We're home! Finally! No pictures today, we didn't even slow down for the California state sign when re-entered the state. We both wanted to get home so bad and sleep in our own bed! We're both really tired but we had a great time driving across country.

This trip may be over but we'll be headed to Oregon in a couple of weeks to visit my family. I won't have access to wi-fi like I did on this trip but I'm going to take tons of pictures and really enjoy our time with my family.

We don't go back to work until Tuesday but tomorrow we have to drive the 2 hours to my moms house to take her the furniture that we brought back from Alabama. We're planning to have lunch with my mom, grandmother, sister and cousin. I can't wait to see them! We were only gone for 8 days but it feels like a really long time! I missed my family! I think we talk about our family's and our pets more then anything else today. Can't wait to see them all, not to mention get our dogs back! We missed them so much on this trip.

We're both really tired and stiff but I'm already looking forward to the next trip!

We are so tired tonight so a quick post of today's highlights. We went from Williams, AZ to Grand Canyon to Hoover Damn to Vegas today. Lots of miles and lots of fun.

South Rim at the Visitors Center

Both of us on the South Rim.

This ground squirrel was sitting on the side of the trail and I used my powers of talking to the animals to get it to look up when I snapped the picture.

Self portrait

There were three elk on the side of the road down by the Bright Angel Trial. We were pretty stoked to get to see some.

At the entrance to the park.

On the way to Hoover Damn, the desert was blooming with tons of pink and purple catcus blooms.

Also lots of yellow daisy's.

We agree that we got really lucky on this trip. A couple of weeks either direction and might not have gotten to see all the all blooming catci.

Hoover Damn!

Hubbs at Hoover Damn. They're building a by-pass road. We wondered if they're going to stop allowing people to drive across the damn. If so, we were glad that we got a chance to do it.

Welcome to Nevada! Only one state from home now.

Home time zone baby!

Vegas baby!

The lights are so pretty on the strip. We walked so far that our feet are killing us! Looking froward to a nice night in the hotel.

7 hour ride home tomorrow and then back on the road Saturday to drop off the furniture to my mom. We've really enjoyed the trip but we can't wait to get home and sleep in our own bed. We miss our dogs and kitty too. No stops planned for tomorrow, just a straight shot home. But you never know what can happen during out hours on the road.

Today was an interesting day. Took forever to find a gas station this morning and the weather was really on again off again. We had sun, clouds, rain, snow, rain, hail, rain, snow and then rain again. Today's mileage wasn't much but we went from Casa Grande, Arizona to Williams, Arizona by way of Sedona. Neither Hubbs or I have been to this part of the state before and we agreed that Sedona was totally worth checking out. It was amazing. The scenery was so beautiful.

Here's the highlights:When we finally found the gas station this morning there was this really neat cactus type plant growing next to the pumps. The purple stem and pink and cream flowers were so pretty.

This was the view from the top of the mesa highway 17 on the way to Sedona.

Our first view of the beautiful rock formations of Sedona from the Visitors Center on the south side.

Me at the Visitors Center.

Hubbs and I enjoying the beautiful Scenery.

Hubbs enjoying the view.

North side of Sedona.

The pouring rain out side of Flagstaff.

Two more days of fun before we're home. Tomorrow is Grand Canyon. Hubbs has never been but I've been a couple of times and have hiked it from North Rim to South Rim before. I can't wait to see it again. I haven't see it in more then 15 years. After we leave the Canyon we're headed to Hoover Dam and then into Vegas. Tomorrow is also our 4th wedding anniversary. I'm really looking forward to celebrating our special day.

We zipped over from El Paso into New Mexico and up to Las Cruces and then across the state and into Arizona. We made the furniture drop in Tucson and managed to stay only an hour before we hit the road again. We stopped about 45 min's outside of Tucson at Pichaco Mountain State Park to check out the Sonoran Desert. The cactus's were really cool and we both loved the Saguaro's. Once again we had the park pretty much to ourselves and it was amazing. Stupidly, I didn't charge the camera battery last night and after only a few pictures in the park, the battery died. I'm charging it tonight because tomorrow we're off to Sedona and then to Grand Canyon.

Here's today's photo highlights:
Crossing into New Mexico. We couldn't stop by the sign like we have at most other states because there was road construction and there really wasn't a place to actually pull over.

We crossed the Continental Divide. This was Hubbs first time crossing. I've crossed and recrossed it several times up north but this was my first time doing it in New Mexico. The funny thing was Hubbs asked why made it the divide and I had no idea. Thankfully the Blackberry came in handy again and I was able to look it up. Turns out it has to do with watershed. On the Pacific side, the water drains to the Pacific side, on the other side it drains to the Gulf of Mexico.

Some cool cliffs on the way to Tucson.

Headed into Arizona. People were honking at us while we were taking pictures on the side of the highway.

Pichaco Peak. This huge mountain sticks out of the flat desert and has been used as a navigational tool for thousands of years but was first recorded in the 1700's.

We hiked a bit of the Sunset Trail in the Pichaco State Park. The mountain and the Seguaro Cactus Forest were amazing.

I loved this cactus. I think it's a baby Seguaro but it had the coolest red-ish spines on it. They looked like they should be soft but they were very hard.

Hubbs climbed to the top of this huge lava rock. I was so nervous that he was going to fall but the view was worth it.

I listen to Craft Lit a lot and Heather always talks about pod casting from her corner of the Senoran Desert and I had no idea what it looked like but now I do. I was so excited to check out Pichaco State Park. We were hoping to see a road runner but we never did. We saw lots of birds and chipmunks but no road runners. Maybe tomorrow.

The battery is charging so I'm sure there will be a ton of pictures!

Another picture heavy post! The wifi at the hotel last night sucked and I couldn't upload any of my pictures! Boo hoo for me! Anyway here's the update from yesterday.

We decided at the last minuet to stay in Vicksburg in the morning and visit the Vicksburg Battlefield National Park. Cost $8 to get in per vehicle and I'd say that we got our $8 out of it. We expected to spend maybe an hour to an hour and a half there but we were really enjoying it and time got away from us. We enjoyed the part for 3 and a half hours. It was really interesting to see history like that. I've been a bit of a Civil War history buff so it was so cool to see where it all happened. We had the park pretty much to ourselves while we were there. I don't think we saw more then half a dozen people the entire time we were there.

Here's the high lights. Hubbs and a restored civil war cannon.

A row of Union artillery.

Hubbs behind Union lines.

The Shirley House. It had a variety of uses after the family that owned it at the time moved out. It was in the middle of repeated attacks and was riddled with bullet holes and cannon fire. It had been restored a couple of times but was badly in need of restoration again. Hubbs and I both loved the porch.

A monument to the Ohio Union troops that were killed or wounded here.

This seal is on the floor of the memorial when you walk in. Booth Hubbs and I went, "Wow!" when we walked in. It really took your breath away.

I learned to use the timer on my camera and we both laughed a lot was I scrambled up the steps of the memorial for a pic with Hubbs.

The view from the Ohio memorial to the west. The area was heavily wooded and had very steep ravines on all sides.

I know you're not supposed to climb on the statues but I couldn't resist ridding the horsey! lol

This is the iron clad ship Ciro. It was sunk in the Yazoo River and recovered in the 1960's. You could walk around inside the ship. Very cool.

The Ciro.

When they raised the Ciro they found a variety of items inside all in perfect condition.

The ships bell.

The Union cemetery.

A head stone in the cemetery. The tree was growing around it.

There was a lot more see there but we were running out of time so it was time to go.

We crossed the Mississippi and then the weather turned ugly for us. It rained most of the way across Louisiana. No thunder and lightening but very heavy rain.

Welcome to Louisiana! Since the weather was so ugly we didn't make any stops in Louisiana except for lunch and gas. We quickly made it across the state and into Texas.

It was windy when we crossed into Texas but at least it stopped raining. After this we went about 300 miles into Cisco Texas. We got in late, grabbed some dinner at the Dairy Queen and then hit the hay.