We started out day after breakfast on a trolley tour of the city of Albuquerque. We had a great tour guide and driver that showed us the best of Albuquerque.
We went to see lots of great architecture, the University of New Mexico, drove down Route 66 and past by many of the museums in town.
Many of the homes in Albuquerque are Adobe style homes with flat roofs. The one home we got to see was the home of Architect Bart Prince. They call it the Space Ship house. It was really cool and the garage next door was even fun.
The University is the only Law school and Medical School in New Mexico and the campus was very pretty.
After our morning tour all the men had a meeting and Bernadette and I went shopping and then back to hotel to get ready for the banquet.
We had a beautiful evening with a great meal, an official ceremony with the National Guard, and a Mariachi Band.
Another crazy story came out today: Bob had a meeting with the men today. While sitting at the table with someone he started to talk about going home and they asked where home was. Turns out this man had lived in Bloomington, went to Uhigh and also lived on White Place when newly married. Then Bob found out he had worked for the FBI and asked him if he knew his fishing buddy. It happened to be his partner. What a small world we live in!!
After breakfast we loaded Buses for some tours. First we went to the Nuclear Museum. It was very interesting touring the museum and finding out the origins of Nuclear power, Nuclear bombs and Nuclear war.
We ate lunch at a restaurant at the foot of Sandia Mountain. From the restaurant we could see most of the city of Albuquerque. After lunch we loaded into a Gondola that took us up to 10,000 feet above sea level. Wow, it was so much fun! We could see forever and on the other side of the mountain was a snow ski resort. It was crazy looking down at 150 foot trees that looked so tiny!
After the Gondola ride we got back on the bus and went to the Hot Air Balloon Museum. So much fun finding out the history of Hot Air Balloons. Part of our group has the opportunity to ride in a hot air balloon tomorrow. We decided we didn't want to do it.
After our tours we went back to hotel for dinner and karaoke. Yes, Grandma sang... "What ever will be will be, Que Sera Sera." No evidence of this exists!
We made it to our ultimate destination, Albuquerque, New Mexico. After about 4500 miles. This was the reason for our trip. The map below shows our route that we planned in yellow and the route that we actually took in black.
This is the reunion of the men Bob served beside or replaced in the 8th Battalion of the 4th Field Artillery Unit in Vietnam.
The Reunion committee had an early breakfast waiting for us this morning. We ate by 7:30 and loaded busses to go to the train that would take us to Santa Fe. We had a relaxing train ride with friends and then went to the Plaza in Santa Fe to eat lunch.
We met Buddy and Bernadette in Philadelphia 2 years ago and have kept in touch with them for the past 2 years. They are a great couple and we had a fun time just strolling through Santa Fe for the afternoon. We did a little shopping and we bought a Skip-Bo card game for the train ride back to Albuquerque. The train had 4 seats facing each other and some had tables between the seats. We had a fun time re-teaching Bernadette and teaching Buddy how to play!
God was present yesterday. As we were waiting for the train back to Albuquerque I decided to take the time to talk to Ava, a "little sister". She attends most of the reunions, because her dad served and was killed beside some of these men. I wanted to get her input about Bob contacting the daughter and wife of the man/friend that Bob was with when this man was killed. Bob has been debating when and whether he should contact them as part of his healing process. As I was discussing this with Ava, she introduced me to a wife of a man that had about the same situation and he had tried to contact a man's wife years ago but had no luck. This man walked up and I started to talk about Bob's situation and he started telling me about the wife that he had tried to find. As he was talking, he mentioned the state the man had come from and it was the same state has Bob's friend. I asked the man's name. I'm not sure how I held it together, it was the same man as Bob has talked about and felt responsible for, for the past 40 years. I took this man to Bob and explained what we just discussed. Bob's mouth dropped open and the discussion began. Bob never knew that there was any other men in the foxhole his friend was killed in. Most likely his friend saved this other man's life by being on top of him. Bob is hoping to fill in some holes in his memory by visiting with this man in the next few days. This was truly a God moment and I am hopeful good will come from this connection.
We returned to Albuquerque and had a Mexican Buffet for our dinner. We had more time to visit anda little time to dance.
This jeep is parked outside the conference room where we have been meeting. Buddy and Bob had to pose.
The evening was concluded by watching the win for the Cubs!
The morning began searching for a Laundromat! We had a weeks worth of clothes in the van and we needed to make sure we had a wardrobe for the next week. While the laundry was washing the van needed washed and with a car wash next door I couldn't resist. The bugs down here have been huge and the van was a mess. We've had no rain for most our trip and we decided the car wash was a must. The inside of our car was still a mess, but all our laundry is clean.
So with laundry done, we called the hotel that we had reserved for the next 4 nights. This is the beginning of Bob's Army Unit Reunion. The room was not ready so we decided to walk around the mall that is next to the hotel and eat lunch at food court. Also, we were waiting for friends to arrive by air and they met us at the mall. One more call to the hotel and they had a room ready for us.
After checking in to hotel and resting for a bit we headed down to register for the reunion and get information about the next day. It was a fun time meeting up with some of the same people that were at the last reunion.
We spent the morning driving through another National Forest and the afternoon shopping.
We started North East again this morning through Gila National Forest. Another beautiful drive, a little scary but beautiful. We say several deer along the way also. Some too close for comfort.
We made it to Albuquerque in time for lunch and found a Cracker Barrel, close to our motel we had reserved. We were able to check into our motel early and then went to pick up a few supplies, like ice for cooler and Spray and Wash for our laundry. Albuquerque is our final destination be fore we head back home.
We found a really cool Target that had a parking deck under it and it was huge. We had to go in!
After shopping we grabbed a Little Caesar's Pizza and went back to motel to watch the Cubs. Not a good game!
We left Phoenix and headed South East. We went down to Tucson and across to New Mexico. On this day we went the furthest south we would go and then start back North and East.
We decided to stay the night in a little town called Silver City. There was a Silver Rush in these mountains in the 1800s and this town was formed. There is a Big Ditch in the middle of town that was formed during a couple of floods. This town had an interesting history and was also where Billy the Kid grew up.
I did find a cute little shop that gave me an idea for my kids after I am gone! I'm sure they will love the idea! We walked around awhile and then had a lazy night in the motel watching TV and sewing.
*** After leaving town the next day headed North, we realized that most of the town was north of our motel. We had plenty to do if we would have found it the night before.
The day was filled with gambling, shopping and friends. We started the day off throwing some money into a couple of slot machines.
We spent about 20 minutes at the Casino. Bob lost his $20 and I tripled my $20. At one time I was up to $97 but lost it all down to $8 and went back to $60 and walked away! So we came out $20 richer and went shopping at an outlet mall and spent it!
We went to lunch with friends, Will, Jennifer and their daughter, Jenna to a great seafood restaurant. Angry Crab Shack and BBQ was a messy lunch but fun. They served your meal (boils) in a bag, I had shrimp with potatoes, corn and sausage. No silverware, but lots of paper towels, and it was a mess, but so delicious!
After spending some time visiting with Will and Jenn we went to another outlet mall and shopped a little more. We were way too close to great shopping centers.
After shopping we decided it was going to be another Ice Cream Supper! Don't be surprised if I come home 20 lbs heavier!
After 14 days of craziness, on the go, sightseeing, and not much relaxing, today was the day to chill!
We spent the morning by the pool soaking up some vitamin D and the afternoon with great friends!
We have now met the extreme in temperatures. I think 28 degrees has been the low of this trip and today it was 95 degrees in Phoenix. The pool was warm but we only soaked our feet. But laid outside in the sun and shade for about 2 hours!
The afternoon was spent with Jonathon and Sheri who we have missed! We toured their beautiful home and then went to lunch. We went to a Mexican Restaurant and had lunch and talked for hours. It was so great catching up with them and their beautiful girls. We were so involved in conversation and catching up, we forgot to take any pictures. So the only picture was a selfie I had them take after they returned home.
Because we were so stuffed from lunch we decided to have an Ice Cream supper. Found a great outlet mall that we will have to return to this weekend.
The evening was spent watching the Cubs WIN the first game of the National League Championship Series!
We started the day on the road to Sedona. We had no expectations of what we would find there or what we would be doing for the day. I had been told by many people that Sedona is a place you want to visit. It is a beautiful town with houses that blend into the red rock mountains with adobe finishes and clay roofs.
We went straight to the Chamber of Commerce to get information. One thing I wanted to do was a jeep tour, so we grab some stuff about jeep tours and called one place that was full for the day. One of the main companies is right across the street from the Chamber of Commerce so I headed over there to see if we could get in today.
They had several spots open and we could pick our time. So we booked it for noon to give us time to eat lunch and look around a little on the main street. They had lots of shops to look through.
We found a great Mexican Restaurant to eat lunch early and then went to the Pink Jeep Tour.
They warned us about the rough ride. The tour we took was the Diamondback Gulch tour that took you down into a gulch and it was a blast. Yes it was a little rough but it was so much fun. We had 2 other couples with us and we stopped in one area to take pictures and stretch. This was a 2.5 hour tour and well worth the money.
After the tour we did a little more shopping and headed to see a couple places that people had mentioned we should see. One was an overlook that had a panoramic view of Sedona. So pretty. The other was a Chapel built in the side of a hill. It was very cool.
We got on the road to Phoenix after that and made it in time for rush hour traffic and the sunset. The moon was beautiful tonight also. So nice to know that no matter how far from home you travel we are all looking at the same moon.
Tomorrow we plan to see some friends and spend time resting and maybe some site seeing.
Last night we moved in the Canyon Motel and RV Park. It's a
cute park with cabin type rooms, 3 to a building. We decided we need a couple
days to recoup before moving on down the road.
After breakfast we drove to the South Rim of the Grand
Canyon. Much busier here than the North Rim yesterday. People everywhere of
every nationality. But oh what a beautiful sight. These canyons are just
unbelievable and I couldn't get enough of looking at them. One thing we
couldn't see from the main areas by the visitor center was the Colorado River.
Since we couldn't see the Colorado River from the main
sight, after a picnic lunch we drove East to find the Colorado River. The river
is so deep in the canyon that it can't be seen from everywhere. We were able to
find an angle that we could see it and take some pictures. The pictures just
don't show how wide and magnificent this place really is. Goals to return are
now: Spend a few nights in Cabins on North Rim and take a mule ride to the
bottom... two day excursion!
After saying goodbye to the Grand Canyon we headed back to
motel to catch up on laundry.Oh my it
gets away from us quickly. We also
unloaded and repacked the entire van. After living out of the van for 13 days
it was a mess.
After laundry was completed we headed into the downtown area
of Williams, Arizona. It's a cute little town that sits on Route 66. We ate
supper and shopped. Returned home to get caught up on my blog and rest before
heading to Phoenix tomorrow...with a stopover in Sedona.
Our trip is half over at this point and we haven't thrown each other off a cliff yet!
After talking to several people about seeing the Grand
Canyon, they all said we had to see the North Rim. So last night we drove to
Page, Arizona and got up this morning to drive to the North Rim. It was a crazy
road that took us there. We had to drive forever before we got to the park and
then another 50 miles after we got to the park.It was worth the drive.
I have dreamt about going to the Grand Canyon since watching
the Brady Bunch go there in about 1972. It was beyond my expectations. There is
no way to describe this magnificent place. We hope to share this with all my
grandchildren some day!
We hiked a trail out to the point and Bob had a little
vertigo but he made it with me. On our way back we stopped to talk to a couple
that had rented one of the cabins there.That is on our to do list now- Rent Cabin at Grand Canyon.
We headed to Williams, Arizona for the next couple of days.
We are planning to go see the South Rim and Sedona while we are here in the
area.
It is official now... Kate has officially been in all but 5
states. I still have Maine, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska.
The day was started driving to Moab and the Arches National
Park. Oh my word, this was a beautiful sight! Miles and miles of beautiful red
rock carved out of the landscape. These rocks were once carved millions of
years ago by water and ice (and erosion) flowing through and around them. There
are more than 2000 documented arches in this park.
We drove through the park for several hours and also hiked
some of the paths to get closer to the arches. I would have to be in much
better shape to live in this area, because I wouldn't be able to resist walking
these paths on a regular basis! While we were there we saw a class of children
doing their art project, drawing the arches. They are so lucky to have this beautiful
area for a classroom for the day.
When we left Arches National Park we headed South again and
we were headed to the Four Corners. This is where four states come together at
one point. (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona) It is in the middle of an
Indian Reservation and the Native Americans run this attraction. All around the
center point were little craft booths that sold home-made items from the Native Americans.
After leaving the Four Corners we headed west. This road
took us through a very desolate land. It was an Indian Reservation with wide
open fields of nothingness. We drove and drove and drove and finally came upon
a little town with several motels. We went in to one motel to check the
price... $214! We decided to move on down the road further and closer to Grand
Canyon. We did find a motel in Page, AZ for a little less and settled in to
watch the Cubs win the Division Title! What a game!!
The next few days will be spent in this area exploring the
Grand Canyon and Sedona!
We started today with an oil change. We had left Illinois
knowing that we would need to do this sometime on the road. We found a great
Honda dealership north of Salt Lake City and they even washed the van. Then we
headed to see the Great Salt Lake. Great Salt Lake is the largest salt water
lake in the western hemisphere. It is even saltier than the ocean.We walked across some salt flats that are the
dried up lake leaving salty sand behind.
After leaving there, we went downtown Salt Lake City to Temple
Square. Temple Square has a beautiful Mormon Temple built from 1853-1893.We took a tour and got some interesting
details about how the religion began and some of their beliefs. Also, learned
why only members can go into the temple. It's an interesting religion and they
are very devout Christians.I think I'll
stick with Eastview! The chapel and grounds were gorgeous.
We decided to find lunch after touring Temple Square and
found this magnificent mall just across the street. The top of the mall can be
retracted on beautiful days and closed when weather is nasty. Also, a stream
with trout ran through the middle of the mall. It was kind of nice being in
civilization after so many days in the mountains.
After leaving downtown we decided to continue our trip south
towards The Arches in Moab. Another gorgeous drive with more beautiful sights
around every corner and over each mountain/hill. Ended up in a tiny community, Green River,
just north of Moab. They even had free soup for supper and we settled in to
watch the Cubs!
We started the day touring the square in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. We window shopped and stopped for Hot Chocolate. It was cold! We walked
through the town center square where all the corners have arches made of elk
antlers. It was quite a sight. It's called Jackson Hole because of the way it
sits down in the mountains. I took pictures at one intersection in town that
shows how all four sides of town has mountains.
After leaving Jackson Hole we started west again. We drove
around the Grand Teton Mountains and had another beautiful drive. We went to
Idaho Falls, Idaho to see the downtown area where the Falls are. We drove
around town and then headed south. After 2300 miles of heading west we turned
south for most of the rest of our adventure.
We headed towards Salt Lake City, Utah and ended up spending
the night in Ogden, Utah. Bob did not feel well so I spent the evening cleaning
the van and cooler and he went to bed! I also watched the second debate. God
Bless this Country!!!!
