Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Roswell & Carlsbad Caverns

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Our final day in Vegas arrived on Saturday the 5th of August and we decided to head to some more factory outlets.

On the way we had to drop into Moturis as the tyre on one of the bikes was flat. After a short chat we left with a new bike (fortunately a female one this time) and drove to the factory outlets.

Once again Shane showed his true form by purchasing many things in the few hours we were there and Chris managed to restrain herself yet again. We both have been extremely surprised so far with the price of clothes at the factory outlets. Shane bought 2 pairs of boardshorts and 2 pairs of Calvin Klein jeans for US$30 and US$25 respectively.

Chris finally dragged Shane out of the outlet centre and we headed to Walmart to collect some groceries. Upon arriving back at the motorhome Chris was surprised when a man in a car next to ours asked if we had room in our motorhome for them. Chris tried to laugh it off but they then explained they had run out of petrol and have been sleeping in the car until a church can help them to get petrol so they can get to California to get jobs. Chris feeling extremely generous decided to give them money for a tank of petrol... Well she would of if Shane had let her, but she did manage to smuggle 2 bottles of water out of the motorhome to give to them just before we left in a hurry before they asked for anything else.

Whilst at Walmart we made a great purchase... Speakers for our IPOD's. Fortunately they don't need batteries or power so now we have some noise at night during dinner and those awkward silences... haha.

That night we drove past Hoover Dam where we were told to stop for an inspection due to security measures, only to sit there for 10 minutes and when Shane questioned them they said to leave and didn't even come inside for the search. We managed to make it to Kingsman later that night after driving for about 3hrs and slept in the car park of a Travel Centre (a large petrol station where truck drivers often sleep) which we now have discovered are across the USA and we will visit often.

On Sunday the 6th of August we rose to the inside of the motorhome being hotter than what we remember Vegas to be (wishing we had air-conditioning) and we purchased yet another tank of petrol (although petrol is cheaper here, we have a large tank and we soon discovered that the motorhome is far from being fuel efficient and we are often stopping to fill it up).

We drove for the day and ended up at the Grand Canyon where we watched the sunset which was amazing. The colours on the rocks were fantastic but as many people say it was hard to capture it in a photo.

We left the National Park and managed to sneak our way into a campsite for the night which also meant leaving at 6am the following morning so we didn't have to pay. Thus far we have paid for our motorhome sites however due to arriving so late (and the office not being open) we decided to save ourselves some money and 'borrow' some water.

We managed to sleep well... Except for when Chris felt it necessary to wake Shane at 2am so she could call her family as she was too scared to go on her own. On the way we were both surprised (and worried) as we walked past Elks grazing only metres from the public phone. The Elks were huge and look like Reindeers and Chris constanly reminded Shane that they were on a show called 'When animals attack'.

After rising early to avoid the park fee we headed back into the Grand Canyon National Park to have a few more hours sleep and then we searched a number of lookouts over the Canyon and the Colorado River.

Once again, we had to visit the dump station which Shane is fast becoming quite efficient with, whilst Chris stays inside the motorhome, with all windows closed and a tissue over her mouth so as to not breathe in any of the stench Shane endures outside... what a great boyfriend.

We left the park and drove to Gallup about 5hrs away where we stayed the night in another Travel Centre.

On Tuesday the 8th of August we rose early and finished our drive to Santa Fe which included passing a few towns with signs cautioning people not to pick up hitchhikers. Although Shane was curious and wanted to, Chris didn't allow him to stop for anyone which was lucky seeing as though we later discovered the rest of the sign saying that there was a prison nearby.

We arrived in Santa Fe ready for some exploring and headed to the Visitor Information Centre only to find it had moved and then was closed by the time we finally made it there.

Shane became increasingly frustrated after an earlier breakdown (as Chris calls it) whilst trying to manouvere the motorhome through narrow streets to find somewhere big enough to park the 'truck' and Shane declared that when we visit towns from now on we need to arrive early to give us the day to do something there.

We headed to Walmart for the night where we cooked yet another fabulous meal (or so Shane told Chris as he ate the burnt frozen Lasagne she had cooked). After looking out the window at every noise that happened outside and Shane constantly being nosey we finally crashed for the night.

Shane woke Chris up early on Wednesday the 9th of August as he had big plans for the day. We headed into Walmart where we saved our digital photos on to cd which sounds easy but took almost 2hrs. Shane began complaining again about not bringing his laptop and having to pay for something that he can do easily and in 20mins.

When we finally finished we went in seach of the internet which again caused Shane to break down trying to park but finally managing to settle for a side street not far from the centre of town. We booked the internet for later that night and went searching around town.

We looked at the stalls at the plaza, many of which sold jewellry. Chris felt is necessary to purchase a corn on the cob (depsite going to purchase a drink) as she saw a woman with one and was jealous.

After scoffing it down and hitting Shane with the cob several times we walked around the shops looking at the many Indian artifacts for sale and visited the Institute of American Indian Art, a contempory art museum. Although there was a suggested donation of $4 each, for some reason Shane decided that it wasn't worth it and we snuck out before anyone said anything.

We visited the Cathedral of St Francis of Assisi which housed the oldest statue of Mary (circa 1400's). We were both amazed as there was a crypt which commemorated the former Arch Bishops but had the current one listed also.

We continued looking around the shops and managed not to buy anything until Chris found a birthday present for one of her sisters. We headed to the plaza and listened to some Indian music however Chris' attention was diverted as there was a pug only metres to her left.

We finished the day by heading to a motorhome park (which we paid for this time) and had a hearty dinner before heading to bed.

Thursday the 10th of August saw us wake up early and although there was a lot planned for the day not much seemed to eventuate. We headed to the local library where we had previosuly discovered 'free internet' and caught up on a blog and some emails. Although this sounds easy, it wasn't until 3hrs later that we finally left.

With our eyes sore from looking at the screen for so long we figured some shopping would do us good and headed to the Santa Fe Outlets. Compared to the Vegas ones this was really small (only 15 shops) but we still managed to spend some money... yes Chris included. Shane's guilt finally subsided slightly as he encouraged Chris to spend her money on anything that she picked up.

We left town hoping to arrive in Roswell but stopped short due to both being tired from our 'hard' day and the storm that was pelting down as we drove. We stopped at Clines Corner and slept in the car park of New Mexico's largest gift shop.

On Friday the 11th of August we woke to the noises of truck engines in the car park and managed to set off for Roswell shortly afterwards. We arrived in Roswell at the vistors centre 3hrs later both complaining of the heat (39 degrees) and collected a few brochures of things to do.

Roswell is a town completely obsessed with UFO's since the 'Roswell incident' in the 1940's. The street lights have alien heads on the top of them.

Firstly we went to the International UFO Museum and Research Centre which has artifacts and evidence from apparent UFO sightings and heaps of information regarding the Roswell incident. Shane left still a sceptic but believing slightly more that it may have happened.

We then headed for the Art Museum where we were greeted with filthy looks by the staff as they were closing in 15 minutes and we decided to give it a miss. Instead we visited Silver Springs Zoo where Chris dragged Shane around to view the smelly cages where the animals were kept. Shane was besotted with the Badgers and also the Gophers who managed to dart around digging holes.

We headed to Walmart where Chris became frustrated at the lack of sauces and fresh ingredients available. However we are both in disbelief at the huge selection and variety of frozen prepared meals. We managed to avoid the frozen meals and buy as much fresh stuff as possible, well as much as we thought our fridge would hold.

We woke on Saturday the 12th of August and headed for the Library for a few minutes before heading to Carlsbad Caverns about 2hrs away.

When we arrived in Carlsbad Caverns National Park we were greeted by some friendly tourists who advised us that if we were going down to have a look in the caves to take a jumper as its freezing. In the 40 degree heat we found it hard to contemplate wearing a jumper nevertheless we both took one just in case.

Carlsbad Caverns is located in New Mexico near the border of Texas. It became a World Heritage Site in 1995 and contains over 100 underground caves some reaching 60 miles in length.

We collected our free tickets into the Caverns (due to our previously purchased National Park Pass) and Shane dragged Chris down the Natural Entrance, a trail which eventually led to the Big Room but on the way descended 75 stories and passed the sleeping place for thousands of Mexican Bats which was easily identifiable by the stench of their droppings.

Once in the Big Room we wandered around arguing who had taken the best photos thus far. Chris still believes that she won however we will leave it up to the viewers when we return.

We both agreed whilst in the caverns that although only 13 degrees it was a welcome change and the jumpers were not necessary afterall.

That night despite arriving at a Motorhome Park to stay for the night we ended up only getting fresh water and staying once again at a nearby Walmart in the interest of saving money.

On Sunday the 13th of August we were woken by the local shoppers and eventually headed to do some much needed laundry. After which we drove the 473 miles (approx 760 kms) to San Antonio, Texas.

After driving for more than 9hrs (and after 2 petrol stops, Shane continually complaining about how much 'gas' the motorhome uses and about the constant knocking noise coming from the rear tyre making it hard to even speak with one another) we eventually arrived at a 'Travel Centre' where we stayed for the night.

Chris made us a lovely dinner whilst Shane went in search of nearby petrol stations for the cheapest petrol. He managed to find one almost $1 cheaper than the price we paid the first day we got the motorhome and was very proud of himself.

You will hear from us again shortly regarding our travels in Texas...

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