The Three L’s Travel The West

Another late start today, but that’s good.  We are getting very good rest and enjoying our vacation.  I fixed French toast for everyone, and then we started packing up for our visit to Palo Duro Canyon.  We made sandwiches and packed up the cooler full of water, pop, and food.   

It’s about a 25 minute drive to the Canyon from April’s home.  The road is straight and flat.  We could see for miles around us.  Hard to believe there would be a canyon nearby.  We saw horses, longhorn cattle, and the occasional dead snake in the road. 

We reached the canyon and drove up to pay our entry fee.  The ranger there commented “Or-ee-gone? Whatcha’ all doin’ here?” I told him I couldn’t tell him unless he said it right. To which he replied: “I’m from Texas.  I don’t have to.”  Then he went on to explain about the high fire danger and no fires in the canyon today.  I thanked him and drove on. 

We drove into the canyon, and it was amazing.  Looked like a mini version of the Grand Canyon, but not so deep.  The stream that ran through the bottom of it was muddy red, and April told me that if it got on your clothes, consider them rags.  The dirt all around was red.  We found a picnic bench and spread out our food.  The air smelled of mesquite and was very hot and dry.  While we were eating, several different birds serenaded us, and Louie spotted a cardinal.  He also found a lizard and a snake as well.   

After we finished our sandwiches and Crush orange pop, we headed out for a small hiking trail we saw that lead to a cave in the side of the canyon.  There were deer hoof prints in the red soil, also with horse tracks and other animals that I dared not think about.  Louie and Lynnae opted to climb into the cave, and I stood at the bottom and took pictures.  It was a great little break for them, and they explored all around the area. 

Trekked back to the car and headed toward the park exit.  We stopped at the snack/gift shop and picked up a few items.  Louie found a little cactus that grows in a small container that he will be bringing home.  Very cute! 

We arrived back at April’s house where she had put a pork roast in the crock-pot and it smelled great!  We threw in potatoes and it was done in about two hours after that.  Her recipe is as follows: 

1  3 to 4 lb. Boneless pork roast

2 packages of McCormick’s brown gravy

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

water to cover roast

peeled carrots (cut to bite size pieces)

peeled potatoes 

Add all ingredients except potatoes. Cook on low about five hours, then add potatoes and increase to high heat for about an hour until potatoes are done.  It was by far one of the best pork roasts I’ve ever had (sorry, Mom).  So simple and tender.  We had Blue Bell Chocolate Chip cookie dough ice cream for dessert and watched X-Men 3. 

Kids were in bed by 10:30 and April and I chatted until midnight.  Talked to Stacey for a few minutes by phone and recapped her day.  Touched base with my dad and found out how things are going at home.  Must have fallen asleep around midnight to the sound of the air conditioner.  

Today we had a late start and didn’t leave the house until after 1PM.  We dropped Max off at April’s parents house again, and then headed straight for the Nationwide building.  I was nervous, and excited.  Janice and Stacey would be meeting us there as well.  This was Stacey’s and my opportunity to meet all these people we’ve been talking to for years, but never met in person.
 

April took me around the office and I started putting faces to names.  It was amazing.  The office here in Amarillo is a single story building that seems to sprawl a bit.  Every cubicle there was another person my team had helped.  It was so great to get to talk to them.  Everyone there was genuinely glad to see us, and most asked us to move here and rejoin the Nationwide team.  It made Stacey and I feel so wanted and also that we had done a great job in helping these people. 

After we spent two hours as Nationwide, we went to lunch at “Buns Over Texas” where again the burgers are big and they announce your order as “Louie, your buns are up!”  Huge plates and good food.  Again the bottomless drinks and we are bringing home our plastic cups.   

Our next stop was the Wonderland Amusement Park for some afternoon fun.  However, the park didn’t open until 7PM!  So we sat in the car and waited for the park to open.  Unfortunately, it didn’t. There was a storm rolling through and they decided not to open.  So we decided to go see a movie instead.  Stacey went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth and the rest of us saw “Wall-E”.  The movie theater was packed due to the rain.   

We took Stacey back to Janice’s home and had to dodge or even ford huge puddles of water.  Amarillo apparently isn’t equipped for rainstorms and drains fill quickly and overflow.  Intersections filled with water and the cars would send out wings of water as the cars passed through. 

Arrived back to April’s home by 10:30PM and sent the children to bed.  We stayed up to chat a bit longer, and April showed me photos of Arik as a baby.  Off to bed by midnight (again) with Louie and Lynnae back in Arik’s room and me on the mattress.  I was very tired, at least emotionally.  It was good, but hard to meet those wonderful people that I’ve worked with for years. 

I was emotionally drained by the time we left the building.  But it was a great experience and helped me close up another chapter in my life.

We woke up this morning around 8AM and April fixed us a fantastic breakfast.  We certainly didn’t expect her to, but a homemade meal was great after 10 days on the road. 

The weather here had been warm, in the upper 80’s, and humid if there’s no wind.  Fortunately, there was a nice breeze today that seemed to make it a bit more bearable.  We sat on the front porch and enjoyed our coffee and let the air move around us.   

After breakfast, we cleaned up and took Max the puppy (a miniature schnauzer)over to April’s parents house for the day while we were having our fun.  We took the car in for an oil change, and we’re good for another 3000 miles.  Then we had lunch at Malcoms and were joined by my friend from Portland Stacey and the lady she was staying with, Janice (who also works with April).  It’s a great little place with bottomless drinks and huge burgers. 

We followed this up with a trip to Splash Amarillo …. A great water park with slides, wave pool and lazy river.  April and I found some shade and watch all the belongings while everyone else headed for the water. We were there about four hours or so, and we all had a great time.  Louie and Lynnae made sure Arik was safe and it was great to watch them take care of him. From there it was back to pick up Max where I met April’s parents. I also met Jack Jack, the Jack Russell terrier that lives there. 

From there, we drove to April’s grandmother’s home where she had fixed us all dinner.  She is a very nice lady and had put up quite the meal for us.  To earn money, she used to make candles, so April showed us her craft room and we opened lots of jars of candles just smelling them.  April bought one for us, Apple Pie scented.  Very nice! 

Back to April’s house from there, just three blocks away.  Into the house we roll, and the children are right back to video games.  We put in a movie to watch (The Game Plan, very family friendly), and then made our way to bed around midnight.  This time, I sent April back to her bed and I took the air mattress with Lynnae.  Louie slept on the couch.  

A good day, and busy day.  April has opened her house to us without a second thought, and it’s wonderful.  The weather a bit iffy, started out good, but clouded up and became very windy by late afternoon.  No rain, but you could feel the humidity.

We were up early this morning to hit the road for Amarillo, Texas.  The continental breakfast exceeded our expectations except for no doughnuts for Louie. 

Louie packed the car and we were on the road by 9:20AM.  Had to fuel up and only paid $4.05/gallon.  Then I rolled through the Starbucks for a tall mocha with double shot espresso.  We headed east to Amarillo and made great time.  It’s very flat in Eastern New Mexico and Texas.  You can see for miles and miles. 

We had lunch in a tiny little town named Vega, population 939. The water tower in town proudly proclaimed them the Vega Longhorns.  This town is on Interstate 40, and was similar to other little towns along the way.  I-40 loosely follows Route 66, and along the way we saw the turn off for towns, and then the designation for “Historic Route 66”.  As we drove through these areas, I would try to imagine what it was like to be doing the same back then. 

We arrived at my friend April’s house around 3:30 PM (time change didn’t help us there). This is the first time I have met April in person.  We met through work, as my job was to provide support to insurance agents across the Nationwide Company for billing.  She’s an agent here in Amarillo, and a great one.  I’ve known her for three years over the phone, and we have become friends outside of work.   

We promptly unloaded half the car into her home and made a complete mess.  Thank goodness she is understanding!  Her son Arik is turning six next month, and he took to Lynnae like a fish to water.  Louie and Lynnae have been great with him, playing Playstation with him and helping him through the harder parts of his game.  They played while April and I chatted.   

Ordered in pizza for dinner, and went to bed late.  April graciously gave up her bed for me; she and Arik set up an air mattress in the living room and slept on that.  Louie and Lynnae took over Arik’s bunk beds. Was a great day and amazing to meet my friend and her family in person. 

Distance traveled was 300 miles, average 32 MPG, and travel time was 5 hours and 32 minutes.

Mom told Louie and I to write the blog tonight. So I have lots to talk about. We got to sleep in a little bit today. When we woke up we went to the continential breakfast. I had 1 wafflee, 1 french toast, and 3 glasses of Sunny D. Louie had 3 doughnuts,1 glass of milk, and 1 glass of Sunny D. Momma had 1 slice of french toast, cereal and  coffee.

On our way to Albuquerque we stopped at a little town called  Continental Divide. There was a cute little gift shop. I bought a New Mexico spoon and a bear claw necklace.

We got here in six hours.  We had dinner at Cracker Barrel and bought more stuff.  When we walked out, we saw a jack rabbit hopping across the parking lot of the restaurant.  We came back and Louie and I swam in the pool until 9PM.  Now we are going to bed and hope we don’t hear thunderstorms.

Signed, Lynnae and Louie

This was most likely one of our best days so far.  We were up early enough to take in the continental breakfast here at the hotel.  The manager had all sorts of tips for us as we started out our day.  We had planned to take in Monument Valley and Mesa Verde.  However, we nixed the Monument Valley (Louie and Lynnae have already been, and this will be incentive for me to come back to this part of the US) and went straight to Mesa Verde.

It’s just a short drive from Cortez.  We arrived at the park and learned that we still had to drive in 20 plus miles to get to anything.  We gained over 2000 feet in elevation along a narrow, winding road taking to the top of the mesa. 

Mesa Verde, (Spanish for green table) offers an amazing look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.  The park itself covers 52,000 acres.  These sites are some of the best preserved in the United States. 

Our first stop was at the Far View Visitor’s Center.  There we picked up our tickets for our one ranger-led tour of the day, Cliff Palace.  Then we drove to the Spruce Tree House cliff dwelling, which we were able to view without rangers.  It took us approximately an hour to descend the 100 feet and then ascend again.

After our return to the top of the mesa, we found a light lunch at the Spruce Tree Terrace Restaurant and gift shop.  Our tour started at 1PM, so we wanted to be fueled up and ready to go.  Armed with fresh water bottles, we drove to the Spruce Tree Overlook to met our ranger guide.  His name is Corey and here he is:

I was concerned that one strong wind would blow him right off the path!  Then I started think that if I had to do this tour three or four times a day, I might be that thin as well. Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in the park. The tour is only one hour in length with a walking distance of a 1/4 mile involving five 8-10 foot ladders and a 100 foot vertical climb. The 1/4 mile is about 130 stair steps to the dwelling (all down hill). Then one of the ladders that was about 8 feet tall had to be used for us to get into the dwelling site. It was a very interesting tour, and we learned that the archeologists still don’t know alot about these Pueblos.

Our climb back to the top was strenuous, to say the least. The first part was about 30 stairs carved into the wall, and the pass through space was about 18 to 20 inches in some spots. After that, there were three 10 foot ladders to climb.

This gave us respect for the Pueblos who lived here.  It’s estimated around 150 people lived in Cliff Palace, and it must have been close quarters.  We learned they did their farming on top of the mesa, and also they “domesticated” turkeys for use as bug control as well as fertilizer. 

This is probably the most recognized cliff dwelling in America.  This is the one always shown in photos when referring to them, or just Colorado in general. 

We congratulated ourselves on a great tour and fell into the car.  More water all the way around and AC on max.  Later I would find I was sunburned on my arms and neck.  Someday I will listen to the warnings about the sun! 

We ordered in Pizza Hut for dinner.  My excuse was I didn’t want to venture out in the electric storm moving over us at the time.  I really just didn’t want to put shoes on again.  HaHaHa!  We finished off our evening with a swim in the pool and another soak in the hot tub for me.  We are all very tired and looking toward tomorrow and our drive to Albuquerque. 

Up early this morning and enjoyed the continental breakfast before taking off.  Departure time was 9:30AM.  Filled up the gas tank at $4.05/gallon.  Best we’ve seen so far.  Turned the radio to 660 AM KTNN, The Official Radio Station of the Navajo Nation.  We were treated to a mixture of country, top 40, and Native American chanting.  When in Rome…

Our first stop was at Wupatki National Monument.  We visited four different Hopi ruins that were about 800 years old.  Constructed with sandstone and limestone found in the nearby Box Canyon, they were cemented together with local soils.   Then covered with flat roofs of timber and more mud.  There was one we were able to walk inside, and the children discovered the doorways were shorter than they are.  We also saw jackrabbits and lizards.  Hard to imagine carving a life out of this desolate area.

We found a Sonic Drive-In for lunch in Tuba City.  A first for all of us.  Reminded me of when I was very young and my parents took me to A&W Drive In.  Order through a box and they bring it out to your car.  Very cool.  It was about 80 degrees and windy there, and very desolate.

Our next stop was at Four Corners.  We all took pictures standing on the marker–essentially in four states at once.  Four Corners is out in the desert with nothing remarkable nearby.  There are little covered vending spots surrounding the landmark.  Most of the 38 stalls were full of locals selling Native American items.  We only indulged in the Frybread.  The heavenly treat was only offset by the smell of the outhouses behind us.

Our last leg of today’s trip was to our final destination of Cortez, Colorado.  We are staying at a great little place about 1 mile from downtown.  After dinner at Denny’s Diner, we came back and headed for the pool.  Water too cool for me, only did about 16 laps and then hopped into the hottub.  Louie and Lynnae were back and forth between the two.  We’re now on Mountain Time, but we are still feeling Pacific Time.  Will have to force ourselves to bed soon.

283 miles driven, 7 hours 25 minutes travel time.

After a good night’s sleep, we all woke up late and got showered up.  Guess I didn’t have to worry about the train noise.   Walked across the parking lot to the Country Host Restaurant for a late breakfast.  Slow service, but full of locals and character.

Our trip for the day was relatively short, just a short jaunt to the Grand Canyon.  Took lots of pictures, but unfortunately cannot download them from my camera as I left my memory card in the laptop.  Will work on that and try to get them added soon.  It was partially cloudy there and about 75 degrees.  We only went to one viewpoint, the Yaki Point.  It was amazing, even with partly cloudy skies.  It’s hard to imagine it’s 10 miles across.  The colors were amazing, and I could have sat there for hours looking at it.  But there was threat of storm, so we moved on to the Information Plaza.

After we had a light lunch and did some gift shopping, a doozy of a thunderstorm blew in and it rained about an inch in 20 minutes.  Lots of thunder and lightening, much to Louie’s delight, and Lynnae’s and my dismay.  We opted to head back to the hotel at that point.

Had dinner at Burger King and then the children were off to the pool again.  I managed to get two loads of laundry done at the cost of $6.00.  This should get us to Amarillo where we will have a few days to get all our clothes washed up.  Off to bed now and hopefully on the road relatively early tomorrow. 

Total miles today: 181, unknown MPG.  Temperature: 75 degrees, but chilly at night.

Our day to leave Las Vegas.  We decided we would definitely come back here to explore more, but perhaps when not so hot or crowded.  Have learned that October is a great time for that.  We did manage to check out by 10:30AM after Louie once again did a fantastic job packing everything into the car.

Our first destination this morning was Hoover Dam.  Since we were short on time, we did not take any tours, simply drove across it and back, taking photos as we went. 

From Hoover Dam, we backtracked a bit and headed south toward Oatman, Arizona.  We set the GPS for the fastest route to get there.  Little did we know the last 10 miles would be on gravel road with no shoulder and lots of dips and curves.  We also saw abandoned TV’s, computer monitors, kitchen appliances, and even an old car off the road, most of them riddled with bullet holes.  There were also warning signs about flash flooding and trespassing in staked mine areas. The skull and crossbones was very effective.

It was mid afternoon upon our arrival in Oatman.  This town’s economy is based solely on tourism, as each shop sells a plethora of Route 66 items.  Half of the shops appeared to cater to bikers passing through.  Route 66 runs right through the middle of town, and it felt like we had stepped back in time (well, WAY back to the early 1900’s).  It was old and historic and I loved it!  Louie found the old jail, and was enthralled with that.  Lynnae made friends with the roaming burros.  She bought a bag of carrots and fed them to the burros while Louie and I watched.  A couple of them nosed my elbow and back looking for carrots.  Very docile and friendly creatures. 

After leaving Oatman, we travelled Route 66 al the way to Seligman.  There were a few towns along the way that still had remnants of that golden era of highway travel.  This is also where we saw our first rain in days. 

At Seligman, we found a Subway for dinner.  Turned east and on I-40 and headed toward Flagstaff, arriving around 7PM.  A little more time on the road than I expected, but Louie and Lynnae did very well and were very patient for my indulgence to travel the “Mother Road”.

Unloaded the car and the kids jumped into their swimsuits.  They swam for about an hour, and I sat by the pool wrapped up in Lynnae’s towel trying to keep the wind off me.  After they finished swimming, the took a dip in the jacuzzi. 

Our hotel is right off the freeway, but we can’t hear any noise from it in our room.  We must be close to railroad tracks as we have heard several trains, but can’t see them for the darkness.  Will be curious to see how it goes tonight sleeping.

Travel time: 9 hours. Travel miles: 338 miles. Average MPG: 29

Good morning to sleep in a bit. Made it down to the breakfast buffet by 10:30AM.  There was more selection there than should be legal.   

After we stuffed ourselves to bursting, we waddled back to our room to prepare for fun at the Adventuredome here in the hotel.  Adventuredome is the Circus Circus five-acre indoor theme park.  This is definitely the way to go to a theme park.  Air conditioned and very clean.  There are arcade games, midway games, rides, food stands, and all sorts of booths selling carnival-like items (jewelry, souvenirs, toys, gadgets, etc). Our first ride was the “Disko”, a saucer that rotates while sliding back and forth on a rail that’s like a bowl shape.  After that one, I had to sit out a few rides to get my stomach settled.  Not Louie and Lynnae; they were ready to try almost every ride.  Louie and I did ride on the roller coaster, one minute 45 seconds of drops, loops and corkscrews. After roughly 3 hours, we left the “Dome” and took our midway winnings back to our room. 

From there, off to the arcade located within Circus Circus.  There were over 300 different games and activities for children to enjoy.  Louie and Lynnae dropped their quarters into the games that spit out tickets.  It was all about the prizes at the end.  They ended up with quite a haul and my mind was already starting to think: Where are we going to put all this?   

I must admit that I did step away to drop $10 into a “grown-up” machine to see what happened.  After three spins I won $31, so cashed out.  My big Vegas gambling! 

By this time, we are starting to get tired, but Louie and Lynnae wanted to head back to the “Dome” after a snack of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  I figured we had walked enough to justify them.  After several rides and then a light dinner, we opted to venture out of the hotel to M&M World.  After the lesson the night before, we drove. 

There isn’t a lot of parking in on the Strip, unless you park in a hotel parking lot.  Which is what we did.  Found a spot behind the Travelodge and just hoped that we wouldn’t get towed.  No guards or attendants, so I felt good about it. M&M World was five floors of everything M&M.  We explored each one.  There was one floor dedicated to Christmas M&M’s.  If you could think of it, you most likely would find it within those five floors.  Louie set himself to task to make up a bag of multicolored M&M’s for us to share.  As we stepped out of the store, the 90-degree heat hit us hard.  Unbelievable that it was 10PM and still so hot!  The streets were packed with people.  Thousands moving along the sidewalks, some with drinks in hand.  Louie also pointed out the sidewalks littered with trading card size ads for strip clubs.  You couldn’t walk 10 feet and not see a guy trying to hand out cards to those passing by. 

Drove back down the Strip under the lights of Las Vegas.  I wish I could have taken pictures, but my camera isn’t the best at night.  It’s very good that traffic was slow so that I could take it all in.  There was so much we missed seeing.  Arrived back at Circus Circus and found a better parking lot closer to our tower room.  We stumbled to the elevators, up to room 13713 and fell into our beds.   Another long day, but full of fun and hardly any driving.  Louie’s pedometer showed that he took about 15,000 steps, so I am estimating we all walked at least 5 miles, maybe more for Louie as he’s always on the go.