A Page from our Road Trip

"Motel 6, 6, 6, 6, 6..." My two boys were singing at the top of their lungs after their quick shower.

Thereafter they bolted out from the bathroom, cladded in the big, white towels and shaking their butts. It was a hilarious sight to behold.

Our family was on a much awaited road trip in USA, a country which we spent a year living. It was a homecoming of sorts as we would be retracing the footprints that we had left behind and also making new ones.

We had just checked into Motel 6 after a long day on the road. Our last longer stop was at Grand Canyon where we stayed for two days.

Things had changed. In our last visit a good five years back, we could still drive up to the Hopi Point. It was a godsend as it would be a challenge to manage the two boisterous young boys then. Fast forward now, they were raring to trek down to the bottom of Grand Canyon while this worrisome mommy was cutting back their expectations. I was nearly out of breath even though I managed to persuade them to do a u-turn as the trek looked too treacherous. Even then I was scared out of my wits. I could only force a moan then as my throat was so dry.

Thereafter we were on the road for two days travelling passing by Salt Lake City and Idaho. Along the road trip, we sang songs, improvised games from fast food drink/food containers to entertain ourselves and made pit stops to stretch, refresh and recharge. The sights on the road trip were interesting. Salt Lake City looked like a big industrial town, while we marvelled at the rows of water sprinklers at the many farms in Idaho.

We had just hit Black Hill National Forest, Fall, South Dakota. It was early June and the sun had just set, casting a golden haze on the spartan two storey building. We had decided to put up at Motel 6, a budget motel chain as the next stop would be a few hours drive away.

When it was my turn to take my bath, I realised that the water was cold. Though it was summer, the weather was cold by Singapore standards. Day temperature generally hovered around a comfortable mid-twenty Degree Celsius. Night temperature would drop a few notches. That explained the impromptu singing by the boys to drive the cold away.

Initially, we wanted to feedback to the receptionist but we dropped the idea as we would be checking out early next day to continue our journey to Chicago where we would be meeting my husband's brother and family. He was posted to Chicago for about 4 months for work and his family has joined him there.

We then hit the sack and were sound asleep in no time. Tomorrow would be another long day.

Arizona Road Trip

We were driving to leave Grand Canyon, Arizona. Along the way, we travelled through the Painted Desert, Vermillion Cliffs and Navajo country.

The drive through this wilderness opened up a landscape of unmatched beauty. The Painted Desert offered tremendous view of with its multi-colored sand formations. At times, the sky joined the party glowing with pink and purple hues of desert. There was a feel of desertness as we passed through this section. Although there were makeshift shelters where the paints had faded. A number were disused while some had native Indians hawking their wares from these trading posts.


After the Navajo bridge, awe-inspiring Vermilion Cliffs surrounded us on both side of the highway in Arizona. We did not venture into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in the small town of Kanab, Utah. Otherwise, we would have to spend a day or two to see the Vermillion Cliffs. Notwithstanding, our drive through this segment gave us a glimpse of what to expect. The terrain was rugged and demanding. The temperature was scorching - into the 40s deg C.


All in all, it was an experience and we were rewarded with breathtaking sights.