San Antonio Texas

Well, we got to sleep in a bit today - we were suppose to run but unfortunately that didn't happen today but there is always tomorrow! We were suppose to visit the Alamo today but didn't factor in the time change (we are blaming Lola again). It was nice to get to the KOA and the kids got to go swimming, Amy did too! We had a great dinner and Gramma and Poppa took Justin and Grace swimming at night but got kicked out! (It closed at 9:30) So, just some fun facts for you all today.....the cheapest gas we've seen has been $3.79, unfortunately we didn't stop so the cheapest we've (and when I say we've I really mean Poppa - thanks Poppa) purchased is $4.09. We are averaging 6.3 miles per gallon but we've had to run the air constantly. We are still deciding on the PLAN (FYI, Gramma always needs a plan) for tomorrow so we will talk to you tomorrow. I am going to include some pictures of what we did today :)

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Well we made it through the thunder and lightening storm last night and actually woke up to dry ground, I guess that's what you get in the desert! The drive was pretty uneventful UNTIL Poppa decided that it was time for Amy to drive. He said that it was a straight shot and only about 24 miles. Well, Amy made it onto the freeway but had a little trouble staying in her lane and then panicked when about 10 big rigs went by her. Unfortunately, she had to pull over and let Poppa take over. She did in fact, beat last years driving distance of 250 ft and went about 500 yards. Unfortunately, she also needed to take a long nap afterwards with Grace and Justin because of the stress! :) We made it to Carlsbad Caverns today. We took an elevator down 750 feet into the earth to see the stalagmites and the stalactites. We saw what they call the Big Room which was a cave that was a 1/4 of a mile long. Justin, Gramma, and Poppa really enjoyed it and took a lot of time looking at everything much to Grace's dismay! Grace was not too excited about the caverns and so Amy and Grace were done quite a bit faster than the rest of them. Lola (our GPS) took us the scenic route to our campsite after the Caverns but we made it before dusk and got all set up. Poppa and Justin have there jobs down quickly already. Can't wait to find out where we're off to tomorrow.

Dinner at Six Gun City

Tombstone Arizona

Well, we almost left at 6am this morning. We had just a bit of a problem with the Even Brake (an extra brake on the tow vehicle) and had to stop to adjust that a couple of times. The drive itself was pretty uneventful, Poppa, of course, drove. Gramma rode shotgun most of the time but always shared the chair with the rest of us. She read a book to Grace while Justin read his new book "Football Hero" which he's already halfway done with! Amy did some work, lost to Grace at Crazy 8's 4 games to 2, and took a little nap with Justin and Grace! We made it to Tombstone in about 8 hours and unloaded the Jeep real quick to head over to the main street in Tombstone. We saw the Birdcage Theater with a lot of the original bullet holes still in the walls. We stopped in most of the shops searching for a Cowboy hat for Poppa, but apparently cowboys don't have as large of brain as Poppa does because he couldn't find one to fit! Then they had the reenactment of The OK Corral gunfight that was fun to watch - we might even add a video. We finished up the night with a nice quiet dinner at Six Gun City UNTIL thunder and lightening EXPLODED right behind us. Everyone in the restaurant jumped (really, they did, it wasn't just Amy jumping out of her chair). We made it back to the RV but no campfire or Smores for Gracie the Pooh tonight as it's howling out there, hope the Pickards can sleep without Daddy! Check back tomorrow to find out where we end up. Talk to you then.

Almost time..

Amy, Justin, and Grace are heading down to Poppa and Gramma's tomorrow after Amy gets off work to prepare for our trip. Amy still has to pack, no surprise that she's waited to the last minue, and everyone is excited. We will head out early am (just roll the kiddos out of bed) Saturday and drive for about 6-7 hours (a fairly short day for us). Gary and Uncle Jason will be there to see us off. We'll let you know what we see and add some pictures from the day.

RV Preparation Day

Today was the big day, cleaning the RV day! All attendees of the trip were present and we each had our own jobs to do. The Pickards arrived a little late, no surprise there, and Uncle Jason, Gramma, and Poppa were already hard at work. Gary and Justin jumped right in to help but Amy had to set up a sick Gracie Pooh in the house with a view of the action. We had storage bins to clean out, places to vacuum, and an RV to scrub. Gramma was busy cleaning the inside, which was really HOT until Poppa turned on the generator for her. Uncle Jason and Poppa worked on the awning making it look brand new. Gary and Justin did their fair share of scrubbing on the roof and the storage areas. Amy got off pretty easy with running some errands until the dreaded EZ up! Poppa let us know that it was Amy, Justin, Grace, and Gramma's job on the trip. We took it down, then up, then down and let me tell you, it WAS NOT EASY! Gramma thinks it will need to be REALLY hot and sunny before we put it up! The trip begins next Saturday 6am start time so stay tuned!