good luck with your training, Laure!

Thanks! I’ve got plenty of courage—it’s just that when it comes to learning and memorizing, I’m completely rusty !

Have a great week, Laure

Hi Peggy.

For the next trip, we’re going to limit the miles by focusing on this area:



A great playground and some amazing sights ahead!