Author: Priya Nayar

Aloha from the Rainbow State! We arrived in Oahu to be greeted by golden beaches, coconut trees, smiling people and the scent of Mai Tais in the air. In other words, exactly like you see in the movies. So many people have told us that there is something special about Hawaii but it was not until we got here that we really understood what they meant. With only a few days here we decided to just stay on Oahu and see what the island has to offer. From the cocktails to the birds to the blue skies above, Hawaii bursts with colour everywhere you look.

Pearl Harbor was our first agenda item. It was as moving, somber and emotional as we were warned by many that it would be. We spent 6½ hours reading every word, watching every video and paying our respects at the USS Arizona and Oklahoma memorials as we travelled back to a moment in history that changed the world.

Back in Waikiki, we enjoyed an evening of Polynesian culture at a traditional luau where we were entertained with singing and dancing that represented not only the Hawaiian people but also other Pacific Ocean nations.

Day Two in Oahu saw us setting out to explore the island beyond Honolulu. Danno, named in deference to Hawaii Five-0, was our journey’s last car and we couldn’t have ended our road trip in a better way.

We visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation, the North Shore, shrimp food trucks, the lush green landscape and Round Top Drive which brought us back to Honolulu.

The sunset views in Oahu are spectacular. But just as beautiful as the sunsets are the vibrant rainbows that decorate the skies in between sun showers.

And that, our friends, is our final stop on this incredible journey! Leaving Hawaii for last was an absolutely perfect way to celebrate the end of our 50-state road trip. We have many places we want to revisit and Hawaii is firmly placed on that list. We have one more day left here before we head home… the camera has been put away, the laptop is being closed and we are parking ourselves on the beach to reflect upon the last seven months which have been more than we could have ever hoped.

With much love to everyone,

P&S 😊

We crossed over the Colorado River to enter Nevada and made our first stop to see the Hoover Dam. Completed in 1936, it was, at the time, the largest dam in the world and it stores water that irrigates two million acres and provides hydroelectric power throughout California, Nevada and Arizona. It is one of the largest concrete structures in the world and the most visited dam with over seven million visitors a year.

Oh, there’s black jack and poker and the roulette wheel
A fortune won and lost on ev’ry deal
All you need’s a strong heart and a nerve of steel
Viva Las Vegas, viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley, 1964

Las Vegas: also known as Sin City, the Entertainment Capital of the World, the Gambling Capital of the World, the Marriage Capital of the World and the Neon Capital of the World. We were last here eight years ago and the city is exactly as we left it in 2012 – bright, loud, crowded, colourful, completely over the top, and continuously serenaded by the sound of slot machines in almost every building you walk past. The opulent hotels, the neon signs announcing headlining acts, the giddy brides clinging to their stunned-looking spouses and the famous Bellagio Fountains gave us plenty to keep us entertained while we were here.

A few streets back from the raucous glitz of the Strip is a somewhat more sobering glimpse into Nevada’s history. The National Atomic Testing Museum tells the story of nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site north of Las Vegas and the impact it had on the those who worked at the site, the nation at large and America’s international relationships. It also includes America’s history relating to its nuclear weapons program and the Cold War. Exhibits, artifacts and first-person narratives make this a really fascinating museum.

Leaving Sin City, we headed west towards the Nevada/California border. To my complete delight I walked into a gas station in a town called Jean and found Herbie, the Volkswagon Beetle with human tendencies, sitting there promoting the Hollywood Cars Museum. I promptly went back out and dragged Sammy in to see the car from movies including The Love Bug and Herbie Rides again 😂

So this concludes the Nevada chapter of our road trip. It is also our 49th state and the last state for us to visit in mainland USA. It feels a little bittersweet that the end of our journey is just around the corner, but at the same time incredibly exciting to know that we have almost achieved our end goal: to visit all 50 states in America.

We now head back to San Francisco, where we started this trip seven months ago, to return Wanda to Hertz and to catch our flight to Honolulu, Hawaii. When you see us next, we’ll be saying Aloha!

P&S

PS: Just in case anyone is wondering why we didn’t go to the Grand Canyon… we visited there in 2012 and so skipped it this time 😊

Arizona: the 48th state to join the contiguous United States and by serendipity is also the 48th state on our road trip. It almost feels like the last few states we have visited have tried to outdo each other with scenery and geology and Arizona most definitely stepped up to the challenge. From Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border we headed to Page to visit Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

If you have not been here yet, you need to put this on your list of places to visit. And more specifically, you need to do a tour with Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon Tours. This company takes you to a secret slot canyon on private property in Antelope Canyon, one that is only accessed by them, thereby avoiding all the crazy crowds that flock to this area (up to 4000 people per day in summer!). They also take you to a private Navajo viewpoint, again away from the crowds, to look over Horseshoe Bend. AND, if you’re lucky enough to have Brandon as your guide, you’re in for a treat when he plays the Indian flute inside the canyon with acoustics that cannot be beaten.

After giving us plenty of time to wander through the canyon and take a million photos, Brandon took us over to Horseshoe Bend. Standing 1000ft / 300m above the Colorado River below us, it was a breathtaking sight to behold. And even better, the sun came out at the exact moment I needed it to, making for some pretty great photos.

We have mostly stayed in Airbnbs throughout this trip and they have all been great in one way or another. But the view that was waiting for us at the back door of our Sedona Airbnb just about beat any other view we have had, and my goodness we have had a fair few amazing ones. This one was so good, in fact, that when we arrived approaching sunset, there were a dozen or so photographers with tripods camped out in the creek waiting to get their perfect picture.

Cathedral Rock is considered a strong upflow vortex and is revered by Native Americans as well as those seeking to find spiritual well-being and enlightenment. We were just happy to sit with a cup of tea and revel in our excellent taste in Airbnbs.

A couple who sat next to us in a pizza restaurant in Seattle told us that when we visit Sedona, we must do the Broken Arrow drive with Pink Jeep Tours. Six months later when we got here, we took their advice and weren’t disappointed. Our guide and driver Gene took us up, down and over Sedona’s famed red rocks as he drove us through the area where several westerns have been filmed, including the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie Broken Arrow. Yet again, we found ourselves surrounded by dramatic scenery different to anything we’ve seen before.

Then after a morning of off-road adventuring, we went in search of some local cuisine for lunch and found it in the Cowboy Club where we dined on cactus fries, rattlesnake sausage and bison skewers.

Pat yourself on the back Arizona! We’ve truly had a great time here and we need to come back to finish exploring, but what we have seen so far has been outstanding. Thank you!

S&P

I’m starting this post with a couple of photos of Utah’s State Capitol Building in Salt Lake City. Set at the top of Capitol Hill with the mountains as a backdrop, we kept finding our eyes drawn to it wherever we were in the city.

Driving west of Salt Lake City, we visited the Bonneville Salt Flats, the remnants of a large lake that inundated much of Utah between 14,000 and 32,000 years ago. Over time the lake has evaporated leaving behind 30,000 acres of white salt. In summer the sparkling white salty crust is the site of the Bonneville Speedway where new land speed records are attempted each year. In winter the Flats are covered with about an inch of water, becoming a gigantic mirror reflecting its surroundings perfectly. It was spectacular and absolutely worth the 90-minute drive into the middle of nowhere.

Driving south from Salt Lake City we were riveted by the seemingly endless mountains that punctuated the landscape in whichever direction we looked.

And then to our fascination the white snowcapped peaks made way for rock formations in red earthy tones as the entire vista around us changed.

Arriving at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park on the Utah/Arizona border, we were entranced by the structures that tower at heights of 400 to 1000 feet and are composed of Cedar Mesa Sandstone from 270 million years ago. As we stood in front of the famous Mitten Buttes, Sammy fully expected to see John Wayne come riding past on a horse. While we didn’t see The Duke, we did take our time dawdling along the 17-mile Valley Drive amongst the soaring monuments, buttes and mesas in the fresh air and sunshine.

Utah is a land of spectacular scenery and it has exceeded all our expectations 😊 To Arizona we now head!

S&P

Breathtaking scenery greeted us as we crossed into Utah, starting right at the welcome sign. The mountains, the snow and the rock formations gave us a beautiful drive to Arches National Park, our first Utah stop.

As we entered Arches National Park, the blue skies made for excellent viewing of the spires, sandstone fins, eroded monoliths and balanced rocks that provide a scenic introduction to the 36mi / 58km roundtrip drive through the park. Created by over 100 million years of erosion, Arches National Park is truly spectacular.

Giving credence to the park’s name, Arches National Park is home to over 2000 cataloged arches. Created by water and ice, extreme temperature and underground salt movement, these arches range from the smallest at 3ft / 0.9m to the the longest, Landscape Arch, measuring 306ft / 93.2m from base to base. We ran out of time and couldn’t make it to Landscape Arch, but we saw plenty of other arches along our drive.

And arches, monoliths and spires aside, the park is filled with beautiful views wherever you look.

We arrived in a very snowy Salt Lake City and as a result we didn’t stray too far. Salt Lake City is home to the headquarters of the Church of Latter Day Saints and has the largest LDS temple in the world by floor area. We spent time wandering around Temple Square and marveling at the four-year project that is currently in progress. The magnificent Salt Lake Temple, dedicated in 1893, is undergoing major renovations including giving the historic building a seismic upgrade to help the building withstand a large-magnitude earthquake. But despite the construction walls that are up around the Temple, we got brilliant views of it by night from the Roof Restaurant.

We were lucky enough to time our visit to Salt Lake City with a Thursday evening, when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir open their rehearsals for the public to watch. Singing in the Tabernacle where the choir has performed for over 100 years, the 360-member chorus of men and women raised the roof with their voices.

Utah, you have been wonderful so far!

PS: We did make the most of the snow as we played in the fresh fluffy powder and brought a little bit of the KC Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory to Salt Lake City 😂

P&S

Our first stop in Colorado Springs was to visit with our friend Julia and her mother Sue Ann. We had a great evening talking, laughing and catching up and we can’t wait till we meet again.

Colorado Springs gave us a magnificent sunny morning the next day as we headed to Garden of the Gods. Filled with amazing views of red rocks rising up out of the ground, Garden of the Gods was designated a registered National Natural Landmark in 1971 and comprises 1300 acres of sandstone formations and hiking trails. We zipped around in an open air jeep as our guide pointed out the many geologic features of the park and explained how the formations came to be as they are today. With the towering Pikes Peak as a backdrop, the landscape was spectacular.

Our guide also took us to Helen Hunt Falls in North Cheyenne Cañon Park, not far from Garden of the Gods. It was our first sighting of a frozen waterfall and we found ourselves standing and watching it as if it was still flowing. The park was filled with hikers, runners, cyclists and tourists as the sunshine drew everyone outdoors.

From Colorado Springs we headed up the road to Denver where our first call of duty was to find a bar and settle in for the Super Bowl. Cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs, we loved the atmosphere in the bar which was filled fairly evenly with supporters for both teams. The game was excellent and we were thrilled to watch quarterback Patrick Mahomes lead the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers.

From a day of sun to a day of snow… We woke up to a white Denver and as tempting as it was to sit indoors and watch the snow fall outside the window, we had a date with six alpacas. We headed out to Crystal and Joe’s alpaca farm as part of an Airbnb experience, and had a super afternoon learning about and meeting the woolly residents. Feeding and petting Picasso, Michael, Alan, Rocky, Tango and Lawrence was so much fun, even if I did get caught in a crossfire of alpaca spit 😂

As the snow continued to fall at a rapid rate, we made a quick stop to check out the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. With the highest seat sitting at an elevation of 6,435ft / 1961m, this amphitheatre is cut into the red rocks that surround it and has some of the best acoustics in the world. We would love to come back here for a concert when it’s a bit warmer!

As we’ve said before, one of the best parts of this trip has been meeting up with friends as we travel around the country. What we didn’t expect was to be in Denver at the same time that another Sidra friend happened to be home on vacation from Doha. It was so good to see you Beth!

Not being proficient drivers in the snow, we took a deep breath (actually many deep breaths), put Wanda into four wheel drive, and headed west from Denver over the Rockies. Slow and steady won the race as we crossed the Continental Divide through the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158 ft / 3,401 m. And what picture perfect scenery we had to keep us company with snow-laden trees surrounding us as far as the eye could see.

A stop at Vail Village for lunch was also picture perfect as we wandered along the heated cobblestone streets amongst skiers and snowboarders.

I believe I said at the end of the New Mexico post that Colorado had big shoes to fill. We can confirm that Colorado was every bit as stunning in completely different ways. Utah, we’re on our way!

P&S

Our venture into New Mexico started with rubbing shoulders with aliens in Roswell. On 7 July 1947, around 75 miles north of Roswell, debris from an unidentified flying object was recovered by a ranch worker on his property. Since then it has been widely debated and hypothesised as to where the debris came from and the theories run from flying saucers to weather balloons. Whether a government cover-up was involved or not, it is abundantly clear that the people of Roswell have whole-heartedly embraced their UFO heritage and we loved spotting the aliens that are dotted throughout the town.

From Roswell we headed north to picturesque Santa Fe where all the buildings reflect the Pueblo-style of architecture with their distinctive adobe walls and flat roofs. Santa Fe is 7,000ft / 2133m above sea level which fosters a great climate but also some not-so-great altitude sickness as I found out. Doing my best to ignore it, we set about wandering through the city center and soaking up the architecture and art on display. With over 240 galleries to capture our attention, we were almost overwhelmed by the historic and contemporary art of New Mexico, Native American traditions and beyond.

We visited Meow Wolf after many recommendations to do so. It is an immersive gallery supporting art across a variety of media and was nothing short of a surreal experience as we ventured from one room to another trying to solve the mystery that is presented upon arrival. I can’t even begin to describe Meow Wolf. What we will say is that despite the rave 5-star reviews the museum has received since opening in 2008, we left slightly confused and very bewildered 😂 You have to come and see it for yourself.

What we did 100% understand, appreciate and enjoy was the best Indian restaurant we have found in America, right here in Santa Fe. Paper Dosa is the creation of Chef Paulraj and we may be slightly biased because he hails from Coimbatore, South India, where we have family and I have visited many times since I was a child. Rather than offering the usual gamut of Indian cuisine, the menu predominantly focuses on a variety of dosa and uttapam with four different curries also on offer. Every bite of every dish we sampled burst with flavour. Sammy fell in love with the mango salad, I believe the rasam cured my altitude sickness and the rasmalai was as airy as a cloud. We know we’re meant to be reviewing the fine Mexican cuisine in Santa Fe, but Paper Dosa is an absolute must if you’re in Santa Fe and want something different.

Further north of Santa Fe is Taos, home of the Red Willow People at Taos Pueblo. The Red Willow People were America’s first indigenous tribe to have their land returned to them by the federal government in 1970. Over one thousand years old, the Pueblo continues to be the full-time home to eight to ten families and runs as it always has done without electricity or running water. The residents are warm and welcoming and we enjoyed spending time here as we visited the shops on the Pueblo selling handmade wares. Taos Pueblo was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

“Do you still recall the frightful night we crossed the Rio Grande?” – Fernando, ABBA

Also in Taos was my excuse to tie an ABBA song into the blog 😂 We stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and stood on the bridge in awe at the surrounding landscape with mountains on the horizon and the Rio Grande weaving its way along the gorge 650ft / 200m below us.

New Mexico has been spectacular, almost magical. Colorado, you’re next and you have big shoes to fill!

P&S

Austin, the capital of Texas, greeted us with a large protest taking place on the lawns of the Capitol Building that spilled over the sidewalks and into the streets. Manoeuvring our way through highly energised protesters we found our hotel and escaped to the rooftop bar where we enjoyed refreshing prickly pear margaritas. It was also in Austin that we discovered Manuel’s offering fine Mexican food. YUM.

From Austin we headed to San Antonio to check off another bucket list item for Sammy: the Alamo. The site of a 13-day siege that was a defining cornerstone of the Texas Revolution, the remains of the fortress today consist of the original church and a part of the long barracks. Walking through the church transports you back to 1836 when the rooms here sheltered the wives and children of the Alamo mission as the colonist soldiers fought for Texas’ independence from Mexico. The grounds to the side of the church have statues honouring the leading defenders of the Alamo including William Barrett Travis and perhaps the most famous of them all, David ‘Davy’ Crockett.

The enclosed grounds of the Alamo mission compound are filled with lush gardens making for a beautiful oasis in the town center.

There is also a museum filled with artifacts and history relating to the Texas Revolution and the Cenotaph Monument which commemorates those who fought in the Battle of the Alamo.

Throughout San Antonio are buildings that acknowledge the city’s rich and colourful history.

Winding its way through the city is the San Antonio River, set one level below the streets above. With sidewalks on either side of the river for pedestrians to stroll along, there is a wonderful social atmosphere that enveloped us as we wandered past restaurants and bars filled with patrons. Adding to the already festive atmosphere was the Chinese New Year river parade that took place after nightfall.

As we left San Antonio we headed west. Leaving the city behind we soon found ourselves surrounded by the plains of West Texas, with the scenery becoming increasingly barren as we drove further into the Chihuahuan Desert. The largest desert in North America, it covers more than 200,000 square miles and and was the source of much fascination for us as it was hilly yet flat, dry yet green. Oil rigs dotted the landscape as we passed the gates to properties so huge that the house can’t be seen from the road and towns like McCamey that are so small that they themselves acknowledge their size on the the sign that greets visitors 😂 And we got our first sighting of wild cacti by the roadside.

Texas, thank you, we have had much fun exploring you. Tomorrow we head into New Mexico!

S&P

The first agenda item we had for Texas was to say goodbye to Pearl who had to leave us for a service. So we are now in our third car of the road trip and, fingers crossed, Wanda will see us through to the end of our mainland America drive.

Next up we visited the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. What a fascinating glimpse into President Bush’s time in the White House as he navigated America through numerous defining challenges including the 9/11 terrorists attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina. The interactive displays, video footage and photos throughout the museum gave us a far deeper understanding of the spirit needed to be the President of the United States.

Dallas, we liked you very much. With architecture both modern and historic, spectacular views and overlapping freeways that stretch for miles, we loved wandering around and soaking up the sunshine.

In a trip down one of Dallas’s darker lanes, we visited the Dallas County Administration Building on Elm Street. This building was once known as the Texas School Book Depository and it was from a corner window on the sixth floor that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963. Today the sixth floor is a museum in which we learned about the events and politics leading up to that fateful day and the aftermath of the shooting. Not sure what to expect when we entered the museum, it is very well laid out and informative and to stand and look out of the window at the road seen so many times in video footage was quite eerie.

One of our unexpected highlights of Dallas was finding the sculpture in Pioneer Plaza representing 19th century cattle drives in Texas. Having never seen anything quite like it, we were mesmerised by the 49 bronze steer and their three trail riders that run down a small hill, across a stream and into the open flat space of the plaza.

We watched the sun set over Dallas from Wolfgang Puck’s Five Sixty revolving restaurant in Reunion Tower and it was beautiful.

Our final stop as we drove out of Dallas was the Gas Monkey Garage, featured in the reality show Fast N’ Loud. While the garage was closed as it was the weekend, it was still worth the slight detour to see where Richard Rawlings and his crew work to restore vintage cars for profit.

And that’s how to see Dallas in 36 hours! We’ve had a super time here and are looking forward to the rest of our Texas tour.

P&S

Our visit to Oklahoma City began with musical style at the Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center. We saw Farewell Angelina perform and for two hours this powerhouse of four talented singers belted out original songs and countrified versions of chart toppers like I Gotta Feeling and Radioactive. A great start to our OKC visit!

The next day we woke up to miserable gray and wet skies and decided it was the perfect kind of day to spend in the warmth and dryness of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. But first we made a detour to Cattlemen’s Steakhouse for a spot of breakfast. Opened in 1910, the restaurant is as old as the neighbourhood itself which was the site of the Oklahoma National Stockyards Company, a public livestock market. Today the area is known as the Historic Stockyards City and Cattlemen’s Restaurant is still going strong. A hearty breakfast there proved to be the only meal we needed all day and we had fun eavesdropping on cowboys around us discussing business over steak and toast.

If anyone happens to be in Oklahoma City and you have even the remotest interest in the history of America’s West, you have to visit the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. For a mere $12.50 each, there seemed to be no end to this museum as we wandered around from gallery to gallery over four hours and not once ran out of things to keep us interested. This museum has everything to do with the West including exhibits covering paintings, Indian pottery, barrel racing and trick riding, the US military in the West and even barbed wire. Yep… there is an entire room dedicated to barbed wire with over 1300 different samples to look at. And who knew there was more than one type of cowboy?? From Western movies for Sammy to rodeos for me, there was so much to look at. This is one of the most interesting museums we have ever been to.

Before we left Oklahoma City, we stopped at the National Memorial to pay our respects to the victims and survivors of the bombing that took place at 9.02am on 19 April 1995 at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The memorial is located where the building stood and there is a museum which tells the stories of the terrible event that took place that day. The memorial is a beautiful space that allows for quiet contemplation in the center of the city.

It’s been a pleasure Oklahoma but now its time to leave as we continue to drive south. Thank you for your hospitality and Texas… you’re next!