June 25th, 2009 On Our Way to California Via The States of Utah and Nevada (in a day!!!)

I typed most of this on our drive yesterday and low and behold, I lost my internet signal somewhere in Utah and lost part of this post. So I had to recreate it after the first few paragraphs. Most frustrating!

As I type this we are embarking on the longest drive of the trip. We are leaving Brian Head, Utah (elevation 10,420) to South Lake Tahoe. A mere 600 miles from cool mountain temps of Brian Head (last night at 5pm it was 52 degrees) to cross the deserts of Nevada (100 plus temps we expect) to South Lake Tahoe where google tells me the highs in July are in the 70's and the lows in the 40s. If you are reading this, please pray for safe driving and family harmony! We are taking state roads which allows us to really see America. From the Interstates we simply see the road side gas stations and franchise restaurants. On the state roads you get to see the mom and pop establishments and homes of Main Street USA.

Just saw a sign that says No Service for 83 miles! Pat filled up the tank right before arriving in Brian Head so we are fine gas wise. Lets just hope no one needs a bathroom break.

We left Sedona to see the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. By pure luck our timing was good because the guide books tell us that the best time to avoid the worst of the summer crowds is to visit the Grand Canyon in the middle of the week. I will take a moment to share some of the things we found puzzling about visitng the Grand Canyon. The town we stayed in near the South Rim is called Tusayon. It is about 7 miles from the entrance to the park. With 4.5 MILLION visitors to this entrance alone, (there are several entrances to this huge park) you would imagine a huge strip of hotels and shopping and various other services. We estimate there might have been 6 hotels and maybe 10 restaurants (including the hotel restaurants) along a small portion of the road to the Grand Canyon! This befuddles us because we can imagine how great a boardwalk type central entertainment development would succeed. You have all these families and individuals from all over the world to see one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and really nothing for them to do when they are not clammoring to enter the park and take photos. It boggles the mind. And beleive me, there are miles of open space to put something like this (lest you think I am a developer crazy person). No endangered species of any kind would be bothered.

The other astonishing thing that Pat and I both noticed right away was that there are not many guard rails along the edge of the Grand Canyon. I realize that the government can not afford to put a rail along every part of the Grand Canyon edge, but I think a few more tax dollars could be devoted to this cause. The guard rails that are there are only knee high in some cases! It makes you wonder why you do not hear about more accidental deaths at the Grand Canyon. WE had a vice grip on Fiona whenever we got out at the various viewing locations.

Pat and I decided to join a private tour guide to see the Grand Canyon since for a variety of reasons (parking, knowledge of best overlooks, educational aspects to name a few) our time would be better spent in the hands of an expert since we really had only one full day to visit the park. We consulted with the concierge at the hotel who recommended Canyon Dave tours. ANyone who knows Patrick well, knows that this was a huge concession as he does not like not being in control over his destiny in any kind of vehicle. We did not visit Martha's Vinyard when we were in Cape Cod because there was a shuttle bus and a ferry involved. After two weeks of driving many hours made him look forward to being the passenger for the day. I was grateful that Pat made this concession because I envisioned him screeching up to three or four viewing locations and giving us 1 and a half minutes to quickly capture the essence of the Grand Canyon with our cameras. We ended up doing this the next day on our way out of town headed to Brian Head Utah.

We would be in a van with the possibility of up to 6 other people. We had hoped that our mid week visit would make the additional possible people joining us low. No such luck! When Canyon Dave pulled up there were already two empty nesters in the first or four rows of back seat benches. I cringed thinking they were disspointed seeing our lively crew (Fiona being lively enough for all of us really) start piling into the van. Fiona and Tierney popped into the next row where Fiona announced that she wanted to sit with Tierney alone. My split minute decision making skills have been diminished from all this traveling and I agreed with her. Plus it was nice to see her wanting to be with her older sister and I thought Tierney might enjoy being chosen as the preferred seat mate. So I tried the next row, thinking I might grab the window seat for photo taking. Alas, Canyon Dave explained that there were three more people joining us. And as Pat explained in the earlier post, I am not one to harrass people and generally like to keep the peace. so I saw that my last choice was to wedge my middle age body in between our teenage sons in the last row (why they chose the last row is a mystery to me and even them when later asked WHY not the third row???) the very last row. I had to duck under two rows of seat belts that crossed from the passenger side of the van to secure the passengers on the edge of each row with my back pack filled with two cameras and various other traveling items (sunscreen, small purse, sunglasses sanitary wipes, kleenex, etc) which is not light! I know elegance was not the word to use my movements to reach that back row (and dreaded middle seat). In case you are wondering where my betrothed was sitting, he had been offered the prime front passenger seat next to Canyon Dave. I guess there are benefits to being a big guy and this was one of those instances.

We reached the next pick up point and it was not three but four new people. Two of which were young boys who ended up being friendly with Fiona and made it easier on each set of parents as what Fiona didn't think to do, these young boys would do. Nothing bad. just the usual case of the wiggles or not paying attention. By the end of the tour eveyone got along quite well. And the mother from the other family was brave enough to be seated next to our chatty daughter the rest of the drive.

Canyon Dave proved to be a great leader. He was previously a geology professor in a college near Tuscan. He decided 9 years ago to use this knowledge to educate people visiting the Grand Canyon. He had great hand outs and lots of rock samples that we oculd pass around to see what the different layers of rock in the Canyon were made from. At one point, he brought us to a viewing location and had us sitting in camp chairs lined up classroom style with him in front of us and the Canyon beyond him. I will post a photo of this when I get a chance to go through the bajillion photos I have taken since San Antonio! It is pretty wild looking to see the backround behind him. And Patrick and I got just a bit nervous when he asked Fiona to get up and explain something about a rock next to him. He was standing just a few yards from the edge of what looked like a sheer drop off point. We were both poised to dive on top of Fiona had she gotten too close the edge.

Canyon Dave then took us an hour drive to a Navajo Nation restaurant and store. We both joked later that we were not very sure what to expect when he told us about this lunch locale. Nothing against our Native American bretheren, but we had not had alot of experience with Navajo restaurants. But we were pleasantly surprised at this operation in many aspects. It was clean, well run, and the people working there were really friendly and helpful. And based on the houses we past that were run down with car parts, debris in hte yards and tires on many of the rooves (never did figure out what that was all about), I think most people would have been a bit suspect. The menu had a few Navajo items and basic American fare. We kept hearing about the Navajo Taco which four of us tried and liked. It was basically all the ingredients of a taco except trade out the taco shell for a deep fried Navajo bread that tasted like a fried pastry. It was delicious and I am scared to think of how the deep fried batter was going to boost my cholesteral!

The Navajo people are great capitalists. To enter the restaurant you must first go through the never ending store of all trinkets with Arizona or Grand Canyon engraved or embroidered on them! And then there were all things Native American....baskets, pottery, blankets, weavings, artwork...you name it, they had it. And navigating Fiona through this was quite a task. Wemanaged to get away with a dreamweaver and a necklace made from juniper berries that the Navajo harvest, boil, then dry out for three days and push a needle through to make them into beads. Paying 7 dollars for this seemed quite reasonable after hearing the painstaking labor they go through to get the beads. The boys opted for pocket knives with Arizona carved into the side. I spent the rest of the ride wedged in between them asking them to please try the pocket knives out when were were in much more open space! Tierney opted for a pen with Grand Canyon on the side..most practical of her!

After lunch and shopping Dave took us to part of the painted desert near the restaurant. We found this to be as interesting as seeing the Grand Canyon. He had found a part of the desert that had petrified wood that we could look at up close (as opposed to our drive by viewing the day before) and even take a few pieces with us. Dave must have a relationship with the Navajo people near here as we know that not just anyone could take this unmarked road and start wondering around the desert and taking pieces of petrified wood. It felt like it was 1000 degrees where we were so we only stayed out there for about 15 minutes or so.

Being the person with the large back pack also means that all family members hand over things like petrified wood from Navajo land for me to carry back. I was trying to wedge the smaller pieces into my bag while explaining that pieces larger than that must be carried by them.

We made one last stop to get a look at the canyon before heading back to our hotels. It was this last time getting into the car that I simply handed over the back pack to Patrick explaining that I could not lug it one more time back to the final row in the van. After lifted it he understood.

We really enjoyed Canyon Dave's tour. My only complaint would have been that he seemed more intent on talking about the Canyon and taking us to the Navajo restaurant than stopping to more viewing locations to get photos. But I would still opt for the guided tour over trying to do it ourselves. And we learned so much that we would never have had the time to discover on our own. Even the kids agreed that they enjoyed the tour even though it took about 8 hours.

Pat did allow us a few more peeks at the Grand Canyon, as mentioned, as we headed to Utah. He even got out of the car a few times! We left town by 9 or 9:30 and it was easy to park and snap a few photos and keep moving. It seems ridiculous in some ways to even attempt to photograph it and do it justice. But on the other hand, I wanted to attempt this since I may never pass this way again. Unless Patrick and I develop a super tourist trap in Tusayon, AZ one day! Ha!

We drove through the State of Utah to a moutnain top ski resort in Brian Head. It is not listed on most maps and mapquest does not recognize it. And upon arriving after 8 hours of driving, it had a Steven King feel to it from the desolate mountain to there being just a few cars out front. It ended up being a terrific lodge that somehow stayed open in the summer with 30 percent occupancy and offering great meals in the hotel. And the next best thing we learned about it was that it had WASHING MACHINES AND DRYERS!!! So we got caught up on our laundry which was getting near crisis level. And unlike the El Paso location, there were several machines. And these were commercial grade so I could really load those babies up!

The state of Utah is filled with some amazing rock forms and vistas. We did not have time to include some of their great National Parks and Monuments but hope to try that some other time. The ride up the mountain to Brian Head was unusual as we went from a very rocky environment, similar to Araizona, to a cool alpine like environment.

AS you learned from my husband's post I failed to obtain the preferred breakfast item. But even he realizes that we both can't be type A people or we would not have made it on this trip this long without a mutiny!

We continued on yesterday and completed the Lonliest Road drive on route 50 across the state of Nevada. Yes, we drove across the state of Nevada in a day! I had expected it to be really hot and desert like once we entered Nevada. No such thing at all! And I had expected to see empty towns with not much going on. We had a couple of guide books and sought out the towns that had the most services offered. This meant there might be one or two gas stations and a few diners. They were sometimes 100 miles apart (thus the name the Lonliest Road), but we knew how to plan our stops. The other thing that surprised us was that the temperatures in that part of Nevada were much cooler than we had expected. In the mountain towns the temps were in the low 70's. It was not until we got about 50 miles from Fallon where there is a Naval Air Station (I think some of the opening scenes from Top Gun were filmed here) that it became desert like in the terrain and the temperature shot up into the 90's.

We passed through 12 moutain ranges. I am going to try to post this now because the intenet looks like it is acting up and there might be a mutiny if I have to type this again!

The miracles of modern technology, by Pat

The Navigation system in the van has been a great asset on a long trip like this. You punch in the next destination, even if hundreds of miles away, and you are delivered there within yards. All one has to do is obey the strident commands of the female-voiced computer.

I do think that, on balance, the invention of the Nav system has saved countless marriages. I firmly believe that women are smarter than men, for many reasons. One of those reasons is, the guy always insists on driving. There is no upside to that. But that traditionally puts the woman in the dreaded role of navigator when it comes to long trips.

Although women are generally smarter than men, they cannot read maps as well (probably because they do not spend hours poring over them for no reason, like men do.) Women are especially not good under duress when the male pilot, cruising at 70 mph, says something like "We are coming up on three exits in a half a mile. Do we take the 664 bypass, which has no other exits for 23 miles, or do we take 464 through the old Norfolk tunnel, or do we take 64 toward Virginia Beach?" [5 second pause] "WHICH ONE DAMMIT?"

Connie and I had our first experience with this map problem on our honeymoon in Italy. We started our trip in Milano. We had booked our first few nights at a downtown hotel near the Duomo and La Scala. I assumed that these world class venues couldn't be hard to find from the airport. My bride assumed I knew what I was doing. There is a saying about assume and ass and you and me but I dont remember it anymore. We have been married for 20 years.

We got our rental car at the Milano airport, which like most airports is not located anywhere near its namesake, and they gave us a handy map to use. On one side was a map of Italy, which would look like Italy if photographed halfway between earth and the moon. You could see the boot shape and the Sicilian football, so by having this map, you knew you were in Italy. On the reverse side was a map of a handful of city blocks downtown. Fortuitously, this included the Duomo, La Scala, and our hotel. So this confirmed that the places you wanted to go were in Italy also. Between the NASA scale map and the downtown walking map scale, there was no way to figure out how to get from outer space to the hotel. These days in the U.S., this would be considered a Homeland Security innovation. But back then, it was just a crappy rental car map. So I turned to my jet- lagged map-holding bride and said "Which way?"

Anyway, our trusty Nav system has served our marriage flawlessly for nearly 3400 miles so far this trip until we got about 30 miles from Sedona. Then, I think the Hopi, Navajo, Hualapai and all the collected spirits of this spiritual place decided to teach me a lesson about technology.

First, although I knew I had to take 89A south off of I-17 as soon as I got off of I-40 west ( I have been here before), the Nav robo-woman told me in no uncertain terms to continue south on I-17 for 4 more miles. It showed me a graphic map of this shortcut. So, even though I knew where I was going, I fell for this techno seduction and took the shortcut. Upon exiting 4 miles south, it went through its routines and instructed me to turn broadside into a gas station. There was no road at all here. The machine was insistent. At any deviation it urged me to follow its commands. I defiantly backtracked 4 miles north and cursed my deference to this machine when I knew where I was going anyway.

Once we got into Sedona proper, I didnt know where our hotel was so I let the machine tell me again. Note that my wife is happily watching me get frustrated now that the tables are turned. Now the techno woman is telling the man what to do and you cannot win the argument against a techno woman either, although at least they do not bring up long-past transgressions. The machine tells me to turn into a nearly invisible driveway blocked off by cones and dug up by backhoes.

Mapless, I obey. We drive through a major construction site, now shut down for the day, and I see some vestiges of a resort ahead. What have I signed up for here? But I finally pop through the other side of the site and we are in a beautiful place. The resort is horrified when they see we have bounded through this ugly construction area, which is theirs and which they had intended to conceal. I look up at the magnificent sandstone, limestone and basalt mountain, tower and cliff formations looming all around us and I feel like the Native spirits have taught me a lesson today. Forget the technology.

It always feels good to press the "Cancel Guidance" button on the Nav anyway. She never talks again, unless you ask.

June 22, 2009 - From Santa Fe to Sedona

We left Santa Fe, wishing we could have stayed another day, but knowing we had to keep on track. There have been several towns we felt like that. Sedona has now become one of them.

But back to our drive West.....On our way we saw a coyote with an early lunch of some kind dangling in its mouth right near highway 40, a rest stop with the toilet paper pad locked to the dispenser (New Mexico), a petrified forest, the painted desert, a meteor crater, and saw the mileage on the van go to 7000 while we were at 7000 feet altitude! We watched the surroundings change dramatically as we headed west. It is fascinating to watch the scenery change from desert to alpine to red rock mountains. The Painted Desert looked like what you might imagine the planet Mars would resemble. As we approached Flagstaff, there were Alpine Forests and this evolved into the Red Rock mountainous areas as we drove in on Rt 89A into Sedona. Hair pin turns in which Pat said he did not need the accelerator for well over a half hour. We watched in amazement as bikers in a charity bike race were headed UP this road! And they did not look that fazed by the terrain!

The hotel where we are staying has cabins as an option. This provided humor as Fiona's image of a cabin was a dirt floor with no indoor plumbing. Maybe something like Little House on The Prairie. She was concerned about this until we explained that these cabins would have all the normal amenities of a hotel room. And chocolate too! We were too tired to go off campus for dinner and had basically skipped lunch so that we could do a Griswold like all day tour of Arizona (Petrified Forest/Painted Desert and the Meteor Crater) on our way to Sedona. So we opted to dine at the restaurant here at the hotel. We were able to dine right beside Oak Creek. We decided to do breakfast there again this morning because it was so pleasant.

Today we went out on a Pink Jeep Tour. I had never heard of this, but apparently The Pink Jeep company has been in business since 1960 and they offer off road tours of the surrounding mountains and canyons. There are various levels of adventure you can sign up for. We kept hearing about the Broken Arrow tour being the most popular. After I quizzed the concierge I felt like Patrick and I were in no need of risking a slipped disc or similar injury with the future weeks of travel ahead. I opted for a slightly tamer ride that still was adventurous enough for all of us. We were jostled about for 2 hours on off roads with really rocky terrain. Our driver explained the training for this job takes 4 months and the final task to become a tour guide is driving the trails BACKWARDS!!! YEs, I said backwards! I asked how long that took and he said about 4 hours per trail!

The scenery was beautiful and our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas and the Native American history specific to this part of Arizona. Any questions we asked he was able to answer. And Patrick pretty much quizzed him the entire time. Occasionally, Fiona would come up with an important question such as "how do you drive over the cactus?". We actually caught site of a Roadrunner and it had the exact profile of the Bugs Bunny cartoon character! Except it was much smaller! But it was really fast. So Patrick says to mention that we have seen a coyote, a roadrunner and we were at The Acme Oyster House.....that is the cartoon trifecta!

We had Buffalo Burgers and cactus fries (the Prickly Pear Cactus fruit was the dipping sauce and fries were made out of the oval disc- like Prickly Pear cactus) at the Cowboy Club which were both terrific.

Tomorrow we are off to the Grand Canyon. We will miss Sedona but have new adventures to find. The kids continue to hold up well, even on the hard travel days like yesterday. We must have been in and out of the car 10 hours yesterday before arriving here at our destination. I had loaded the car up with Power bars and many other snacks for days like that. Certain routes, like the one we took yesterday, do not have many appealing options for meals anyway. They are mostly truck stops and Indian Reservation/Casino type places. Not the kind of places you typically want to take your family for a meal or rest room stop. But they really didn't complain. I guess getting to see the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert and the Meteor Crater made up for being trapped in the car so long. And I bought the requisite box of petrified wood samples for us to show everyone when we return.

Pat tries to answer some voicemails and emails Larry King style...

Hi to everyone who has left me messages. The sheer volume of 550 mile driving legs, museum visits, souvenir shopping, photo shoots, historical building visits, packing, unpacking, and trying to eat three squares a day leaves me short on time to answer these communiques. So let me pick a few.

From Paul F. of La Plata, Maryland (Friday, 6/19):

Lucky,

I am just checking in to make sure everything is going according to plan on your little adventure. I hope you are on schedule and on budget. Just checking in. Let me know that you are on plan.

Reply:

Dear Paul F.,

Thank you for your deep concern. You are a voracious reader so I know you know the word schadenfreude. I will not allow you to experience schadenfreude at my expense so let me say that I am on schedule and I never had time to make a budget. I am working on a budget now and it is in scientific notation because the exponents make it easier. I will let you know the budget in about 4 more weeks.

Signed,

The Wanderer.

From Terry C. of Bethesda, Maryland (Friday, 6/19):

Hey bro what city R u in u are nutz r u reddy 2 come home and deal with biz insted of 4 kidz wat is rong witchu u must be in pain hahahahaha not in my dna bro how do u like it NOW????

Reply:

Dear Terry C.

Thank you for your deep concern. I think "nuts" does not have any "z"s in it. But crazy does have a "z"- use that instead. Otherwise see answer to Paul F re: schadenfreude.

Signed,

How About Creating a Business Emergency To Save Me, Partner?

From: American Express Corporation, Fraud Unit, Chicago, Illinois (Friday, 6/19):

Dear Cardholder,

We have reviewed your account activity and based on your history, the amount of recent expenditures, and the location of them, we believe a team of ten to twelve thieves have appropriated your credit card information and are on a binge throughout the south and southwestern United States. Please advise right away if these expenditures are fraudulent. If so we will cancel your card number and reissue a new one immediately. You will not be responsible for any fraudulent charges but we do need to hear from you as soon as possible.

Reply:

Dear American Express Fraud Unit,

Thank you for your deep concern. I am not at home right now. When I get home (it will be a while) and see my statements and how much it adds up to, I will let you know whether this is fraud or not. Is that cool? Let it ride.

Signed,

Cardholder

Texas and Santa Fe Continued....

We enjoyed our stay in San Antonio very much. The kids all gave it a 10 on a scale of one to ten. The River Walk really is unique. There are uniformed greeters at almost every entrance that will answer your questions and point you in the right direction. We learned a brief history of the River Walk from the kind gentleman at one of these entrances.

We had a long drive across the rest of the state of Texas to our next stop, El Paso. On our way to El Paso we stopped for breakfast in a town named Kerrville. Pat spotted a western wear shop and his curiosity got the best of him so we checked out the store. Pat got himself a real cowboy hat and Fiona found some pink and red cowgirl boots! Tierney was happy to find some new tank tops. The boys felt no need to go with us and stayed in the van.

As we left San Antonio we watched the landscape slowly change over to the desert type environment surrounded by huge mountain ranges. The winds were strong and Pat had to really keep both hands on the wheel to manage the van. We never went into the downtown area as we got in pretty late and were pretty whipped from the long day in the car. We were happy to just grab some dinner at the hotel and do some laundry! They had a washing machine for guests to use. So a very much needed quiet evening getting ready for another long drive ( to Santa Fe). We thought we would check out El Paso on our way out of town in the morning. We changed our minds when the guy at the gas station made sure Pat knew it was a tough town (after seeing the van full of kids and loaded up with all our bags). We figured it was not worth having the van broken into or some other traveling misphap. We are quite the target as the tourists loaded down with cameras and laptops. So we drove all the way through town, which confirmed the intel. Then we got on I-10, then I-25 and headed north to Santa Fe.

Made it to Santa Fe by and were able to walk around town before having dinner at The Bull Ring Steak House. Excellant meal and our waitress gave us great pointers on how to spend our one and only full day in Santa Fe. This town is probably tying for first place on my list of favorites so far. I had Memphis at number one but Santa Fe is vying hard to displace Memphis for the top of my list! There is a great town square with museums, shops, and historic churches. The oldest church (Cathedral of Saint Francis) in US is here in Santa Fe. As is the oldest house....but we did not make it to the oldest house. We went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum. She is one of my favoite artists so that was a real treat for me. I enjoyed introducing the family to her artwork. I purchased a book with her artwork and photography by Ansel Adams. Hoping to inspire our photography with this since Ansel Adams photographed most of the places we will be visiting in the next week.

We went to the Loretto Chapel, home of the Miraculous Staircase which is a spiral staircase with no center support which does two complete 360 degree turns. We will post pictures so you can see. Maybe Pat can post the story behind the staircase since I did not absorb all the information quite like my husband and will only be corrected if I submit incorrect information!

Had great breakfast and lunch at local hangouts suggested by the people working in the hotel and at last night's restaurant. We are so full that we may just take one last walk around town instead of getting dinner. It has been alternating between rain and sun all day. The sun has just popped out again and we are thinking there might be a spectacular sunset.

Pat bought me a custom fit cowboy hat today. I am not sure it will have quite the pizazz as Fiona's! They had a 95 year old machine in the store that measures the shape of your head and makes an outline of the shape of your head. We should have taken a photo of this machine. Not sure that I needed to know that the shape of my head resembles a rodent! I will not receive the hat for about 4 weeks. I will be sure to parade around Potomac in my new hat. Maybe Pat and I will start a new fashion trend in Maryland!

Neil, ever the fashion plate, felt the need for a hat as well. He just really wanted a sombrero for some reason. He even allowed me to take a photo of him in said sombrero. Now Owen and Tierney need to find the right hat for the trip.

We have another long drive tomorrow. We head to Sedona and plan to visit the meteor crater on our way to Sedona. Pat has no parking tales to tell but will post something to entertain you all later this evening.

June 20th - Texas and New Mexico

We spent two nights in San Antonio. We roamed around the River Walk area and saw the Alamo, the Buckhorn Museum and the Texas Ranger Musem. I wondered why Pat chose to take me to see the Alamo on our 20th wedding anniversary...is there some hidden meaning or was it merely a coincidence? Pat loves Texas. Here are the top three reasons: the speed limit on the highways is 80mph, you can drink beer as you walk along the River Walk, and we found a museum that allowed visitors to drink beer while enjoying the exhibit.

The most striking thing about the Alamo is that it is much smaller than you envision from seeing photos of it. And it is smack in the middle of the downtown area of San Antonio. Did you know that Davy Crocket was one of the men who died at the Alamo? There were also men from other countries that fought along with the Texans in the battle at the Alamo.

I had seen literature for the Buckhorn Museum and it looked like a very interesting place to take the family. It housed one of the largest collections of stuffed animals from all over the world. Pat loved the saloon oprating in the museum. Visitors were allowed to purchase a beverage of their choice before entering the exhibit and enjoy as they perused the displays. Nothing better than learning about critters from all over the world with a cold libation! Fiona liked the Owls. There were other interesting items on display as well as critters. There was artworkand furniture made from critters. I will post some photos of these unusual items.

The River Walk area is really unusual. We learned that it was conceived in the 1930s and part of the WPA. The man who designed it had been to Venice and he used that as his inspiration of the design of the River Walk. It is the Rio Grande and not a man made canal. We did not have time to take one of the boat tours (much to Fiona's dissappointment), but I think we would try to do that next time we visit. Fiona purchased a grand pink cowgirl hat with fur on the edges and a tiara that lights up and blinks different colors at one of the fine shops along the River Walk. She later got a pair of pink cowgirl boots to finish the cowgirl diva look!

Will continue posting later today. We have one full day in Santa Fe and must make the most of our time. Gotta run!

The final NOLA parking story by Pat

We planned an early departure for Tuesday morning. I have to drive 550 miles to San Antonio today and I wonder why I scheduled three nights in New Orleans followed by a 550 mile drive. I step out into the noxious New Orleans morning miasma and begin the familiar trek to the lot. Let's just say that at 7:30 am, NOLA is not as pretty as the city I went to sleep with. Without the neon and the music and the revelery, she looks pretty tattered. To be fair, she would be entitled to say the same about me. I have been eating crawfish, oysters, crab, and shrimp in any and all forms for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days straight. When I overdo the shellfish, my face gets purple and a little swollen. So maybe NOLA thinks the radish head isnt so pretty his own self. We can both be adults about it.

I have been trying to figure out what the final play will be at the parking lot. Maybe the Owner, Mr. Big, will be there with two corrupt New Orleans policemen. They will have booted my car and will demand $60 per day for three days, plus $5 for a half day, plus $3,000 in late fees, less payments already rendered. I have in my wallet all of the cardboard receipts they have given me with meaningless numbers stamped on them. They don't have any evidenciary value, but I plan to wave them around as I make my arguments.

I walk up Conti, past Burgundy (pronounced BurGUNdy in the Quarter, not BURgundy as in the wine. It is the unwritten border line past which tourists should not go). I get to Rampart and enter the lot. Not suprisingly, the van is sporting a brand new yellow penalty card. I look towards the far end of the lot where the attendant booth is, and there is a man closely resembling John Lee Hooker dressed in black, with a broad-brimmed bluesman's hat sitting on a cafeteria chair in the middle of the drive aisle. How many different damn people can possibly work for this outfit? I know John Lee is dead so maybe this is Mr. Big, showing up for his big payday from the Yankee with the fancy van.

But as I get closer, I see that the attendant booth is occupied by none other than the black lady from yesterday. The man is just hanging out, staring at a mostly empty 40 car parking lot in the hot New Orleans sun. If all these vice- loving New Orleans natives get sent to hell, they are going to love the weather there.

By my count, based on most recent pricing, I owe the lady $15- $5 for the second half of yesterday, $5 penalty for not showing up yesterday afternoon to render said $5, and $5 for the current half day which began at 4:30 am. But who knows what Ouija Board schedule will be used to calculate my final bill.

I greet her and she does not seem to recognize me right away, perhaps because of my purple head. But I tell her I have to pay her for the van and she remembers. "You leavin' today?" I tell her yes, unfortunately, although I would like to spend the rest of my life walking back and forth to this lot, duty calls. She says "Five dollars." I hand her a twenty waiting to see what other miscellaneous deductions will be subtracted from the Jackson. But there are none. She hands me back $15 and wishes me a safe trip. I give her a $5 tip and jog toward the van before anyone does any more math here.

The drive to San Antonio was long. I thought well, all I have to do is drive the same 400 miles it took me to get here from Memphis, and then add on a drive to Ocean City. But that made it seem longer. There were strong crosswinds so it was two handed driving most of the day. We refueled in Baton Rouge and it was so hot you could hardly breathe. It was 102 degrees by the time we got to Houston. We refueled again in Sealy, Texas. It was still 102 but there was a strong breeze and it was actually pleasant. When we finally pulled into San Antonio it was 103 at 6 pm but again comfortable with the low humidity and the breeze. I pulled into the porte cochere and we began the check in process. There was no bellman so the boys started with the bags while I looked for the valet for the van. Finally I went into the front desk and inquired about a valet for an oversize. "We don't valet oversize" said the front desk manager. I began to object but he pointed to a large sign that said something like "WE DO NOT VALET OVERSIZE VANS FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF IT COSTS US YOUR BUSINESS". That kind of took away my next argument. But the front desk manager smiled and said "Don't worry! I can direct you to a surface lot that is only a few blocks away. I am sure they can help you!"