Today was Round Two of making our way back to Ohio!

I have to say, the closer I get to home, the more things I realize things I’ve missed and will enjoy getting to experience again.

Ex. 1: my parent’s dog.

Ex. 2: my family have watched Band of Brothers together every Memorial Day weekend for a few years now. It’s a tradition I get to participate in for one more year and that’s precious to me.

We didn’t stop at the Meteor Crater near Flagstaff, but we did tune into the radio station that gave us some info about it.

I noticed that with the area being so sparse, people seemed to really be stretching to bring traffic into their towns. From Native American trinket shops to dinosaur museums, I feel like we saw it all.

In Arizona and New Mexico, it seemed we alternated from rocky canyons and mesas to grasslands that stretched on for miles (Seriously. We saw an actual tumbleweed at one point).

New Mexico’s border came upon us pretty quickly, so I managed to snap a pic as we zipped by. Just imagine that I’m standing in front of it.

One of my favorite things we did today was a spontaneous lesson in classic rock bands from Dad (I thought I was well-versed, but quickly came to understand that I was only scratching the surface. The man knows his rock). We also played a game of “Name That Soundtrack” and not to brag, but I guessed correctly nearly every time. Hold your applause until the end, please.

After missing the New Mexico sign, we were on high alert for the Texas state sign. We found it with more ease and snapped a few shots.

It wasn’t long after that we found ourselves at our destination for the night. In true Texas-style, we ate dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse (though neither of us got a steak, but that’s besides the point, right?) and then headed back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is going to be another long stretch, but with the company I’ve got, I have no doubt I’ll bear it with ease.

St. Louis, we’re coming for ya!