Day 118 - September 30, 2011 - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

We spent the day "out and about" in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and then doing laundry.  Tomorrow we will return home and the "real world"!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September302011PigeonForgeTN?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNS11cnB4t-ofw&feat=directlink

Day 117 - September 29, 2011 - Pigeon Forge, TN

Memories...the last time we were in the Great Smoky Mountains was with Daddy and Tona...probably 7 or 8 years ago.  It was a beautiful day, like today, and we just drove made a few stops along the way.  What a wonderful time and what wonderful memories!

We started off driving through Gatlinburg...it's been years and years since we have been there...and it was so crowded...as much or more than Pigeon Forge!  And it's Thursday, school is in, and the leaves are just beginning to change!  We can't imagine what it is going to be like in a few weeks when the leaves really start changing and it's a weekend!  Or around Christmas when everything is decorated and everyone is "outlet" shopping!  

Anyway, we enjoyed a beautiful drive to Cades Cove and saw deer, bears, and turkeys (in addition to the beautiful scenery)!  Unfortunately, the pictures I took from inside the jeep while we were moving are not very good, but we did get some pretty good shots when we stopped and got out of the jeep!

Click on the two links belows to see our pictures.

  https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September292011PigeonForgeTennessee?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNzYofHLqbOlfQ&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September292011PigeonForgeTNGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCN_glZ2G-PW-kwE&feat=directlink

Day 116 - September 28, 2011 - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

We left Nashville this morning and had a great drive to Pigeon Forge.  Believe it or not, we have never been here!  We have come close and actually made it to Sevierville once but the traffic was so bad we turned around and headed back to I-40!  It definitely is a family vacation spot with something for everybody!  We have named it "the Myrtle Beach of the Mountains"! 

We are here for 2 reasons...it is a good stopping place between Nashville and Irmo and, since our focus this trip was to visit national parks, we want to go to America's most visited National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

A bonus of this stop was that we got to see Glenn's sister, Rhonda, and her husband Rick again!  They drove from Knoxville to meet us for dinner, which particularly meant a lot to us since they both worked today!  The gesture was also special to us since they met us for dinner in Clinton, Tennessee, the first stop of our big "adventure" in June, and met us tonight during the last stop of  our "adventure"!  It just felt right to come full circle with them!  Love you guys!!!!!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September282011PigeonForgeTennessee?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNrE2trMkquLcg&feat=directlink

Day 115 - September 27, 2011 - Nashville, Tennessee

And now...the end is near...and so we face...the final leg of our "adventure"...  and we did it "our way" (with thanks to God, of course!)!  We leave Nashville tomorrow for Pigeon Forge for three nights and then home.  I guess you can tell we have been winding down this week because we know when we get home we have a LOT to do after being gone 4 months!

So...we slept late today and then went to the Opryland Hotel for lunch...one of our favorite places!  While we knew the Opryland had suffered extensive damage in the Flood of May, 2010, we had no idea how extensive it was until today.  The "Cascades" lobby, restaurants, and lounges, had the worst damage with  water 14 feet deep!  This is the area where we stayed during our last visit, and where we had lunch today...amazing how beautiful it is again after such devastation!  Of course, we took pictures!  Now we have stayed at a lot of nice hotels over the years, but this hotel is, we think, magical, and is the place to stay when visiting Nashville (unless you are in a motor home...then you stay down the street at KOA!)!  If you choose not to stay there, at least visit it...I think you will agree!

As many times as we have been to Nashville or by Nashville to go to Memphis, we have never visited The Hermitage, home and plantation of President Andrew Jackson.  We would always say we wanted to but never took the time before today.  It was great...and the beautiful weather did not hurt!  The plantation grounds and gardens are beautiful and the mansion was quite opulent!  Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the mansion.  The film and audio tours were great and very informative...a great afternoon!

We had talked about attending the Grand Ole Opry tonight but, having been there done that several times, decided to go home.  Then, luck have it, we had the news on while we were editing the pictures and the news anchor said "stay tuned for a big announcement that was made tonight at the Grand Ole Opry"!  Of course, that got our attention and we looked at each other and just grinned...you know that grin where you know you will wish you had decided to do something but changed your mind because you were tired?  OK...drum role please...Rascal Flatts performed tonight (love them!) and when they finished performing Vince Gill walked out (love him!!!) and inducted them into the Grand Ole Opry!  And, all the while we were relaxing in our motor home just a mile away and could have been there!  It seems our "day late and a dollar short" has come true again!  By the way, Dolly Parton performed at the Grand Ole Opry last Saturday night...the night before we got here!  I think next trip we will try to plan better and, maybe, not be as spontaneous (although there is a lot to be said for spontaneity)!

So that's our excitement for today!  Tomorrow...final stop...Pigeon Forge...stay tuned!

Click on the two links below for today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September272011NashvilleTennessee?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOGX96frlonMxAE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September272011NashvilleTennesseeGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPf9w_efxK_iqQE&feat=directlink

Day 114 - September 26, 2011 - Nashville, Tennessee

On one of our past visits to Nashville we went to the old Country Music Hall of Fame, so we decided to go to the new one today.  It was fun and interesting to see how they have incorporated the changes to country music in the last decade.

Then we spent a little bit of time just strolling around downtown, dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville...the best jambalaya I think I have ever had...and then home to the "girls".

Click on the link below to see today's pictures. 

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September262011NashvilleTennessee?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPzvuqPZzaDnXA&feat=directlink





   

Day 113 -September 25, 2011 - Nashville, Tennessee

We had a great drive to Nashville today.  Since we have been here a number of time in the last 25 years and always loved it, it was great being back to a city we really love!  And the KOA is right down the street from the Opryland Hotel which is really nice since on most of our trips here we stayed at the Opryland. 

This KOA is THE BEST, as you can see from the pictures!  After we got settled we went to get a late lunch/early dinner and then came back to the campground to relax. 

Did I say it was a great day?

Click on the link below to see pictures.

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September252011NashvilleTN?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMHi-56UgZyJtwE&feat=directlink

Day 112 - September 24, 2011 - Memphis, Tennessee

This time next week we will be home after 118 days on our "adventure".  Hopefully we will have just finished watching USC win another game!  Go Gamecocks!

Oh...back to today!  Well, since we have been to Memphis several times, stayed at The Peabody, eaten at the Rendezvous, visited Elvis at Graceland (ok...he wasn't there), spent time on Beale Street...in other words, been there done that...we decided to start at Mud Island River Park and see where we went from there.

It was a beautiful day to be at the park.  The Annual Dragonboat races were on the Mississippi River so we had fun watching them...and all the spectators! 

Then we headed to Beale Street, Home of the Blues, for lunch at the Blues City Cafe...great BBQ ribs and fried catfish!  Talk about "southern hospitality"...the employees obviously love what they are doing!  There's nothing like "real southern hospitality"!  It was a great afternoon just strolling around Beale Street and downtown Memphis!

Tomorrow we head to Nashville...another of our favorite cities!  See you then!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September242011MemphisTN?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPS6q7Kg7LXdiQE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September242011MemphisTnGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOPFnKKF49SHQg&feat=directlink

Day 111 - September 23, 2011 - Memphis, Tennessee

We had a great drive from Hot Springs to Memphis with the exception of being in bumper to bumper traffic for about 2 hours, 30 miles outside of Memphis.  The weather was beautiful and we were not in a hurry so we were just thankful that we were not involved in whatever was causing the delay.  There were many humorous things to divert our attention along the way, like the guy in the car in front of us urinating in a bottle and then looking to see how much room was left in the bottle...I guess in case he needed to "go" again!   Remember when you see motor homes and truckers...they sit up high and can see everything in the car!  We were just thankful that we were in a motor home with a bathroom!  OK...my weird sense of humor is kicking in again!  We don't know what happened but the accident was an Allied Van Lines tractor trailer that had caught fire and all that was left was the trailer bed.  Four dumpsters had been delivered to the side of the interstate and a front-end loader was  loading the dumpsters with the burnt remains.    Devastating...and time to count our blessings again. 

It was late afternoon by the time we got to the campground so we decided to just relax.  Glenn was outside reading and I took the "girls" for a walk around the park and took some pictures.  A huge 45 foot custom-made "rig" pulling a 25-30 foot matching custom-made enclosed trailer was parked at the office and checking in.  My first thought was "whoa...wait till Glenn sees this"!  I took the "girls" on to "Kamp K-9" to run and play and when I got back to our campsite the "rig" was parked next door and Glenn was standing outside talking to the owners!  Really nice people from West Texas, Charlie and Sheila.  We decided to have dinner together at Colton's Steak House, which was close to the campground.  They had a great menu and really good food!  It was fun! 

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September232011MemphisTennessee?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCN_5iqmwoemQngE&feat=directlink

Day 110 - September 22, 2011 - Hot Springs, Arkansas

It started off a beautiful day...sun shining, temperature so comfortable (I think in the low 70's)...and then the rain came and the temperature dropped very quickly to 63!  Regardless, it was a great day!  When we parked downtown, we were in front of the Mountain Valley Spring Water Company's International Headquarters and Visitor's Center so we decided to go in.  We ended up talking to Bob Ridley, the Visitor Center/Museum Coordinator, who was so personable and informative.  It was a pleasure meeting him.  He took us up to the third floor where the Executive Offices are to show us how they restored the 1921 Ballroom to it's original beauty.  Talk about going over and beyond the call of duty!  It was a fascinating visit and we left with some Mountain Valley Sparkling Water!

Our plans to have lunch at the Arlington Hotel (for old times sake) were squashed when we got there and discovered that they are only open for dinner this week.  We walked down the street and ended up at Granny's Kitchen...could be one of the best meals we have had!  And the hostess and server were so accommodating and personable.  Hot Springs (season) ended Labor Day and business everywhere is slow unless major conventions are in town (which they are not this week...lucky us!). 

Then on to our "Bathhouse" tour at the National Park.  Also fascinating!  We had thought about getting a "spa package" at the Buckstaff Bathhouse but, unfortunately, they are closed on Thursdays in the "off season"!  The Buckstaff Bathhouse is a National Historic Landmark that has been in continuous operation since 1912 and remains the only bathhouse providing the traditional bathing experience in Hot Springs National Park. 

Now, we can't hike and we can't get a traditional spa experience... so we drove to Hot Springs Mountain Tower, road the elevator to the top, and took pictures!  It was also fun and informative!  Then we rode by Bill Clinton's boyhood home and church and took pictures.   

Now...what to do?  Shop?  OK!  What can I say...it's always fun and something we both enjoy!

It's been such a great stop...even though we only had one day!  Too much fun reminiscing about when we were here 25 years ago!  It's a beautiful town and the "southern hospitality" has been refreshing!

On to Memphis tomorrow...see you then!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September222011HotSpringsAR?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNLUi770wsvtIQ&feat=directlink

Day 109 - September 21, 2011 - Hot Springs, Arkansas

Memories...pressed between the pages of our minds...

We decided to stop in Hot Springs on our way home because we have fond memories of being here twenty something years ago.  We were at a correctional association conference and stayed at the Arlington Hotel.  Bill Clinton was Governor of Arkansas and was the Keynote Speaker at the conference.  Such charisma and such a powerful presentation!  Little did we know at the time that he would be elected President!  We also remember a TV commercial against the lottery and video poker and still laugh about it to this day!  Picture this...husband comes home having just lost his paycheck playing video poker.  As soon as he walks in the door looking like he lost his best friend, his wife (holding a baby) looks up and says "baby needs new shoes".  It certainly got the message across!  We still remember it! 

Anyway, we enjoyed the town so much then we wanted to come back.  And we wanted to visit the National Park, something we didn't have time to do then since we were working.

This afternoon, after we got settled at the campground (which is great, by the way), we headed downtown to, again, "get the lay of the land" and see how much the town and Arlington Hotel have changed.  It's such a pretty town, as you can see in the pictures!  By the time we got downtown, many businesses and the National Park were already closed, but we still had fun walking around and taking pictures.  Tomorrow we will go back to actually "visit" the National Park!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September212011HotSpringsArkansas?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLj5-Kr_r6DPYw&feat=directlink

Day 108 - September 20, 2011 - Alma, Arkansas

What a beautiful day for a drive...actually for anything!  We left Oklahoma City around 10:00 for our drive to Alma, Arkansas...no reason to be stopping in Alma other than it is halfway to Hot Springs (our next destination) and they have a KOA.  An added benefit...Alma is only a few miles from Fort Smith.  The city began as a frontier military post in 1817 and would later become known for its role in the settling of the "Wild West" during the era of "Indian Removal and the Mexican War", and it's law enforcement heritage. Fort Smith was the home of Judge Isaac Parker, nicknamed "the Hanging Judge" because in his first term after assuming his post he tried 18 people for murder, convicted 15 of them, sentenced 8 to die, and hanged six of them in one day. His courthouse is now a national historic site where "more men were put to death by the U. S. Government than in any other place in American history".   Also, many people who lived in Fort Smith and the Indian Territory have inspired numerous novels and movies, i.e., True Grit and Hang 'Em High.  

We got here early enough to go to the Fort Smith National Historic Site. Actually, we arrived 15 minutes before they closed but the ranger allowed us to do a quick "run through" of the building and told us we could spend as much time as we wanted on the "outside" site.  And, boy, did we make the most of it in the short time we had!  When we left, we passed the Fort Smith Trolley Museum where they restore old streetcars and decided to stop.  They were also closing but let us in anyway and, I think, would have "chitchatted" for hours!  We really wish that we had another day here to explore more of the history of the area.  What started off being just a "good stopping point" ended up being a fun and educational stop! 

Tomorrow...Hot Springs, Arkansas for two nights.  We were there 20 something years ago for a Southern States Correctional Association Conference at The Arlington Hotel and have fond memories of the town.  This time we plan to visit the National Park too!   Until tomorrow.....

Click on the two links below to see our pictures from today!  Hopefully you will be as pleased as we are that we accomplished so much in such a short time!!!

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September202011AlmaArkansas?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPOZxd2Wp8O6ew&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September202011AlmaArkansasGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLb4nIT32sm_3QE&feat=directlink

Day 107 - September 19, 2011 - Oklahoma City, OK

We spent a really fun afternoon at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, but you won't be able to tell it from our terrible pictures!  I think, without a doubt, they are the worst pictures we have ever taken!  But they will show some of what we saw today so I uploaded them anyway to the web album!  A number of areas in the museum prohibited photography, which was probably good because of the quality of the ones we took! 

We can add this to the list of museums we enjoyed so much we closed the museum (at 5:00...too early we think!) without seeing it all!  Through beautiful art, paintings, sculptures and exhibitions the Museum tells America's story as it unfolds across the west.  It is a great museum  and one we will go back to if we are ever in Oklahoma City again. 

Is Oklahoma City a place to come back to?  Yes!  The city has a very diverse array of activities, attractions, and events which makes it a great "visitor destination", and I think, probably, a great place to live too!

Click on the two links below to see the "terrible" pictures we took today!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September192011OklahomaCityOK?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPqb_v2J85yT_QE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September192011OklahomaCityOKGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMiTyY_EgqrODA&feat=directlink

Day 106 - September 18, 2011 - Oklahoma City, OK

We spent a very powerful and moving afternoon at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.  I really don't know what else to say...I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

We then visited the State Capitol Complex  and just took some outside pictures.  Since it is Sunday we were unable to go inside. 

Then downtown to the "Bricktown" district for dinner at Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse (Jean, you will be pleased to know that they have white tableclothes!).  Very nice and very good!  A brief stroll down the Bricktown Canal and then back to the campground.

Oklahoma City has so much to offer!!!  Much more than we will have time for (and much more than they had in the 80's when I was last here...imagine that!)!  It is a great, and very diverse city...we wish we were able to "do it all"...but Irmo calls!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September182011OklahomaCityOK?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKeU8NHa7Om09AE&feat=directlink

Day 105 - September 17, 2011 - Oklahoma City, OK

It was a very stressful day...starting with a Truck Stop that, once we got in, was very difficult to get out!  No lie!  Once we got in there must have been at least 50 trucks in the back to weave through to get out!  Not a good start to a long drive!

Today's drive is probably at the top of our list as the worst drive on this trip.  The weaving roads in all of the mountains we have driven through were a piece of cake compared to the long, flat land, bumpy roads, heavy traffic (particularly trucks) and strong wind drive we had today!  Thank God we were in a heavy motor home...at one point I asked Glenn if something was wrong with the steering because we were weaving so bad!  I am also thankful he is such a good driver, or else I would have really been stressed!

Obviously, we arrived safely at the campground, which is very nice, and we love seeing grass and trees again.  We were so exhausted after the drive we hooked up cable, plopped down on the sofa and recliner, flipped on ESPN to start watching the UVA/UNC football game and immediately went to sleep!  Fortunately, Jean called when the USC/Navy game came on and woke us up!  Thanks Jean and Go Gamecocks!

Hopefully tomorrow will be more exciting...there seems to be quite a lot to see in Oklahoma City (much more than when I was last here in the 1980's!)...so tune in tomorrow.....

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September172011OklahomaCityOK?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJqQx67WiLLmKg&feat=directlink

Day 104 - September 16, 2011 - Amarillo, Texas

We woke up today and it was still cold and foggy.  We could hardly see across the campground!  Wasn't it nice of us to break the Texas heatwave!  It was 52 degrees and still foggy at 12:15 so I took a picture!  Then we went to lunch and just drove around to see what was in Amarillo (not much!), did a little shopping, and then came back to the campground, where I did laundry and Glenn cleaned the windshield for our drive tomorrow to Oklahoma City.  I know...you wish you had been here!

Amarillo at 12:15...it was 52 degrees and SO FOGGY!

The fog lifted around 3:00 and it ended up being a beautiful afternoon.  This was taken at 6:00 pm and it was 80 degrees!

Day 103 - September 15, 2011 - Amarillo, Texas

Today was damp and cold, cold, cold!  The high was 52!  So glad we packed jeans and sweatshirts too!

We went to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, about 21 miles south of Amarillo.  Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States.  The closer we got to the park the foggier it got but once we got into the canyon we were still able to get some good pictures.  In spite of the cold and fog, it was a great visit and afternoon!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September152011AmarilloTexas?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOn37P_o_ojSmgE&feat=directlink

Day 102 - September 14, 2011 - Amarillo, Texas

No exciting "adventures" today...just a lot of laughter and fun!  The drive to Amarillo was "quite uneventful" and a little boring, as you can see from the pictures (don't worry, I didn't take many!).

After we got settled in, we ran a few errands and went to
"the world's only" Cadillac Ranch, where ten cadillacs are buried nose down in a field at the same angle as the Cheops Pyramid.  Sounds exciting, huh...  Then we went went to the "world renowned" Texas Steak Ranch" for dinner.  Now that was a trip!  It is famous for it's 72 oz. steak.  If you order one and eat it (and all the fixings) in one hour, you get it free.  It is quite a production, as you can see from the pictures! 

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September142011AmarilloTX?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJLO4t6uv6CeRg&feat=directlink

Day 101 - September 13, 2011 - Tucumcari, NM

Several of you have asked, "Why are you stopping in Tucumcari and where is it"?  Good question!  What started off as a good stopping place on our way home between Albuquerque and Amarillo has ended up being a great stop!   Initially, for our trip back east from the Grand Canyon, we tried to schedule stops that would not require Glenn to drive so far each day that he would be exhausted!  After all, this is supposed to be a fun trip!  We started looking at cities we haven't been to on I-40 (the most direct route) where we might want to stop and spend a couple of days (Albuquerque, Amarillo, and Oklahoma City) and cities we have been to and want to spend a couple of days (Hot Springs, Memphis, and Nashville).  Then, when we started routing miles, we realized that the distance between some of the cities was too far to drive in one day (and not be exhausted!). 

Enter Tucumcari!  And, lo and behold, they have a KOA (too easy to make reservations online, and we haven't stopped at a bad one yet!)!

For starters, Route 66, the "Mother Road" completed in 1926 connecting Chicago to Los Angeles and probably the most well known highway in the world, runs right through Tucumcari, the county seat of Quay County. That would be it's "claim to fame"!  Sounds fun!  Most of us remember the TV show "Route 66" from the 60's and "get your kicks on Route 66".  We have already been on Route 66 in Flagstaff and on the way to Santa Fe and have loved the feelings of nostalgia when visiting the mom and pop cafes and the tourists traps that make trips more memorable!  Need I say more!  Tucumcari, maybe it's the name (it sort of rolls off the tongue), or maybe it's the strategic location on Route 66, is also mentioned in a number of songs and movies. Sounds good!

And...yes, there's more...Tucumcari was once a wild-west railroad town known (though not officially) as Six Shooter Siding where "men carried a roll of bills in one pocket and a
six-shooter in the other", and was known to have had a more colorful frontier life and more gun fights than any other town in the southwest, rivaling Dodge City, Kansas.

Also, according to the Tucumcari Historical Museum, Tucumcari Mountain (which, by the way, is behind us at our campsite...yes, I took pictures!), serves as a landmark historically as well as visually, having served as a hunting ground for ancient tribes as well as a lookout point for later tribes. 

So...even though we only got here this afternoon and are leaving for Amarillo tomorrow, we did a little exploring by cruising through town on Route 66, visiting the Tucumcari Historical Museum (Linda and Joy were such fun and a wealth of information), shopping at Tepee Curios, and having dinner at Del's Restaurant (Paul McCartney and his girlfriend, Nancy Shevell) ate there in August, 2008, and Morgan Freeman has eaten there 3 times in the last several years!).

Now, aren't you glad you asked?  What a learning experience this trip has been, and there's a lot more history to this area than we have come close to exploring!  When we made our reservations here, we had no idea that our "overnight" stop would be so much fun!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September132011TucumcariNM?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNXwq4mJ1er1bQ&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September132011TucumcariNMGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIH0_bPSy5PriwE&feat=directlink



   

  

Day 100 - September 12, 2011 - Albuquerque, NM

I can't believe we have been on our "adventure" 100 days! And what an adventure it has been...amazing!

We started off today driving the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe, named for ancient turquoise mines in the area.  Missionaries, Confederate soldiers, and outlaws once roamed the area, and Native people were mining for turquoise long before Europeans arrived.  This was also the trail that, in 1863, Kit Carson marched the Navajos on their "Long Walk" to incarceration at Fort Sumner. 

It was a dilemma whether to drive the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe or I-25, since we always spend too much time and have too much fun when we stop to site-see and, after all, our destination was Santa Fe.  Well, we did it again!  The Turquoise Trail was everything we were told it would be...a beautiful drive with several fun towns to stop at, which we did...after we were pulled for speeding by a Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriff!   Anyway, after Glenn fumbled around looking for the right car registration (apparently when I give him the most current one to put in the jeep he hasn't been throwing away the old ones!) we told him we were just enjoying the drive too much and the next thing we knew he gave Glenn his licence and registration back and they were exchanging "war stories" about working in law enforcement!  He was super nice...so nice that when I asked him if I could take his picture for our blog he said "yes"!  We left about 20-30 minutes later with him telling us to have a good trip and "slow down"!  Are we lucky, or what?

By then it is lunch time so we stopped in Madrid and had lunch and browsed the shops.  Madrid, in its heyday, was a booming mining town supplying coal for the Santa Fe Railroad and the U.S. Government.  When coal use declined, the town became a "ghost town".  Then, in the 1970's, artists and craftspeople arrived and converted old company stores and houses into shops and galleries.  Also, the filming of the movie "Wild Hogs" in the area was a big "boost" to the town financially. Anyway, it was a fun stop...we had to make ourselves leave and stay focused on our destination...Santa Fe.

A few miles down the road...just one more stop!  Cerrillos, another "ghost town" that was once seriously considered for the capitol of New Mexico.  Today it is  picturesque reminder of the Old West!

What can I say about Santa Fe...yes, we did eventually get there!  We love it! We didn't even come close to seeing all we wanted to see or browse the numerous shops and galleries the way we wanted to!  We did get to the Palace of the Governors (the nation's oldest continuously occupied public building and where Lew Wallace, governor of New Mexico Territory from 1878 to 1881 wrote Ben Hur), St. Francis Cathedral, San Miguel Church (the oldest Church Structure in the U.S.), the Oldest House (reputed to be the oldest structure in the U.S.), the New Mexico Capitol (we couldn't believe we could just walk around on our own...in SC everyone has to go through security and a scanner...even in county buildings!), and Loretto Chapel (the site of the legendary miraculous staircase).  Santa Fe is definitely a town where one needs to plan to stay for at least several days...and really longer!  Do we want to return?  Absolutely! 

What a really great and fun day!!!

Click on the two links below to see todays pictures and captions!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September122011AlbuquerqueNM?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMfatPKI2aDgfw&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September122011AlbuquerqueNMGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOy8i66Qv-XNUg&feat=directlink

Day 99 - September 11, 2011 - Albuquerque, New Mexico

What a beautiful day!  This campground is the kind of place you really want to sit outside in the breeze and relax!  But we didn't!  Instead we went to the Petroglyph National Monument and hiked several trails and then headed downtown to Old Town Albuquerque.  We just walked around, browsed around in some stores and had a late lunch/early dinner at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant.  Since it is Sunday, a number of places were closed but we still had fun just walking around.

Tomorrow we plan to drive over to Santa Fe.  Really looking forward to that!

Click on the two links below for today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September112011AlbuquerqueNM?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPjVqMDlvPDqcQ&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September112011AlbuquerqueNMGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLGAjeLJzo_8mQE&feat=directlink

Day 98 - September 10, 2011 - Albuquerque, New Mexico

It was a beautiful drive to Albuquerque.  When we left Holbrook we decided to go back to the Painted Desert at Petrified Forest National Park to see what we missed yesterday.  It was spectacular!  I thought that would be the end of our scenery for awhile but we had beautiful scenery almost all of the drive to Albuquerque...a real treat!  The campground and hosts are great and the location is perfect for us to sightsee without having to drive far.  Tuesday we will "hop" back on I-40 and head to Tucumari, NM for an "overnight" stop on our way to Amarillo, TX.  We will be home 3 weeks from today...can you believe it!  It's hard to believe we have been gone almost 4 months!

Oh yeah...Go Gamecocks!  We didn't get to see the game but did catch most of the second half on the radio.  Whew...glad it's over!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September102011AlbuquerqueNM?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCICpyufnqMPnzwE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September102011AlbuquerqueNMGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOznyPCUjLb_oQE&feat=directlink

Day 97 - September 9, 2011 - Holbrook, Arizona

The day started with rain and 62 degrees.  The nice thing was that we knew that the rain wouldn't last and the temperature was supposed to get up to the low 80's.  We were right, the rain didn't last but the weather forecasters were wrong...the temperature only got up to 73.  It was great!

We first went to the Navajo County Museum in the Historic courthouse.  Quite interesting, and Glenn "charmed" the little lady at the desk!  She was very quiet when we arrived and quite personable when we left! 

When we left the museum, the rain had just about quit...yeah!  We had lunch at Joe and Aggie's Cafe...a local hangout with quite a "Route 66" history.  The cafe was written up in the January 11, 2011 issue of Phoenix Magazine with their chicken chimichanga mentioned, so I ordered it.  Delish!

Now the rain had completely quit, the sun is coming out and it's time for us to go to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park.  It's very different from the other National Parks we have visited...very easy with few trails but very beautiful in it's own way. Unfortunately, we ran out of time...a ranger pulled up at 6:30 and told us the park was closed and we had to leave.  He emphasized "no stops anywhere else" so, while we got to see the rest of the park, the pictures are not good because I had to take them mostly through Glenn's window in the moving jeep and it was getting dark.  The colors were spectacular so we are sorry the pictures are not better.  It was still a really fun day!

We leave tomorrow for Albuquerque...one stop closer to home!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures.

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September92011HolbrookArizona?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKGAgebEmqqF3gE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September92011HolbrookAZGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIXg9ZHKxJzk8wE&feat=directlink

Day 96 - September 8, 2011 - Holbrook, AZ

What an easy drive from Flagstaff to Holbrook...straight interstate and very flat and bare terrain...in many cases like we could see forever!  Beautiful weather, but not beautiful scenery!

Love the owners of the campground!  Even though we are in the desert with few trees, the campground is so clean and well maintained and the owners are so personable with great senses of humor!  Holbrook is a small town with many businesses closed...sad.  I know I have said a lot of people are nice, but Flagstaff and Holbrook are at the "top of the totem pole" right now as far as nice people!

We were going to ride over to the Petrified Forest National Park Visitor's Center to get a start on our visit tomorrow, but got side-tracked on the way at a petrified wood gift shop!  Very interesting and fun!  We stayed too long to go to the Visitor's Center (it closed at 6:00), and a thunderstorm was brewing, so we came back to the campground and watched Green Bay beat New Orleans.  Fun, since we were in Green Bay in June and toured Lambeau Stadium. 

Tomorrow we will go to Petrified Forest National Park and The Painted Desert...tune in to "hopefully" see some beautiful pictures!

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September82011HolbrookAZ?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOW5tcmL4t27nAE&feat=directlink

Day 95 - Flagstaff, Arizona

After we dropped the "girls" off to get groomed, we did what we do best...shopped!  We went to Best Buy and bought Glenn a new camera...a digital SLR so that he can also take pictures fast with no delay like he had with the regular digital  camera.  Actually, I stand corrected, we bought me a new camera because he said he would take mine and I could get the new one...isn't he a sweetheart!   So I got the new one and he got my old one!  I certainly didn't have a problem with that!  So I now have the Canon EOS Rebel T3i and he has my old Canon EOS Rebel T2i.  The great part about this is that we can both use the same lenses...which is why we bought another Canon.  Plus, we both loved my old (I really should say former because it isn't old!) camera which made it a "no brainer" decision.  I also took my laptop to the Geek Squad to have it checked out because I have periodically had trouble connecting to Wi-Fi.  Tonight...no problem connecting!  Yeah!  Yesterday I took my phone to Verizon because the time and weather had disappeared from my main screen and they fixed that! Yeah again!  So Flagstaff has really been a productive stop for us!

We went to downtown "historic" Flagstaff and had lunch and browsed some of the shops.  It's a pretty college town and probably the friendliest place we have been!  Everyone we have had contact with has been so friendly and helpful, from the campground, to Petco where the "girls" were groomed, Verizon, Best Buy, and the shops we visited.  What a treat!  We almost hate to leave tomorrow!

Tonight I did laundry...great laundromat at the campground (10 washers and 10 dryers and a great sitting area!).  And it's close to the campsite!  They have another laundromat up at the office so there are plenty of washers and dryers to go around!

Now, wasn't that exciting reading about our exciting day?  By the way, the "girls" look beautiful and it's obvious they feel better.  I took lots of pictures trying to get some good ones while they are clean!  The other pictures are just some "random" shots around downtown Flagstaff. 

Click on the link below to see today's "exciting" pictures!  OK, maybe they aren't exciting, but we had fun taking them!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September72011FlagstaffAZ?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJeC3czCx5fJqAE&feat=directlink

Day 94 - Flagstaff, Arizona

Last night, while we were working on yesterday's pictures for the blog, we regrouped and decided to save Sedona for another trip.  Why, you ask?  We are tired and needed some "rejuvenation" time, aka "more leisurely pace" and if we had gone to Sedona we would have been trying to "see everything" in a day in a half and then hit the road again to Petrified Forest National Park and the rest of the stops we are making on the way home.  We no longer have the luxury of time on this trip (in other words, we have to stick to our schedule) so all of the other places we want to go will have to wait for our next trip, and the trip after that, and the trip after that!

So, we are in Flagstaff, the first stop on our way home.  It was so exciting getting to "civilization" again, i.e., grocery stores, drug stores, Walmart...I think you know what I mean!  And TV!  Can you believe we have gone without TV and the news, the Today Show, and "late night TV" for a week!  Our campground is only a mile from Market Place Mall so today I went and got a long overdue manicure/pedicure!  Heavenly!  And Petco is right at the Mall so we went in and scheduled the "girls" to be groomed tomorrow at 11:00!  Yeah again! They are "way overdue"...the last place they were groomed was Jackson Hole, WY and we have been in red dirt and the desert since then so they are now a "dingy" white with a little red and yellow mixed in!  And I have never seen "sandspurs" like we had at the campground in Tusayan!  I couldn't even walk the "girls" on the gravel without them getting sandspurs all over them!  And then, when they would try to pull them out (before I had a chance to...Glenn said I do it better than he does!), they would get them in their lips! Anyway, that was the only negative in our 3 plus month trip so that's pretty good!  

Anyway, today was a nice, slow day...really needed after the pace we have been keeping the last few months!  Even though we are on our way home, we will still be going to some interesting places so stay tuned...

Click on the link below to see today's pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September62011FlagstaffAZ?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCI_9ouGQqruWbg&feat=directlink



  

Day 93 - September 5, 2011 - Tusayan, AZ (Grand Canyon South Rim)

We spent another great day at the Grand Canyon!  Had a superb lunch at El Tovar Hotel and then headed to Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, The Abyss, Monument Creek Vista, Pima Point, and Hermit's Rest.  We hiked some and rode the shuttle some so that we could see the rest of the Overlooks and Points today.  We will have to come back to do more "serious" hiking...like when we have more time and are in better shape!

I've already told you how much we love the Grand Canyon and national parks and monuments so we will just move on to the pictures.  OK!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures.

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September52011GrandCanyonSouthRim?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNO00ZaV_PzDBQ&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September52011GrandCanyonSouthRimGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCObfwseL-4-Qbg&feat=directlink

Day 92 - September 4, 2011 - Tusayan, AZ (Grand Canyon South Rim)

John Wesley Powell said "the wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech nor by speech itself".  How true, how true!  And God is SO GOOD!

It's really amazing...on our way back to the car this evening, every few steps we would stop and take another picture!  The light continuously changes everything in a split second and because everything is so beautiful we keep taking pictures because we can't remember if we have "captured" each beautiful sight!  As Emily said, "you keep taking pictures because you want to make sure when you leave that you have done justice in your pictures to the beauty of the canyon"!  She and Hugh have been here numerous times...hiked to the bottom of the canyon at least 4 times I think (Emily, correct me if I'm wrong) and will be back again in 2 weeks!  Sure wish we could stay and be here when they are here...but Irmo calls!  I guess 4 months is long enough to run away from home the first time! 

I digress...anyway, as we were walking to the car we joked "don't look at the canyon because if we do we will keep taking pictures and never leave"!

Since we "spontaneously" planned this trip and have extended it numerous times because we were having so much fun wherever we were at the time, we did not pay attention to the fact that we would be at the Grand Canyon Labor Day weekend!  Not the smartest planning because it is packed!  So many people, so many kids, so many cameras!  There were so many times today that it was so crowded, and so many people were taking "group" shots that everywhere we walked we were in the "line of fire" and getting in the way of photo shoots!  And everybody else was too!  And, I know this will surprise you, but some of the people were rude and pushy!  I don't think we have ever experienced anything like it! 

Regardless, we still had a wonderful day!  The weather was amazing and the canyon awesome as you can see in the pictures.  We just didn't cover as much territory as we had hoped to today.  At least we still have tomorrow...hopefully everybody else will go home to get the kids ready for school!

OK, I really don't mean it!  What I have learned is that EVERYBODY should experience, and take the kids, to our country's national parks and monuments.  They are truly "God's Gift" to us...and visiting these parks and learning more about the history of this country has been the most rewarding and valuable experience!  Glenn and I have been to many national parks and monuments over the years in our travels but never took a trip with the intention of concentrating on visiting the parks and monuments.  We have always had "other plans" and occasionally "happened upon" one of the parks or monuments.  Kind of like "wow, that was nice" or "I'm glad we did that", and moved on.  I don't know if this makes any sense but we are so glad that we have taken this time in our lives to really experience, learn more about, and appreciate this great and amazing country we live in.  OK, nuff said...

Christa Sadler said "there are places in the world that you see with your eyes and there are those that you see with your heart".  The Grand Canyon is definitely one of those places and is exactly that...GRAND!

Click on the two links below to see today's amazing pictures!

 https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September42011GrandCanyonSouthRim?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLW3wsPplNfAvgE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September42011GrandCanyonSouthRimGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOiIkKX8xYmlcg&feat=directlink

Day 91 - September 3, 2011 - Tusayan, AZ (Grand Canyon South Rim)

We understand why they call this canyon "grand"!  It really is, and we have seen some awesome canyons this summer!

We decided to spend the day around the rim at Grand Canyon Village...quite a leisurely day...and we loved it!  Then we went to Market Plaza...have to check out stores and gift shops...something we both enjoy...probably too much!

A visit to IMAX for the Condor Encounter Live Bird Show and Grand Canyon movie wrapped up our day...quite enjoyable!  The cinematography in the movie was fantastic and so realistic!

Thanks to those of you who called and kept us up to date on Carolina's game...whew...that first half was a bummer...so glad we pulled it out!  We have had "0" TV coverage at the Grand Canyon (North Rim and South Rim), and this is the first time the whole trip we have wished our Direct TV was working.  Everywhere else we have either had Cable TV or we had great reception with our antenna for the major networks, and there was nothing we wanted to watch.  The next three Saturday's we will be in Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, and Memphis on our way home so hopefully we will have cable and can watch the games!  We do love Carolina Football!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September32011GrandCanyonSouthRim?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOWA24ur_bntyQE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September32011GrandCanyonSouthRimGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMCl6NTBoYCfEQ&feat=directlink

Day 90 - September 2, 2011 - Tusayan, AZ (Grand Canyon South Rim)

Wow...what a fun day!  We had a beautiful drive from Kaibab (North Rim Grand Canyon) along the Arizona Strip and through the Navajo Reservation and east side of the Grand Canyon!  We stopped numerous times along the way and, surprise...we took pictures!  I think you will enjoy them!!! 

It was such a great day!

Click on the two links below to see our photos. 

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September22011GrandCanyonSouthRim?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLCs5NHE1caiywE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September22011GrandCanyonSouthRimGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLPulae60uKh8QE&feat=directlink

Day 89 - September 1, 2011 - Kaibab, Arizona

Well, we talked about going back to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and hiking, but we layed down and the feeling passed!  So we relaxed, payed some bills, explored the area around the campground, took some pictures, and changed some of our reservations (we are now staying at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon instead of 60 miles away!  Yeah!).  And because we were able to get reservations at the Grand Canyon, we are now able to stay 2 nights in Sedona!  Yeah again!  And we still will be home no later than Oct 1!

We leave Kaibab (Jacob Lake) Arizona for Grand Canyon Camper Village at the South Rim tomorrow and will be there until Tuesday.  We are SO EXCITED!

Click on the link below to see the conglomerate of pictures we took today...so unorganized but that's the way the day was!  Heavenly!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/September12011KaibabArizona?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLy9gI-TmPKznwE&feat=directlink

Day 88 - August 31, 2011 - Grand Canyon North Rim

What a beautiful day it was!  We got up at 7:00 and the temperature was 53 degrees!  We got ready and headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (40 miles away) and by the time we got there it was in the 60's.  It was sunny but very windy all day. I think the high was around 75! 

We planned to go to the Grand Canyon Lodge first and have a big breakfast, however, we got sidetracked with the beauty of the canyon and ended up going to Bright Angel Point first.  By the time we got to the restaurant it was 10:30 and found that they closed at 10:00, after breakfast, and were not going to open for lunch until 11:30!  So what's new...a day in the life of the Davises!  We decided to walk around the lodge and go to the Visitor's Center and Gift Shop until 11:30...always fun for us!  At 11:30 we started walking toward the restaurant and...just our luck...a tour bus had arrived and there was a very long line coming out of the restaurant!  Oh well, we decided to stand in line because we really wanted a good meal and not "fast food"!  As a result, we met a very nice couple from New Hampshire,  Roy and Connie Raven,  in line behind us and ended up having lunch with them.  They have done a lot of traveling over the years and were delightful! 

Now that our tummys are full, it's time to do some hiking!  We start out at North Kaibab Trailhead, a 14 mile (one way) hike to the Colorado River.  Don't get too excited and think that we have become super fit!  We were only going to hike a few miles in to several of the scenic views and then hike a few miles back.  Well,  the first part of the hike was easy (and we knew it would be because it was downhill) but we didn't realize how steep it was until we got started!  We didn't get too far (maybe 1/2 mile) when we decided that, since it's going to be a long, uphill climb back to the rim, we would turn around and head to some of the other scenic trails that weren't so strenuous!  This was also after we had passed several couples that were struggling to get to the top! 

It was a good decision because we ended up doing some short hikes to some very beautiful views of the canyon...and lived to tell about it!  We left the North Kaibab Trailhead and went to Point Imperial, the highest viewpoint along the North Rim (8803 feet), Vista Encantada, Roosevelt Point (Teddy, of course), Cape Final, Walhalla Overlook, Walhalla Glades Ruin, and Cape Royal...all the "high points" without hiking down into the canyon.  It all was breathtaking and we met some very nice people along the way.  Such a good day that we barely made it back to the campground before dark!

Click on the two links below to see today's pictures!

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/August312011GrandCanyonNorthRim?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3QmvSCmNbAMA&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/104959812223133937279/August312011GrandCanyonNorthRimGlenn?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJOHi4vXs6G6-AE&feat=directlink