DAY SEVEN!!! The trip has officially been one week! And it was so so SO good to have a complete non-driving day in Albuquerque. I felt way better and more excited about all the upcoming stops on this long driving day. We were going to be in three states in one day: New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma! 

Day seven itinerary:

• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
• Tinkertown Museum
• Route 66 Auto Museum
• Santa Rosa Blue Hole
• Tee Pee Curios
• Midpoint Cafe
• Dot's Mini Museum
• Cadillac Ranch
• Huge Pair of Legs
• Palo Duro Canyon State Park
• VW Slug Bug Ranch
• Groom Cross
• 100th Meridian Museum
• Jigs Smokehouse Diner
• arrive in Oklahoma City, OK

*Did not stop at the VW Slug Bug Ranch on this trip, but on the way back with Matt I did, so I included that as a bonus at the end, but is not included in the mileage or map. I did not go to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park, 100th Meridian Museum, or Jigs Smokehouse Diner.

Approximate mileage: 559

Approximate driving time: 8.5 hours

Approximate expenses: $139.26

• Gas: $29.89 @ $2.479/gallon, 12.058g | $29.22 @ $2.299/gallon, 12.709g
• Food: $16.86 
• Experience: $6 Pueblo Cultural Center
• Stay: $57.29 Tower Hotel OKC** 

**booked through Hotwire on one of those mystery deals — they gave me enough information that I was able to deduce the hotel though so it wasn’t really a surprise, just a good deal

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Day Six was the first day I got to stay in one place and really explore it. I had heard good things about Albuquerque and just thought it was a solid rest point almost a week into the trip.

Krystal and I barely saw even the most touristy things Albuquerque has to offer in this one day, but the things we did see were fun and interesting, including:

• Old Town (which also has tours if you're interested}
• Dog House for lunch (recommended by Nancy & John)
• Rattlesnake Museum ("Slither on in")
• brief stop at the Botanic Garden (because Krystal's obsessed haha)
• Sandia Peak Tramway (so awesome)

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That first night being by myself was kind of weird. It was nice to have the time to be alone and gather my thoughts and to let my choice to make this trip and move to Nashville sink in more. Cell phone service was dismal, but wi-fi was good enough that I could watch the "Cars" movie — fitting since there were so many references in that movie to Route 66. 

Day five was a more designated relaxing day. And I needed it. Apart from the lack of sleep that I had gotten before going on the trip in trying to spend as much time with friends and family and getting all the projects I wanted to finished, as I think you've caught on — the driving was tiring. I was so thankful for this particular Sunday, the Sabbath Day, to have the time to rest. I was able to find a church near Holbrook and then started driving on to Albuquerque.

It was fun to see that — what felt like — in the middle of nowhere Holbrook, that looked like it had one grocery store and a lot of run down buildings, that amidst that there was a beautiful LDS church building with a massive organ that looked out on top of a hill over the land below. 

I had more plans to stop at various places along the way to Albuquerque but the time jump ahead one hour threw me off and my detours onto the actual Route 66 where possible became a not-so-good choice when the road turned into a speed-bumpy road that I couldn't go more than 5-7 MPH on. It extended the time a lot.

Day five itinerary:

• Petrified Forest National Park 
• Indian Kachina Statue {Gallup, NM}
• Continental Divide {Continental Divide, NM}
• El Morro National Monument {Ramah, NM}
• Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano {Grants, NM} 
• El Mapais National Monument {Grants, NM}
• end in Albuquerque, NM

*Did not originally make it to El Morro National Monument, Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano, or El Mapais National Monument so it's not included in the mileage, or drive time but I was able to go to the Ice Cave & Bandera Volcano with Matt, so that's included as a "bonus" at the end.

Approximate mileage: 239

Approximate driving time: 3.5 hours

Approximate expenses: $0 (seriously, nothing)

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The next morning was a 6:45am wake up call. Yep. It was a struggle. I was so grateful for Charity who made me a nice breakfast and helped me repack my car before saying goodbye. She is the definition of her name, and I wished I could have stayed longer. But it was time to head north again. 

Day four itinerary:

• Tonto Natural Bridge State Park {Payson, AZ}
• Pine Strawberry Arts & Crafts Fair {Pine, AZ} — only around certain dates of the year
• Twin Arrows Trading Post {Twin Arrows, AZ}
• Meteor Crater {Winslow, AZ}
• Standin' on the Corner Statue {Winslow, AZ}
• Jack Rabbit Trading Post {Joseph City, AZ}
• World's Largest Petrified Tree/Geronimo Trading Post {Holbrook, AZ}
• Navajo County Museum {Holbrook, AZ}
• Wigwam Motel {Holbrook, AZ}

*Did not go to Twin Arrows Trading Post, Meteor Crater, or the Navajo County Museum so it is not included in mileage or drive time.

Approximate mileage: 218

Approximate driving time: 4 hours

Approximate expenses: $119.28

• Gas: $31.28 @ $2.699/gallon, 11.589g
• Experience: $10 Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
• Food: $15
• Stay: $63 at Wigwam Motel

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Day three didn't include many stops — but it did include a deadline of making sure Stephanie got to the airport in Pheonix by 4:30/5pm. With a drive time from Grand Canyon to Pheonix of about 4 hours, and a mule ride that ended around 11am, we chose to stop at one location on the way to the airport and drive straight through to Pheonix the rest of the way.  

Our day three itinerary:

• Grand Canyon South Rim Mule Ride {Grand Canyon, AZ}
• Montezuma Castle National Monument {Camp Verde, AZ}
• Gilbert Arizona LDS Temple {Gilbert, AZ}

Approximate mileage: 262

Approximate driving time: 4 hours

Approximate expenses: $191.16

• Gas: $32.49 @ $2.699/gallon, 11.589g
• Food: $20 
• Experiences: 
  • $128.67 Grand Canyon Mule Ride
  • $10 Montezuma Castle National Monument
• Stay: $0 (staying with a friend is priceless)

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I was still kind of tired when we woke up for our day two drive. Luckily, we had less driving to do and more to stop and explore.

Our day two itinerary:

• Roadrunner Cafe {Kingman, AZ}
• Hackberry General Store {Kingman, AZ}
• Grand Canyon Caverns {Peach Springs, AZ}
• Bearizona Wildlife Park {Williams, AZ}
• Flintstones Bedrock City {Williams, AZ}
• Grand Canyon National Park 

Approximate mileage: 189

Approximate driving time: 3 hours

Approximate expenses: $104.61

• Experiences: 
  • $21.33 Grand Canyon Caverns (for one regular tour)
  • $22.08 Bearizona (tickets are per person not per vehicle)
  • $5 Flintsones Bedrock City
  • $30 Grand Canyon Park Entry Fee
• Food: $8.20
• Stay: $18 at Grand Canyon Mather Campground

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Well, I finally put it together! A day by day guide of Route 66. Over the next couple weeks, expect the route, with approximate mileage, driving time, projected itinerary (of things we meant to stop at and sometimes couldn't, but maybe you can), and the approximate expenses for what I saved/recorded (I split some of the expenses with the person I was with, but I included the whole amount as if you were driving yourself). 

I also just drove into Los Angeles from Nashville, putting me on part of the route again, so I'll feature some of that trip as a bonus at the end of the post. Hope this helps anyone looking to travel Route 66 or just want to check out the trip! 

Day one was a long one... I packed the night before and morning of #typical so I was a little stressed about leaving on time. I almost convinced myself and Stephanie that we should leave later like around 8am. But that would throw off a lot of our plans and put us in the middle of Los Angeles traffic, and honestly, less sleep is worth more than sitting through that.

Our day one itinerary:

• Santa Monica Pier {Santa Monica, CA}
• Randy's Donuts {Inglewood, CA}
• Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch {Oro Grande, CA}
• Harvey House {Barstow, CA}
• Bagdad Café {Newberry Springs, CA}
• Pisgah Crater {Barstow/Needles, CA}
• London Bridge {Lake Havasu, AZ}
• Oatman Wild West Town {Oatman, AZ}
• End the drive in Kingman to sleep

Approximate mileage: 399

Approximate driving time: 7.75 hours

Approximate Total Expenses: $106.54

• Gas: $38.19 @ $2.859/gallon, 13.359g
• Food: $5 at Randy's Donuts, $12.82 Bagdad Cafe
• Stay: $50.53 at Economy Inn

Read more for the map, all details, and photo journal...

I've been to Las Vegas. Quite a few times. The land where... there's gambling? Hangovers? Also known as "Sin City"? Despite the reasons why I would avoid Las Vegas, I was pretty determined to make my Vegas experience everything good, sober and without gambling. And I have a fun and memorable time every time. ;)

Thus, The Sober Guide to Las Vegas*:

• The "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign
• The Neon Museum (day and night tours available)
• The Mob Museum
• Walking through the hotels including the Bellagio (just look at the air-blown glass ceiling and be amazed) and Caesar's Palace
• Dancing fountains at the Bellagio
• Roller coaster at New York, New York
• Rides at the Stratosphere
• M&M Store
• Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 
• In-N-Out
• CSI Experience
• Zombie Apocalypse Store
• Fremont Street Experience

Bonus (places that are more of a drive):

• The Hoover Dam
• Lion Habitat Ranch
• Valley of Fire State Park

*This is a list I'll continue to add onto. I mean, the shows in Las Vegas alone some people travel to see specifically (Beatles Love show is definitely on my list...and Blue Man Group). We also tried to go to the aquarium one visit but the line was too long, among other places — including food. Food is everywhere. Just watch out for the price of everything. It seems exponentially greater in Las Vegas.

Read more for further information and photos about my experiences in Vegas...