We exited Mojave National Preserve via Kelbaker Road and Interstate 40. Rather than taking I-40 west towards Barstow, we continued southbound on Kelbaker Road outside of Mojave and connected with the old Route 66.
Heading into Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert.
We took the same route out of Page as we did last time we were there. Going north into Utah and meander along the Arizonia/Utah border all the way to St. George, Utah. We decided to stay the night at the Walmart while the Works continued on to Las Vegas.
Lone Rock Beach and Upper Antelope Canyon.
We made a mad dash for Page, Arizona after we left Wupatki National Monument because we knew that we would want to catch Horseshoe Bend at dusk. The last time we were there, we were running late as well and ended up catching it at just the right light. Admittedly, this is a place that is hard to get a good photo of. Almost every moment of the day will cast shadows in some part of the canyon and getting enough light to show it at dusk is always a challenge.
National Monuments Galore to Flagstaff, Arizona
When we left Phoenix, we knew that we wanted to make our way eventually to Page, Arizona. We were just there a couple of months ago on our way to California from Albuquerque but since Josh and Jessa had never been, we didn’t mind one bit going back again. Plus, we wanted to hit up all of those National Monuments that were closed when we drove through last time.
Chiricahua Mountains and Phoenix, Arizona.
Leaving Tombstone meant that we were once again looking for a place to stay for a few days. I have to visit the office in Santa Barbara in a few days so we decided that eventually heading over the Phoenix was the way to go since they have direct flights. But we were not so eager to go to a big city yet. We first made a few stops along the eastern part of the state.
Boondocking Outside of Tombstone, Arizona.
After a short stay in Gilbert Ray, we headed out of Tucson and began making our way further south. Our friends Brian and Leigh had gone to a ‘secret boondocking spot’ just outside of Tombstone and we swore to secrecy that we would not tell where it is if they told us. So don’t ask.
Boondocking in Tucson, Arizona.
Tucson is one of the first places we took the Airstream when we bought it back in 2008. Even before that, our first longish trip with our previous T@B camper was also here in the winter of 2007 when Ava was barely a year old. We love this place in the winter and have been coming back here almost every year since.
Yuma, Arizona and Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
After we left Anza Borrego, we spent a couple of days in Santa Barbara for work and headed back out to the southwest again. This time, we will be doing a pretty big loop through Arizona. First stop, Yuma.
Anza Borrego and Coachella Valley.
After holidays with family and a birthday party for Ava, we headed back out for the winter in the southwest. Our first stop is a place we haven’t been to since Mila was just an infant: Anza Borrego.
Doheney State Beach in Dana Point, California.
After spending Thanksgiving 2013 with family in LA, we headed back out in the Mish for another local stay. This time, we are checking out the beaches of southern California.
Joshua Tree National Park, California.
After getting back from the Balloon Fiesta in October, we planned to spend most of our time in the southwestern part of the country until Summer 2014 comes around. As much as we love traveling the rest of the country, there is so much to see here that we have neglected because of its proximity. We are going to do a much better job exploring around these western states.
Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
From Page, Arizona there are basically 2 routes out. One is to head south on Highway 89 back down to Flagstaff. We’ve been through Flagstaff several times and it is not that exciting so we chose the other route to head north west through southern Utah. As far as I am concerned, anything involving southern Utah cannot go wrong.
