Follow our road trip from Florida to Arizona and back. We had originally planned to fly to Tucson, Arizona to spend time with family for Thanksgiving. But this is November 2020 and their is a pandemic going on. Plus we are itching to get out of the house for a road trip! Come follow us as we drive from Florida to Arizona and back with our daughter and Becky’s parents. Oh yeah, and Becky broke her foot!
Background
We weren’t originally planning to drive from Florida to Arizona and back, but the times have changed. Before the pandemic, we had booked a week at a timeshare resort in Tucson to spend with Becky’s family. Her aunt and uncle just moved out there last year to be closer to their son and grandchildren. The main reason they wanted to move there is their health as her aunt has cancer. Wanting to spend as much time with them as we can, we decided to spend the holiday week with them. And Becky comes up with the crazy idea of driving there and stopping at as many national parks along the way.
We are going not only with our daughter, but with Becky’s parents Poppa and Gigi too. So, we bought a rooftop box for our SUV. Based on weather averages of where we plan to go, we see some cold times ahead. So we decide we should pack cold weather clothes and stick them in our suitcases in the rooftop box. In the car we will pack Becky’s knee scooter so she can get around on her broken foot. In the car, we also will pack our clothes for the warm days, snacks, water and other essentials.
The Plan from Florida to Arizona and Back
The plan is to depart home on Saturday, November 14th and arrive in Tucson a week later. Then stay in Tucson for a week, and return home in 4 days on December 1st. This will be our longest road trip or vacation ever. We will be gone 17 nights and 18 days in total. And we will spend time with more family along the way, as well as stop at 5 national parks. Becky will bring her laptop to do some work, while Paul has off and will do most of the driving.
We have planned our overnight stops and have reserved hotels and resorts on the way there and in Tucson. We didn’t book anything for the way back yet in case we decide to make some changes. Our SUV was just serviced and we are ready to go from Florida to Arizona and back.
A mapping tool like Google Maps is essential for planning any road trip with multiple stops. While driving we plug one of our iPhones into the car and use the Apple Maps. Both are very helpful in navigating, but Google Maps allows you to add up to 10 stops.
Day 1 Saturday 11/14 – Home to Baton Rouge, LA
The plan on Day 1 is to depart home and drive all day to Baton Rouge, LA to stay with family. We will drive over 600 miles and over 8 hours. So, we leave early and go straight down I-10 through Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. We have packed snacks in the car, and have only made a few rest area stops so far. We gain an hour crossing from Eastern to Central time zones and make it to Louisiana by 2:30. By this time, we need to get gas and stop at an exit. At this exit, we see a sign for Abita Springs and wonder if connected to Abita Brewing Company? We search on our phones and find out it is down the road about 10 minutes! We weren’t planning a stop at a brewery today, but we have time and everyone was ready for a break.
Abita Brewing Company
We have had Abita’s Purple Haze beer before. It is readily available at our local supermarket in Florida, but had no idea where their brewery is. We also had no idea what their brewery would be like, but were pleasantly surprised. You pass through the small town of Abita Springs on the way to the brewery. The brewery itself is pretty large and looks fairly new. Besides the actual brewery, they have a cute entrance to their tap room and we pass some patio tables on the way in. Across the street is a huge fenced in field with picnic tables. Poppa and Gigi take our daughter there and lets her run around, while we head into their tap room.
The tap room is BYOF (bring your own food). Many breweries will have events with food trucks or other vendors if they don’t have a restaurant. However, there was no event this day, but we are good just trying some beer. We get a Purple Haze as it is customary for us to drink a brewery’s flagship beer in their tap room. Paul checks it in on the Untapped app. It is a fun way to track our brewery visits and beers. They also make their own root beer. After we finish a beer, we get a couple more and a root beer to go. We walk out to the field and hang out for a little bit with Poppa, Gigi and our daughter. They love the root beer, and we enjoy our beers. Poppa will drive the rest of the way.
Baton Rouge
After about an hour at our brewery stop, we have about another hour until our destination. We get into Baton Rouge as it is starting to get dark and just in time for dinner at Poppa’s cousin’s house. His cousin greets us as we arrive and we settle in. Her daughter and fiancée arrive a little after we do with tons of local BBQ. We eat and then stay up too late chatting. But we get a pretty good night’s sleep and are ready for the next day. With 4 states so far, we thank our family and are ready to head into Texas.
Day 2 Sunday 11/15 – Baton Rouge, LA to San Antonio, TX
The plan for Day 2 is to depart Baton Rouge and arrive in San Antonio, TX to stay in a timeshare we booked. We plan to drive over 7 hours and almost 500 miles. We get a later start then we wanted to, but the drive today will be shorter. Besides a few rest stop breaks, we drive straight through to San Antonio arriving as it was getting dark. We check into our timeshare resort we booked for 2 nights. Our plan is to meet up with some more family tomorrow before heading on the day after.
San Antonio River Walk
Our resort is technically on the River Walk, but 10-15 minutes from the main loop. The River Walk is a major attraction with winding pathways and bridges along the river running through downtown. The main loop is lined with restaurants and shops and we are hungry for dinner. Becky has been here before and has hyped it up, so we are ready. We leave our resort with Becky on her knee scooter, taking a really slow and leisurely stroll along the river. It is dark by now but there are plenty of lights. In fact, when we get to the main loop, there are lights strung in the trees in addition to the lighted paths. There are even lighted boats you can ride in, but we are looking for dinner.
By this time it is after 7:30 and unfortunately, many restaurants and shops are already closed. Not only is it a Sunday night, but many restaurants have closed early due to Covid. During this whole trip, we are regularly wearing masks, social distancing and following safety precautions. And it is understood that some places have not reopened or have limited hours due to the pandemic. But luckily we find a restaurant still open and willing to seat us. We eat some Tex-Mex food at on outdoor seating area right on the water. Once full, we are ready to head back. However, Becky has had some trouble with the knee scooter. We carried it over some bridges while she hopped the steps. And on the way back she is struggling. But, we take our time and make it safely back to the resort.
Day 3 Monday 11/16 – San Antonio, TX
Sometimes when you plan, you are over-adventurous. One place Becky really wanted to go to was Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, TX. We planned to drive to Waco hitting some stops on the way there and back. Waco is about 3 hours North of San Antonio and we figured the round trip would be over 7 hours of driving. This was not including time at Magnolia Market and other stops. We also still wanted to meet up with Becky’s cousin and family. Her cousin has twin babies that we haven’t seen yet and they are adorable! So, we decide to not make the trip to Waco and stay in San Antonio for the day.
Her cousin reserves a restaurant for us to meet them for dinner and we decide to go to the Alamo. Read more about our time at the Alamo below.
We enjoyed our tour and time at the Alamo and would recommend it to anyone while in San Antonio. We were there for a couple hours before heading back to our resort. Later that night, we were able to meet up with Becky’s cousin’s family for dinner and see the babies. After dinner we head back to the resort for the night.
The Alamo
There are 5 missions in San Antonio, but none as famous as the Alamo. Originally called Mission San Antonio de Valero, it is the northernmost mission in San Antonio. However, the Alamo is not part of the National Park Service like the other missions. Rather, It is owned by the state of Texas and is one of their most visited attractions. You can get more information on their website at: The Alamo
We drive and park a few blocks away, and walk to the Alamo entrance. You can enter the Alamo Church for free, but we opted for a guided tour. The tour met in the Cavalry Courtyard where there are 6 bronze statues of historical figures. The guide talks about each of their importance to the Alamo and its famous battle. Two of its most famous defenders who died there were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. We then head into the most famous landmark, the Alamo Church.
We are not allowed to take pictures inside as they are actively restoring areas within the church. However, the guide spends time explaining the church, their restoration efforts as well as the history of it. We also tour the Long Barrack and finish our tour at their large gift shop. After that we walked the Alamo grounds.
The grounds are much larger than expected, with multiple buildings including an encampment area in the back. This living history encampment has hands-on demonstrations of life during the 1830s here. This is a great place to walk around with our daughter as she enjoys some of the demonstrations. Even though it is not open to the public, there are 2 basements at the park. But alas, Pee Wee’s bike was not there.
Day 4 Tuesday 11/17 – San Antonio again
On this day we had plans to visit our first national park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We planned to drive over 500 miles and almost 8 hours staying at a hotel we booked in Carlsbad, NM. Since it was about 7 hours to Guadalupe Mountains, we leave early hoping to have a couple hours at the park before dark. This is where our plans went awry. We are almost an hour West of San Antonio, when a coolant warning light comes on in our car.
Broken Down in Texas
Now we had just had it serviced, and had previous issues with coolant going low. But we were assured there was nothing wrong with our car. We bought some coolant for this trip just in case. So, we pull over and check and sure enough the coolant is low. We add more coolant, and try to continue on. However, the coolant light comes on again and we can smell it. We pull off at the next exit which is in the middle of nowhere. We open the hood again and there is coolant everywhere.
We find a dealership on the west side of San Antonio about 45 minutes away. We then call for a tow truck in the next town over. Having 5 people including 1 child is a challenge. Our car is towed to the dealer while the tow truck operator’s wife shows up in a separate truck. We put our daughter’s car seat in her truck. She then takes us all to the next town over where we get a rental car. We then head to the dealership. It is mid-afternoon by now and somehow we beat our car there. We decide to go get something to eat and come back. When we get back, our car is there and they tell us we have a hole in our radiator!
The dealership says they can replace it first thing the next morning. We hope to be back on the road in the early afternoon. So, we cancelled our hotel stay in Carlsbad and found a hotel not far from the dealership. We then went to the hotel for the night.
Day 5 Wednesday 11/18 – San Antonio, TX to Midland, TX
On this day, we were supposed to be checking out of our hotel in Carlsbad, NM. We were then going to Carlsbad Caverns National Park before they open at 8:00 and spend the morning there. After that we were going to drive 3.5 hours to White Sands National Park and hopefully have a few hours there. We would then stay the night a few hours past there at hotel we booked in Socorro, NM.
However, we were still in San Antonio waiting for our car to be fixed. We have breakfast at our hotel and call the dealership to get the status of our car. They are working on it and will have it done by 5:00, but hopefully sooner. We wait at the hotel until check-out at 11:00. Not sure where to go, we decide to go to a brewery. What else are we going to do? We head to the a brewery close by for some beers and more food.
Freetail Brewing Co.
Becky’s cousin told us about Freetail the night before at dinner, and it was close to where we were. So, we decided to go as we waited for our car to be fixed. Freetail Brewing Co. has 2 locations and we went to their original brewpub location. It was at the end of a strip mall with a large indoor area. But they also had a fenced off area out back with picnic tables. We opted for outside. After the last couple days, we needed some fresh air and beer.
Not only did they have a pretty good size selection of beers, but they also had a nice menu. Since we had time to kill, we took our time and got an appetizer of chips and queso. They have salads, sandwiches, pizza and more. You could build your own pizza or select from one of their creations. We got some pizza to share as well as a brisket cheesesteak. We had plenty of food between us and after trying a couple beers, we’re ready to go.
Changing Plans
At this point we need to change our plans for the next few days. The following day, we were planning to drive through Petrified Forest National Park on the way to Flagstaff, AZ. Then we have 2 nights booked at a timeshare resort in Flagstaff. We would plan to spend Friday at the Grand Canyon National Park before leaving Flagstaff. In order to get back on track, we determine we can still make it to Flagstaff. We can drive about 4 hours or so after we get the car tonight. Hopeful, we think we can make it to Midland, TX.
Since we ate an early dinner at the brewery, we are ready to get back on the road. We call the dealership to see the status of our car. The radiator is fixed, but one of their hoses got loose scratching our car! They want to hold it until morning to ensure everything is fixed. But we are on vacation and already lost enough time, so we tell them we want it now. We head to the dealership. They bring our car out and show one scratch still left to fix. They agreed we can get it fixed at home and they would pay for it. So, we pay for the radiator and leave to return the rental car in the next town.
We drive about 30 minutes to the next town and return the rental car. We get back on the road passing where we broke down early the day before. After a little while, we change routes and go North to Midland. We book a hotel there on the way arriving there by 10:00. We crash for the night.
Day 6 Thursday 11/19 – Midland, TX to Holbrook, AZ
We drove through 4 states the 1st day, but have been in Texas for the last 4 days. We are ready to leave Texas! But, we make the decision to not try to drive all the way to Flagstaff, AZ. Not only would it be almost 11 hours of driving all day, but we would miss Petrified Forest National Park. Instead, we would still get to Flagstaff, but a day late. This means we won’t be able to go back to the Grand Canyon, but we went there just the year before. Everyone except our daughter had already been to the Grand Canyon, but none of us have been to Petrified Forest.
In order to go to Petrified Forest, we would still have to drive over 9 hours. So, today we will be driving all day. However, we will find a place for the night in the nearest town to the park, Holbrook, AZ. Then the next morning we would get up early and go through Petrified Forest before heading on to Flagstaff. So the new plan is to drive 9.5 hours and 635 miles from Midland, TX to Holbrook, AZ.
We make good time leaving Texas and cross the border into Southern New Mexico. At this point in our trip the weather has been relatively mild. However, we are continuing north and expect colder weather ahead. But so far in New Mexico, it is nice. We head toward the town of Roswell.
Roswell, New Mexico
Originally, we were not planning to drive through Roswell, but we drive through it today on the way up to Albuquerque. Of course Roswell is famous or infamous for alien conspiracy theories, and there is a certain theme here. You won’t find any extraterrestrials here, but you will find plenty of little green men around town. The main street is lined with lamp posts with an alien head light on top. Fast food restaurants have green men holding up their sign or are shaped light a flying saucer. The Roswell Inn’s welcome sign even says “Make Your Reservations Earthlings”.
We took some pictures around their main street and went through a drive-thru for lunch. Some times it the unexpected stops like these that make your trip more fun. We were glad to be back on the road. After leaving Roswell, we head north toward I-40, just past Albuquerque.
Driving to Arizona
Now that we are on the interstate, we are making better time. Texas is extremely flat and pretty boring at times. However, once you past Albuquerque, the landscape changes. Rock formations are seen for miles and finally feels like we’re out West! We enjoy the scenery as we head through Western New Mexico and into Arizona. We are almost back on track, but we need a place to stay for the night.
Holbrook, AZ is the nearest town to Petrified Forest National Park, so we decide to find a place to stay here. Deciding to change it up a little bit, Becky finds a motel on Route 66 in Holbrook. This motel has been kept-up and has really good reviews. They have availability so we book a room with 2 queen beds for the night. I-40 goes right through the national park and we take the exit right afterwards to Holbrook and to Brad’s Desert Inn.
Brad’s Desert Inn
At this point we have stayed in a home, resort and some hotels, but this would be a different experience. We arrive after dark and pull into the inn right on Route 66. There are basically 2 sides with parking spaces in the front of the rooms. The outside of the inn looks clean and nicely painted with some decorations as well. There is even a place with grills and a picnic table.
We check in at the office on the left side to get our key. The staff is super-friendly, and gives us a rollaway bed for our daughter at no additional cost. We find out our room is directly on the other side, the first room closest to Route 66. We get a real key to open the door and find the room to be very nice.
This is an older inn, with a standard size room, but has been kept up. The room is very clean and we love the Route 66 décor. We are also welcomed with a basket of snacks on a little table. There’s also a little area with a mini-fridge, microwave and coffee maker. It has a separate bathroom with a tub-shower. The showerhead was low, but otherwise everything worked.
We find a diner nearby and eat a good meal before crashing for the night. We could hear highway traffic from our room, but it helped us sleep. However, there is a train crossing around the corner from the hotel. And when the trains approach the crossing, they lay on their horn, which was at least 12 times that night. We are hopefully rested enough for the next day.
Day 7 Friday 11/20 – Holbrook, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ
Originally we would have already been in Flagstaff and would be visiting the Grand Canyon today. However, due to our car troubles, we are planning to visit Petrified Forest National Park on our way instead. The Grand Canyon would have been our 5th national park, but instead we are visiting our 1st. We check out early and head to Petrified Forest National Park. Our plan is to start early and spend time at Petrified Forest before driving on to Flagstaff. Total miles are less than 160 and driving time is less than 3 hours total
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park has 2 entrances. And from the North entrance to the South entrance is a 28 mile scenic road through the park. Our plan is to start at the North entrance and drive to the South entrance making stops along the way. To read more details about our time here, check out our post: Exploring Petrified Forest National Park.
We leave Brad’s Desert Inn in Holbrook, AZ early and make it to the North entrance before 7:30AM. After a stop at the entrance sign, we go to the Painted Desert Visitor Center. Becky gets her passport stamp and we buy our normal fridge magnet and some t-shirts. We get some maps and start the scenic road through the Painted Desert area of the park. There are multiple overlooks we stopped along the way that showcase the colors of the desert.
We stop at all the stops along the scenic route including Route 66 Alignment, Puerco Pueblo and Newspaper Rock. Each are quick stops showcasing where Route 66 goes through the park, Pueblo ruins and petroglyphs. We then do the 3.5 mile Blue Mesa Road Loop, off the scenic road. There are multiple pullouts and Paul hikes the Blue Mesa Loop Trail.
Afterwards we continue to more stops: Agate Bridge, Jasper Forest and Crystal Forest Trail. Each showcase petrified wood in the park from afar and up-close. We end up at the Rainbow Forest Museum at the South entrance to the park. Behind the center we walk on the short Giant Logs Trail which showcases some of the largest petrified logs in the park. We depart the park around 1:30 really enjoying our half a day here.
Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co.
Becky wanted to get some petrified wood, but it is prohibited in the park. However, you can buy some at Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood. Once you depart the park’s South entrance, you take a right on US-180 toward Holbrook. You can’t miss Jim Gray’s as there isn’t much else until you see it. We pulled into their large parking lot and entered their building. There are all kinds of petrified wood here along with other local items. The larger pieces of polished petrified wood can get very expensive and some are in cases. Out back they have some rougher pieces that are cheaper. We settle on a smaller piece that still looks like wood on exterior but has beautiful colors inside.
Flagstaff
It is about a 1.5 hour drive to our resort in Flagstaff from Jim Gray’s. We grab some quick food for the ride arriving in Flagstaff around check-in time. This was supposed to be our 2nd night at this resort, but we are finally back on track. Tomorrow we will go to Tucson where we will spend a week there celebrating Thanksgiving with family.
After we check in to our resort, we order some pizza to be delivered. There is a local place called Oregano’s that is very close. We also grab some beer to go at a local brewery, Historic Brewing Company. With pizza and beer, we relax in our resort unit. Our unit even has a full-size hot tub on the deck which feels amazing. Even though it had snowed in Flagstaff the weekend before, it is mild here. We have yet to break out our colder clothes in our car’s rooftop box, and we’re headed south tomorrow.
Day 8 Saturday 11/21 – Flagstaff, AZ to Tucson, AZ
Finally back on track after getting delayed on Day 4. On Day 8 our plan is to drive 263 miles from Flagstaff, AZ to Tucson, AZ. We plan on stopping in Sedona and at a national monument on the way. Total drive time is 4 hours and 41 minutes. We check out of our resort about 9:00AM ready for our drive to Sedona.
Sedona
The drive to Sedona is only about 45 minutes and has some pretty views along the way. But the views are nothing like what you see when you arrive in Sedona. The picturesque red rocks all around Sedona offer panoramic views everywhere. However, Sedona is a very touristy town even at this time. Not sure where to go, we find the Sedona Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information building downtown. We get some information and confirm where we want to go next, the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
The Chapel of the Holy Cross
The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built in 1956 atop the red rocks in Sedona. You can learn more about it here: Chapel of the Holy Cross – Visit the Chapel in Sedona. Luckily we have the temporary handicap pass because of Becky’s broken foot. We drive past many cars parked down the road to get to the top where we park. Even from our handicap spot, we still have to go up a paved walkway to the chapel. So, we take our time admiring the scenery around the chapel until we get to the top.
Not only is the chapel built into the scenery but it is beautiful inside as well. The chapel is open for tourists but is also an active Roman Catholic chapel. Therefore we have to be quiet as we enter. There are pews set-up in front of the crucifix in front of the large windows which can be seen below. There is also some beautiful artwork inside as well as a gift shop below the chapel.
We also got some information from the visitor center, to try a local restaurant nearby, El Rincon. However, by this time it was lunch time and there was a wait. Not to mention it seemed uncomfortably crowded. So we decided to head to a scenic road we also heard about from the visitor center.
Red Rock Loop Road
On the West side of Sedona, is the Red Rock Loop Road. This short drive has many scenic vistas along the way and can take about an hour. It also passes Red Rock State Park which has hiking opportunities, but we are sticking to the road. We stop at a few spots to take some pictures.
From this drive you can see views of Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. The views are amazing, but we are getting hungry and need to keep going to get to Tucson. The West Sedona area has many hotels and restaurants, and we find a drive-thru. We then head back toward the chapel as we get on the Red Rocks Scenic Byway leaving town. We are surprised at how busy Sedona is but it is a Saturday. The area is so beautiful and we would love to come back one day to explore the area more. But for now, we area headed to our next stop, Montezuma Castle National Monument.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Montezuma Castle National Monument is only about 45 minutes from West Sedona and 30 minutes past the chapel. Becky and her parents had been there years ago and really liked it. So, we decided to make another stop here. To see more details about our stop here, read Our Montezuma Castle National Monument Stop.
Montezuma Castle is home to a 20 room cliff dwelling built by the Sinagua people between 1100 and 1400 AD. We park near the visitor center and walk around the back to get in. We get Becky’s Passport stamp and check out the store and a junior ranger activity booklet for our daughter. Once we leave, we are ready for the 1/3 mile trail to the cliff dwellings.
This 1/3 mile paved trail goes through Arizona sycamore trees to the base of the cliff dwellings. As we get to the base of the dwellings, a friendly park ranger offers some history. She also helps our daughter with the junior ranger booklet. After she gets her junior ranger badge, we continue back on the trail to the visitor center. The trail is shaded by beautiful trees along the way. And we take it easy and rest on a bench before heading back to our car. We’ve spent about an hour here and it is about 2:00PM. And we still have about 3 hours of driving until we make it to Tucson.
Driving to Tucson
After Montezuma Castle National Monument, we head down I-17 to Phoenix where we pickup I-10 to Tucson. It takes us over 3 hours and is dark by the time we get there. However, we are just in time to head over to Becky’s aunt and uncle’s house for dinner. We made it!
Day 9 Sunday 11/22 through Day 14 Friday 11/27 – Tucson, AZ
At this point we made it from Florida to our destination in Tucson, Arizona in 8 days. We had some car trouble along the way, but made it as planned. We check into our resort for a week in the Oro Valley area of Tucson. Only 15 minutes away from family, we are ready to spend some time in one place for the week.
Most of our time this week is spent with our family including Thanksgiving. Though Becky works a couple days from the resort. We also get family pictures done in the Gates Pass area in Western Tucson one afternoon. Our time with our family in Arizona this week is priceless. And our family pictures turned out great leaving lasting memories for all of us. We have dinner with Becky’s aunt, uncle and cousins every night, but we do plan a few day excursions during the week.
Read about these day excursions on these separate posts:
- Saguaro National Park East & West in a Day
- Hiking and Roadrunners at Catalina State Park
- Driving Beautiful Mount Lemmon Scenic Highway
Day 15 Saturday 11/28 – Tucson, AZ to Artesia, NM
After a week in the Tucson area spending time with family, we are ready to return home to Florida. We made no hotel reservations for the return trip so we can be flexible. Originally we were thinking of driving to San Antonio, but it’s 13 hours away and we lose an hour. That’s more than we want to drive in a day, so we want to break it up. Also, since we missed 3 national parks on the way, we look to see if we can hit any on the way back. White Sands National Park is the closest about 5 hours and 15 minutes away. We think we can make it there in the afternoon and spend a few hours before finding a hotel on the way.
Most of the drive is direct on I-10 to Las Cruces, NM. From there, we divert to US-70 to White Sands. We make good time and get there by 1:00 but we are hungry. There is no place to eat around this park, so we head to the nearest town Alamogordo. We pickup some subs from Brown Bag Deli and take them back to the park to have a picnic.
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park is the 62nd national park just being elevated from a national monument in December 2019. The park covers a field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. To see more details about our stop here, read Playing and Sunset at White Sands National Park.
The visitor center is just off the road, but it is closed. So we head through the park entrance down Dunes Drive to the first picnic area. The picnic area is surrounded by some dunes and as soon as we are finished eating, we explore. Our daughter loves running up and sliding down the dunes.
After sliding around a couple times, we walk a little ways. The sun is starting to set over the San Andres Mountains that border the park. The sun is glistening off the white sands and the dunes just seem to glow. On the way back we stop at the Interdune Boardwalk Trail and the Playa Trail. The Playa Trail was more interesting and the surrounding mountains were pretty at sunset. We were at the park for about 2 hours, but had to leave to make it to our hotel in Artesia.
Drive to Artesia, NM
From White Sands National Park, we head east back to Alamogordo. We booked a hotel in Artesia thinking it put us a little closer to Texas for the following day. However, once we pass Alamogordo, we head through the Lincoln National Forest. What we didn’t know is there are large mountains here. This state has been relatively flat, but we drive over these mountains getting to almost 12,000 feet. Normally this would be a nice drive, but at night it was stressful. And on top of the mountain it is pitch black.
We drive past some elk on the side of the road and were happy they weren’t in the road. We didn’t see them until we were right next to them. But coming down the other side wasn’t bad and we made it to Artesia. We had booked the La Quinta here, and it was probably the nicest La Quinta we had every stayed at. For not hearing about Artesia, NM before this trip, we are pleased we stopped here for the night.
Day 16 Sunday 11/29 – Artesia, NM to Waco, TX
Another reason we decided to stay in Artesia is it’s about the same distance to San Antonio or Waco. We knew we had to stay one night in Texas, and Becky still wanted to go to the Magnolia Silos in Waco. So, we drive 480 miles and almost 8 hours losing an hour due to the time change. We make it into Waco after dark, but it gave us time to see the Silos at night.
Magnolia Silos at Night
Magnolia Market or just “Magnolia” and its landmark silos has become a destination in downtown Waco. It is owned and created by Chip and Joanna Gaines from the HGTV show “Fixer Upper”. Magnolia encompasses 2 city blocks with its feature store Magnolia Market and other shops. Fans of the show or just Joanna’s unique style will love this place. You can read more about Magnolia on their site: Eat, Shop and Stay With Us in Waco – Magnolia. We made sure to get a hotel not far from Magnolia and after we checked in drove to check it out.
Unfortunately it was a Sunday night and nothing was open. But, coming at night we got to see it all lit up. White lights adorn the street, the rooftops, trees and even the silos. We are glad to see it at night, but look forward to coming back when it is open tomorrow. On the way back to the hotel, we pickup some food nearby for dinner.
Day 17 Monday 11/30 – Waco, TX to Baton Rouge, LA
Our plan is to drive from Waco to Baton Rouge, LA to stay with family again. The drive time is about 7 hours and about 425 miles, so we have some time to explore Waco. One thing we noticed in Waco is the roads are terrible. There are huge potholes near exits, bumpy roads and unfinished construction. We have to be cautious driving around Waco. But before we can leave, we have to go back to Magnolia when it opens in the morning.
We skipped breakfast at the hotel so we can eat at Magnolia Table, their restaurant. So we leave for Magnolia Market at the Silos just a few blocks away. The parking around the block is already full, but we have Becky’s handicap tag and find a space upfront. Becky is still hobbling with here broken foot, but has ditched her knee scooter at least.
Magnolia Market at the Silos
When we get to Magnolia, we find out that Magnolia Table is not here. It is at a different location a few miles away. However, they have a bakery onsite called Silos Baking Co, but their line is out the door. So we head into Magnolia Market, their flagship store, first. The store has a good mix of home décor and souvenirs. After Becky gets a few t-shirts and knick-knacks, we decide to walk around the grounds.
The have a nice green field with smaller shops on each side and a church at the end. Apparently this church was also a “fixer-upper” that was moved here. We were able to walk in and see the restored church. Everything on the grounds is beautifully done and Magnolia is a nice stop if ever in Waco. But it is now 10:00 and we are hungry, so we get back into the car and drive to Magnolia Table.
Magnolia Table is close, right off the interstate and near potholes. The restaurant is the nicest building in the surrounding area like Magnolia is the nicest place in Waco. The restaurant is busy for a Monday morning, but they have a separate Take Away + Market area. So we decide to order to go so we can get on the road sooner. However, we probably order too much and it still takes about 30 minutes. But the wait was worth it. The breakfast sandwiches were great and they have a butter flight! Everything we had was delicious and refueled, we are ready to hit the road.
The drive to Baton Rouge wasn’t bad once we left Waco. We took some back roads until we hit I-10 and make it to Baton Rouge just after dark.
Day 18 Tuesday 12/1 – Baton Rouge, LA to Home
After another night hanging with more family in Baton Rouge, we are ready to make the trek home. Over 600 miles and 9 hours away, including the hour we lose, we drive home. We leave Louisiana and drive through Mississippi, Alabama and into Florida making quick stops along the way. We get home in the evening safe and sound.
Summary of our road trip from Florida to Arizona and Back
This road trip from Florida to Arizona and back has been the longest trip we have ever taken. We drove through 7 states and logged over 4,500 miles. And after this trip, even with the car trouble, we are confident we can drive anywhere in the U.S. We learned that Texas is really big after spending more time there then we wanted. And Arizona is a beautiful state with so many varied landscapes so different from Florida.
There were so many sites we got to see along the way. They include 3 national parks, a national monument and the Alamo. We also hit 4 breweries in 3 states and drove through Sedona and Roswell. We made the most of our time, still making it to Tucson on time to spend with Becky’s aunt and family. The time spent was well worth it as Becky’s aunt passed away from her battle with cancer just 7 months later. We also got to spend quality time with family in Baton Rouge and San Antonio that we don’t get to see often.
If we ever wanted to drive from Florida to Arizona and back again, we would do it in a heartbeat. The problem is having the time off. Becky had to work while on the trip, but we can only dream of being retired one day. But in the middle of a pandemic, we took the opportunity to drive from Florida to Arizona and back.