WanderWest with the Puryears

WanderWest Day 14: Smoke, Sweat, and Cliff Dwellings Reality check: road fatigue has officially settled in. After 14 days, 4,800 miles, and 14 states, we’re all feeling it — shorter fuses, wearier mornings, and the constant grind of packing and unpacking the car. Living out of a duffel bag has lost its charm. BUT… we’re not done yet! 7 days of excitement left to go!  This morning we left the Grand Canyon just in time — the North Rim was filling with smoke from the White Sage fire as we drove out. Eerie, but kind of stunning (check out our photo — the haze drifting into the canyon looked surreal). Today we headed into Colorado for a reservation at Mesa Verde's Balcony House tour , with a quick detour to the famous Four Corners Monument . Olivia took one look around and said, “This is such a tourist trap.” Honestly? She's not wrong. $8 a person to stand in a line and awkwardly pose on a plaque while strangers stare? Definitely a “been there, done that” kinda stop. ...

  WanderWest – Day 13: The Grand Canyon Marathon Today, July11th, was not for the faint of heart—or the weak of knee. This was The Day of the Grand Canyon . Two trails, 6 miles, 3 wipeouts, several goat sightings, sibling squabbles, heat-induced delirium, and one epic sunset to remind us it was all worth it. 🍳 Breakfast of Champions We kicked off the morning with our now-signature camp breakfast: eggs in a bag and fluffy pancakes. Honestly, we’ve mastered the art of trailhead cuisine. Fueled up and sun-screened, we rolled out of camp a little later than planned (classic Puryear move), starting our descent into the Grand Canyon via the Bright Angel Trail around 8:45 AM.  🥾 Down, Down, Down We Go The hike started strong—beautiful morning light, a cool breeze, and nothing but downhill trail. At about 0.7 miles in, we were greeted by a whole herd of mountain goats just chilling on the rocks like canyon royalty. Cameras out. Spirits high. We made it down to the Mil...

  WanderWest – Day 12: From Panguitch to the Grand Canyon Today, July 10th, we packed up and said farewell to Panguitch, UT and Bryce Canyon—and honestly, we left with a little heartache. We didn’t quite get the time we wanted there, and it felt like we were just getting started. No one’s fault, just one of those travel hiccups. But Bryce has now officially landed on our “must-come-back-and-stay-longer” list. Next time, Bryce, we’re doing it right. We hit the road south toward the Grand Canyon, rolling through the wide-open beauty of Arizona. And then the time warp began. Our phones couldn’t decide if we were in Mountain Time or Pacific Time—jumping around like they were on a caffeine buzz. After way too much googling and debating, we discovered that Arizona doesn’t do daylight saving time (bold move), which means they stick to Mountain Standard Time all year round. Except for the parts that don’t. So, yeah… time is fake here. 😂 We made a stop at the Desert View Wa...