Carlsbad, NM Day 2

Sorry for the cliff hanger! Now for the exciting parts of Carlsbad.  In the morning we went to the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens.  I didn't take many pictures of the animals because they made us sad.  I hate too see them trapped like that.

My favorite part of the gardens was the cactus room.

 

This Brazilian Old Man was probably the most amusing cactus there!

After walking around in the heat we stopped at the picnic tables for lunch.

And now for the best part... the Carlsbad Caverns!

I'm sure this is what everyone says about the caverns, but they were amazing.  I wish the pictures did any justice to them.  I will post more pictures (from all of the days) elsewhere.  The walk down was steep, but well worth it.  We left the caverns around 4 because the bats didn't fly out until 8.  There was a shop on the road back to Carlsbad, and the first rule of tourism states, "If there are props, you must stop and take pictures with them." So we did.

We waited in town for a while, I wrote a blog, and Riley got a haircut.  When we went back to the caverns there was a ranger doing a program about the bats.  He was probably the highlight of the day he was so funny!  If I could describe the bats flying out of the cave in one word it would be "poetic".  They reminded me of music notes floating out of a piano. Overall Carlsbad was a lot of fun.  The weather was beautiful, and everything we did went well.  Frankie got to see the Pecos River, the Living Desert Zoo, and the Bottomless Pit in the caverns.

And for today's random bit of advice: Use your wit to amuse, not abuse.

Carlsbad, NM Day 1

Hooray for free campground wifi!  We arrived in Tucson, AZ around 4 (6 central time), and set up camp.  There is construction in the area, so it was a nightmare trying to get to our campground.  Now we are sitting around I will tell you about Carlsbad, NM!  We rolled out of San Angelo around 10 and arrived in Carlsbad about 5 hours later.  The drive was nice.  Once we left the stubby trees, we got to scrub land and lots of mesas.

Once we got pretty far west in Texas windmills started popping up.

We stopped in Big Spring, TX to sprinkle some of Frankie's ashes at Harley's "oldest dealership in Texas". There was only one little patch of dirt in the parking lot, so she went there.

We were excited to dance in front of the New Mexico sign, but were disappointed when we saw it. Danni just had to take a picture as we drove under it.

While driving through, there was much argument (and Googling) about if it was called "shrub" land or "scrub" land.

Once we got to the campground we set up, unpacked, and planned out our Carlsbad adventures.

To finish up the evening we went to the river walk and enjoyed the weather.

There were engraved stones up and down the sidewalks, and while most of them said, "In loving memory of...", I found 2 that could apply to anyone.  The first one is dirty, so it is difficult to read. It says, "May the sun shine warm upon your face, the wind be at your back, and the stars in the heavens shine down upon you."

After some more exploring...

 

We went back to our campground to see a beautiful sunset.

I got annoyed with the wifi for being so slow, we watched an episode of Sherlock (which we love), and then we went to bed.

For today's random bit of advice: Make a list of 25 things you want to experience before you die. Carry it in your wallet, and refer to it often.

San Angelo

Sorry for taking so long to write this post! The wifi at our campground is slow! We are sitting in a Taco Bell in Carlsbad now so I can share with all of you. Thanks for the send off! It was nice seeing people that love Frankie come together to start off her final travels.

I'm having a bit of trouble with the group dance, but I will have it up as soon as possible!!!

Our first day of driving didn't seem so bad. It took us about 8 hours to arrive in San Angelo. It is amazing to see the difference in landscape as we crossed Texas. When we left Woodville we saw tall pine trees, but the further west we went the trees got stubbier and shrubbier.  We were eventually surrounded by thorny mesquite trees.  San Angelo State Park was nice.  There were only a few other campers, and the restrooms were decent.  The best part was probably the the prairie dogs popping in and out of the burrows.  We tried getting pictures, but the watch "dog" would sound the alarm and the others would scurry underground.  See if you can spot them in these pictures!

Our first set up of camp went well enough.  Luke and Riley popped it up, and Danni and I took care of most of the insides.

 

 Pulling the beds out!

For our first dinner in our 5 star restaurant we had various canned foods.

Then I kicked everyone's butts in a game of golf!  (The card game)

Sorry this wasn't more interesting, but San Angelo just isn't that interesting.  After the prairie dogs, Ranger Pat was the most exciting thing, and he barely talked.  Don't fret though!  Carlsbad has been aweosome so far... but you have to wait to hear about that.

Today's random bit of advice: Never play leap-frog with a unicorn.

1... Lift Off!

Today is the day.  It is finally time to begin our journey to fulfill Frankie's wishes.  We are more than grateful for all the help we have received in planning and funding.  Please keep the Dancing Nomads in your prayers/thoughts as we set out on this emotional but exciting road trip.  I am excited to see friends and family gathered at the send off today. Last night I stayed up with my mom and Auntie Bobbie talking about Frankie.  We were awake until 1:30 enjoying the memories and discussing our fears.  It is important to talk about Frankie. Whether a random memory pops into your head, or you need to get something off your chest, it is healthy to share with others.

As the first official dance of the trip the Woodville High School class of 2012  will be our first Honorary Nomads for a day.  Thanks to Misty Ratcliff for the video.

Today's random it of advice: Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.

3... 2...

Preparations are winding down to the very last details. With one day left we are racking our brains... What are we forgetting? I have that nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something, but the laws of traveling state, "You won't remember until you're too far to turn around." Maybe the gods of traveling will take pity on my scattered brain.

On another note, Danni and I attended Woodville graduation this evening. The speeches were wonderful, and the dance was comical. The little blip was such a Frankie thing! Our family got a kick out of it. I'm glad we decided to go.

I would love to write more right now, but I'm too tired to think. Congrats to the graduates. Good night!