Wrappin' It Up

Sorry for the delay on our last leg of the trip. Reading or typing while traveling has made me really nauseated, so I haven't wanted to blog much while on the road. Also, our days have been extremely long, so by the time we are getting to the hotel I am ready to crash. Here is one last entry...and hopefully David will post a few pics along with it in the next day or so.

Thursday was our "Sports Fans R Us" day! We started the day by going to Oklahoma Univeristy, home of the Sooners (and preseaon ranked #1 team). The stadium gates were open, so we had a great opportunity to walk around and take pictures of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. We also went into the Barry Switzer Center and saw Oklahoma's numerous trophies. Ben liked seeing the Heisman Trophies in particular. It was a nice facility, and you can tell they take a lot of pride in their Sooners.

Next, we were ready to hit the road to Dallas. I was grateful it was such a short journey (like 3 hours). I don't think I have ever seen Jonathan so excited to do something...he knew we were going on a tour of the Cowboys Stadium that afternoon, and it is all he talked about. We are not huge pro-football fans, but we thought it would be fun to tour such unique structure. Also, for months Jonathan has watched a you-tube video of its construction, so we knew it would be a hit with him as well. I wonder where he gets his love of stadiums from?

We were not disappointed at all with our time spent at Cowboys Stadium. In Jonathan's exact words, "It was awesome!" At first when we arrived, it was a bit overwhelming with 900 teenagers there to play dodge ball and go on a self-guided tour. Once we started our VIP tour, we had about 25 people in our group, so it was not bad at all. Our tour guide had a great sense of humor and entertained us with stories and facts about Cowboys Stadium and Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys.

Our favorite parts of being there included seeing the big screen (only took 1 year to build it), playing on the field (their motto is "Do not walk on field. Play on it."), and going into the players' locker room. I was amazed at the details in the structure and how everything is coordinated, from the football shaped lamps to the black pearl tile that has some Cowboy Blue reflected in it.

Once we were done with our tour and playing catch on the field, we were off to the Texas Rangers baseball game against the Minnesota Twins. The stadium was just a hop, skip and a jump away, so it didn't take us long to get there. At 5 pm, it was 100 degrees, and we each downed a bottled water before entering. We took pictures by the Nolan Ryan Statue, where David and I did the same 12 years ago.

Now we were off to our "All You Can Eat Seats." Yes, we each got a wristband as we entered the area and were able to eat or drink as much as we wanted from the restaurant. It had grilled chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, nachos, peanuts and popcorn...typical baseball food. We enjoyed the game, especially when the sun went down, and the Rangers had a 4-1 victory. Our trek back to the hotel was quite the adventure; I will say that I am very grateful my husband is not opposed to asking for directions (and more than once!).

The next day...

Friday was mainly a driving day. We left Texas without too much difficulty, yet another story for another day...By lunch time we made it to Shreveport, Louisiana and were thrilled to drink sweet tea and to see a rain shower. Welcome back to the South! Thanks Mem for the recommendation of Shane's; we all enjoyed our lunch.

We pressed on and continued our travels throughout Louisiana to Baton Rogue. Crossing the Mississippi River was interesting, mainly because of all of the traffic and rain. But also just sitting on the bridge at times left an uneasy feeling in my stomach!

After checking into the hotel, we headed to the campus of LSU and to find a dinner spot. We had fun seeing their mascot Mike the Tiger, a real Bengal Tiger, in his large created habitat. He was sleeping, though several people there tried to wake him. We took a walk around Tiger Stadium. It is a large, old structure; not too impressive on the outside, though I am sure this all changes in the inside during game time.

Our dinner search was pretty weird...probably too much to explain now, but we did end up at Reginellia's Pizzeria and enjoyed our last night out on vacation.

Today...

Everyone is so ready to be home today. We even talked yesterday about driving straight home yesterday from Dallas, but David and I didn't think we could do it (especially since he has done most of the driving). So we said good bye to Baton Rouge today..our final destination Home Sweet Home!

We drove down to New Orleans...went past the Superdome and were able to see some damage in other buildings from Hurricane Katrina.

Then we hit our last Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop in Ocean Springs, MS at The Shed. It was quite the BBQ place. It looked like a salvage yard that tried to get organized into a building. You must ask David or the boys about the bathrooms. Definitely wacky! The BBQ was delicious...we were fed at the Shed and then we were on the road again.

We were all thrilled to arrive in our home state of Florida. I think everyone screamed with excitement. Now just a few more hours on the road....

On the Road Again

Wednesday's trek included long hours on the road...so we started early again with hopes of being in Oklahoma City by dinner time. Overall, it was a good day of traveling, and the boys can check two more states off their list of states visited.

Our first stop was a few hours away from Carlsbad in Lubbock, TX. First, we visited Texas Tech University, home of the Red Raiders. Though the stadium gates were closed, we were not disappointed. We found the athletic department building that was built right into the stadium, and it had a wall of windows for a great view of the stadium and field. Also, we had the opportunity to talk with a lady at the information desk and the athletic director's administrative assistant about places to eat in Lubbock (of course!). They both were so helpful and friendly, definitely going above and beyond the call of duty to help us.

So we headed to Home Cafe', a place I found on an internet search and that the Texas Tech ladies highly recommended. It was an unique atmosphere of old pictures hanging on a clothesline, mismatched antique tables and chairs, and beverages served in mason jars. The food was super delicious and fresh. David said it was the best grilled chicken sandwich he had ever eaten. Ben and I were thrilled to share a small slice of buttermilk pie (we first had this at Frontier Days at CCS). Yum!

One other place that was recommended was a cupcake shop down the road from Home Cafe' called a Peace of Cake. Since we already ate dessert, Ben and I shared a mini "Red Raider Velvet" cupcake, and David and Jonthan had their own. Now that our stomachs were really full, we were ready to walk around a bit more before jumping in the van to head to Oklahoma City. We found the Football Training Facilty and saw the Texas Tech trophies, star players, etc. displayed.

Our journey to Oklahoma City from Lubbock was pretty uneventful, gratefully so. We had a few stops, and I slept for a while. We were glad to see trees and greenery again! Our dinner stop was another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives place, Cattleman's Cafe'. We thought there might be a wait, and we were told 40 minutes. As we went to the waiting room they had set aside, we noted there were over 50 people waiting as well. After about thirty minutes we were escorted to our table, and eventually shared a delightful meal together. Ben and I shared a steak; Jonathan and David shared one as well since there was not a steak option available on the kids menu. Let's just say it was worth the wait!

We had a short drive after dinner to our hotel in Norman, OK. After David and Ben had a quick work-out in the fitness center and we completed one load of laundry, everyone settled in for the evening and looked forward to Thursday's adventures (and to sleeping in a little!).

A Day at the Not So Marianna Caverns

On Tuesday, we rose early to go to Carlsbad Caverns. Our first tour started at 9 a.m., but the only hotels are 45 minutes or so from the Caverns. I was so excited to return to a place that I remembered from a family vacation 25 years ago and share the experience with David and the boys.

When we arrived to meet with our tour group of 15 people, the ranger explained that the "Left-Hand Tunnel" tour would be led by her, and our only source of light in this part of the cave would be lanterns with candles. She also mentioned the importance of staying on the trail marked my orange guide tape or risk falling, falling, falling. I didn't know whether to be totally excited about this rare opportunity or to be scared out of my mind!

Needless to say, we were up for the adventure and embarked 750 feet underground on special elevators to begin our Left-Hand Tunnel exploration. I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) that the tunnel wasn't narrow at all, so it wasn't difficult to stay on the trail and enjoy our journey as early cave explorers did with minimal light. Our guide had a dry, yet refreshing sense of humor and played her harmonica at times to lighten the moment. We also did a "black-out" where we blew out our candles in the lanterns according to our birthday month. Once they were all out, it was amazing and a little scary how dark it was inside the cave. You couldn't even see your hand in front of your face, even though you knew it was there and your brain was trying to tell you that you were seeing it.

One and half hours later, we emerged from the Left-Hand Tunnel safe and sound (yeah!), and then we were off to a self-guided tour of The Big Room. When we walked into the expansive chamber, David exclaimed, "We are not in Marianna anymore." By no means putting down Marianna Caverns, but the Big Room is named appropriately since it is 357,469 sq. ft. (or over 8 acres) in size. There were a variety of formations, including stalagmites, stalagtites, draperies and popcorn. Several of them were cleverly named, like "The Hall of Giants" or "Dolls' Theater." It took us an hour or so to walk around the paved walkway, and then we rode the elevators back up to the lunchroom and a visit to the gift shop before our last tour of the day.

At this point, I wasn't sure if I could go any farther (I was pretty tired!), but I didn't want to miss the opportunity for another ranger-led tour and to see the "The King's Palace." So we ventured down 750 ft again on the elevators and met another tour group. Our ranger for this tour was so hard core about the rules, that he almost forget it was supposed to be fun. David gave him the nickname "Ranger Barney Fife," and another tour member said, "He must have woken up on the wrong side of the cave."

Once we were on the tour for a while, I realized I went on this tour with my family years ago. I found out that it used to be self-guided until visitors in the 1990's destroyed over 10,000 formations. My favorite formation was the "Queen's Draperies" that were floor to ceiling "decorations", and Ben's favorite was the "Bashful Elephant."

Whew! We were all tired and headed back to the hotel for a rest and then to eat before heading back to the Caverns for the Bat Flight program at sunset. We broke tradition (never again!) and drove through Sonic for a quick bite to eat on the way.

We were not at the Bat Flight Amphitheater long when the ranger's signal went off that the bats were flying through the cave and would soon exit at the Natural Entrance. Jonathan said seeing the bats leave the cave was his favorite part of the day. It was pretty amazing, though not as chaotic as I remember it to be as a child.

Can you tell we enjoyed the day?

The Road Home Began Today

Our journey home started bright and early today...we left our campsite at 6:30 a.m....hoping that we did not awaken our neighbors as we started the van and the music was blaring (gotta love hearing praises to God while you are trying to sleep). Anyway, we wanted an early start because we knew the day ahead would be a long one (and we were not wrong!).

A few highlights:

-We survived the switchback curves, steep descents, and lack of guard rails on the "Million Dollar Highway" again. The other day when we traveled it to go to Durango for the train ride, my dad commented that he wished they would have spent another million dollars to put up guard rails! So true!

-Lunch was six hours later at Cecilia's Cafe'; yes, we found a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives spot in Albuquerque. It was great to have real Mexican food in New Mexico! I think Ben was surprised how much he liked enchiladas.

-Our journey continued another 5 hours until we made it to Carlsbad. Except for the major cities, the land of New Mexico is desolate. There were a lot of scrub plants and an occasional oak tree in the middle of the flat, barren terrain. We went through towns that were completely abandoned. It is a different place in this part of the country.

-Dinner was at a local restaurant, Danny's Place (I knew you would like that name Dad). It primarily served BBQ, but had other yummy food as well. Once we got back to the hotel, the boys and David enjoyed time in the hot tub and/or swimming in the pool. I played a couple of rounds of UNO with them, and they were off to bed...and now so am I!

Ouray Reflections

Wow! I can't believe our time in Ouray is over (and I am officially back online). We had a great time together as a family, and I enjoyed the quietness while I "disconnected" from the world of technology. One of the passages I meditated on during this time was Psalms 36:5-8.

5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O LORD.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

God used the truth found in this passage to remind me of His steadfast love and how He is our refuge...nothing or no one else can do this. Even though I "knew" this, it doesn't hurt to have a friendly reminder!

On our long journey to Carlsbad, NM today, we shared about the highlights of our time in Ouray.

David: The different hikes and seeing the waterfalls

Debi: Enjoying time together as a family (whether cooking a meal, going on a hike, or riding in the gondola at Telluride)

Ben: The hike he went on with his dad around the perimeter of the city

Jonathan: The train ride from Durango to Silverton; a close second was learning to play pool in the campground laundromat.

I am sure that there are many others; I only let them pick one!

Ouray Update #2

It has been a couple of great days here in Ouray. On Saturday, Ben and I went on another hike around the town of Ouray with Grandpa, Uncle Doug and a couple of his children. The hike was great and seemed much easier this time for some reason. Debi and Jonathan went into a nearby town with her mom for some shopping.

Today we are spending our last day in Ouray. We are planning to go on a short trip up to the town of Telluride, CO and then get ourselves all packed up to start the journey home. Monday we head to Carlsbad, New Mexico and will spend Tuesday at Carslbad Caverns National Park. Wednesday we will head to Oklahoma City. Thursday we will head down to Dallas for a much anticipated tour of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and a Texas Rangers baseball game. Friday we will spend the night in Baton Rouge, LA and Saturday we should be rolling back into Tally.

Be sure to check back as I hope to have some pictures posted as well as more details of our journey home which will include, as you might guess, some stops at college campuses, stadiums and some of America's greatest Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

Oh yeah, last night we ate at a place in Ouray that so far has won the greatest name award. The place was called, The Bistro at Billy Goat Gruff's. Gotta love it!

OK...off to fold laundry! Dave

Ouray Update #1

Since our arrival in Ouray we have been having a great time together while enjoying the beautiful scenery that is all around us. Unfortunatly the wifi connection at the campground won't allow me to upload any pictures but we will get some up as soon as we can. It will be worth the wait!

Over the past couple of days we have gone on a couple of hikes, including a 4.2 mile hike around the perimeter of the town of Ouray. It felt more like 15 miles, but we will take their word for it.

Today, we drove the million dollar highway down to Durango, CO and are taking a 3.5 hr. train ride from Durango to Silverton. It should be a lot of fun and a beautiful ride. As you might guess, no one is more excited than Jonathan! You can check out more info about the train and ride by visiting www.durangotrain.com.

That is all for now! Thanks for following along! Dave, Debi, Ben and Jonathan