Our last day with Bill & Deborah...
Slept in some this morning, had a leisurely start to the day and Deborah fixed everyone "jammers." Very tasty. Nate & I started getting things put together, went shopping to replace items lost when our totes were stolen, and played Skip Bo with Carol. We have really enjoyed our time in Phoenix. We are ready to hit the road though. Unfortunately, our trip plans have changed slightly. As the Grand Canyon has gotten too cold and snowy, we are no longer going there. Nate promises to bring me back someday. Our plan is to go to the Lake Mead recreation area outside of Vegas Monday night, then down into Barstow, CA to visit with my Uncle Les, up to Red Rock Canyon for the night, and finally to Three Rivers, CA to stay near the Sequioa's. We are planning to stay there 1-2 nights, then over to the coastal area of CA and probably up the 101 to the Redwoods. I am sure we will have a stop somewhere between there, just not 100% concrete on it yet. We are now unsure of whether we will make it back to Seattle in time for Thanksgiving or not...we shall see. We are enjoying ourselves, but I think Nate, the dogs, & I are ready for a more settled life style.
We had a fabulous dinner prepared by Deborah...Pumpkin Enchiladas. mmmmm very tasty. I'm going to have to get the recipe from her later. :)
Seems like we get tired when the sun goes down and we wake up with the sun, not a bad way of life.
We will do our best to keep everyone updated as our travels continue.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Day 15 November 13th
Today, I woke again around 5:30am. Don't know what is up with that...
Stayed in bed loving on Mia and Kali until 7. Poor Brisbane doesn't come for the cuddle until we are out of bed. Had a leisurely morning in my pajamas until after Deborah came back from her run to the farmers market first thing this morning. We had a nice breakfast of eggs with bacon and hashbrowns. Then it was off to the farmers market to take in the sights and smells. Nate and I purchased a few things to add to our food stores that we needed to replace and also bought some fresh beef and lamb for the dinner we were making for a thank you tonight.
We then went to Scottsdale to the Fashion Square...I have NEVER been in such a huge mall. There were several levels and wings to it. We needed the bordelaise sauce from Williams Sonoma for the dinner. Of course I had to check out the Disney Store since I was there and Nate took me into this store called Puppies N' Love. There were so many cute puppies. They actually took really good care of them from the looks of things. We also noticed that they had a gurantee that they used specific breeders, no puppy mills. Good to see! Having taken quite some time getting there and wandering around to find what we needed, we headed to Whole Foods to gather the rest of our ingredients...
Dinner Menu
Sarah Faye's Shepherds Pie
Harvest Salad (inspired by Dewey's Pizza)
Key Lime Pie for dessert
We managed to gather our ingredients, make it back to the house by 4:30 and dinner on the table by 6:30...almost half time for the Oregon Ducks/University of CA Berkley game. It was enjoyed by all.
GO DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those who are interested in the Harvest Salad...
Spring Greens Mix
Applewood Smoked Bacon (done crispy)
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (best if toasted in skillet after cooking bacon)
Black Mission Figs (quartered)
Boursin Cheese
Calls for Apple Cider Honey Vinegarette, we used a Maine Blueberry Vinegarette
I might be nice someday and post my Shepherds Pie recipe :)
Off to watch the rest of the Ducks game!
Stayed in bed loving on Mia and Kali until 7. Poor Brisbane doesn't come for the cuddle until we are out of bed. Had a leisurely morning in my pajamas until after Deborah came back from her run to the farmers market first thing this morning. We had a nice breakfast of eggs with bacon and hashbrowns. Then it was off to the farmers market to take in the sights and smells. Nate and I purchased a few things to add to our food stores that we needed to replace and also bought some fresh beef and lamb for the dinner we were making for a thank you tonight.
We then went to Scottsdale to the Fashion Square...I have NEVER been in such a huge mall. There were several levels and wings to it. We needed the bordelaise sauce from Williams Sonoma for the dinner. Of course I had to check out the Disney Store since I was there and Nate took me into this store called Puppies N' Love. There were so many cute puppies. They actually took really good care of them from the looks of things. We also noticed that they had a gurantee that they used specific breeders, no puppy mills. Good to see! Having taken quite some time getting there and wandering around to find what we needed, we headed to Whole Foods to gather the rest of our ingredients...
Dinner Menu
Sarah Faye's Shepherds Pie
Harvest Salad (inspired by Dewey's Pizza)
Key Lime Pie for dessert
We managed to gather our ingredients, make it back to the house by 4:30 and dinner on the table by 6:30...almost half time for the Oregon Ducks/University of CA Berkley game. It was enjoyed by all.
GO DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those who are interested in the Harvest Salad...
Spring Greens Mix
Applewood Smoked Bacon (done crispy)
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (best if toasted in skillet after cooking bacon)
Black Mission Figs (quartered)
Boursin Cheese
Calls for Apple Cider Honey Vinegarette, we used a Maine Blueberry Vinegarette
I might be nice someday and post my Shepherds Pie recipe :)
Off to watch the rest of the Ducks game!
Day 14 November 12th
Awoke early (5:30am) to a phone call from my neighbor Dave who had just gotten off work and forgot about the time change.
"Hi Sarah Faye"
"Morning Dave"
"You weren't sleeping were you?"
"Yes I was Dave"
"You can't, you're camping!"
"Not right now I'm not Dave..." and so on...
After that, the dogs would not be quiet...they started barking and wouldn't give it up. So a little after 7 we got up and walked out to the house to ourselves for a bit. Bill had to go in for a surgery and Deborah went with him. We fixed ourselves some breakfast that had kindly been left out for us. Spent some time on the computer and relaxed with the dogs. Then we had the wonderful company of George and Carol, Deborah's parents. We talked for a bit before Nate and I headed off to run some errands at REI, Petco, & the grocery store. I desperately needed a hat for my head that fit correctly so that I could stay warm in the tent while I slept. REI of course had what I needed. We returned to find Bill home, and Deborah heading off to work. We spent some time with George & Carol again, watching the dogs interact until Bill got up and wanted to play a game. Carol voted for Scrabble. Two games later, Carol had soundly beat us on both...but I did improve my score between both games and had the awesome word "quartile." Bill decided that pizza sounded good and we tried a place they like quite a bit called "Sauce" It was very good. We had pepperoni with crimini mushrooms, sausage with carmelized onions, chicken pesto with tomato, and wild mushroom with arugula. Very tasty. When Nate and I went to feed our dogs tonight, he realized something. A tote that he had moved off the truck and placed under the bumper was gone...we hunted around and I realized that a 2nd tote was not on the truck. Great. Someone stole our 2 food totes off the truck. Weird thing to steal, but they did. Unfortunately for us, our tea kettle, coffee mugs, expensive salt and pepper grinders, and a lot of healthy yummy food was gone! Annoying. Not the end of the world I know, but an inconvenience. So now we are staying in Phoenix until Monday so we can go grocery shopping and still repack the truck. The dogs are doing well here, Mia has enough of a routine that she is eating straight dry food again. Thank goodness!
After unloading the rest of the totes from the truck into the garage so nothing happened to the rest of our items, we went to bed exhausted.
"Hi Sarah Faye"
"Morning Dave"
"You weren't sleeping were you?"
"Yes I was Dave"
"You can't, you're camping!"
"Not right now I'm not Dave..." and so on...
After that, the dogs would not be quiet...they started barking and wouldn't give it up. So a little after 7 we got up and walked out to the house to ourselves for a bit. Bill had to go in for a surgery and Deborah went with him. We fixed ourselves some breakfast that had kindly been left out for us. Spent some time on the computer and relaxed with the dogs. Then we had the wonderful company of George and Carol, Deborah's parents. We talked for a bit before Nate and I headed off to run some errands at REI, Petco, & the grocery store. I desperately needed a hat for my head that fit correctly so that I could stay warm in the tent while I slept. REI of course had what I needed. We returned to find Bill home, and Deborah heading off to work. We spent some time with George & Carol again, watching the dogs interact until Bill got up and wanted to play a game. Carol voted for Scrabble. Two games later, Carol had soundly beat us on both...but I did improve my score between both games and had the awesome word "quartile." Bill decided that pizza sounded good and we tried a place they like quite a bit called "Sauce" It was very good. We had pepperoni with crimini mushrooms, sausage with carmelized onions, chicken pesto with tomato, and wild mushroom with arugula. Very tasty. When Nate and I went to feed our dogs tonight, he realized something. A tote that he had moved off the truck and placed under the bumper was gone...we hunted around and I realized that a 2nd tote was not on the truck. Great. Someone stole our 2 food totes off the truck. Weird thing to steal, but they did. Unfortunately for us, our tea kettle, coffee mugs, expensive salt and pepper grinders, and a lot of healthy yummy food was gone! Annoying. Not the end of the world I know, but an inconvenience. So now we are staying in Phoenix until Monday so we can go grocery shopping and still repack the truck. The dogs are doing well here, Mia has enough of a routine that she is eating straight dry food again. Thank goodness!
After unloading the rest of the totes from the truck into the garage so nothing happened to the rest of our items, we went to bed exhausted.
Day 13 November 11th
Slept pretty well last night after getting a shower. That was nice. Deborah didn't have work today as it was Veteran's Day, but poor Bill still had to go in. We had a leisurely morning as Deborah ran some errands. I updated the website and had some leftover Thai for breakfast. We were waiting for Deborah's parents to arrive. We slowly moved the dogs out to the main room, scooting their gate down the hallway from the office and then we let Brisbane out to meet Max as there had not been any barking in quite some time. It was so cute watching Brisbane and Max play...
Max really wanted to go outside with Brisbane to play but we were unsure as they have a pool in the backyard. We know Brisbane and water. Deborah said that Max didn't like the pool and she didn't think it would be a problem. We cautiously let him out and up he went to the hot tub and kersplash...in he went.
Of course he needed help in finding the stairs for getting back out. Max thought he was crazy since Max doesn't like getting wet. They played and chased each other around and Brisbane went in and out of the hot tub and the pool several times. After Max went inside, we brought the girls out and they went into the pool too. Kali did all right, poor Mia stepped in and panicked as she wasn't expecting the depth. Nate had to haul her out and she was very wary after that.
That short time playing in and out of the pool was better than the trip to a dog park we thought we were going to do. After that, the dogs interacted very well with Max once they were dry. Fortunately by the time Deborah's parent's arrived, they were mostly dry and we were able to pen them back up so we could go to the Desert Botanical Garden. What an experience. Nate took so many beautiful pictures which he will post soon. I took a few with my camera to give an idea.
So many varieties of cacti, butterflies, quail, chipmunks, birds...it was amazing.
We returned to the house were we had Bill's famous pork tacos for dinner. Yummy!!!
Another satisfying day.
Max really wanted to go outside with Brisbane to play but we were unsure as they have a pool in the backyard. We know Brisbane and water. Deborah said that Max didn't like the pool and she didn't think it would be a problem. We cautiously let him out and up he went to the hot tub and kersplash...in he went.
Of course he needed help in finding the stairs for getting back out. Max thought he was crazy since Max doesn't like getting wet. They played and chased each other around and Brisbane went in and out of the hot tub and the pool several times. After Max went inside, we brought the girls out and they went into the pool too. Kali did all right, poor Mia stepped in and panicked as she wasn't expecting the depth. Nate had to haul her out and she was very wary after that.
That short time playing in and out of the pool was better than the trip to a dog park we thought we were going to do. After that, the dogs interacted very well with Max once they were dry. Fortunately by the time Deborah's parent's arrived, they were mostly dry and we were able to pen them back up so we could go to the Desert Botanical Garden. What an experience. Nate took so many beautiful pictures which he will post soon. I took a few with my camera to give an idea.
So many varieties of cacti, butterflies, quail, chipmunks, birds...it was amazing.
We returned to the house were we had Bill's famous pork tacos for dinner. Yummy!!!
Another satisfying day.
Day 12 November 10th
Oh my! That was sooooooo cold! It went below freezing last night; how do we know? The water jug that we left out was frozen solid, the dogs water bowl was filled with ice, and every exposed part of us was frozen. Unfortunately there was a lot of me that didn't have much cover as Mia had made herself very comfortable. We had put on one of her cute little jackets as we noticed that it was more chilly when we went to sleep. Part way through the night, Mia slipped off the end of the bed and got trapped between the tent wall and the air mattress. What a shocked and panicked look on her face. My poor baby. You should have seen the sparks fly when I hauled her back up over the nylon sleeping bags and Serasoft blankets. She was very careful to avoid the edge of the bed from then on & unfortunately at that point I was very aware of how cold I was so I never really got back to sleep.
The dogs were as always, up with the sun and Nate went to get dressed to let them out. Imagine the look on his face as he slipped on those icy jeans and cold socks.
I on the other hand, thought about it for a few before I climbed out of the sleeping bag. I wondered if there was a chance that my pajamas would fit under my jeans...YES!!! There was no shocked look on my face, just one of triumph. I also left on my warm cozy socks from the night and just loosened the laces on my shoes. Not too bad. We heated up some water for the dogs and warmed their dog food. We opted to have some tea and coffee and then take the dogs for a hike along the lake once the sun had warmed things up a little more. We took the opposite trail from the day before and enjoyed a new scenic view. It was not as long as the previous trail, but that was alright as we had to get back and repack the vehicles and hit the road for Phoenix.
It didn't take us long to reorganize the vehicles. Nate is getting better each time he does. Although we did have a visitor in our camp that Nate took the time to photograph...
From Show Lo we changed our route and followed the direction of our phone's GPS. Along Highway 260 along the forest land. It was beautiful. Although we did notice the evidence of a massive forest fire from a while back. Nate did some research on it as there were miles and miles of recovering burned forest. We found out that the fire happened back in 2002 and threatened the city of Show Lo and forced an evacuation. It really takes a long time for the landscape to recover.
We drove through some cute towns and through some very touristy ranches and resorts. We passed some little mom and pop pizza shops and I decided that I would like that for lunch further down the road. I found one listed for Payson, AZ where we would connect with Highway 87
into the Phoenix area. We stopped just outside Payson and tried to fill up with gas at a Circle K in Star Valley, AZ. We gave up after 5 minutes when there was only 0.18 gallons in my car. Unfortunately, my phone was wrong and there was no pizza place anymore so Nate took the lead and led us out of town. A ways down the road, Nate pulled off at a hiking trail head
and we unloaded the dogs and made ourselves a picnic lunch out of the totes in Nate's truck and enjoyed a tailgate meal. Of course, 15 minutes after we arrived at the trailhead; a ranger came by to see who we were, why we were there, where we were from and a multitude of other questions. Good to know they keep an eye on the more remote places. Back on the road, we arrived in Phoenix around 5:30pm. I of course was so excited to see cactus that I had to get pictures of my first views of them driving down the highway.
I think I'm improving on just holding the camera and hoping I get something. Of course Mia was comfortable on the seat as usual.
The dogs were ready to be out but they were unsure of Max, Bill & Deborah's dog. We secluded ours in the office for awhile and played shuffle the dogs in and out until bed.
We had some wonderful Thai food for dinner and went to bed not too late.
All in all, a good day!
The dogs were as always, up with the sun and Nate went to get dressed to let them out. Imagine the look on his face as he slipped on those icy jeans and cold socks.
I on the other hand, thought about it for a few before I climbed out of the sleeping bag. I wondered if there was a chance that my pajamas would fit under my jeans...YES!!! There was no shocked look on my face, just one of triumph. I also left on my warm cozy socks from the night and just loosened the laces on my shoes. Not too bad. We heated up some water for the dogs and warmed their dog food. We opted to have some tea and coffee and then take the dogs for a hike along the lake once the sun had warmed things up a little more. We took the opposite trail from the day before and enjoyed a new scenic view. It was not as long as the previous trail, but that was alright as we had to get back and repack the vehicles and hit the road for Phoenix.
It didn't take us long to reorganize the vehicles. Nate is getting better each time he does. Although we did have a visitor in our camp that Nate took the time to photograph...
From Show Lo we changed our route and followed the direction of our phone's GPS. Along Highway 260 along the forest land. It was beautiful. Although we did notice the evidence of a massive forest fire from a while back. Nate did some research on it as there were miles and miles of recovering burned forest. We found out that the fire happened back in 2002 and threatened the city of Show Lo and forced an evacuation. It really takes a long time for the landscape to recover.
We drove through some cute towns and through some very touristy ranches and resorts. We passed some little mom and pop pizza shops and I decided that I would like that for lunch further down the road. I found one listed for Payson, AZ where we would connect with Highway 87
into the Phoenix area. We stopped just outside Payson and tried to fill up with gas at a Circle K in Star Valley, AZ. We gave up after 5 minutes when there was only 0.18 gallons in my car. Unfortunately, my phone was wrong and there was no pizza place anymore so Nate took the lead and led us out of town. A ways down the road, Nate pulled off at a hiking trail head
and we unloaded the dogs and made ourselves a picnic lunch out of the totes in Nate's truck and enjoyed a tailgate meal. Of course, 15 minutes after we arrived at the trailhead; a ranger came by to see who we were, why we were there, where we were from and a multitude of other questions. Good to know they keep an eye on the more remote places. Back on the road, we arrived in Phoenix around 5:30pm. I of course was so excited to see cactus that I had to get pictures of my first views of them driving down the highway.
I think I'm improving on just holding the camera and hoping I get something. Of course Mia was comfortable on the seat as usual.
The dogs were ready to be out but they were unsure of Max, Bill & Deborah's dog. We secluded ours in the office for awhile and played shuffle the dogs in and out until bed.
We had some wonderful Thai food for dinner and went to bed not too late.
All in all, a good day!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Day 11 November 9th
Today, we are relaxing after a long day yesterday. Had a good nights sleep at Fool Hollow Lake. I didn't even notice that it had rained. First on our to do list was showers. They had nice facilities and it felt so good to get clean. Nate was so sweet and fixed me pancakes for breakfast. It was so tasty. Nothing like the outdoors to increase your appetite and make everything taste better. It was a chilly morning, and after going down to the rangers station to pay for our site, I took some pictures of the park on the way back.
We then decided to take a hike with the dogs around the lake. That was an adventure. We didn't know how long the trail was or where it ended. But it was fun. It went around to the opposite side of the lake and ended at the boat ramp in their day area. We paused at the boat ramp because of a bunch of ducks that were making quite a bit of noise and were very interested in us. Nate and I were very close to them. If we had food, I'm sure they would have eaten from our hands.
Nate and I continued on up the road and to an overlook onto a service road and back down to the trail.
We relaxed for most of the day, Nate ran into town for more firewood and water, I rested in the tent for a bit.
Tacos were the meal of the night. Boy were they tasty. A Curde family tradition. We had to have them at some point. We enjoyed the fire for awhile and eventually went to bed early as it was dark so soon and it was really getting quite cold. In the tent, we were bad and pulled out our DS game systems and competed with each other in some Dominoes and other such games. I love it when I beat Nate. :-P
We then decided to take a hike with the dogs around the lake. That was an adventure. We didn't know how long the trail was or where it ended. But it was fun. It went around to the opposite side of the lake and ended at the boat ramp in their day area. We paused at the boat ramp because of a bunch of ducks that were making quite a bit of noise and were very interested in us. Nate and I were very close to them. If we had food, I'm sure they would have eaten from our hands.
Nate and I continued on up the road and to an overlook onto a service road and back down to the trail.
We relaxed for most of the day, Nate ran into town for more firewood and water, I rested in the tent for a bit.
Tacos were the meal of the night. Boy were they tasty. A Curde family tradition. We had to have them at some point. We enjoyed the fire for awhile and eventually went to bed early as it was dark so soon and it was really getting quite cold. In the tent, we were bad and pulled out our DS game systems and competed with each other in some Dominoes and other such games. I love it when I beat Nate. :-P
Day 10 November 8th
I was so proud of us this morning. We knew it was going to be a hard push to Show Lo, AZ so we set an alarm for 6am. We were up, dogs fed, dogs pottied, camp broken down and on our way out of the park at 7:15am. As promised, Nate gave us time to take a few pictures on our way out of Roswell along with a stop at Starbucks for some coffee and my favorite: salted caramel hot chocolate. Mmmmm. What a great way to start the morning.
Our route took us Highway 380 West. We saw a lot of cute stops along the way, but Nate was focused and kept on trucking. He did regret not stopping at a rock shop near the White Sands Missile Range where they had trinotyte samples from when they had tested the atomic bomb.
We did stop at Smoky the Bears Monument and took in the scenery.
In San Antonio, NM after Nate spotted a stop for home made fudge, I spotted a small tavern with a sign saying #7 in America. My curiosity peaked, I pulled in. Awesome decision.
Buckhorn Tavern was featured in Travel & Leisure Magazine and was #7 for their Chili Burger. We were even more excited to find out that they had beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown Show with the burger. Of course Nate had to try it. We ordered it to go, which was not their normal and they were kind enough to allow us to bring the dogs onto their porch and eat there. We of course got pictures with the chef who beat Bobby Flay and Nate said it was well worth the stop. These are the parts of the trip that I love so much. Stopping at these hole in the wall spots and enjoying some really good tastes of America. Wouldn't get that on the Interstate.
After passing by some previous fun stops, Nate made sure to stop in Socorro, NM at a gift and craft shop. I wish I had more time to browse through everything. We made a few more stops in Magdalena, but didn't find anything. We continued along Highway 60W and drove through some beautiful mountains. We passed over the Continental Divide and stopped in Pie Town for some famous pies.
Nate had blueberry and I had cherry. Perfect!
Finally arriving in Show Lo, AZ shortly around dark. We stopped at a Safeway to get some firewood and a few staples before trying to find the park. That was the main problem, there were no good signs. After many wrong turns and turn arounds, Nate finally found it and we made our way in. We found our site in the dark on the only loop that was open, the RV sites. We found a nice spot (one of maybe 3 where a tent could go) and set up the best we could. Macaroni and Cheese was the food of choice for dinner and it was soooo good.
After a little fire and some good food, we crawled into bed, ready for another day.
Our route took us Highway 380 West. We saw a lot of cute stops along the way, but Nate was focused and kept on trucking. He did regret not stopping at a rock shop near the White Sands Missile Range where they had trinotyte samples from when they had tested the atomic bomb.
We did stop at Smoky the Bears Monument and took in the scenery.
In San Antonio, NM after Nate spotted a stop for home made fudge, I spotted a small tavern with a sign saying #7 in America. My curiosity peaked, I pulled in. Awesome decision.
Buckhorn Tavern was featured in Travel & Leisure Magazine and was #7 for their Chili Burger. We were even more excited to find out that they had beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown Show with the burger. Of course Nate had to try it. We ordered it to go, which was not their normal and they were kind enough to allow us to bring the dogs onto their porch and eat there. We of course got pictures with the chef who beat Bobby Flay and Nate said it was well worth the stop. These are the parts of the trip that I love so much. Stopping at these hole in the wall spots and enjoying some really good tastes of America. Wouldn't get that on the Interstate.
After passing by some previous fun stops, Nate made sure to stop in Socorro, NM at a gift and craft shop. I wish I had more time to browse through everything. We made a few more stops in Magdalena, but didn't find anything. We continued along Highway 60W and drove through some beautiful mountains. We passed over the Continental Divide and stopped in Pie Town for some famous pies.
Nate had blueberry and I had cherry. Perfect!
Finally arriving in Show Lo, AZ shortly around dark. We stopped at a Safeway to get some firewood and a few staples before trying to find the park. That was the main problem, there were no good signs. After many wrong turns and turn arounds, Nate finally found it and we made our way in. We found our site in the dark on the only loop that was open, the RV sites. We found a nice spot (one of maybe 3 where a tent could go) and set up the best we could. Macaroni and Cheese was the food of choice for dinner and it was soooo good.
After a little fire and some good food, we crawled into bed, ready for another day.
Day 9 November 7
What a crazy, windy night last night! The wind in the canyon was so bad that Nate had to get up to re stake a corner of the tent that had come up and was smacking me and Mia. He had to create some tie outs to make the tent stronger. After the wind, I was wide awake for a bit and could hear the coyotes yipping and howling in the distance. The dogs did not seem to be affected by the noise.
We woke up with the sun, as it seems to happen every day on this trip. When you don't live by the clock, you seem to find a natural rhythm.
I wanted to check out a few spots in the park before we left and I was hoping to see the famous Texas bison herd that was the trademark of the park. We hurried and broke camp so we wouldn't be starting out too late for Roswell, NM.
We are getting faster and faster each time we set up and break camp. We are going to be pros by the time we are done.
We did some photography around the park, but never saw the bison herd...sad.
We continued on Highway 86W towards New Mexico. It was a better drive as it was not quite as flat and straight. We kept on that route until we hit Texaco, NM where we stopped at the visitors center and had a cleaning crew for our vehicles.
We then continued into Clovis, NM where we found lunch at a Sonic, and took Highway 70W into Roswell where Bottomless Lake State Park was located.
The drive down into the state park was absolutely breathtaking.
I really enjoyed it. The campsites were ok in Nate's opinion, but he really wasn't wanting more wind. We set up our tent and Nate tied out the rain fly to give it some strength. He did not want another late night romp out to fix the tent.
We decided the dogs had enough of the car and needed a walk, so we went to tour the area. We were warned by a fellow camper about the burrs in the grass. Kali and Brisbane were exceptionally talented at finding them, even though we tried our best to keep them out of the grass. Poor puppies limping until we could pull them out of their feet. Mia managed to avoid them. We got some beautiful pictures around the park
before going back to fix ourselves some food. Poor Nate was so tired and hungry by that time. He really didn't like having to deal with fixing food in the wind and dark. He was a tad grumpy about it. Of course he did have to deal with a lot of stuff that we brought with us. We didn't plan as well as we could have and we have a lot of extra stuff we didn't really need. Thank goodness no other camping trip will ever be packed this way. LOL!
After food, we went to bed super early as it got dark at 6pm. I was disappointed that we were not going to be able to tour Roswell since we had the dogs and we needed to make our next stop. Nate and I agreed that if we got up early, broke camp fast enough we could take some pictures in town before we left.
We woke up with the sun, as it seems to happen every day on this trip. When you don't live by the clock, you seem to find a natural rhythm.
I wanted to check out a few spots in the park before we left and I was hoping to see the famous Texas bison herd that was the trademark of the park. We hurried and broke camp so we wouldn't be starting out too late for Roswell, NM.
We are getting faster and faster each time we set up and break camp. We are going to be pros by the time we are done.
We did some photography around the park, but never saw the bison herd...sad.
We continued on Highway 86W towards New Mexico. It was a better drive as it was not quite as flat and straight. We kept on that route until we hit Texaco, NM where we stopped at the visitors center and had a cleaning crew for our vehicles.
We then continued into Clovis, NM where we found lunch at a Sonic, and took Highway 70W into Roswell where Bottomless Lake State Park was located.
The drive down into the state park was absolutely breathtaking.
I really enjoyed it. The campsites were ok in Nate's opinion, but he really wasn't wanting more wind. We set up our tent and Nate tied out the rain fly to give it some strength. He did not want another late night romp out to fix the tent.
We decided the dogs had enough of the car and needed a walk, so we went to tour the area. We were warned by a fellow camper about the burrs in the grass. Kali and Brisbane were exceptionally talented at finding them, even though we tried our best to keep them out of the grass. Poor puppies limping until we could pull them out of their feet. Mia managed to avoid them. We got some beautiful pictures around the park
before going back to fix ourselves some food. Poor Nate was so tired and hungry by that time. He really didn't like having to deal with fixing food in the wind and dark. He was a tad grumpy about it. Of course he did have to deal with a lot of stuff that we brought with us. We didn't plan as well as we could have and we have a lot of extra stuff we didn't really need. Thank goodness no other camping trip will ever be packed this way. LOL!
After food, we went to bed super early as it got dark at 6pm. I was disappointed that we were not going to be able to tour Roswell since we had the dogs and we needed to make our next stop. Nate and I agreed that if we got up early, broke camp fast enough we could take some pictures in town before we left.
Day 8 November 6th
We left Mansfield today and headed for Caprock Canyons State Park. We had a later start today about 9am. We took Highway 287W until we met Highway 86W into the state park. It was a pretty drive. We realized how flat Texas was and that we mostly saw fields with cotton or cows. It was a longer drive than we realized as the flat terrain gets to you quickly. I don't know how long distance truck drivers do this all the time. There were no noteworthy stops on the way, our lunch was KFC where they were out of honey and a lot of other items. The state park was beautiful when we got there; although Nate did try to drive right past it. :) We had enough daylight to set up the tent. That is always nice. Unfortunately, we took the dogs for a walk and burned the rest of our daylight so dinner was in the dark. At least we had the new propane lantern which helped a lot.
Nate had bought some potatoes and onions to make a hash in some foil. He had a lot of trouble getting the fire to start. His red oak was a little too damp to hold a flame. Fortunately we had some nice neighbors with really dry railroad tie timber which they were willing to share. Nate set about making our hash and it smelled wonderful, unfortunately, the foil bag he made really didn't last and it split open. We had to remove it from the fire and it was still not done. He tried to finish it on the griddle and got it most of the way there. It was still very tasty. What is it about the outdoors that makes almost anything taste great?
I of course was unsure about the composting outhouses they had. Giant spider over the door and a wasp hanging out on the door. Took me awhile to go in. :) Ah the joys of camping. We went into the tent shortly after dinner as it was dark and windy. After getting ourselves and the dogs settled, we played a few rounds of Skip Bo, not easy on sleeping bags mind you but so much fun. Especially when I am beating Nate!
Day 6 & 7 November 4th & 5th
We spent these days visiting with Auntie & Garret. What a wonderful time. The first day we woke to the garage door going up as Auntie took Garrett to school. We spent the morning figuring out our next stops on the road. We had some sandwiches for lunch and then went to run some errands before picking up Garrett from his piano practice. We had realized at our last campground that the LED lantern was just not great for outside. It worked well in the tent, but we really needed a propane lantern. Also, we needed a pet store as Mia refuses to eat anything dry. She has only eaten grudgingly with wet food. We were able to hear Garrett practicing piano and then had a wonderful spaghetti dinner cooked by Auntie. Nate loved the sauce which was Mama's recipe. So I'm going to have to start making it. The poor dogs had to be kept penned as they weren't getting along too well with my Aunt's dog Levi. I felt bad for Levi too as this was the second time in a few weeks that he had dogs invade his home. My mom had been there shortly before us on her way to and from the national dog show.
Our next day in Texas, Auntie was kind enough to make us waffles. I haven't had waffles since we got married as Nate & I never agreed on a waffle iron. We took all the dogs for a walk which was nice as we had one person for each dog. Then Garrett had to work on his homework for the day. I took the opportunity to update the blog while we waited. Then we went to go see the "psycho fish" at a local lake after some Chick-Fil-A which I won't be able to get in WA.
The psycho fish weren't as psycho, this was due to an abundance of birds on the water. We still had a wonderful time. :)
Garrett saw a Grackle eat from my hand while we were getting fish food
and wanted to get some birds to eat from his hands. He has a lot of focus. He was very patient and still and after 20-30 minutes SUCCESS! :)
We saw Auntie's new property on the way back to the house, very excited for them. It was a nice piece of land. Garrett had to finish his school work and then I taught them Skip Bo and then Apples to Apples Disney Edition which we played until Garrett's friends birthday party. Nate stayed with the dogs so I could have more time with Auntie & Garrett since we were planning on pulling out the next day. We had a good time, talking with Tracy and some other parents. Auntie even played "Just Dance" on the Wii for the first time. :) Garrett thought that was pretty funny. All in all, short visit but very fun!
Our next day in Texas, Auntie was kind enough to make us waffles. I haven't had waffles since we got married as Nate & I never agreed on a waffle iron. We took all the dogs for a walk which was nice as we had one person for each dog. Then Garrett had to work on his homework for the day. I took the opportunity to update the blog while we waited. Then we went to go see the "psycho fish" at a local lake after some Chick-Fil-A which I won't be able to get in WA.
The psycho fish weren't as psycho, this was due to an abundance of birds on the water. We still had a wonderful time. :)
Garrett saw a Grackle eat from my hand while we were getting fish food
and wanted to get some birds to eat from his hands. He has a lot of focus. He was very patient and still and after 20-30 minutes SUCCESS! :)
We saw Auntie's new property on the way back to the house, very excited for them. It was a nice piece of land. Garrett had to finish his school work and then I taught them Skip Bo and then Apples to Apples Disney Edition which we played until Garrett's friends birthday party. Nate stayed with the dogs so I could have more time with Auntie & Garrett since we were planning on pulling out the next day. We had a good time, talking with Tracy and some other parents. Auntie even played "Just Dance" on the Wii for the first time. :) Garrett thought that was pretty funny. All in all, short visit but very fun!
Day 5 November 3rd
This day found us driving to Mansfield, TX to see Auntie & Garrett. We decided again to avoid main interstates as the scenic routes are so much more beautiful. It does add some time to our drive, but it is well worth it.
Mia was extremely ready to go as the bees were starting to come out the morning that we left Withrow Springs. She really doesn't like them after the encounter in the truck. All the dogs are such great car travelers.
We struck camp and then headed out on Highway 23S which curved up and through the Ozarks. Nate found the most beautiful overlook and we stopped to take some pictures.
We continued on our way, winding through small towns until we hit the most beautiful rest area where Highway 71S met 23. We stopped to let the dogs roam a bit and then continued on our way where Nate found Uncle Rays BBQ bus in a little town called Waldron, Arkansas. I was skeptical at first, but I was sooo wrong. That was the best BBQ sandwich.
After our wonderful lunch we continued on until we stopped for gas and some pie. Great pie, slooooooow gas pumps.
We entered TX and joined up with I30W and headed towards Dallas where we stopped for our first Jack in the Box meal in 5 years. :) Arrived at Auntie's around 8:30pm, exhausted and happy.
Mia was extremely ready to go as the bees were starting to come out the morning that we left Withrow Springs. She really doesn't like them after the encounter in the truck. All the dogs are such great car travelers.
We struck camp and then headed out on Highway 23S which curved up and through the Ozarks. Nate found the most beautiful overlook and we stopped to take some pictures.
We continued on our way, winding through small towns until we hit the most beautiful rest area where Highway 71S met 23. We stopped to let the dogs roam a bit and then continued on our way where Nate found Uncle Rays BBQ bus in a little town called Waldron, Arkansas. I was skeptical at first, but I was sooo wrong. That was the best BBQ sandwich.
After our wonderful lunch we continued on until we stopped for gas and some pie. Great pie, slooooooow gas pumps.
We entered TX and joined up with I30W and headed towards Dallas where we stopped for our first Jack in the Box meal in 5 years. :) Arrived at Auntie's around 8:30pm, exhausted and happy.
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