Back home

We left Colorado yesterday at 11am and pulled into our driveway this morning at 3! It's good to be back (minus all the laundry and unpacking). What an experience this trip was. Driving state to state and seeing all the different terrains was so interesting. We have our favorite destinations (Santa Fe, Grand Canyon and Utah) and our least favorite (Amarillo, Texas). Oklahoma made us feel most welcomed with their kindness. I never thought to visit Oklahoma, but am so glad we did. Driving thru Colorado was so beautiful but also uncomfortable. The high altitudes was naseating not to mention driving an RV in the mountains is a little scary. The RV could only go 20mph up the mountain and that was a struggle. Michael had to work the brakes going down the mountain and even commented that he didn't want to ride the breaks for fear they might go out. Norma's response "Why would you say that?" Having Norma along for the journey was a real treat. We are so glad she experienced this adventure with us. And for anyone who placed bets on Norma not lasting the whole 2 weeks, it's time to pay up! We've already talked about our next RV trip. Next summer we will head east, most likely up to Maine. Until next time.......

Cowboys and Toads

Last night was a our last night in Moab. We stopped at the cowboy campfire. The "cowboy" mostly talked about how many deaths there are out here each year and rescues, so we didn't stay too long. When we got back to our lodge, Sparky and the girls hunted down some toads. My girls love toads! At home we have a pet toad, Mr. Hoppington (hope he's still alive). They found three big toads and played with them for a while and then put them back in the water. The nights here are just as beautiful as the day. The stars are amazing. Today we head back to real life. Since we stayed here a little longer, we have to book it home. We have 20 hours of driving ahead of us!

Horseback

A view overlooking where we are staying

Yesterday morning Sparky, Gracie and I went horseback riding. Gracie's horse was named Donkey, Sparky rode 7-up and I rode Tony (ha ha). We went for two hours out in the desert. It was very dusty at times but an amazing sight. My horse, Tony was a free spirit and had is own agenda at times. He got a little spooked when I took a sip of water and came to a hault. Sparky thought Tony was going to take off with me. We learned a little about the desert plant and wildlife and the names of some mesas. There have been a lot of movies and commercials shot out here; City Slickers, Back to the Future, Cheverolet commercial (built like a rock), Bon Jovi video, John Wayne movies and more. Gracie had a blast and of course asked if we could get a horse. When we got back, Norma was there waiting with Frances and Ruby who got to go for a short horse ride as well.

Moab Utah

The front of our lodge, Norma's is in back.

Norma's porch area with the mountain and river view

Right outside of Norma's room

After another long drive we arrived in Moab Utah last night around 11. The drive was a little scary in the dark b/c our hotel is up in the moutains. We are staying at a beautiful resort

Sorrel River Ranch ( sorrelriver.com). Norma's room has a mountain view plus the Colorado river view. My room has the mountain view plus a view of the ranch and the horses. When we arrived last night is was dark. The stars were magnificent. We were so excited to wake up and see our view this morning. We haven't decided if we're staying 2 or 3 nights. There's a lot to do here; spa, horseback riding, swimming and tonight there's a geologist to answer questions about rocks. We don't have a cell connection up here so if you need to get ahold of us, email us.

Grand Canyon

Norma,don't jump! I know it's been a long trip, but we're halfway there!

From the moment we left Geneva, IL Gracie has asked when are we going to see the Grand Canyon. Finally yesterday we made it as far west as we plan to go, the Grand Canyon. WOW! There are few words that can describe the Grand Canyon. It's something everyone should experience. It was a little scary because there is nothing protecting you from falling over the edge. I was able to enjoy it but felt a little uneasy with the kids. It was very windy and overcast. I can't imagine how the canyon would look on a sunny day. We stopped in a bookstore and bought some literature. The girls picked out a book "Who pooped in the park" and I chose a book about those who have died in the canyon, "Over the Edge." We left around 7:00 and headed back to our hotel in Flagstaff, a 90 minute drive. The drive back was dark on a two lane, curvy road surrounded by forests. At one point I heard them gasp because they saw a huge deer along side of the road with the "deer in the headlight" look. They have described it as being 6 feet tall.

Today we check out of Flagstaff and plan to head up to Utah. So far Santa Fe and Grand Canyon are our favorite destinations. We hope to vacation there another time.

Flagstaff Arizona

We left Santa Fe on Sunday and landed in Flagstaff Sunday night. We left around noon and what was suppose to be a 5 1/2 hour drive turned into a 10 hour drive. We had to make several stops along the way (RV needed oil and empty tanks). The long drive got to us all. The only exciting thing was when we saw several police cars and one was getting out the spikes across the highway for a police chase. Yesterday we woke up and heard on the news that it was going to be 112 degrees. We kinda panicked and thought, what are we going to do? When I asked someone about that they laughed. I guess it doesn't get that hot here being an altitude of 7000. In fact it was cool and rainy. We later decided to head to the Grand Canyon.

Some of the interesting performances.

Govenor's Palace. The Native Americans set up to sell their jewelry. It's very competitive to get a spot.

Magic show. Here a guy is wrapped in saran wrap (shoulders to ankles) and will break free.

Walking down to the Plaza.

Outside our hotel (Hotel Santa Fe).

Santa Fe, New Mexico

We have spent the past 2 days in Santa Fe. This has been our favorite stop so far. We love that we feel so far removed from the midwest and experience a different culture. The design and architect is unique. Yesterday we went down to the plaza to shop and sight see. There was entertainment of all kinds; magician, irish dancers, belly dancers, ballroom dancers, dancers on stilts. We had to pry the kids away, or they would have spent all afternoon watching (and let me tell you, some were a little provacative). We stopped in numerous shops along the way. At the governors palace, the Native Americans all line up to display and sell their jewelry. We went back to our hotel around 3:00 and let the kids swim while Norma had a manicure/pedicure. Later I had a facial and a mocassin dance (foot massage). We ended our day a little early to catch up on sleep. Gracie and Frances slept in Norma's room and Ruby w/ Michael and I. Ruby woke up at 3am with a night terror. It was about 10 minutes of screaming, kicking and crawling all around. I was waiting for the hotel to call and see what were doing to our child. Oh yeah, we did end up w/ three parking tickets on the RV (refer to my last entry). Today we check out and head to Flagstaff, Arizona. But first Michael is getting a much needed 90 minute massage this morning at the spa. I will post some pictures later.

Texas to Santa Fe

Texas was not all that exciting. As we entered New Mexico the terrain started to change and look more appealing to us. It still was a lifelss open road. Our first stop was in Tucumcari to see the Mesaland Dinosaur exhibit. Frances loves dinosaurs. The exhibit was short and sweet and well worth the stop. We continued on up to Santa Fe. We love the hotel we're in (it has a spa!). In fact, we've decided to stay here 2 nights. The hotel didn't have room for our RV so they told us to park behing the hotel (which happened to be in front of a house). The guy is not happy at all about it and has threatned to call the city. Hopefully that won't determine how long our visit is. Tomorrow we are going to check out some of the local artists, swim and of course sign up for some spa treatments.

Oklahoma to Texas

The largest cross in the western hemisphere (Amarillo, Texas)

We thought Sparky deserved to have a delicious lunch at Hooters.

We took a boat tour in Oklahoma City. There are sculptures of the early settlers. Eventually there will be 46 sculptures b/c of Oklahoma city being the 46th state. (It will cost 6 million dollars)

After visiting the memorial, we went on a boat tour. The heat got to us all. Afterwards we thought we would treat Michael because he's had to put up with 5 girls, so we took him to Hooters. Our last stop in Oklahoma was at a trading post where we did some shopping. I have to say, people in Oklahoma are so friendly. We passed the Oklahoma line into Texas around 6:00. Driving in Texas was so erie. There is nothing around you except open fields and animals. It even rainned hard while the sun was shining, weird. I was waiting for tumbleweed to roll down the street ahead of us. No signs of life out on the open road in Texas. Our hotel is a bit disappointing. The decor hasn't been updated since the 70's and there are a lot of cowboy hats. Norma, Ruby, Frances and I ate at TGIF in the hotel. Frances was sooo cold, so I ordered her a hot chocolate. Well, the waiter brings it out along w/ a straw. Needless to say, Frances sipped it and burned her tongue. Tommorrowwe hope to get out of here as early as we can. We'd like to stop at cadilac ranch and then head for Santa Fe, New Mexico.