Uncategorized – Page 2 – Simply Out and About

Whoa, now that’s a big hole!

When I was a little girl my parents suggested taking a road trip to see the Grand Canyon. I was not to thrilled about going and might have called it a big hole in the earth. Well now here I am looking at this big hole in the earth and wow! I had to tell my brother how sorry I was for ruining this experience for him so many years ago.

We get to the gate to pay for a pass, which is good for 7 days. It was very busy, especially for a Tuesday.

Everybody in America was here....well almost. — Everybody in America was here….well almost.

When we got into the park we noticed people were parking everywhere. I kept driving and we finally came to a marketplace parking lot. The marketplace serves as a grocery store/gift store for the campground. We went in and bought our Christmas ornament (we try to buy one at every location) and Mike and I got matching Grand Canyon T-shirts. (My grandparents matched all the time so I think it’s ok). After we bought our souvenirs we headed down the trail

and came to the Grand Canyon National Headquarters.

Everybody is all smiles at the beginning of an adventure

This is where we had to ask for directions. You would think finding the biggest hole in the earth is easy but it wasn’t. So we were directed down another trail about 1/4 of a mile.

Walking up to the Grand Canyon is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is so quiet and still that it doesn’t seem real.

The rim trail runs along the canyon and from where we were parked, we had the option to go left towards the historic buildings or right back to the visitors center. We went left.

This is the El Tovar Hotel. It was opened in January 1905. This was a very poplar destination back then and with the ease of riding the train, the canyon became a popular destination. In fact the hotel became so busy they had to expand the hotel. Theodore Roosevelt visited the hotel in 1906 and 1913. Another building we came to was lovely. This is Verkamp’s gift shop.

Mr. Verkamp came to the Grand Canyon in 1889. He set up a tent and sold his goods. Business wasn’t good so he packed up and headed back to Flagstaff. He came back in 1905, built this building and opened in 1906. He made $4.98 on his first day and was very happy. He moved his family up and they lived in the apartment above the business. Not a bad place to have a cup of coffee in the morning if you ask me!

As we continued to walk we came to the Bright Angel Trail. This trail is 9.5 miles on way. Some warning came with this trail like flash floods, dehydration, and loose footing. We had to check it out.

It should also say, watch where you step!

Little did I know, Micheal is not a fan of heights. This trail does not have any rails or fences. Most of the canyon is open and you could just fall off if you weren’t careful.

See Micheal on the left? That is where he stayed for the hike.

A very cool trail but it isn't going to be explored by the Patricks — A very cool trail but it isn’t going to be explored by the Patricks

We did walk down some of the trail. You get such different views at every turn it was hard not to want to explore. Well, some of us wanted to explore.

Some one is not happy with his situation

We didn’t walk but maybe 1/2 mile and came back up. I don’t think I would like to walk the entire trail but maybe a donkey ride would be fun.

Now my other man is a little more daring when it comes to walking on the edge but thats where you can really see everything.

So I really recommend everyone to go see the “hole” at some point. At every turn there are place markers that try to tell you how this canyon was carved from water running through it for millions of years. I think it is more amazing to know that God created this canyon in an instant. He said it and there it was!

Hello, Arizona

We have stopped at every welcome center along the way and this is the first time I have gotten a picture of all of us. A sweet man offered to take our picture and I didn’t turn him down! The Arizona sign is behind the pink tree. You can see the red and yellow from the sign.

As you pull into the visitors center. So big!

We were a bit far from Williams, AZ, so I looked on the map to see if there was a place we could stop for the night and not have to drive so far. That’s when I saw the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. That sounded interesting, so we made a reservation for one night in Holbrook, AZ at the OK RV park.

This campground is exactly that, OK. It was safe and just what we needed for one night. We unhooked and Mike had some work to do so Micheal and I headed back east 20 miles or so to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.

We got to the park, stopped at the visitors center and realized that you drive about 18 miles through both The Painted Desert and into The Petrified Forest. There are places to stop off and take pictures or go on small hikes along the way. We started in the Painted Desert. I have never seen anything like it.

As you keep driving the colors start to change.

Then we get to The Petrified Forest. I could not capture in a picture what these logs are like so I will try to explain. (with Micheals help of course)

It looks like it has bark, right. That may have been bark at one time but it is now smooth rock. The inside looks like crystals or quartz rock. It is truly one of the weirdest things I have ever seen! We couldn’t stop touching it. Of course they want you to believe that it took millions of years for this to happen but we know the real truth.

This is called the Long Logs — This is the trail to the Long Logs.

After an hour at the park, we head back to Holbrook to get Mike for some food. You have to feed Micheal to keep him happy. I read about a place on Route 66 that was the inspiration for the movie Cars. I love that movie and luckily for us the restaurant got great reviews.

This restaurant has been on Route 66 since 1943. It is owned by a man named Stanley. (Anyone remember the name Stanley from Cars?) John Lasseter came through town and stopped by to eat. He met the owner and was inspired so Stanley became a character in Cars.

Joe and Aggie memory book — John Lasseter on one of his many visits.

The owner’s son was working the night we were there and he was so welcoming, like we had come to his house to eat. They showed us all the memoriablia that Pixar had sent and were more than happy for us to look through their scrapbook and their memory wall.

It also helped that the food was good too! I had the fry bread filled with meat and cheese and the boys had chicken fried steak with fries. So the sign was true when it said American and Mexican food.

Holbrook also is responsible for inspiring the Cozy Cone Motel in the movie Cars with this fabulous Route 66 hotel, The Wigwam Hotel.

This was the sixth wigwam hotel built on Route 66

Now funded by the government, this hotel is only one of three original wigwam hotels. There are antique cars permenetaly parked in front of the wigwams to give it that special Route 66 feel.

Two old cars — This car looked like the one from The Mask with Jim Carrey….it was called the loaner.

This is the old charm of Route 66 that I had been looking for.

The next morning we hook back up and head out for Williams, AZ. The landscape changed much to our delight and went from dirt to trees and some grass. Oh how we have been missing the trees and the grass!

Flat and dirty, with the exception of the beautiful San Fransisco Peaks in the background.

We kept our eyes set on the mountains and kept driving….

We finally arrived in Williams, AZ, the Gateway to the Grand Canyon…

That's what the sign said anyways. — That’s what the sign said anyways and see the trees!

Williams is about 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Due to Mike working on this trip (you didn’t think we were just on a long vacation, did you?) we have to have Wifi and Grand Canyon is not the place to stay for that. Anyways, we got to our campground and we were very pleased. The Railside RV Ranch is owned by two delightful people, who will go out of their way to help you. Think of the Four Seasons with concierge service, that’s the service I am talking about.

This campground is most definitely rail side. The Grand Canyon Railway runs past the campground twice a day and it is always on schedule. The train leaves the Grand Canyon Hotel at 9:00 and returns at 5:00 everyday.

You can't miss the train. We did stand and wave at the people going by one day. — You can’t miss the train. We did stand and wave at the people going by one day.

The owners of this campground will stop what they are doing and go out on the porch and wave to the train passengers as they are leaving.

I saw the owner waving fro her apartment one morning on the top floor — I saw the owner waving from her apartment one morning on the top floor

This campground also had a free shuttle to and from town. When you got ready to come back you would call and he would come pick you up. Also, from 8-10 every morning there was a continental breakfast and waffle makers for fresh waffles. We helped ourselves to that a couple of mornings. I told you this was like the Four Seasons.

Williams is a nice little town where you can park your car and wonder around looking in all the shops, or you can eat at one of the many restaurants in town.

If your lucky you might even meet Elvis!

Williams is full of history and has a great visitors center/museum. If you ever get out that way and you don’t mind staying in a town with no Target, this is your place.

Up next we take a visit to Sedona and the biggest hole in the United States!

Welcome to “Kirk” and “Fe”

Welcome to Albuquerque or as we like to call it the “Kirk”. This city is full of history with the Indian Cultural Center and fun attractions like the Sandia Tramway. We didn’t visit either of these attractions. As a matter of fact the more I looked back at pictures I realized this visit was about food. New Mexico is all about the chilies. I mean red and green chilies are all over the New Mexico signs, burgers, and burritos. So on a recommendation of my sweet Uncle Steve, we went to Nexus Brewery for a green chili burger.

I did get the burger with my chilies on the side. Haha, you will notice a trend with this. We also ordered the fried zucchini which was out of this world yummy. I was really hungry and ate my burger before I got a pic so just trust me that it was good. Thank you Uncle Steve!

The next day Micheal and I got out to cruise Route 66 and possibly find a market that I saw on the map. There were parts of Route 66 that were charming and other parts not so charming. Nob Hill was a section that I loved with trendy shops and small eateries. Then downtown had the historic theater that is still showing pics today. We came to almost the end of Route 66 and there was my market. I was thinking it was a flea market but when we got inside it was a grocery store.

Once inside I was amazed at all the food I had never seen before. As we entered the produce section, there they were…..green chilies!

We saw 10 lb bags of pinto beans and small bags of dried shrimp. (complete with head and eyeballs) We also saw this…

That is caramel, cherries, and homemade cream (sour cream to us southerns). I can understand buying sour cream by the pound but I have to admit confusion on why you would buy some of these things in bulk. Although this wasn’t a flea market, it was still very exciting!

Before we left on this adventure my Uncle Steve gave me a spreadsheet that he has been putting together on places to eat around the U.S. Sadly, there weren’t any for the “Kirk” so I started doing some research and found El Pinto.

This place did not disappoint! I would drive back today for the guacamole! Anyway, Mike has gotten better and he is hungry. So we order the chicken quesadilla to share for appetizer….

See the guacamole? Then for dinner we got the Green Chili Burger (mild chilies on the burger) and a Chicken burrito. Shockingly, Micheal ordered the rice. Wow! This food was delicious! I added it to the spreadsheet and then highlighted it….haha.

So I bet your wondering if we actually went to see anything and yes we did. First Micheal and I went to the aquarium and botanical gardens.

This was something Micheal was interested in so we went. I have to say we were kind of disappointed because it really was small, but we did see some marine life.

He stood there for a minute and was done.

There was a whole section on the Gulf Coast which we thought was funny. We were only in the aquarium for about 20 minutes and that was looking at everything.

Sharks are cool but only if they are in the water and you aren't! — Sharks are cool but only if they are in the water and you aren’t!

After the aquarium we decided to stroll through the garden. You pay for both when you buy a ticket so to Micheal’s dismay we walked through. Nothing was blooming but there was a children’s castle to walk through that was fun. First, the dragon outside…..

then as we walked thru the tunnels, we found mushrooms…….

and then the last tunnel we walked through I looked up and saw this.

It scared Micheal. That always makes me laugh. — It scared Micheal. that always makes me laugh.

I wouldn’t recommend going to either of these places but sometimes you don’t know unless you try it.

We are so close to Santa Fe that I can’t help but go. I found a route that is kind of a back road (which is my favorite) called the Turquoise Trail. It is simply lovely!

Steep and curvy. — Steep, curvy and watch out for cows!

This drive takes you through some small towns, like Madrid. Madrid is very important to the movie industry. Movies have been filmed here and on the Turquoise Trail since the 1960’s.

It's only about a city block long. — It’s only about a city block long.

The only movie we kind of knew was Wild Hogs. I was going to tell you about the movie but I didn’t watch all of it. Anyway there is a place called Maggie’s Diner that has been made famous from the movie.

We thought we would stop in for a quick bite to eat but we were quickly told by a sign on the door that it was not a diner. Instead it is kind of a raunchy t-shirt shop. That was a little disappointing but we did get a good cup of coffee at the Java Junction

and we saw some funny things from different artist.

Some of my favorites, if the bone is wet it is raining, if the bone is moving it is windy and if the bone is gone….run!

When we finally get to Santa Fe we found some parking behind the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. (it’s not always easy finding parking for the big truck)

The church is downtown and wow! the whole area was beautiful. All the buildings were pueblo built. I think that is how you would say it….but any how, I loved it.

After all this walking we had to eat. Well we actually have to feed Micheal or he gets cranky. So we referred to our spreadsheet and found two places in Santa Fe. One, The Shed and the other, Bobcat Bites. We walk to The Shed and it is closed. So we go to Bobcat bites, which is now called Santa Fe Bites.

We picked you second, but don't take it personally. — We picked you second, but don’t take it personally.

I bet you can’t guess what we tried, you got it, the Green Chili Burger (chilies on the side)

It was a good thing the chilies were on the side, I can smell them through the photo they were so hot! Once again the food was yummy! Good job Uncle Steve!

On our way back to the truck we passed the Loretto Chapel. This chapel was built in 1872 for the nuns. During construction the architect suddenly died and the builders realized there was no stairway to the loft. During that period of time ladders were usually used but the nuns didn’t feel comfortable with this. So for nine days the nuns prayed that someone could help. On the tenth day a straggly stranger appeared and told them he could build a staircase but he would need total privacy to do. So for three months he locked himself into the chapel and with some primitive tools and non-native wood he built a spiral staircase. When the work was done he vanished without being payed, the nuns did not know his identity and to this day no one knows who he was. This staircase has come to be know as the miraculous staircase. I am telling you all this and we didn’t even go inside to see the staircase. I guess the pictures on the internet were sufficient for me.

You can get married here and have special events.

That was our day in Santa Fe. It was great and I think I liked it better than the “Kirk”.

Now back in the “Kirk”,I kept reading about Old Town and you know if there is shopping involved I have to go check it out. Micheal and I loaded up and headed down Route 66.

We went over the Rio Grande…..

and realized it wasn’t so Grande. I think the Mississippi River has got our standards high! We came into Old Town and parked on the square.

Some statue of a guy that probably did something for the city.

There were a lot of shops with Indian stuff.

We just walked around and went into some of the shops. Like this one…

and all of a sudden I am surrounded………

now this is my kind of shopping. I did try on a couple but left with nothing. You know the camper life is supposed to be a simplified one, plus I all ready brought 15 pairs of shoes so I don’t know where I can put anymore. Here are some more pics of Old Town.

I hate to say I wasn’t impressed but this really isn’t my kind of shopping. Of course it is always fun to look.

The time has come to say goodbye to New Mexico. I really enjoyed the beauty of this land. It really did live up to my expectations and the food was yummy!

In the morning we head to…..Arizona. Yay!

West bound and down….

If you aren’t singing this title, something is wrong with you! Well it is day 5 in Little Rock, my toilet is working like a champ, Mike has the flu and it is raining…again! But it is time to move on, so we get the camper hooked up in the rain…boo…and we take off. I am ready to be out west so we decided to travel for 3 days and try to see what we can on the way. First stop is Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma, where the winds come swiftly across the interstate!

I don’t have a lot of photos due to driving and Mike was sleeping. However, he did get a picture of the one thing we saw a lot of…..

We also got to see parts of Route 66. One of the attractions is Lucille’s Service Station. It was built in 1929 and was renamed in 1941 after the new owner, Lucille.

Oklahoma is VERY flat. I mean we almost thought we could see Canada at times…..Haha. We finally made it (safely) to our campground, Council Road RV Park. It was right off of I-40 and easy to get into so that worked for us. There was no unhooking tonight due to the rain, the flu, and we were leaving early the next morning.

It is Saturday morning, the rain is gone and I have had my coffee….It is time to head out. Look out Texas, here we come.

So, just to let some of y’all know, when you pull a camper and transfer trucks come by you (because I will only go about 65 mph) they will suck you in and spit you out. It is a feeling you get used to and you just hold on but when you are driving across flat states, there are winds that blow…gusty winds. As a matter of fact they have signs warning you of this. Which, is why they have these…windmills.

Mike loved seeing these windmills and we have about 50 pictures of them.

They start out very small and the longer you drive the bigger they get. I bet we looked at the same windmill for 100 miles! So you got your warning here! When driving through Texas, hold on!!! I had to peel my hands off the steering wheel a few times due to the wind gust! Anyways, our next stop was Amarillo. We had two places we wanted to see, Cadillac Ranch and The Big Texan. Mike was feeling a little better….Yay…so we got to our campground early to unhook and sightsee. We stayed at Oasis Rv Resort, which was right off I-40, easy to get in and out of. You see I don’t want to run over anybody in our big truck!

Guess what, this was a flat campground and really clean! We could have stayed a few days to explore, but I had to get to New Mexico.

Look at the flatness! You can see it for miles!

We unhooked and headed to Cadillac Ranch. I don’t know what I was expecting but it it basically in the middle of a field and it’s free. You just pull your car, truck, or rv right off the road and bam….you are there. People were coming into the “park” with cans of spray paint.

We didn’t need to paint that day so we just decided to take our photo and get out of the blowing dirt.

After all this excitement we needed food. I had read about a restaurant that has a 72 oz steak. If you can eat the steak, a baked potato, a roll and shrimp appetizer in an hour, you get your meal for free. The record holder is a 120lb lady who ate 2 of these meals in 14 mins. WHAT!! If you are so inclined you can watch it on youtube. If you have watched the movie The Great Outdoors, Chet Ripley (John Candy) puts away the Ole 96’er and gets a free T-shirt. So naturally I had to go check this place out. It was a fun! (I am easily entertained)

The dining hall with the contest table and timers....so nobody cheats. — The dining hall with the contest table and timers….so nobody cheats.

Mike said that he would have tried to eat the 72 oz steak but it was to soon from being sick. (Remember, the camper is small)

My sweet boy! His eyes are closed because he is embarrassed to stand in front of the big bull. I thought it was because of the sun.

So, I bet you are wondering what we ate? Well, Mike got a steak, I got steak sliders, and (drumroll) Micheal got chicken fingers. The plates all came with these..

Aren't the Texas flags cute? — Aren’t the Texas flags cute? I could eat another bowl of that Mac N’ Cheese right now!

We rolled ourselves out of that joint and went to sleep. We have one more travel day before we stop and hang out. Travel days are exciting and exhausting! But, the very next morning I was ready to go! Get up everybody, Momma’s got to get to Alburquerque, New Mexico!

You can't imagine my level of excitement! — You can’t imagine my level of excitement!

We had been looking at flat land for two days so I was anxious to see what awaited us. I was not disappointed.

I mean how amazing! Look at the difference between the two pictures. Then when we go through town, all the overpasses are decorated.

Alright, I am going to calm down now……We were staying on the west side of town at a campground called American Rv Park. It was a lovely park with some nice people and gorgeous weather! We had a really nice site!

When checking in the nice lady told us that they had a coyote problem but that had been fixed. Ok, good I guess. She also stated that there were bunnies that ran around the park too. Bunnies I can handle! Max, not so much!

Max was out of his mind! Bunnies, that he couldn't chase around. That's hard for a dog to understand. — Max was out of his mind! Bunnies, that he couldn’t chase around. That’s hard for a dog to understand.

It was nice to be parked for more than a night. We all slept really well and couldn’t wait to explore!

Up next….Albuquerque!

Little disaster…….

It's the only family picture I have of us in Arkansas. — It’s the only family picture I have of us in Arkansas.

You can’t go camping and not have a true camping story, right? Well, if you remember we still have a broken toilet, which means no water in the camper, and I still don’t feel like myself but we continue on! We head out on I-40 W and we see a sign that says Drive Slow Large Potholes…..wait, what? Oh no Arkansas! These are not potholes! These are small trenches built across the interstate and everybody is jumping their vehicles in and out of them. The interstate is scattered with cars and their flat tires. So after a few stops to repack the cabinets in our camper,

Clean up, aisle 3... — Clean up, aisle 3…

we finally make it to the Camping World in Little Rock, AR.

We know what part we need to fix the toilet but they don’t have it. What they do have, are new toilets or glue. We opted for the glue. So we head off again to our campground, Downtown Riverside RV Park. This campground is on the Arkansas River and has a great view of downtown.

We get our site and as we are pulling in it starts to rain. No biggie because we should be done in no time…..not so much. The camper beside us has pulled on top of the utilities hook up so that has caused us to have to move from it.

Well the further away you get from the hook ups means your hoses better be long. We have had this problem before so we have extra hoses but you guessed it……They are not long enough. Never fear Wal-mart is never far away, so off we go. But before we leave Mike has decided to glue the toilet back together and let it dry while we are gone….he is so smart! We return with our hoses and bam! we are hooked up!!Yay!!

Our sewer hose looks like an anaconda! (I took these on the only sunny day)

Now, lets see how that glue is going to hold up….we turn on the water and we have our own little fountain in the bathroom. Now it is 4:30 on a Sunday and we have to decide if we go with out water again and call a repair man or do we book it back to Camping World for a new toilet? If anybody knows Mike we headed straight for the new toilet. Ahhhhh, new toilet installed in 10 min and we now have water.

Now that we have everything under control I can spend the next few days sleeping and medicating.Thank goodness for rainy days!

It’s always better to drink this stuff in a mug given to you by a best friend. It makes you feel better faster! I promise!

By Wednesday, I am starting to feel human again and the sun has come out! Micheal and I decide to go across the bridge to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.

Not that we are fans but it was really neat to see the Oval office

and his saxophone.

Once we were done we took the shuttle down the street to the River Market where I found the best thing ever! A cannoli!! I really couldn’t taste it but I ate it anyway!

We did make it to a couple of restaurants this week. One was the Flying Fish, which had those talking fish all over the walls. Apparently, you buy one and decorate it and they will put it on the wall for you.

Then we ate at Sticky’s Fingerz Rock-in-Roll Chicken Shack. I have one word, gross! I usually can pick a good place but I was off this week. Oh well.

It has been an interesting first week and we will not forget our time in Little Rock! The next few days were rainy and then Mike got the flu. Well, you can’t live this close together and not share everything, right?

Next stop Oklahoma, Texas, and then New Mexico!