2011 Road Trip *NEW MEXICO

So we did in fact pass through the South West corner of NM on our way to AZ and while we did see the towns we didn't really stop. On our way home we stopped in Albuquerque for the night. We arrived in town about 7p on 03.05 and since it was our anniversary we decided to find a place to eat. Never mind that we'd camped the night before and were slightly less than presentable. In down town Albuq we found a nice place where we could both eat (we previewed a menu prior to being seated). After eating lots of rice and beans and camp food then hand washing dishes it was a real treat to sit down and be served. And to have a selection of food! Wow. It took us a while to decide. And we shared a Classic Creme Brulee (minus the cookie) for dessert. A very nice anniversary indeed. That night we crashed in a hotel room as it was about 9p before we wrapped up dinner and hit the road again.

The next morning we headed north to see Santa Fe. We had anticipated camping at the Santa Fe National Forest.... When we arrived we drove up the mountain. And up. And up. And when we got to the location where we had wanted to camp there was several feet of SNOW! =) Rather than set up camp we hiked and played in the snow then headed back down the mountain and south towards Santa Fe again. We found a place to camp some where South East of Santa Fe in Santa Rosa, and decided we were going to detour south to see Carlsbad Caverns.

So we enjoyed camping one night and then started the drive to Carlsbad, NM. We passed (and stopped at David's urging) Roswell, NM where, according to legend an UFO landed and bodies from that UFO were stored in a shed some place in Roswell. While we did investigate the museum I vetoed the $10/each fee to see it and David agreed it was ludicrous so we scoured the gift shop instead. Do these people really believe that stuff?? I don't know but the woman I paid for my post cards with sure sounded convinced.

We arrived at Carlsbad Caverns about 30 mins after they allowed the last visitor to hike down. We debated and hemmed and hawed and decided what the heck we'd stick around. It was WINDY and we don't enjoy camping in super high winds in desert like weather.... because of the sand and burrs and the places that they can end up.... So we splurged on a hotel room.

Up early and out to the Caverns. We were among the first to start the hike into the cavern. They did post warnings that made it out to be quite treacherous but the semi-lighted, paved & railed pathway made for a lot less drama than anticipated... There are months when the bats come up from Mexico to mate and procreate. During this time there's swarms of bats that exit the cavern at dusk. Unfortunately we missed this but it was incredible anyway. We thought it was cool that we were on top of the world at the Grand Canyon just a few days before going beneath the world at Carlsbad. God sure added some fun places for his Kids to explore. I bet it was fun to Create too.

We stayed in the cavern a few hours but didn't linger because we left the pups in the truck. They were fine but happy to see us! After a break and a tinkle (pups & humans) we headed towards home again.


For more pictures click here

2011 Road Trip *GRAND CANYON

The Grand Canyon was the main event of our trip. We took the long way there and home so we could extend the vacation and see more of the South West while en-route. Where to even start. Wow. It was incredible. Hubs is much more interested in photography of the land while I tend to take more pictures of people but at the Grand Canyon I couldn't take enough pictures. The air was really clean and clear and there was snow on the ground still. The trails down into the canyon were still very icy and are also very steep. For one to hike down them right now one needs special equipment. Also, dogs are not allowed to hike down - with good reason I think. Since we didn't budget to invest in icy conditions hike equipment we stuck to the rim. There was still plenty to see and lots of hiking to do. And the pups could go. On day one we arrived late and saw from a distance. Day two we started hiking early and hiked 4+ hours. I didn't think Scratch was going to make it. He was beat. We settled in at the laundromat so I could run a load of clothing and David made a late lunch/early dinner in the parking lot on our propane stove - hey a girl's gotta eat!! Especially after that much exercise.

We got up early on March 05 so that we could watch the sun rise over the canyon and start off our anniversary on a romantic and incredible note. We were not disappointed. It's amazing to watch the sun peek over the rim and start lighting the canyon. We left the pups in the truck while we stood and watched as the colors changed and the sky grew brighter. I'm not sure how a person can witness such an event and still question God's existence. A human or process or big bang could never orchestrate such majesty.

Since we had done so much hiking the day before and Scratch was super grumpy about all that exercise, we decided we'd drive around the other 1/2 of the South Rim we hadn't seen. We stopped at all the look outs (Scratch barely lifted his head in acknowledgment of a stop) and then continued to New Mexico.

For more pictures click here

2011 Road Trip * ARIZONA

We drove Northwest from Big Bend, through the SW corner of NM and then due North through AZ. It was fun to see so much of the state. We camped at Catalina State Park for two nights to give ourselves and the pups a break from the truck. We had originally planned on having a hotel room in Tucson but the weather was so perfect we skipped the room in favor of a very nice state park. It had great amenities and we hiked much of the two days we were there. The weather was perfect - high 70's during the peak and about 30 at night. It was also very busy. The retirees were out in full force and David and I eyed all the campers and talked about selling the house and going on the road full time. Maybe in a few years. There's a huge selection of campers. From little bitty pop ups to mobile home sized monstrosities. We really liked the little mini-Airstream types.


The atmosphere in Tucson was remarkably easy on my lungs. I couldn't believe the difference in my ability to breath while there. My allergies and asthma have been pretty bad since living in KS and then here in TX. I did have relief while we were in Seattle also but it was pretty cool being able to hike for hours and feel great.


We also stopped by an In & Out while we were there. It was the first time we had eaten out on the trip and we decided that the fries and milkshake were the best bets so we shared one shake and two fries. David didn't get sick but I did. I imagine it was cross contamination considering it's a beef joint. The girl taking our order couldn't believe we were skipping the burgers.... we didn't get into it with her but there was no way David or I could have eaten a burger and gotten away with it for the rest of the day.


We checked out Phoenix en route to the Grand Canyon but only passed through. We didn't do much sight seeing or anything.



(I'm going to keep posting about our trip over the next few days - weeks??? - but I started a full time job Monday and we are adjusting to the new schedule and I won't have as much time to blog so bear with us. I'll also write more about the job at some point but I like order so first I'm working my way through our trip.)

For more pictures click here

2011 Road Trip * BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK

We decided to see the State Park because the National Park had very tight restrictions on pets. They weren't allowed on any trails and couldn't be left in vehicles. When we travel with the pups they usually hang out in the car when it's cool enough. When we camp, they sleep in the car because Scratch is a HUGE bed hog & Sunny thinks it's play time when we are all in the tent. Everyone sleeps better when the pups are regulated to the Xterra at bedtime.

The National Park was also having fire restrictions. As in we couldn't have one. At all. We camp to have fires. While we have a camp stove that is propane run, we prefer to cook over the fire.

The State Park has potable water in only a few areas. Most of the camp sites are primitive. With two humans and two canines we can go through water pretty quickly so we decided to stay one night. There was really high winds and the air was very dry. The moisture was seemingly sucked right out of our skin. We both had cracks in our hands and the pups had dry paws. It was incredible how dry and windy it was. David enjoyed the drive to the site. It was rough and patchy and 4*4 was recommended. Our Xterra doesn't have a 4*4 package because it was less expensive (purchase price and gas mileage) and we didn't think we'd use it all that much. We did fine though since everything was so dry!

Hiking was fun because we were the only campers in the area. We hiked quite a bit over rough patches and dry river beds.


More pictures can be seen here

2011 ROAD TRIP overview

David and I have been doing some traveling in the last few years but primarily to visit family or attend weddings. Both are fun and enjoyable but neither is truly vacation. Plus, we feel it's important as a couple to escape every day life. Even though we don't have children there's the daily grind that is nice to get away from.

This year (03.05.2011) we celebrated 6 years of marriage - which means we are working on year 7, which is supposed to be the "7 year itch" season of married life. Thankfully 6 days into our 7th year neither of us is experiencing an "itch" but we figured time off from regular life would be a great way to end year 6 and kick off year 7. In addition to our anniversary David and I have Birthdays within a few weeks and I start a new job Monday. Much to celebrate indeed.

We drove a large loop down to Big Bend Ranch State Park (which we chose over the National Park for the lesser restrictions concerning dogs & fires), then up through Tucson and Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. We mostly camped but got a hotel room for the occasional real shower and a load of laundry. Then we looped over to Albuquerque, up to Santa Fe, South through Santa Rosa, Roswell (alien nation evidently), Carlsbad then through Ft Stockton, TX and east on I10, with a stop in Austin, TX and home again. It was great. I'll post here about the actual trip and on our food allergy blog about the food and how we managed all the various food allergies while on the road.

(picture from Grand Canyon 03.05.2011 sun rise near Mather Point, South Rim)