Road Trip - Day Eleven

We did not want to leave the South Rim of the Grand Canyon this morning. It was going to be another beautiful day. But, we were on the road by 8:00 a.m. with Joshua Tree National Park in California our next destination. We arrived around 1:00 p.m. Once again, Jill (our name for the GPS) was a big help in getting us to our next stop. Joshua Tree is an 800,000 acre park that is known for its Joshua Tree. We found out that it really is not a tree but, a species of the Yucca plant. One of our guide books states that Mormon pioneers traveling across this desert area thought the tree looked like the prophet Joshua leading them on to the Promised Land with upraised arms. They must have been delusional from a lack of water! We were not sure what this national park would have in store for us besides these trees. What we found were numerous areas of large smooth rock formations that were very interesting and fun to climb. We learned that this is a rock climbers paradise. We drove up to Keys View which at 5185 feet is the highest point in the park. We could see Palms Springs down into the valley from this location. We could also see the San Andreas Fault line. We learned that the ground near the Fault line is moving apart by two inches each year. We drove the entire 38 miles from the North entrance to the South entrance of the park. This roadway straddled the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. We stopped along the way at various points of interest. This included an up close view of the Cholla cactus plant. Signs warned of the danger of touching this plant. The sharp thin spines can penetrate clothing, shoes and flesh. Regardless of the signs, I am sure there are individuals who cannot resist the urge to touch the plant. This reminds me of the Wet Paint Do Not Touch signs. Don’t you always want to see just how wet the paint is??? This plant also is known as the teddy-bear cholla due to its fuzzy looking appearance. We left the park and drove to Palm Springs were we are spending the evening. Ellen keeps looking for movie stars. She has decided to settle for me.

You can view pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/JoshuaTreeNationalPark?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Ten

This morning we got up to watch a beautiful sunrise over the Grand Canyon. It was cold but well worth the wait. We then took a 25 mile drive along the South Rim on the Desert View Drive. There were multiple vista points along the drive where we stopped to view the Canyon. Each location was unique and offered a slightly different view. We ended our drive at a location called Desert View which had a five story watchtower which overlooked the canyon. It offered some of our best views of the Colorado River. We got a great view of the river with our binoculars. We then took a hike down into the Canyon on the South Kaibab trail. The trail was a series of switchbacks that was steep and challenging. We must have started our hike right after a group of mules as we could not miss the little presents they left behind on the trail. We hiked for one hour and stopped to rest while enjoying the magnificent views. The experience was somewhat spiritual as we were viewing this beautiful natural landscape that was thousands of years old in an absolute quite environment. The return trip was much more physically challenging. As the saying goes, what goes down must come up. That motto helped us determine our level of descent into the Canyon. We were quite pleased with ourselves and the level of stamina it required to both descend and ascend the trail. Along the trail we met interesting people of various nationalities and varied hiking plans. Some were on a short trip like us while others were going all the way to the bottom of the canyon for several days. A park ranger we met was just on a 17 mile hike. Earlier in the day we met a group of 12 college students beginning a nine day hike. It was interesting watching them prepare their gear and very large backpacks. Our backpack was a bit smaller since it consisted of four granola bars an four apples along with two jugs of water. After our hike we did some shopping and get ready for dinner. This evenings dinner was a treat to ourselves at a very nice restaurant. We had a table that was next to the fireplace and in front of a large window which looked out onto the Canyon. The dinner was great, the view was memorable, and we reminded ourselves how fortunate we were to be experiencing this trip at this time in our lives.
We will leave the Grand Canyon in the morning. This evening we are planning the next stop on our trip.

I have posted pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/GrandCanyonDay2?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Nine

We left Albuquerque this morning at 6:30 a.m. for our 407 mile drive to the Grand Canyon. The landscape on our drive was quite varied. We went from flat prairies to snow covered mountains after we passed the Continental Divide. We saw many old run down towns with very poor housing as seen from the highway. The drive from Flagstaff to the park entrance was quite beautiful. We passed through wooded areas of pine trees with quite a bit of snow on the ground. We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and stopped first at an area outside the park entrance. There was an IMAX movie on the Grand Canyon which we watched. We then entered the park and stopped at Mather Point which is the first lookout area as you enter the park on the South Rim. The sky was clear and the sun was bright. This gave us excellent views of the Grand Canyon. I took a lot of pictures which will hopefully capture the magnificent views we experienced. We walked along the South Rim trail for almost two hours taking in the Canyon for various lookout points. Along the way, we spotted a mule deer with a large rack of horns. Right behind him was a female with several fawns. There were within 50 feet of us. We watched the sunset from Hopi Point. The clear blue sky with the setting sun made for a spectacular sunset.

I have posted pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/GrandCanyonDay1?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Eight

We spent the day touring Albuquerque. We visited the Pueblo Indian Cultural Center. The Center traces the history of the Pueblo Indians, their culture, environment, foods, and craft work. There were a simple people whose lives were deeply connected both spiritually and physically to the Earth. We then visited the International Balloon Museum. Each October, Albuquerque serves as the site for the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. Over 700 balloonists come from all over the world come to participate in this two week event. The Museum had a collection of early balloons dating back to the dirigible up to modern balloons. We learned that each balloonist has a chase team to provide support. These individuals must follow the balloon wherever it goes and be prepared to assist it when landing. This sounded to me to be a lot of fun! We then had lunch at Diner66 which is located on the famous Route 66. The diner was right out of the 50’s with the décor, the menu and the way the employees were dressed. Our hamburgers and milk shares were terrific! After the lunch we felt a need for some exercise, so we walked along a trail that runs next to the Rio Grande river. It was too windy to consider riding our bikes.

This evening we were planing on riding the Sandia Peak Tramway. This 2.7 mile journey to 10, 378 foot Sandia Peak is on the world's longest unsupported span. Unfortunately, high winds cancelled the tram from operating. We watched a wind gage register at times up to 45 miles per hour winds. So, we were disappointed on not having the experience of riding this tram, but also thankful the operators were thinking safety first.

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Seven

We left Carlsbad this morning at 7:30 a.m. and arrived in Santa Fe around 12:30 p.m. We passed through Roswell, NM and fortunately did not see any aliens. We did see an interesting sign at a rest stop. It said “Watch for rattlesnakes”. Once again, we were glad we did not see any. The drive up from Carlsbad was over some very stark countryside. For miles we could see nothing but very flat prairie lands. As we got closer to Santa Fe, the mountains began to appear with some having snow on top.

In Santa Fe we visited a number of shops which, as you might expect, featured native Indian items. These included turquoise and silver jewelry, pottery, clothing and hats. This is the slow season and there was hardly anyone in the stores. Outside the Palace of the Governor’s, local Indians had their wares for sale. They placed their items for sale on blankets which were laid on the sidewalk. We also visited St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral. It houses the La Conquistadora chapel which has the oldest Madonna dating back to 1625. St. Francis is the first church in New Mexico to obtain the status of Cathedral. We next visited San Miguel Mission Church. It is one of the country’s oldest churches that has been in continual use.

We left Santa Fe and drove one hour South to Albuquerque. We checked into our hotel and then visited an area called Old Town. This is a district of the city that is 300 years old and features shopping much like what we saw in Santa Fe. Comparing the two cities, the shops in Santa Fe were more upscale. We had a Mexican dinner at High Noon a local restaurant. Built in 1785, it is said to have housed both a gambling casino and a popular brothel. Other than paying for our dinner, we did not use or dollars for gambling or any other vice.

Tomorrow we plan on taking a ride on the Sandia Mountain Tram. At 2.7 miles, the tram is the longest in the world. The panoramic view of the area should be spectacular. Afterwards, we hope to take our first bike ride on a trail that runs through the city along the Rio Grande River.

Here is a link to some pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/SantaFe?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Six

Today we visited Carlsbad Caverns which some have labeled the 8th Wonder of the World. We took a self-guided tour of the Natural Entrance and Big Room locations. There were 50 stops throughout the tour where we listened to recorded messages. It was very informative and extremely beautiful. Once we finished the tour, we took the elevator back up over 700 feet to the surface. We learned that new areas of the caverns are being discovered and explored by scientists. We had hoped to view the nightly flight of bats out of the cavern. However, we learned that they migrate to Mexico for the winter and will be returning later in the spring.
We then took a 9 ½ mile scenic drive on Walnut Canyon Desert Drive. This is a gravel one way road that loops through the desert mountain scenery. We stopped along the drive to take a 45 minute hike on Rattlesnake Canyon Trail. Fortunately, we did not see any rattlesnakes! The hike was strenuous and it was very hot. We wisely cut it short and did not complete the entire trail. We were very glad to get back to the car!

We leave tomorrow for Santa Fe which is about 5 hours away. We are not sure yet if we will spend the night there or go down to Albuquerque for the night.

Here is a link to some pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/CarlsbadCaverns?feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Five

We left San Antonio at 7:30 a.m. for Carlsbad, NM. We traveled the 450 miles in 7 1/2 hours. There were sections where the speed limit was 80 mph. The scenery was varied with areas of plateaus, mountains, and flat lands. The drive from the interstate route 10 to Carlsbad was through several very small and desolate towns. There were times when there was no car in sight in either direction. Both sides of the road were endless flat lands with an occasional cow or horse. We did see a number of oil wells pumping. Sure glad we did not have any car trouble!

We are staying about 20 miles from the caverns which open at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. We will leave in the morning hoping to get into an early morning tour group.

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Four

Ellen and I spent the afternoon and early evening on the Riverwalk. This is an area where the San Antonio River winds through the downtown. There are restaurants, hotels and shops which line the river. It is an area full of activity with lots of people. We also visited the Alamo which is a short walk from the Riverwalk area. We took a walking tour of the site and learned a great deal about the history of the Alamo and the battle that was fought there many years ago.
I have posted pictures at the following site:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/SanAntonioTX?authkey=1_l6aeYP588&feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Three

This morning we left Tulsa, OK and drove to Oklahoma City to visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The site of the federal building which was destroyed has been turned into a beautiful memorial. The indoor museum is closed due to a water line break which flooded one floor of the building. Fortunately, none of the exhibits were destroyed. We were able to view the outdoor memorial which sits on the site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building which was destroyed. There is a survivor’s wall, a field of empty chairs (one for each victim), a reflecting pool, a rescuers’ orchard, the survivor tree and a children’s area. At each end of the reflecting pool, which is located on what was the street in front of the former federal building, sits a Gates of Time monument. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, 1985 and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment the bomb exploded. Ellen and I were moved by this memorial and how the innocence of this city and the country changed in less than one minute’s time.

We left Oklahoma City and drove just over three hours to Dallas, TX. We visited the Dallas Book Repository the site of the assassination of President Kennedy. We took an audio self-guided tour that was very interesting. We were able to be on the 6th floor of the building where the shots were fired. Later, we walked the roadway, sidewalk and grassy knoll where the president’s car was passing at the time of the shooting. Ellen and I each reflected on where we were when the announcement came that Kennedy had been shot.

We left the Book Repository exhibit, had dinner at a nearby restaurant and then left for our hotel for the evening. Tomorrow, we are off to San Antonio, TX which will be a four hour drive.

We are doing well and enjoying ourselves.

Here are links to pictures taken at these two sites:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/OklahomaCityNationalMemorialMuseum?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/JFK?authkey=qgLMMNIm6HA&feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day Two

Yesterday we visited the St. Louis Arch. I took a number of pictures as it was a clear sunny day. There was hardly anyone there so we lucked out and had easy access to the exhibits. We saw a movie on how the arch was constructed. It is quite an engineering marvel. Then, we got into a very small enclosed tram car and took a 4 minute ride to the top observation area. It was very beautiful looking out on the Mississippi on one side and the city on the other side of the arch. The ride back down is faster only taking 3 minutes. We then watched a movie on the Lewis and Clark exhibition which was very interesting. St. Louis, and the site of the arch, was the starting point for Lewis and Clark on their journey to explore the West. We then toured a museum which was filled with artifacts and information from the early settlers. Later we visited the Old Courthouse where a famous trial on Dred Scott was held. He was a slave who sued for his freedom. We then drove 5 hours to Tulsa where we are spent the night. We leave this morning for Oklahoma City to visit the memorial there. However, we just found out that there was a major water leak at the memorial and it is closed until February 1st. So, we will only be able to visit the outside park. We then plan on driving to Dallas later in the afternoon.

Here is a link to pictures taken:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tschick62/CaliforniaOrBust?authkey=Pg_o4dGalRM&feat=directlink

More later . . .

Road Trip - Day One

We got out of Painesville at 7:15 am this morning. A fresh snowfall made it very difficult to get out of our development. For a moment, I thought our first day's travels was going to amount to 1/2 mile. The roads were snow covered and slippery until we got South of Cleveland. We saw several accidents and were glad to see sunshine and dry roads as we proceeded towards Columbus. The 10 hour ride to St. Louis was enjoyable. We listened to Cd's, and XM radio including the inauguration of President Obama. We found and checked into our hotel and had supper. We are reviewing our plans for visiting the St. Louis Gateway Arch tomorrow.

More later . . .

We are off in the morning!

We had a rough start to our final day at home before our trip. The power to our neighborhood went out early this morning. After a while, it came back on only to shut off again. This happened three times. We needed to run a number of last minute errands and were glad to see the power was back on once we returned home.

We spent the rest of the day packing and loading the car. We will finish up in the morning and be on our way. We can't wait!!

more later . . .

We are getting close!

A lot has happened since my last posting. Ellen and I returned from Los Altos, CA where we spent the holidays. We really enjoyed out time spent with Jen, Dan, Elise, Thomas and Julia. Once back home, we began working on plans for our California or Bust road trip. We have been plotting our route, researching points of interest, talking with a representative from AAA who was most helpful, speaking with a former national park ranger who works at Dodds Camera, and organizing items to take on the trip.

We have our route completed with plans to take our time and visit as many cities and highlights as possible. This will extend our time in getting to Jen and Dan's, but we think this will be OK. Since we will be staying in an extended stay hotel in February, we may as well stay lengthen our trip out to CA in order to take in more sights. We hope to be able to stay at the home of one of Jen and Dan's neighbors during March. If this works out, it will be great for us since we will be staying just down the street from Jen and Dan's.

I have been working as well in getting a web camera working. The camera plus a thermometer will allow me to see the temperature inside our house while we are away. One of my concerns is a problem with the furnace. Now I will be able to see the temperature in our house and know that the furnace is working properly.

Lots of last minute items to take care of tomorrow as we hope to leave on Tuesday, January 20.

More later . . .