When it came time for my friend Cheralynn to pick a school for her graduate program, we started day dreaming of what was to come. Would we keep on slaying the scene in Atlanta while she attended Emory University? Or would we venture on the road trip of a lifetime across the United States to move her all the way to her new life at U.C. Berkeley?
It saddened me a bit when I heard she picked the latter, but my blues were gone as soon as we realized we could visit the Grand Canyon on her move to California. At that point, our life-changing cross-country journey couldn’t come soon enough. Though the planning started late and the excitement kept building up, we were able to pull off a nearly impeccable execution.
The “Planning”
There were many variables affecting the length and number of stops during this trip: how many days I could get off work, how far we were willing to drive at once, how early we could leave the Atlanta area, and so on. And let’s be clear, Cheralynn was also moving during this trip, which meant we had most of her life and her precious cat Felix in the car with us. Challenge accepted.
The Itinerary
Friday: Regular day at the office before a brief 13-hour overnight drive from Atlanta to Oklahoma City.
Saturday: Breakfast in Oklahoma City. Sightseeing around the city and drumming in front of the Oklahoma River. Much needed rest at the Renaissance Waterford Oklahoma City.
Sunday: 11 hour drive to our first hiking spot in Arizona, the Painted Desert. There we would camp overnight, though we ended up having a drone follow us into the open field we were camping at, so we jumped ship and opted for a night at the pet-friendly Motel 6 in Holbrook.
Monday: Morning hike at the Petrified Forest before a 7-hour drive with a quick stop at a Kingsmark pet kennel on our way to the promised land — the Grand Canyon. No plans for camping, but we found a campsite at Saddle Mountain Overlook.
Tuesday: Hike to Roaring Springs on the North Kaibab trail down the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Camping at North Rim campground.
Wednesday: Drive to Horseshoe Bend before heading south to the Phoenix area. Pit stop in Flagstaff to pick up Felix from the pet kennel and to get lunch. Quick nap and dinner in Phoenix before my redeye flight back to Atlanta.
Camping Reservations
All campgrounds in the Grand Canyon run out of spots very quickly and as early as six months in advance. I was lucky enough to find a campsite for our second night in the Grand Canyon a couple weeks before we set sail, but we still got all the way there convinced we would have to spend our first night at the North Rim in Cheralynn’s tiny Ford Fiesta. Luckily, we were pointed to a free dispersed campsite thirteen miles off the road, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.
Time Zones
We had a very short amount of time to cross the country but still wanted to maximize every second of this trip. Timing our travel times was crucial for us to accomplish this, and we had many time zones to account for. We lost an hour going from Eastern time to Central time, but the real confusion happened going back and forth between Navajo daylight savings time at our dispersed campsite and Arizona’s standard time at the Grand Canyon. The timing was complex and we usually ran behind schedule, but we crushed it nonetheless.
Special Considerations
Need I remind everyone we were traveling with a cat? Preparing for this trip was no easy task. Thankfully, I was not the one having to move my entire existence from coast to coast, so Cheralynn took care of all the major details, shipping most of her belongings beforehand so we could focus on transporting only the essentials for our trip.
What to Pack
For the humans:
- Refillable water bottles and three jugs of water in case of an emergency
We were planning on visiting remote places, so we stocked up on water from the beginning in case we couldn’t find a place to fill up in time. - Two bottles of Pedialyte in case of dehydration
We drank the first bottle little by little before and after our first hikes at the Petrified Forest, but we brought a full bottle with us when we hiked down the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. - Healthy snacks and nourishing nonperishable food
Cheralynn is vegan and I was an omnivore back then, but we agreed on healthy road food like avocados, bananas, mixed nuts, granola, single-serving boxes of almond milk, canned beans, canned corn, peach salsa, etc. - Lavender, lemongrass, and peppermint essential oils
Need to sleep? Lavender. Need to stay alert? Peppermint. Got an itch? Lemongrass. Embrace your inner hippie on the way to the Canyon. - All the coffee in the world
Coffee is almost a given necessity on road trips, but don’t rely on gas stations for coffee. We brought our own ground coffee to brew fresh joe in Mason jars while camping. How Pinterest-y of us, amirite?! - Printed maps of hiking trails
What’s a good hiking trip if you don’t escape all cellular connections to establish a stronger connection with your inner self? Self-awareness is imperative, but directions are more reliable coming from a National Geographic waterproof, tear-resistant map than coming “from within.” - Short-sleeve, breathable summer clothes and long-sleeve, cozy winter clothes
Planning the fashions for this trip was kinda tricky. We knew we’d be hiking in deserts in 100+ degree heat, but we also knew temperatures would go as low as the high forties at night. We had to pack light, but you know we packed smart. - Plenty of high SPF unblock
The sun is no joke in the Arizona heat, and malignant melanoma is something we should all be avoiding. Block them rays, honey!
For the precious kitten:
- ScoopFree disposable, foldable litter box and odor-blocking cat litter
Confession time: we sneaked Felix into a non-pet-friendly hotel in Oklahoma City. Having a foldable litter box that collapsed into something that looked like a pizza box was imperative to spending the night with him at the hotel. Good thing Petco sells the combo package for under $20! - Ark Naturals Happy Camper treats infused with soothing valerian
Though Felix was the sweetest, chillest of kitties, we took all necessary measures to keep him relaxed during the trip, especially when we had to put him in a backpack carrier during our brief hiking and sightseeing stops. - AntTech pet traveler backpack carrier (a.k.a. the Catpack)
This thing was a hit. It’s not often you get to hike next to someone and suddenly hear the most adorable meowing coming from a spaceship-looking backpack! - Kitty toys and blankets for maximum lounging
Ensuring Felix had the most comfortable space to make him feel at ease was pinnacle to the success of this trip.
For the occassion:
- Camping essentials
This should be a given, but we brought an Eastern Mountain Sports two-person tent, firewood, cooking supplies, an Osprey 30L backpack, mason jars, two Hydro Flask water bottles, blankets, floor mats, two Marmot sleeping bags — the works. - West African djembes
I consider myself lucky that my friend is a certified West African drumming instructor, so we happened to have two drums for much needed soul liberation across America - GoPro Hero 4 Silver
There’s a lot to see and remember at the Petrified Forest and at the Grand Canyon, so we opted for a GoPro on a head strap to safely capture every hiking memory in 4K definition - South African dashiki
These loose, long shirts were designed for long days out in the desert heat under unforgiving rays of sun — they also happen to be beautifully decorated - Business casual clothes for work after taking my redeye back to Atlanta
Yes, I did that, and I looked great at work the day after the trip despite my sleep deprivation and physical fatigue
The Grand Canyon
The drive arriving to the Grand Canyon was mesmerizing. The boulders, the mountains, the sky, the views. Everything looked incredible.
Cheralynn and I are always looking for a more exclusive, less touristy experience when we go on hiking trips, so we decided to visit the North Rim instead of the more popular South Rim. The road into the North Rim was much longer than we expected, so we began panicking over running out of gas twenty miles after passing the gas station near Marble Canyon. Thankfully, we made it to the Jacob Lake gas station in time.
Once we got to the North Rim, we looked for any available campsites just to find we were out of luck. However, the camping gods were on our side and the very kind DeMotte campground hostess pointed us to a stunningly beautiful dispersed campsite at Saddle Mountain Overlook — note that this is a primitive campsite with no facilities and no running water. We had to drive roughly 13 miles on an open road, which felt like ages in a tiny Ford Fiesta. All our troubles were worthwhile once we got to the campsite, where the views and the silence were exactly what we were looking for. Although we had to wake up at 3:30 a.m. to make our way to the North Rim for our hike, we stayed up late enough to socialize with our campsite neighbors, Chris and Chris, sharing snacks and drumming around the fire.
After an early morning, we were beyond ready for our hike. Cheralynn suggested the North Kaibab Trail, where we did a 4.7 mile hike to Roaring Springs, the water source for all drinking water pumped anywhere in the Grand Canyon. This gorgeous spot is a piece of heaven on earth, and the trail leading to it offers breathtaking views of the canyon. There we spent about five hours playing like children in the water and walking over mossy rocks, picnicking and napping on a boulder under a tree before heading back up the same trail as soon as the sun hid behind the opposite side of the canyon.
After hiking nearly 10 miles in the desert, our bodies were about ready to give up. We finished our Pedialyte and drank all the water we could find back at the top. Then we ate about a ton of pizza and ice cream before heading to our reserved campsite at the North Rim campground.
The Trek Back
Our second morning in the Grand Canyon was very brief. We packed everything up and headed north to Horseshoe Bend before beginning our final drive to Tempe — a town right next to Phoenix. After a quick stop in Flagstaff to pick up Felix and to get some lunch, we kept going to Cheralynn’s sister’s place near Arizona State University in Tempe. There I took a quick power nap on her living room floor before showering and getting myself prepared for a redeye flight back to Atlanta, just in time for a regular Thursday at work.
Though I was exhausted and I had to fly economy all night, I kept on reminding myself that at least I was flying Delta — I could have been flying Spirit.
This whole experience was as exhausting as it was cathartic. Every second of it was worth every effort before, during, and after the trip, even the times we spent in the car wishing the roads would shorten so we would get there sooner. The main takeaway from this trip was the realization that we must go back to the Grand Canyon to explore it fully — there is just too much to see in and around that area!
No matter where you’d like to go or how long you have to travel, always remember that, if you stay realistic with what you can accomplish, any trip is possible when you have the right intentions and the right mindset.
FROM TAMPA TO [ ] 