11-6-17 Reflections on a Three-Year Land-Cruising Odyssey

Our three-year adventure is at a close, and we are afraid we will miss our incredible travels sorely.  Our goal was to visit all our glorious national parks, and along the way, to see all the other beautiful and historic places we always wanted to visit, and to spend quality time with our widespread family and friends.  We have accomplished all that…. And a lot more!! 

Bob and Linda, start of our journey, Maine Coast, July 2015

We have a WONDROUS country!  It is beautiful and expansive and diverse (we are talking about nature’s diversity).  In most cases, the splendor of our natural resources has far exceeded our expectations.  The National Park Service does an incredible job in preserving, conserving and protecting (and improving access) to these precious resources, many times in spite of limited resources and ever increasing crowds.  We have seen a significant increase in the number of visitors, campers and RVs in just three short years, and we fear for the future impact of the not-yet-retired baby boomers as they shortly “hit the road”.   The sheer numbers will be simply overwhelming to many of these parks and resources.  We feel fortunate to have seen them at this time. Go sooner rather than later.   

We are SO grateful to the many people who have often dedicated their lives to the preservation and conservation of these precious resources, and to the government officials who supported those efforts.  We especially are grateful to Teddy Roosevelt who did more to preserve and protect these resources than any other president, and Franklin Roosevelt who dedicated many more.  We learned how important it was for one individual or small group of dedicated people to envision, drive and push hard for the formation of many national parks, monuments, etc.  In some cases, there was some local opposition, but it appears that over time, most of this opposition declines and the parks were ultimately welcomed.  We are certainly thankful for their patience and persistence.     

In addition to the natural beauty of our country, we have learned a lot more about our incredible history, spectacular geology and natural resources. We think that the NPS has done a great job in giving insight into the often untold stories about the people and circumstances for the location and/or event.  Most of the time, the stories are about average Americans, who become heroes/heroines when put into unusual circumstances.  It is the story of each of us, of Americans.  We were very impressed by the tenacity, ingenuity and courage of miners, lumbermen, cattlemen, settlers and all those who developed our great county; however, we were saddened to see how, sometimes, these same people did not understand the long term impacts of overusing and abusing the land and resources.  Having lived near the 1849ers gold mining in the Sierra Nevada, we used to say “Thank God the miners did not have bull dozers or there would be no Sierra mountains left”.  We think the NPS and Government in general are doing a good job in restoring much of this earlier damage – but it takes a long, long time (perhaps a rare example of good  “bigger” government).  

Bob's 73rd, Coeur d' Alene, August 2017

We have spent a lot of time talking to our “neighbors” all across the country.  We have visited innumerable numbers of American Legions and Elks Lodges every place we could find them.  We have learned from locals a lot about their history and economies….many towns are struggling to find a new economy as many of the “old” 20^th century economic drivers are no longer available:  fossil fuels (although there are some new renewable energy drivers and newer oil fracking, etc),  lumbering and wood products, manufacturing, mining, etc. The usual default is to become a “cute” historic town to try to attract tourism, but there is only so much of that which can go around successfully.   

Unfortunately, gambling casinos are becoming incredible prolific – it seems sad to us that they must be successful as more and more are being built.  There have been some excellent success stories, but shuttered, deserted store fronts are all too common.  In spite of this, most people are upbeat and positive about the future of our country.  Many people are even returning to the towns they grew up in, but most are driven by a return to be with family.  Grandparents moving to be near grandkids has been a consistent, pervasive theme.   

We have also learned a lot more about American history, including some of our  history that is not so noble; but that history is also very important.  It is unfortunate that today’s politically correct culture wants to erase some of our history, because it is not consistent with today’s standards. How will future Americans look at what we are doing today?  Will they want to erase some of our current events because it is not consistent with their future cultural lens?  We must preserve the past, good and bad, in order to not repeat our mistakes.   “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana, 1863.  America is still one of the greatest places to live today, for whites and non-whites.   

One last thought, if we had a penny for every person who said “You are living my dream” we could have traveled for free, particularly after we add our sailboat cruising stories.  Our message: PLEASE do not wait too long to follow your dream – whatever that is.  We have heard from too many people who can no longer travel because of health or family issues.  Do what you can while you can….  Life can be too short and you do not know how long you have to be able to fully enjoy it. 

For those who have not read out travel blogs, but would like to, the link is  www.RVRamblin1.blogspot.com     

We are so grateful and feel very blessed to have been able to travel and learn all we have over the past three years (and the five years of cruising prior to that).  We thank GOD for these blessings and the opportunity to share this with you.   

May God Bless You and your family and give you the opportunity to follow YOUR dreams.  We wish you all a wonderful holiday season (and a Merry Christmas), and a healthy and prosperous New Year. 

We welcome your feedback about our travel stories and our blog as well as hearing about your adventures.  We would like to live vicariously through your adventures and your life as we try to find our perfect place to settle down…somewhere, again.  Please share your adventures with us.   

Linda and Bob  

SOME STATISTICS ABOUT OUR THREE-YEAR ADVENTURE

Cumulative 3 Years (and Lifetime)

Months Traveling on Road                  21 (5/15 to 12/17)

RV miles (point to point)                     33,600

Car miles (touring each area)               41,600

Total Miles Driven                               75,200

Number of States                                  45 out of 50 on this trip (all 50 in total)

Number of RV Ramblin Blogs             35 

US National Parks (59 total)              40 (have visited 55 of 59 over the years – 100% in lower 48)  (not visited 3 fly-in only above Arctic Circle & 1 in Am Samoa)

US National Monuments (129)           72 (91 in total)

US Ntl Natural Landmarks (559)        41 (93 in total)

US Ntl Historic Parks (51)                  11 (32 in total)

US National Historic Sites (89)           9 (18 in total)

US Ntl Recreation Areas (18)              8 (13 in total)

US Ntl Grasslands/Prairie (21)             6

US National Seashore (10)                   6 (all 10 over the years)

US National Lakeshores (4)                 4 (100%)

US National Memorials (30)                3 (21 in total – mostly in DC)

US National Preserves (21)                  2 (10 in total)

US Ntl Battlefields/Military Pks (25)   1 (8 in total)

US National Rivers (15)                       1 (4 in total)

Note:  There are a total of 417 National Park Service Units 

Canadian National Parks (39)               16     

10-28-17 Balloons, the Fabulous SW and Good Friends and Family (NM, TX, MS, AL, FL)

 

Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque

From the Grand Canyon North Rim and Phoenix we started our long trek east and south back toward Florida for the winter.  We had planned a few more stops along the way, with a long stay in Albuquerque and the surrounding New Mexico highlights.

Bob Standing on the Corner

While we drove east from Flagstaff AZ on I-40, we deviated slightly to go thru Winslow AZ on Historic Route 66.  Bob likes Jackson Brown’s music, particularly the song “Standing on the Corner”, so he wanted to take his picture standing on the corner with Jackson Brown’s stature while listening to never-ending song from the tourist “trap” on the corner - a brief moment of fun for Bob looking for that famous blond in the flatbed truck.  

 

 

 

La Ventana Arch, El Malpais Ntl Monument

We made a short stop in Grants, New Mexico, where we visited El Malpais National Monument, a badlands area caused by 60,000 years of volcanic lava flows that filled a long river valley, making it almost impossible to transverse.   In addition to the lava flows, it contained volcanic craters and cinder cones and lots of ash.  

1692 Spanish Grafitti, El Morro Ntl Mon

Just beyond the badlands to the west, was El Morro National Monument, a high sandstone cliff standing straight out of the plains and seen for miles around, used by travelers for centuries as a major landmark.  The most welcomed aspect of the landmark was the reliable, year-round pool of water at the base of the cliff (it was not a spring, but rain water), which was often life-saving for the travelers as they traversed the arid high desert.  Graffiti, in the form of petroglyphs and pictographs from the ancestral Puebloans, and names and dates carved in the cliffs from the Spanish, the US Military during the Indian wars, and finally the European Settlers…they all left their mark.  It was fun to walk along the cliff base and read some of the entries, many of which were quite eloquent.    

Balloon  Fiesta, Albuquerque

We spent 10 days in Albuquerque, and enjoyed quality time with our good friends from St. Augustine, Dom and Jan Vita, who were visiting Jan’s sister Karen, who lives in Albuquerque.  The reason for the timing of our visit to Albuquerque was to be able to attend Balloon Fiesta, the largest international ballooning event in the world.    

GloDeo,  Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque

 

We selected two events to experience.  The first was the Unusual Shape GlowDeo, which we enjoyed with Dom, Jan and Karen.  The Unusual Shape balloons are NOT the traditional round or tear-drop shape, but were all “characters” like Darth Vader, the Wells Fargo stagecoach, a NM cactus, etc.   It is held in the evening, when the winds are usually too strong for balloons to ascend into the air.  The balloons are tethered to the ground, but still filled with hot air.  It starts at sunset and goes well into the dark night.  When the balloons light the propane gas to keep the balloons filled with hot air, the balloons “light up” from the inside.  As you watch, the balloons appear to be flashing on and off from the inside.  Every five minutes or so, they countdown the time, and all the balloons light up at the same time.  It was a fun experience, and we walked through the huge field looking at all the various balloon shapes.  We had only finished half the field and balloons when it was over.  

Mass Ascension, Balloon Fiesta

We got up at 3am to drive to the Balloon Fiesta for the Saturday morning mass ascension, our second fiesta event.  Over 500 balloons, mostly colorful round or tear-drop shaped balloons (but some of the unusual shapes also), ascend from the field.  The “Dawn Patrol”, an early group of about 10 balloons rises about 6am to test the air flows for the remaining balloons.  About 7am, the rest of the balloons start to rise.  The balloons take off in rows, with the individual balloons staggered so that only one balloon rises at any time, to minimize mid-air collisions on takeoff.  It was incredible to watch.  By the time we left about 9am, the sky was filled overhead with balloons….the wind died about half way through the event, and many balloons were just hovering over the field and actually landing nearby.  It was unbelievable to see so many colorful balloons right overhead…it was like a sky full of stars.  If you have not had the chance to see this event, it might be one for your “bucket list”.  

San Felipe de Neri, Old Town Albuquerque

We enjoyed a lot more that Albuquerque had to offer.  We loved visiting “Old Town” with Dom, Jan and Karen. The heart of Old Town is a historic plaza, with the oldest mission church in Albuquerque, San Felipe de Neri. The Plaza itself was small.  When Albuquerque was first settled by Duke Albuquerque, the Plaza and Church were the heart of the town.  When the railroad came to town, the center of town moved about 2 miles away. The plaza became very quiet and surrounded only by homes.  Over time, it became somewhat of a tourist destination and glitzy, but has now converted to a somewhat artsy, restaurant area…a nice place to stroll around and just relax.   

Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque

New Mexico is known for its own cuisine based on red and green chilies. We had a great lunch on the terrace at a really old restaurant which has “certified” New Mexico chilies – “certified” green chilies only come from Hatch NM. Hot, but tasty – wish we could get them fresh in Florida.  

Dragon Lantern, Chinese Lantern Festival

We also spent an evening with our friends at the Chinese Lantern Festival; a small venue with a lot of Chinese themed lanterns, or shapes with lights, that focused on themes special or spiritual to the Chinese culture.  We walked around looking at the many displays, and then enjoyed a show that featured Chinese dance and culture.  Interestingly, the “Chinese” themes included a Tibetan dance, in addition to the expected Mongolian and other more usual Chinese art forms.  Tibet was invaded by China in 1950 under the orders of Mao Zedong, and remains occupied to this day.  

Albuquerque Vista,  Sandia Crest

We drove to Santa Fe to visit that historic town, by driving on the eastern side of the mountains that tower over Albuquerque.  The “Turquois Trail” included a stop at the top of Sandia Crest overlooking Albuquerque, for a fabulous vista, and wandered through the numerous mining towns.  The mining efforts include the “most expensive” type of turquois, silver and gold, but those towns now focus on the tourist trade.  We passed many art, craft and jewelry studios on the way; another income source for the locals.   

Saint Francis de Asis, Santa Fe

Santa Fe is the capital of NM and a college town, with all the usual college, culture and government type buildings.  We spent all our time in the historic area which included the “oldest house” in North America, the oldest church in Santa Fe (a mission church), the “newer’ cathedral, and of course the Governors “Palace” (with floor windows to show the original dirt floors).  The archeological excavations and restorations of these buildings have all been done quite well, and the history is very interesting.  Because St. Augustine is the oldest continuously lived in city in the US, we researched the claim of the “oldest house”.  It is not, according to Google, the oldest residential house which is actually in Fairbanks MA, built in 1637.  However, the Governors Palace was built in 1610.   

The most interesting historical venue was the “counter cultural” exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of History.  It showed the history and impact of the mid-to-late 1960s idealist counter culture, or hippie revolution.  Many of these free spirit hippies ended up in Taos NM, an under-populated area where they could set up collective farms and communities.  It was a “blast from the past” to go through that exhibit and see what some of our generation was doing, while others of us were serving in Vietnam.  Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed in the exhibit; it would have been fun to share some of the memories the exhibition brought back to both of us.   

Sanctuario de Chimayo, Chimayo

We took the “High Road to Taos” scenic byway to Taos on another day, and enjoyed the Truncas Mountains as we drove into Taos.   We stopped at the Sanctuario de Chimayo, an old mission church in the countryside that is legendary for healing the sick.  The historic church has five beautiful, wall-sized, hand painted wood panels that are the entire decoration for the otherwise bare adobe walls. A small room located next to the sacristy features a hole in the floor from which “cure seekers” pull handfuls of earth to rub on their bodies. We didn’t see any cure seekers while we were there…only tourists like us. Again, we cannot share this as pictures were not allowed.  

Taos Pueblo,  Taos, NM

After realizing that Taos has become just another ski town with a shopping problem, we spent most of our visit at the Taos Pueblo.  In the Taos culture, a Pueblo can be a village, a house, or houses.  It truly is one of the oldest continuously lived in “homes” in the US.  Initially founded in about 1000 AD, this adobe pueblo has been expanded and occupied continuously since that time.  It consists of several “sections”, including a large five-level pueblo consisting of many rooms.  The pueblo is still being used today, although not many of the “homes” are still used for that purpose.  The Historic Pueblo has no running water, sewers, bathrooms, electric or heat or AC.  They have been modernized in that doors from the street are used to enter the buildings, rather than ladders coming into the home through the roof (for defense).  Only about 150 people live full time within the Pueblo.  Most of the pueblos are now shops or restaurants for tourists visiting the pueblo.  Other families owning homes in the north or south buildings live in summer homes near their fields, and in more modern homes outside the old walls but still within the Pueblo land.  There are over 1900 Taos Indians living on Taos Pueblo lands.     

Rio Grande River, Low Road to Taos

We drove the “Low Road to Taos” back to Albuquerque; the road followed the Rio Grande River and through the Rio Grande River Valley, all the way from Taos to Albuquerque. The valley is full of agriculture and it is easy to see why the Ancestral Puebloans moved from the dryer Mesa Verde and Four Corners area to this area about 1300 AD (see our last blog post for more information). 

 

Petroglyphs, Petroglyphs Ntl Mon

We hiked the Petroglyphs National Monument in Albuquerque to see numerous petroglyphs left by the ancestral Puebloans as art, directions, spiritual, and just plain graffiti.  This is the largest “collection” of Petroglyphs in the US.  The large basalt boulders from the lava flows provide huge, flat surfaces on which to draw.  Additionally, the desert patina causes a dark coating on the rock which is removed with stone tools to reveal the lighter rock below, the perfect canvas for petroglyphs.  The petroglyphs have been dated from several thousand years ago to recent, but the majority are from ancestral Puebloans from about 1000 AD to 1700 AD, with a significant increase about 1300 AD, when there was a huge migration into the area.    

TePee Curios, Tucumcari NM

We left Albuquerque on Interstate 40 which parallels the historic Route 66. We travelled sections of Route 66 where most of the historic buildings along the way are just derelict buildings and signs, left to crumble in the dry desert air.  We stopped at a couple of towns, but the best preserved and restored buildings and signs were in Tucumcari NM.  Tucumcari has made an effort to restore many of the fluorescent signs, and building fronts, even adding murals to capture the essence of the road during the 30s, 40s and 50s.  We had lunch at Dels, one of the original restaurants, which has been serving since 1954.   It would have been great to see some of the signs lit at night.

Phil, Laurie and Bob

We are now headed east and traveling fast to get back to Florida and some warmth.  We stopped to spend two delightful days with our Laguna Beach friends Laurie and Phil Owens, who recently moved into a beautiful new house north of Dallas.  We shared good memories, food and wine with them, and helped them celebrate Laurie’s mom’s, Francis, 99^th Birthday.   

Illinois Monument, Vicksburg Ntl Military Park

Vicksburg was another one day stop.  Bob has always wanted to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park.  Like Gettysburg, the victory for the Union at Vicksburg was instrumental in ending the Civil War.  Vicksburg was critical for the Union to control the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two.  The city was so well fortified, that after several attempts, Grant realized that any more direct assaults could not succeed; therefore, he imposed a siege instead.  After only a 2-month long siege, with the city cut off from supplies, the battle was won by the Union.   

Downtown Vicksburg MS

Vicksburg itself is a cute, true southern town, with several antebellum homes nearby.  Although we didn’t get a chance to visit any of them, we did visit the Corps of Engineers Lower Mississippi River Basin Museum; Bob, a prior Corps employee, really wanted to see it.  It had a great overview of the historic flooding on the Mississippi River, and the impact the Corps of Engineers had on reducing flooding by building levees, dykes, dams, and other flood control structures post the 1927 great flood. Unfortunately, in 2011, another historic flood took place anyway.  We enjoyed a glass of wine and views of the historic Yazoo River flowing into the mighty Mississippi River from the roof top bar of the tallest building in Vicksburg (10^th floor).

Linda and Mildred

Our last stop on the way to Florida was to visit Bob’s aunt, Mildred Whitlock, in Tuscaloosa Alabama.  We enjoyed dinner with her before heading south to Florida.  It is always good to visit with friends and family, and it is one of the advantages of our journey that we will certainly miss. 

We are now back in Florida.  Our 3 year adventure has come to an end.  Before we go back to St. Augustine, we will be spending a little time exploring housing opportunities on the west coast of Florida.  

We will do one more post, with our thoughts and feelings, and perhaps some statistics about this 3-year adventure.  We continue to thank God for his blessings and the opportunity to explore this beautiful country and meet so many wonderful Americans along the way.  

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.  

Best to all,

Linda and Bob  

 

 

10-15-17 Trail of the Ancients and the Biggest Canyon

Monument Valley from the North

From Durango, it was only a short distance to Cortez to explore the Four Corners area and the extensive Anasazi Ruins, and the historical and cultural aspects of the ancient Puebloan Peoples that used to live here.  In addition to spectacular and interesting scenery, this segment of our trip proved to be a very educational and informative history and cultural lesson.   

Pit House Diagram, Anasazi Cultural Center

The ruins and artifacts in this area span several periods of history for these people. The earliest peoples were wanderer-hunters.  There are some artifact tools and arrowheads found from these earliest wandering peoples.  The introduction of corn (maze), probably from Mexico, changed their living style to those of farmers staying in one place.  The earliest farmer period was called the Basketmaker Period, where the people made baskets and other items from the fiber of the yucca plant and lived in teepee like homes, which soon advanced to become Pit Houses; dug out areas framed on top with wood and covered in mud (adobe).  The entrance was through a hole in the top and a ladder; the hole was also the smoke hole.  We saw examples of the ruins of these Pit Homes scattered throughout the ruins in the area.  The Puebloan Peoples lived in the same areas for centuries, often building on prior pueblo ruins.  

Row of Doorways, Pueblo I, Aztec NM, New Mexico

From about 750-950 AD, during the Pueblo I period the people started to build more complex single story pueblos from adobe bricks.  The villages were usually near a water source at the head of the canyons, with the fields and villages on the mesa tops.  The beginning of more complex societies, with rituals and community rooms (round kivas), were of note.  The best example of this period is found at Chaco Canyon National Historic Site. 

Pueblo II, Multi-story Pueblo, Aztec NM

The Pueblo II period extended from 950 – 1150.  The pueblos became more complex, multi-story (up to 3 stories in many places), but the pueblos were still on the mesa tops.  We saw an excellent example of these ruins at Hovenweep National Monument, Lowry Pueblo in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and at Aztec National Monument. 

Cliff Dwellings, Mesa Verde NM

The biggest change occurred in Pueblo III period, about 1150-1300.  Here the people moved their pueblos from the mesa top to under large overhangs on the cliff faces.  The locations were often selected right at the water source.  The best examples of these were seen at Mesa Verde, but these types of ruins are found throughout the area.  There are over 6000 ruin sites in the Canyon of the Ancients alone.  At the height of their culture, over 5000 people lived in a small 25 square mile area! 

Long House Pueblo, Mesa Verde NM

We took two fabulous ranger-guided tours in Mesa Verde.   The Long House Tour was a fabulous detailed 2.5 hour tour of the largest known cliff dwelling ruin (Cliff Palace, which was already closed for the season, is the same size).  We got a real sense of the lifestyle of the occupants, much of which is speculated based on the current customs and lifestyles of current Puebloan peoples (such as the Zuni and Hopi).  

Linda climbing Ladder

The Balcony House Tour was the most strenuous tour offered.  We climbed down a large number of stairs to a path below the cliff, and then climbed an almost vertical 32-foot tree ladder to get into the site.  It is a small pueblo, with only 2 kivas, and perhaps 40 rooms.  The reason it is called Balcony House is that some of the rooms have a balcony on the outside wall.  The ranger did a great job integrating the lives of the residents and the connection to current Pueblo peoples.  We had to walk through a very tight cleft in the canyon to move from one side to the other of the village.  The exit from the pueblo was the most interesting:  we had to crawl through an 18-inch wide 12-ft long tunnel.  Some of the larger men (but not Bob) had to crawl through at an angle.  Linda went first pushing our backpack in front on her; Bob followed.  The tunnel appeared to be defensive in nature; there was a hole in the roof where someone in the pueblo could look down and see who was there (and kill them if needed?). 

The Puebloan Peoples dispersed about 1300AD.  It is not clear what the reasons were, but it is believed to be a combination of a 30 year drought, scarcity of resources, over population, and perhaps inter-tribal strife.   

Clay Pot Artifacts from McFee Dam Excavation

One of the best museums we visited was the Anasazi Cultural Center.  A huge archeological excavation was done prior to the construction of the McFee Dam and Reservoir, and over 1 million artifacts were collected – most in excellent shape - and put into the Cultural Center. It is worth a visit.   

Artifact Spearpoints and Knife Blades

Political correctness has even reached this area of history.  After being call the Anasazi for centuries, the name is being changed to the “Ancient Puebloan Peoples”; Anasazi is not a Puebloan Peoples word, rather a Navajo word for them. Interestedly, prior to the reservoir construction the local Puebloans opposed the project for fear of losing their ancestry and artifacts, but the formation of the Anasazi Cultural Center and extensive archeological research satisfied their concerns.  The NPS is evaluating changing the name from Anasazi to the Ancient Puebloan Cultural Center.    

Valley of the Gods

Monument Valley

Vermillion Cliffs

We left the Four Corners area and took a circuitous route to enjoy for a second time some of the most beautiful scenery in the West;  on our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we journeyed through the Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and Vermillion Cliffs.    We arrived at the North Rim the last week before it was closed for the winter.   

Fall, North Rim Grand Canyon

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is a very different experience than the South Rim. It is much more remote, with a lot fewer people (only 10% of the tourists as the South Rim – that was great), fewer services which include a small, rustic lodge and our primitive campground.  The hikes are great, through pinon pine forests, but Linda thinks the views to the south are not as spectacular as from the south rim. Bob really likes the north rim view as well -  the hikes actually take you through Kanab Limestone outcrops – unlike the south rim.  One big reason is that side-canyon erosion mostly occurs on the north rim, so rather than a long rim running  parallel to and just south of the Colorado River, the north rim is a series of in-your-face long mesas and deep canyons.  In addition to sitting around our campground fire, we had a great time one evening drinking wine and watching the sun set from the lodge patio.  

Sunset from Lodge Patio, North Rim Grand Canyon

 

Bob on Hike, North Rim Grand Canyon

Fall, North Rim Grand Canyon

Sedona Red Rocks

It was chilly in the evening at the rim (it was getting below freezing late at night), so we left a day early and decided to spend a night to enjoy the views and dinner in Sedona.  We utilized the RV parking at the really nice Sedona Elks Lodge with great views.  The red rock canyons did not disappoint.  Even though we were there only for one night and the next morning, the views remain as spectacular as always.  We had a great dinner at an Italian Restaurant just west of town, and ate on the patio listening to “Sammy Davis Jr” - a wonderful warm evening after the cold of the past two weeks. 

Bob, Logan, Linda Charles, Kristen and Sammy

Our last stop south was in the HOT desert of Phoenix (98 the first day we were there). We visited Kristen and Charles Puma, Linda’s niece, and their two boys, Sammy (6 yrs) and Logan (almost 3).  Sammy has terminal brain cancer, and we wanted to spend some quality time with the family.  We had a great visit which included a Mexican dinner out, time at their church, and a wonderful afternoon at the Phoenix Zoo.  The zoo has a new exhibit, Dinosaurs in the Desert, a take-off on Jurassic Park.  The boys were a little intimidated by the Huge dinosaurs, which were all moving and well done (Disney would be proud).  We enjoyed our family time, and will forever cherish our memories of Sammy. 

 

Sammy enjoying his 2nd Ice Cream of Day

PLEASE PRAY FOR SAMMY AND HIS FAMILY, they need all the prayers they can get.  

We are now headed to the final destination on our 3-year journey, Albuquerque.  We will attend Balloon Fest and visit other points of interest in the area, and then head back to Florida, stopping on the way to visit friends in Texas and family in Alabama.  

We continue to thank God for his blessings and remain thankful for our health to be able to continue our travels and exploration of this wonderful country.   

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.   

Best to all,

Linda and Bob