The Three L’s Travel The West

This morning we were up and at ’em early.  I packed up our bags while showers were being taken.  We had one of the best continental breakfasts so far in our journey.  There were omelettes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy along with your normal continental breakfast fare.  We chowed down as we knew a long day lay ahead of us.

After packing up the car, we drove to Boot Hill Museum.  We toured the museum and the reconstructed Front Street buildings.  There were an amazing amount of authentic artifacts on display, and well worth the admittance fee.  We also viewed the cemetary and the jail.

After this, we headed for a nearby tire shop to check on the Buick’s tires.  The man there took one look at the front driver’s tire and saw the problem immediately.  Apparently there was a flat spot indicating a separation was going on.  This would have lead to a blowout or flat tire.  YIKES! 

Two new front tires later, we started heading west toward Colorado Springs.  We were glad to get out of Dodge!  It was already 100 degrees by the time we left town.  So hot!

Our drive to Colorado Springs was uneventful, other than it seemed to take forever.  We really couldn’t pin down why.  Yes, it was flat. Yes, there were thousands of cows in feed lots.  Yes, there were many fields of corn we passed.  The weather did turn ugly as we drew near Colorado Springs.  The skies darkened and the rain started to come down.  We saw many lightening strikes that made Louie wonder if he would be swimming tonight.

We found the hotel with no problems (thank you GPS).  I checked in and was delighted to have a ground floor room that was not on the highway side of the building.  As we unloaded, we noticed the temperature was definitely cooler here, and the wind was fierce; no doubt due to the storms we passed through.

Dinner at Village Inn next to the hotel.  Unremarkable, and slow service.  Will definitely pass them up next time.  We walked back to our room and got ready for bed.  Very tired and cranky after today’s drive.  Hoping better things for tomorrow as we have lots to see and do.

We were up early this morning to pack up our bags and get ready to leave.  It was very hard to say good-bye to April and Arik.  She left to go to work, and we had a small breakfast while packing up. 

Louie loaded up the car and we locked up April’s house.  Our first stop on the way out of town was the post office to mail home a box of souveniers and some items we no longer needed on this trip. 

After taking care of that, we headed north toward Dodge City, Kansas.  We stopped in Dumas, Texas for lunch (Subway, again) and ate our sandwiches in front of the county courthouse.  I also tapped into some Wi-Fi and made our hotel reservations for Dodge City.

We had a bit of concern as we were crossing into Oklahoma.  Our tire pressure light came on, so I pulled into the Shell station in Texhoma and put some air in the tires.  Then reset the warning light.  It didn’t come back on again, but we noticed a shimmy to the front end that didn’t seem to go away.

I was amazed to see how flat it was in this area.  I also noted the oil rigs in the midst of corn fields, backyards, grazing land for cows/horses.  Something I found fascinating was the flatness, but you could see a town coming up; notable by the water tower and the town’s co-op grain silos.  Another 20 miles of nothing, then another little oasis. 

We also passed through Meade, Kansas, site of the infamous Dalton Gang hideout.  We didn’t stop to tour, but I did take a few pictures.

This scenery went on all the way to Dodge City, Kansas.  We arrived at La Quinta, which appeared to be brand new.  Our room was on the second floor, and had not only a fridge, but a flat screen TV as well! 

We opted to have dinner at the local Chinese/Japanese/American food buffet.  It was ok, but not as good as the one back home (in Beaverton–has over 100 items to choose from).  After dinner, Louie and Lynnae wanted to go swimming, so they donned their suits and we headed to the indoor pool.  They swam until 9:30PM while I read.  Then back to the room and into bed for an early start tomorrow.

Miles traveled: 328 miles, average 30.2 MPG 

Up early today to see April off to work and also to get started on our day.  The plan today: Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, post office, Wal-Mart, and fix April and Arik one of my favorite dinners.

After finishing my last load of laundry, we heading for the Museum.  What a great place to visit!  There was a little of everything there.  From the geological to Plains Indians to oil drilling.  Even a full size replica of an oil rig from the beginning.  We spent several hours there, and enjoyed the interactive exhibits and learned more about the Texas Panhandle than I had hoped.  There was also the Samuel Colt exhibition, with more different guns imaginable.  Louie was very impressed with that part of the exhibit.

We stopped at Wal-Mart after this wonderful tour.  Picked up a few groceries and made our way back to April’s home.  Louie and Lynnae put in a movie to watch, and I started on dinner.  I made oven fried chicken, Lipton Noodles, and brown sugar carrots.  Also put together an Oreo Pie (from a box) for dessert. 

April’s friend Mandi joined us for dinner, and I believe it was a hit.  I did feel bad about using the oven and heating up the house, but the appreciation was worth it!  It was also like having a little bit of home right here in Texas.

After Mandi left, April and I moved to the front porch and talked some more.  It seemed like we couldn’t talk enough as we knew this visit was drawing to a close.  The children were asleep by 10:30PM, but once again, we were up until midnight.  I tried not to think about leaving tomorrow.  Lynnae had even told me that she wanted to stay longer.   Just incentive for another visit in the future, I suppose.

Today we decided to sleep in a bit and then head over to Cadillac Ranch and Wonderland Amusement Park.  We picked up Stacey and headed out.  It was so hot and windy today. 

After having a great Subway lunch, we drove out to Cadillac Ranch.  I must say, I was disappointed.  I don’t know why I expected more than just 10 cars stuck in the ground.  We didn’t know that the thing to do is to bring out cans of spray paint and paint the cars.

 After Cadillac Ranch, we headed to Wonderland Amusement Park, located on the other end of Amarillo.  We arrived there around 2PM, and were impressed with the ride selection.

The rides there were great.  Better than your fair or carnival.  There were three roller coasters, and Louie and I road them all.  I think Louie and Stacey rode all the rides, with the exception of maybe two.  We were there all day and finished off the day with sharing funnel cakes. 

We took Stacey back to Janice’s house and hugged her goodbye as she is leaving for home tomorrow.  Then we left to head back to April’s for a late dinner and some sit down time.  I made it almost all the way back there without asking for directions.  Amarillo is very easy to navigate around, as long as you know North/South/East/West. 

We had a light dinner of ham and cheese, and some grapes.  Got the children to bed by 10PM; April and I spent some time chatting, but she has to work tomorrow, so I told her to get to bed.  She told me that we wore her out with all our activites.  I replied that my work here was done and we could move along.

Sunburns for Lynnae and I today, and a little dehydration for all.  I’m sure Dasani stock rose with as much water we were drinking, and yet we were still thirsty at the end of the day.

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.