I’m writing this on Friday, and we’re less than 200 miles from home. There will be a couple more posts, but I wanted to show a little of what we saw during our 2 days in Santa Fe. We found a nice RV park just 5 miles from the historical Plaza, which was great since we had to go back and forth to take care of the animals. Once we got our parking spot, everything we saw and did was within walking distance. There is so much history here that I can’t do it justice in this short blog.

We’re so happy we decided to make this side trip.

Kip reminded me this morning (Thursday) that I hadn’t talked about our one night stay in Grants, NM.

As you all know, I am in charge of finding the RV parks. I’m always a little stressed because sometimes it’s mid afternoon before we know how far we’re going to make it so we can get set up and walk the dogs before dark.

I then look at KOA parks, Good Sams approved, and the internet. I like to look at all of the websites searching for photos, which are the most telling. I also have a map in hand that shows which towns and cities have campgrounds. Then I call to make a reservation. My anxiety doesn’t go away until we pull in and see it for ourselves. I only make reservations in advance if we’re planning to stay more than one night and I know we can make it. Most parks require a deposit when you reserve.

Grants, NM proved to be a pleasant surprise. It is a KOA park in a fairly small city. The owners were so accommodating. They not only gave us fresh, homemade cookies when we arrived, but we could have purchased a turkey, pizza, or brisket dinner. We didn’t do that, but we did purchase a big slice of pie brought to our door with ice cream. Kip had peach and I had mixed berry with rhubarb. We were in camper heaven. They also had a free continental breakfast in the morning. There was a long walking trail through the black black lava rocks from previous volcanic activity.

My only regret is that I didn’t get more photos. You can do all your homework while picking a spot, but in the end luck comes into play too.

I was feeling pretty smug about my booking and navigation skills until yesterday when it took 3 times to get out of Santa Fe. I blame it on the GPS lady because it was clear she didn’t know about all the road work and detours we had to maneuver.

The lesson of the day: Don’t cast your plans in stone, it will most likely cause great anxiety. Oh, and you MUST appreciate your navigater/RV park finder, maybe even send her flowers when you get home.

What does Kip do? He only does all of the driving, he cleans the cat litter after he has hooked us up to water, sewer, and cable TV. He picks up all of the doggie dodo on all of our walks, fixes things that need fixed and the list goes on. Maybe I’ll tell him he doesn’t have to send me flowers.

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PETS…PARKS…AND…P_ _PER SCOOPERS

It must seem as though Kip and I aren’t going to stop until we run out of road. As I write this on Monday evening, we are about 750 miles from home. We took another side trip to Santa Fe, NM which is where we’ll be until Wednesday morning, then it’ll be a straight line to Mabank, TX.

Before we left Williams Sunday morning, Kip and I spent some time taking pictures of their unique and fun downtown area. The theme is based on the fact that the old Route 66 goes through Main Street. Staying in this little town, a short drive from the Southern rim of The Grand Canyon, proved to be a most enjoyable 2 days.

I’m going to have to stop here and catch up later…tomorrow…Exploring Santa Fe!!!

We arrived in Williams, AZ late Friday afternoon and it was pouring down rain. The old route 66 runs down the town’s main Street and reminders of the Highway are prevalent. Our plan was to put the dogs in the Jeep and drive up to the South rim of the Grand Canyon on Saturday. The lady who checked us in, said the forecast was for more cold rain. Since neither of us had seen the Grand Canyon, we decided to stay 2 nights and hope for the best.

To say we were blown away is an understatement. The weather was perfect. It started to rain again as we left the Grand Canyon State Park, and it’s still raining. We’re grateful for both blessings.

We met and visited with several people who were from oversees, and of course, they all wanted to pet the dogs. One couple from England said they have a dog named Cindy that looks just like our Cyndie. The only distraction we had all day was that Sammie cried the whole time. We have no idea why she was upset.

This trip continues to be unbelievable…

I’ll let the pictures do the talking!!

 

 I think I should share a lesson we learned.

A few nights ago we were out visiting with friends and got back to the RV park later than we planned. We left the dogs in the motor home, so we were anxious to get back and take them for their walk. We pulled up to the gate…the locked gate…Kip looked at me and said, “So what’s the code?” The code was inside the RV in the packet of info we had received upon arriving. Panic struck! Kip got out of the car and said, “Just a minute,” and then disappeared into the darkness. After about 10 minutes, I started to get irritated. After a few minutes more, a man in a pickup pulled up to the gate and opened it for me. It closed behind me and I drove on to our spot. The dogs started barking, but I didn’t have a key to get in and Kip wasn’t there. Awhile later he came walking down the street. He told me he had walked around the entire fenced perimeter of the park, and every gate was padlocked. He then walked back to the front gate and found that I was gone. When I asked how he got in, he said that he tried the small gate beside the gate we needed the code for, and it was open…now who do you think had the right to be less than happy? Let’s not argue that. Whatever we get ourselves into, we only have each other to get ourselves out. Besides, it takes two to walk the dogs.

Just remember to take the gate code with you, and each of you should have keys to the RV.

I know this is long, but God forbid I have an unspoken thought.

We left San Dumas, CA on Tuesday and drove to Cathedral City, CA to see JoAnne Ferguson, her son Mike, and daughter LeeAnn. We even got to see BJ Connery. Lee wasn’t feeling well, so we missed seeing him. All were Kip’s good friends in Casper, WY and when Kip and I got married, they became my friends too. JoAnne and her husband George were in our wedding. Lee Connery was in the wedding too and BJ was in charge of the guest book. I think LeeAnn did something too.

We hadn’t spent time together for far too many years, but it was like they say. With really good friends, it doesn’t matter how long it’s been, it feels like yesterday. JoAnne lost George 17 years ago. He was on our minds and in our hearts as we enjoyed the two days we spent together.

As with everyone we’ve spent time with on this incredible journey, we hated to say good-bye. We’re already making plans to see each other again soon.

We made it! We’re here! We hit Los Angeles and six lane freeways and didn’t stop for anything. It’s a good thing it was Sunday. There was traffic enough.

Brother Bill and Liz took us all out for a steak dinner and was it ever good. I brought everyone’s leftovers home. What I’ll do is keep them in the refrigerator for a few days then throw them out. Well, at least I didn’t go off and leave the containers on the table.

Yesterday ( Monday), Gus took Kip and I out for a pancake breakfast at a cute little cafe in LaVern. Then we went to Trader Joes, (how do you spell uh oh?) We bought crackers, fruit, cheese, and a baguette. We wanted some healthy food. The cheesecake and apple pie were excellent choices for fruit and cheese.

Bill and Liz came over and we were enjoying a relaxing day, when all of a sudden the generator started up. The two little fans mounted up by the cab also came on. Imagine our surprise…there wasn’t anyone near the cab at the time…except the cat. I guess she thought walking over all the controls was the right thing to do. She spent the rest of the day hiding.

Later, we were feeling a little hungry, so we took Gus to Marie Calendars for dinner.

With every visit we’ve had, we love the hellos, but hate the goodbyes. Today, we head to Cathedral City to see more friends, then we head for home.

The traveler’s lesson for the day is: Don’t push the river, it flows. The point is to relax and enjoy yourselves and the right things will happen.

Also, bring your fat clothes and a lot of antacids.

Today is Sunday. We left San Juan Batista Saturday morning and took Highway 101 South to San Louie Obispo, (near Pismos Beach), where we spent the night. This morning we traveled through Santa Barbara and made our way through Los Angeles to San Dumas. We’re here to spend some time with my brother Bill, my sister-in-law Liz, and our much loved step-father Gus.

Today being Sunday, we felt it appropriate to share these photos. We saw farm crops surrounded by mountains which were barren, rocky or speckeled with trees. The ocean was a beautiful blue. It’s very clear that this land and sea were touched by God…