Welcome to My Solo Road Trip Through the Desert Southwest to Big Bend National Park

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Welcome to the "official" travel blog for my third solo road trip, which will take me from Phoenix, Arizona, to Dallas, Texas, through the varied landscapes of the Desert Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico) to the vistas, canyons, and scenic drives of Big Bend National Park (Texas), with stops at various points and sights in between and beyond.

Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Big Bend National Park
Desert Sunrise in Big Bend National Park

The road trip starts on Saturday, September 9, with a nonstop American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and ends on Monday September 25, with a nonstop American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Philadelphia, with 15 days of driving in between.

After arriving in Phoenix, I'll stop in Phoenix for some fry bread at The Fry Bread House, and then head to Tucson, for a visit to Saguaro National Park and other local sights. After two days in Tucson and Arizona, it's eastward via I-10 to New Mexico, with planned stops in Lordsburg, White Sands National Park, Alamogordo, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. 

After New Mexico, I'll make my way south from Carlsbad Caverns National Park into Texas and then east again, with planned stops at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Van Horn, Marfa, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and Lajitas, towards my ultimate destination, Big Bend National Park, one of the least visited of the National Parks but one with some of the most incredible landscapes and vistas and natural scenery.

After four days and three nights at the Chisos Mountains Lodge in Big Bend National Park, it's back to the road with expected stops in Marathon, Alpine, and Fort Davis, Texas, then east towards San Antonio. I hope to squeeze in a visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Johnson City. After that, it's on to Austin, the capital of Texas, and then to Waco to visit Waco National Monument. My last stop will be Dallas for the American Airlines flight to Philadelphia and home sweet home.

Feel free to follow along if you like, or not, if you don't.


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