Coming to an End

So, we were in Russellville, AR and had completely unreliable internet! One moment I would be logged into the network, the next I wouldn't be. Yesterday we began our day in Oklahoma City. What a neat little town. It is really nice downtown. We stopped in to see the OKC Memorial for the bombing that happened in 1995. How very moving. Everything is placed in a certain position for a reason. You get the feeling that the memorial was painstakingly planned out. We know it is painstakingly maintained for we witnessed garderners clipping grass by hand. The groundskeepers are very respectful of visitors, stopping their work as you approach the area they are in and waiting for you to pass.

This tree stood on that day in April, in a parking lot across the street from the Murrah building. As you can see it survived and is now called The Survivor's Tree.

We were surprised to learn that the memorial receives no federal dollars for maintenance. It seems for all the money our government throws away that it could contribute to this very important memorial.

From OKC, we traveled east across Oklahoma to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

This was, at one time a fort set up by the US to help bring the law to the western most state in the union. It sat on the border of Arkansas and not Oklahoma, but Indian Territory.

After Fort Smith, we spent the night in Russellville, AR as previously mentioned.

Today, we went to Fox, AR to see where my dad was born, raised, and now lies forever. Sorry folks, no pictures. It was nice to be able to show the boys where part of their family comes from.

Even though we won't be home for another couple of days, our trip to unfamiliar places is over. Hubby no longer has to research hotel prices and availability in places where we think we may be. We will be with family, in a place we know, in a town we know. I've said this before, but while this trip has been fun and we have seen some great things, it will be a relief to be somewhere familiar!

I will be taking a few days off. But once home, will get back to posting again. Thanks for "coming along" on this fantastic journey with us. Check back to see what other adventures our family undertakes!

A bit out of order.

If you are looking for what we have been up to, you'll have to scroll down. Sorry. That comes from me trying to post, but having such awful internet, well you know the story! :)

Today is the first day I haven't taken any pictures in 29 days. But that doesn't mean today was any less special.

We left New Mexico and are now in Oklahoma City. While driving, we took a slight detour to see a very blessed young woman. One of my neighbor's daughter's was in a bad car accident a bit over two weeks ago. We took some time to visit her, her husband, and my friend. Thank you to them for letting us stop by and say hello. We will continue to pray for your recovery. :)

Tomorrow it is on to Fort Smith, Arkansas. No more big cities for the next couple of days. So posting may be a bit spotty. We'll just have to play it by ear.

The traveling is winding down. By this time next week we will have been home for a day. Home. We can already tell we are getting closer. When we had been in Oklahoma for about an hour, I woke up(yes, I took a cat nap in the car, at least I wasn't driving!), and noticed I SAW GREEN! There were green, tall, deciduos trees along the road side. There was grass, green grass that had been cut, along the road side and in the median. Grass - short, roughly manicured, grass! Green grass! I cannot express the joy, the sense of calm, the relaxation that I felt. Wow. I knew everything was brown. I knew everything was dry. I had noticed, even admired the rock that made up the landscape. I also knew I missed the green. In talking with hubby a few days ago, we had wondered when things were going to change. We knew we were in a dry dessert climate. But we know that in central Arkansas, where we will be Tuesday, it is green and forrested. Where would the change occur? We began to see the change happening today. What a relief. I think I have my color for Oklahoma(Every state has a color that represents it. More on that later.)!

Home is getting closer each day. The boys and I have been gone a month and by this time next week we will be getting back in a groove. Hopefully not too much of a groove. The sense of adventure that comes with every day is exciting. I think the four of us will agree though, it will be nice to know where we will be sleeping each night. It will also be nice to go to a closet to get our clothes and not a suitcase!

Slight Delay

Well, last night our hotel had too weak a signal and I couldn't get internet. Tonight, our hotel has a very slow internet. I tried to upload pictures, but it is just taking way too long! So, please bear with me. I will try again tomorrow, when we will be in a bigger city.

Suffice it to say, my experience in New Mexico has not yielded the greatest internet service. Glad I don't have to work from home here - probably wouldn't work.

On the other hand, we did have some awesome Mexican Food this afternoon!

I was so looking forward to sharing some pictures with you today too! We had a great time at Mesa Verde yesterday. And today.....well for those who have our itinerary, we didn't follow it! We took a turn south and took advantage of a local festival. :) Sungarlandpal - another surprise location! I know you guys love them!!

I will try to post from Oklahoma City tomorrow, new state, bigger city, perhaps some luck!

And the mystery place was:

I'll give you a couple hints. See if you can guess....

We got up early. As proof, we were in the car and had driven 1/2 hour when we were treated with this beautiful sunrise.
So clue number 1: You have to get up early to see this.


Did that help? Well, how about this - Clue number 2: We were in Albuquerque.

Figure it out yet? We went to the 39th Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. At 7:00AM they have what is called "Mass Ascension". What a site! Hundreds of hot air balloons in the air, all shapes, colors, and sizes.

Yes, you do see a soda can in the air!

And, just for the record, if you had asked if I ever thought I would see the Balloon Fiesta I would have answered, "When pigs fly!" Well, what do you know. :)

It really is a site to see. Every balloon is different. Seeing them so close is fantastic.

Some of the balloons are the traditional shape we have all come to know. But some of the balloon makers get quite creative.

Dempsey and Palmer just can't take their eyes off the sky!

Undescribable.

I'll leave you with the knowledge that the balloon in the commercials really exist. Maybe aerial scenes are shot at the Fiesta.

This was totally unplanned. Hubby was reading a New Mexico guide we picked up at the Visitor's Center and learned that the Fiesta was beginning this weekend. We completely lucked out. And as I eluded to before, after the festival we had some really good Mexican food. Yum! So despite the interent deficiencies we experienced, Albuquerque was neat.

Mesa Verde

Whew! We are back to a hotel that has fast router! WooHoo!! Sticking to the cities has it's advantages. Two days ago, Friday, we were here, in south west Colorado.
To get into Mesa Verde, you start at about 5800 feet. Once you enter the park, you climb to 8800 feet, so the view you get is fantastic!

Mesa Verde is a park showcasing the dwellings of the puebloan Indians dating from the 1200's. Although some of what archeologists have found dates back to 575 AD.

Some of the cliff dwellings you can see from the park road. There are ranger led tours given to a few of the dwellings, if you are willing to ascend a ladder like this:

and this:

If you are willing to brave such climbs, you can see kiva's that the Indians built and used like this one.

If you are looking for more of a tame, calm experience, you can elect to wait for those who are daring. It makes it all worth it when you are able to capture the Pinyon Jay, a beautiful bird native to Colorada, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona.

And just to give you a general feel for where these Indians chose to make their home, take a look:

No easy way in, no easy way out. Steep mountain climbs were a part of their daily life. I would either never leave or never go home!

The Indians put this Yucca plant to good use. It is a hard, stiff, unyielding plant. They would use the fibers to make baskets, and weave the fibers together to make rope and blankets. Nothing wasted. The Indians were the first true recyclers! Yucca planta grow out here like weeds! They are among the first plants to come back after a fire. I guess the Indians who lived here were just as hardy as the Yucca.