Helping Our Kids Move Cross-Country: From New Mexico to California (Part 2)

The beautiful Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, NM

Last week I shared Part 1 of our cross-country trip with our son and daughter-in-love. This week I want to share our journey from New Mexico to California. We made it to Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Saturday night after a long day of driving in Texas. We were thrilled to see the New Mexico state line! Allie's parents love to stay at Drury Inns when they travel, and she has wonderful memories from her childhood of Auburn football games and the Drury Inn. Based on her glowing recommendation, John Carl had booked the Drury Inn in Las Cruces for our final night on the road.

We pulled in around 6:20 mountain time, and he went inside to get us checked in so we could figure out dinner plans. It turns out that there was no need for dinner plans because the Drury Inn has what they call their Free 5:30 Kickback where the guests are treated to drinks and heavy dinner snacks until 7:00 pm. We dined on pulled pork, baked beans, green salad, chicken noodle soup, and nachos! It was just what our tired crew needed! They even offered the option of patio seating so that Captain could join us.

The whirlpool was oh-so-tempting, but nobody wanted to deal with wet bathing suits the next morning. The hot breakfast the next morning was just as delicious. Suffice it to say that I am now a huge fan of Drury Inns. We will definitely look for one the next time we travel!

Incredible mountainous landscape in New Mexico

From New Mexico to California

We got an early start after breakfast because the kids were eager to make it all the way to San Diego. None of us wanted another night on the road, and they couldn't wait to get to their new house. Leaving Las Cruces, we passed by the gorgeous Organ Mountains, As we continued through New Mexico we continued to enjoy spectacular mountainous landscapes.

I loved the "Wise Old Owl" rock in the Dragoon Mountains of Arizona

Arizona is a geological wonder in the middle of the desert. First, we went through the Texas Canyon where it looked like huge boulders as well as smaller rocks had just been dropped from heaven willy-nilly. We passed through the Dragoon Mountains with their rugged granite boulders a little later. My favorite configuration reminded me of a wise old owl perched atop an enormous rock.

We finally made it to the California border. The sun was still shining brightly as we entered California. Wind farms dot the landscape of the San Gorgonio pass taking advantage of the 15-20 mph winds that constantly blow in that area. As we climbed into the San Jacinto mountains nearly 4000 feet above sea level, we hit rain, lots of it! The heavy rain combined with strong winds made this the most difficult part of our journey. Once we descended towards San Diego, however, the weather cleared up beautifully. Finally around 5:00, we reached their new house. I'm not sure who was more excited, Captian, or the kids. But it was good to finally be home!