San Antonio

Oh my gosh we love this city!  The people are very friendly and courteous. That's a good thing because there are a LOT of people here.  We picked a busy weekend to visit. There is a George Strait concert tomorrow night. The arena holds 70,000 people!  It is right across from our hotel and people are flocking to the River Walk.  The good thing is that we had today to visit the Alamo and wander the River Walk. Tomorrow night everyone should be at the concert so we'll have our pick of restaurants.

First I will tell you that we do know about the severe weather in Oklahoma.  The weather here is wonderful.  It's a bit humid but there's a nice breeze.  We expect the humidity to get worse as we get closer to the Gulf of Mexico but so far we've had great weather everywhere we've been.  We are watching the weather for the places coming up so we won't be caught off guard.

We headed for the Alamo first thing this morning. Jim is a history buff so he already knew a lot about the battle. My knowledge was basically the phrase "Remember the Alamo!".  We had been told that it was small so we were prepared for that.  I was amazed at how well maintained it is and by how much I learned.   We came upon a guide telling the story and he was wonderful. He made the battle come to life for us.  People were right, it is small but  there is so much history there.  The guides were very knowledgable and there were university students working at uncovering some early artwork that has been discovered recently. It was very interesting to watch.

Looking at the models of the battle reenactment, you really can feel how hopeless the fight was. There just weren't enough soldiers to battle the 3,000 Mexican soldiers that took over the compound.











The live oak tree on the right was the first tree to be transplanted.  Before this people didn't believe a tree could survive being transplanted.  It was 40 years old and has been here for over 100 years.  it is a beautiful tree that covers the entire courtyard.
The well below it is the original well. If you look closely you can see Jim playing "Where's Waldo?" behind the well.  He loves to slip away from me and show up somewhere unexpected. That always gets a chuckle out of me!

After doing so much walking and driving we decided to have lunch and go back to the room for a little rest.  Lunch was at a mexican place where Jim says he had the best chicken fajitas he's ever eaten. Now he loves chicken fajitas and orders them a lot. So these must have been something special.

We went back to the room and I took a 2 hour nap! I'll most likely be up all night!  Time to go back out on the RiverWalk.  It is such a fun place to wander or just sit and people watch.  It is beautifully designed and the are plenty of different restaurants to take care of the thousands of people that come here. We sat at our table tonight on a balcony watching people wander by. Very interesting! Stayed quite a while having a cocktail and people watching. It was such a nice evening.


We didn't get to see everything we wanted to so we're glad we have another day here.  We hope to get some laundry done tomorrow since they have a guest laundry room here at the Marriott RiverCenter.Staying for a few nights has been a nice break from the heavy driving.

Our eyes are on Houston for our next stop. Looking forward to visiting the Space Center but we still have a day here tomorrow. If I find something interesting to share tomorrow, I will.  Otherwise, we'll check in from Houston.
 Good night1

The Big Room

It took only seconds to get to the Big Room by elevator.  The same spot that took an hour and a half yesterday!  We were so glad we decided to stay another day.  The walk is 1 1/4 mile but quite easy without the steep grade.  I don't have the words to describe how incredible this cavern is.

The Big Room is over 600,000 square feet!  It is still an active cave. Stalactites and stalagmites are still growing and changing with each drop of water that makes it's way through the cracks in the rock from almost 800 feet above.  Again, I tried to take photos.  I must need a new camara and maybe some photography lessons.  The pictures just don't capture how massive and beautiful this natural wonder is.

This is just a small part of a much larger area.  The columns are stalactites and stalagmites that have come together.  There are areas that are still being explored. New caves are still being discovered. It really is an amazing place. It was worth the time it takes to drive through the desert to get there.  Did I really say that? Have I mentioned how much desert is out there???









The photo below is the view from the parking lot at Carlsbad Caverns.  I am NOT exaggerating when I say this drive is flat and boring! I hope I don't offend anyone out there that loves the desert but after several days of this scenery I'm ready to see a tree!











We loved the experience of visiting this National
treasure but I think I can safely take spelunking off my bucket list!



It's time to move on down the road to San Antonio, Texas.  We were expecting a few more days of desert scenery so we were pleasantly surprised to find that even though
we've heard that Texas is flat, it's nothing like New Mexico.  It is just huge!

We had planned to take two days to get to San Antonio from Carlsbad but the speed limit in Texas is 80MPH.  The drive went fast and it was such pleasant scenery we just kept driving.  Now if you had asked me before we left Fresno that we would drive 500 miles in one day I would have never believed you!  Believe it, we are here. It was a long day but the reward is that were going to stay for three nights.   I'm already in love with the River Walk! I only saw a small part when we went to find some dinner but I can't wait to share it with you. Tomorrow...The Alamo!

Carlsbad Caverns

Welcome to Carlsbad Caverns!

One of the best things we did when we started this journey was to purchase an annual National Park pass.  We've used it 3 times in the last two days. It will pay for itself in no time!

Today we drove from Las Cruces to Carlsbad, NM.  We knew we wanted to walk down into the cavern. To take the elevator seemed like we'd miss too many sights. So off we go into the mouth of the cave.  It seems like a pretty easy walk even though the nice gentleman at the entrance looked at me and encouraged me to take the elevator.  No dice! I'm walking it!

The entrance to the cave seems huge!  It is just a tiny hole compared to the cave itself.  We headed down the path. It is a 20 degree slope and didn't feel steep. What an

incredible feeling to walk into the cave. It just keeps going down and down. Then it goes down some more! I wish I could share more photos                       
with you but it is so dark and the pictures I took just didn't turn out well.   The one above is the view as we descend into the cavern and look back up at the opening.  We take the path until we finally reach the resting area at the bottom where the elevator drops those that don't want to make the hike down.  It took us about an hour and a half to go down a switchback path that goes 750 feet below ground.  By now that 20 degree slope feels like a lot.  Our toes are tired of pushing into our shoes.  This is where we reach the Big Room.  That is the official name! Well, by now my legs are like jello and I can't walk any more. We find that the Big Room is the size of 14 football fields!!! Now that's big!  Needless to say we decided that we'd seen enough and we couldn't possibly walk for another hour.


We had planned to tour the cavern and start our drive to San Antonio. We were a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see the Big Room. We have wanted to see this for 40 years. So we found a hotel in Carlsbad, took a little nap and went to a great dinner at a local BBQ restaurant.  (Great pulled pork!)  We're spending the night and will go back to see the Big Room tomorrow. It's such a treat to be without a schedule. The freedom to be able to stay an extra day is wonderful.

Now, back to that little old man that didn't think I should make that 1.4 mile walk down that 20 degree grade.  He may have been right but I made it and saw things that we would have surely missed by taking the elevator.  Thank goodness we can stay another day and see the rest!

We'll break out that National Park pass again tomorrow. Sounds great to me!

Tucson to Las Cruces

Oh my gosh! I have written this 3 times! I somehow manage to erase it right before I post.  It is now 1:17AM and here goes #4!

Yesterday was spent mostly driving from La Quinta to Tucson, Arizona.  It was a long drive through desert, desert and MORE desert! There's not a lot I can say for the desert landscape. Cactus, sand and scrub brush. That about sums it up. So after a 6 hour drive we were looking forward to wandering through the galleries and shops in Old Town Tucson, followed by a nice dinner. Well! Who knew that everything would close up for the Memorial Day Holiday? Not us!  We drove around town and then then we were told of a nice drive to a waterfall that was just 20 minutes away.  It was already 4:30 but decided to make the drive. We found out that the drive is only 20 minutes but then there is a shuttle to the beginning of the trail to a 2.6 mile hike up to the falls! It was too late for that kind of hike so, no falls for us! We did find a local restaurant and had a lovely dinner.

After the disappointment of Monday we were determined to see some of the area today. We began our day just a few miles from Tucson at the Saguaro National Park.  It is an 8 mile drive through giant Saguaro cactus and spectacular desert terrain.  The Saguaros are incredible!  I had no idea they lived to be 175 to 200 years old.  They don't even get their branches (I call them arms) until they are 75 years old!

This is a beautiful park to explore but we were warned repeatedly to watch for rattlesnakes. We didn't wander too far off the path!


Next we head south to Tombstone, Arizona.  Yes, the sight of the gunfight at the OK Corral. There isn't much there except for the sight of the corral and a fabulous rose bush that is over 8,000 square feet. It is over 100 years old and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Unbelievable!

They do a re-enactment of the gunfight every day.  It is very corny and quite the tourist trap. But we fell in with the other visitors and yelled Boo! Hiss! for the bad guys and Yay! for the good guys.  It really was quite funny. Jim and I were good sports and had a fun time.

After Tombstone we went even further south to take a back road to a National Monument that Kathy Hamlin alerted us to.  We are so far into the desert now we are just miles above the Mexican border.  The only people we come across are Border Patrol and an occasional cow. As we were driving through this God forsaken place we are without any cell phone service, car services of any kind and pretty much no link to civilization! We just keep driving through more desert!  Lo and behold, The Chiricahua National Monument was worth all of those hours dragging through nothingness.  once you finally reach the destination it is incredible! Thank you Kathy! We loved it.

The monument is a group of incredible rock formations that I can't even describe. They are pillars of rock that seem to be balancing on top of each other. Here are a few pictures but they don't really do it justice.

By this time it's 4 PM and we still have a 3-4 hour drive to Las Cruces, New Mexico.  We had played all day and now it's time to move on.  We finally stopped at a tiny town called Deming to look for a place to eat.  We found Irma's Mexican Food. We thought New Mexico would be a great place for authentic mexican food and we were right. It was wonderful! Then on to our hotel.  Whew! What a long but fantastic day!  Now, if I can manage to post this without losing it, I will be able to sleep.

Thank you for reading! I'll be in touch soon. Tomorrow we are on our way to Carlsbad Caverns.  We tried to go there 40 years ago and didn't have enough time. We've never been able to go back. We have waited 40 years to see it.  I can't wait! Good-bye for now!

La Quinta, CA

 First stop...La Quita, CA,  for a nice visit with Eileen and Chas.  When we arrived we were in for a surprise. They had reservations for a steak dinner and a concert at the local casino, Spotlight 29.  Dinner at the Jem Steakhouse and then the concert.  For those of you that are at least as old as me, you may remember The Guess Who. They had some hit songs in the 60's and 70's.  American Woman, These Eyes, No Sugar Tonight...but let me tell you, they have gotten really old! I don't think we're as old as that so it was a bit of a shock. Still a lot of fun!

This morning we went to play in a little scramble tournament at PGA West. The Arnold Palmer Private Course. What a treat! Just beautiful and pretty difficult! We had a great time. Didn't win anything. Mostly because we didn't play well at all but we were all about having a good time. It was a beautiful day, not hot at all!  95 degrees and a slight breeze, it couldn't have been more perfect.

 

We are leaving in the morning for Tucson, Arizona. The nice cool weather from Fresno seems to be following us and the forecast is looking good for the next few days.  Thank you Chas and Eileen for a great time!

AWAY WE GO!!!

The time has finally come, we are heading out in the morning. I truly never thought we would really go! Knowing Jim the way we do, we all knew he would not be able to actually go through with this. He's a new man (a semi-semi-retired one) and he is totally committed to this vacation. A well derserved one for him, I might add. As much as I love the Jim I've known for 43 years, this new version just keeps getting better and better!

So! In the morning we are off to La Quinta, California to visit with our dear friends Eileen and Chas. A little golf with them before we drive into the Arizona desert. Thank you to everyone! We have such dear friends and you've all been so supportive. I hope we have the chance to chat with you by text or email over the next few weeks. Have a wonderful Memorial weekend!

8 MORE DAYS!

Still playing with the posts! This should be fun!

I know! I need a new picture!

9 Days and Counting!

Hello friends, I just spent a half hour with the nicest guy at the Apple store.  He was very knowledgeable and I hope I listened well.  This is a test to see if I learned how to upload pictures.

Here we go!

By Jove, I think I've got it!

Please check back in soon. We'll be off to La Quinta on the 25th!

Niagra Falls! Mount Rushmore! Yellowstone National Park! Are we really going to make this trip? It sure looks like it. In 3 weeks we'll be on our way. Right now I'm just learning how to post a blog. Bear with me my friends...