McFam Chronicles: Christmas Road Trip

Day 12: Grand Canyon to Albuquerque Written by Colin

Our journey continues through the frigid cold. We awoke from our bungalow and ventured out in the balmy -13 degree morning. Our party still remains six and the wagon is becoming a cramped asylum. Luckily, this morning, we received help from the natives who were of the company of a notorious man by the name of Ronald. They gave us our morning rations but for a hefty price. Our oats and coffee cost us nearly a days wages back home. We then left the canyon behind and looked for warmer weather and a flat road. Snuggled up in our blankets, we passed through the Flagstaff Outpost and gave way to the desires of the young ones for a bathroom break. The road was finally panning out into what the natives call the high desert. The drivers continued to switch to relieve the monotony but our three stowaways were becoming a little restless. The card games have been exhausted as the hundredth game of Nurtz commenced The two youngest have resorted to using our supplies (particularly the lotion) as dolls for their entertainment. From the window of our wagon, we saw a curious little sign for a meteorite crater. To extinguish the boredom, we ventured a look. We saddled up the wagon and wandered up the rim to find a lively Hispanic conducting tours. He showed us and explained the history of the crater but for a few of our greenbacks. The hole was darn near a mile wide and made by some large space rocks. I sure don't believe in such tom-foolery but it makes a good tale for the young-ins. Afterwards, we unhitched the chassis and continued on hoping to get to the next trading post by sun down. We weren't making good time according to our sundials and we needed to refuel. The only station for near 100 miles was a little native ranch called Gallup. We pulled in to some unfamiliar parts. The natives didn't look too friendly upon us Yankees in their territory. Fearing nothing less than a riot, we scuttled out of town and back to the road. Our mama took over the next shift and drove our team all the way to the inn in Albuquerque. Tuckered out from the days ride, we settled into the beds and got some evening rations from the local vendor. The card games came back out after their brief spell out of service. I guess Nurtz is a game that dies hard on the boring road home east.