Headin' to California!

We left Tucson on Tuesday with a couple big days of travel ahead of us. Our next destination Yuma…in the middle of nowhere right on the border of California, Arizona and Mexico. With our commitment to try any food item sold at road side stands we pulled off at the town of Dateland for their self proclaimed world famous Date Shakes…thankfully, they offered free samples (which none of us liked!). We ended up with some pretty nice ice cream cones instead and continued on our way.

Wednesday began with dreams of southern California beaches…but first we had to cross the mountains one more time. We climbed from the desert floor at 27 feet below sea level to just over 4000 ft and received a very unexpected welcome to California – SNOW! Thankfully it didn’t last long and we reached the thundering waves of the Pacific by early afternoon. Although the weather is not as warm as Arizona, we were happy to find temperatures in the 70s. It’s great to be back on the Pacific Coast again after 19 long years!

On Thursday, we made our way to the San Diego Zoo.
What an amazing place! According to our tour guide, it is the only zoo in the world that is also a Botanical garden. It is so green and lush everywhere you look! They have a new elephant exhibit, which is incredible. As well, they have re-created many of the extinct animals of Southern California in life size models, and then placed the models next to the closest living relative. I had no idea that lions used to roam southern California…and they were at least 25% bigger that today’s lions! All of us could have ridden on his back. They also had a sloth that was bigger than a grizzly bear.


Later that night we had our first “real” campfire of the trip…weather, fire bans and facilities have limited our fires to date and the boys were certainly eager to pull out their roasting forks. Thursday night we had a great one at our camp site on the beach with roasted marshmallows and spider dogs all around!

Friday, we spend the day at the beach. After receiving some good advice from some local parents, we bought “the kids” a couple boogie boards and hit the waves. I was the only one to catch a ride on a big one, but we all had fun trying!

Today, we have arrived in Anaheim and are spending the next five days checking out Disneyland and Disney’s California adventure before heading to Hollywood on Thursday. After the dessert and the beach, it should be an exciting change of pace!

Shawn

Touring Tucson

Tucson is a very interesting and beautiful city! Even though we have spent six days exploring, we could easily have stayed another couple weeks, and still not have run out of things to do. After spending a quiet day on Friday just hanging out at the campground, we spent our day on Saturday at a very unique Earth Day celebration. Biosphere 2 was built in the early 1990’s as a privately funded experiment with the goal of increasing our understanding of how human interaction impacts various ecosystems. The original Biosperians were seven multi-disciplinary scientists who lived together within Biosphere 2 for just over two years. After the initial experiment was completed, Biosphere 2 became a research institution affiliated with Arizona State University. Although you likely need to actually see it for yourself to understand the complexities, Biosphere 2 is essentially a series of gigantic research laboratories where they have been able to recreate a desert, a rainforest, and an ocean environment. The researchers can then manipulate the temperature, the precipitation, the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels etc. to learn more about how the plants and animals react to these changes. While we were there, the entire complex was ‘doors open’ and we were able to wander through and look at some experiments in progress. In addition, there were a wide variety of displays about how we can all reduce our impact on the earth. It was a great reminder to all of us about the need to make earth-friendly choices and a perfect place to spend Earth Day!

On Sunday, the boys and I had an amazing time horseback riding just up the road from the State Park. Since neither of them has ever ridden before, we decided to sign-up for a 1.5 hour trail ride. Leading up to our ride, I was wishing that we could have taken one of the more adventurous rides, but riding beautiful horses through Catalina State Park at sunset was a wonderful experience. The boys had gentle horses that encouraged their confidence and after a brief lesson were quickly mounted and comfortably reigning and riding. To add to our adventure, all along our route, nature decided to put on a show! From the bright pink blossoms on the low lying cactuses, to the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, there was something spectacular everywhere we looked. We all particularly enjoyed the two jack-rabbits that we saw boxing at the crest of the hill and the teeny tiny cottontail bunnies that were running all over through the grass. To top off an amazing ride, just before we returned to the ranch, two full grown coyotes trotted out from behind some bushes not more than 40 feet from our horses and stopped on the path to check us out. Although we had heard the pack howling in the distance about 45 minutes before, I could barely believe what I was seeing and stared awestruck until they quietly disappeared back into the brush. It was a moment I will never forget!

On Monday, we spent the day at the Pima Air Museum. This unique museum was highly recommended by my dad, but was also touted as a “must-see” by at least 5-6 others when we said we would be visiting Tucson and after touring the site, we certainly agree. Pima is essentially a living and growing display of the history of flight from the Wright Brothers through to present day. We started our visit by joining a guided tour group and visiting the four main hangars. Our tour guide, a volunteer who had previously been a military flier and instructor, articulately explained to us how the technology developed from the early 1900’s through today and pointed out the many advancements as we moved from plane to plane. Since most of the planes were very accessible, we were able to walk around, under and even look up into them. The boys were particularly interested in several of the WWII bombers and were stunned by the positions that many of the crew had to wedge themselves into to successfully carry out their missions. As an ad-on to our visit, we also decided to take the bus tour across the street into the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to check out the thousands of active duty aircraft that are stored there. It was amazing to see so many military planes in one place and interesting to get a close up view!

We have not had Internet access for about a week, but today are headed to California where we should be able to be online more consistently. We look forward to catching up with everyone!

Tammy

PS. A big thank you to those of you who have been commenting on our blog. It is nice to hear from you! For those of you who are reading quietly, it’d be great to know you are there – please drop us a quick note!

A fun visit...

I decided to meet Tammy, Shawn, and the kids in New Mexico after they finished their month skiing in Colorado. The highway system in North America has to be the envy of the world, I had to stop at the stop sign on my concession road and I did not stop again until I hit the US border at Port Huron.

After spending 15 minutes at the Border I skirted Chicago, St Louise, Oklahoma City, and Amarillo, Texas, before I had to stop in a small town in New Mexico. I traveled 2200 miles at 65 miles per hr and the only stops I made were to eat and sleep. We stopped at some nice places in New Mexico but I wanted to show these guys all the places I have been in Arizona.

I worked for a company headquartered in Chicago, but we had 2300 people in Nogales, Mexico. This allowed me to travel to Arizona once or twice a year for 10 years. Tammy Shawn and the kids went to Tombstone and Bisbee, I had already been to these places so I went to stay with old friends in Rio Rico just north of Nogales. The next day they came from Tombstone and stayed for three days in Rio Rico. One day we went over the border to Mexico with my Bob and his wife Lola. The place is usually full of Americans and I was amazed to see no one there. The drug wars have stopped people going over and the vendors are really hurting.

We then moved on to Tucson, where we drove up Mount lemon. In an hour you can drive from 2800 ft with the desert full of Saguaro Cactus and the temperature at 90 degree’s to the top with bears, pine forests and snow at 9155 ft. Today we hiked in Sabino Canyon. We did nearly 13 K in 90 degree temperatures! It took about 3 hrs all up and down really steep hills, but the kids managed to finish.

Although I have had a wonderful time and have enjoyed spending time with the kids, I need to leave today to head back to Ontario. In order to see some new sights, I have decided to come home a different way. II will go up to the Canyon, through Monument Valley ,then Moab, Denver, and on home. I came down in 2 ¾ days, but I will be a little slower coming home I hope the scenery will be worth it.

Regards

Rob

Arizona

After a restful time at RockHound, we have had a wonderfully busy couple of days in Arizona. After a 4-hour drive, we arrived on Friday afternoon and spent a few hours at Kartchner Caverns State Park. The park was only established 10 years ago and itss' development is an amazing story. Two amateur cavers found the caverns in the late 1970s and immediately decided that they wanted to preserve it as a living and developing cave. They kept their discovery secret for some time and then worked with the owners of the property to sell the land to the State of Arizona and establish the park. Although we have all been to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky several times, this cave was very different in that it is being protected from human contamination. To enter, we had to go through several airlocks and while on the tour, we had to stay on the developed path and not touch anything. After the end of the tours each day, the paths are washed own to ensure that nothing is left behind. The stalactites and stalagmites were amazing with beautiful colours. The most beautiful thing however was a 58foot column that glistened with crystals and ran from the cave floor to he ceiling. It was quite spectacular! Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed in the cave, so we cannot share our discoveries with you.


On Saturday, we went to Tombstone. It was a really interesting place and fortunately for us, we arrived just in time for their founders day celebration! There was a parade and the whole town was in costume. It felt like we had been transported back in time with hangings in the square and gunfights all over town. The boys were facinated and totally enjoyed the day. They especially liked the shooting gallery! As we all got caught up in the spirit, it seemed appropriate to add some cowboy hats and so we went to see one of the local hat shops where an older gentleman took his time to choose just the right fit for each of us.



After Tombstone, we went on a mine tour in Bisbee about 20 miles south. Even though we had done a gold mine tour in Colorado, the tour was a great adventure!
We rode a mine train 1500 feet into a coppper mine and were able to get off several times and explore the shafts. The guide was wonderful and since he has been a miner all of his life, he was able to share information about the historical aspects of mining, but also current practices. It was a great day and I am so glad we went!

Today, we are at our friend's Bob and Lola's house in Rio Rico. This afternoon we are going to walk across the border into Mexico and explore on foot. Since Lola is Mexican, she will be a great tour guide and we are looking forward to looking around.

Tammy

RockHound State Park

We have spent the pass three days at RockHound State Park a in the southwest corner of New Mexico. The park itself is very beautiful with well maintained sites, a big playground for the kids and even a dessert botanical garden. Taken together with the rocky cliffs in the background and the blooming dessert in front and the views are spectacular! Fortunately for us, we arrived just as the bright yellow poppies came into bloom and suddenly it seems as if the dessert has been painted with colour.

Braedon has been in his glory the whole time we have been here and has collected a wide assortment of rock including some beautiful specimens of red and blue jasper, as well as several interesting thunder eggs and geodes. At his request, we visited a local rock shop on Tuesday and spent a wonderful hour with the old fellow who runs it. His encyclopaedic knowledge of both rocks and US history kept us well entertained and we all left with a special momento to bring home. Mine is a cross cut geode that has been polished and includes some bright red jasper and crystal arranged in a very interesting pattern. It will find its’ place on our mantel at home and will forever remind me of the beauty of New Mexico.

Since we have kept a pretty busy schedule over the past couple of weeks, we decided to slow things down for the last couple days and have taken many long hikes up the mountains both here at RockHound and at neighbouring Spring Canyon State Park. Having my dad with us as we explore the area has made this stop extra special! Yesterday’s trek required a long climb up very loose rock to the top of the Lovers Leap trail. The climb was long, but there was a great breeze and the view from the top was certainly worth it. The descent, however, was a little nerve-wracking as the rock kept sliding out from under our feet and almost everyone ended up on their backside at least once! Today, we hiked up several side trails hunting for more thunder eggs and geodes. We found several interesting specimens and the boys enjoyed breaking them open with Braedon’s geology kit and taking a look at what nature has created inside.

Tomorrow, we leave RockHound and cross the border into Arizona. We will be visiting Kartchner Caverns State Park in the afternoon for a cave tour and then heading into Tombstone and Bisbee on Saturday. To get the kids in the mood and help them understand the historical context of the place, my dad hunted around Demming yesterday and rented the movie Tombstone with Val Kilmer and Kurt Russell. We thoroughly enjoyed the film and the boys are now really excited to see the places where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday fought the loathsome Cowboys. It should be a really exciting couple of days!

Tammy

Alamogordo

We had a lovely Easter here in Alamogordo! Yesterday morning dawned bright and sunny and both boys were happy to find that the Easter Bunny found his way to us here in New Mexico. After a lively hunt, which involved finding eggs in the trailer, outside in the bins and trees, and even in the van, we headed to Mass at a nearby parish. After Mass, we headed up the mountain to 9200 feet for an Easter buffet in Cloudcroft.
The buffet was wonderful and the views along the way were spectacular! Initially, the boys started the day feeling a little homesick, but after being asked to participate in another Easter egg hunt and both finding a golden egg worth money in the gift shop, they both seemed to feel much better!

After a quick change back at the trailer and some Skype with family, we headed out to the White Sands National Monument. For those of you unfamiliar with White Sands, it is a massive (275 square miles) area of white sand dunes in the middle of the Tularosa Basin. Geologists estimate that the dunes are about 10, 000 years old. Apparently, years ago the area experienced significant precipitation which leached the gypsum rock out of the nearby mountains and formed a huge lake in the middle of the basin. The lake was really a supersaturated solution of dissolved gypsum rock and water and when the climate suddenly changed, evaporation slowly removed the water and crystallized gypsum was all that was left. Since the area has very high winds, the crystals were quickly broken down into sand and the dunes were created. The site was certainly something to behold. As suggested by the locals, we arrived at about 4:30pm and spent some time with the kids sledding down the dunes on waxed toboggans. As usual, Riley tried some great tricks, but soon learned that face-planting into sand is not very fun! After that adventure, we headed out for a ranger lead walk across the dunes and learned about the area. Our walk ended in time for a brilliant White Sands sunset. Since the dunes are located directly between two mountain ranges, when the sun starts to set, it initially throws light onto the Eastern range bathing the mountains in pinks and purples, and then when it finally drops below the Western horizon, the other range is bathed in orange and red. It was an awesome sight and is certainly something we will never forget!

Today, we spent the morning completing a 3 ½ mile hike up a mountain at Oliver Lee State Park. It was hot, but the Yucca’s are in bloom and the view from the top was lovely. After that we visited the Space Museum and were excited to learn more about space exploration and how the White Sands area has played a role (the shuttle Columbia once landed here!). Tonight, we have been joined by my dad and the kids are enjoying some time with their granddad. It is not until family arrives that we realize how much we miss everyone. We will certainly enjoy his company for the next 10 days. Tomorrow, we head for Rock Hound State Park where Braedon will indulge his love of geology. We are looking forward to having our first real campfire (anything other than a grill fire has been banned until now) and some time to explore the area.

Tammy

Four days in the sun...

We have enjoyed a great four days of sunshine here in New Mexico. Albuquerque is a lovely city and we really enjoyed touring the Old Town which had many quaint shops and lots of great food. We had a special birthday dinner for Shawn at the Church Street Café which came highly recommended. Even though they said nothing there was too hot, I still had to drink a blended margarita to help cool me off while enjoying my burritos. We are becoming huge fans of authentic sopapillas and will certainly miss this yummy fried bread and honey when we return to Ontario.

After Albuquerque we headed for Roswell and stayed at a beautiful state park called Bottomless Lakes. Apparently, when the area was first settled, locals tried to determine the depth of the lakes by lowering ropes and determined that they had no bottom. The truth however is that they are between 17 and 90 feet deep! What is most interesting is that they really aren’t lakes at all. The water from nearby mountains flows through the porous rock at the base of the mountains and then under some non-porous rock. The pressure then forces the water back up from under the ground through the soft rock and gypsum layer. It was really lovely to camp by the largest lake with tall red rocks cliffs in the distance. The children especially enjoyed the opportunity to try their hands at scrambling up the rock faces. It was a tough climb, but since there soft sandy sections below each rocky section, it seemed like a safe place to set them free and let them explore. Thankfully, our timing in early April placed us just before the onset of rattlesnake season. The beware of rattlesnakes signs entering the park were a little off-putting, but since reading up a little, we feel a bit more knowledgeable about what to do if (when?) we see one. It was also really neat to see a dessert environment and a wetland coexisting in one place. The high winds were new to us and since they were warm and gusty, aside from adding costs to our drive, were actually lovely to experience. Most unusual were two rivers flowing nearly side by side along the valley floor – one bright green and one as red as the rock. Here is a video we took from the van driving by. It doesn’t do the colours justice, but you’ll get the idea.



Yesterday, we took some time to explore the Roswell UFO Museum. I have to say that I went in as a sceptic and came out believing that something definitely happened that day. The walls of the museum are covered in newspaper clippings, but also in first-person accounts and affidavits from the folks who were there. They are certainly very convincing! It was a really interesting experience and I felt a little like I was living an episode of the X-files. The truth is out there…

Today, we travelled across a mountain range and through an Apache Indian Reservation to Almagordo. We are looking forward to a couple of days to explore the White Sands National Monument, the New Mexico Space Museum and a couple of nearby State Park known for great hiking. Upon arriving at our RV park (we decided to forego the beauty of the State Parks for the WiFi available at the RV Park and Skype with our families tomorrow on Easter Sunday!), we had the pleasure of meeting the really interesting man who owns the place. He regaled us with stories from his childhood of Ranchers with 6-shooters, Apache Chiefs, and the first white priest who was stationed on the reservation. Tomorrow, we are planning to attend Sunday Mass at nearby St. Francis, a church built to thank God for safe settlement of early arriving families and a treaty with the Apache people. It is a historic building and a great place to spend Easter Sunday. We are also planning to have brunch at a local lodge known for amazing cuisine. It should be a wonderful couple of days!

Tammy