ELK CITY, OK

we left Amarillo this morning around 9 and with a plan to head to elk city, ok where we want to go to a battlefield...traveling across this country side you can see forever ..no trees--no skyscrapers--no nothing except land that goes forever off into the sunset..


it has been very windy and when talking to a trucker he told us that it is suppose to get worse tonight so we are glad we had planned to go  as far as we have....


when we pulled into the campground we had chosen the office was closed  (must be they went to lunch) there were directions as where we could set up--while we were doing that another rig camp in  and needed to do what we had gone thru so they pulled along side us of course in the wait we talked and of course you ask where are you from..the guy said oh upstate NY we smiled and asked where he said Wolcott near Rochester we laughed and oh we know where that is we are from Ithaca...they only left NY a week ago and are heading to Arizona--Oregon--so they are making good time and not sure what they are seeing along the way other than to get out of the weather...when they left it was only 16 degrees...


so life is still good

AMARILLO, TX

we left gallup , nm  with snow covered ground both the truck and rig were covered with a coating of ice so we delayed our departure till after 9am so the stuff would melt which it did...the roads were ok but the fields were covered the that white stuff called snow...


headed to tumercari, tx where we spent the night..it is on the old route 66 and of course has lots of tourist shops to buy 66 stuff...no we didn't buy anything..don't need any more stuff...we were told before I-40 was build the city had over 14,000 residents and now it has dropped down to just about 7,00 so it is about half of what it used to be..there had been promises of some industry coming into town but it did not...so the only thing that keeps it going now is the old route 66 and people like us that remember it and of course the song...


we are now in amerillo, tx for at least a couple of days..there a national park nearby that of course we want to go to and we need to check to see what else in here we might want to visit...did anyone see man vs food when he ate the 72 oz steak along with a baked potato and I think maybe a salad??? well that restaurant is here..if we wanted to go we could call a limo and they would pick us up free of charge..we did ask it there was more on the menu and was told oh yes a lot more...we decided not to go as we had other things we needed to do lie  find the nearest wal-mart to get some scripts refilled...that is now in the process  so we stop at applebee's for their 2 for 20--which was  very good and filled us up so now we are happy again..


life is still going good..

NEW MEXICO

WE LEFT FLAFSTAFF YESTRERDAY AND ARRIVED IN GALLUP, NM AROUND 3 OR SO DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A CLOCK change ahead...oops...lar had finished our taxes so we needed to find a post office to send them back to our accountant in Ithaca..that done we took a wee bit of a tour around gallup..it is a spread out city and it seems like there is about anything you want or need can be found here..


today we decided to take of to morro national monument..which was a pueblo village way back in age..lots of  petroglyphs on the side of the mountain..some from the publeo's --Spaniards..and even settlers who came thru the area in the late 1800's..when looking at the mountians you sure can tell the difference the pubelo's were just pictures of things then came the Spaniards who added words and even the settlers..most interesting..they build a house with way over a couple of hundred rooms and could house 1,000 people...


then on to the next monument el malpias which was a  formed by volcanos and we can still see lots of volcano rocks scattered all over the place..we  were the only visitors at the time so the ranger spent a lot of time with us telling us  about the park...took a short hike to some caves..


then on our way back to the campground we encounter some sand storms..some of the time it was like a snow storm and hard to see the road...most of the trucks were going slower than usuall..the winds have been very high around 50-55 mph and the sand sure does fly around...and it is still blowing...


tomorrow we move on and not sure how far we will get..it might depend on the weather and the winds..


life is still good

TUZIGOOT-MONTEZUMA CASTLE

this morning we headed off to another couple of national parks/monuments..first we had to go thru Sedona, az which is in some beautiful scenery all around it..we took a turn and the next thing we know we are going down a mountain started at 8,000 ft sea level and the road was narrow  and a steep mountain road most  of the time the posted speed limit was only 15 aas we had lots of hair pin turns to go around...the scenery what I saw was again breath taking..i try not to look out as I don't really like these roads but lar liked it...finally we arrived in Sedona which is a tourist/artist  town...


then on the tuzigoot to see how these people used to live..they built homes with many rooms in them some of them enough to hold a couple hundred people so the whole village lived in them.. when they put on a second story they made it so they would have a patio over the first floor...even had to use ladders the get up into the second floor...


then on to Montezuma castle where they built they ho0mes in the side of the mountian..some rooms but not as many as the tuzigoots...again most interesting


we wanted to go to the Montezuma well but they had a function going on with hundreds of visitors no parking spots so we decided not to go..(but we have been there before just didn't earn a badge)..maybe next time..


tomorrow we have at least one more park to go to walnut canyon...


the weather has been cold in the morning but by 10am it warms up in the 70's




can't complain..

2 NATIONAL PARKS

we arrived here from needles, ca around 3pm and found where we are  going to spend the next 4-5 days.there are aa number of national parks in the general area that we haven't been to yet and this will be the central spot to go to them..also we need a mail delivery in order to make sure we won't have any more tax stuff to get so we can send out info to the accountant back home..(sure is a pain you know where).. nice friendly park


so this morning we took off to go to  the parks which are less than an hr away..first one was WAPATKI which was a publeo ruin which housed the LOMAKI Indians for a wee bit of time..they we gathering Indians and mostly lived off the land..they did some hunting but mostly plants ect..they were not far fro the beginning of the Colorado river basin and had to walk 10 miles for  water ugh...not sure why they just didn't go to the local wal-mart or walgreens...a lot of their structure are still intact ..


then down the raod about 30 miles was the SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO which last erupted about 900 years ago..it spit ash for miles which you can still see on the other mountains..along with some snow..yep  snow....


they were both interesting small for national parks but worth the visit...there are also a couple moare parks in the area we want to visit and the plan is tomorrow for one and sun for the other..we also need to check to see when Syracuse is playing Dayton in  the ncaa basketball tournament ...


do everything is going a-ok with us and life is still great..


we also earned the junior ranger badge.for each park..

DESERT

I see that my last posting was after we went to the Nixon library..not because I didn't want to but because we have had some not so good wi-fi..


after Nixon we headed to lake elisnore to visit with a nephew and his family they were going to drive up to visit ...the drive would have been only an hr for them but guess what we got a call about the time we expected them to arrive letting us know that they couldn't come any further due to a rock slide  that was blocking the highway...so the best laid plans were canceled..they could have gone back to LA and drove  another      but it    would  have takent least 3 hr one way..we tried to get together butter luck next time I guess..


after that we headed to death valley        national park   camped outside the park  because we wanted electric so we could use the A/C... where we stayed was perfect as they had a hot water spring pool that was a constant 89 degrees and oh did it feel good...we went swimming a couple      of times ...nice reason to have stayed there..


we went into the park and it was not what we thought it would be...lots of rocks and hills...we drove to the highest point in the park so we could get a good look of th park itself..amazing...then off to the visitors center ..saw the movie--museum and also got a junior ranger badge so now we have something in common with Laura Bush hers in on display in the bush library...then we headed to the lowest below sea level in the world that is in the park...


the scenery is just something to be awed about the beauty is just something to see and the only way is to come to it..


today we left around 9:30 heading to the  Mojhave         national preserve   can      you believe that it is closed on wed...so no stamp..ugh..maybe i'll write them a letter asking  them to send us one...


not sure which way we will go from here need to do some research on what there is to see along the way..


life is still good...

NIXON

yesterday we hit the road about 8:30 and we only had a little less that a couple hr drive..took a different route so we got to see more sights..it sure has been nice that tony and caroline used to live in the area and know their way around and also can point out some of the most interesting sights to see...


arrived at the Nixon museum and took a tour of the place..again we learnt some different interesting things about Richard...the museum was nicely laid out and took us thru his life and his involvement in politics..only a small section of Watergate..they are both buried there along with his family home and the helicopter he used to leave Washington after resigning for the presidency ...


we weren't allowed to go to the home cause it was way to windy and the trees had falling branches also the helicopter but we saw that coming in but we really saw no reason that we couldn't go to the house oh well..


did you know that east president can pick out a their own dish pattern and they have  aver 500 pieces of each made for the very large  state dinner parties they put on...pat Nixon used to go to the kitchen to taste all the food before it was served and was going to be ok...her birthday is march 14 the day before caroline's...her name really wasn't pat just the nickname her father gave her cause she was born so close to st Patrick's day (Thelma  is it)....


we drove around palm springs and saw the huge statue of Marilyn Monroe in the town square..she isn't going to be there for long then she will be moved  I don't remember where...lots of big houses and movie stars have homes here but so far we haven't been invited  to their homes for happy hour or dinner yet..


life is still good

REGAN LIBRARY/MUSEUM

YESTERDAY WE LEFT THE CAMPGROUND AT 0 DARK 100 OR 7:30 on our way to simi valley..we knew that it was going to be a long day as it was as 3 hr drive from here...tony was doing to driving and caroline was also the tour guide as they used to live in the area several yrs ago...we got to see all the sights that were worth while looking at..


the traffic was busy just like any big city--Austin-Atlanta-dallas-and any other big city..we drove thru the out skirts of LA..not any where I \'d like to live...tony did a good job of chauffeuring us around..he knew just which lane to get into and when to get out of it...


finally we arrived at the museum..and it was time to use our pass surprising to us we got all 4 of us in with it..so we have saved more money for spending 30 ...they have to same offer here at regan's library but the cost was 65$$$ so we even saved more money..


the museum was again most interesting and we all went back into history which brought back more memories of his term..what is different about this museum was that it has a presidential plane in it..now this is the way I could fly...just like a little apartment and comfy...when the press corps goes with him the companies they work for are billed first class prices to go with the president..so it is not coming out of our tax payers pockets to fly around all the press corps...did you know that  regan was a pipe smoker and wanted to stop someone told him that eating licorice when he wanted to light up would help..so he took to eating licorice jelly bellies (that is why you see them all around in the different rooms)..his favorite fruit was blueberry so jelly bellies made a blueberry bean and it has become on of their best sellers..so when you eat a blueberry jelly belly just think of Ronald regan..


today we are off to see what Nixon has for us to see....

BEEN BUSY

Friday was another busy day..lar helped tony out in a new toilet in their rig and in the afternoon caroline and I went to play cards with her card group...we played hand and foot I have never played the game before arriving here in Yuma and caroline taught me the game..i was a partner with pat and we won..beginners luck I guess


yesterday we got up early and had breakfast on the road as  were heading to cactus pipe national  monument to see some cactus where they don't grow any other place in the us..they need the warm temperature and no freeze...most interesting park and we saw lots of  cactus...of course we also got a junior ranger badge and patch...we saw several birds quail--wrens--oh one that starts with p but sounds like an f and kinda looks like a cardinal..checked out the camping area and it is one that is on our list if we get this far west again...


a long day but well worth it and interesting...


tomorrow we both hook up and head to calif to check out the presidential libraries...


life is still good

SILENT SRILL TEAM

this morning we headed to the base again to see the marine drum and bugle corps and their silent drill team...the performance started at 11 but we wanted to get good seats which we did top row on the bleachers  (only 5 high) but we also had a back...right on time they started and the viewing belachers were quiet enough that you could almost hear a pin drop....the drum and buglers were first and very good--then the drill team did their thing very impressive and good...well worth the time to go see them if you have a chance to do so..


they are stationed in Washington dc but come to Yuma for their winter training and practice...there wasn't even a plane flying during the performance...


good entertainment and most enjoyable...


life is stillgood even if it is 90 in the shade..

BEING KEPT BUSY

 we sure have not let any grass grow under our feet since we arrived here in Yuma...tony and caroline sure have been busy little tour guides...we have been out to the desert--mexico--a marine and army base--laundry..habitat..


we did get into mexico and out without a problem and could have bought lots of good deals then we would have had to find and place to store it so we just said NO..


yesterday we went off to habitat where tony and caroline volunteer once a week sorting cans..there is NO deposit on them so they are collected and sold for the aluminum..I couldn't believe how many large boxes of cans we sorted in a couple of hrs..we even ran out of cans so it was time to go...


then off to the marine base and lar was in his glory watching all the airplanes come and go..even one of the navy planes  that   travels with the blue angles was there..it's name was fat albert..


now it is time to go to the army proving grounds and a museum...out in the desert these bases is where a lot of the troops that go to the desert train..


today was a laid back kinda of day --shopping in a grocery store where seniors get 10% of. sliffe is still good..o we just had to go..then laundry so we now have clean clothes for a week or so...

YUMA

arrived here in Yuma on Monday afternoon and got set up and for the last few days we have been seeing what there is to see here...went to 2 flea markets one outside and the other in a mall full of lots of "stuff" enough for anyone to have and treasure...of course we did buy some stuff but not a lot and only what we needed like batteries--door holders for the rig....


today we headed to mexico and of course walked across the border along with lots of others americans and Canadians...lots of shops selling the same thing and making good deals ok so they said..both caroline and I bought new purses and lar a new belt...if we were having problems with our teeth we could have gone to a dentist on every corner and some in between..i do have a broken tooth that isn't bothering me so I decided not to have it looked at...wait till we get home...


then on to the sand dunes in calif to see where the settlers had to go over  the dunes on a plank roadway and the planks had to be moved when they got to the end of them...there we 3 fellows on motorcycles ahead of us and one of them looked down and was about to step on what he thought was a twig and all of a sudden he heard a  rattle and jump high and moved very quickly and let yep the rattle snake get out of the way..saw crazy people on their atv's driving over the sand dunes...


we could see the nice very long fence along the border..


tomorrow we are off to volunteer at habitat sorting cans which tony and caroline do every week to help make money for habitat...


life is still good..