Seattle, Washington – HOME

Our journey is over. We’re back “full-time” in Seattle and enjoying (for this week at least) a relaxed and leisurely pace as we re-settle ourselves into our home. We returned from Hawaii late on Tuesday night (7/14) after a wonderful 10 days with family and friends. The trip was marked by the funeral of Denise’s mom, Helen, and a celebration of her extraordinary life that included seven children (and their families) who all gathered in Honolulu for the event. It was Helen’s wish for her children to gather for her interment – the placing of her ashes alongside her husband’s at Punchbowl National Cemetery. We had received news of Helen’s passing in April while we were camped at Grand Canyon National Park. Plans for the Honolulu gathering began to take shape immediately. The date of July 10th was finally settled upon. Our US road trip was originally planned to end on July 30 but we curtailed the west coast section so we could get home to Seattle in time to head to Hawaii from there. Hawaii offered some unique experiences for the girls that included:

• a horse-back trail ride with Nanna Rose
• snorkeling in the ocean and bobbing in the waves
• learning to boogie board at Bellows Beach
• traditional Hawaiian canoe paddling with Uncle Jimmy
• a 10th birthday party for Rose
• living out loud with the Bevacqua clan at meal times (not so unique except that all seven Bevacqua siblings added to the total volume)
• helping Denise build their first flower lei
• swimming with their cousins Bobbi and Helen
• watching trainers with dolphins at the nearby hotel

It was also a time to think about their grandparents: a sad but fulfilling farewell to Grandma Helen and some important hang-out time with Nanna Rose – who had traveled from Australia for the event. Symbolically, the Hawaii visit was a capstone event for our own year long journey. Helen’s farewell re-connected us with many folks who we’d visited on our travels. Returning from the Hawaii trip marked the end of our own journey. Since leaving Seattle on August 25, 2008 we spent 323 nights on our journey. We visited 35 states (including Ontario and Quebec) and stayed at 131 different locations – ranging from campgrounds to hotels, Wal-Mart parking lots to the streets of Chicago, inside people’s homes and on their driveways. We’ve camped at sea level and at over 8,000 feet, in deserts where the sand blows at night and next to forested streams that begged to be fished. Our driving has taken us along 20,368 miles of roads – from fast highways to slow, meandering back roads, and everything in between. The girls have been “home schooled” while traveling along many of those roads. We could arrive at a place and they’d be ready to enjoy and experience. Sometimes, like in the National Parks and big cities, the destination would provide even more learning opportunities for them. We’ve lived on approximately $100/day for food, accommodation, fuel, van maintenance, and activities, but the memories and experiences of our journey have been priceless. We’ve learned more about our country, our culture and ourselves. And our family is closer and more loving than ever. It truly has been… one great journey!

Honolulu, Hawaii - Jimmy's

A late deparing flight out of Seattle yesterday early evening dropped us in Honolulu just after midnight (Seattle time).

We picked up Nanna Rose this morning from her overnight trip from Australia and are all hanging out at Jimmy's today -- somewhat jet-lagged but greatly enjoying warm Hawaii weather and the aloha spirit of the islands.

On Tues most of the Bevacqua siblings arrive and we move to the large Kahala house rented for the family reunion.

Seattle, Washington

We arrived home mid-afternoon yesterday to a beautiful northwest Summer day. It is great to be home again (for a little while at least). Our neighbors had us over for a shared Chinese take-out dinner on their deck. The kids -- theirs and ours -- played for a few solid hours together before we had to pry them apart to get them to bed. There's a few odd jobs we need to do around the house to get it back in order after our renters left. And some cleaning. But the place is very livable. We moved most of our gear out of the van yesterday and will tackle the trailer today. On Saturday, July 4 we head to Hawaii so we're looking at a fairly quick turnaround.

Cabin Creek Rest Area - off Interstate 5, Oregon

Last night was a stop of convenience. We pulled into the Cabin Creek Rest Area off busy Interstate 5 a few hours after leaving Ashland, Oregon where we'd spent a brief but very enjoyable visit with Denise's old school friend, Rhonda, in a log cabin beside a tranquil lake in the hills behind Ashland. Intimidated by the 10-12 hour trip to Seattle we had originally planned, we decided to leave Rhonda's after an early dinner last night to get some miles behind us heading toward Seattle. Our Rest Area, like most others, was right beside the Interstate highway. We were surrounded by the inevitable sounds of cars and trucks as they whizzed by and others as they came in to use the Rest Area. But it was free. And we were comfortable in the van. This morning, we hit the road again at 7am as the girls continued sleeping. We are now heading north to Seattle, hoping to be back in our home by mid afternoon.

Incline Village (near Lake Tahoe), Nevada

After leaving Los Angeles we spent two nights at Sequoia National Park, located in the pristine foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, followed by four nights in the insanely beautiful Yosemite National Park. We pulled into Incline Village last Monday and have set up with another of Denise's sisters for a week that includes Ruth's 7th Birthday celebration today. Sequoia National Park, California The biggest tree in the world, the “General Sherman”, lives inside Sequoia NP. It is tucked away in the heart of the park amongst a majestic grove of 2000 year-old giant Sequoia trees. We learned that while other trees are taller than its 275 feet, and some may be wider, none are bigger – as measured by the wood volume of the tree. The trunk measures 102 feet at the base and tapers only slightly on the way up. Viewed alone, it is an impressive natural wonder. But when viewed as part of a grove, it feels like Mother Nature has created a giant natural cathedral. A certain reverence and humility feels appropriate in the presence of these truly ancient, majestic trees. Access to Sequoia NP requires driving along a steep, winding road where vehicles are lucky to complete 20 miles in an hour. Our entry was made memorable due to a young Black Bear siting - the first live bear we’d seen. It was cruising alongside the road and caused all traffic to halt. We got to enjoy watching him scamper and forage along the forest edge for a few minutes before disappearing into the forest again. We’d been fortunate to secure camp site reservations online for Sequoia NP but had no luck doing the same for Yosemite – a highly popular National Park just to the north of Sequoia. With some trepidation we struck out from Sequoia at 6am hoping to arrive early enough in Yosemite (4-5 hour drive) to secure a “walk in” site. We were lucky. At the park entrance we learned that the Crane Flat campsite would be opening at Noon that day - the first time it had opened this season. It was 11:30am. We had a 40 mile trek to the campsite so headed directly there. By night fall the 166 site campground was full. Yosemite National Park, California Crane Flat is approximately 10 miles drive from the highly trafficked Yosemite Valley, and around 2,000 feet higher. The campground is relatively primitive. Over the course of the next few days we came to think of Crane Flat as our “home in the suburbs” -- a place we slept and had breakfast and dinner -- while we visited the “city” of Yosemite Valley with its shuttle bus service, visitor center, garage, shops, cabins, showers, campgrounds, bike & raft rental places, and rangers quarters. Ordinarily we’d have enjoyed the quiet of the suburbs but, without reservation, Yosemite Valley is one of the most insanely beautiful places we have visited. Not content being created with a lush, green, open meadow capped with large, shade providing trees, Yosemite Valley had to also include a wide and fast flowing river, the Merced, that pours cool and clear over rocks and pebbles, alternating between a quiet even flow and the roar of small rapids as it steps its way down out of the valley. And, as if that’s not sufficient, Yosemite Valley is framed with impossibly tall solid granite walls carved eons ago by glaciers that left them smooth and polished. Lastly, as if all that beauty is still not enough, the valley lies in a very accommodating east-west orientation allowing warm, bright sunshine that is abundant in the summer to shine ostentatiously on all that is has to offer. Quite sublime. Enjoyed by millions of visitors each year, Yosemite Valley has a beauty not easily described but we clearly fell under its spell. Our Yosemite NP visit was capped off with the last night spent at 8,500 feet – in Tuolomne Meadows – a campsite that only opens in late June due to persistent snow. While much quieter than Yosemite Valley, the upper meadows were themselves breathtakingly beautiful. Recent snowmelt fed crystal clear creeks and streams, their waters running over huge granite rocks that lay shimmering some 3-4 feet below. Afternoon sunlight danced in the fast flowing waters while bathing the surrounding meadows in an intense, clear light. A couple of hikers, lying on rocks next to the stream and reading their books in the sun, captured the stillness and serenity of the upper meadows. Overall, Yosemite is a place we’ll return to visit someday. Incline Village, Nevada Visiting another of Denise’s sisters, we pulled into Incline Village on Monday afternoon. We celebrated 10 months on the road yesterday with a group hike alongside a forested stream that wound past clusters of beautiful wild flowers before opening into a lush, green meadow. We’ve taken time to “spring clean” our van in advance of our imminent return to Seattle. And what treasures we found! It is truly amazing what can be tucked away in all the secret nooks and crannies of a 6 and 9 year olds upper bunk (in the van). We plan to head to Ashland, Oregon on Sunday to visit an old school friend of Denise’s. Then home to Seattle – a long haul that we might break into two days. But we figure we’ll be propelled by the desire to get home after our nearly year-long journey away. On July 4th we leave for a 10-day trip to Hawaii before returning full-time to Seattle, and the true end of this journey.

Manhattan Beach – last day, CA

Last night we watched the last of the six Star Wars movies. Amidst great concern for the future of the Republic now that Anakin Skywalker had turned to the dark side to become Darth Vader, there was also joy that the newly born twins, Luke and Leia, had been carefully hidden in the safety of loving families - away from the watching eyes of a growing evil Empire. And so ended (or just begun) the Star Wars movie adventure that has been delighting us every few nights of our stay in Los Angeles. For the past few months “Star Wars” has been an occasional topic of conversation -- on our hikes, or around the campsite, or while driving. The girls were fascinated to hear the fantastical story of a young Jedi Warrior, Luke Skywalker, and his ancient Master, Yoda, as well as the wise Obi Kenobi and the ever-loyal droids, R2D2 and C3PO. Rose was readily able to draw storyline parallels between her first literary love, “Harry Potter”, and that of "Star Wars". Ruth was enchanted by the myriad of strange creatures, droids and distant planets and the idea of being able to “use the force”. For Doug and Denise it was a chance to re-visit the movies that marked a generation growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It seemed appropriate that we’d be in Los Angeles – the land of Hollywood - to finally see all six of the Star Wars movies at one time. We expect that there will be the occasional Light Saber moment in the days ahead as we continue our journey today, heading to Sequoia National Park for a few nights then hopefully onto Yosemite National Park for a few more nights before heading to another family visit this time in Incline Village, Nevada. A big part of our Los Angeles stay has been centered on family. We attended a graduation for a nephew as he completed his Ph.D. – that included a wonderful gathering of extended family and friends. We took bike rides along the beach front, including to the marina to see a young Grey Whale lolling in the shallow waters of the marina harbor. Denise and her sister Karen organized cards and mailings for the upcoming family event in Hawaii. The girls got to hang out (a little) with their cousin, Michael, as he moved home from college for summer and went out surfing most mornings. The notorious California “June Gloom”, typified by cooler overcast days, has been a welcome relief from months of blasting desert sun that we’ve traveled through. When the sun did break through most afternoons then cooling sea breezes would keep the heat and humidity in check. It has been great to be near the beach and the water once again though we are looking forward to heading into the mountains for the next few weeks before returning home to Seattle.

Manhattan Beach, LA, California

Cooling ocean breezes. Warm, sandy beach walks. We're finally out of the desert and back on the west coast. Arriving after a nearly 7 hour drive from Las Vegas we "checked in" to the Karnowski home - another of Denise's sisters - on Friday afternoon and have set up here for the next week or so. We're less than a mile from the beach and rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean. We went for a bike ride along the strand yesterday enjoying the warm sunshine and extraordinary people-watching.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Pulling into Las Vegas yesterday afternoon we had originally made plans to camp in an RV park attached to Sam's Town Casino near the older part of Las Vegas. But the heat was intimidating. For a small rate increase we opted to upgrade to a hotel room so we could "hide out". Unpacking the van it was 101F. At night it cooled down to 73F but we were already lazing in the quiet coolness of our hotel room. Our hotel lobby has an atrium complete with water fountain and animatronic animals that "perform" 4-5 times each day. Doug and Denise think it's a little tacky after the natural beauty and wonder of Zion. But the girls love it! We're getting some maintenance work done on the van so booked 3 nights here in Las Vegas. We're going to head down to the Las Vegas Strip in the evening to check out the light shows and have been told by some Seattle friends of Rose and Ruth which hotels we should check out. Then onto Los Angeles and a few weeks in California. Entering the state of Nevada has meant the full-circle return to Pacific Time (now on Daylight Savings) just as when we left Seattle. We're getting closer to home and our discussions are turning increasingly to the things we'll be doing when we get home.

Zion National Park, Utah

We opted to stay in Zion for five nights. It’s been wonderful to remain in one place for a while, especially given how beautiful Zion is. The huge canyon walls, sandstone monoliths (some of the largest in the world) and the desert climate that characterize Zion are made more picturesque and unique by the cooling and life-giving Virgin River that flows through the park. The river is right near our campground and as temperatures soared into the mid 90’s we’ve cooled off swimming there most afternoons. Sometimes an impressive thunderhead would build n the late afternoon and deluge the park with cooling wind and rain. The sun would be back out drying up the place in just a few short hours. Every night the wind blows and we find ourselves ever grateful to be camped in a van rather than a tent. In the late evenings we can sometimes hear the new/first-time arrivals to the park banging in additional pegs to better secure their soft-shelled tents as the night winds nearly bend them in half. Today, our last full day in the park, we arranged an early start to tackle the famous Angels Landing trail – a strenuous 1,500 foot climb along a 2 mile trail with multiple switchbacks. There is also an additional half-mile scramble at the end of the trail along a precarious rocky ledge out to the top of a large sandstone outcrop that provides a panoramic view into Zion valley below. As a hike pre-condition we told the girls they could stop at any point they felt tired (or nervous). We’re pleased to report that everyone made it up the first 2 miles – arriving at Scout Lookout to savor the epic view that precedes the final half-mile scramble out to Angels Landing. Seeing the trail change markedly from a pathway to a chain-supported, sometimes vertical climb across very uneven terrain, the girls took pause to consider how far they’d attempt. Eventually Ruth opted to give it a try and, accompanied by Doug, made it a few hundred yards out along the rock scramble to the safety of a flat viewing area before deciding she was done. Ahead lay a small descent onto a knife-edge trail with 1,200 to 1,500 foot drops on either side before a nearly vertical ascent to the final platform of Angels Landing. She was the youngest and smallest person out on the trail that far. We took “victory” photos then returned to switch with Rose. Rose had spent time gathering her courage and opted to head out with Doug again to the same location that Ruth had gone. More “victory” photos then a scramble back to regroup with the family. A small snack, then a return hike along the 2 mile trail down to the valley floor below. The day had warmed considerably since our early morning start and the sun beat down harshly as we returned to the trailhead. Nearby Zion Lodge had an inviting green field for us to enjoy our picnic lunch so we hung out under the shade of a huge, 200-year old Cottonwood tree and happily munched away. Returning to the sun-baked campsite, the cooling Virgin River began calling us. We headed to the river and paddled, swam and jumped from the banks into the coursing flow before drying out on the sandy shore. (Fortunately, these afternoon swims have also served as our showers since we’ve been without that service since arriving in the park). A few hours later, the afternoon thunderheads had built again and unleashed a cooling torrent of rain over our campsite before moving up canyon. Zion has provided an idyllic camping and National Park experience. Tomorrow we head to the neon-infused, fast-paced, gambling Mecca that is Las Vegas. Our weather forecast is for some extremely hot days ahead.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Our time at Mystic Hot Springs was great. We managed to get some serious weeding done in exchange for free camping and use of the hot springs. The girls especially liked the cooler, shallower pool that was designed with kids in mind. Meanwhile, the warmer, deeper adjacent pool seemed to uncurl hidden knots in Doug and Denise. A few travelers had suggested we include Capitol Reef National Park in our southern Utah itinerary. We had initially planned to skip it in favor of more time at Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. Our 9-month anniversary of being on the road fell on Memorial Day (May 25) so we elected to spend 1 night at Capitol Reef National Park and take it easy. To our surprise and delight, a "feature" inside the park was an historic cottage that sold homemade fruit pies - in keeping with the tradition of those hardy (and arguably quite insane) Mormon families that carved a fruit orchard and farming land out of a harsh, barren desert environment that is today's Capitol Reef. The park is beautiful because of the fruit orchards -- a soothing and mellow green in the stark redness of the hard rock canyon walls all around -- where the campgrounds are located. We splurged on 4 small pies and munched happily as we reflected on our last month since being in Grand Canyon and hiking 1.5 miles down the Bright Angel trail below the south rim. An early night to bed was matched with an early start as we headed out of Capitol Reef toward Bryce Canyon at 8am this morning. While a relatively short driving distance it took us a good 4-5 hours to reach Bryce Canyon. Our scenic journey took us over 9,600 foot mountain passes where quaking Aspen trees intersperse with pine and open meadows are carved with clear running brooks, before plummeting once again into dry desert canyons along roads that offered little shoulder and steep drop-offs on either side. Along our route we stopped in at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and were surprised with the strong science focus of this park. In what has become an almost reflexive reaction both the girls took up the challenge of completing a Junior Ranger equivalent package and are now Junior Scientists of this great national monument. Bryce Canyon greeted us with a warm afternoon and a pleasant sprinkle provided by nearby thunderstorms. Because of high elevation we might dip down to freezing temperatures overnight. But tomorrow we plan to do a morning hike -- along the rim and into the canyon -- in hopefully 55-65F sunshine.

Monroe, Utah - Mystic Hot Springs

We had to leave Moab because the town - and all RV sites - were booked solid for the Memorial Day long weekend. (A lack of planning foresight on our part).

Opting for a reprieve from desert life - even through our Moab visit was a real treat with Arches and Canyonlands NP visits, and a family morning outing on the world famous Slickrock mountain bike trail - we found a small place called Monroe about 180 miles mostly west of Moab to escape to.

The Mystic Hot Springs in Monroe were listed in our WWOOF booklet ("Willing Workers On Organic Farms"). We called ahead and arranged 2-3 hours of work each day for free camping and unlimited access to the Hot Springs.

We took a soak after dinner this evening and loved it - especially since a cold rain storm had blown in.

We're close to a snow capped mountain - meaning cooler days and nights. This fairly basic, quiet campground has lush, green grass... and we're delighted to be living with grass again instead of grit!

More adventures and exploration to follow.

Moab, Utah

It’s been a dry, dusty and hot few days since leaving Mesa Verde. A small heat wave seems to have washed over southwest Utah and we’ve been caught in it. Amidst the beauty of canyons, arches, bridges, spires, mesas, needles and other water and wind-worn rock formations -- and a side trip to the Four Corners -- we had two unusual experiences. The first was ascending the Moki Dugway. In the 1950’s Uranium mining companies built a road down the side of a steep Mesa so their trucks could reach the valley floor below and their processing plants located there. The plant was just outside the amazing Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods. Leaving those areas to head toward Natural Bridges National Monument, the Moki Dugway is the most direct – and most exhilarating route – up onto the Mesa. Road signs warn of vehicle size, weight and towing limitations. Additional warnings tell of unmaintained roads and speed limits of 5 MPH. The approach to the Mesa is a frontal assault with the road leading directly toward the base of the Mesa. Then the road commences a steep, narrow, winding climb making the 1,200 foot ascent in just a few miles with 4 major switchbacks, two minor ones and a steep drop-off for failure to stay on the road. There is no turning around and limited options to pull-out to let traffic by. What a ride! We were buzzed to be on the road and to successfully make it to the top. In contrast to our delight were a lot of frozen faces on the people we passed who were about to drive DOWN the road. Another incident happened in the late afternoon while camping in the Needles section of Canyonlands. The temperature had soared to 96 F and the baking sun had forced us to take cover under the shade of a nearby tree. We put up the van awning to maximize our shade then set out some maps and papers on the picnic table to study Utah route options. There was a slight shift in the faint breeze that was blowing but we paid no attention. Suddenly, a dust cloud appeared behind the van traveling fast toward us. It was swirling, picking up tumble weeds and sucking fine, red dust high into the air. Before we could react the outside edge of the awning was whipped skyward – like a giant sail - rising high above the level of the van. It only stayed in place because of being attached to the van. But the extendable legs on the outer edge of the awning were now bucking and kicking wildly in mid-air. The violent dust cloud moved over our campsite. Doug quickly grabbed for the flying awning legs to anchor it down and was soon enveloped in sand blasting red dust. Denise, trying to secure the papers on the picnic table by pinning them with her hands and body, was also being sand blasted as the mini-tornado whipped through. We were forced to close our eyes and stop breathing as we could feel dust being blown in our ears and nose as we held on. It was brief but intense. Within 20-30 seconds the awning settled down. The “dust devil” had passed through. In cleaning up, Denise noticed she had as much red sand INSIDE her sunglasses as she did on the outside. It was a short but humbling beating we’d taken from mother nature demonstrating how she can carve and shape the landscape. We had lost three papers in the blast. We quickly scouted around and found one caught in scrub near the campground. But two others were missing. We looked directly skyward. Two loose leaf papers were doing a dance of sorts, flying upward gently and gracefully above our campsite – their whiteness made all the more stark against the clear blue sky. We sat for nearly five minutes watching them as they soared higher and higher – easily reaching 500 feet and probably higher. Two black crows even flew by to check them out. The strange part was their vertical ascent. It was in a somewhat fixed position. They did not drift around in the sky but continued straight upward. There was no red dust to outline the shape of the mini-tornado but it was clear the force was still at work. Eventually the papers seemed to plateau then began a slow drift downward – eventually landing just 100 yards from our campsite. Quite bizarre. To cap things off, that evening at around 2:30am another dust storm hit us. The van rocked and buffeted in the wind. We looked out to see nearby tent-campers securing their sites. As a way to manage the oppressive heat we had left the side window open on our van, next to our bed. In return we were treated to an unwelcome light dusting of fine red desert soil that covered our window ledge, sleeping bags and bed.

Journey Facts: An Overview

We have been on the road for 263 nights and have traveled 17,000 miles through 30 states (including Ontario and Quebec). Nearly 40% of our nights have been free stays -- either staying with family, friends or dry camping in national forests. We've spent $22,700 to date with 25% on food, 25% on accommodation, 12% on meals out, 10% on fuel, 8% on activities (such as park entry fees, museums, etc), 6% on vehicle servicing and maintenance and the remainder on other items (like laundry, postage, gifts, clothes, haircuts, souvenirs, etc). We've averaged just under 20 MPG. National Parks (and National Monuments) we've visited include: Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Devils Tower, Badlands, Niagara Falls, Acadia, National Mall inWashington DC, Everglades, Big Bend, Guadalupe, Carlsbad Caverns, Chiricahua, Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Mesa Verde. Big cities we've visited include: Chicago, Quebec City, Boston, Cape Cod, New York, Long Island, Washington DC, Key West, Orlando, New Orleans, Austin, San Antonio, Tuscon, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Ahead of us, in the next two months before we arrive home in Seattle full-time, is southern Utah, Las Vegas, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Hawaii.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

The high plateau of southwestern Colorado has given us a reprieve from the dry dusty conditions of Arizona and New Mexico. Blue skies have been following us for weeks now. Spring weather is warming the mountains just as it was heating the desert. From Taos, New Mexico we headed for the beautiful mountain town of Durango, Colorado with an overnight stop on Chama which really introduced us to our new terrain. We’ve finally left the dry, dusty deserts of Arizona and New Mexico and are traveling in the land of cows, horses, green pastures, babbling brooks and snow-capped distant mountains that accent the skyline. This is Colorado. Rivers and streams are gorged with snow melt. Birds and bugs are out in abundance. We are cleaning our windscreen after most driving days to clear the array of splotches and splats that collect there. Most amazing is the bright yellow splotches – usually larger than most. We’ve yet to identify what the bug might be before they enter their after-life on our windscreen. Entering Durango, we all commented that it is a lot like Washington State (but without the rain and low gray clouds). With a river running through the center of town, an historic old part of town complemented with more modern shops, a small population, access to great biking, rafting, skiing and hiking, nearby farm land, and a definite “outdoors living” feel, Durango has so much we like in a small town. It has even won Doug’s vote as the most livable small town we’ve visited so far on our journey. More amazing, our Seattle-loving Rose has commented that she "could live here" (high praise, indeed). We spent 3 nights with friends on their 10-acre farm just south of town and used the days to look around. A morning mountain bike ride to the nearby reservoir created an excellent home-school moment as we watched hundreds of Dragon Fly larvae crawling out of the lake. On this warm Spring morning they would still themselves on a rock, break out of their larvae shells, dry themselves in the sun, then fly off. It was great! On Mother’s Day we visited with new friends, Chris and Vicki, who once lived on the west coast and now called Durango home. With them we enjoyed an excellent barbecue and captivating conversation while the girls tried out badminton in the backyard. Vicki had recently returned to mountain biking as her main recreational pursuit and Chris was busy getting their 10-acre property north of town ready for organic fruit growing, having spent the last few years conditioning the soil. Both work as consultants in the energy efficiency space so there was a wide exchange of ideas. The night was capped with a visit to Chris’s “boys” room where we all tried out his collection of classic pin ball machines. Hungering for another hot springs experience, we spent a large part of Monday at “Trimble”, a hot springs and spa located just 7 miles north of town. With a heated outdoor Olympic size pool and two smaller (and hotter) pools set at the base of the hills, it was easy to spend the day paddling around and enjoying the surrounds. We imagined how much fun the place must be when it is snowing. Denise enjoyed a 1-hour massage as our Mothers Day gift to her and came back out to the pool as a smiling limp noodle to spend the rest of the afternoon with us swimming and soaking. Leaving Durango yesterday, we headed to Mesa Verde National Park (less than an hour away) and were surprised to find their campground closed. We opted to visit the park for a few hours, camp nearby and will return for a longer visit today. Last night we stayed in Cortez – about 9 miles east of Mesa Verde. We’ve been told that the very popular “Phil’s World” mountain bike trail is near Cortez so are planning to do a family ride in the next day or so. Cortez is another cute small town. There is an amazing city park just across the road that includes soccer fields, a skate park, swimming pools, courts and lots of open grassy space. We’re still discovering the town but like what we’ve seen so far. At Mesa Verde we squeezed in one guided tour and were thrilled to be climbing ladders once again to see thousand year old cliff dwellings. The real fun was crawling through a small entrance/exit tunnel created by the ancient Pueblo people as a means to protect their homes. This was followed by a steep cliff climb as we scaled our way back up to the car park. We have planned another Park Ranger guided tour today then will visit other parts of this huge park on our own using the self-guided tour books.

Taos, New Mexico

We've been doing a lot of "dry" camping lately without access to cell phone or Internet coverage. Travel updates have been sparse/non-existent as a result.

Leaving Albuquerque we visited the spectacular Bandalier National Monument and enjoyed immensely the ladder climbing and scrambling through ancient pueblo's set in canyon walls.

Unfortunately, Rose was sick for a few days so we had to skip the 2 mile hike to the natural hot springs we'd originally planned.

Three days in Santa Fe left us hungering for more with it's great art, food and architecture.

We've just left Taos after a very personal and localized visit there thanks to the warmth and openess of a fellow New Zealander, Joy, who we met at the Santa Fe Farmers Market selling her Yak meat.

We camped one night next to a rushing stream a few miles down from the Taos Ski Valley and the second night in Joy's street. We visited the Earthship Community on our way out of Taos this morning and were captivated by the amazing sustainable housing designs.

After climbing over a 10,000 foot pass we've set up in quiet Chama for our last night in New Mexico before heading to Durango, Colorado tomorrow for a few nights stay.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

A hot dry wind has been blowing over the desert these last few days of travel. It followed us out of Grand Canyon National Park and into Holbrook where we camped overnight to enjoy a half-day tour of the nearby Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. It also followed us as we headed out of Arizona along Interstate 40 and into New Mexico where we stopped overnight at the Sky City RV campground on the Acoma Indian Reservation. And it blew coolly as we splashed around in the heated outdoor swimming pool at the nearby Casino Hotel (complimentary with our camping fee). The next day it dropped off to a slight breeze as we toured the amazing Sky City – an Acoma Pueblo atop a large mesa that is the oldest, most continuously inhabited pueblo in the United States. On Wednesday afternoon, as we pulled into Albuquerque, the wind finally dropped off. The travel leg between Grand Canyon and Albuquerque has provided an amazing geological display. Huge trees growing in a semi-tropical environment 225 million years ago collapsed and were buried under in the sediment of an ancient river system. Over time minerals slowly replaced every cell in the fallen trees turning them into colorful tree-shaped rocks. Plate collision eventually lifted the Colorado Plateau up to 5,000 feet, and the tree-shaped rocks along with it. The surrounding soil slowly eroded exposing stunning, colorful evidence of a lush forest that once existed where the Arizona-New Mexico desert is today. Also amazing has been the display of Native American history. Visiting the remains of ancient pueblos (traditional communities of Native Americans in the southwestern US) it is hard not to imagine thriving cultures many hundreds of years before Spanish and European explorers arrived in America. These pueblos are largely preserved due to the dry and arid conditions of Arizona and New Mexico deserts. After visiting the Montezuma Castle and Wupatki National Monuments in Arizona, the crowning visit was to the Acoma Pueblo, or Sky City, in New Mexico. We opted to pay for the guided tour of Sky City since it is not possible to tour inside the pueblo without a guide. Sitting atop the 357-foot sandstone mesa, a small community has continually inhabited the pueblo since 1150 AD. None of the 250 dwellings have electricity, sewer, or water. Approximately 22 families live full-time in the pueblo today. The other homes are filled at times of special ceremonies. Traditional native religion is practiced by nearly all of the local tribes. Around 70% continue to also follow Catholic teachings (forced upon them in the early 17th century by the Franciscans). Today, their Catholic practices blend some elements of native religion (such as native dancing) but there is no blending of Catholic practices into the native religious practices. These remain sacred to the people and no tourists are allowed when the ceremonies are being performed. The tour enabled us to walk the streets of the pueblo and see the traditional form of building along with increasingly modern blends. For example, the use of a front door has been generally adopted rather than entry via the roof or second story (originally a protective measure). And glass is used in many windows rather than original animal hide or later translucent stone quarried from the surrounding area (most likely part of those ancient trees now transformed to rock). A few natural rock cisterns still exist atop the mesa that were once used to catch the precious rain water when it fell. Otherwise all food and water was gathered from the valley floor below. Access to the mesa was originally by ladder/steps carved into the sandstone and all items were hand carried to the top. The tour provided a remarkable step back in time made all the more contrasting by having the occasional car or truck drive by on the narrow roads inside the pueblo. (A road was built when Hollywood wanted to make John Wayne movies that included the mesa and village area). Today, those cars and trucks are also hauling essential food and water to the pueblo living families. We’ve spent the last two days visiting with Gregory – Denise’s nephew and the girls’ 25-year old cousin – as well as his mother, Christine, and their very welcoming step-family. Last nights barbecue was a real treat. Today we head further north into New Mexico, seeking out hot springs that we hope to visit.

Bright Angel trail

Inside Grand Canyon. About 1.5 miles down the trail... And no where near the bottom.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Our arrival here at the majestic Grand Canyon after a fun two-night side trip through Sedona has been bitter sweet. We pulled in on the afternoon of April 23rd accompanied by our Phoenix friends, Terri, Fred and their kids, in their own camper trailer. All the kids began playing furiously while a shared dinner was prepared and then we assigned our van as the kids’ playhouse while the adults hung out in the camper trailer next door. Around 8:30pm we got a call from Denise’s brother, Jimmy. He had sad news to share. Their Mom, Helen Bevacqua, had just passed away in her group home in California. She had been under hospice care for some time now and we’d been expecting the news but it was a sad blow nonetheless. The news created some time of reflection, tears and sadness in our small van that evening. She was a greatly loved Grandmother to Rose and Ruth and will be sorely missed. Our time at Grand Canyon has been marked by windy days – gusts up to 30 mph – so we’ve not spent as much time outside as we’d hoped since the dust comes roaring across the campground making the air gritty and unpleasant. Today we’re going to hike part way down the Bright Angel trail into the Grand Canyon. It’s the 8-month anniversary of our journey and is also National Junior Ranger day so we’re hoping to stay active and busy today.

A Poem for Grandma Helen

In this tomb her body decays but her spirit will always live in the ones whom she loved and helped. Helen Bevacqua.

by Rose Bryers (age 9)

Longboat Key, Florida - A Vacation

Staying with Geri and John (and their dog, Abby) is always a treat. So, we decided to pull back from our road trip for a week and visit them at their vacation home rental in Longboat Key, Florida before continuing on our southwest adventure.

From Florida Vacation

In Florida, John has his boat and the vacation home they rent always has a pool so we get to do a lot of water activities.

From Florida Vacation

It’s only been a weeklong visit but each day has been packed with fishing, swimming or both. To mix it up we’ve also walked along the beach, kayaked, watched sunsets, played board games, caught up on some movies and just chatted. Each day is punctuated with wonderful, fresh meals that Geri organizes.

From Florida Vacation

With a pool right outside the dining room, it has been a chance for the girls to get better and even more confident with their swimming. To our delight, Ruth now splashes around the pool without the need for float assistance (or fins). She has even tried swimming the width of the pool using (her version of) freestyle. Meanwhile, Rose has been practicing her diving and gliding – using a smooth, powerful launch to send her down to the pool bottom or across its width in one fluid motion.

From Florida Vacation

Both girls prefer to use their goggles or masks in the water as both seem to spend an inordinate amount of time swimming underwater – exploring the bottom of the pool or diving for beads and coins that can be easily tossed in and recovered. It is oftentimes a battle to get them out to eat, drink or apply more sun block even though they’ve been frolicking in the pool for 2 hours or more. On the plus side, their tired little bodies sleep well at night. Fishing on this trip has been very rewarding. When we were last in the area – at Fort de Soto County Park, about 10 miles north of here – we discovered just how abundant the fishing could be in Florida. This time around we had expert guidance from John and his friends, as well as small boat to get us to the best fishing spots. Yesterday, Ruth and Rose were pulling fish up with almost every cast of their lines. Using live shrimp the girls were able to encourage Mangrove Snapper, Sheep Head, and Grouper (two different varieties) to bite down on the line. As adherents of catch-and-release every fish was returned to the sea though many were legally sized to keep. The other day, when Ruth and her fishing rod were on fire, we kept and ate 4 of the Mangrove Snapper she landed.

From Florida Vacation

From Florida Vacation

From Florida Vacation

Most all our activities here have been centered around the home or spending time with Geri and John since we don’t get to see them often enough. For Denise it has been a chance to catch up with her sister and discuss family matters. For Doug it has been a relaxing time of swimming and fishing and reflecting on the road trip so far and contemplating what may lie in store once we return to Seattle.

In Phoenix, AZ heading to Tampa, FL

It's been a relaxing week visiting with friends in their comfortable home in Phoenix. The girls have been in "kid heaven" since our friends have two children - a boy and girl - about the same age as Rose and Ruth. There has been dancing in the living room, swimming in the pool, playing Wii (Nintendo gaming console), watching TV, doing a fun birthday celebration and, of course, loving the egg hunt and sugar/chocolate indulgence that is Easter. Doug and Denise have mostly just "hung out". There has been plenty of time for conversation and catching up with our hosts, Terri and Fred. We've had time to get the van serviced as well as order some cabin lights that needed replacing (after eventually tracking down a supplier). Phoenix turned on some wonderfully warm weather. And just when we were starting to get a little overheated a storm rolled in. We got to watch the wind and rain pelt down on the surrounding mountains then make its away across the nearby golf course and toward the house. It was great to watch it from the comfort of a large living room and we were glad to not have been camping at the time. We're heading to Florida for one week and leaving the van here in Phoenix. When we return next week, we'll pick up the van then start heading for Grand Canyon and the start of our curve through northern Arizona, New Mexico (again), the corner of Colorado and into southern Utah before hitting Las Vegas. From Las Vegas we head into California. Reaching the west coast marks the beginning of the end of our journey as we'll spend 4-6 weeks in the West before heading home to Seattle.

Arrived in Phoenix, Arizona

We'll be here at a friends place in Phoenix for a few weeks (including leaving the van with them while we go back to Florida by air for a week - April 13-20). We had a very fun visit in Tucson. Details of our trip to the Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park will follow...

In the desert west of Tucson, Arizona

A long days drive from Truth or Consequences brought us to Chiricahua National Monument in southern Arizona. Here in the mountains, which are like islands amidst the sea of grass (the plains), some of the famous Apache leaders - Cochise and Geronimo - attempted to hold their ground against the increasing pressure of settlers moving onto their traditional lands. The Chiricahua mountains are part of this story - as a place where the Apache sometimes hid - though they were preserved as a National Monument not for their great historical significance but largely because of their beauty and uniqueness. We enjoyed a great 5 mile hike from the top of the mountain, past amazing rock formations (pictured above), down through the forests of Echo Canyon and along the dry water course back to the Visitors Center. The hike was made more appealing because of the park's free shuttle service that dropped us at the peak, allowing for a mostly downhill hike. We stayed two nights at the beautiful Bonita Campground nestled in a canyon near the Visitors Center which has only 22 sites - with no power or hook-ups. Leaving Chiricahua, we set our sites on Tucson since we'd arranged to visit, Kathy, a cousin of Denise's, for the weekend. To our amazement and delight, we had to drive through part of the Saguaro National Park to reach their place, which is located just on the outside of the National Park. Saguaro's are iconic cactus of Arizona and the southwest although their growing range is very limited. These lone men of the desert stand tall and proud in the dry desert conditions. They have appeared in more western movies than John Wayne. At around 75 years old the long central trunk sprouts it's first arms. Birds live in holes bored into the Saguaro creating a tough, fibrous boot inside the plant as the the Saguaro grows around the hole. Life for the bird is ideal as the nest is literally surrounded by water -- keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter -- as the Saguaro draws water in through capillary action during the wet season and stores that water for drier times. Kathy has a variety of cactus species growing around her place. At mealtimes we admire the huge Saguaro pair that grow just outside the back door. Ruth is pictured above next to this colossal pair. We'll be here in the desert outside of Tucson for the weekend. Next week we head for Phoenix to spend time with a high-school friend of Denise's while also tending to van maintenance and preparing for our brief trip back to Florida (by air).

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

We find ourselves in a quirky little town tonight, if only briefly, but it has been a memorable visit so far... Seeking out some hot springs to visit (it's hot, dry work traveling through the desert) we learned that Truth or Consequences changed its name from Hot Springs in the 1950's to capitalize on a popular radio show of the day. We further learned that the town was located next to the Rio Grande River (which we'd enjoyed so much at Big Bend National Park) and that there were lots of places set up to exploit the hot springs. We're at the Artesian Campground tonight. We're paying $6/night for dry camping (no water, sewer or electrical hook-up). But for an additional $6 we were able to secure a private hot tub for a 1 hour family soak. After each session they empty the water, wash the tub and await the next patron. The 5' x 6' tub is 3' deep and has a huge pipe bringing 108F naturally heated spring water into it when the faucet is open. We inserted the "plug" and turned the tap. Water poured in and filled the tub in just a few minutes. A cold water shower is situated above the tub to cool off and/or rinse under. For the next hour we soaked and splashed in our private hot tub. Very cool! We spent the previous 2 nights in Alamogordo, NM (somewhat of an armpit place) as the winds whipped up to 30-40 mph with 50-60 mph occasional gusts -- a little intimidating for an 11' high van to be out driving in. When Monday mellowed out a little we enjoyed a short hike around the Three Rivers Petroglyphs about 30 miles out of town then escaped to the movies to see, "Monsters versus Aliens". This morning we checked out of Alamogordo to a sunny day and spent a few hours scrambling about on the extremely white gypsum sand dunes of White Sands National Monument before heading to Las Cruces for a delicious lunch (double thumbs-up from the whole family) and a 2-hour trek up to Truth & Consequences. Tomorrow we head south-west again and into Arizona (a state that does NOT observe Daylight Saving so our clocks get tweaked once again). In the later part of April and early May we'll do more touring through the northern parts of New Mexico, including Albuquerque.

Near Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico

We spent last night near "the top of Texas" at Guadalupe National Park. Tonight we're 20 miles outside the town of Carlsbad in New Mexico (and now into Mountain Time).

On our way to the Guadalupe Mountains we did a fascinating tour of the MacDonald Observatory just outside Fort Davis, having spent the night at a very cold and windy Fort Davis RV park. Unfortunately the cold weather persisted and stopped us from going to the Star Party in the same evening as we did the MacDonald Observatory Solar program. It was blowing 25-30 mph on an already cold day that didn't go above 40F. Night temperatures were predicted in the low 30's - which they reached - so we were happy to miss the freezing weather (hiding out in the van) after loving the 90's we'd been experiencing just a few days earlier.

Today the girls completed Junior Ranger programs for both Guadalupe National Park AND Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This afternoon we were 790 feet underground exploring the cavern. Fantastic stuff!

Internet access remains patchy. This update is being sent from Doug's cell phone.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

When you want to “get away from it all”, then Big Bend National Park is a place you should consider. We arrived here on March 21st after spending three days in San Antonio and a day traveling to get here. The contrast could not be starker. The enveloping quietness of west Texas, produced in part by large open spaces and very few people, carries into the park. Nights are astonishing for their brilliant star display and the total quiet that surrounds the campground. Days are warm – getting to 95F near the Rio Grande River but a little cooler at higher elevations. Evenings cool off pleasantly and are nearly completely bug free (at least at this time of the year). We’ve been sitting outside for dinner and leaving the windows open on the van to let in cool, refreshing evening air while we sleep. Big Bend has proven to be one of those places where a photo cannot do justice to the amazing 360 degree vistas. It is seemingly impossible to capture the true impression of a 1,000 foot canyon wall, or the winding Rio Grande River, or the 5-6,000 foot spires that surround the Chiso Basin campground, or the magnificent sunsets that paint fire on the clouds and redefine the color of sky blue, or the constellation of stars seemingly within reach because they shine so brightly… Big Bend is definitely a place you experience by being here. While we’ve stayed at campgrounds easily accessible in our van it’s apparent that 4WD camping inside the park would give access to some incredible back country experiences. We’ll save those for another day. We have made the most of some shorter (less than 4 mile) hikes enjoying the abundance and variety of cactus plants as well as seeing and hearing some of the more than 450 bird species that frequent the park. Our favorite is the ever present Road Runner. Fortunately, rain that fell in the park two weeks ago combined with the shift to springtime has brought blooms to some cactus – much to Denise’s delight. Our favorite hike: the Window Trail. For nearly 2 miles we descended from our Chiso Basin campground at 5,400 feet elevation basically following a water course that wound its way through an ever-changing terrain – from open grass lands with cacti, into treed forests and further down into rocky, high-walled canyons – where the ancient water course had scoured away the sides of the canyons and large boulders to a smooth, polished finish. The water course is the only way water escapes from the high mountain basin. At the end of the trail, the small creek cut through narrow canyon walls (the Window) and emptied over a 200 foot sheer cliff drop. Upon arrival Ruth ran off to see where the creek ended. Luckily we were able to convince that she should stop (IMMEDIATELY). Hearts in our mouths, Ruth stopped. Then she realized that the next few yards of her run took here over the cliff – something we’d noticed but she seemed to have missed. After a short stop we began our climb out of the valley and back to our campsite. The girls loved the Window Trail hike. Other hikes have taken us along the Rio Grande to a natural Hot Springs where we spent some time soaking in the late afternoon. We also explored a few canyons carved over thousands of years by the Rio Grande. Apparently the Rio Grande flooded wildly back in September last year when hurricanes in Mexico dumped a deluge of rain inland that made its way to the Rio Grande. There were signs of silt and debris all on the river banks and around the lower campgrounds. In some places where the silt had not yet been cleared it was 6 feet deep. We were saddened to realize that a rich Mexican cultural experience that lies literally a stone’s throw across the Rio Grande has been made impenetrable from recent years of fear-driven policy to prevent border crossings. Small towns immediately across the Rio Grande thrived by supplying arts, crafts and authentic Mexican meals in their small village restaurants to Big Bend visitors. They are now dying off. In a bygone era the craft sellers (and restaurateurs) would ferry tourists across the Rio Grande in their small boats. Today they leave their goods displayed on the US side of the river, near main trails, with a payment jar nearby. We can see and hear the Mexicans moving about on the other side of the river – even singing and chatting - but no physical contact is permitted. If we were to cross the Rio Grande, an easy wade in some places, a US citizen runs the risk of being barred from re-entering the United States. Correspondingly, any Mexico national from the nearby villages caught crossing into the US would be fined, jailed and eventually returned to Mexico. As an arbitrary means to enforce the invisible wall, all Mexican made arts and crafts purchased by Big Bend visitors are declared contraband – with fines and loss of property imposed for anyone caught with them. (So much for the US-Mexico free trade agreement). The irony is that, in an area where plants and animals don’t recognize this artificial border, a very porous border relationship has successfully existed for more than 100 years allowing trade and services to flow freely between those who live and work in the area, on either side of the border. This has now ceased. Overall, this unusual situation is quite at odds with what we saw along the shared US-Canadian border. We celebrated 7 months on the road here at Big Bend National Park by lashing out on a “room” and dinner at the Chiso Mountain Lodge. Our room is one of the Roosevelt Stone Cottages. These small stone buildings were built in the 1930’s for officers of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Apparently there has been some very famous people stay here, including Lady Bird Johnson and Franklin Roosevelt. Our cottage has 3 double beds and a spectacular view looking toward the west from high within the Chiso Basin, and toward The Window. The thick stone walls keep the room cool during the day and warm at night. The 3 foot high stone wall railing that forms part of the verandah has been worn smooth over the years from the very many people who did just as we did yesterday – sit on the wall and watch the sunset. Given that we’ve been camping every night since leaving San Antonio, we were most appreciative of the shower and fresh towels! Today we head onward to Fort Davis and for a “Star Party” at the MacDonald Observatory on Friday night. Our travels take us into New Mexico over the weekend and another time zone change – to Mountain Time. Internet and cell phone coverage remains sporadic on this part of the journey.

Heading toward Big Bend National Park

We're checking out of the Crockett Hotel in this morning. We originally planned to spend more time in San Antonio now that Doug has completed his work commitments but the timing for a visit with friends did not work out. Instead we've decided to head for Big Bend National Park today. We'll shop for groceries on the way out of town and hope to make it part way along the 450-500 mile trek to the park. We're uncertain how available Internet connections will be as we head into west Texas so updates might be sporadic over the next few weeks. We're hoping to spend a week at Big Bend then hit Fort Davis with the night sky observatories on our way out, plus Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands in New Mexico, then head to Tuscon and Phoenix in Arizona. From Phoenix we have a side-trip planned back to Florida (by air) April 13-20 before continuing on our road journey through the south west. San Antonio has been fun but exhausting. We're simply not used to so many people or so much noise. The Riverwalk is a jewel in the heart of the city. We've enjoyed our walks and people watching along the route. But we're all eagerly looking forward to the quiet and solitude that the west Texas desert will offer us.

San Antonio, Texas

We pulled into the Crockett Hotel mid afternoon and quickly discovered that our room overlooks the Alamo, with views down toward the Riverwalk. This large Texas city is full of people due to Spring Break and various conferences going on. For dinner we wandered a few blocks from the hotel and ate outside, enjoying a warm evening and watching throngs of people wandering along the Riverwalk -- some very prepared to celebrate St Patrick's Day in full force. Doug must disappear for work over the next few days at an event in the nearby Grand Hyatt. Denise and the girls plan to explore the city.

Kerrville, Texas

We hiked the wonderful Enchanted Rock today. We were lucky to get into the park after being turned away on our first attempt because the parking lot was full (the state limits the number of concurrent visitors). Less than 20 miles from Fredericksburg, this is a very popular park to visit. The climb is short but vigorous and the views are very rewarding. The girls did great heading up the steep dome. Rose was drawn to the sporadic water features and enjoyed most of the hike in bare feet so she could enjoy splashing in the puddles trapped in small indentations along the way. As we learned:

• "The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States."

It's not near as big as Ayers Rock (Uluru) in Australia but it is a fine feature inside a great park that draws enthusiastic visitors from afar. The day was all the more pleasant for the bright, warm sunshine that accompanied us all day. After hiking we headed south, closer to San Antonio, ending up in Kerrville tonight at a very nice county park right next to the Guadalupe River. Tomorrow, St Patrick's Day, we head to San Antonio where Doug has some work commitments and the girls get to hang out downtown in Crockett Hotel (yes, that Davy Crockett) next to the Alamo and the famous San Antonio Riverwalk. In honor of St Patrick and our Irish friends everywhere, the adults are planning to wear green tomorrow. But the kids want to wear purple so they'll get pinched by leprechauns and hopefully get to see them...

Fredericksburg, Texas

The sun is at last returning to east Texas where we are continuing to "hang out". Today we left San Marcos after some inadvertent power shopping at the famous Outlet Malls just outside the town. Then we headed a few hours northwest to Fredericksburg with the aim of hiking the Enchanted Rock here. The small town of Fredericksburg is one of the many areas in east Texas that was settled by Germans (and sometimes, Czechs). While it exudes the classic Texas small town charm it has retained it's German heritage. The main street has tons of restaurants as well as bakeries and candle shops (not sure if this is particularly German or just a local thing). There are also a handful of breweries, pubs and wineries -- with European-style outdoor seating. With the sun warming the pavement and Spring Break (school holidays) in full flight there was much activity in the town. A music festival seems to be drawing in many. Arriving in the late afternoon, we were content to settle for sharing a sweet German pretzel and large slice of Apple Strudel before heading back to our campsite. Tomorrow we tackle the Enchanted Rock hike (and perhaps sample another bakery or two).

San Marcos, Texas (between Austin & San Antonio)

After a wonderful few weeks in homes of generous Texans we packed ourselves once again into the small van and headed to San Marcos. We need to be in San Antonio by March 17 and were planning to do a side trip to the Gulf beaches area before heading to San Antonio. But we were put off by the travel time/distance to the beach area and the cold weather being forecast. Sure enough, after enjoying some balmy 80-85F days, cold and rainy weather has caught up with us. We're now cozying up in the van watching movies and hiding out from a 40F day while the rain hammers down intermittently throughout the day. (Local farmers are happy to see the rain). On our way out of Round Top we spotted that "Royers", the local (and somewhat famous) pie shop, was open. We’d been told we should try their pies so we stopped in. We debated for awhile - four pieces would be quite expensive so we considered buying a whole pie instead but couldn't decide on just one. Then we noticed "sampler plate" option on the menu. You get to pick 4 types of pie. So we ordered two sampler plates thinking we'd get a small slice of each of the eight types we liked. We assumed that it would be affordable while allowing us to “graze” over a wide range of pies. (Somehow no-one noticed the pricing for the sampler plate). Anyway, dinner size plates heaped with 4 pieces of pie and 4 scoops of ice cream were bought out! We had 8 servings of pie and ice cream!! The kids were in heaven and we all thought it was pretty funny until we got the bill -- $50. Yikes! We had to chuckle about what an expensive and basic tourist mistake we’d made (while all the time rolling around in piggy pie heaven). Of course, not feeling limited by one pie-ordering debacle, we also stopped at TWO places en route to San Marcos famous for their Texas BBQ. The whole family has taken to the wonderfully seasoned and prepared Texas BBQ -- but Doug has taken a real shining to it believing this to be a mark of his inner Texan.

Round Top, Texas - east of Austin

Arriving at a beautiful 40-acre property with its own guest house, lake and go-cart to drive around in has been quite distracting. We pulled in here last Sunday and have been totally soaking up the warm southern hospitality of Betsy and Harry who live in this wonderful, quiet oasis in the hills of Texas. Doug & Ruth go to the lake... ... to do a little fishing for blue gill perch. The girls enjoy the wild, blue bonnet flowers starting to cover the fields in early Spring. We visit the old renovated church in "downtown" Round Top that is the Children's Library with a picnic and play area out the front... And beautiful light and layout inside. We also visit the exquisite main chamber at Festival Hill where classical music is taught, demonstrated and enjoyed. With plenty of time for just one more go-cart ride...

Texas – we’re standing in it.

We arrived in Round Rock – just north of the Texas capital, Austin – yesterday afternoon and have been welcomed into the very comfortable home of Bill and Patty. To our delight, Bill has an encyclopedic knowledge of government, history, geography and Texas folklore that he is ever ready to share with us. On his library shelves are 140 books he has either written or co-authored including a special section of children's books. Bill is helpfully filling in the crater-like holes of our understanding about Texas. Everyone’s heard of Texas – and Texans love their larger than life portrayal and a certain mystique that is attributed to them and their state. What we didn’t know until we toured the historic Washington-on-the-Brazos museum was that Texas was once an independent nation. Sam Houston and a small band of Texas army fighters defeated the larger Mexican General Santa Anna’s army at San Jacinta. This came after Santa Anna had successfully pursued a devastating routing of the Alamo and Goliad in an attempt to put down the revolt by local Texas citizenry as they sought independence from Mexico. (Yes, at one stage all Texans were Mexican citizens). Knowing this helps us appreciate why Texans generally put their state first before their national identity. They fought and died for it. In fact, as Texas joined the Union (as the 28th state) they received agreeable terms in recognition that their “state” was an independent nation joining with the United States, the only US state to do so. In trying to explain some of the qualities of being a Texan, we read that “strength and individuality are admired”. Weakness is not. Texans welcome people who want to be Texan and, it seems, true Texans can’t understand why anyone would not want to be a Texan. One example of uniquely Texas-centric perspective comes from State Parks promotional material that can be found online (a very good site). It reads, in part:

“…The Rio Grande Valley is an ecosystem found nowhere else in the United States. It is a subtropical environment, which lies further south than any other part of the United States except Hawaii and part of Florida”.

Riddle me this. If “Hawaii and part of Florida” are further south, then isn’t it wrong to claim that the Rio Grande valley is “further south than any other part of the Unites States”? Apparently not in Texas. In continuing our cultural culinary experiences, we took the Blue Bell Ice Creamery tour and sampled their delicious ice cream. We also ate a chicken-fried steak and T-bone steak the other night. It is impossible to think what a large T-bone would look like since the small one we ordered covered the dinner plate! Again, the Texas mystique. Denise claims that our readers are not interested in the price of diesel – though we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get the best deals. Absent a photo to prove it, we did a $1.86/gallon fill-up yesterday. A new record low! And in the past few weeks we’ve noticed occasionally that diesel is sometimes cheaper than the most expensive gasoline. As visitors we can’t help but chuckle when little towns we’ve passed proudly proclaim themselves as “XYZ Capital of the World”, where “XYZ” may be something quite obscure. Certainly in the vastness of Texas they have a lot to offer across a very diverse geography that includes beaches, mountains, rivers, open plains, deserts, hill country, and piney forests. And within all these regions are various legends and historic sites to add color and character to the land. We're looking forward to our nearly month-long exploration of Texas.

near Brenham, Texas

Half way between Houston and Austin, we pulled off the road in a small RV park. It is 7 miles west of Brenham in Texas. We're going to explore the historic Brenham town tomorrow, including checking out the legendary ice creamery. We'll stay here tonight and tomorrow night before heading the last 100 or so miles to our friends place at Round Rock just north of Austin. It has been pleasant to be driving in "hills" again -- the first time in nearly 4 months since we hit the east coast lowlands of North and South Carolina, Georgia and all of Florida as well as the Gulf area of all the southern states. Even Louisiana was relatively flat where we traveled. We hear that there are more hills ahead...

In transit - Beaumont, Texas - 6 month celebration

Today is our 6 month anniversary of being on the road. We’ve traveled 12,000 miles so far and passed through 26 states in US and Canada. We left Lafayette this morning and crossed into Texas in the early afternoon (our 27th state). As a celebration for ourselves we are staying in a nice hotel. We went for a swim this afternoon but ate a simple picnic in our room this evening. Tomorrow we continue on toward Round Rock, just north of Austin. We'll likely pull up somewhere for another night on the road before arriving there on Friday. Temperatures are in the 70's and expected to be in the 80's near Austin. The girls are starting to complain about the heat. The parents are loving it! We had a riotous good time for Mardi Gras on Feb 24th... After attending a morning parade in "downtown" Lafayette (picture above - Rose & Ruth calling for beads) we drove up to the small 2,000-person town of Iota and walked their small but crowded main street sampling good local food and enjoying the foot-stomping live music. Most striking was the change in Mardi Gras costumes from city glitter of New Orleans (and Lafayette) to the very rural look of pointed hats, screened masked and clown-like outfits. Not everyone was in costume but we enjoyed a performance by 30-40 youngsters in full regalia. Much of the singing was in Cajun French. Part of the rural scene is for costumed Mardi Gras celebrators to lean forward pointing to their hand and ask you for 5 cents (or any change you might have). We experienced more of this as we traveled even further inland to Eunice where we were ecstatic to see more than 100 horse riders coming into town as part of their local parade (picture above). The riders had been on the go since 8:30am Mardi Gras morning, riding in a long caravan and calling in on the local farms. Historically they would be asking local farmers for a chicken to bring back to town to put in the Gumbo (a Cajun soup of sorts). There was a respectable amount of drinking going on and by the time the revelers made it to the parade a rather drunken though good-natured rabble of riders added to the overall celebration. Rose and Ruth got more beads and "throws" from the horse riders and floats in Eunice than in all the parades we've been to so far (picture above - just some of the beads). They were ably helped by an elderly woman and her two (older) daughters we were standing next to at the parade who would pass along beads to the girls that they didn't want. (It's a strange but true phenomenon that you scream out for the first beads but by the time you have 15-20 strands you start being more selective -- only wanting the "good stuff"). Unlike the other parades, in Eunice the horse riders came right alongside the crowd. We petted more than one horse as it went by -- after the rider invited us to -- as well as stroked a half-dozen or so chickens being carried by various proud riders, since catching chickens is part of the rural Mardi Gras tradition (picture above - rider with chicken). Some of the strange and wonderful sights cannot be described in writing. We can only hope we caught them on camera. Overall we have loved our time in Louisiana amongst the warm and friendly Cajun people and celebrating Mardi Gras with them.

Lafayette, Louisiana

We arrived here in Lafayette on Friday after driving a few hours west from New Orleans. Rather than get drawn into the larger, more adult-oriented Mardi Gras celebration of New Orleans, we’d been told that Lafayette would be more family-friendly. It would also give us a chance to explore more of the Cajun and Creole culture. The rural Louisiana tradition for Mardi Gras is different from that of the Big Easy (New Orleans). In the country, riders group up into a traveling parade and go from farm to farm asking for something to add (usually a chicken) to the local Gumbo. Masks are used and young men from the local farms joining the ride must catch the chicken as a symbolic rite of passage to show they are now able to get food on the table for their own future family. Lafayette leans more toward the floats and bead-throwing parades of New Orleans but the rural activities are also visible and quite accessible. What’s not obvious until traveling through this area is the strong influence on family and community that is so pervasive. It has roots in a strong Roman Catholic foundation from the French who were forced out of Nova Scotia a few hundred years ago, some finding their way to Louisiana where, as a very hardy people, they set up their new home in a place they called Acadiana. Forced to support each other as a means to survival their large, extended families and tightly knit communities also enjoyed a strong tradition of music and dancing. Over the past few days we’ve been enjoying the welcoming, family-friendly dance floors where a healthy beat of Cajun and Zydeco music gets everyone hopping – including us – from very old men and women to youngsters being coached by family, friends and neighbors through basic two-step dancing. Rose danced twice the other night with women who simply asked her to join them because she was showing an obvious interest (and delight) in the music. We went for a family bike ride on Saturday. The ride was unfortunate for a flat tire (Denise), a pedal that went flying off while crossing a road (Ruth), and poorly designed roads for bike riding, but we did enjoy some very local experiences. On our short ride, we passed at least 4-5 groups of people who ALL waved or hollered a greeting as we went by. One woman hung out her passenger side window while waiting at the traffic light (as we crossed in front of her) to commend us on doing a “family ride”. Noticing we had 2 girls she held up 5 fingers and explained that she had five daughters herself. The conversation would likely have continued except that the light turned green and her driver pulled away. These Acadians seem to be a very friendly and open people who live out loud and who hold the family unit in high esteem. In this whole Acadiana region, symbolism and traditions continue strongly. This is evidenced by the Mardi Gras celebrations that go back centuries in the old World. Many of these now local traditions are built from a strange concoction of Roman Catholic faith and practice blended with Pagan ritual, Voodoo beliefs and a healthy dose of farmers’ pragmatism. And then there is Cajun food… A strong influence of French, Spanish and African American cultures weighs into the local cuisine - cultures that all figure strongly in the history of the area. Combined with the relative abundance of food that can be drawn from the bayous – crawfish (fresh water crayfish), catfish, oysters, and alligator plus the farming staples of beans, rice, chicken and pork – and a healthy dose of farm style cooking, you begin to understand what Cajun food might be. Add a hot climate where meat and food traditionally would not keep well except through a generous amount of salting or by using a heavy hand of seasoning to mask the rotting meat taste and you have the basis for very tasty Cajun food. From these relatively humble beginnings Cajun food was practical and filling but was never destined to be a world cuisine. Its distinctive flavorings and key ingredients set it apart as the deliciously unique food it is today. But it is the strong cultural influences of music, dancing and community-centered life that raise Cajun food above simple body nourishment to make the whole experience a distinctive and truly soul-nourishing one. So far we have met with two locals – Denise and Dave – who introduced us to our first Cajun meal and the dance floor that makes up part of the restaurant. As Cajun’s they are (thankfully) coaching us in the food and culture of the region. We’ve also caught the tail-end of one daytime parade and we plan to participate again on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). We have visited the Museum of Natural History, Acadian Cultural Center, and Vermilionville – a 23 acre Cajun/Creole Heritage and Folklife Park providing an historic recreation of early Cajun/Creole life and village, with (of course) great Cajun food and (of course) a music hall pounding with live Zydeco music and dancing. This is a fascinating part of America and we are only just coming to understand that the French influences and history we discovered in Quebec City, Canada are also at play here in southern Louisiana!

Diesel - new low - $1.90

Woohoo. Happy half-tank fill up on our way out of New Orleans after a very fun visit here!!

New Orleans, Louisiana

Two days of eating our way around the French Quarter in old New Orleans. A great city! With Mardi Gras less than a week away the town is in a more festive mood than usual. We're loving it. Tomorrow we're going to catch a few evening parades.

Pier to Nowhere

We found where all the sand went from those Dauphin Island beachfront homes...

It landed near the Public Fishing Pier a few miles down the beach. The pier is now a good 50-100 yards from the shore line. Funny. But also a bit sad.

We leave Dauphin Island tomorrow (Mon) for 4 nights camping near New Orleans.

One Great Journey Subscribers

Dear Friends, We are currently on Dauphin Island – a Gulf island in the southern tip of Alabama, just south of Mobile. We’re off the road this week to re-group in preparation for the second half of our 11 month road trip around the US. We left Seattle on August 25, 2008 and still plan to be back by end of July 2009. Valentine’s Day marks the half way point of our journey! When we left Seattle we fully expected to update our website – www.onegreatjourney.com – much more frequently than we’ve been able to. Sorry about that. This has been tricky in part due to an absence of regular Internet connections and in part due the incredible amount of time it takes every day simply to get to a place, set up camp, prepare food, clean up, make beds and do home schooling. I’d be lying if I didn’t also mention that we sometimes are just having too much fun to pull back from the experience to write about it! Communications Lane Change What we have discovered is that “Mr. Google” has made it super easy for us to update our free blog site. From our main site, the link is, “Where Are They Now?” on the left side navigation. (It goes to http://onegreatjourney.blogspot.com). We’ve started to lean more heavily on ensuring our blog is updated when our main website isn’t. We’re able to send a short message from our cell phone to automatically update the site, including any photos taken from Doug’s phone. Originally we’d hoped to use a third-party email management system, Constant Contact, to let people subscribe (and unsubscribe) to regular travel updates we’d be providing. This didn’t happen. And it doesn’t look like happening, so we’re closing down our Constant Contact account. From now on, everyone who subscribed will receive a regular email from us when the blog is updated (2-3 times per week, most weeks). You can simply reply to a mailing and let us know if you’d prefer we remove you from future mailings. And you can always just hit REPLY if you’d like to send a message back to us. Happy Valentine’s Day to all! Doug, Denise, Rose and Ruth

Dauphin Island - storm damage end

We took a short drive to see the "other end" of Dauphin Island where they have beachside homes with uninterrupted views of the ocean. But there is a cost... Many beach side homes were either destroyed or just hanging in there after recent hurricanes. Some homes fared better than others but it seemed like only a matter of time before Mother Nature took out those last standing. On this very low, flat part of the island the ocean is coming up to within a few feet of those homes on the Gulf side of the island. Some even have water under them during the high tide. One road we drove down ended right at the beach with the surf break just 10-20 feet beyond that. Apparently Dauphin Island "lost" a few miles in continuous length to hurricanes that created a channel in the middle of the island. There are now two islands, one not yet named. Picture: In the foreground are house stilts cut off at 4 feet high leaving stumps where a home was once built above. Picture: A house on stilts (they all are). Sea water underneath. Picture: End of the road. The 100 yard "road" was sealed when we turned off the main road. It then petered out, eventually merging completely with the beach. We could see the recent high tide mark from the van's drivers seat. Picture: Water in front and back. The distant home is almost touching the surf. The shoreline was pushed back in a recent hurricane. It is only time before the sand and shoreline move even further "inland". This house, like others before it, will eventually succumb to the ocean.