Sunday, February 19, 2006
So, This is Sitting Bull Falls
Last week we spent a day taking a ride through the desert to reach Sitting Bull Falls. Being from the heartland of America, the desert is pretty amazing to us. And as much as we sometimes miss the green grass and big trees, there is no denying the desert is uniquely beautiful.
The little dark spot in the center of this photo is actually a ranch. I can't imagine what it's like to live so far from any modern conveniences or even miles from any neighbors.
Sitting Bull Falls is located in a canyon, and has a wonderful area for picnics.
When we visited, New Mexico was in the midst of a drought, and there was not much to see in the way of majestic waterfalls, but we are told that during the rainy season, the falls are much larger. Still, the waterfall was beautiful, and we arrived in the afternoon when the desert sun served to enhance the view.
Here is a picture of Mark standing in what, in wetter times, would be the rush of water from the falls. Notice the ledge over his head? That is the overhang created by the water rushing through and eating away at the mountain.
Here's a photo of Pepper and me sitting in the mostly-dry creek bed. Pepper loves to go with us, but she wasn't so sure about climbing around in the creek bed, and several times she insisted that she be carried to a more comfortable spot. I think this one was a particular favorite of hers.
We decided to walk up a trail that supposedly led to the top of the waterfall. We weren't able to see the waterfall very well from the top, but we did get a great picture of the picnic area.
I also got a chance to work on my fear of heights. Woohoo! Here I am looking all smug and proud of myself. It doesn't take much to make me happy (or smug) and conquering unreasonable fears is right at the top of my list!
The little dark spot in the center of this photo is actually a ranch. I can't imagine what it's like to live so far from any modern conveniences or even miles from any neighbors.
Sitting Bull Falls is located in a canyon, and has a wonderful area for picnics.
When we visited, New Mexico was in the midst of a drought, and there was not much to see in the way of majestic waterfalls, but we are told that during the rainy season, the falls are much larger. Still, the waterfall was beautiful, and we arrived in the afternoon when the desert sun served to enhance the view.
Here is a picture of Mark standing in what, in wetter times, would be the rush of water from the falls. Notice the ledge over his head? That is the overhang created by the water rushing through and eating away at the mountain.
Here's a photo of Pepper and me sitting in the mostly-dry creek bed. Pepper loves to go with us, but she wasn't so sure about climbing around in the creek bed, and several times she insisted that she be carried to a more comfortable spot. I think this one was a particular favorite of hers.
We decided to walk up a trail that supposedly led to the top of the waterfall. We weren't able to see the waterfall very well from the top, but we did get a great picture of the picnic area.
I also got a chance to work on my fear of heights. Woohoo! Here I am looking all smug and proud of myself. It doesn't take much to make me happy (or smug) and conquering unreasonable fears is right at the top of my list!
Holy Smokin' Guano, Batman!
Recently, Mark and I took a trip to visit the Carlsbad Caverns, here in New Mexico.
This was an awesome place to visit, but no one ever mentioned just how smelly it was at the very beginning of the walk! Man!...or should I say Batman! That guano was something else! Of course, after several yards into the cave, you get past the bats bathroom and into the depths of the cave itself.
We did all but one section of the cave tour and it was 2 1/2 miles long! I believe at the end we were about 750 feet under ground, and we were both glad there was an elevator back to the top!
There are various length tours offered, and any of them are going to offer some truly amazing sites. In our opinion, at $6/person, it was more than worth the money.
Until next time, I'll leave you with this picture of me having a great time back at the surface. The buildings in the background are the offices and housing for some of the staff at the Caverns.
Bye for now!
This was an awesome place to visit, but no one ever mentioned just how smelly it was at the very beginning of the walk! Man!...or should I say Batman! That guano was something else! Of course, after several yards into the cave, you get past the bats bathroom and into the depths of the cave itself.
We did all but one section of the cave tour and it was 2 1/2 miles long! I believe at the end we were about 750 feet under ground, and we were both glad there was an elevator back to the top!
There are various length tours offered, and any of them are going to offer some truly amazing sites. In our opinion, at $6/person, it was more than worth the money.
Until next time, I'll leave you with this picture of me having a great time back at the surface. The buildings in the background are the offices and housing for some of the staff at the Caverns.
Bye for now!
Friday, February 10, 2006
And Just Where the Heck Have We Been Anyway?
I cannot believe I let this blog languish as I've done...for shame!
At my last post, your intrepid travelers were still in Ohio at their first campground. God! But that seems like ages ago, and so much has happened since then. I once heard someone say that if you wanted to make God laugh, then tell him your plans. I'm thinking maybe I should have played my cards a little closer to the vest, 'cause I seem to have truly amused The Omnipotent One.
There were two major changes to The Plan, and they went as follows:
1) Turned out Mark's lung problems were worse than we had originally imagined. I am not going to go into a long-winded detail about his condition, but he has recently been placed on permanent disability. This means that we had to make some changes to our travel schedule. Most importantly, we have to plan our travels so that he avoids extreme temperatures, but especially very humid or cold weather.
2) I took a withdrawl from the Union. This means if I decide at some point I want to go back, I can. But with Mark's condition, we needed to be free to travel and find places that are more suited to his needs. If at some point I decide to relist with the Union, I can do so as a Permit Journeyman at any Union Hall, which is ok with me. For now, I'm just not wanting to do that. But the major change to The Plan is that we will no longer be required to return to Ohio every summer to work our Union jobs.
That said, let me return to what we've been doing and where we've been doing it.
After leaving Ohio in November of 2004, we went to Brenham, Texas, where we had accepted a workcamping job for the winter. It was in Brenham that we realized Mark's condition was not going to be one that improved. We only had to work a couple days a week in exchange for our expense (not including gas or groceries), so we decided to try to get a job in town. The plan was for both of us to apply for positions and whichever one went to work, the other would pick up their hours at the campground.
Well, Mark got a job at O'Reilly's Auto Parts, so I was the one who was supposed to work the campground hours. This had been cleared with the campground beforehand, but after a couple of weeks, the owner wasn't happy with the arrangement...mostly because he wanted Mark to do an ungodly amount of heavy labor and "he didn't want a woman". Pig's Ass!
Anyway, we opted to pay lot rent for the last couple months at the campground and Mark kept his job at O'Reilly's. And that's when we found out how easily he caught colds and how sick he got when he did. It was soon obvious that he was not going to be able to continue working for much longer, without taking some seriously stupid risks with his health.
One note, Brenham is a small little burg, but it is such a lovely place in the springtime when the wildflowers bloom. I took some lovely photos of bluebells and Indian Blankets and many other flowers I can't identify, but fell in love with.
In the spring we came back to Ohio, but we took the scenic route. Our first stop was in Galveston, where we spent a couple of days at the ocean (uh...I mean..Gulf).
While in Galveston, we met my friend Mare and her husband, David. We had a lovely day with them in Galveston, and had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf. I am so glad now that we took the time for this visit. David...You are missed by many! Mare, I love you. (biggest of hugs)
Back on the road, we stopped for a couple days in Lafayette, Louisiana and went to The International Festival, which is held there annually. It's a wonderful experience...great fun...and I recommend it to everyone. Especially since we don't know when or what we'll get in New Orleans when it is rebuilt. I only wish we had taken the time to go to New Oleans, but we decided to go another year, and now it'll never be the same place. :-(
While there we drove out to Avery Island, and toured the Tabasco Factory, where I promptly bought several hot lil' goodies. Avery Island is an odd place, nearly every bit of it is private property. Mark and I missed that sign and went sightseeing, but soon found ourselves being asked to return the area around the factory. Ooops!
We also visited Vicksburg, Mississippi on the way back, where we visited the Battlefield and I was held at gunpoint by a large Green Yankee and Mark wrestled a bronze horse and rider to the ground...barehanded no less!!
Vicksburg is a lovely town and I'd like to have spent more time there as well. The Riverfront Murals depicting life in Vicksburg in the past are amazing. (I'd post more photos, but there are so many!)
On the way to Vicksburg, we passed Mammy's Cupboard, which is an actual restaurant/gift shop. I wish it had been open when we passed as I'd love to have seen what Mammy had in her apron! I just have to share this photo with y'all...it's one of my favorites from the road.
We made a quick stop to visit with my family for a week, and I got to see my niece, Tammy, who is in the military and home for a visit. I hadn't seen her in years, and it was wonderful. She is such a great person and I'd missed her more than I thought. Visiting her probably won't happen since she's in Alaska and it can be pretty cold there (from what I hear). ;-)
Ok, I know I'm getting long-winded and posting lots of photos, but damn! it's been over a year! We stopped for a night or two in Mammoth Caves, Kentucky on the way to Ohio. We did one of the cave tours and visited the local wax museum, where these were just two of the icons we spotted.
Once we were back in Ohio, we stayed on his parent's property instead of going to a campground in order to save money. This was a very trying time for both of us, but I will be forever grateful for the hospitality and kindness of Mark's family. Not only did they offer us this financial help, but they were such good people to be around. It allowed us time to get to know each other, that I had not had previously, and I am glad about that.
Mark immediately got busy trying to get his disability established, and I took a job with a cleaning company near the house. I worked as a companion/driver/maid for a couple of elderly ladies and, while it was hard work at times, it was so rewarding. It was rather sad to leave them and Mark's parents when autumn came. But the upside was that we were once again Road Trip'n!
We left Ohio in November 2005 and took another scenic route to get to Carlsbad, New Mexico. We stopped to visit a Route 66 Museum in Oklahoma along the way and we also drove along part of old Route 66 on the way.
We have been at The Windmill RV Park in Carlsbad, New Mexico since November; Mark works a few hours a week here at the park and I got a job at the local WalMart. Mark also happened into a job with WiFiRV while we were here. Because he is technically inclined, and the camp was having difficulties with their WiFi service, Mark fixed it. The owner of the wifi service provider was impressed and offered Mark a consulting job. It's only a few hours here and there (and the possibility for residuals if he gets other parks to sign up in places we visit in the future), but at least Mark is getting paid for something he'd do anyway.
While in Carlsbad, we've been joined by another of our friends, Doreen, who recently sold her house and bought an RV to go see what she could see. Although I've been working so many hours that Doreen and I have not a had a lot of time to visit, we have managed a couple of lunch dates and we regualarly go shopping together. As soon as I can, I'll post some photos of us for those of you know and love us.
To be honest, there haven't been a lot of opportunities for sightseeing...working at a WalMart during Christmas time is an experience in itself! But we did drive to nearby Sitting Bull Falls recently. Again...I'll post some photos. And sometime in the next week or so, we'll be visiting Carlsbad Caverns, which are supposed to be awesome.
Then we'll be leaving in a few weeks to go to our next workcamping job in Moab, Utah. We've accepted a job there for three months, but with an option to stay longer. The RV park is right outside The Arches National Park, which is a place on our short list of places we HAVE to see. And it should be nice to be in a cooler climate for the summer months.
We have tentatively planned to go to Arizona next winter, but as of yet, we have not chosen a work camping position. For now, we are simply looking forward to our next bit of Road Trippin'.
By the way, Mark says, "Hi, How the f**k are ya?" *lol*
At my last post, your intrepid travelers were still in Ohio at their first campground. God! But that seems like ages ago, and so much has happened since then. I once heard someone say that if you wanted to make God laugh, then tell him your plans. I'm thinking maybe I should have played my cards a little closer to the vest, 'cause I seem to have truly amused The Omnipotent One.
There were two major changes to The Plan, and they went as follows:
1) Turned out Mark's lung problems were worse than we had originally imagined. I am not going to go into a long-winded detail about his condition, but he has recently been placed on permanent disability. This means that we had to make some changes to our travel schedule. Most importantly, we have to plan our travels so that he avoids extreme temperatures, but especially very humid or cold weather.
2) I took a withdrawl from the Union. This means if I decide at some point I want to go back, I can. But with Mark's condition, we needed to be free to travel and find places that are more suited to his needs. If at some point I decide to relist with the Union, I can do so as a Permit Journeyman at any Union Hall, which is ok with me. For now, I'm just not wanting to do that. But the major change to The Plan is that we will no longer be required to return to Ohio every summer to work our Union jobs.
That said, let me return to what we've been doing and where we've been doing it.
After leaving Ohio in November of 2004, we went to Brenham, Texas, where we had accepted a workcamping job for the winter. It was in Brenham that we realized Mark's condition was not going to be one that improved. We only had to work a couple days a week in exchange for our expense (not including gas or groceries), so we decided to try to get a job in town. The plan was for both of us to apply for positions and whichever one went to work, the other would pick up their hours at the campground.
Well, Mark got a job at O'Reilly's Auto Parts, so I was the one who was supposed to work the campground hours. This had been cleared with the campground beforehand, but after a couple of weeks, the owner wasn't happy with the arrangement...mostly because he wanted Mark to do an ungodly amount of heavy labor and "he didn't want a woman". Pig's Ass!
Anyway, we opted to pay lot rent for the last couple months at the campground and Mark kept his job at O'Reilly's. And that's when we found out how easily he caught colds and how sick he got when he did. It was soon obvious that he was not going to be able to continue working for much longer, without taking some seriously stupid risks with his health.
One note, Brenham is a small little burg, but it is such a lovely place in the springtime when the wildflowers bloom. I took some lovely photos of bluebells and Indian Blankets and many other flowers I can't identify, but fell in love with.
In the spring we came back to Ohio, but we took the scenic route. Our first stop was in Galveston, where we spent a couple of days at the ocean (uh...I mean..Gulf).
While in Galveston, we met my friend Mare and her husband, David. We had a lovely day with them in Galveston, and had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf. I am so glad now that we took the time for this visit. David...You are missed by many! Mare, I love you. (biggest of hugs)
Back on the road, we stopped for a couple days in Lafayette, Louisiana and went to The International Festival, which is held there annually. It's a wonderful experience...great fun...and I recommend it to everyone. Especially since we don't know when or what we'll get in New Orleans when it is rebuilt. I only wish we had taken the time to go to New Oleans, but we decided to go another year, and now it'll never be the same place. :-(
While there we drove out to Avery Island, and toured the Tabasco Factory, where I promptly bought several hot lil' goodies. Avery Island is an odd place, nearly every bit of it is private property. Mark and I missed that sign and went sightseeing, but soon found ourselves being asked to return the area around the factory. Ooops!
We also visited Vicksburg, Mississippi on the way back, where we visited the Battlefield and I was held at gunpoint by a large Green Yankee and Mark wrestled a bronze horse and rider to the ground...barehanded no less!!
Vicksburg is a lovely town and I'd like to have spent more time there as well. The Riverfront Murals depicting life in Vicksburg in the past are amazing. (I'd post more photos, but there are so many!)
On the way to Vicksburg, we passed Mammy's Cupboard, which is an actual restaurant/gift shop. I wish it had been open when we passed as I'd love to have seen what Mammy had in her apron! I just have to share this photo with y'all...it's one of my favorites from the road.
We made a quick stop to visit with my family for a week, and I got to see my niece, Tammy, who is in the military and home for a visit. I hadn't seen her in years, and it was wonderful. She is such a great person and I'd missed her more than I thought. Visiting her probably won't happen since she's in Alaska and it can be pretty cold there (from what I hear). ;-)
Ok, I know I'm getting long-winded and posting lots of photos, but damn! it's been over a year! We stopped for a night or two in Mammoth Caves, Kentucky on the way to Ohio. We did one of the cave tours and visited the local wax museum, where these were just two of the icons we spotted.
Once we were back in Ohio, we stayed on his parent's property instead of going to a campground in order to save money. This was a very trying time for both of us, but I will be forever grateful for the hospitality and kindness of Mark's family. Not only did they offer us this financial help, but they were such good people to be around. It allowed us time to get to know each other, that I had not had previously, and I am glad about that.
Mark immediately got busy trying to get his disability established, and I took a job with a cleaning company near the house. I worked as a companion/driver/maid for a couple of elderly ladies and, while it was hard work at times, it was so rewarding. It was rather sad to leave them and Mark's parents when autumn came. But the upside was that we were once again Road Trip'n!
We left Ohio in November 2005 and took another scenic route to get to Carlsbad, New Mexico. We stopped to visit a Route 66 Museum in Oklahoma along the way and we also drove along part of old Route 66 on the way.
We have been at The Windmill RV Park in Carlsbad, New Mexico since November; Mark works a few hours a week here at the park and I got a job at the local WalMart. Mark also happened into a job with WiFiRV while we were here. Because he is technically inclined, and the camp was having difficulties with their WiFi service, Mark fixed it. The owner of the wifi service provider was impressed and offered Mark a consulting job. It's only a few hours here and there (and the possibility for residuals if he gets other parks to sign up in places we visit in the future), but at least Mark is getting paid for something he'd do anyway.
While in Carlsbad, we've been joined by another of our friends, Doreen, who recently sold her house and bought an RV to go see what she could see. Although I've been working so many hours that Doreen and I have not a had a lot of time to visit, we have managed a couple of lunch dates and we regualarly go shopping together. As soon as I can, I'll post some photos of us for those of you know and love us.
To be honest, there haven't been a lot of opportunities for sightseeing...working at a WalMart during Christmas time is an experience in itself! But we did drive to nearby Sitting Bull Falls recently. Again...I'll post some photos. And sometime in the next week or so, we'll be visiting Carlsbad Caverns, which are supposed to be awesome.
Then we'll be leaving in a few weeks to go to our next workcamping job in Moab, Utah. We've accepted a job there for three months, but with an option to stay longer. The RV park is right outside The Arches National Park, which is a place on our short list of places we HAVE to see. And it should be nice to be in a cooler climate for the summer months.
We have tentatively planned to go to Arizona next winter, but as of yet, we have not chosen a work camping position. For now, we are simply looking forward to our next bit of Road Trippin'.
By the way, Mark says, "Hi, How the f**k are ya?" *lol*
