The Events of Monday, February 21, 2011

                Sleeping works best when it is dark and quiet. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had since we left our friends’ homes in Waco, TX. Early, last night I hit a wall. I hardly slept the night we were stranded by the roadside since I kept count of the 18-wheelers thundering past. The owner of the property said that 40 would pass around midnight, but I counted over 65 well by past 2 or 3 in the morning. I wasn’t tired the next day, but the tiredness hit me like a ton of bricks last night, and I was in bed shortly after the kids. Jim, on the other hand, is “nesting”; well, that is what we used to call it before each child was born. This is his behavior, before any life change or significant event. Suddenly, the man who is in bed every night at 10 and up every morning at 5:15 is staying up past midnight or getting up at 3:30 in the morning. Jim has been working tirelessly on the details for the European portion of our trip. He has purchased the airline tickets, arranged the lease on a minivan, and is now securing housing for us. Only he is doing all this on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night. I am praying he doesn’t get sick, but truly appreciate how all this legwork is going to make our time in Europe much smoother.

                Anyway, I awoke this morning, well rested and strangely aware of the quiet. We are still in the middle of nowhere, thus the quiet, not even birds broke the silence. Jim had planned a French toast and bacon breakfast. Hot breakfast is a treat for us, as it is only possible when we are camping. While he and Lindsey cooked, Abby, Ben and I hit the showers. It was a weird shower set-up, but functional. Check out Caitlin’s shower blog for a full description. Breakfast was ready upon our return, and it was yummy‼ During breakfast we discussed our travel options. We could either head north from this junction and then go west to Guadalupe National Park, our destination for the day, or we could go west along the Rio Grande on a scenic drive on the “River Road” and then turn north at Presidio. After discussing it, it was decided that we had all had enough of this arid, desert part of Texas and the muddy Rio Grande and were ready to see some new scenery. Finding out that the drive would also take us through Texas’ Big Bend STATE park, and thus costing us $3 a head, assisted us in our decision. 

                After breakfast, the second shift took showers while the rest of us cleaned up and prepared for our departure. A gentleman in the neighboring RV expressed surprise that we were leaving so soon and felt we should stay longer to enjoy the area more. I bit my tongue, to keep from saying “Enjoy what more? More desert? More dust storms?” He was from Michigan and extended the invitation to visit Michigan in summer, and, I think, was a bit surprised to hear that we already had. He quizzed us on what we had seen and then determined we had hit all the appropriate highlights. Phew! Glad we met the approval of a perfect stranger.

                Driving north, the scenery was slow to change. Initially the speed limit was 75 mph, well out of Harvey’s reach, but 100 yards down the road there was a caution sign for curvy roads and the speed limit was 40 mph. This continued for quite some time. I was amused to see a large road side sign advising “Trash Receptacle 1/2 Mile Ahead”. Sure enough, half a mile ahead was a little pull-out with a trash can – in the middle of nowhere! I drove about two hours, and then decided to look for a place for lunch. Jim requested a lunch spot by a lake or a stream – very funny. Interspersed between these trash receptacle signs are signs for picnic areas. These typically consist of two picnic tables under a corrugated metal roof and a single trash receptacle. The next picnic area had no warning, just a sign pointing half way between the exit and the entrance, so I pulled in the exit and turned around. Taking in the desolation around us, Caitlin quipped, “Don’t worry Mom; there is nothing to hit when you back up.”

                During lunch, we discussed two very important issues. The first was what route to take from Guadalupe National Park to Flagstaff. Again it was: go north then west or west then north? As we have traveled the Four Corner States on a prior adventure, we will just be driving through, with the one exception of stopping at the Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff, Arizona. We have stopped there several times before on previous trips and it has become a favorite place to celebrate birthdays. The winning vote was to go north (through Roswell to pick up some UFOs) and then west as that will give us less time on the Interstate. We have enjoyed all these country back roads and not fighting for passing room with trucks.

                The other decision was about the themes for our trip. In reading of others who have traveled the country, we had been advised to pick several themes, as one simply cannot see EVERYTHING. So our themes for our US portion of the trip have been: roller coasters, old fashioned ice cream parlors, national parks, famous symphonies and symphony halls, and, a late addition, mansions. We discussed how these themes might change or stay the same for the Europe portion of our trip. We decided that roller coasters would be replaced by “cultural experiences” like summer luging in Switzerland or watching dancers in Spain, and that visiting European castles and cathedrals would replace American mansions. Ice cream shops would become chocolate sampling or sampling whatever delectable delicacy a region might have to offer.  Jim has found that some European countries have national parks, and we may visit those. However, from what Jim and I remember, just driving through the European countryside is as beautiful as many of our national parks. Jim has already found some symphony halls and performances for us to enjoy in Europe, and shared that exciting news with us at lunch, so that theme will remain. In addition, we hope to take in some theatre in London and the kids want to see an opera in Italy. Go figure!?! At the beginning of our trip, the kids were adamant that they did NOT want to spend a lot of time in museums. However, in reminiscing about our trip, they realized that they have thoroughly enjoyed some of the museums we did visit. So they are cautiously open to visiting some museums in Europe – as long as they are “good and pertain to what we are visiting”. Lindsey also added that she would like to take in some art museums. Those two decisions made, we cleaned up from lunch and were on our way.

                In Alpine, we stopped for gas and groceries. Abby came running back to the RV, very excited. In addition to finding nonfat milk back in the reasonable price range, they found a discount bakery shelf with coconut cake and chocolate cake, each for only $3. What a steal! Although, in my humble opinion, they could have been giving away the coconut cake, and I still wouldn’t have been interested.

                Now, it was time to drive west. The scenery began to change from desert to prairie. Dotted with buttes, and the occasional mountain or two, the prairie made a dramatic landscape against the backdrop of a blue, blue sky. After driving through Valentine, population 217, we arrived at Van Horn and after driving through town, turned north. Here the road thinned to a divided highway. As the road followed the undulations of the prairie, I felt a little skittish. With each dip I wondered if we would become airborne again, like we had yesterday. However, today, there were posted dip warnings and suggested speeds, which I followed religiously. But none of today’s dips were anything like what we experienced yesterday, or in Oklahoma City.

                Soon we were in the vicinity of Guadalupe National Park and drove into Mountain Time Zone. This was to our advantage as it gave us more time to explore the park. The visitor center was our first stop. We found that there is dry camping available ¼ mile down the road and that the best way to explore the park was to hike. So after viewing the park’s “slide show”, checking out the visitor center plant and animal display and letting the kids get started on their junior and senior ranger packets, we headed over to the RV parking lot that serves as the park’s “camping” opportunity. After setting up and sliding out, a short 4.2 mile hike into the Devil’s Hall was in order. Grabbing water and granola bars to stave off hunger brought on by the time change, and dressing in long pants and warmer clothes (we are NOT in the 80° desert anymore), we hit the trail. Although there are still cacti, we enjoyed seeing a greater variety of plant life and rock formations. The trail led us along a ridge and then into the wash, a dry river bed. Ending with a staircase of natural rock, we found ourselves in the bottom of a canyon with steep sides. As the sun was setting above, the lighting was perfect for pictures and enough for safe hiking. We enjoyed a snack of granola bars, peanuts and raisins and headed back to camp.  

                As the sunset painted the clouds a beautiful pink, we made dinner and enjoyed Fettuccini Alfredo, Taylor-style, a favorite of the kids’ that we have not yet attempted to cook in the RV. While the rest of the family enjoyed golden coconut cake, I nibbled on chocolate chips for my dessert. Then, it was time for the kids to do math with Dad, while I blogged. We have no bars, here high in the mountains, so I don’t know when this will get posted. Outside, it is pitch dark, but, slowly, the RV parking lot has begun to fill. After math, the kids begged for a game or a movie, but being the “mean Mom” I have to be sometimes, pointed out that with the time change, their bodies and behavior were already saying they were an hour late for bed. So, off to bed they went. If I can get this old tired body of mine moving again, my hubby has invited me on a romantic walk in the moonlight to see the stars without any light pollution. Tomorrow, Jim and Ben plan to answer the call of the peak and climb to “The Top of Texas” on Guadalupe Peak, Texas’ highest point at 8749 feet. The girls and I will enjoy a more moderate hike into McKittrick Canyon and explore the desert, woodlands and canyon ending in exploring a Grotto cave.