A mom and her son on a semi-solo adventure across the US.
In December 2023, the day after Christmas, we decided to invest in real estate. There were two options: arid land in Arizona, where it gets incredibly hot, and high desert land in Colorado, where it’s rarely ever hot. Given those two options, I conversed with two real estate agents and hit the road.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi to Amarillo, Texas
If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll know that Amarillo is our usual first stop. It’s a place to rest our weary heads and rest up for the next day’s long drive.
We always stay on the west side of Amarillo, closer to our destination—every minute counts when you’re the only one driving.
Amarillo, Texas to Fort Garland, Colorado
This was our first meeting with a real estate agent, so I needed to make good time. We hit the road within our usual 4:00 to 4:30 AM timeframe.
Shortly after leaving the hotel, we could see to our left the black silhouettes of Cadillac Ranch. Several people were already out taking in the sight. Even at night, Cadillac Ranch is pretty interesting. There’s just something about it.
There isn’t much to see when driving through western Texas and into the northeast corner of New Mexico. There is nothing but solemn solititude for miles and miles. Small, once bustling mining towns, now tiny agricultural meccas, dot the two and four-lane highways that wind throughout the desert.
Just past the Capulin Volcano National Monument, the snow-covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains came into view. Luka and I could barely contain our excitement.
When we got to Trinidad, Colorado, it was 11 degrees Fahrenheit, I needed gas, and Luka was more than happy to pump it for me while I sat in the comfort of the warm car.
Back on the road, we cut through the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and arrived in Fort Garland, where we met the real estate agent. Afterward, we traveled to San Luis, Colorado, to look for property.
San Luis, Colorado
San Luis is the oldest town in Colorado. Looking at it now, you wouldn’t think so. There isn’t much there: a local grocery store, a couple of restaurants, a motel, a post office, the sheriff’s office, and a doctor’s office.
Interestingly, San Luis sits in the San Luis Valley, the largest alpine valley worldwide. According to internet sources, the San Luis Valley is about 8,000 square miles and includes Fort Garland, the Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Alamosa. It is located between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the San Juan Mountains, which have peaks of 14,000 feet or higher.
Ultimately, this is where we chose to purchase property; though not out in the open valley, but nestled on top of a Sangre de Cristo foothill. The property is completely off-grid, but it’s still close enough to Fort Garland and San Luis (about 45 minutes to an hour).
If anyone is in the market for a good realtor in the Fort Garland – San Luis – Alamosa area, I suggest working with Ryan Morgan, Colorado Realty & Land. He was wonderful. This was my first time buying land, so I had many questions and probably annoyed him. God bless him for having to deal with me.
Fort Garland, Colorado to Cortez, Colorado
We left Fort Garland feeling accomplished in our search for a slice of paradise. We still had to meet with another realtor in Arizona, so we continued on our way.
Driving through the Rocky Mountains is by far one of my favorite things. The mountain walls tower above you, and ice-cold streams hug the hollow (probably not called a hollow, but I’m southern and don’t know what else to call it) below.
Along our way, we went through Pagosa Springs and Durango before arriving at our hotel.
Cortez, Colorado to Lake Havasu City, Arizona
The next morning, we left at our usual time, “dark thirty” as some in my family would call it.
Around 7:30 AM, I got a text message from my real estate agent in Arizona. She stated something had come up and she could not meet us. The problem with this was that she and the other realtors were the only ones with the locations of the properties we had planned to see. With no physical addresses or coordinates provided in the listings, I had to move on.
Just off of I-40, along Arizona Highway 95, there were tons of ATV trails and plenty of people on them. It was exciting to see. The area was desolate and mountainous.
Upon arrival at our hotel, Sway Hotels, Luka questioned staying at the run-down motel. It was under new ownership and construction, so check-in was a little interesting, to say the least. However, once he got into the room, he said it was the best hotel we had stayed at thus far. The hotel room had been upgraded with newer technology, which he loved.
Lake Havasu City’s boardwalk was so much fun, and I imagine it is even better in the summer. The turquoise colored lake amongst the red hills was breathtaking. Because it was New Year’s weekend, boats filled the lake. It felt more like an early summer day rather than December 30th.
We ate at Cha-Bones that night, and it was delicious; I highly recommend it. The restaurant was conveniently located across from our hotel, making it ideal.
With our bellies full, we hit the hay, excited about what awaited us in the morning.
Lake Havasu City, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada
Luka had always wanted to go to Las Vegas, and so did I. Being so close, I had to take the opportunity to make his dreams come true.
Because of our early departure time, we missed seeing the beautiful desert landscape from Arizona through California and into Nevada. However, Las Vegas sure did make an entrance. It was still dark as we came over the hill. The Las Vegas lights shone so bright, like an oasis in the desert, and I guess, in a way, it is.
Our first stop was the Fabulous Las Vegas sign. I was shocked it was that busy at 6 AM on a Sunday. We hurriedly took our picture and left.
We parked at the Bellagio and walked the strip. As soon as we got outside, there was a commotion. About 20 police vehicles sped past us, and so did several tactical vehicles. Something was going on, but it was Las Vegas, and we were going in the opposite direction, so I didn’t think anything of it.
Luka wanted to see the Sphere, so we walked to it; unfortunately, it was closed, and we had to leave before it opened. Having his picture taken with it would have to do.
The Chaos
Walking back toward our car, I saw Donnie Walberg. I wanted to get a picture so bad, but I didn’t want to be awkward, so I just passed on by. I still hate that I missed that opportunity.
On our way back, a few unmarked police vehicles were still heading to the scene. Later on, I found out that a man had a handgun and shot approximately 70 rounds from the balcony of his MGM Signature Towers hotel room toward the Las Vegas Strip.
Having no idea what had happened, we ate breakfast at a cute, over-priced, French-style restaurant in the Bellagio before leaving.
Las Vegas, Nevada to Two Guns, Arizona
Hoover Dam
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Hoover Dam. Luka didn’t want to go, but once we were there, he enjoyed it; this seems to be a pattern these days. Hoover Dam is a place I have always wanted to visit. It’s one of the most iconic structures built during the 20th century.
Two Guns
Along I-40, we came across a ghost town. When you turn off the interstate, you are greeted with an abandoned, graffiti-covered gas station.
There are two dirt roads that you can take from the gas station. Both go in the same westerly direction. One leads you to a structure that’s a little more elevated than the others, and a cave. The cave is quite dangerous, so I suggest you do not try to climb down into it. When I approached the cave, I got an eerie feeling. The eerie feeling was one of overwhelming dread, so I turned my attention to the cute little cabin made of rock, mud, and wood.
My curiosity grew, and I had to see what the larger, similarly built structures were.
I took the other dirt road to more structures built along a creek. One was incredibly interesting. It had small rooms and cages attached to it. Because I had walked up from the back of it, I didn’t notice that it said Mountain Lions on the front of the building, so it confirmed my suspicions that the building was a housing facility for animals.
To the left of the building was a bridge that led to more buildings. I decided it was best not to try to cross it with the car, and because we had stayed so long, I decided it was time to go.
History of Two Guns
Later, I learned that Two Guns, originally a trading post named Canyon Lodge, was a popular tourist attraction along Route 66. When I-40 was built, it was abandoned due to a lack of business.
The cave was where a scuffle ensued between the Navajo and the Apache, in response to the Apache attacking the Navajo prior. The Apache hid in the cave. The Navajo started a fire at the opening of the cave and shot every Apache that tried to flee. Since then, the cave has been known as the Apache Death Cave.
When Two Guns became a tourist attraction, the skulls and bones found in the cave were displayed and sold to tourists.
The building with Mountain Lions written across the top was a zoo, if you can call it that, containing various desert animals and mountain lions. It was also where the zoo’s owner lived and operated a gift shop.
Two Guns, Arizona to Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Gallup, New Mexico
I had hoped to make it a little further than we did, but after our unplanned stop at Two Guns, we decided to get a hotel room in Gallup, New Mexico. I was shocked to find out that there were few rooms available.
When I checked in, two other families were also checking in. Both were from the same tribe of indigenous people, but different bands and states. They were all there for a pow wow. It was interesting listening to them discuss their roles in the pow wow. Interestingly and ironically, they were dancers.
I have been to the Choctaw pow wows in Philadelphia, Mississippi, but something about a desert pow wow felt more exciting. Maybe it was because of the nostalgia of the Wild West and my visit to Two Guns.
Dallas, Texas
Driving such long hours every day drained me. Feeling sleepy, even though it was still daylight, I stopped and got a hotel room outside Dallas.
Luka and I ate at a local sports pub before going to bed. For some reason, I couldn’t sleep. It was frustrating. All I wanted to do was go home.
Vicksburg, Mississippi
The next day was Kevin’s birthday, and I knew he was at work in Vicksburg, so Luka and I surprised Kevin with our arrival and a birthday cake.
After we shared the joy of all of us being back together again and a birthday surprise, we finally made it to Hattiesburg.
The adventure was fun, but there’s no place like home.
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