Ferrell Family Roadtrip: To The Grand Canyon

Date:  Tuesday, June 18, 2013

So we had been on our Roadtrip for a couple of days . . . We had seen some well-known sites along the Route 66 scenic highway, but our main objective . . . the first major destination of our roadtrip was finally within a couple of hours drive . . . the Grand Canyon!  I had always wanted to see it in person and it was beyond my expectations!  Pictures cannot do it justice . . . but I still took LOTS and LOTS of pictures!  Ha!

We left Holbrook, Arizona, early Tuesday morning and headed for Flagstaff.  Dave had decided that we would get a hotel in Flagstaff for a few days while we explored the area.  Once we got checked into the Days Inn & Suites, we headed for the Grand Canyon.  It was about one hour and half from Flagstaff, but the boys had been hearing about it the whole trip and they couldn't wait to see it!  They were so funny during the entire roadtrip over the past two days.  Every large mountain or hilltop we saw along the way, they would ask, "Is that the Grand Canyon?"  Ha!  They had no idea how truly Grand it was going to be.

The Ferrell boys ready for a new adventure . . .

So immediately after seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, I stopped some foreign guy to take our picture.  :)

And then we walked a little bit around the viewing area . . . and found out that there was LOTS of the Grand Canyon to see  . . . with lots of picture opportunities.

The boys' view from those rocks . . .

Lots and Lots of picture opportunities . . .

The boys had a great time posing and taking pictures.

The Grand Canyon was sooooo big . . . how big was it?  I couldn't take a picture that could adequately depict how Grand and how Awesome it was, so I've picked out a few of my favorite pictures out of the 160 pictures I took while at the Grand Canyon:

Facebook status:

We drove around the South rim and stopped at all the scenic views, then headed back to Flagstaff for the night.

We witnessed a beautiful sunset on the way back to Flagstaff.

In fact, we witnessed so much beauty the whole day. . . . breathtaking beauty . . .

It was a very Grand day for . . . 

                                 the Ferrell boys and me!

Ferrell Family Roadtrip: To Holbrook, Arizona

Date: Monday, June 17, 2013

So we had a great restful night in Amarillo, Texas.  We were farther away from home, but closer to our destination:  the Grand Canyon!

Even miles away from home . . . some things never change . . . Dave working on the computer . . .

 . . . Shane in a time-out for bad behavior . . . :)

We left Amarillo in a hurry to get to where we were going . . . but apparently Dave was in too big a hurry . . . He got stopped by a Texas Deputy Sheriff!  Luckily, we only got a warning citation . . . this time. 

It just so happened that the route we decided to take happened to be part of the famous Route 66 scenic highway.  I had done a little research about what to see along Route 66 and one of the stops I wanted to make was at the Cadillac Ranch.  I had no idea where it was actually located, but had mentioned to Dave that I would love to stop and see it.  Dave didn't seem too interested.  I however have an interest in all things odd ball.  Dave not so much.  :)

As we were leaving Amarillo on I-40, and while we were still a little un-nerved by the traffic stop, Dave casually commented, "Hey there's that Cadillac thing you wanted to see."

And there it was!  Dave didn't really want to turn around to see it, but the Deputy Sheriff was still behind us, and I think that helped motivate Dave into stopping.

The boys loved it.  Part of the fun in stopping is using spray paint to add some graffiti to the cars, but it was way too muddy.  :(

Even though it was muddy . . . it was still a great stop on our Roadtrip . . .

Memories being made . . .

We got back on the road and finally made it to New Mexico!

We stopped for gas and instead of the typical Southern fried chicken for sale in the convenience store . . . this is what was offered in New Mexico.

Uh, No Thanks!  :)  I think we'll wait until Albuquerque and eat at Cracker Barrel!

New Mexico has a beautiful and unique landscape.

Sweet boys!

And then there was the state of our destination . . . state #8 . . .

Now for two days we had been trying to get a room at another famous Route 66 scenic stop . . .

I sooooo wanted to stay at the WigWam Motel, but apparently you have to make reservations about two weeks in advance.  This Ferrell roadtrip was being traveled on a day by day itinerary with no reservations being made in advance.  Oh well.

We decided to take the boys to see the WigWam Motel anyway.

FB status:

Which was a good idea at first, but then Shane started getting upset because he wanted to stay there!

And so ends our roadtrip adventure for day 3.  We spent the night in Holbrook, Arizona at a family-owned motel that was the cleanest motel room I have ever seen!  The owners were so wonderful and seemed to take a personal interest in every person staying with them.  One of the apps we used on our phone was the tripadvisor app.  It helped us find hotels while we traveled.  We had a lot of luck using this app to find good hotels within our price range.  The app shows not only the approximate prices of the rooms, but also gives reviews and ratings based on the reviews. 

And after a day of driving across 3 states, it was time for bed in Holbrook, Arizona, on this Ferrell Family Roadtrip with . . .

                                  the Ferrell boys and me!

Ferrell Family Roadtrip: To Amarillo, Texas

Date:  Saturday, June 15, 2013 and Sunday, June 16, 2013

So we left out on our Roadtrip late Saturday afternoon after I hurriedly packed up clothing and necessities for our family of five.

We drove up to and through Memphis, Tennessee, and found a place to spend the night in Forrest City, Arkansas.  It was a cheap motel ($49) and suited our most immediate need for sleep and shelter.  Nothing fancy.  :)  We picked up a couple of pizzas from the local Pizza Hut for supper and quickly went to bed.

Part of the fun during this Roadtrip was including all my friends and family on Facebook through our status updates.  Here's our FB status at this point:

The next morning we loaded up and headed to Little Rock.

So Dave started out driving in Arkansas, but then he decided to take a break and let me drive for a while.  I drove us through Oklahoma City and was almost to the Texas state line when I saw some billboards advertising a Cherokee Trading Post.  In my mind -- definitely Not out loud -- I was thinking how much fun it would be to stop . . .

So when I came upon the exit, I quickly took the off ramp and headed for the Trading Post.

My next FB status:

They had teepees, buffalo, and all kinds of western objects around the post.  The boys jumped out of the car and started running for it all.

This represented our first stop on the Ferrell family roadtrip.

This is also where Shane whipped out his private part and started tinkling right there in front of the buffalo!  I was too far away to stop him . . . so I took a picture instead!

After this special Ferrell boy moment, we headed on over to see the buffalo.

After exploring the outside attractions, we headed inside to see what there was to see.

Shane found an Indian friend.

Dave and Zach posing together.

Dave and Alex posing together.

Ha!  When we left the Trading Post, Dave wouldn't let me drive!  And it was 3 days before he trusted me to drive again!  I guess he didn't like my impulsive exit to the Trading Post.  Ha!  But what's a roadtrip without stopping along the way and taking in the local sites!

An interesting site along the Oklahoma interstate is the huge windmills spinning and spinning.

And then there was . . .

We drove on to Amarillo, Texas, and found a great hotel there to spend the night.  It was great because we were able to get a suite which means that Dave and I had our own room and the boys had their own room! 

Of course, their room involved a pull-out sofa bed, but that was okay by them!

And so to bed we go to rest up for tomorrow and the next adventure on the Ferrell Family Roadtrip with . . .

                              the Ferrell boys and me!

Ferrell Family Roadtrip: GridIron Conference

Date:  Friday, June 14, 2013

For years Dave has been planning a trip out West to the Rocky Mountains.  When he was in high school, he lived for a little while in Denver, Colorado, and he has never forgotten the beauty of the mountains.

Every time we would go to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, Dave would say, "You think these are mountains . . . you haven't seen mountains until you've been to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado!"

For some reason, he decided this summer would be the summer to go see these mountains he was always talking about  . . .

Our original plans were to go on the roadtrip in July, but Dave couldn't take off during July because of a planned outage at his work, so our trip got moved up to June.  Unfortunately, the two weeks he could take off were also following our planned trip to the GridIron Conference in Birmingham with our church.   So that's where our roadtrip actually began . . . in Alabama!

The Gridiron Conference is a Christian all men's conference that is held every year with speakers and topics pertinent and inspirational to Christian men.  This year was a big deal because Tim Tebow was one of the featured speakers.  I wanted Zach and Alex to go.  Dave wanted me to go.  (To help with Zach and Alex)  :)

I think there were 5 women at the conference. . . . including me!  (Of course there were women working at the conference as ushers and in the concession stand but I don't count them!) 

It was the most amazing experience to see 7,000 + men praising and worshipping God almighty!  It was beautiful, awesome, and awe-inspiring all at the same time.  I hope it was an experience that will make a lasting impression on my boys!

Several men in our church took their sons to the event as well.

The first speaker was Rev. Fred Luter from New Orleans, Louisianna.  He was awesome!  So energetic and such a powerful speaker! 

Next it was the speaker we had all been waiting for . . . Tim Tebow! 

He was humble, funny, and sincere.  My boys were impressed.  So was I!

I can't imagine the pressure he is under as a Christian in the spotlight . . .

We had a great time.  The boys really enjoyed it so much.  Next year's GridIron Conference is in Nashville, Tennessee, and I would encourage you to attend if possible - - - If You Are A Man!  I don't think I'll be attending any more men's conferences!  :-D

But please don't be mistaken in to thinking that I was in any way discouraged from attending by the men from my church, even though I was the only woman with them . . . No it was quite the opposite.  They were as always encouraging and accomodating to me.  In fact, several times different men from the group would text and call me or even stop by where we were sitting to check on the Ferrell boys and me.  We didn't travel with the group on the bus (Can you imagine me . . . by myself . . . on a bus . . . full of just men!).  We took a separate car and followed the bus.  Still they were so sweet at all times and never made me feel like a "third wheel"!  I love my Calvary church family . . . and the men of the church are a big part of the reason!
When Dave has to work on Sunday and misses church, the men of the church help me out so much with those wild Ferrell boys!  :)

We left Saturday from Birmingham, Alabama, for home in Mississippi to pick up our sweet Shane . . .

and to quickly pack for a two week vacation roadtrip!

We include Alabama on our states of the roadtrip because Dave said so!  (He rented a car for our trip and we took it to the Conference.  He said because we used the rental car to go to the Conference, then we needed to count it as part of the roadtrip.)

And so begins the Ferrell Family Roadtrip with  . . .

                                the Ferrell boys and me!