We're a six person homeschooling family--complete with one 62 pound "puppy" and two grumpy part-Siamese cats-- on a cross-country pilgrimmage to a new brand new life (in the dead of winter). Come along for the ride! Is there a Starbucks near here?

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Mesa to Holbrook, AZ

We took Rt. 87 to Rt. 277 to Rt. 377 and found the entire route to be smooth. It was an evening drive and we had crystal clear skies.

Holbrook KOA was deserted, except for us, but the bathrooms and showers were still top-notch.



We had Cruise America winterize our second RV, seeing we are headed north and it is the dead of winter. So...no water for the rest of our trip!

We have dish pans in the sinks, have gallons of water for cooking, bottles of water for drinking and heavily depend on the campground bathrooms and frequent rest stops* along the highway for bathroom breaks.

And I have created the perfect on the road potty system...stay tuned for pictures (of the system, not demonstrations!)

*These stops also have the added benefit of usually being attached to gift shops, therefore realizing the trip that Foo and I are actually on...The Great American Gift Shop Tour).

Pets on the Road





The pets have been doing pretty well on the road (Payton is feeling much better today and, in fact, is terrorizing Kahlua as I type.)

Kahlua hides under Hubby's seat or in one of the upper cupboards, while Kona sleeps on the top bunk (the highest spot in the RV, of course). Payton now settles down on her cushion between the two front seats.

The cats received something called a Purr-Pad (not pictured) for Christmas and these have been great! They settle right down on them and I think it makes them feel more comfortable on the road.

Change in plans...

Because we've realized we need to arrive at our final destination by this Friday, we had to cut out a detour to Tuscon where we were supposed to visit our friends, Laura and Kelly.

Now, they made the trip to Hawaii twice (three times for Kelly) while we lived there and we came within an hour and a half and couldn't get down to see them. We suck, I know.

But Laura and I are going to make plans to get away some place fun now that I'm on the mainland. In fact, I'm going to be meeting up with so many friends (Laurie...Missy...you all know who you are) that my vacation may never end!

Sorry, Laura and Kelly! See you soon, though...I promise!

Dinner


Outback Restaurant "to go." Highly recommend the Steak Salad...yummy!

Mesa, AZ

Apache Trail/Mesa, AZ Flag

Psst..it's warm here!

New "Home"

*Penguin not included.

The Grand Canyon to Mesa, AZ--a loooooong drive

We drove from Williams to The Grand Canyon and then down to Mesa, AZ in one day.

This was a moutainous drive, in which we reached 8000 ft. at one point. It was also a winding road, that gave at least some of us car-sickness.

Still, beautiful. Entire patches of snow-white birch trees in the forest. Snowy moutain peaks. Beautiful cliffs.

We spent the night in Mesa so that we could turn over the "Roll in to AZ" RV to trade it for our "Roll out of AZ" RV.

Que es eso? (sorry, I couldn't make the upside-down question mark)

We are actually doing schoolwork on our trip (although not as much as I would like).

Every day, we start our trip learning Spanish with Spanish in Ten Minutes a Day.

If you'd like to know where the table is...just ask us!

Adios! (Again...can't get the character map to work, so no upside-down exclamation point, either.)

Knitting Lessons


This year for Christmas, Boo knitted all of our gifts. She knitted most of us wonderfully warm scarves for the wintery weather and I received thirty-five knitted dishcloths!

She gave The Boy knitting lessons, yarn and needles. He's knitting a blue scarf for himself and is doing quite well. Watch for a photo of his progress.

Grand Canyon Flag

It IS a Grand Canyon!






We left our snowy Williams, AZ campsite and drove about an hour north to The Grand Canyon. We stopped at the National Geographic Visitor's Center outside of the park and saw an IMAX film about the history of the Grand Canyon. It rated 5 stars by the family. (I thought it was slightly corny, although informative.)

Okay...

In every photo or movie that I've ever seen of The Grand Canyon, it looks sunny, reddish, and, well, if not hot, at least warm. And I always thought AZ, in general, was a hot place. Again...IT'S NOT!!!

The Grand Canyon was magnificent. Everything you'd expect (although I've established it's at a high altitude and, therefore, chilly.) Gorgeous beyond belief.

I approached my first view of the Canyon in awe. I actually teared up a little, realizing that I'm forty years old and this is the first (and who knows) maybe the last time I'll ever see this creation of staggering natural beauty.

The Boy walked right up next me and spit right over the edge.

Perspective.

Vegas to Williams, AZ


We left Las Vegas, NV and headed for Williams, AZ. Gorgeous views, as usual.

I have realized that my geographic knowledge was severely lacking. I grew up in Northern IL. It's flat there.

After I married, I moved to San Antonio, TX for three years and then to Bryan/College Station, TX for two more. With the exception of the Hill Country, it's pretty much flat there, too.

I had no clue that NV, AZ, and NM are not flat! We reached an elevation of 6700 ft. above sea level in Williams and I spent a sleepless night afraid our water systems would freeze.

Just Foolin' Around...






Dance, dance, dance

"Quick, Kona, Bring Me the Keys While They're Gone..."

"Together...we'll take over the WORLD!!!"

10 Must Haves for the Road

A few things we have really appreciated having on the road:
  1. Chapstick
  2. Lotion
  3. Water bottles (We're drying up here!)
  4. Lots of quarters for laundry
  5. Pet bath wipes. Kona spent the first few days of travel sitting IN the litter box and Payton has a penchant for playing in dusty places.
  6. Beach towels. We brought about ten beach towels with us to use after showers. They are great! Thinner than regular towels, they pack more easily and dry more quickly. They are also longer than regular towels, so they cover more.
  7. Hand sanitizer
  8. Microsoft Streets and Trips software (and the laptop). Thanks Lynne and Pat!
  9. iTrip contraption from Griffith. Plugs into the cigarette lighter and then charges and plays our iPods through the RV's FM radio.
  10. Favorite bath products...we even have facial masks and nail polish with us! I'm using Origins Ginger Up shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion instead of a dime-store travel product. It's a nicely pampering little touch.