Today, we started the day at The Alamo. Although there is actually very little left of the mission, there is enough to touch your heart and bring a lump to your throat. The mission chapel still stands as well as part of what is called the longhouse. Unfortunately, much of what is still in place is indoors and photograpthy is not allowed. Throughout the site are flags from the states and the countries where the Alamo defenders came from. Surprisingly they came from Denmark, England, Ireland, Germany and Scotland. Many, many states contributed to the last defense of the Alamo. There was also a gentleman named John, a black freedman. The entire compound is a very fitting memorial to the 13 days that the garrison of approximately 200 men held out against overwhelming odds.
Next we headed for the Riverwalk. For those who have never heard of the Riverwalk, it is a beautiful walkway designed in downtown San Antonio which follows a loop created in the San Antonio River. The walk encompasses restaurants and small stores and some beautiful greenery and landscaping. The pictures of the small knobbly looking trees are part of the root system of cypress trees. In some places, they look like a forest of little people. At night, right now, during the holiday season, all of the trees and bridges are draped with Christmas lights which twinkle constantly. The stores and restaurants are all decorated beautifully for the holiday season.
The weather today -- sunny and 12 degrees!! This evening, we ate on the patio of a restaurant called The Salt Grass Steak House. Graham was in his shirt sleeves and I just had a sweater on.
Tomorrow we are off to New Orleans. Another day in the car, but, a beautiful city at the end.
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Life is Interesting in Texas
For the second time on our trip, we woke up this morning to snow on the ground and our car - nothing like last week in Flagstaff though and we were soon on our way.
Another 9 hour day on the road. Life is interesting in Texas. The first thing we discovered this morning shortly after leaving El Paso -- the speed limit on the Interstates in Texas is 80 mph!!!!! According to Graham, driving at 80 mph is pretty scary. Next, we discovered that there are a lot of mountains in Texas and that a lot of the Interstate has been blasted out of sheer rock. There are palm trees and massive cactus everywhere. The trees are full of leaves, except for the dead trees - they are full of tumbleweeds.
Arrived in San Antonio safe and sound, despite the fast speed limit!
Another 9 hour day on the road. Life is interesting in Texas. The first thing we discovered this morning shortly after leaving El Paso -- the speed limit on the Interstates in Texas is 80 mph!!!!! According to Graham, driving at 80 mph is pretty scary. Next, we discovered that there are a lot of mountains in Texas and that a lot of the Interstate has been blasted out of sheer rock. There are palm trees and massive cactus everywhere. The trees are full of leaves, except for the dead trees - they are full of tumbleweeds.
Arrived in San Antonio safe and sound, despite the fast speed limit!
Flagstaff to El Paso
Strictly a travel day -- 9 hours on the road traveling from Flagstaff, Arizona to El Paso, Texas. A long day, but we are half way to our next objective which is San Antonio.
The interesting part of our drive occurred shortly after it became dark. The driver in front of us narrowly missed hitting a deer that darted into the road in front of him (her). Shortly after that , Graham murdered the tumbleweed that came rushing out of the darkness at us!! He did manage to miss the second one that camenout of the darkness shortly after.
The interesting part of our drive occurred shortly after it became dark. The driver in front of us narrowly missed hitting a deer that darted into the road in front of him (her). Shortly after that , Graham murdered the tumbleweed that came rushing out of the darkness at us!! He did manage to miss the second one that camenout of the darkness shortly after.
Grand Canyon
With sadness we left Las Vegas this morning and headed back to Arizona -- the site of the blizzard on our way to Vegas. The closer we got to Flagstaff, the deeper the snow. It took us about 5 hours to finally reach the Grand Canyon. Because of the one hour time change, we arrived in time to watch the shadows of the sun climb the canyon walls. Again some absolutely spectacular scenery. The walkways at the canyon were covered with snow and we watched several people tumble on the ice. Getting to the edge of the observation areas was quite tricky, but well worth the effort.
Regrettably, because of the time it takes to get to the canyon, it was too late to take advantage of the scenic drives or other overlooks.
After leaving the Canyon, we headed back to Flagstaff for the night -- none of the snow has melted!!!
Regrettably, because of the time it takes to get to the canyon, it was too late to take advantage of the scenic drives or other overlooks.
After leaving the Canyon, we headed back to Flagstaff for the night -- none of the snow has melted!!!
Valley of Fire
Dedicated in 1935, Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest State Park. It is located only 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The rough floor and jagged walls of the park contain brilliant formations of eroded sandstone and sand dunes more than 150 million years old. These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. The park is located in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada.
Wow!!!!!!! A day filled with colour. The hype is right -- the rocks look like they are on fire. The slide show basically says it all -- please enjoy.
This evening we returned to the strip. We tried to visit The Flamingo, however, the parking lot was full so.... back to Harrah's. The thing that kept us returning to Harrah's us single deck blackjack -- you actually get to touch your cards!!! A very interesting game in which the odds should belong to the players. This time, I did alright while Graham lost a little. All in all, out time in Las Vegas has been full of fun and stunning beauty. We will be back!
Wow!!!!!!! A day filled with colour. The hype is right -- the rocks look like they are on fire. The slide show basically says it all -- please enjoy.
This evening we returned to the strip. We tried to visit The Flamingo, however, the parking lot was full so.... back to Harrah's. The thing that kept us returning to Harrah's us single deck blackjack -- you actually get to touch your cards!!! A very interesting game in which the odds should belong to the players. This time, I did alright while Graham lost a little. All in all, out time in Las Vegas has been full of fun and stunning beauty. We will be back!
Christmas on the Road
It was very different celebrating Christmas in Las Vegas. We slept in this morning and then called Ryan, Deb, Austin, Alex, Krista and Jamie who are all celebrating today and tomorrow at Ryan & Deb's -- brave souls Ryan & Deb. I'm impressed. I understand that Austin (the almost 4 year old) who was last up???? I'm pretty sure that at 4 years old, his father was up around 5:00 opening his stocking. Maybe next year retribution will strike. When I asked Austin what he got for Christmas, his response was "presents". He sounded extremely excited. Alex, of course, was excited, however, she only said "hi", "love you" and "bye".
We spent the afternoon casino shopping. We started at the Paris hoping to get something to eat -- apparently the Paris has the best food in Vegas -- the lineups for all of the restaurants there certainly attest to that. We ended up at Harrah's where they were celebrating the day by giving out Mardi Gras type beads for every Blackjack and a deck of cards for every suited Blackjack -- we walked out with 17 sets of beads and 8 decks of cards!!!!!!!
After a break to feed, water and walk Emma and Abby nand grab some dinner we returned to the Strip and ended up back at Harrah's. This time Graham was the winner and I was the loser. We had a lot of fun though. A wonderful but different Christmas Day.
We spent the afternoon casino shopping. We started at the Paris hoping to get something to eat -- apparently the Paris has the best food in Vegas -- the lineups for all of the restaurants there certainly attest to that. We ended up at Harrah's where they were celebrating the day by giving out Mardi Gras type beads for every Blackjack and a deck of cards for every suited Blackjack -- we walked out with 17 sets of beads and 8 decks of cards!!!!!!!
After a break to feed, water and walk Emma and Abby nand grab some dinner we returned to the Strip and ended up back at Harrah's. This time Graham was the winner and I was the loser. We had a lot of fun though. A wonderful but different Christmas Day.
Monday 28 December 2009
Red Rock Canyon
Today, our adventure was to visit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area. This awesome park is about an hour west of Vegas and is located in the Mojave Desert. There is a 13 mile scenic drive through the park with many outlooks which allow for amazing photographs.
The most significant geologic feature of Red Rock Canyon is the Keystone Thrust Fault. A thrust fault apparently is a fracture in the earth's crust where one rock plate is thrust horizontally over another. About 65 million years ago, it is believed that two of the earth's crustal plates collided with such force that part of one plate was shoved up and over younger sandstones. This thrust contact is clearly defined by the sharp contrast between the grey limestones and the red sandstones. The Keystone Thrust Fault extends from the Cottonwood Fault 13 miles northward to the vicinity of La Madre Mountain.
The photos in the slide show do not do the beauty of this park justice - it was breathtaking!!!
This evening, of course, we were off to the Strip - tonight we visited Caesar's Palace. I won a little - Graham lost a little -- we came away about even.
The most significant geologic feature of Red Rock Canyon is the Keystone Thrust Fault. A thrust fault apparently is a fracture in the earth's crust where one rock plate is thrust horizontally over another. About 65 million years ago, it is believed that two of the earth's crustal plates collided with such force that part of one plate was shoved up and over younger sandstones. This thrust contact is clearly defined by the sharp contrast between the grey limestones and the red sandstones. The Keystone Thrust Fault extends from the Cottonwood Fault 13 miles northward to the vicinity of La Madre Mountain.
The photos in the slide show do not do the beauty of this park justice - it was breathtaking!!!
This evening, of course, we were off to the Strip - tonight we visited Caesar's Palace. I won a little - Graham lost a little -- we came away about even.
Saturday 26 December 2009
The Morning After
When we awoke the following morning in Flagstaff, it was -7 degrees AND there was 8" of snow on the ground!!!! It seems that we brought our weather with us@^)**(^%@@!) Arizona, surprisingly, is very good at removing the snow from its interstate highways and once we removed the snow from the car (without snow brush or gloves) we were on our way. It took us about an hour and a half to get out of the snow.
We opted to take the scenic route along the original Route 66 -- little traffic and interesting scenery. Every 5 or 6 miles along the route there would be a series of 5 small red signs. The first 4 signs would tell a short whippet of wisdom (Graham's phrase because I couldn't come up with one) and the 5th sign always said Burma Shave.
Despite a significant delay at the Hoover Dam related to heightened security and vast numbers of cars, we arrived at our hotel in Las Vegas at about 3:30 this afternoon.
Once we were unpacked and settled we headed out for dinner and our first night of gambling - at Caesar's Palace. What an amazing place - 2 casinos, over 200 shops, I'm not sure how many resaturants -- HUGE!! We discovered already that you do NOT; EVER drive on the Vegas Strip. It is just a glorified parking lot.
We opted to take the scenic route along the original Route 66 -- little traffic and interesting scenery. Every 5 or 6 miles along the route there would be a series of 5 small red signs. The first 4 signs would tell a short whippet of wisdom (Graham's phrase because I couldn't come up with one) and the 5th sign always said Burma Shave.
Despite a significant delay at the Hoover Dam related to heightened security and vast numbers of cars, we arrived at our hotel in Las Vegas at about 3:30 this afternoon.
Once we were unpacked and settled we headed out for dinner and our first night of gambling - at Caesar's Palace. What an amazing place - 2 casinos, over 200 shops, I'm not sure how many resaturants -- HUGE!! We discovered already that you do NOT; EVER drive on the Vegas Strip. It is just a glorified parking lot.
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Albuquerque to Flagstaff
This morning we had to be up and on the road early - they were doing some upgrades to the hot water system at the hotel where we were staying and were going to turn the water off at 8:00 am. There were some stops that we wanted to make today, so leaving early fit right into our plans. Do you believe that the latest that Graham has slept til on this vacation is 8:00 am ~ an unheard of feat!!
First stop today was The Petrified Forest National Forest near Holbrook, Arizona. What an amazingly breathtaking place ~ The first stop on the road was for some long-distance vistas of the Painted Desert. The Mesas nin the distance were a spectacular mauve colour which contrasted with the closer red rocks.
Peurco Pueblo is a partially stabilized 100 room pueblo built around 1250 CE. It probably housed nearly 1200 people. Looking down the cliff are black rocks that are covered in petroglyphs. More petroglyphs were to be seen at Newspaper Rock ~ they are very primitive, but at the same time very expressive.
Next on the road were The Tepees. These are layered blues, purples and grays caused by iron, carbon, manganese and other minerals. The Tepees stand in massive cone-shaped formations over a large area of the park.
Last but not least are the petrified logs ~ most of these logs have fallen out of the surrounding rock and lie strewn across the floor of the formations. Now and again we would get a glimpse of a log still encased in the surrounding rock. The colours are bright and beautiful.
Once we left the Forest, we headed for the Meteorite Crater at Winslow, Arizona. Apparently this crater is one of the largest in the world and so closely resembles the moon surface that it was used by NASA to train the Apollo astronauts. As we got closer and closer to the crater, the sky became darker and darker and visibility started decreasing. We decided that it was likely safer to head for our hotel in Flagstaff. Good thing we did ~ we drove to Flagstaff in the midst of a blizzard!!!!! It was so bad that the police closed the interstate, stranding many motorists. The hotel where we are staying is unexpectedly full for the night. We have traveled over 3400 km to escape the cold and snow and here we are in the middle of New Mexico in the midst of a raging blizzard. I felt like bursting into "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" -- NOT!!!!!!
First stop today was The Petrified Forest National Forest near Holbrook, Arizona. What an amazingly breathtaking place ~ The first stop on the road was for some long-distance vistas of the Painted Desert. The Mesas nin the distance were a spectacular mauve colour which contrasted with the closer red rocks.
Peurco Pueblo is a partially stabilized 100 room pueblo built around 1250 CE. It probably housed nearly 1200 people. Looking down the cliff are black rocks that are covered in petroglyphs. More petroglyphs were to be seen at Newspaper Rock ~ they are very primitive, but at the same time very expressive.
Next on the road were The Tepees. These are layered blues, purples and grays caused by iron, carbon, manganese and other minerals. The Tepees stand in massive cone-shaped formations over a large area of the park.
Last but not least are the petrified logs ~ most of these logs have fallen out of the surrounding rock and lie strewn across the floor of the formations. Now and again we would get a glimpse of a log still encased in the surrounding rock. The colours are bright and beautiful.
Once we left the Forest, we headed for the Meteorite Crater at Winslow, Arizona. Apparently this crater is one of the largest in the world and so closely resembles the moon surface that it was used by NASA to train the Apollo astronauts. As we got closer and closer to the crater, the sky became darker and darker and visibility started decreasing. We decided that it was likely safer to head for our hotel in Flagstaff. Good thing we did ~ we drove to Flagstaff in the midst of a blizzard!!!!! It was so bad that the police closed the interstate, stranding many motorists. The hotel where we are staying is unexpectedly full for the night. We have traveled over 3400 km to escape the cold and snow and here we are in the middle of New Mexico in the midst of a raging blizzard. I felt like bursting into "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" -- NOT!!!!!!
Monday 21 December 2009
A Very Long Day
This morning, we woke up in Tulsa, Oklahoma (0 degrees Celsius). Tonight we are sleeping in Albuquerque, New Mexico ( 8 degrees Celsius). In between, we traveled through the Texas panhandle and enjoyed a daytime temperature of 20 degrees and beautiful sunshine. As soon as the sun goes down here, the temperature plummets.
Oklahoma was very flat with lots of scrub. The people are very friendly and accommodating. As we entered Texas, we stopped at an Indian Trading Post where we took the pictures of the bison -- the state animal of Texas. These bison were somewhat reminiscent of Mel Lastman's moose. Texas is vast with very large ranches of cattle. Sometimes we would only see one or two head -- apparently the cattle are permitted to roam free until it is time to head for the stockyard. They also grow cotton in Texas -- there are places where the edges of the road look like they are piled with snow when it is cotton bolls that have blown in the wind. We saw a couple of tumbleweeds, but not soon enough to get a picture. Again, the country is very flat with lots of scrub. Suddenly, we turned the last corner in Texas and saw the first mesas of New Mexico. What an amazing site - the pictures do not even begin to do justice to the beauty of the New Mexican scenery.
Unbelievably, the speed limit in both Oklahoma and New Mexico is 75 mi/hr. In Texas, the speed limit is 70 during daylight hours and 65 at night.
The dogs are holding up very well. Emma has adjusted to the long car rides by curling up in the back seat and sleeping except for stops when she has to take a look to see what's going on. Abby, on the other hand continues to fret -- she has to know what'[s going on at all times. She sits and watches out the window and only rarely sleeps in the car.
Another busy day is scheduled for tomorrow -- our last day before arriving in Las Vegas.
Oklahoma was very flat with lots of scrub. The people are very friendly and accommodating. As we entered Texas, we stopped at an Indian Trading Post where we took the pictures of the bison -- the state animal of Texas. These bison were somewhat reminiscent of Mel Lastman's moose. Texas is vast with very large ranches of cattle. Sometimes we would only see one or two head -- apparently the cattle are permitted to roam free until it is time to head for the stockyard. They also grow cotton in Texas -- there are places where the edges of the road look like they are piled with snow when it is cotton bolls that have blown in the wind. We saw a couple of tumbleweeds, but not soon enough to get a picture. Again, the country is very flat with lots of scrub. Suddenly, we turned the last corner in Texas and saw the first mesas of New Mexico. What an amazing site - the pictures do not even begin to do justice to the beauty of the New Mexican scenery.
Unbelievably, the speed limit in both Oklahoma and New Mexico is 75 mi/hr. In Texas, the speed limit is 70 during daylight hours and 65 at night.
The dogs are holding up very well. Emma has adjusted to the long car rides by curling up in the back seat and sleeping except for stops when she has to take a look to see what's going on. Abby, on the other hand continues to fret -- she has to know what'[s going on at all times. She sits and watches out the window and only rarely sleeps in the car.
Another busy day is scheduled for tomorrow -- our last day before arriving in Las Vegas.
Sunday 20 December 2009
Day 3 of Las Vegas Trip
Up this morning to find snow still on the ground and the temperature -4 degrees. After breakfast we made a trip to the Meramec Caverns. Neither of us was aware that Missouri is known as the Cave State -- everywhere you go there are caves to visit. The cave system that we visited consists of over 28 miles of caves. These caves were used by the Union Army as a powder mill due to the saltpeter that they were able to mine there. The cave was blown up by Confederate guerillas of whom Jesse James was a member. After the Civil War, Jesse and his gang used the caves as a hideout. During prohibition, the cave was used as a speakeasy, later as an underground parking lot and then as a ballroom. We both found the caves amazing and absolutely breathtaking. One thing that we found very interesting was the temperature in the caves - a constant 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
We hit the road about noon today and after about an hour, the snow disappeared from the ground. By the time we arrived in Tulsa this afternoon, the temperature was 12 degrees Celcius.
Total distance today - 555.5 km.
We hit the road about noon today and after about an hour, the snow disappeared from the ground. By the time we arrived in Tulsa this afternoon, the temperature was 12 degrees Celcius.
Total distance today - 555.5 km.
Saturday 19 December 2009
I Can't Believe that it's only Day 2
We woke up this morning to snow showers with about 2" on the ground. The visibility on the roads until we hit mid-Michigan was poor to say the least as can be seen in the pictures.. Needless to say, we crawled along for a couple of hours and then, finally we were moving right along. We actually hit the road about 8:30 and after a quick stop at McDonalds for breakfast, we ventured out on to I94 -- it had not been plowed or salted since the snow started and was treacherous. Once we reached I69, the plows and sanders had been out and we were able to get "up to speed" so to speak. The day was overcast and cold so we just kept on driving. We reached St. Louis around 4:00 - enough light left to see the Arch. While we actually drove right up to the Arch, it was easier to see from a bit of a distance.
We continued on to Sullivan, Missouri to finish off our day. Total distance today, 890.7 km.
We continued on to Sullivan, Missouri to finish off our day. Total distance today, 890.7 km.
Friday 18 December 2009
Day One on the Road
So, we left London this afternoon at 4:00 (or thereabouts) and headed off on our adventure with car packed to the rafters and 2 very excited dogs in the back seat. After stopping at Timmy's for a farewell coffee, we headed for Sarnia/Pt. Huron -- what an absolute disaster. We were the lucky number 5 or 7 or 8 or whatever the number of the day was. After spending 15 minutes at the booth we were sent over to the inspection area where we had to desert Emma & Abby while strange (and frightening) people searched the car and we stood in line inside the customs booth. Altogether, we spent about an hour at customs, but finally we were sent on our way.
We arrived at our hotel -- the Baymont Inn & Suites in Jackson, Missouri at about 10:00 pm. Total mileage today - 355.0 km. Tomorrow we are off to see the St. Louis Arch. Stay tuned!
We arrived at our hotel -- the Baymont Inn & Suites in Jackson, Missouri at about 10:00 pm. Total mileage today - 355.0 km. Tomorrow we are off to see the St. Louis Arch. Stay tuned!
Sunday 13 December 2009
Getting Ready
Vacation time is getting close -- we leave for our road trip to Las Vegas on Friday. Yeah!!!
We have lots to do before we go, but I thought that I would get into the habit again of using our blog. Ryan suggested that we use it while we're gone to keep everyone who cares up to date regarding our adventures.
So, tonight, I'm just catching up on some computer work -- bills, etc. Stuff that needs to be done before we leave.
We have lots to do before we go, but I thought that I would get into the habit again of using our blog. Ryan suggested that we use it while we're gone to keep everyone who cares up to date regarding our adventures.
So, tonight, I'm just catching up on some computer work -- bills, etc. Stuff that needs to be done before we leave.
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