Day 13 - Houston

June 27 - We traveled from San Antonio to Houston

We arrived at the RV park around noon, quickly got set up (need that air condo!) and ate lunch.  Then we piled into the truck and headed for the Johnson Space Center.  Jim has been really looking forward to showing this to us and it did not disappoint!

We took two tours.  The first took us to Bldg 9, which is the vehicle mock up facility.  This is a HUGE building where there are replicas set up of the various areas of the ISS so astronauts can train for future trips. Everything they need to duplicate work up in the ISS is contained in this building.  It was incredible.

After Bldg 9, we stopped at a display of rockets.  Some were outside (Mercury capsule) and there was an actual Saturn 5 rocket that was housed in its own building.  I've watched space launches on TV my whole life and I really had no idea how big the rocket was, and how much of it was actually filled with fuel!  Along with the Saturn 5 was a synopsis of all of the Apollo missions.  It was very interesting to read about them and see pictures of each of the astronauts.

We took the tram back inside (needed an air conditioning fix.... :)) and looked at some of the other exhibits. Jim watched a video while the boys and I had a snack & something cold to drink (reference the previous remark about air condo... lol!). Once we cooled down, we took another tour... this time to the historic mission control.  This was extremely cool.  We sat in the room where the NASA employees commanded all of the space flights up until 1992. The guide who spoke while we sat at mission control really put things into perspective when he reminded us of the technology they did not have during the early days of flight.  The youngsters in the audience had trouble imagining the space program without PCs!

I've attached two photos... the first one is Greg with a full view of the Saturn 5 first stage.  The second is Jim and the boys with the Saturn 5 command module (where the LEM was stored) in the background.  You can see the command module engine in the middle.

 

 

Day 12- San Antonio

I am posting today about today... June 26th!

San Antonio, part 2:)

We finally put the bikes to good use.. this is the first time we've been on them so far.  We rode the bike path into San Antonio so we could get some exercise and so Jim did not have to navigate the parking lot with the big butt truck!  The ride was wonderful... San Antonio has an awesome path along the river... extremely well maintained and easy to navigate!  It was the perfect way to explore more of this charming city.

We made our way to the Alamo and walked through the grounds, had a look at the exhibits, etc.  I had already been here (it looked rather small the first time... still does!), but my men enjoyed it.  We hopped on the bikes and headed over to Villita to check out the shops and have lunch. I got a new sun dress (yay!) and had a delicious chicken salad for lunch.  We then rode the bikes back to the RV park.  At this point the temperature had heated up quite a bit so we were all pretty wiped. We relaxed in the trailer for a bit and then I took the kids over for a swim.

We met my god-daughter, Jennifer, for BBQ (deeelish!) and had a nice time getting caught up.  She is an amazing young lady:)

All in all, this was one of my favorite days of the trip so far!

Day 11 - Carlsbad to San Antonio

June 25 was the longest travel day of our trip and I have to admit I was dreading it.  Fortunately, the scenery was very interesting, the kids were relaxed and did not complain once about being in the truck for 9 hours.  Faith and Rio were cooperative too:)

We got into San Antonio about 5 p.m. and, once the trailer was situated, we headed for the pool.  The temperature was in the upper 90s and the pool was headed (WTH???).  Anyway, it still felt good to rinse the travel grime off.  We then headed into town to play tourist in the Riverwalk area.  I had been here once before and was charmed... this second visit did not disappoint.  We had a Fisherman's Wharf Dinner (Jim's term for eating at a tourist area....) and then walked off our Mexican fare.  The Riverwalk at night is magical with all of the lights.  The boys were amazed that there were canals everywhere.  They also loved seeing all of the different types of birds in the area.

Day 10, Carlsbad, NM

On June 24th, we explored the Carlsbad Caverns. We headed out early to hopefully beat the crowds, which turned out to be a good decision.  Rather than take the elevator down, we hiked in through the natural entrance.  This was a descent of about 750 feet.  The outside temperature hovered in the upper 90s so we were happy to go underground to the comfort of mid-50 degree temperature!

This was an incredible experience... we saw some amazing formations and the size of the main room is hard to imagine... I think the sign said 14 football fields.  We learned about columns and limestone and bats, etc.  The boys told me today that touring these caverns has been their favorite of the trip so far:)  We spent several hours walking all of the trails that we could access without taking a specific tour.  We debated hiking back out vs. taking the elevator but in the end, due to time constraints, we took the easy way out...

After grabbing lunch, we headed over to the Living Desert Zoo.  I was particularly interested in seeing this since many of the animals have been rescued.  My sister had joked, asking us if we'd seen a roadrunner in the desert yet so we were happy to oblige her... they had a roadrunner at this zoo... along with elk, buffalo, a bald eagle, owls, and a bobcat... unfortunately the bear and mountain lion were hiding... probably napping in the shade somewhere. Due to the heat, it was a quick trip through this zoo, but very enjoyable.

 

Trip Progress

Just so you're aware, we've fallen behind on our postings.  Hence the date of the post is not when the activity occured.  We'll start putting dates in the actual posts so you'll have a better idea of when things happened.

Below is an updated map with our progress as of Wednesday, June 26th.

Day 9 - Taos, NM to Carlsbad, NM

We got underway fairly early given we had a fairly long day of travel (340 miles - ~ 7hrs).  The road down to Espanola was only slightly better than the ride up to Taos.  Once we got out of Santa Fe, there wasn't much to see for most of the trip.  Very flat and the road was bascially a straight line.  Warm day too.  It was just over 100 degress for most of the trip.

We did stop in Roswell, NM.  Pretty funny to see how they have embraced the UFO thing.  We stopped by the UFO museum.  Don't bother, the people were pretty rude.  We did stop in a store next door and got the boys a couple of UFO t-shirts.  From there we continued our way to Carlsbad.

The campground was on the south side of town, which is a good thing given the NP is also in that direction.  The campground manager/owner was from Bend, OR.  Turns out he was there to help out for a few weeks while the regular folks traveled back to OR for a wedding.

One thing I didn't know is that SE New Mexico is in an oil boom.  I guess they are in the same general area as the West Texas oil stuff.  Turns out there were lots of oil workers staying in the campground.  Given they all drive big trucks, there we lots of nice fifth wheel trailers with them.  Interesting to see the oil derricks and low yield pumps in action.

Did I say it was HOT there?  :-)  Tomorrow we head to the Carlsbad Caverns NP, which should be fun.

Here is a picture of the Rio Grande river just outside of Taos and another of Roswell.

Day 8 - In Taos, NM

We were invited back to Jack and Judy's for breakfast.  Heck we were still full from dinner the night before!

After breakfast, Jack and Judy took us on hike near the Taos Valley Ski Area.  Nice hike along a stream and we were able to let Faithy go off-leash, which was fun for her.  Let's just say, hiking at 7000'+ is a bit different from sea level.  :-).  From there, we continued up the road to the ski area to take a look around.  Definitely a place I'd like to go to during ski season.  Looks like it would be fun.

On the way down, we stopped at a small village and got an ice cream.  Cathy and Judy wandered around a few shops as well.  From there, we stopped by Cathy's cousin's jewlery shop.  Her cousin-in-law (Maria) designs her own jewlery and her husband assists and is an accomplished photographer as well.  Pretty impressive stuff.  We then stopped in the Taos Plaza and picked up a small pottery bowl for Mo.

We then ran back to the trailer to feed the dog and cat.  Afterwards we went in town, to a local brewery, for dinner.  Fun spending time with Jack, Judy, Kevin, and Maria (and their kids).  They live in a wonderful place.

Here is a photo from up at the ski area.

Day 7 - Taos, NM

Today was a travel day. We left Cortez, CO around 9:00am and headed to Taos, NM to see Cathy's Uncle Jack and Aunt Judy. Nice drive on the way down. There was a large fire in CO, near Wolf Creek. Fortunately we turned south before getting too close and having it impact our travels. Hoping the best for the folks who are impacted.

We had to travel through Espanola, NM on the way to Taos. Pretty scary place. Glad that we don't have to go through there on a Saturday night.

Taos is a high desert community. Very nice. Huge artistic community and of course a world class ski area!

Jack and Judy had us over to dinner, which was exceptional. Great to get caught up with them. Very nice people. On Saturday, we're planning on going on a hike and then checking out the town.

One last piece of info, the road from Espanola to Taos is rather rough. We found stuff scattered all over the trailer when we arrived. The RV park is nothing to write home about. I'm sitting in front of the office in an effort to get a decent WiFi signal.

Here is a picture of northern New Mexico on our drive to Taos.

Day 6 - Cortez, CO - Mesa Verde NP

We decided to take 3 ranger led tours in the park. First, we went to Long House, then to Cliff Place, and then to Balcony House. Very similar but different none the less. The ancient Pueblo Indians lived in the area from 1150 to 1300. They originally lived on top of the mesa, but for some reason decided to build houses (if that is the right word) under the overhangs of these huge overhangs in the cliffs.  There were numerous dwellings in the park, but some were highlighted by the NP service.  They were incredible architects and engineers and given the environment their work lives on to this day.  They dwellings don't get wet much from rain and the average humidity is around 6%, which explains the great condition of everything.  We also went to a 4th dwelling, which we did on our own.  Fascinating story.  The best part of the story is that around 1300 they all left the region.  It is not known why.  It could have been environmental or something else.  They really don't know.  Great place to visit.  Highly recommended!  The weather was warm (~upper 80's).  We all drank a lot of water. 

The night before, another Cardinal trailer pulled in a few sites down from us.  They were from Louisiana, and I told them about the Cardinal RV Club, which has been a great resource for me.

Below is a picture of one of cliff sites. I believe this is Cliff Place.  I forgot one thing, the ranger who led our first tour, was so incredibly good. He grew up not far from the park and his knowledge far surpassed the other rangers.  Really funny guy too.

 

Day 5 - Cortez, CO - Four Corners

Sorry for the delay in getting posts online.  The last 2 campgrounds did not have good internet access.

On Wednesday we drove from Moab, UT to Cortez, CO.  Fairly short drive (~3hrs).  Nice campground right near the entrance to Mesa Verde NP  We went to the visitor's center and got tickets for ranger led tours on Thursday.  We decided to drive over to Four Corners, which is where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah all meet at one point.  The site is pretty hokey, be we can say we went there.  Looking forward to the tours in Mesa Verde NP.  I'll have an update later for that.  Here is a picture of the boys at Four Corners.

Day 4 - Moab, UT - Arches NP

Wow, not a great word for what we saw today, but you get the picture.  The scenery is just incredible!  It was pretty warm again today (mid to upper 90's) but we still got out and did a little hiking in the park in search of their namesake arches.  Below is one picture, of many, that both Cathy and I took today.  Gives you a little view into what we saw.

We got back to the trailer around 2:00pm, had a little lunch and then Cathy and I headed into town and let the boys chill.  If you haven't been to Moab before, plan a trip.  Talk about "adventure central"!  Not only do you have the NPs, but you have mountain biking, 4x4 trails-rentals, sky diving, white water rafting, jet boating, etc.  Well, you get the picture.  We hadn't planned on it, but from what I saw yesterday when I ran into town, we decided to book a jet boat trip on the Colrado River, which boarders Arches NP.  This was a sunset trip.  Really glad we did.  We were on the river going up through these awsome sandstone canyons.  Let's just say, those images will last forever in my memory (if I don't kill those brain cells :-)).  We were in a smaller (10 person) jet boat, which was really cool.  We did the requisite spins and such, which was a blast. Greg wasn't completly onboard with the whole thing though, but he had fun none the less.

Tomorrow we head to Cortez, CO, which is just outside Mesa Verde NP.  This is where the Najavo cliff dwellers lived.  Should be pretty neat.  I took another look at out itinery and decided we have enough time tomorrow to head to 4 Corners.  It's only 45 minutes from Cortez, so if we drop the trailer and then head over there, we should have enough time to visit Mesa Verde the following day.

Its funny, you get sad when you have to leave a place, but then you remember you have yet another adventure awating you the next day in another location.  I'll take it.

Travel Progress - Map

Here is an updated map showing our progress so far over 3 days.  Pretty good progress, huh? 

Canyonlands

Today we traveled from Provo to Moab... a relatively short day compared to what we did on Sat and Sun.  We got the rig parked and then headed over to Canyonlands.  Everyone gushes about the Grand Canyon but Canyonlands is unimaginable in it's size... I think over 500 square miles is encompassed in the national park.... simply breathtaking!

Day Two!

Day 2 is in the books.  Another long day.  We were on the road for a little over 8 hrs. and covered  around 430 miles.  The good news is that we have a relatively short day (3 hrs.) tomorrow when we head to Moab, UT for 2 days.  It's going to be hot though (~mid-90's+).

We're in Provo, UT tonight, pretty close to Utah Lake.  Nice location.  I'm going to get up a little early and take Faithy to the lake for a little swimming.  I think she'll enjoy that after 2 long days in the truck.

The boys got in a little swimming, in the pool, when we got here, which was a good thing too!

We went out to dinner for Cathy's birthday  In case you're wondering, don't try to find a restaurant in Provo on a Sunday night.  They pretty much shutter everything.  We ended up at a Texas Roundhouse restaurant, which wasn't too bad.

The next few days we get to start our exploring vs. the making tracks of the past 2 days.  Looking forward to that.

Here is a picture Cathy took while on a walk with Faith.

We're off!

Our 2-month adventure started today.  We drove a little over 400 miles today and we're in Fruitland, ID (near Ontario, OR).  Glad we finally got going.  I was done with the packing, etc.  We were all a little tired today, but I have to think that was due to everyone being excited for the trip and not getting enough sleep.  Here is our starting shot!

For those whose are wondering, the truck & trailer combined length is 53' and the combined weight is approximately 23,000 lbs. (9k truck & 14k for the trailer). By the way, Faith doesn't follow directions very well!

Night Before We Leave......

Well, wish I could tell you I'm super excited, but at the moment I have too many little worries going on in my head.  The past couple of days have been very hectic with packing, shopping, more packing, list checking, more packing, etc.  Get the picture?  Throw in house cleaning and other tasks and it has been a bit overwhelming.  I have no doubt that once we're on the road, the excitement will start building and we can start looking ahead.

It really will be a trip of a lifetime, just get me past this stage!

- Jim