Drive to Oklahoma

 We decide to repeat our winter break road trip to Oklahoma this year. Just as we did last year, we took Highway 40 and stopped at fun places along the way.  

Auggie showing off a tumbleweed at pitstop off Route 66. 

Our first adventure along the route was going to be a hike in the Mojave Desert.  Unfortunately, Danie's Achilles protested, so the kids and Agnieszka instead explored local rock formations and caves. Ella subsequently found a dirt road that invited her to run down it, and Auggie and Agnieszka followed suit. It's not clear how long she would have kept going, if we had not lured her into turning back by offering treats back at the care. 

Auggie running behind Ella, who kept going going and going...This girl loves open paths.

Our first night, we arrived at Grand Canyon Village, where the temps had dipped to below freezing.  Ella loved running down the hallway of the hotel and then running outside into the cold to look at the Christmas decorations.   

The next morning, we got to see the Grand Canyon.  It was a beautiful, crisp and chilly day.  The short walk to the rim took almost an hour, as the children had much more fun playing in the ice and snow than doing some touristy walk.  After climbing every rock along the way, Auggie did agree that the view was amazing. 

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we stopped for lunch (and Route 66 nostalgia) in Winslow Arizona.  The kids got to hang out at the bar until the restaurant got too crowded for our sense of safety, and we found ourselves 'standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona' waiting for our food to be made. 

For our next break, we managed to find a great park in Gallup, NM.  There was enough snow for snowball fights, and of course, both kids loved leaving the confines of their car seats and just blowing off some energy, even if just by swinging. 

Our last stay was in Albuquerque.  We managed to get a hotel room with some space for the kids to run around, which they took full advantage of.  Daniel and Auggie even managed to catch some football on TV.