Lindsey and JT’s Epic Road Trip Extravaganza Part 4: We Didn’t Start the Fire. No, seriously, we didn’t.

Night 3 (7/13/11)
To make up for extra time spent in Santa Fe, we decided to skip Canyon de Chelly and camp in the Coconino instead. It was closer to Phoenix, which meant we’d have time to hike the Blue Ridge Reservoir in the morning before hitting the road again. Bonus: the weather was way cooler. Downside: we wouldn’t get to the campsite before dark, which meant that all setup and fire starting would be done with flashlights only. We were okay with that…in theory…

Lindsey and JT’s Epic Road Trip Extravaganza Part 3: That Is *Not* a Pickle!

Day 2 (7/12/11)
When it comes to beer-tasting, my time spent in Santa Fe was a giant win. But it was a giant fail for food. C’est domage.

Upon our arrival in Santa Fe, JT and I went straight to the opera, (have I mentioned that he’s a badass props master?) where I met his friends and fellow badass prop artisans. I’m always amazed by the insane amounts of skill–and ridiculously cool job–that they have. Seriously. Why can’t I get paid to put together a model car, or create a giant lion out of foam?

But I digress.

Lindsey and JT’s Epic Road Trip Extravaganza Part 2: Not All Camp Stoves are Created Equal, Tasty Camp Breakfast is Tasty, & Wow! That’s a Lotaburger!

Night 1 (7/11/11)
Good news: I survived night one. Bad news: night one’s dinner consisted of grapes, peanut butter & jelly, gatorade, cupcakes, and half a beer.

Okay, so it doesn’t seem that bad. But when you consider why that was our dinner, it’s just plain sad. Upon removing the camp stove that Jesse loaned us from the back of the car, we were rather surprised to discover that the stove is fuel-powered and not propane powered. Too bad all we had was propane. After much frustration and fear of blowing everything up, JT figured out how to get it lit, but by then we were just annoyed and hungry. Cue the sandwiches. This would have been fine, save for the swarms of stupid moths that wouldn’t leave us the hell alone.

Seriously, of all the creepy crawly growly rattle-y potential pests awaiting us at our campsite, we were attacked by moths??? Once a moth landed on my cupcake, I’d had enough, and opened a beer. Which I didn’t finish, because there was lightning in the distance, and quite frankly, I was just tired. So it was off to bed, but not before many many prayers that we wouldn’t be attacked by bears or fire ants.

Thus ends night one.

Lindsey and JT’s Epic Road Trip Extravaganza Part 1: I Fought the Brisket and the Brisket Won

JT and I have embarked on our epic!road!and!outdoor!trip!, which means that we’re planning to eat all sorts of tasty foods. Which states are we driving through, you ask?

• Texas
• New Mexico
• Arizona

And apparently the trip involves a rather intense outdoor component, too:

• Camping at Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo, TX
• (Edit: Silly forest fires got in the way of hiking)
• Camping at Canyon de Chelly in Arizona on the Navajo reservation (Edit: In the interest of allowing hiking/exploring time and getting to Phoenix earlier in the day, we decided to camp in the Coconino National Forest and hike the Blue Ridge Reservoir instead)

Did I mention that I’m ridiculously high maintenance? Sure hope JT knows what he’s gotten himself into…