Day 18: Meteor Crater to Trailer Village RV park at the Grand Canyon National Park

November 10, 2021November 10, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

The dogs had me up early, so I got to watch the sun rise at the RV Park. There were some ruins to the east which was neat to see with the rising sun. I am not sure what the ruins were, but they were a unique part of the land scape.

We got the kids ready to go and it was a short 6 mile drive down to the crater. The dogs got a rest day because pets were not allowed in this park. As we made our way tot he crater the kids enjoyed looking at a few statues of an alien and an astronaut. We saw an Apollo capsule that was used for buoyancy testing. Behind the Apollo capsule was a window cutout in the brick wall that showed stunning views of the mountains off in the distance.

Picture window. Looks like a photo hanging on the wall.

The Holsinger Meteorite is the largest discovered fragment of the 150 foot meteor that created Meteor Crater

After watching a short video about the crater we headed out to the observation area to take a look. The crater is around a mile in diameter. The floor the the crater is large enough to hold 20 football fields and you could pack around 2 million people around the perimeter to watch the games. There is a mine shaft in the middle of the crater that goes down about 200 feet. The mine shaft is from the early 1900s when they were trying to find the meteor in order to prove that it was a meteor that created the crater. They ended up searching under the rim on the eastern side of the crater where they think the fragments of the meteor may have ended up. There is a picture later that shows this location.

The telescopes were fixed in place to show different points of interest.

After a couple hours at the crater we started the drive to the Grand Canyon. The beautiful views on the Colorado Plateau continued to impress us as we made our way down I-40 and then through a few National Forests. We passed through a controlled burn area and discussed why these are important with the boys.

We arrived at our campsite at Trailer Village in the Grand Canyon National Park around 3 pm and set up. At first, I thought the neighbors were a little annoyed at the noisy family that just pulled up, but then I realized that they were just giving us space until we got set up. We were talking about what we wanted to do and they offered some suggestions since they had been at the park for five days. After talking for a while we decided to head over to the canyon to watch the sunset. Great decision! I have seen pictures of the Grand Canyon before, but they are not even close to the experience of being there in person. The sound of the wind through the trees, the birds flying around the canyon walls, and the amazing colors of all the layers of rock in the canyon. Ashley loved watching my reaction because I am not usually one to get excited about too much. My first glimpse of the canyon was on the drive from the campsite. Ashley got a big smile on her face when she heard me say ‘Oh wow!” It was pretty funny.

Like I said, the pictures don’t do it justice, but here are a few of the scenery that we enjoyed as the sun set over the canyon. I hope you enjoy them.

Everyone at the canyon was very nice. People were offering to take pictures for each other everywhere, so we were able to get a few shots of the whole group. The dogs were great. Almost everyone we passed wanted to pet them and they couldn’t believe how well Blinkin’ got around without eyes. He did get a little timid around stairs or uneven terrain, but he did great.

Annabelle has to take the backpack everywhere. She could survive for a month on all the Smarties that she has hoarded in that pack…

Taking pictures of Ashley and the kids was probably my favorite part. I enjoyed seeing their reaction to the canyon.

Looking forward to getting out and seeing more of the canyon tomorrow.

Day 17: Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park and Meteor Crater Campground

November 9, 2021November 10, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

Leaving Albuquerque provided us with more beautiful scenery as we drove through the Colorado Plateau. We passed Mt Taylor to the north of us and Mt Sedgwick to the south. We saw several small canyons throughout the plateau and enjoyed seeing a few herds of cattle and mule deer. The sky was clear with the exception of some smoke way off in the distance from some controlled burns. We arrived at the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park a little after lunch and stopped by the visitors center to get a better idea of what we wanted to see. After a couple of meltdowns because I wouldn’t let Annabelle get everything she wanted out of the gift shop, we started our tour of the park.

I did not realize how big the Petrified Forest National Park was. The Jasper Forest, where most of the petrified wood is, was about 18 miles into the park. Along the way we saw some stunning views of the Painted Desert. Our first stop was at the Painted Desert Inn, nicknamed the Stone Tree House because it is made out of petrified wood. It was built in 1924 and covered with the adobe coating in the 40s to make it look more Southwestern. The National Parks Service removed some of the adobe covering from around the back door so you can see the petrified wood. I think they should remove all of it and take it back to the original look, but that is just my opinion.

The views from behind the Inn were amazing. It did not take long to realize why it is called the Painted Desert. As you looked across the desert you could see a few pieces of petrified wood here and there, but mostly it was the multicolored hills that stood out in this section of the park. We talked with a park ranger for a few minutes while we looked at the desert below us. He pointed out some of the land marks and talked about how the area was formed by shield volcanos. He told us what to look for as we continued into the park and we went on our way. He was very nice and had a lot of great information.

The kids looking at the desert with their new binoculars. Notice how Annabelle is using hers…

As we continued on we stopped at the Agate Bridge, which is a 110 ft log that fell over a gulley. They had to put a concrete support under it because it was starting to break, but it is still very impressive. Owen and Arthur both recorded little videos to send back to their classes while they stood in front of the log.

From the Agate Bridge was drove past the “Teepees” as we headed towards the Jasper Forest. I couldn’t believe the colors on the rocks. It felt like we were on another planet.

We arrived at the Jasper Forest and went to a lookout. We were standing on top of a cliff looking out over hundreds of petrified logs. Most of them were looked like they came from very large trees. It was difficult to see how big they were from where we were standing, but I would not be surprised if some of them had diameters of around 30 feet. As we left the parking lot we realized that there were more logs next to the road, so we stopped to let the kids take a closer look. We would have walked around some more, but we got to the park a little late and it was getting close to closing time.

On our way out of the park we stopped at the Puerco Ruins. There we saw some more petroglyphs and the ruins of a Pueblo village. You could see the foundation of some of the village buildings and the petroglyphs they carved on nearby cliff.

As we headed out of the park the sun was setting which gave us some beautiful views for hour drive to the Meteor Crater RV Park.

Smoke from a controlled burn in the sunset.

Day 19: The Grand Canyon

November 9, 2021November 13, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / 1 Comment

Ok, I am a few days behind with this post, but here goes. The sunset over the Grand Canyon was amazing, so I asked Ashley if she wanted to get up and go watch the sun rise with me the next morning. She was all about it, and then she asked me what the weather forecast was for the morning. 29 degrees made her think a little more about it, but she agreed. We put on our hats and gloves, grabbed a jacket to throw over our sweatshirts and headed out. We arrived at the rim of the canyon about 30 minutes before sunrise and the view was already amazing. The horizon was a brilliant blend of orange and yellow. The clouds reflected the colors of the sunrise and changed with every passing minute. The shadows in the canyon shifted as the sun inched closer to the horizon. Finally, the top layers of rock began to shine as the sun broke over the horizon. All the while, Ashley and I enjoyed the cool quiet morning as we walked along some empty trails on the southern side of the canyon. We could hear the wind blowing through the trees and the birds singing as the sun came up. It was great way to start the day, even if we were dead tired by the dinner time…

After our morning adventure, we headed back to the RV to make some breakfast and get the kids ready to go exploring some more. We decided to start at the Geological Museum and arrived just in time to listen to one of the park rangers as she explained how the canyon was formed billions of years ago. As you can see in the picture below, the kids loved the Ranger Talk. Arthur and Owen both had questions for the Ranger and answered her questions as she went through her presentation. The Ranger did an amazing job, especially when the kids would raise their had so that they could interject with some random observation. She always found a way to tie it into what she was talking about. She really made the kids a part of the presentation and it was amazing. After the presentation she stayed and answered one-on-one questions. I cannot imagine a more amazing classroom. What a great way to learn about the formation of the canyon. This Ranger was passionate about geology and may have sparked an interest in the boys as well.

Learning about the geology of the Grand Canyon. Amazing classroom!

After we went through the Geology Museum Annabelle had a little meltdown. She was tired and getting hungry, so we headed back towards the market area to get some lunch. She was still tired so we took her back to the RV for some quite time with the grandparents while Ashley and I took the boys for a hike.

Our neighbors in the campground had told us about the Bright Angel Trail and recommended it to us. It was rated as a difficult trail, but I think that is mostly because it goes all the way to the Colorado River at the base of the canyon. I would agree that it would have been a very difficult hike if we went that far, but we just wanted to give the kids a little exposure to hiking in the canyon. I was not sure how motivated the boys were, so I told them that we could get some ice cream from a shop at the top of the trail if they were good. They must have really wanted ice cream because they did great! We hiked a mile down the trail and about 600 feet down into the canyon. We had amazing views the whole time.

Towards the top of the trail we walked through a small tunnel. Just to the right of the tunnel was a small window in the rocks. The sun hit the window just right and highlighted the side of it very nicely.

We took breaks whenever someone wanted to and just breathed in the amazing views and fresh air.

As we hiked the trail we met several people. Some were hiking a small portion of the trail like us and some had gone all the way to the bottom. I would like to come back when the kids are older and hike all the way to the bottom. I think you can get camping passes to camp at the bottom of the trail and I think that would be a lot of fun.

Arthur made the trial look easy and was out of sight after a little while. I had to call him on his Gizmo watch to ask him to wait for us. We arrived back at the top in time to watch the sun setting on the canyon while we enjoyed some ice cream.

We came across a mule deer while we were walking back to the bus station.

I had an amazing time at the Grand Canyon. I could have spent at least a week there, but I have to get back to work. I will be going back someday. On to Phoenix to say hi to some of Ashley’s family before we push onto San Diego.

Day 16: Petroglyphs National Monument

November 6, 2021November 8, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

We headed out to the Petroglyphs National Monument today. The weather was perfect. Low to mid 70s and a clear sky. We had a big breakfast, lathered up with sun screen and hit the trails.

Cooking breakfast on our new Country Smokers griddle. Ashley’s dad gave it to us for the RV. It makes short work of preparing any meal.

The first stop was at the visitors center to get some trail maps and decide where we wanted to go. The boys watched a video about the petroglyphs while I waited outside with the dogs and Annabelle. Annabelle drew in the sand while we waited. I guess she wanted to create her own petroglyphs.

Annabelle doing what she loves, playing with dirt and rocks.

After the visitors center we headed up to the northeast side of the park to a trail called the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail. Piedras Marcadas Canyon means Canyon of Marked Rocks.

This area was formed by lava flows a few thousand years ago and most of the rock is basalt. The black boulders of basalt look like over sized chunks of pumice. The petroglyphs were carved carved around 700 years ago. It is hard to believe that they have survived sitting out in the desert for so long.

Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail has over 5000 petroglyphs and has the highest concentration of the 20 thousand petroglyphs found in the park.

Ready uto start the hike. She had to have a backpack.

Some of the petroglyphs dating back over 700 years.

Everyone hiking on the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail.

Annabelle hurt her hand and we getting a little grumpy in general. A Snickers helped get her in a better mood.

Dormant volcanos at Petroglyphs National Monument.

After visiting the Petroglyph National Monument we went to Old Town Albuquerque to walk around. Unfortunately, almost everything was closed. We found a restaurant to get some dinner and then decided to try to find Historic Route 66.

We were hoping for an area that was dedicated to the retro look with a lot of neon lights and shops, but didn’t really find that. There was a good amount of neon, just spread out along the road. The kids enjoyed getting some ice cream and we headed back to the RV park to get some sleep before driving to the Petrified Forest and Meteor Crater.

Day 15: Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque, NM

November 5, 2021November 5, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

We left Amarillo around 10 this morning and continued our journey west. We passed several windmill farms as we drove through the planes of Texas. The other day we saw 3 blades on semi trucks heading east. The boys really liked seeing how big the blades are when you are close to them.

I didn’t think we would see many mountains on this leg of the trip, but I was wrong. There were several small mountains a long the drive and them some larger ones as we got closer to Albuquerque. The drive was very beautiful with a variety of landscapes.

Owen’s cactus has been riding on the dash the whole way. It was a gift from his class back in Norfolk.

Blinkin hanging out up front. His head was almost on the accelerator at one point.

We went to High Noon for dinner. Annabelle was the only one that wanted to be in the picture…

Playing the Game of Life Snap-on edition before bed. Thanks Uncle Chuck.

We are planning to go see the Petroglyphs National Monument tomorrow. We will see what other adventures we can find as well.

Day 14: Amarillo, TX and Palo Duro Canyon

November 3, 2021August 8, 2022 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

We arrived at the Big Texan RV Resort in Amarillo at around 7:45pm. Once complete with getting the RV set up, we called for a free limo to take us to the Big Texan restaurant. The trophy collection inside the restarting puts Gaston to shame.

The food was good and we got to watch two people attempt the 72oz steak challenge. They attempted to eat a 72 oz steak, house salad, dinner roll, and shrimp salad in under an hour. I don’t think either completed it. There are a few people who have completed double in less than 20 minutes and I think there was a lady that at three in less than an hour. To top it off, she was only around 120lbs herself.

Annabelle at the Big Texan. She is only a cowgirl when she has her hat on. Her words.

Palo Duro canyon is the second largest canyon in the US and it was amazing. We started out with a stop at the visitor center which was built in the 1930’s and blended into the landscape nicely.

Owen had a meeting scheduled with his class from back in Norfolk. He stood near the edge of a cliff and talked to all his friends and his amazing teacher with breathtaking views in the background. All the kids were given a chance to say hi and ask a question about his trip so far. He really enjoyed seeing all of his classmates. His teacher has been wonderful helping him in this time of transition.

Palo Duro Canyon at the visitor’s center

Leaving the visitor center I headed out on one of the more difficult trails with the dogs. Everyone else took the van to meet me at another parking area where we could hike an easier trail with all the kids and grandparents. Both the dogs seemed to enjoy the trails. Sadie, our 13 year old dog found some new energy, pulling on the leash and running when given the chance. Blikin, our blind husky was much more timid than usual. He did well on the trails, but took his time in the unfamiliar terrain.

We hiked a half mile easy trail with everyone and let the kids climb around on some boulders before driving a little deeper into the canyon.

Our next hike took us to some incredible views of Lighthouse Rock, a rock formation that looks very much like a lighthouse. It was an easy hike of about a half mile up to the top of a hill where you could get a view of Lighthouse Rock. We could have continued to the base of it, but everyone was getting hungry, so we headed back.

Lighthouse Rock on the left side of the picture.

Chimney installed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

After our trip to Palo Duro Canyon the boys relaxed in the pool while I worked on blog posts and Ashley made some pork tenderloin for dinner.

This was an amazing stop on our trip across this beautiful country. I am glad we decided to take our time as we move. On to Albuquerque, NM in the morning.

Day 12 and 13: McKinney, TX to McCloud, OK and a day with my brother and his family.

November 3, 2021November 4, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

We headed out after the cousins left for school. Another quick visit complete. It was great to see everyone, but we need to keep moving down the road.

We stopped at a Braums restaurant for lunch because their billboard advertised RV and truck parking. Annabelle helped take the dogs for a walk and we got some burgers and milk shakes and then back out on the road.

We had a nice time at my brother’s house. The boys got to play on the three wheeler, ride bikes, and go out in a row boat. Tina made some delicious pot roast for dinner and I got to catch up with Chuck.

As usual, Chuck knew how to fix a couple things on the RV that needed attention and he had all the supplies needed to get the job done. I appreciate that the passenger seat has power again. I will have to keep the boys from playing with it from now on.

Following Chuck to the gas station as he heads out to work.

Day 10 & 11: Hot Springs to McKinney, TX and Halloween

October 31, 2021November 3, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

Leaving Hot Springs we decided to stop at Crater of Diamonds State Park to see if we could find a diamond. We found a lot of dirt and rocks, but no diamonds. It was fun to watch the kids look. They got to try dry and wet sifting and had a good time with it. There was some complaining because I “didn’t rent enough equipment,” but the got over that and really enjoyed it. Some people take the diamond search very seriously bringing in carts of equipment and staying there all day sifting through the dirt.

After our fruitless trip to the Crater of Diamonds, we got back on the road. I was planning on taking I 35 into Texas, but I forgot to turn the volume up on my phone and missed a turn. By the time I realized that I missed the turn it was a little too late to turn around, so we ended up traveling on back roads all the way. It was a little bumpier than I would have liked, but we made it to Texas.

Everyone was getting hungry when we were about an hour from Ashley’s sister’s house. I saw a BBQ place on the map and decided to stop. What a great decision. They were just about to close, but told us to come in anyway. The food was amazing. Brisket, pulled pork, chicken, smoked mashed potatoes, smoked mac n cheese. It was all great. It was a tiny place called TNT BBQ, and they know how to cook.

We spent Halloween with Ashley’s sister and her family. It was nice for the cousins to catch up because they haven’t seen each other in a while. They had a very successful time trick-or-treating. They did quit a little early, but they don’t need anymore candy.

All the kids ready for trick-or-treating.

What kind of Mandelorian takes their mask off? This is NOT the way.

Day 9: Hot Springs, AR

October 30, 2021November 3, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / Leave a comment

We went to downtown Hot Springs, the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, ate lunch at the Superior Bathhouse Brewery, and played mini golf today. Hot Springs was a beautiful place, especially driving up to see the mountain tower.

Owen and Annabelle joined me on the stairs to get to the top. The wind was cold and very strong, but we made it. Annabelle did a couple flights and then requested to be carried the rest of the way. The tower is 216 ft tall and is at 1,256 MSL. The views at the top were breath taking (the climb was a little breath taking too…).

Panoramic view from the tower’s observation deck.

The kids sitting in the old observation pavilion near the bast of the tower.

There was only one area that we could touch the water coming out of a hot spring because most of the springs are covered and pumped into bathhouses.

Pretending like I am going to dip Owen’s head in the hot water.

Pretending to throw Arthur in the hot water.

An old Bathhouse that is now maintained as a museum by the National Parks Service.

Sampling all the beers at Superior Bathhouse Brewery. It was called the Beer Bath.

While we were walking around bathhouse row we left our van in a parallel spot on the main street. Unfortunately, someone pulling a camping trailer got squeezed as he was driving through town and sideswiped the van. Thankfully, he did stop and filed a police report, so we should not have any issues getting it fixed when we get to San Diego.

Holes in both doors on the driver’s side.

I don’t have any pictures from mini golf because it was cold and we went really fast. After mini golf we had a small fire at the campground so the boys could have some s’mores.

We really enjoyed our stop in Hot Springs. There was a lot to see.

Day 8: Memphis, TN to Hot Springs, AR

October 29, 2021October 30, 2021 / The Underway Woodworker / 1 Comment

We stopped at the Bass Pro Shop inside the pyramid on the west side of Memphis prior to heading to Hot Springs. It was the beat set up I have seen in a Bass Pro Shop and everyone had a lot of fun. There is an observation deck on the top of the pyramid where you can see the Mississippi River and over 100 miles on a clear day. It was not clear when we were there, so I cannot verify that.

Arthur and Owen both recorded short videos to send back to their class mates in Norfolk. They enjoy being able to communicate with their friends that way.

Annabelle and the big bear. She said she does not like the bear.

One the observation deck with the Mississippi River in the background.

The rest of the drive to Hot Springs went well. We made it there in around 4 hours and we are looking forward to looking around tomorrow.