Quiet Days!

We left Albuquerque early yesterday morning and headed to Oklahoma City, where we stayed at our home away from home: Twin Fountains RV Park (we spent a month there one day). Crystal, a campground employee recognized us. I’m happy to report that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING happened, except a couple of fuel and potty stops! Oh, and it did rain some in the middle of the day. Since we have experienced almost every other weather phenomenon, it was fitting that we would have just regular rain! We talked about our trip to Yellowstone two years ago when we ran into a couple of Tornado-producing storms. We earned our tornado-storm scout badge on that trip and this trip we traveled in snow, freezing rain and dust storm. Does anyone know where we apply for the patches? I am including some pictures of the scenery driving through Texas and Oklahoma: whole bunch of cattle, flat land and windmills! Boring is sometimes good.

Ted suggested that we return to Cattlemen’s Steakhouse for dinner in OK City, but by the time we got to the RV Park we were too exhausted to go anywhere. Also that would have meant unhooking the campers from the trucks. Janet made pizzas and I threw a salad together. The weather was nice so we ate outside on picnic tables. If you haven’t guessed by now, we love the travelling part but we focus a lot on the FOOD!

Today we traveled from Oklahoma City to Villa Ridge, MO. The day was beautiful and warm yet again, very quiet. We each carry walkie-talkies which help us communicate about needed stops, etc. One of the best purchases we have made is a book called "The Next Exit." It is a book that tells all the services, restaurants, stores, etc. at interstate exits to help us plan stops. In most cases it is easiest for our 'rigs' to get into a truck stop, instead of a regular gas station. We each have a GPS which helps with navigation. Even with that, Rick missed our turn today leaving Oklahoma City. Of course, the other guys teased him.

Dinner tonight was grilled pork chops. We all were glad to see green grass and trees in bud. I think we are all ready to be home. In a way it seems like we've been gone more than two weeks. In the morning we will head for home and most likely hit Columbia City mid-to-late afternoon. It has been a wonderful adventure. Thanks to all you blog readers for riding along with us!

Snow, Freezing Rain, Wind and DUST!

(Still having problems with Internet access… Thanks to everyone for reading the blog.)

We actually left ahead of schedule Wednesday morning. The weather forecast called for cold and wind. After we left the park we ran into some light flurries then when we turned on to I-40 it began freezing rain briefly. Just east of Flagstaff we saw a sign “Road Closed Ahead.” Luckily were just approaching a rest area and we ducked in among semi trucks and other RVs. The interstate was closed with zero visibility due to blowing dust. Rick has a handheld CB and we listened to the truckers yacking. It kept us quite entertained for a while with jokes and barbs at each other and us RVers. Most of their comments I can’t repeat! When we stopped, we had no idea how long it would last: some said noon, others said 6pm. We feared that this would…uh…blow our schedule. We sat in the truck a while, then sat the camper. Rick extended the landing gear which helped stabilize the camper plus allowed us to open the slideouts so we could use the bathroom, fix lunch and take a nap. The wind slowed then it began to spit snow and rain. About an hour after that vehicles began to move. Our total delay was about 5 hours. We fell 125 miles short of our goal but ended up in Albuquerque about 9 pm. It was VERY long day. Poor Esther sprained her ankle on Tuesday, so between that the guys’ knees most of us are limping.

East Grand Canyon

Rick ran out of socks! Oops…Janet, Ted and I did laundry and visited the internet café (really just a corner of the cafeteria.) We then packed our picnic lunch and headed east. After our big raft trip on Monday, we decided to stay close to the park for the day. Going out the East gate of the park we passed several potential picnic spots. The Park map showed a picnic area at the Desert View Watchtower area but we didn’t find one. Parking Lot Picnic! As Janet says we’ve perfected it. Grill on the tailgate, Dennis’ lawn chairs, hot dogs, Janet’s Coney sauce...mmm.
Janet, Essie, Rick (yes, Rick) and I climbed the Watchtower, another Mary Colter design. She as visionary and soo talented. Four stories (the roof lookout was closed) with a balcony, all looking out over the Grand Canyon. Back down on the ground we clicked lots of pictures on the rim of the Canyon. Most places there are no guardrails. Often, we would see people and sometimes their kids, climbing down on rock along the edges. Darwin at work… (That being said, these pictures look like we are right at the edge but it is an illusion. We were very cautious!) We made several more stops at points along the Canyon then headed back to the campers. Janet and Ted drove to Tusayan, a little tourist town just outside the park gate, to shop for gifts. The rest of us called naptime. We ate pot roast for dinner then started to pack up for Wednesday: the beginning of the trip home.

Colorado River Rafting

Rick organized a side-trip for us: a raft-trip down the Colorado River! We were all leery after the lousy train trip experience in South Dakota two years ago, but I must say he redeemed himself. We traveled to the docking spot at Page, AZ, a 130-mile trek, almost to the Utah border on Lake Powell. The entire two and a half hour trip was pretty desolate. Twenty-five miles to get out of the Grand Canyon Park, fuel in Cameron, AZ (just about the only civilization along the trip. Highway 89 runs through Navajo country. They live in much poverty and a stark landscape, many without power and running water. However, it must be an entirely different living standard than ours. They wake up to this beautiful view every morning, regardless of their situation.

Rick, of course, always drives but sometimes wants to see the scenery. Ted says Rick will feel two thumps if he crashes over the edge, the first one being Ted's fist! We finally arrived at the Raft Trip office, got checked-in and and boarded a bus to the dock. The catch is that the boarding point is through a 2.5 mile tunnel in the rock, down to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam (second in size to the Hoover Dam.) About 25 people boarded each four-pontoon raft for the 16 mile trip down the Colorado River. The rocky red sides of the Canyon rose 1,000 feet above us on each side. Again, the perception of scale only became real by seeing people on the rim and the other pontoons on the River. Our happy tour guide and boat captain, Chris lives in this area because she likes white water rafting with her husband, also a guide. This section of the Colorado River is VERY calm, with only an occasional ripple. We felt privileged to see this part of the world, mostly untouched by the man's hand. We ate our packed lunch at a sandy beach, where we were invited to walk to the canyon wall to see petroglyphs (Ancient Native American graffiti). Four hours after launching, we ended our trip at Lee's Ferry and boarded buses back to Page, an hour drive.

Back in the truck: 130 miles back to the campground. We stopped at the Cameron Trading Post for dinner and souvenirs. The worst part of the day was driving along the Canyon after dark. Ted watched closely for animals in the roadway. Signs warned of elk and mountain lions. We saw three elk along the road but none were in our path. YIKES! We were all exhausted from the day but oh what a wonderful trip!

Speechless...

Easter afternoon we drove around the Grand Canyon South Rim, stopping at various overlooks, each as spectacular as the next. There are no words to describe it. Seeing the canyon, it's hard to get a grasp of scale until you look into the canyon with binoculars where donkeys and people navigate the trails. They literally look like ants, if you can even see them with the naked eye. We notice that at each stop, the canyon changes as the sun moves across the sky. The Park has a great bus system (natural gas engines) that ferry people around the park and into auto-restricted areas. Some places have no guard rails, so this is totally unsettling for Rick and Dennis. We managed to get some awesome pictures at each stop. We all commented that the Canyon looks like a fake backdrop from a movie! Our minds are corrupted that way!

While the bus stops are convenient, we still had to walk a bit to get to some areas. We saw many of the structures built in the early years of the park. The most fascinating to me is that the main architect was a WOMAN: Mary Colter! I bought a book on her life and am reading it. She was truly a pioneer. Her buildings are rustic, using local materials, stone and timber and each one a gem, blending into the Canyon perfectly. The Park uses this to its benefit by selling souvenirs out in each small building. At one point, Dennis was looking at a stone box, the lid fell off and dropped to the floor. Me, being the coward, turned and ran. I now am labled a traitor, turning and running at the least adversity. He said he wouldn't want me on his posse in the wild west! Sorry, Den.

We stopped for dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge. Dinner was wonderful and not as expensive as we feared. Trout, steak and ribs, pretty reasonable with cloth napkins, even... Pretty nice Easter dinner. Back to the camper by bus, we crashed and hung out watching the now-working cable TVf. The guys are very happy!

SNOW and Easter

(There is no internet service at the campground, so we have to drive to one of the lodges to get connected. This post covers Saturday and Sunday to noon.)

We left Holbrook, AZ about 9 AM Saturday. Friday evening the temperature was around 70 degrees when we arrived at Holbrook. Saturday morning it was in the mid-thirties. The 150-mile trip should not have taken very long. We stopped in Winslow at Wal-Mart to get supplies. God bless Sam Walton. We can go into a store 1800 miles from home and find just what we want in a familiar location! On the road again, we headed toward Flagstaff…and it started to snow. The guys teased Rick for dragging them this far from home to see SNOW. You’ve got to be kidding me. It kept snowing harder. When we got to the park to check in, the snow was probably 2-3 inches deep. At Janet & Ted’s site, the previous visitors had built a snow bear.
After setup we drove down to the Market Plaza to look through the gift shop and supply store, which is a pretty complete grocery. It was still snowing a little and COLD. Back at the campers, Janet made macaroni and cheese for dinner, good comfort food for a cold snowy day. The guys were frustrated because the cable TV wasn’t working. With no internet service, little cell phone coverage and no TV, we were roughing it! After dinner, the guys watched a movie (3:10 to Yuma) while the girls played Mah Jongg.

When we first planned our trip, I told Rick that we would be gone on Easter. He did some research and said there was a sunrise service at the South Rim. With the bad weather, we decided that it might not be very pleasant there at sunrise. I was wide awake at 4:30 am this morning and decided that I might regret not going. Chance of a lifetime… Rick and I put on our warmest clothes, gloves, hats and coats and got on the bus to Mather Point. The sky was just barely showing light when we walked out on the point. People were already gathering with music playing and the canyon was just coming into view and we could just begin to make out the colors in the rock. Rick faced his fear of heights very well as we stood at the rail overlooking the most wondrous site. I saw more than a few tears in the crowd (including mine) as we listened to the gospel readings, sermon and singing. When the sun finally appeared, the whole canyon glowed.

Happy Easter to all our family: we miss you all on this special day but I will remember this Easter always.

God's Artwork

Wishing all of you a blessed Good Friday: As I'm sitting down to write this, I’m struggling to keep my eyes open. We lost another hour when we crossed into Arizona. They don’t observe daylight saving time, so we are now three hours behind Eastern Daylight Time. Originally our schedule shows us leaving Santa Fe tomorrow. I am glad that we decided to drive part of the way to the Grand Canyon with time to drive through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. That makes tomorrow a little easier, about 100 miles.

We planned to leave Santa Fe around 10 am with a big breakfast of sausage gravy & biscuits before leaving. The first day at Santa Fe Skies RV Park, the guys talked to the owner of the park and she gave them a little presentation about the property. The girls went to the office this morning to hear her talk. She is a fascinating woman. Her parents came from Chicago then moved to New Mexico, homesteading the 120 acre property back in the 1930’s. She had an entire PowerPoint presentation on her family’s history. They built the RV Park in the 1990’s but not without jumping multiple hurdles. It is amazing to think about those times when they lived at that location without water (hand-carried from another location), electricity or paved roads. We really like that RV Park, but became big fans after hearing her story.

After breakfast we took of toward Arizona. Between Santa Fe and where we stopped here in Holbrook, AZ, the terrain becomes increasingly barren, rocky and more beautiful. I didn’t sleep or read much because of watching the scenery and taking pictures. We stopped for fuel, then again at the Arizona border for lunch. The state line area looks like the scenery in the movie “Cars” (Radiator Springs, home of ‘Mater, Sally and Doc Hudson)
We drove through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest much like we did in South Dakota at the Badlands. The land looks so similar. The bonus is the petrified trees dotting the eroded formations. Signs and fliers warn of not disturbing the petrified wood with fines for doing so. It’s easy to see how humans could destroy this treasure by scavanging. The funniest site is outside the National Park where an entire store sells BIG petrified wood pieces. Apparently the pieces found outside the park are fair game. Huh.... It was hard to choose which pictures to post. The internet connection is kind of fickle, so these will have to do. Not sure if we have internet in the Grand Canyon...

Downtown Santa Fe

We all took our time getting up and around this morning. After all, we ARE on vacation and don't need to be on a tight schedule. I know I'm especially grateful for the wonderful memories being created. So much fun!

Jackalope is a group of shops that sell souvenirs, furniture, pottery and imported gifts. Rick and I shopped there in October a few times. In the middle of the shops, a low wall surrounds a prairie dog colony. They are so cute! We bought a few souvenirs, then headed downtown to the Plaza for lunch and more shopping. We parked and walked to the Plaza looking for a good lunch spot. On one corner, fajitas that a vendor was selling smelled tempting, but with the chilly wind (again) we decided to eat inside. We chose the Plaza Cafe after peeking in the windows at the 50's style diner including chrome tables and counter service. We sat at the counter, the only seats open for all six of us. the service was okay and the food was great! Homemade tortilla chips and guacamole...YUM! None of us had room for the yummy-looking desserts. In the picture, check out the 'ceramic tile' on the wall. They used broken plates and cups!

To the first Spanish settlers, the Plaza would have been the center of business. Facing the Plaza, the Palace of Governors is the oldest building in the United States. Native Americans sit under the covered portico of the Palace, selling their handcrafted silver and pottery. Our group split up to explore the shops around the Plaza. Most of the shops' prices are higher than at Jackalope. Many of the goods are custom-made or hand-made: lots of artwork, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, etc. We did manage to find some good bargains, though!

Janet reminded me to mention that all the architecture here is completely different than anything in Indiana. There is no vinyl siding as most building are covered with stucco. The building styles are Pueblo or Adobe in earthy colors of brown, terra cotta and rust with wood trim and structural members. Without going into a big explanation, the materials are used because they are abundant and readily available and durable. All buildings are required reflect this style, even Target and this parking garage.

I enjoyed the slower pace of the day. Back at 'home' we watched TV and started thinking about leaving tomorrow morning. We decided to leave for the Grand Canyon early and stop at the Petrified Forest on the way. Rick and I picked up a few items from David & Brittney to take back to Indiana. We will be glad to have them closer to us, especially with our first great-grandchild on the way!

Bandelier & Los Alamos

Yesterday, I didn't have a picture of Ted & Janet to post so here it is! (Rio Grande Gorge Bridge)

Chilly again this morning, the girls hung out inside while the guys and Dennis took their camper to get four new tires put on. The tire store got him in right away and they came back in a little over an hour. We packed our lunch coolers and headed to Bandelier National Monument. The drive there is beautiful and arid with multicolor rocky plateaus and valleys, sage brush and pines. The Pueblo Indians lived here many centuries before the appearance of the white man. The ‘caveates’ or little caves in the south-facing vertical rock faces became their dwelling places. The natural holes in the volcanic rock provided perfect shelter for them and warmth from the sun. These people were geniuses. The small creek coming down from the hills could be dammed, flooding the flat pasture areas and watering their grain crops. The one hour hike up the hillside was a little challenging but we had to remember the elevation here. Luckily the National Park Service maintains the property and there are decent stairs and handrails. Handmade wooden ladders provide a view into their life in the caveates. Our version of camping is nothing like this!

On the drive to Bandelier, we saw the two couples from Kokomo that we met yesterday. We saw them again at the picnic site and spoke. I hope they don’t think we are stalking them! We found a picnic table, as Rick says, near a babbling brook. Lunch today was burger of your choice, chips, cookies and fruit. Our picnic lunches are the BEST! Somehow the food just tastes better when you’re sitting in the Lord’s dining room.

We left Bandelier and headed to Los Alamos. There are mysterious ‘laboratories’ and barbed security fences, HUGE satellite dishes and many other strange structures along the way. We stopped at the information center and the museum. We watched a movie on the development of the entire area. This area, about 38 square miles, was taken over by the government in the early 1940’s. Back then it was a desolate area with natives and very few other residents. This is the birthplace of the Atomic Bomb. At the time it was called, “the town with no name” because of the absolute secrecy surrounding the project. It made me grateful for their dedication, but also terrified that this Pandora’s Box had been opened.

Back to the campground (about an hour from Los Alamos)… The day in the sunshine (60-70 degrees) and wind exhausted us so we decided to have dinner at ‘home.’ The wind speeded up and clouds of dust blocked our view of the mountains in the distance. We heard that Interstate 40 south of Albuquerque was closed due to the dust storm. Dennis and Ted are setup with the long side of the campers into the wind and both were rocking. We are back-end to the wind (like horses and cows) and have very little movement. Weather forecasts call for more wind tomorrow (40 MPH?!) On our schedule tomorrow includes the downtown Plaza area.

The Road to Taos

Brrr. Rick didn't connect our water hose because of the possibility of freezing. Good move! We stayed warm overnight with our electric heaters and electric blanket. The guys checked into getting tires for Dennis & Ess' camper, then they drove to the rental car place to pickup a vehicle. Rick decided to rent a 6 passenger van to help us getting around. None of our trucks are big enough, so we would need to drive 2 vehicles. It just made sense to have one vehicle and one tank of gas. Ted drove 'the girls' to WalMart so we could shop for supplies and groceries. I have to remember to drink plenty of water. The elevation here plus the arid weather equals easy dehydration. I fought a headache all day, which eased when I drank more water.

We changed our Santa Fe schedule a bit and drove to Taos today. It is about 140 miles round-trip from Taos to Santa Fe. We stopped at 'El Sanctuario de Chimayo' - a pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics. There is a beautiful little chapel dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. The sancutary is considered to be on holy soil and is believed to have healing properties. The chapel is lovely and contains many sacred artifacts. When we arrived, they were celebrating daily Mass. The pilgrims make the trek beginning this Holy Week, usually on Good Friday. We changed our itinerary to avoid the masses of people walking on the road. I am terribly uneducated about the entire subject, so if you would like to know more, google the subject. Sorry....

The scenery on the High Road to Taos was fabulous and sad. While we were stunned by the beauty of the landscape, it is clear that many the people along the road live in poverty. Driving the winding road to Taos took longer than expected and we were getting hungry. We brought our grill to make hot dogs/grillers for lunch. We parked along an overlook area that only had one bench and a concrete wall to sit on. Hey, it worked for us and the scenery was beautiful. As we were eating, two couples from Kokomo, IN parked behind us and we talked and joked with them. We continued on to Taos. I guess I expected it to be a little more clean and tidy so that was disappointing. The temperature rose through the day and got up to about 60 eventally.

Past Taos, we headed toward the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. The gorge is stunning as is the bridge itself. We parked on one side of the bridge, then walked across taking pictures along the way. Rick and his fear of heights only made it halfway across. He headed back to get the van, then drove across to meet us on the other side of the gorge where there is a nice park. Poor Rick. We all laughed at him being terrified, but I know it is scary for him.
We headed back to Taos and then back to Santa Fe by way of the Low Road, which follows the lower Rio Grande River most of the way to Taos. We saw entirely different scenery this route. We stopped at a turnout to take pictures and there were several men fishing on the river bank.
The guys thought this would be a good way to spend a day. More poverty along the way...Sigh.
Back at the campground we rested some until time to go to dinner. We called granddaughter Brittney & husband David to have dinner with us. We loved seeing them and we will love having them near us again in Indiana.

Long Day

When we left OK City this morning it was pretty cold. The wind died some overnight, but it was still hard for the guys to drive. We knew we had a big day covering 540 miles to Santa Fe. About midday near the Texas/Oklahoma line, a tire went flat on Dennis' camper. They noticed right away that it had SHREDDED but luckily it didn't damage the camper when it blew. We drove slowly to the next exit to find a flat spot to change the tire. Rick and Ted did their best NASCAR Pit Crew act which they practiced last summer. In a short time the spare was on and the guys fueled up while the girls took care of lunch. Just so happened there was a Dairy Queen right there! I hate when that happens!

Back on the road, the wind eventually died some, but not completely. We passed many windmill farms capturing that energy flying across the flat land. (though not like this antique model!) Where I-40 crosses Oklahoma, Texas and into New Mexico, there are lots of cattle and miles and miles of...well, not much. Most of the areas are beautiful, but there's not much variation in the scenery. Esther and Janet read books and I watched a couple of movies to pass the time. After the flat tire incident, we were glad to have some monotony. The flat land then became more hilly, more rocky and more beautiful.

The last stretch of road from I-40 to Santa Fe is about 40 miles of 2 lane highway. We didn't know that about half of that was under re-construction. Some had been repaved, but about 5 miles of it was entirely gravel with very slow going. Several miles were single lane where we stopped completely for about 15 minutes to let traffic pass. We breathed easier when we finally arrived at the RV Park.

As the guys set-up, Janet made quesadillas and Esther and I chipped in dessert, vegetables and rice. We were all exhausted and very hungry. And now I'm going to BED!