Full Circle

Ironically, we spent the last night of our journey where it first began.  Kerrville, TX has a wonderful state park on the Guadalupe River, and that was the first campground we visited after buying our rig in Texas and heading home to Alaska in the summer of 2004. Zoe was barely three, and Zach was seven.

So on that last night, we swam, biked, and contemplated the many wonderful experiences of the past month. We debated the best moments and realized it's a very good thing that none of us could choose just one favorite. 

Thirty-three days...

Two countries...

Nine states...

Over 5700 miles...

Countless wonders...

Priceless.

Carlsbad Caverns

I include this photo not because it turned out well, but because it is the only one I have as proof we were there. Carlsbad Caverns was our last attraction, and we were glad we took the time to visit. It had been 14 years since Bobby or I had ventured into the cave, and we were once again amazed at the underground world that was once the bottom of the ocean. The kids enjoyed it, but we think they'll need to come back at least one more time when they're older to appreciate it fully. They were clearly distracted as the thought of birthdays, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents too near...

Aliens Among Us?

Look closely... can you tell who is the alien? We couldn't resist the
Roswell Alien museum-truly a close encounter!

Old Friends in Albuquerque

As our adventure to Texas nears completion, we were thrilled to visit
dear freinds in Albuquerque! My best friend from high school (mon amie
Fleur) and her husband Colin treated us to a delicious meal in their
beautiful home. Our thanks to their kids Ian and Arden for
entertaining our brood for the evening!

Durango Train Trip

One of Zach's most anticipated events of our trip was realized on
Monday when we rode the train from Durango to Silverton. This is one
of the only trips you can still take behind a genuine steam engine,
and the rail is so narrow in some places that you literally feel like
you're flying above the river at times. We climbed to an elevation of
over 9000 feet, so the climate changed rather abruptly from stifling
in Durango to cold and rainy in Silverton. It was a long day, but Zach
would have been willing to repeat it as many times as we would allow!
We also thoroughly enjoyed walking through Durango's historic district-
it's a charming town!

Lake Powell

The last two days brought an unexpected detour and another major highlight of the trip. We had planned to head straight for Durango from Bryce Canyon, but I couldn't resist a look at Lake Powell after reading about it in my National Parks book. We were driving by about 5:00 on Friday, and one look at the campground and lake had Zoe begging to stay. Miraculously, there was one spot left in the whole campground, so it seemed like we were meant to stay. At that point we only planned to stay that night and leave first thing on Saturday. However, it was one of the prettiest campgrounds we've ever seen, and we had access to the resort's wonderful pool, so we soon decided to stay on for Saturday as well. 

At that point the lake became irresistible! We decided a day in a speed boat was too tempting to resist. The kids had never been in one before, and they couldn't believe how much fun it was to blast along the lake with the sun and wind in their hair. I even managed to get up on water skis a couple of times--something I wasn't sure my 40 year-old bones could still accomplish! 

But beyond the thrill of the speed boat, this was the most unique experience we've ever had on a lake. We wound our way through desert canyons where the cliffs literally reached straight out of the water over a thousand feet above us. The water was the perfect temperature, so we were able to jump in as often as we wanted for relief from the 100 degree plus temperature. There were literally thousands of small coves to explore, so we felt isolated on the huge lake, stopping from time to time to allow the kids to explore the desert rocks. 

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to charge my camera, so we missed capturing one of the most beautiful spots of the trip. I guess that means we'll have to return one day....

Horse Ride in Red Canyon!

Zoe's biggest wish for the trip came true this morning as we took a horse ride through the Red Canyon near Bryce. Bobby and Zach opted out of this adventure, but Zoe and I had a great time winding through the Canyon. By the end of the hour and a half ride, we were both pretty sore and ready to get off, but we had a great time!