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.


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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.

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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.)

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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)

Yea for girlfriends!

Three weeks ago David went camping with a buddy.

This weekend two of my girlfriends and I took off to Galveston. We did.... nothing. Went out to eat once. Cooked together, cleaned together, lounged in the sun, walked on the beach, hunted shells (some still inhabited!).... It was perfect. The weather was great and the beach house our friends family so generously allowed us to borrow was big enough that we each had our own room! :)

No pictures because girl weekends should have secrets.

CAMPING

I hate to say it but David did most of the packing/prep work for this camping trip and I still managed to forget the camera, the one thing I am responsible for bringing. Ah, but it certainly doesn't effect the camping experience and thankfully, Hubs packed the food. We're getting this camping thing down to a fine art. We have a "cook ware / misc" tub that has a lid and includes things like clean dishes & silver ware (I TOLD David hanging on to a few pieces of the junky stuff we had when we were single would come in handy when we placed the beautiful stuff my parents got us as wedding gift in service!!) two pots, one w/lid, old pot holders, paper towels, tongs, TP and other basics. So preparing for a camp trip basically means grabbing the tub, sleeping bags, tents, a cooler w/food and doggie water bowl. After this trip we've determined we are going to slap together a small "Lock N Lock" with basic food items (rice, oatmeal, a canned thick lentil soup that's safe for Hubs to eat....) so cooler grabbing won't be necessary either. Clean up is a snap too, we pile all the dirty dishes in a bag and haul 'em home. Sleeping bags get shaken out on site and dirty laundry, if any, gets piled on the floor board behind the passenger.

David packed the food. He got some salmon steaks and asparagus. He laid the asparagus on a strip of tin foil, then laid the salmon on top and another single layer of asparagus. Followed, of course with a pat of butter and salt & pepper. When we got the fire going we just tossed those puppies over the fire and wah-lah a delicious dinner in less than 30 mins. And it was perfect.

Breakfast was a one pot affair. Hubs had onions chopped and ready to go. Light the fire, grab a pot. Dump in onions and raw sausage. Stir around until everthing's nice and brown. Throw in six or so eggs and stir until cooked through. Hm. Hmn. Delicious.

We probably won't have too many weekends left that are cool enough for us to be out camping so we're making the most of what's left. This little place was great - less than an hour drive, so you feel as though you're getting away but you're not in the car all day. I thought the water tables were unnecessary (we are now proud owners of a 5-gallon re-usable jug) but a nice touch. The grounds were a bit wet but the sites have about a six inch build up of sand on which to pitch the tent - thus it's always dry enough.

First thing Sunny girl did this morning when we freed them to take care of business was find a happy pile of something nasty and throw herself joyously on top of it rubbing it in like lotion. Fantastic way to greet the morning. She earned herself a freezing cold bath with Joy dish detergent when I spotted the maggots.... She was not amused: finally smells ready to camp and gets hosed down at the water table. Thank God for the water table. We used more than 5 gallons for sure!

So back to reality for us. This week is going to be brutal for me. Four exams, a paper and a project. The last four weeks following will have a steady pace but shouldn't be as ridiculous as this coming one....

Spring Break 2010

My Spring Breaks of past have consisted of either working extra hours or (last year) making trips to a variety of appointments with David to discover what was making him so sick. This year, David and I had a real Spring Break. We high tailed it to see a good friend marry a beautiful and kind woman. Then we camped with our dear friends we simply don't see enough of. Then we took it easy coming home. Stayed a night in our own bed and camped on Mustang Beach. To wrap it up we made delicious shish-kabobs with friends last night and enjoyed a leisurely evening.

First picture is one of David with the groom (center) and the other guys that were on his floor in college. Tony, on the far end, was in our wedding and we camped with Tony and his wife after all the wedding festivities. It was great to see these guys again after so many years and to meet their wives and catch up with them.

The second picture is from camping with the W's. Tony was the Chef and whipped up some super delicious meals for us all to enjoy. His wife won over our pups by walking them to exhaustion and giving them all kinds of loving attention. The dogs LOVED camping, especially with the W's. We were the only ones out there camping so the pups got to do a bit of running and romping and slept really well for the next several days.

The last picture is from Mustang Beach right after we woke up on the sand. It was beautiful. The evening was great but by the wee morning hours the wind was picking up quite a bit and we left after having sandy chai and visited Cracker Barrel for breakfast rather than battling the high winds to make camp fire breakfast. Scratch really enjoyed beach camping. He rooted in the sand and chased Sunny all over the place. Sunshine "chased" the kits, sea gulls and other flying objects that had the gall to pass our area.

Now it's back to reality with a 4:20am alarm clock and a health bill passed in congress. I don't know what made me more sick to my stomach. I know which will have the long term ill effects.

Running away
David and I realized, about midweek, that we had a four day weekend that was arriving. We decided to bail on life for a couple of days. David had acquired enough points while traveling to cover the cost of a hotel and we haven't been away, just the two of us, for VACATION (ie: not visiting family, house hunting, or anything else) since we went to Mexico in '06. Enough is enough we needed to GET OUT. So we bailed. We dropped the dogs off at a kennel and hit the road. We went to San Antonio. Neither of us had been, we didn't know anyone that lived there and it was close enough that we wouldn't spend all day in the car. Also, they had a hotel with space that would accept our points in lieu of cash, last minute no less.

We parked our X in the hotel parking lot and didn't return until it was time to head home. We were able to walk every where. It was so nice to stretch our legs and enjoy one another. Basically we were able to walk out the back door of our hotel onto the Riverwalk. Not the busy section though, that was about .8 mile away. So we walked around, we ate out, we rode bikes, we took naps, we laughed and made silly jokes, we saw the Alamo, we stuck our feet in the pool (we were too lazy to change after walking for a few miles so we were content with just our feet in the water), we laid in bed and listened to the rain, we slept in, we walked the Riverwalk, we watched old movies on TV and we just chilled. How nice. Much needed and on a budget. We packed a cooler full of drinks, a bag full of snacks and stayed at a hotel with breakfast provided. We ate at the same place a few times because it was close and it was delicious. We haven't had really good Mediterranean food since we left Wichita (crazy I know but they had Bella Luna there and we would have happily eaten there weekly if given the opportunity). Oh and on our "way" home we tried a place that we happily drooled while reading the menu. And holy cow it was delicious. Worth the hour long wait for a table.

So now we are back to life. Relaxed, reconnected and renewed. David is taking a trip to KS for work and will be able to visit his family while there. We had been trying to figure out how we would manage a visit for me to CT and a visit for him to KS and CB&I solved the KS part for us. ;-) They obviously won't pay for me to accompany him but we're glad he's able to stay an extra day or so to visit his family. I'll hold down the fort here and start looking for a part time summer job. I'd like to find something I can do, at least until classes start again. Thus far most of the jobs require evenings and weekends which aren't really what I'm after. I'd like to have my evenings and weekends for family time. We'll see what turns up.

For more pictures click here.