After five months on the road, we got back into town last Wednesday night. As we drove closer to our house the kids started pointing out various streets and buildings and exclaiming “I remember that!” Then we finally pulled into our cul-de-sac to the cheers of our children. A couple of our neighbors came out to greet us as the kids ran and jumped around the front yard. There’s no place like home.
Back home on the front porch
Jesse sits on top of our pile of mail
From Arizona we decided that our last night of camping should be next to the Colorado River. Bullhead City, Arizona has a nice campground on the river but when we got there it was way too windy. So we ventured across the river into Laughlin, Nevada and drove south to a brand new state park campground on the river. It was less windy but still windy enough for us to bring out the kites that we had stored the whole trip. The kites kept the kids busy for at least a couple of hours. That night the wind had died down and Caleb built a very large fire. We were back in the desert and we didn’t see one bug. It had been quite a while since we had enjoyed a few s’mores without worrying about mosquitoes.
Friends at work had given me a book on Route 66. So I‘ve been looking forward to when our tour path would pass near this famous road. Beginning in New Mexico we started to take detours from the interstate to experience the “mother road.” It was interesting to see all the creativity the old businesses used to entice the weary traveler to stop at their establishments. It was also sobering to see how quickly things had changed for these towns and people over such a short period of time. Like Psalms says, our days are like blades of grass that grow up quickly and then are gone.
We drove into the south rim of the park just before sunrise. We wanted to see the morning light on the canyon walls. The first overlook from the east was called Desert View. When we got there just before dawn, the place was empty and it was cold. It was about 10 degrees and breezy- the coldest temperature on our tour. We were too cold to wait for the sunrise so we went back inside to make a hot breakfast. That is an advantage to having an RV. We did venture out after the sun started to hit the canyon but we had added a couple of layers… and a blanket. The next day we took a mile hike down the famous Bright Angel Trail. It was a beautiful day. Cool, but perfect for hiking. I was loving the hike but the kids were thinking that the steep trail was a little confining and seemed too much like work. Lisa would have loved the experience also but she was too stressed that the kids might fall into the big hole. Of course the Grand Canyon is much more than big hole. But it’s a little too amazing to describe in a blog like this. You really need to see it for yourself. And remember to dress in layers.
Not long after crossing into Arizona we came across the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. The Painted Desert Inn was just off the old route 66. It was re-built by the CCC and has some beautiful architecture and a great view of the desert. The park has a couple of archeological sites with ruins and petroglyphs. The petrified wood was very colorful. The rock wood is so interesting that the park has a problem with visitors stealing pieces. In the visitor’s center, they displayed a book of apology letters from people who felt bad or had bad luck after helping themselves. Just outside the park are several businesses that are happy to sell the petrified wood. You can pick up a large stump for your front yard for a couple thousand dollars.
We left my cousin (once removed) in Los Alamos and drove down the hill to have dinner with Lisa’s cousin (once removed) Trish and her daughter Diane. It was the first time that we’d met. It was nice to get to know our extended family a little better.
At Cracker Barrel with Diane and Trish
Soon after we left my cousin Mary in Minnesota, my cousin Kathy invited us to stop by in Los Alamos on our trip home. When we got a little closer, she and her husband Gordon invited us to have Thanksgiving with them. We had a very nice visit, with extra to talk about because Kathy was a teacher and Gordon a mechanical engineer. They also took us for a hike out on one of the nearby mesas to experience a great New Mexico sunset.
At Bandelier National Monument, near Los Alamos, there are neat Pueblo ruins to explore. Many of the old dwellings were in the cliffs. I also enjoyed the park facilities that were built in Pueblo style by the CCC. It’s the largest collection of unaltered CCC structures in a National Park area. There was a lot to see and the kids had a great time. With all those ladders and caves to explore, how could the kids not have fun?
What would a long road trip be without some windshield damage? New Mexico is the number three state for the most windshield damage caused by rocks. And, this statistic finally caught up to us. The smallest chip started a slow moving crack across our windshield. In the hour it took us to reach Santa Fe it had grown to almost 6 inches long. Most of the glass repair businesses that Lisa called said they couldn’t repair a crack. But just as she was hanging up the phone with the third place she called, we drove by one with a large sign advertising the repair of “long cracks.” How convenient. So if you look closely in the photo, what might seem like a UFO at first is actually a windshield repairing contraption.
Heading north through Roswell, New Mexico we were keeping our eyes pealed for any UFOs. Roswell is famous for stories of UFO cover ups. Some say it was weather balloon equipment, others wondered why it looked so much like a flying saucer. As for us, we tried not to take sides and just decided not to venture too far from our motorhome. Better safe than sorry. The only strange thing that we saw were the eyes on the street lights. If you look closely in the lower left of this photo, you will see one of the eyes as a black dot on the street light glass.
Roswell, New Mexico
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