Off on a winter adventure in the American West! (page 3 of 5)

Day 9 (continued)



On the road to Santa Fe, a quick Kodak moment at White Rock Overlook where the legendary Rio Grande snakes below, splitting the landscape in two... It’s also when we strike up a conversation with a retired American couple taking advantage of their early retirement to explore their country. After seeing Americans traveling across America in massive RVs, converted buses, or even semi-trucks turned into rolling lofts, they tell us with a super bright smile that their plan is simpler: making the most of their newfound time to visit the U.S. in their... private plane! Ah, that over-the-top American spirit...



Alright, after several days of feeling like rock spires or cacti, wandering through deserts or under stalactites, it’s time to return to urban civilization in "La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís." We’ll just call it Santa Fe—it’s simpler and gives us a little breathing room for walking. An artsy city, it’s best known for its historic center, mostly made of adobe in fifty shades of brown. Here, you can smell the chili, Native American art, and gringos retiring in the sun. A Mexican outpost! It’s small, it’s cute, but for me, it’s not quite enough to make my eyes light up with joy. "Maybe the magic will work tomorrow?" Nope, no second chance! Tomorrow, it’s back to basics and sure values—back to nature!

Good thing VF suggests reading material... I hadn't seen this travel journal start. And we can't miss one of Biboun51's journals—they're always well-written, well-photographed, and original no matter where he goes. Thank youuuu!

Hi Franck,

I just got back from Peru and was delighted to find your new story—still so well written and fascinating. I see your daughters didn’t hesitate to join you this time. How do you manage to find such unknown yet beautiful places? You’ll have to share your secret with us. One question: What’s your take on the Trump era’s impact on the general atmosphere in the U.S.? I got a hint of your perspective in your post when you shared that woman’s words. Larri

So glad VF suggests reading material... I hadn't seen this travel journal start. And we mustn't miss one of Biboun51's journals—they're always well-written, well-photographed, and original no matter where he goes. Thank youuu!

I have so many travel journals to post here that there's always one in progress. Anyway, thanks for the kind message—it really made my day!

Hi Franck,

I just got back from Peru and was delighted to find your new travel journal—still so well written and captivating. I noticed your daughters didn’t hesitate to join you this time. How do you manage to find such unknown yet beautiful places? You’ll have to share your secret with us. One question: What’s your take on the Trump era’s impact on the general atmosphere in the U.S.? I got a hint of your perspective in your post when you shared that woman’s words. Larri

To find places, I devour travel stories, binge videos, dig around online... and I’ve got a map covered in points of interest! As for the "Trump" vibe, nothing out of the ordinary compared to my other trips—except for a few Americans who told us exactly what they thought of their government...

Day 10 – February 23

On our last trip to the American West exactly 19 months ago, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument was still playing hard to get post-Covid. Curtains down, padlocks firmly shut! The reason? A bit of a bureaucratic—and mostly financial—standoff between the park management office and the local Cochiti Pueblo authorities. Well, all that’s water under the bridge now. They’ve buried the hatchet, smoked the peace pipe, and are happily splitting the pie—everyone’s happy... except the wallets of those who want to lay eyes on this place, which nature sculpted for free! "Cash or card?"

No matter, we disciplined tourists booked our spots after breaking into our savings to smile through the extortion of entrance fees. So here we are, full of energy, right on time for our meet-up, and the sun’s even playing along—thanks for that! "Was that included in the price?"

On paper, the site’s pretty big, so we should get our money’s worth. In reality, the playground’s limited to a single 2.5-kilometer trail cutting through the heart of the park’s iconic cone-shaped rocks. We start at the bottom with a slot canyon, then gain some height via a scenic ledge. Sure, these rock "tents" pose beautifully for the camera, and their shapes are downright sculptural, but when it comes to value for money, the hike’s per-kilometer cost is way steeper than the toll on the Paris-Reims highway—if that tells you anything!















Was the detour worth it in the end?... Clearly, I vote yes in this referendum because this park’s been on my radar for ages, and it’d be dishonest to pout. But I’m leaving with slightly frustrated legs, especially after hiking the trail to the Veteran’s Memorial viewpoint. From a distance, we skirt a whole mountainside with those iconic tent formations—strictly off-limits. And that viewpoint? Wow, talk about a slap in the face out of nowhere! But once again, we’re only allowed to look, not touch—whereas I’d already put on my swimsuit, ready to dive in headfirst!

Day 10 (continued)

Okay... so what's next? We hit the road again and head north through New Mexico, passing through Albuquerque. There, I had two stops on my list: Diner 66 and Walter White’s house. The first, right on Route 66, is a classic restaurant straight out of America’s chrome-plated era—Elvis, Marilyn, vintage decor, vinyl booths, calorie-packed milkshakes, and sixties tunes playing while you bite into a hot dog that tastes like a throwback to *Happy Days*. The second was a little pilgrimage with my daughter Sasha, since this is the house where *Breaking Bad* was filmed—a show we watched together, set right here in Albuquerque. We didn’t linger too long, though; the new owners clearly aren’t fans of chemistry experiments, pizza tosses onto their roof, or selfies... so we got back on the road to a spot lost in the middle of nowhere, a place that’s *definitely* never been Instagrammed: Burnham Badlands (thanks to Michèle and Jean-Michel for the coordinates!).







Just as we expected, we had the place all to ourselves—just us and this stripped-down world: a long dusty track, a horizon line, a fiery sky, a couple of tumbleweeds rolling in the wind, and a GPS that suddenly announces, "You’ve arrived in the middle of nowhere!" After a few steps, the earth suddenly folds into dried, sunbaked hills. Silence. Yellows, grays. Rocky formations. A raw landscape. Welcome to planet Burnham, which we explore until the sun tells us it’s time to leave: "Outta here, you wanderers!" Back to Earth, back to our home-on-wheels, Kara, and on to the next adventure. Want to come along?

Every time, you show us amazing places 😊 Thanks Franck, as someone who loves landscapes, I’m loving it—your photos are awesome 👍

We’re happily revisiting some stops from a trip to NM that dates back to... 2009. https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=2531862;#2531862

We really liked Taos Pueblo (just north of Santa Fe).

We’re happy to revisit some stops from a New Mexico trip back in... 2009. https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=2531862;#2531862

We really liked Taos Pueblo (just north of Santa Fe).

Yeah, I asked myself the same question, but the right side of my brain won out over the left...

Every time, you show us such beautiful places 😊 Thanks Franck, as a landscape lover, I’m loving it—your photos are awesome 👍

Thanks Isabelle! More surprises coming... 😛

Day 11 – February 24

Because I love pushing the limits, this morning I’m once again making the most of Kara’s presence—and my kids’ sleep reserves—by hitting the road at five on the dot to reach the mecca for West Coast insiders: the area straddling Arizona and Utah between Page and Kanab.

I’ve already worn out my soles in this region, but if we’re retracing a more classic route, you can bet it’s not for lack of inspiration. I’ve actually got a little idea brewing in the old brain cells. Two, in fact! And they’re tied to the season and February’s chill. But each plan in its own time—we’ll talk more about them in the next couple of days! For now, dawn is stretching, and I just spotted a sign for a place you can’t ignore if you’ve got three wide-eyed kids in the back who’ve never seen anything like it: Horseshoe Bend! Personally, wouldn’t you love to be woken up to a life-sized poster of that with a steaming bowl of hot chocolate? A dizzying cliff, a perfect meander, raw natural beauty, all bathed in golden light... Anyway, it seems to have the desired effect on the teen squad. No grumpy Sasha or spacey Luna this morning! So, if you want to put a smile on your "can’t be bothered" crew every day, you know what to do!









"Girls, after that hearty breakfast, do you still have room for more?" For my Flo, it clearly whetted her appetite—she’s demanding a little detour to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area after locking eyes with the deep blue of Lake Powell. And when a woman wants to turn the wheel, fate obeys! We improvise a nice little digestive coastal stroll before tackling the day’s big physical challenge.

Day 11 (continued)

The setting is on House Rock Valley Road, a legendary track that leads to what I consider the most beautiful masterpiece by the greatest artist in the world: The Wave, by Mother Nature. But it’s at her neighbor’s place that we’re ringing the doorbell today. Edmaier’s Secret, a site whose location remained a mystery for a long time!

According to the little backpacker’s manual, several days of mild weather should mean easy trails and terrain. But we didn’t account for the snow cover still blanketing the surrounding hills, turning theory into a real adventure. The track kindly treats Kara to a new muddy shade, while our hike follows the bed of a muddy stream we have to cross multiple times in an improvised balancing act. Long legs appreciated! Ouch, Flo clearly didn’t manage to get himself a pair before coming, so I have to throw stones—*Pierre*, but I’m this close to losing my patience! "Right foot on the first stone, left foot on the second, hold out your hand..." *Splash*. Fashion week is here—Flo now struts around in hiking shoes that match Kara’s muddy look!



After an hour of walking and leapfrogging like mischievous kids, with muddy feet and wide-eyed wonder, we’re treated to a smorgasbord of rocks—all privatized just for us! Figuratively speaking, we’re here to lose ourselves in this mineral madness: tipis, brainrock, waves, and the lace-like rock characteristic of the area, all dotted with patches of snow for that perfect contrast in photos!

Day 11 (continued)

I’d already been here in 2015, but my secret goal—one I didn’t even admit to my legs before setting off—was to push my solo exploration a bit further to West Clark Bench, a sector perched high on the plateau that requires climbing a 200-meter slickrock "wall." With my red Salomons on my feet and my competitive thighs fueled by Dr Pepper... a piece of cake! And what’s a little effort compared to the insane stoke it delivers? Peanuts... Especially since the day ended at Stateline Primitive Campground around the barbecue, roasting marshmallows to recharge for our next adventures tomorrow. We live the life we choose...

Hi Franck,

You're finally back! I was worried you’d abandoned your travel journal. Thanks again for sharing your adventures. Looking forward to the rest of this journal and excited to discover your future destinations. Larri

Hi Franck,

You're finally back! I was afraid you’d abandoned your travel journal. Thanks again for sharing your adventures. Looking forward to the rest of this journal and discovering your future destinations. Larri

Hey Jean-Claude! Three weeks away... for a trip! The rest of this journal (and the start of the next one) coming soon! Franck

Day 12 – February 25

Ask the teens you're taking to the American West what they most want to do and see. Statistically, two out of three will probably say "Las Vegas." Tough luck for us—we’ve got those two in our group! So, promise made, promise kept: we’re exiled to Vegas this afternoon. Unless... Unless I find a way to distract them this morning with THE hike. The kind so stunning it could make them forget the flashing neon and all-you-can-eat buffets. A hike so breathtakingly beautiful they’d beg me to plan another one right after, pushing Sin City straight out of their minds...



Okay, let’s be serious for two minutes—I think I’m getting carried away here... Since I’m already doomed, might as well enjoy my morning hike by making it a particularly brutal one, just to wear them out. The goal? Turn their legs to jelly and leave their calves screaming, so they’ll spend the afternoon napping in our Vegas hotel room. Admittedly, my plan might lack a bit of elegance... I’m torn... Heads or tails?... Eureka! Since I can’t decide, let’s take them to Progeny Peak in the eastern part of Zion National Park—a hike that’s both jaw-dropping for the eyes AND exhausting for the legs. Whatever happens, happens!



On the beauty Richter scale, this hike is still in its embryonic stage, yet it’s already touching the roof of the world. Road and rock for the red, sky for the blue, a few touches of greenery—and snow crashing the party to add its "whiter than white" contribution! Exactly the artist’s palette I was hoping for at this time of year! It’s crazy how this Zion canyon has this knack for slapping me across the face every time I visit. And every time, my reaction is the same: I turn the other cheek! What raw, unfiltered beauty!





As for the difficulty level, our eight legs get the memo right from the first meters. No defined trail and a brutal elevation gain that’ll take us to the summit of the mountain I picked. The more it turns into a climb, the more lactic acid burns our thighs, and the more this sadomasochist in me craves it. But unfortunately, that feeling isn’t universal among our little asthmatic mountain goats—hence the peloton stretching out like a thong up the slope. Still, kudos to all my followers who eventually cross the finish line, rewarded with an instant medal: a 360-degree panoramic view that’d knock a cowboy off his horse! Wow!

Day 12 (continued)

But nothing works—what the girls have been looking forward to most is still very much Vegas! So we're going from a completely wild environment to a flashing, uninhibited city. "Come on, kids, let’s wet the backs of our necks before we get there and dive right into the deep end without floaties." The classic "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis blares from Kara’s speakers—sign that we’ve arrived! We check in at the Main Street Station Hotel, and off we go on our urban trek along the Strip. I won’t rehash the whole world-tour spiel with the gondolas in Venice, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York, or the Great Pyramid of Giza... No, I’ll just tell you two words about the giant guitar in Las Vegas! Back in 2024, Flo and I discovered the Sphere here, Vegas’s new pharaonic construction. But I think that star ball is about to be upstaged by the massive—what am I saying—the *gigantic* Hard Rock Café guitar rising from the ground on the Strip. Vegas-level impressive, that’s all I’ll say!















Our evening? We spend it in old Vegas on Fremont Street under its celestial vault. As usual, the neighborhood treats us to high-quality concerts, a cheerfully tipsy crowd, and not to forget the classic burger at the Heart Attack Grill, served with its traditional corporal punishment session. And that wraps up this contrasting American day—how to be impressed in the morning by a slow natural construction, and just as impressed in the afternoon by a fast human one. "So, girls, which team do your legs and eyes end up on?"

And just like that... I was starting to think going back to the US was pointless and overrated... Thanks for this travel journal that rekindles a spark.

I’m happy to follow along!

And there I was, just starting to think going back to the US was pointless and overrated... Thanks for this travel journal—it’s reignited a spark.

I’m happy to follow along!

🙂 Welcome aboard, Kara! I’ll try to keep fanning the flames... [;]