I think that Dave and I have worked so well as travel partners because we both love and hate different aspects of our travel experience.
I am obsessed with planning and research, but I have no hope for direction, navigation and logistics. Dave found the planning stage tedious and time-consuming, but he could easily navigate a city.
This is perfect for us — I can immerse myself in my desire to roam and spend a few days studying the places to go and the routes to follow. Once I check Dave’s satisfaction with the plan, he will ensure that we really reach the place we should go.
However, one of my favorite ways of traveling is when neither of us can decide where to go next.
After spending an amazing six weeks in the Pacific Northwest, we still have six weeks left on our US visa, but we are not sure where to go next. Whenever we encounter this situation, we simply divide the time into two periods — Dave decides where we are going in the first three weeks, and I decide the next three weeks.
Dave and I like different things when traveling — I like quiet towns rather than cities, while Dave prefers places with lots of activities, I like small beaches, and Dave likes places to run. However, we are not very picky when traveling. We are always willing to try new things and go to places we have never considered before.
Dave liked New York very much and immediately chose to spend time on the East Coast. However, when I first went to New York six years ago, I hated it and didn’t want to come back. I chose to spend my three weeks in the southwest, from Arizona to Texas, an area I have been eager to visit for many years. Dave has never heard of any stop in my plan except the Grand Canyon and the Monument Valley.
I can’t wait to visit New York again to see if my view has changed, and I can’t wait to explore a part of America that Dave has never considered before.
This will be surprising.
Monument Valley
Monument Valley was added at the last minute of our trip. At that time, I saw that it was only three hours away from Flagstaff. I have always wanted to go to Monument Valley, but I think this trip is too far. Fortunately, it is on the border between Arizona and Utah.
We have two options to explore the valley — either take photos on the lookout stand, and then drive back to Flagstaff, or drive into the valley in a rented car that we are not suitable for driving, and carry out an 11-mile exploration on the rugged, rocky and gully-covered terrain. Considering the price we pay, we obviously need to make full use of our rented car!
Monument Valley
When we gradually entered the valley, I noticed that we were the only people who had the courage to drive such a small car through the valley – everyone else drove four-wheel drive vehicles! This may be a good reason, because here, we can see many people driving four-wheel drive vehicles. This may be reasonable, because it took us more than two hours to complete the 11-mile loop. However, it is completely worth it, because we are flying in a small lake, and the water of the lake has been rushing to our windshield. This kind of turbulence and terror is completely worth it.
Just one day after visiting the Grand Canyon, I announced that the Monument Valley is actually far better than the Grand Canyon and is one of the most amazing scenic spots I have ever seen.
Precautions
The ticket to Monument Valley is 5 dollars per person.
If you don’t have enough time, you can take the expensive and overcrowded jeep to visit the valley, although these seem unpleasant. I suggest you drive down to have a fun experience — just make sure it doesn’t rain in advance.
There is a restaurant and gift shop in the tourist center. We bought a sandwich in the gift shop, and then we were told that the restaurant only serves customers who order according to the menu and can only eat sandwiches in the car.
Roadside attractions in Arizona
Driving to Tucson, we decided to interrupt the journey with several roadside attractions.
TOMBSTONE
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Things to know
We decided to live in Tularosa, an hour’s drive from Baisha Town. Although you can build a base in a closer place — Las Cruces or Alamogodo — we can’t find any decent cheap accommodation in these two cities. Tularosa is a small village with a population of more than 2000, which gives us an in-depth understanding of small towns in New Mexico. Our apartment (44 pounds/72 dollars a night, booked here) is comfortable and spacious, close to a great Mexican restaurant, and very quiet at night. My favorite part is to be able to watch stars at night, which is due to the low level of light pollution.
The ticket to the Baisha National Monument is a seven-day ticket of $3 per person.
Every night in Tula Rosa, we ate at Casa de Suenos, a Mexican restaurant. For such a small town, the food is surprisingly good, including potato chips and salsa sauce.