Spokane's Urban Forest
Terri Webster Schrandt

On the #Road for Sunday Stills

I enjoy road trips. I love to drive and see the countryside as I travel.

This Veteran’s Day holiday weekend finds me “on the road.” Well, in the air, actually, as I fly home from the Eastern Washington state. Believe it or not, when I planned this theme, I did not know I would be taking this short trip to visit our family in the Pacific Northwest.

While enjoying our time there, we get out and walk along the stunning suburban forest roads.

Spokane's Urban Forest

My husband’s brothers live in Spokane, and his mother is also there in an Assisted Living care situation. She turned 87 years old in October and we haven’t seen her in 18 months!

I posted about “Time” for last week’s Sunday Stills challenge, and as they say, “life is short!” Hubby recently found out his auntie passed away at age 92. She lived in Germany and he only met her once. She was his deceased father’s sister.

Two weeks ago, we hurriedly made plane reservations for this short trip north to be with Mama Hella…because we never know… Time is not on our side.

Last year on this very weekend I had the absolute pleasure of hanging out with fellow bloggers in Palm Desert. This was truly a road trip, with a 9-hour drive from Sacramento to San Diego, then from there, north two hours to Palm Desert (just outside of Palm Springs).

Travel Trailer

Now that we have our wonderful 27-foot Jayco travel trailer, and hubby finally got his new truck, being on the road will be a pleasure. Especially when we can take our dogs along for the ride.

As I hinted in my last post, we have a major road trip planned for late December into the second week of January. I have always wanted to visit the American Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Utah) but never had the opportunity to do so.

This trip is inspired by author Tony Hillerman, whose works include the fabulous mystery series featuring two Navajo tribal policemen set in the Navajo region of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Covering thousands of miles of territory, the characters often found themselves on the road, driving from one area to another as they chased suspects and solved crimes.

As I read, I could imagine the sun setting behind the iconic monoliths of Monument Valley and feel the heat of the summer monsoons.

Although I have driven through Arizona on the Hwy 10 over the years, I have never been to the Grand Circle area known for National Parks like the Grand Canyon, Antelope Valley, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon and Zion. Other areas of interest include Sedona and the Hopi and Navajo Reservations.

With the help of Pinterest and some blog posts I’ve read, I am creating a customized road trip with a drive that starts in San Diego and eventually ends back in Northern California via (or should I say viva) Las Vegas. If the predicted El Nino weather pattern has its way, there should be more sun than rain.

What sights have you enjoyed on your road trips? Here are a few of mine!

Crazy clouds along Route 66 near Victorville CA
Morning glow on the I-5

As we enjoy our holiday weekend, please remember the Veterans who served in the military whose sacrifices made our country (and perhaps yours) great!

I can’t wait to read what you have in store for Sunday Stills this week! Link up here or ping-back to this post!

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54 comments

  1. Terri, this sounds like a wonderful road trip. We are in the planning stages of an April trip from Florida through Texas and return. Also, about two weeks in duration. We are not adventurous enough for the RV, and will be traveling by car with multiple stops at hotels along the way. Using Pinterest is a great way to organize your adventure. Happy trails!

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  4. We spent over 15 years traveling with our RV many of my pictures were taken on the roads. Our Germans Shorthairs travel with us. Kato spent the first 6 years of his life traveling with us. I know at least 3 times we would have lost him if we weren’t watching him. I will see what I can come up with pictures to show

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  5. Love the variety of colors in the top photo, so many shades of green. And the Oregon photo has a very nice feel to it with the truck just coming into picture (though it looks a bit cold for me). I hope you enjoy your SW trip. I’ve really enjoyed Tony Hillerman’s books, too. I think that’s a great idea to plan your trip around them. Here’s my closer-to-home offering on the theme: https://grahamsisland.com/2018/11/11/i-told-you-so/.

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  11. Hi Terri, your road trips sounds like great fun and I recognise that your country is a big one to get around too. I have added my post to the link up and look forward to seeing everyone’s road trip photos. Yours are a fab collection – I particularly love the early morning light one! Thanks again for hosting us each week.

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  15. Hi, Terri – I LOVE road trips. Richard and I are currently planning our route from Palm Desert to Vancouver Island. We usually try to make a mini-holiday of our driving trips (as opposed to desperately trying to speed up time as we rush from Driving Point ! to Driving Point B).
    Thanks for the shout-out to last year’s Bloggers’ Meet Up. Get your Joyco ready for a trip to Vancouver Island next summer! 🙂

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  20. How wonderful that you were inspired by Tony Hillerman’s books to visit the American Southwest – you’ll have such a fabulous time. It won’t be hot and you’ll get to see so much. We did pretty much the same trip but in the extreme heat of summer. Every place you’ve listed is a spectacular place to see. Take lots of film – ha ha ha ha ha.

    I really enjoyed the photos here of your trip up north. i just returned – a few hours ago – from visiting old friends in Portland, OR – what fun to catch up with them and see the area in all its autumn splendor. Like you, I enjoyed every minute of my stay and can’t wait to go back.

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  22. What a great road trip you got planned for the beginning of 2019, Terri. I’m guessing you’ll be sharing the driving?
    We did some great road trips in the 1990s through parts of Europe, but I only drove when on the motorways as I could not coordinate driving on the other side of the road. My mind went completely blank with it. Even to this day, I much prefer my partner doing all the driving.

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    • I think my husband prefers to drive while we’re pulling the trailer. I may do some of that as we travel south and back home but perhaps on the straight, level stretches. No problem, I can take more pics that way 🙂 I couldn’t even imagine trying to drive on the other side 🙂

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  24. Hi Terri, road tripping with your RV sounds really fun. It is like you are taking a little bit of home with you! It sounds easier and less hassle than making a bunch of hotel reservations. Planning your upcoming trip is fun, I often enjoy the planning of a trip as much as the actual trip. It is fun to dream about what you will do!

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  29. Can’t wait to hear all about your Southwest Travels! Hubs and I will follow, at least in part, in your footprints some day in the near future. We’re narrowing in on the right travel van for us! And then, more and more road trips for us too! Thanks for sharing, Terri! ~ Lynn

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  31. Great rig, Terri! Now you need a name for it. You and Hans will certainly enjoy that road trip. I have not been to Antelope Valley and Monument Valley, so I’m looking forward to those blog posts. Our four-month “road trip” has come to a temporary end right now, as we house sit for a few weeks and focus on work. The sights we have enjoyed in our 15+ years of being on the road and the water are too many to mention. Some of them – but certainly not all – have made it onto my two blogs. Enjoy!

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