New Mexico and Arizona

After stocking up on groceries in Albuquerque, we headed west to Acoma Pueblo, which claims to be the oldest continually occupied town in North America. The Acoma is one of several related tribes in New Mexico, and occupied a Mesa top starting in the 1600's as protection from the Spanish. Nevertheless, their community was held hostage for 80 years and the tribe members were slaves to the Spanish.











Our guide claimed that this occupation is the reason Acoma men have facial hair, unlike most Native Americans. Will was a little flipped out by the entire tour, despite not understanding the implications of that statement. The Acoma have many restrictions on photos, so I mostly have photos of buildings and Will from the Mesa top.











Acoma was not easy to find! There were no signs on the road, and we started out on the wrong road after leaving the interstate. The brochure on the tour only had a sketchy map, and we wandered around for a while before figuring out how to get to the cultural center where the tour started.

After Acoma, we visited El Mapais and El Morro National Monuments. El Morro is one of the oldest U.S. National Monuments, as it was declared by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908. Monument status protects etchings from ancient natives, Spanish conquistadors, and California-bound emigrees from the 1800's.

Will and I took a 2.5 mile hike to the top of the bluffs that included the inscriptions. Will started out pretty uninterested, until I pulled out the camcorder I recently found in the car and asked him to narrate a video about the history of the site.











Surprisingly, the entire hike was devoid of any discussions about either Star Wars or the new Lego sets due out August first.

We camped at El Morro. The photo below shows the monument from the top of the bluff, with the campground over to the right in the shade.











It is a 9 site campground, and 8 sites eventually filled. We are still pretty much on Eastern Time, which is great when camping, as we were in the tent at sunset and up again at dawn. It wasn't an easy night's sleep, though, as it rained very hard on us with nerby lightning and loud thunder. We stayed dry, but we stuffed a soaked tent into the car in the morning.

We were gone early, and I made a series of mistakes on the road today. When we left, we were going to camp tonight in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. But skies still threatened, so I decided to go west and hope for a better weather forecast and more time in the Grand Canyon. I came on this revelation too late to avoid Gallup, New Mexico, however, and the signs to the interstate were poorly marked delaying our progress. I decided to take old Route 66 into Arizona - another mistake - the road disappeared about 6 miles west of town nowhere near any access to the interstate.

We eventually found our way to Petrified Forest National Park, where we checked out the fossilized logs and marveled at the Painted Desert.







Then we saw yet another Route 66 town, this time with a teepee motel (supposedly the inspiration for the Cozy Cone motel in Pixar's movie, Cars. So this photo is for Teddy, the biggest Cars fan we know, anywhere.)






From here, the skies darkened (you can see the clouds building up over the teepees), and by the time we were in Flagstaff, I was inquiring about hotel rooms in the rain. I just tried one place, which was full and the desk person acted like I was her hundredth inquiry that afternoon. Then I had the bright idea to head further west to Williams because they have a ton of motel rooms. Unfortunately, they don't appear to have many good ones, and I could not get 3G access to research rooms. (Arizona appears not to believe in Daylight Savings or cell access. On the bright side, I have yet to be stopped by the police and asked to prove my national residency. But I will be in the state until Tuesday.) And Williams has a big rodeo going on this weekend, which has a lot of incredibly dirty folks wandering around the town and filling up the motels.

So, after striking out at the first place in Williams, we found ourselves somewhat happy (happiness definitely much higher for the younger member of our party) to have an overpriced Holiday Inn room. So I sit here typing while it rains outside and Will watches Home Alone 2 on the tube, set to bug me to go to the indoor pool just as soon as the movie he has seen twenty times is over. A tent hangs over our shower curtain.

Tomorrow, the Grand Canyon, and a night at the Bright Angel Lodge. It is literally on the rim of the Canyon, costs half what we are paying tonight, and has the added benefit of no room TVs or indoor pools. Instead of TV, we'll have one of the world's greatest views outside of our room. Guess who will be happier then?

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Location:Williams,United States

Drive to New Mexico

This is Will.
We may not be able to post again for a couple of days. Yesterday's drive through the Panhandle of Texas was sort of boring. We went to Bug Ranch and Cadillac Ranch where we drew on and spray painted cars.


We stopped at the motel, then we went to Monroe's Restaurant. I thought the people were really nice. Then we went to the pool. It was really blue and when you touched your feet on the bottom your feet turned blue.

That is kind of it for this time.

- Dictated to my dad and posted using BlogPress on iPad.

Location:Central Ave SW,Albuquerque,United States

Oklahoma to Albuquerque

482 miles; 8.5 hours, including stops.

Last really long drive for a while, as we have finally made it into the Rockies. The terrain was full of changes today, from rolling hills in Oklahoma, to absolute flatness in the Texas Panhandle, to the high desert of New Mexico and the mountains around Albuquerque. (Know that Texas is dull when a leaning water tower captures our attention.)


















Will and I stopped at Cadillac Ranch just outside of Amarillo, so Will could leave his mark on one of the Caddies sticking out of the ground. We talked to a couple of folks there and each was obviously from Europe. It is funny that European tourists make places like this a "must stop" when so few Americans have even heard of it.


























And, like all things American, the Cadillac Ranch has an imitator - the Bug Ranch, with a bunch of VW Beetles buried in the ground. We used a marker here, but saved our spray paint for the caddies.








After leaving Texas, we found ourselves in rural New Mexico's 75 mph speed limit. I read somewhere that the terrain around Tucumcari, NM was the inspiration for the landscape in the Pixar movie "Cars." I can understand that, as the area looked just like the movie.

A lot of the towns in our three states today seem to be hoping that Route 66 will bring in tourist dollars. I didn't see that much that would appeal to the average tourist, though I enjoyed the desolateness of the region - especially the "Last Picture Show" look of the Panhandle. That movie captured the look of the area perfectly.








But tonight we are staying in an authentic Route 66 motel, right on the road in Albuquerque. The "Monterey Non-Smokers Motel" states that they are "proud to be the oldest operating motel in the city that is approved by the AAA". It definitely has a 1960's feel to it. The WiFi is terrible.

Will and I had dinner at "Monroe's Mexican Food". (Because when you think Mexican, naturally you think Monroe's.)








It was actually "New Mexican food," though I can't tell you what the difference is. Will had his favorite Mexican dinner - nachos, then chicken nuggets and fries, and I had a house specialty that had the word "Indian" in it, but I am not sure what it was. But it tasted great and Uncle Lee would approve.

Two thumbs up for Monroe's. Be sure to check it out when in town, Lee.

















We are not seeing much of Albuquerque. Will would rather hang out in the room and watch Nick at Nite after a swim in the pool. He won't have a TV for the next several days, as we will be camping, then we'll be in a TV-less room at the Grand Canyon. I'd love to be out exploring, but he is happy and it was a long day in the car for him.

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Location:Central Ave SW,Albuquerque,United States

Through the Plains

This is Will.
On the second night in Arkansas, there was a huge storm. We were at the science museum. We went through an old mine, saw a skeleton, and did a bunch of activities including bubbles, air, and dinosaurs. We also did this electricity station and the instructor let us touch an electric ball, and when you touched it your hair stood up. And then he smoothed your hair out with an electronic thing. It felt like butter spreading on bread.
We had many other exciting adventures and we went to an activity room and then went and ate Chinese food. Then we drove out to Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is pretty flat and boring. There isn't much to talk about except a few things. We went to Oklahoma City and saw where some bombing had occurred. A man drove a truck near a big office building with a daycare inside and blew it up killing innocent children and parents. We saw memorials that represented sadness and actual remains of the building that had been blown.
Then we went to a place that is part of Route 66 and saw where some Okies might have stayed on their journey from Oklahoma to California.
then we got to the hotel. The elevator smells bad. I hate taking it. We went to an ice cream place and I got a giant cone. I didn't eat half of it.
That sort of wraps it up. Bye. Sincerely, Will

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Location:Clinton,United States

Day 5: Hot Springs, AR to Clinton, OK

439 miles, 9:15 hours, including stops.

Another road day, heading west from Arkansas after leaving my mother and her husband (too soon). We stopped first in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to see the house where my grandfather was born, back on April 3, 1903. This place had seen better days, but it appears that the current owners are putting efforts into renovation. Fort Smith in general did not look like it was doing much better than the house.






From Ft. Smith, we crossed the Arkansas River and were in Oklahoma. We stopped at the welcome center to take a break and enjoy the teepee-themed picnic area.






Then it was back in the car and the long drive to Oklahoma City. Surprisingly, the official state map did not show the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, but we found it anyway. It was a very moving experience - especially when we found out where the truck bomb had been parked on the site. It was a great design, with the chairs representing each victim. I had Will look at a video podcast walking tour of the site before we stopped, and that really seemed to increase his interest in the site.












West of OKC, the landscape seemed to change, much like the landscape changes west of Fort Worth, 150 miles to the south. The sky seemed to go on forever, and we could see several thunderstorms at least 10 miles away.

We stopped at an old Route 66 rest area just off of the Interstate and north of Hinton, OK. This was probably a pretty nice stop off, a few decades back.






If we camped tonight, we would have camped a few miles south of this rest stop. It wasn't that hot out, but I am still glad we are in the Hampton.
My friend Larry told me to be on the lookout for wind turbines in Western Oklahoma. I thought they would be a challenge to pick out, but they were all over the landscape. Amazing to see!






We are staying near where Larry's father grew up, and he had several suggestions, including checking out Braum's Ice Cream. We braved the winds of Clinton to go over there and got two massive ice cream cones for $1.25 apiece. We couldn't even finish them!

Tomorrow, we check out the sights in the Texas Panhandle and overnight in Old Town Albuquerque in a genuine Route 66 motel. But right now, Will wants to head down to the pool.

Location:Clinton,United States

hot springs arkansas

me and dad have gone through tennessee. and are now in arkansas it is great. on the first night we stayed at    a hampton hotel. now i'm at my grandmas house. the adventure is just beginning.             

                       tune in later sincerely Will

Day 2: Mt. Juliet, TN to Hot Springs, AR

The second day totaled 457 Miles, and 7 hr. 42 min drive time.










We took a more leisurely approach on day 2, stopping in Nashville to see the replica of the Parthenon, drove by Graceland (really hot! Hard to believe people were queued up on the sidewalk in that heat for that...),and let Will have his time at Chuck-e-Cheese's just over the border in Mississippi. I am confident he will remember his first visit to that state with much fondness!




















Along the way, we were passed by a cab sporting New York plates. I'd hate to be paying that fare!











We tried to get into the spirit of Memphis by playing Paul Simon's Graceland (he sang that his traveling companion was 9, while mine is 10), and the All-Elvis station on the satellite radio. Will got to hear the full gamut of Elvis, from "Don't Be Cruel" to the cheesiest lounge-act version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" I have ever heard.







The road in Arkansas was awful! Full of ruts and trucks. Will didn't notice, as I finally let him watch a movie and that had his full attention. I got to listen to the Baseball Hall of Fame induction speeches. I could swear that Andre Dawson read the same page of his speech at least twice.

We have now spent 24 hours at the grandparents' place. I got up early to walk the mountains this morning (speaking in a Midwestern sense here...) before it got too hot. And Will and I went to the National Park so he could get a stamp for our passport books.







I never get tired of walking Bathhouse Row at HSNP, as it has such great turn-of-the-century architecture. This was the place to be in the early 1900's, and several major league baseball teams had spring training here. You can definitely feel the earlier era walking this street.












Some of the fountains have steaming water that is 130 degrees, while just down the street there are fountains with 65 degree well water.

In the afternoon, Grandma took us to the local science museum. Will had a blast! There was a nice electricity exhibition, and Will got to try the Tesla ball to see his hair stand up.

Location:Sonora St,Hot Springs,United States

Day 1: Charlottesville to Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

It was a long first day on the road today, doing 535 miles in about 8 hours driving and 50 minutes stopping for lunch and gas.








We are in a brand new Hampton Inn just east of Nashville. Not much to report today, though Will enjoyed getting his photo with the apparent ambassador of Tennessee.








I enjoyed listening to the Cubs on the radio and getting some religion on the road.









Tomorrow it is a smaller drive to get to Grandma's in Hot Springs, but we are going to take a few side trips - to see Nashville's Parthenon (seen in the recent Percy Jackson movie), driving by Graceland in Memphis (Will has made it clear that he does NOT want to tour the house where Elvis was found dead on the toilet!), and down into Mississippi so he can go for the first time ever to Chuck-E-Cheese's. A good mid-trip break, and the place I would really like to see in Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum, opens too late on Sunday for us to stop there.

last check

This is will.  I am just learning to type.  I,m not great but i,m getting there. i,m pretty exited for the trip.    Well its my moms birthday.  weer going out to dinner. see ya soon. BYE!

1 Week to Go

Sitting here at Darden Towe Park in the steamy 90's as Will plays his last summer lacrosse game. (He is in the blue shorts in the photo, defending against his buddy Cole.)



The local weather reported that there have been over 30 days at 90+ degrees this summer, and 12 is the normal number at this point in the summer. Whew!
With one week until we leave, there is lots to get done, but we have come a long way. Nora and I had a great dinner at C'ville's newest restaurant, "Fry Springs Station," with Jeff & Susan L and I was able to nail down the return itinerary with Jeff, who will be joining me from San Fran to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
I have figured out how to post photos to the blog from the iPad - an amazingly difficult thing to do!
I gave in to "local knowledge" from Tonya, who said I was nuts for planning to camp in Oklahoma in July, and used Hilton points to reserve a Hampton with an indoor pool the day we leave my mother's place in Hot Springs, Ark.
Even though it has been too hot to hike (and there's been no time), I've been hitting the eliptical at the gym on a regular basis and tracking consistently harder workouts than I have ever done on that machine before in preparation for my hike up Half Dome in Yosemite (without Will) on August 9, 10 or 11.
And I have started to pack - or at least pile stuff in one part of the living room.


More coming soon...
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Location:Stony Point Rd,Rivanna,United States