Not the way to start your vacation

Prologue

I had been planning to go to Chicago for our family vacation this year. But Margo pointed out, that we just spent our family vacation visiting my side of the family, in a quest to visit them all one more time before they passed away. She also had family, her Great Aunt Murrel, who she really wanted to see again. Aunt Murrell lived in Amarillo, TX. Not a bad little city, but not exactly a tourist destination either. Still Margo had a very valid point. We had been trying to get down to see her for a couple of years. She would be turning 80 years old in June, so why not now. But, there was no way we were going to just visit Amarillo, TX for our vacation. I enjoy visiting with relatives, but not for a week. I’m an amateur genealogist and can spend hours reminiscing about the old days, but even I have to draw the line at three days. So we decided to remedy a situation that had bugged both of us for the last 15 years. Back in 1989, when Jessi was a baby, we went to the Grand Canyon. She doesn’t remember any of it and we both regret that. Now would be the chance to fix that. After Amarillo, we could head west, stop in New Mexico, and then onto the Grand Canyon. On the way back we would stay overnight in Grand Junction and then make a pit stop in Glenwood Springs before coming home.