route 66

Back home

2009-07-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-21T08:29:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

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.

Oklahoma City Memorial

2009-07-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

The memorial for the Oklahoma bombing was a powerful and emotional sight. There are two walls (gates of time) with a "reflecting pool" in the middle. One wall says 9:01 representing the innocence of the city before the attack. The reflecting pool symbolizes the attack and destruction. And the other wall says 9:03 represents the moment we changed forever and the hope that came from the horrir in the moments and days following the bombing.

There is also a field of chairs for all the lives that were lost. The smaller chairs represent the children.

The girls leave their imprint on one of the walls.

A chainlink fence is covered with letters and toys for the children who died. A very emotional sight.

Oklahoma City

2009-07-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

We left Missouri this morning and are now staying at a hotel in Oklahoma City. One thing we noticed while in Missouri were all the billboard signs for Precious Moments. There's a Precious Moments museum, chapel, garden and mall. So for those who collect Precious Moments, Missouri is the place for you. Another interesting sign we saw was "Creative Chainsaw Carvings." How much more creative can you get with a chainsaw? Sparkie bought 7 sculptures.
Our first stop in Oklahoma was the famous blue whale. Only Michael and I got out to see it b/c it's quite a dump. Our goal was to end up in Oklahoma City for the night. We made the mistake of trying to get a hotel reservation as we approached the city. There's a major conference here which made it hard to book. That's a long and painful story in itself, I'll spare you the details. We finally got a hotel and checked in around 5:00. It is ridiculously hot here (high 104)! We walked next door and ate a Texas Steakhouse. The girls went swimming and now it's bedtime. Everyone's in bed except Ruby. Tomorrow we hope to start our day early and do some sight seeing before it's really hot. We'd like to see the Oklahoma bombing memorial, take a boat tour and maybe a museum. We hope to get out of here around 3:00 and head to our next destination; Amarillo, Texas. And yes we already have a hotel reservation so we're set to go. For the first time we have a plan!

2009-07-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

2009-07-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

Inside the cave

Meramac Cavern

Antique store

Norma the first night trying out the pull-out bed. Look at her expression, priceless!

The first few minutes in the RV. Norma looks terrified and unsure. Now she seems much more at ease and is a huge help with the kids. I don't know what we would do without her.

Missouri

2009-07-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

I drove the RV for the first time today. Wow, it's a monster to drive. At times Norma and Michael would scream and yell for me to get over b/c they thought I was going off the road. We went to the Meramac Caverns, a cave where Jesse James was known to hide out. Getting to the caves wasn't an easy task. The road was very curvy and narrow and no shoulder, which meant if I did go a little off road we would end up in the ravine. I feel like I need a deep tissue massage after driving this beast. We also stopped at a small antique shop along the way and bought a vase. We ended our days travel in Sprinfield, Missouri at a Doubletree hotel. We thought Norma deserved it. Which brings to mind, the 64,000 dollar question. Everyone wants to know how long Norma will last on this trip. She's been quite a trooper and I say she's going all the way. According to Michael, she doesn't have a choice. We now refer to Michael as Sparkie. He's been keeping his eye out for a red Ferrari. Tomorrow we hope to get out of here around 9 and explore Oklahoma. Until next time....

Still in Illinois

2009-07-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

We ended up in Normal, Illinois at the Walmart parking lot last night. Kind of ironic considering there was nothing normal about it and Normal is Norma with an L! We rolled in around 11:00 and parked the RV facing a hotel to tease Norma. By then Frances and Ruby were already asleep and Gracie was really wound up. We all got ready for bed, Norma and I had a cocktail and donut holes. Gracie, Norma and I slept in the queen bed in the back of the RV.
This morning we woke up and had our coffee and more donut holes. Life on the road is good (for now). We are heading to Meramac Caverns in Missouri and have no idea what to expect.

And We're Off!

2009-07-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

We got off to a much later start than anticipated. It took us a good 2 hours packing up the RV. Finally by 6:30 pm we were ready. We all got buckled in and were very giddy. We ran into our first problem in the driveway. The RV wouldn't start! We had the generator running while packing and had to troubleshoot the ignition (I have no idea what that means, that's all according to Michael). We did get it started and headed out. Before we even got out of our neighborhood e took a sharp turn and our blueberries and peaches went flying everywhere. Norma looked a little concerned with our start. She's now sitting up front with Michael and is more at ease. We still have no idea where we will land tonight. We've gone less than 90 miles and Norma has asked Michael several times, "So when and where are we going to stop tonight?" Good times, good times.

2009-07-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

Norma and I are having our coffee putting off our packing. I just informed her of my blog and she would like for me to add that if she sees us packing a lawn chair, she's out! (famous scene in Vacation w/ the Aunt).

2009-07-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

My sister has been driving me crazy to start a blog for our route 66 trip, so Gretta, this is for you. We leave tomorrow for our two week adventure. All six of us (Michael, Norma, the girls and I) will be comfortable in our 35 foot RV rental that we will pick up around 2 tomorrow. Our only plan so far is to load up the RV and get on the road. We don't know how far we'll get or where we'll stay. After two months of reading and studying the map, we decided the best plan is no plan at all. Wish us luck!