Hawaii, Day 7

Last person standing. That's me, for our Hawaii family vacation. Well, Matt and Kaleena were still here but staying somewhere on the beach. My father-in-law and his wife live on the Big Island and that is where we spent most of the trip. My husband and Chris and Meryl had left for home from there. Katie and her family left the night before after spending the day at Pearl Harbor so I woke up alone in my Waikiki hotel room and decided to spend some time on the beach with my camera before going to the airport.View to the southeast with early morning sun.View to the northwest.Not too many people in the water yet......but there were people on the beach......working out......and getting ready for business.The beaches are protected (created?) by rock walls built out into the ocean. When walking along one I realized that it was like looking down into an aquarium tank. There were fish everywhere. I took lots of photos but in most the wave action obscures the fish. There are a few that aren't bad for my first time trying to photograph fish. The only ones that I later identified are these needlefish.I wish that I'd had my new GoPro with me and a long stick to reach into the water.I sort of like this photo because the ships looks pixelated, but it's just the containers. Still on the wall, the sun was getting higher.

Here is an activity of which I was unaware--feeding bread to fish --these tourists brought an entire loaf and threw crumbs into the water.It's a great way to bring fish (and pigeons) to you, but I can't imagine that it is an approved method of watching wildlife. I was seeing plenty of fish without bribing them.As the sunlight hit the water the fish were easier to photograph......especially these almost luminescent needlefish.

As I walked back to the hotel, the beach was waking up.

Many more people out and about.

By the way, this was not my hotel. Mine was a few block off the beach in the low(er) rent district.

Back to winter in northern California. It sure didn't feel like Christmas time in Hawaii. Aloha!

Hawaii, Day 6

After spending five days on the Big Island, my daughter's family,  my older son and his wife, and I flew to Honolulu with the main goal of seeing Pearl Harbor together. Katie and her family would fly home that night, Matt & Kaleena were staying a few more days north of there, and I was flying home the next day. Unfortunately this is a blurry photo but I like the image. I sat in the row in front of Kirby on this short flight. We picked up a rental car (had to upgrade to carry all of Kirby's luggage) and drove to Pearl Harbor. The monument includes several memorials and museums and it would be easy to spend a full day immersed in this history ...but not with a toddler on board. We chose to tour the U.S.S. Missouri while waiting for our assigned time to see the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. (Unfortunately all boat rides to the Arizona were cancelled due to windy conditions.)The USS Missouri was the last battleship built by the U.S. and was the site of the Japanese surrender, ending WWII. The ship also served in the Korean War and, after being modernized in 1984, in Desert Storm.The Missouri is now a permanent museum in Pearl Harbor.There were a couple of photo opps before entering the ship. A lot of the ship is accessible and there is a wealth of information  covering the three eras when the ship was in use. It would be easy to spend several hours taking time to absorb everything. I have included just a few photos here.There is a display about the Japanese pilots who died in kamikaze attacks near the end of WWII. It is a moving exhibit but I don't understand what can drive a young man to this end during that era any better than today's suicide attackers (although I thing there is probably a world of difference in their reasoning). So sad...as are all parts of war.

There is a warren of passages below the main deck where people worked, ate, and slept. 

The living spaces for 1600 enlisted men were spread throughout the ship.Part of the modernization in the 1980's.Back on the main deck we looked up and saw...Katie, Kurtis, and Kirby.A disappointment was not being able to go to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. This memorial is directly above the Arizona that still holds many of the 1177 men who were killed during the bombing that sunk the ship. During the day my thoughts kept going back to the National Museum of the Pacific War, the moving exhibit in Fredericksburg, Texas (birthplace of Admiral Nimitz) that we saw in July (blog post here). It's well worth your time if you're traveling in that area.Toddlers don't care about this stuff.  Chasing birds and picking up flowers from the lawn are more their style. (If I chose to make this blog more commentary and opinion this would be the point to discuss innocence and when/how does it change.)

After spending much of the day at Pearl Harbor, we found my hotel in Waikiki. Katie, Kurtis, and Kirby relaxed there while waiting to catch the red-eye back to California. I had one more day of exploring.

Hawaii - Day 5, Part 2

One of us napped between visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and our next stop. However, that didn't help Kirby want to step down into beach sand today anymore than the last three days. The Punalulu'u Black Sand Beach is well-known to host the endangered Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle.We weren't disappointed.We found several turtles basking in the sand while onlookers watched from outside the stone "corral" that prevented them from coming too close.The population of these turtles was in steep decline during the 1970's due to harvesting of turtles and eggs, but numbers have increased since protection by the Endangered Species Act. The adults weigh 200-500 pounds and they are thought to live 60-70 years.The turtles weren't moving so I don't think that Kirby really noticed them.Matt found a little more action. There were a few turtles swimming and eating in this pool.I took a video of this one as he (she?) approached me, blowing bubbles. Even if Kirby had been a fan of the beach, she would have probably been too tired to enjoy it here. It's better to be in Mama's arms......or better yet, sitting on a towel next to Daddy. Beautiful water, whether it's in blue......or shades of gray.

Hawaii - Day 5, Part 1

I have been back for less than 10 days and this Hawaii vacation seems like a world away...I guess because it is. Back home it's cold and drippy and I have battled a bad cold and eventually won. I just spent a good part of the day sorting through hundreds of photos so that I could print some for a photo book for Kirby, share a lot with my family on Shutterfly, and finish up my blog posts. I am discouraged to find that I have had to edit so many to remove lots of spots. Some were from an outwardly dirty lens (my fault for not paying attention) but others are spots that I can't clean. My camera and lenses need to go to the camera doctor and be cleaned inside. The dirt really shows up with blue sky and ocean landscapes.

Dan had left for home (life of a teacher) on Tuesday night. Chris and Meryl left for home on Wednesday. The rest of us visitors wanted to see what we could of the island before leaving the next morning and still get back to spend the evening with my father-in-law and his wife. We started by driving up the mountain towards the Mauna Kea Observatories, hosting telescopes operated by 11 different countries.

Do you see that white spot on the skyline in the photo? The telescopes are at 13,796 feet above sea level. The mountain itself rises 32,000 feet above the ocean floor. There are a lot more facts and a cool photo of the mountain top at this link. We didn't make it all the way to the top. The visitor center is the recommended stopping point for all 2-wheel drive vehicles, especially rented ones as well as for all children. We had a full day ahead of us without including a trek to the mountain top (beside the fact that we had a toddler with us) so we satisfied ourselves with a look around the visitor center. The other photo shows an array of telescopes that I assume are put into service for special viewing.

Our next stop, a couple of hours away, was Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

We spent a little time in the visitor center and museum but mostly drove through the park, getting out to look at points of interest......and take photos......a lot of which, unlike most of my exploring/hiking trips were of family. I'm not sure that even amazing, steaming volcanoes can compete with beautiful family pictures...that is, pictures of beautiful family.However there were plenty of other arms to hold Kirby on this adventure so I did try to get some photos of our surroundings, especially of the area of rain-forest where we walked. While much of the Park is more desert like this part of the trail is through lush rainforest.

This had already been a long day for Kirby but she did well in her backpack.This is on the wall to the entrance to the lava tube.Lava tubes are formed as slow moving  lava cools to form walls, but the inner hot lava continues to flow.

Leaving the lava tube.Seen in the parking lot. Should I decide to move to Hawaii, do I have a job waiting for me?Catching a nap before Part 2 of the Blog.

Hawaii - Day 4

Tuesday began with a trip to another beach.While the big kids swam and paddle boarded and snorkeled Kirby and I walked on the beach. Or I should say I walked on the beach and carried Kirby. She still didn't like the sand or the waves. At one end of the beach we found lounge chairs and buckets. As long as there was no sand she was happy. Another first for me. I went snorkeling with my kids and there is video to prove it somewhere. Very cool.Dan had to get back to work and was leaving this morning so we cut the beach visit short. After he left we drove to Kona and had lunch at the Kona Brewing Company.Then we loaded Kirby into her new backpack and went walking around Kona. This is the dock overlooking the start area of the Ironman triathlon. My father-in-law (who lives in Hawaii and is why we were all here) has completed the Kona Ironman twice and for many years volunteered here. Chris has plans to someday qualify for entry in Kona.Some of the local wildlife... ...and color.While the kids were looking in other shops I found a basket weaver and bought a few of his things.On the way back to our house we stopped north of Kona to catch the sunset.

Hawaii - Day 3

By Monday morning all three of my kids and spouses/fiancee were here. We started the morning joining my father-in-law's at his daily ritual--breakfast at Lava Java in Waikoloa Village.We enjoyed live music and I got a photo of Kirby and me.Another day at the beach. Today's choice was Waialea Beach, also known as Beach 69. Kirby would stand on the sand in shoes...but still wasn't happy about the water even with much coercing by Aunt Meryl and Aunt Kaleena.She preferred refuge on her towel......even while everyone else (except Grandma) was in the water.Kaleena creates a selfie-stick out of a paddle.Matt rides a wave (ripple?) in to shore.Chris looks like a pro.Meryl perfected her headstand while paddleboarding and Chris valiantly tried to keep up. I took all of those photos while sitting on the sand holding a sleepy baby. She was finally ready to put down to finish her nap. I went paddleboarding for the first time. Eventually I will have photos taken by my kids but for now it's just my photos.A group photo before we left the beach.In the evening we waited for our chosen sushi restaurant to open and wandered around the Mauna Lani shops. It sure doesn't feel like Christmas here but there are decorations everywhere.We strolled along the resort paths.Look! I finally got a wildlife photo! This is (I think) a black-crowned night heron.Kirby found kitties in the parking lot before we finally went to dinner.

Hawaii - Day 2

A friend of mine sent me a link to her husband's fantastic scenic photos taken during their recent trip to Hawaii. He wanted to see my photos. Ummm. I don't think they will stack up to his. I'm finding that I don't get the same kind of photos when hanging out with a toddler. I have cute toddler pictures, but not too many of the nature shots...at least so far.The potential for wildlife photography began with turkeys walking down the road in front of the house where we are staying, but that is my only wildlife photo. The plan for the day was to spend some time at the beach and visit with my father-in-law and his wife, who have lived here for several years. First things first. An island girl has to have her nails painted... ...and then stay out of the house until the polish dries.On the way to the beach.

Stopping to smell the flowers.Kirby gets a good view of the ocean.We discover that she doesn't like the feel of sand on her feet. It's hard to get in the water if you won't walk in the sand. The water was a bit cool at the start and Kirby decided that it really wasn't for her. While Mom and Dad swam...Kirby was happier in the safety of the lounge chair, although I walked the beach with her quite a bit too.After the beach trip we met up with my father-in-law and others to see the Macadamia Nut Company.One of many special nut flavors.Photos at the gift shop.

Back to the house for naps and then dinner with the family including my oldest son and DIL who arrived that afternoon.

Hawaii - Day 1

It's mostly about travel. Dan and I got up at 3:15 a.m., leaving the farm in the capable hands of Farm Club friends. We flew from Sacramento to Phoenix (one time zone in the wrong direction) ... ...and met up with Katie, Kurtis, and Kirby who flew in from Austin. We all boarded the next plane for an almost 7 hour flight to Kona, which is where my father-in-law lives. I have been there only one other time.Leaving the California coast. I have this naive feeling that if the plane had to go down it would be better to be over land because you could find an airport or highway or somewhere to land.There is an awful lot of water before you get to Hawaii.But what an amazing site!The contrast between the wet side and the dry side is amazing from the air.The airport is in Kona on the dry side. That is also where my father-in-law lives. Love those colors in the ocean.Unleashing a 16-month old after being constrained for so many hours.She found this grate fascinating. Hmmm. I don't think she had to travel 3000 miles to find one of those.Relaxing at the house that we rented. The rest of the family will show up over the next couple of days.

P.S. I hear that Rusty has his own thoughts about me being gone. He shared them here with the help of Lady Stranger (Stephany).

Road Trip to Texas - Day 10 (part 1)

It may seem silly to go back three weeks to finish up my Road Trip blogs, but I don't want to leave it unfinished. This blog has become my scrapbook that I would never do on paper.  And I have had a lot of feedback that you who read the blog like the Road Trip series. I left off on Day 9, so here is Day 10, split into two parts because that's how the day seemed. I'll warn you now; there are a lot of photos.We were packing the truck. I wondered if Kirby would miss us for a little while because we'd been there for four days. Probably not, but I hope that she will remember me next time I see her.Saying goodbye was hard for Dan and me. Time to leave. I needed to be home by Friday.

Now that it's been so long until I sorted this batch of photos I forget where some of them were taken. I think this is the town of Blanco, the closest town to where we were visiting.

This is peach season in the Hill Country and wanted to make a stop and maybe pick up a few more gifts for farm-sitters.

Here is where they sort the peaches.And here is where they bake pies and other delectables. It smelled wonderful inside. I was so tempted to buy a pie, but instead I bought fresh peaches and jam and......this for the road...trying to ease the sadness of leaving our family behind.I amused myself by taking photos on the road (thinking that I would remember where they were taken).  I have not cropped or edited these photos. They include the squashbugs (as my brother and I used to call them) and glare on the windshield.

Texas is a big place. The country is not all what I had envisioned. There are more mountains than I expected.And more greenery. Even towards West Texas there is agriculture anywhere there is consistent water.

At this gas stop I walked out back......and took photos of the gorgeous Davis Mountains to the south.

The simple descriptor I kept thinking was Big.

Dropping into the Rio Grande valley.El Paso, on the U.S./Mexico border.

The border fence.

The end of this blog post but not the day. More in the next post.

Road Trip to Texas - Day 8

After our visit to the Alamo two days before we were ready for another trip into Texas history. We headed a couple of hours southeast to Goliad State Park, the location we knew as the site of the the 1836 Goliad Massacre, when General Santa Ana ordered the murder of Texas soldiers who had surrendered. But there is much more history than that.Our first stop was at the Mission Espiritu Santo, built in 1722, moved in 1749 to it's current location, and restored in the 1930's by the CCC, where the Spanish began "civilizing and Christianizing" the native people with the intention of making them Spanish citizens and, in doing so, destroyed the traditional cultures of the three tribes. Eventually ranching became the main occupation and there were thousand of cattle and horses on the mission lands.Some of the original limestone walls exist and are left unplastered here.We entered the church through the Door of Life and left it through the Door of Death. Dan tried on a replica of a Conquistador helmet.

Kirby seemed unimpressed.There was a short nature trail outside the mission. I later identified this huge insect as a Horse Lubber grasshopper. Yikes!The next stop was just across the San Antonio River, at the Presidio La Bahia,"the only Spanish fortress for the entire Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the Mississippi River" (Wikipedia)Nine flags indicate the changes in control of the region.Kirby and Kurtis outside the Presidio. There was a 15 minute film about the historical events at Goliad but Kirby wasn't ready to sit through that. So I took Kirby through the Presidio building where you can walk through a timeline of the history. After our tour of the Presidio Dan and I sat in the shade while Katie fed Kirby lunch in the air-conditioned car. Look at what I saw on the ground under this tree:First I noticed the red beans. Then I saw that they came out of these pods that, honestly, look like something I'd clean up in my yard full of dogs. Later I googled "red beans from tree in southern Texas" or something like that and found that this tree is the Mescalbean or Mountain Laurel, not related to the alchoholic drink, but still with psychoactive properties.

 Tired girl after a long drive and a lot of sight-seeing.

Road Trip to Texas - Day 7

On our first morning in Texas I took a walk up the road, a familiar route from my time spent here a year ago while waiting for Kirby to be born. Just as we had seen in northern Arizona and New Mexico everything was green. Summer monsoons are the norm, but there have been several dry years so this particularly wet year is a welcome change. However there can be too much of a good thing. We saw the signs on the Blanco River of the recent high water and were amazed at just how high it was. Katie and Kurtis live on high ground between Blanco and Wimberly (where the horrific May flooding swept houses and people away) so they were in no danger. This wash just down from their driveway has running water now but during the flooding was many feet higher and impassable. Hard to imagine.Western Horse Nettle All this rain has caused crop damage and postponed harvesting to the detriment (or loss) of crops in some areas. However, it sure brings out the wildflowers. I took photos of 20 different species on this short mile and a half walk and identified some of them.Green thread, Thelesperma filifolium Buttonbush, a memorable flower that I first saw last year.

Our plan for the day was to visit a sheep farm that I found on-line. I was looking for "local wool" and this farm, only about 45 minutes from Katie's house, popped up. Dan and Annette of  Stonewall Fine Wool and Lambs were gracious enough to allow us to visit, although they usually don't have on-site customers.

Most of the flock of Delaine Merino x Corriedale x Ramboulillet sheep, descendants of the original flock owned by Annette's family, were somewhere else on the 129 acres but ......the rams......and some lambs for sale were near the barn.Dan had fleeces ready for me to see and we spread them out on the table. He shears the sheep himself, although he has to fit shearing in around another full-time job.  He showed me these boxes of fleece--sorted, but unscoured staples on the left and washed wool on the right. What a transformation!The washed wool is very, very soft. I think it passed the "soft as a baby's skin" test.I was also impressed that Dan had made himself a drop spindle and taught himself how to spin.You know that I don't really NEED any more wool, but some of it followed me right into the car. I plan to share with my farm-sitting friends. Thanks very much to Dan and Annette for taking a couple of hours on their weekend to entertain us.

Next stop only a few miles up the road was the Wildseed Farm,  a  working farm that grows and sells wildflower seed to wholesale and retail customers.We were planning to go to this farm two days ago after a brief tour of the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, but as I explained in this post, the Museum requires a several hour visit to do it justice.

We missed the true wildflower season when all 217 acres are blooming, but there was still plenty to see.Those saguaro, barrel cactus, and beavertail cactus  and are all metal!  We walked through the Butterfly Garden.More plants from the butterfly garden.

More of the butterfly Garden.

Last we admired the fields of red and white zinnias and sunspot sunflower...

...and then piled back into the car. Kirby was a real trooper.

One more place to stop on the tour of points of interest near Fredericksburg and Stonewall, since it was on the way.

There is a visitor's center and a tour through the LBJ home but, due to one of our party being under a year old and it had already been a busy day, we opted for the 8-mile driving tour of the ranch where LBJ was born, died (1973), and is buried. Someday we'll return for the whole experience.

This is a beautiful estate, a portion of which was donated to the National Park Service (by prior arrangement) after the death of Mrs. Johnson in 2007.

A stipulation of Johnson was that this remain a working cattle ranch rather than become "a sterile relic of the past". The cattle on the ranch descend from the horned Herefords that he raised and he kept a close watch on management even during his tenure in the White House.

Road Trip to Texas - Day 5

I'm getting behind on these posts. We're seeing so much country and driving so much that I'm starting to get confused. At the end of the last post we found a motel in San Angelo which, by the way, is where I send my wool samples for micron testing. When driving into town late that night we passed the Texas Agrilife Research Center and that's when I realized why the name San Angelo seemed familiar. Had we had a plan I might have called ahead to see if I could come see their facility.

The map showed that it was only about 3-1/2 hours to our destination between Wimberly and Blanco. The landscape changed from the oil fields of West Texas to ag land. We drove through a lot of small towns, some of which were essentially ghost towns and some of which seemed to be keeping up. There are lots of beautiful old buildings in the downtown areas. In many of those towns that are thriving the downtowns center squares are more touristy than they would have been originally, But the cute shops and diners entice one to stop and spend some money...however we didn't. We're usually not that kind of tourists.I don't have many photos. I snapped several from the moving truck, but although some of the scenery ones are passable, it was hard to get much in town when driving through.I must say that the iPhone has given me a new way to travel. We like our big map books with one book for each state. I kept that open on my lap but I continued to look up towns we passed or things listed on the map that weren't there anymore. We garnered a lot of history that way. Here is one place at which we stopped. It turned out to be a small supply and feed store that has some wool items (sheepskins, blankets, socks), but they are not locally grown with the exception of some socks--sort of. The mohair in the socks is from Texas but the manufacturing is done in South Africa. The business also serve as a depot for area ranchers to drop off wool to be picked up by a commercial buyer. 

We got to Fredericksburg, about an hour from my daughter and son-in-law's house and planned to spend a couple of hours there so that she could finish her work day. We stopped at the National Museum of the Pacific War, a place I was aware of from a visit to the area a year ago . Why a museum about World War II and the Pacific in Texas? Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz who played a major role in the naval history of World War II. If you find yourself in this part of Texas I highly recommend this museum but you really need to allow a whole day to see it. Let me tell you up front that I am not a war buff and I am not a history buff. My eyes glaze over when I hear too many dates and places and although I get the general idea I am sorely lacking in detailed knowledge about World War II. I was fascinated and very moved by this exhibit. It is incredibly thorough, beginning with the Chinese/Japanese tensions in the 1930's and ending with, well the end of the war and the aftermath. You go through a maze of displays that include not just artifacts, but lots of  interactive exhibits, film, first-hand accounts, and photos in order of the action in the Pacific. I can do it justice in this brief description. It is very moving and a powerful presentation. We were totally immersed for over three hours and barely got through this one museum. There are five others as well as the outside area in the complex. Part way through I saw a sign above that showed concurrent events in Europe and I realized that we were seeing only the action in the Pacific and of course there was just as much going on in Europe. The depth of the horror and misery on both fronts is unimaginable. This is just another reminder (as if just driving through our fabulous country isn't enough) of how lucky we are to live where we do and with the freedom we have. Although World War II ended long ago and most of us aren't directly affected by war the horror is still going on for so many people in this world.

These plaques are some of the memorials to those who served or commemorating ships or crews.

We had planned to get to Katie's house earlier in the afternoon but were so overwhelmed by this exhibit that we were there until it closed. We were in Texas Hill Country at this point and, as we've seen on our whole trip, the land was lush and green from the unusual amount of rain this summer.This photo doesn't look especially green because the field has just been baled but there is a bumper crop of hay.

We got to our destination about 5 p.m. and this is why we came:

Road Trip to Texas - Day 4

We woke up in Roswell and left town fairly early so that we would have plenty time to explore Carlsbad Caverns National Park.You can't miss the main attraction as you drive through town. Winslow has The Corner. Roswell has Aliens.We made it to the park by mid-morning. Most people enter the cave at this entrance where you can also watch the flight of 400,000 Mexican bats leaving each evening. (Fact: A bat eats half it's body weight of insects every night.) 

These photos don't begin to show the enormity or the depth of this cave. The main room and caverns are over 750 feet (75 stories) below the surface.The main entrance is a series of switchbacks--those squiggles on the far left of this diagram.The bats roost inside the cave in an area closed to the public. Cave swallows roost in the entrance.

This is still on the descent where there is just barely enough natural light for a photo. The rest of the cave is illuminated enough so that flashlights aren't necessary but I had the thought that it is good that the trail is asphalt and well maintained because you really can't see where your feet are stepping. (It is also necessary because of the number of visitors to the cave. There were one million by 1937.)

This is how people explored in the early days. Yikes! I think the sign said that this ladder drops down 90 feet.I have very few photos from inside because you just can't do it justice without a tripod. We walked both main loops of the trail which covers about two miles. The Big Room is the largest known natural limestone chamber in the Western Hemisphere and floor space is estimated at more than 600,000 square feet. There are other portions to explore if you go on a guided tour and there is another level that extends for a mile 90 feet below where we were. In addition they said there are over 100 miles of passages  beyond.

This model in the visitor center shows the visitor center at the top and the extent of the cave that is open to visitors below. The entrance is that upper portion at the back of the photo and the trail descends the switchbacks along the wall. When you finish walking the trail you return to the visitor center via an elevator (the tube in the photo) that takes you the 75 stories up.

Not only is the cave impressive, but it is amazing to think of the first explorers and later the engineering and construction feat to develop the cave for visitor access. The first elevators were constructed in the early 1930's.

After touring the cave and the visitor center we drove the 9-mile Walnut Canyon loop which gives a look at a bit of the above-ground part of the park.As during the first part of our trip the desert was green from the recent rains. This is the Chihuahuan desert, the last of the four desert landscapes (Mojave, Sonoran, and high desert) we drove through on this trip. 

We left the National Park in mid-afternoon and headed tor Texas.I was all ready with my camera for the Welcome to Texas sign but there was none on the road we were on, however the landscape changed.

West Texas is known for it's oil fields... ...and that was the predominant feature over most of the landscape. I passed the time looking up towns and features on the iPhone. That gave insight to the history and settlement of the area.

We drove as far as San Angelo where we spent the night.

Road Trip to Texas - Day 3

On Tuesday night we drove into New Mexico  in the middle of a heavy storm. After a night in a motel we headed out for a full day of sight-seeing. We over-estimated what we could actually do in the day. It's easy to pick out all the places you want to stop when you're looking at a map but it doesn't always work out that way when you're on the road. We thought we had planned a reasonable amount of driving to see Valles Caldera National Preserve and Bandalier National Monument. After all, they are right next to each other. But as it turned out we barely got out of the car--certainly not to do any exploring of either of these parks.We began our drive by crossing the Continental Divide not far east of Gallup. The terrain is quite different than where we crossed the Divide last year in Yellowstone but spectacular in it's own way.

We drove Hwy. 40 on the way to Albuquerque and I took photos out the window.

 From the drive through Mojave National Preserve on Sunday to Wednesday (when I'm writing this post) I have been using my iPhone to look up information about towns we are passing. A continuing theme is the significance of the railroad in the history of the west and the rise (and fall) of many of the towns. We saw plenty of trains during this drive, starting with the grade in the Tehachapi's in California.

About ten miles from Albuquerque we turned north to drive a scenic loop which would take us to Valles Caldera and Bandalier. We stopped along Jemez River at a sign for Soda Dam. This dam was formed over centuries by deposits of calcium carbonate and is still forming as the river runs under it. It is 300 feet long, 50 feet high, and 50 feet wide at the base. The river was flowing fast.

 We were surprised by the muddy water, a result of the previous night's storms.

The drive continued to Valles Caldera National Preserve. I had read that this is a Preserve formed by volcanic activity and I had expected to see lava and cinder cone types of landscape as we have seen in other parks. I had no idea that we were going to see a gorgeous grassland. This is some of the most spectacular country I have seen. We stood over this caldera in awe and the photos certainly don't do it justice.According to the sign we were standing on the rim of a collapsed super-volcano, 12 miles in diameter and magma is only 5 miles beneath.

Here we faced a dilemma. We had just arrived and what a beautiful place to explore, but it was already mid-afternoon. We had another park to see, a potential errand in Santa Fe, and, as Dan reminded me, our real goal of this trip was to get to Texas by Thursday. So we passed up this beautiful spot and drove on.

We saw a sign at the Bandelier National Monument that entrance was by shuttle only and the shuttle was caught at another location. At that point we knew that we had hopelessly overestimated what we could do in a day and decided to just head for Santa Fe.

I had a thought that maybe I could find some "locally produced wool" in Santa Fe, a city with the reputation for being an art and fiber mecca. Maybe that would have worked had I known ahead of time that I was going to be there and had done some research and planning. But this last minute attempt was an exercise in frustration. Googling "local wool in Santa Fe" got me a yarn store/coffee shop combo but all they had was some alpaca yarn from a local source--not what I was looking for. I tried again and found a woman who does sell fiber from her farm but with all the recent rain she not only hadn't shorn yet, but her road was impassable.  Lesson learned. If I had planned ahead maybe I could have managed some local wool, but not at the spur of the moment. I have been on the other end of this--people calling me to say that they are in the area and would like to shop and am I home? I also thought of my friend Stephany (and her wool-related blog) who started on a journey that led her from a San Francisco tech job to shearing sheep and to Farm Club all because she was trying to find local wool in the Bay Area.

Wow! That was a digression. My frustration about overestimating our ability to see what we wanted to and then failing at the simple task in Santa Fe was on top of needing to eat because we hadn't taken time to dig out the ice chest. I felt a melt-down coming on. Then I had an emergency call from friends who were helping take care of sheep. Wait until you read about that one in the next blog. That crisis was solved (by multiple phone calls and texts) and we made peanut butter sandwiches. All was better and Dan and I drove on heading south for Roswell, New Mexico.We had been lucky with the weather the whole day. Other than the previous night we hadn't been rained on. But we could watch the weather while we were driving. There is lots of flat landscape on the drive through central New Mexico, but I am just glad to see that there is so much unpopulated land in our fabulous country. The tune "wide open spaces" continued to run through my head (as did "standing on the corner..." from yesterday).Another train view but this is a train made up of a dozen engines. We saw this the previous day also. Mulitple engines are used to pull (and push?) trains up the long grades and I guess they send those engines back to be ready for the next train. Many hours of driving later and about dusk we got to Roswell, infamous for it's UFO reputation.