for my post, i decided to do a photo entry. although amanda is working diligently to update the photos, i am going to put some of my favorite photos together to tell you all the story of what we have been up to since arriving at the grand canyon.

we made loads of friends hiking down into the grand canyon. it was so awesome!



the top photo is the first group of friends we made. they were a super nice group and we were very glad to have met them.
the photo bellow is of our spring break friends. they let us crash in their campsite for a night and were super fun company. we ended up hiking out of the canyon with them too, which made it a much easier hike, and dare i say... enjoyable? they were a fantastic group. we had many good laughs in their company.





the above poster was on the bus we took back to our car after hiking out. luckily, we don't look like that guy, otherwise we could have been in trouble.

after leaving the grand canyon, we went to las vegas and had a swell time. the pirate show was amazing and we had lots of energy, making the city a very fun place for the two nights we spent there.

once we left vegas, we began our weird route east - which took us through navajo nation and gave us a new traveling buddy for a while.



when amanda and i first heard about the stray puppy that had been left at the navajo jewelery stand, we both thought "oh, no. we can't have a dog traveling with us, let alone a puppy." an hour later, however, we were thinking differently.
kayenta, which was the name she ended up with, wiggled her way over to me. her little body was all matted with desert sand and dread locks- i could not help myself when i got the scissors and comb out of the car and began working on her coat. before long i had a huge baggy full of dog hair and we had a puppy. we promptly found dog food for her and watched her little body squirm with delight as the food hit her belly. while we drove, she slept soundly on the floor board and when we camped, she stayed right at our heals. she was a great companion.



kayenta traveled with us for four days before fate had its way and gave kayenta a real home (months before we were planning on finding one for her). we were camping right outside of santa fe and had some super people camping next to us. we were all cooking marshmallows on the fire and kayenta was sleeping in the tent. i went and grabbed her to keep me warm and to meet our new friends. when one of the guys, john, saw her he said that he would love to take her home and we said if he was serious, we would like for her to have a good home. so, john ended up with a puppy and kayenta ended up with a good owner who would be able to give her a home.
although we only had her for four days, it felt so much longer. saying goodbye to her was very difficult for me. i think that due to the nature of our trip and the lack of time, it seemed like a much longer time. but, goodbyes are usually not an easy thing.
she slept in our tent with us for the last time that night and in the morning i woke up to the little ratters stepping over my face to crawl in my sleeping bag with me. we couldn't have asked for a better friend for the time we had her.
the guy on the left is her new owner.



after departing from kayenta and santa fe, we hit route 66 and traveled with style.





DINOSAURS AND GIANT RABBITS!!!
(see, mom, i told you we rode a rabbit!)



after standing on a corner in winslow, arizona (such a fine sight to see)
WE WENT TO TOMBSTONE!
i got my picture taken with doc holliday and wyatt earp! and morgan and virgil earp too!

standing on allen street in tombstone. we are lookin' sooo good.



amanda with wyatt and doc. such gentlemen. they were actually walking away from us when amanda and i stopped to stare with awe. my smile was so big they stopped and turned around and said 'why, hello' and then we got our picture taken with them. best ever.



then, after we saw the shoot out at the OK Corral, we got our photos taken with morgan and virgil earp. i was so happy, but my eyes were red, puffy, and watery- not from being overwhelmed by their presence... it was allergies. unfortunately the whole shoot out and sometime afterward it looked like i was crying.



tombstone was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. my cheeks hurt really bad from smiling so much and everyone kept looking at me and asking where we were from, as if that would tell them why we were so happy and excited. it was super. super duper, in fact.

over and out,
chelsea