14. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

April 27

14. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Photo Album

Today's big trip was going to the White Sands national Monument. We packed up our stuff and bid adieu to Waco tanks and hit the open road. Once again we were not used to driving in this weather of wind gusts that come from the side while driving over a Mountain and nearly takes you out !!!! WOWWWW

Anyway, we arrived at the park and immediately meet a super sweet young couple. Will and Erica 20 and 19 years old and basically doing the same trip we're doing ....in a car with a dog....wow...pretty impressive.....so we took a few pics and parted ways....

we had a blast in this white oasis!!!

love always
Mary and Peter

13. Hueco Tanks, El Paso, Texas

April 25-26

Hueco Tanks State Park, Texas


We were so pleasantly surprised by this State Park. We didn't think we get so much out of it. Jose our park host,, in the red shirt and black dog in the album, was very pleasant man. He introduces to the park by showing us 15 minute video on the history of the park. Well we hit it off cuz we hung out with him and  his wife Imelda at their site for the evening. They told us about Sparky's restaurant and La Paloma Hot springs since these were both on our way to our next destination. Well we followed through on both counts and enjoyed a world famous green chili burger as well as indulge in some natural hot springs to soak our achy bones after all we did a 5 hour hike earlier in the day.

Here's a brief summary of the history of this park:

The rock was formed beneath the earth's surface 34 million years ago, as magma pushed into and older limestone formation and then cooled. Over millennia, weathering processes eroded the overlying limestone and sculpted the now exposed igneous rock into its present forms. Hollows (huecos) capture precious rainfall.

these formations rise above the Chihuahuan desert floor to mark an oasis of nature and culture. thousands of pictographs left behind by prehistoric and historic native Americans.

The next day we took a 5 hour tour to explore 30 of these masks. Our guide Jorge was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of this magical place, It was supposed to be a 3.5 hour hike but he kept saying ok....one more bonus mask....one more bonus mask....you're such a special group so i'm gonna show you 1 more mask...let's just slide down this rock into this cave....that's pretty much how dialogue went all afternoon....no breaks whatsoever. As you can see from the photos we had a blast and are blessed o have been a part of this place.


In the evening we went to have that delicious burger and hot springs....what a day....another 10/10


love always
Mary and Peter.

12. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

April 24. 2017

🦇

12. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico Photo Album

We were so excited for this trip so we got an early start and left the beautiful Balrmorhea park behind us and hit the road again. The drive was straight and narrow as far as the eye can see!!! As we saw the Guadalupe Mountains in the distance we notice at the vey top some buildings ... the entrance to the bat cave!!!!

There are 2 options to enter the cave ... a natural entrance which is a mile long walk on a steep path deep down into the bowels  of the earth and the 2nd option is an elevator . We opted to walk down ... an what a treat it was ... it was kinda scary and creepy but the path is well maintained and you immediately start to see the stalactites and stalagmites that were lit up. I'm sooooo glad we decided to come on a Monday cuz yesterday was the last day of free national parks day and this place was crawling with visitors .... instead we had the cave to ourselves which added to magical feeling of exploring the cavernous spaces below. Peter and I couldn't stop taking photo after photo because we were in such awe.... every corner we took a new vision of wonderful formations greeted us . The walk down was about 1 hour and we opted to rent the audio tour which was fantastic because then narrator would tell us some facts about the cave at specified numbered locations. 

We finally arrived down into the big room, which is really three rooms and once again we were like  kids a at a candy shop ... look at this !!! Look at that!!! Wowwww... it took us about another 3 hours to explore the whole cave . The lighting was sublime !!! They hired a Hollywood lighting company  to setup the lighting ,they were really good  emphasizing certain formations with lights. The photo album includes all the facts, such as how it was formed , when , etc about this cave so have a quick peek at the photos !  The only way out today the cave is to take he elevator up ... no one is allowed to walk out !!!

At first we were daunted being so deep below the steer level but we wouldn't have missed it !!! It was by far one of the highlights of this trip !!

Love ❤️ always 

Mary & Peter 

11. Balmorhea Sate Park, Balmorhea, Texas

April 22-23

11,Balmorhea Stae Park Photo album

Good morning,

We got an early jump because we had a 5 hour drive ahead of us towards west Texas to balmorhea. We found this state park on the internet that everyone raved about. The park has a natural spring fed pool with Crystal clear 💦. The drive from San Antonio to Balmorhea was equisite. As we drove we saw the terrain change from lush green forest 🌳, which we're familiar seeing at home,  to this dry,  arrid , barren landscape with beautiful mountains. Approximately 25 million years ago volcanic activity took place here and molten rock was exposed with erotion and created these beautiful  rock formations ... they are absolutely gorgeous... peter couldn't stop taking photos !!!

Upon arrival we quickly went to check out the famous pool which is fed by Solomon springs. The water was perfect ... crystal clear and very inviting ... there were lots of fish and even soft shell turtles 🐢. But we couldn't indulge ourselves because we had a game to watch ... a crucial game 6 ... it could be the Habs last game !!! So we went to a local bar Jo's Bar and grill and asked if we could watch the game . Norman the owner was super sweet and said " I know nothing about hockey but I'll put it on for you" ..... thank God!!!  cuz there were no other bars in town.  So we watched the game and started talking to the Norman and his wife Diana, then to more locals like Nick and his 12 yr old son Logan who showed us their super cool rock collection !! They find rocks in the hills clean and polish them ... they were very impressive rocks ... who would have  thought rocks could be so beautiful 😍 so they gave me a handful of rocks as a souvenir of Balmorhea Agate rocks. 

As the night went on and our beloved Habs got eliminated ... Norman bought us a round of drinks .. we obliged .. then karaoke broke out.... followed by a crew of real cowboys coming in for a drink at their local.  How cool it was to see real cowboys .....one even arrived on a mule into the bar ... he nearly took his own head off cuZ he  banged in it so hard on the door frame ... it was hilarious... so they asked if I wanted to have my photo on the mule... how could I say No... so on I go with cowboy hat and all!!! It was a wonderful evening spent  with some really down to earth good old fashion Texans ... sidebar .... Logan was so fascinated with our 20$ bill that he wanted a trade with his American 20$  ... so there you have it ... we traded $20's ...

The following day we went to Fort Davis yes I know another fort.... so we visited the fort ... went  for a nice hike to the top of the mountain took some pretty nice photos then and came back to the pool to spend the whole afternoon swimming in the springs.... once again we highly recommend this Park ... tomorrow off to Carlsbad caverns !!

Love always 

Mary and peter ❤️

10.Guadalupe River State Park, San Antonio, Texas

April 20-21

Guadalupe River, The Alamo & San Antonio Photo Album

Hello everyone,

Must admit it's getting harder to keep up with this blog because we're on the go sooooo quickly and state parks are starting to blend into one another .... but I am resolved to do this as it's definitely a diary of sorts of  for us look back on and they'll be accurate as this all fresh in our minds !!! 

Okkkkkkkk ....this Park is in the middle of  NOWHERE!!!! But worth it !!! It's another real gem 💎.  After we checked in at #20 campsite we hopped on our bikes and decided to go find the Guadalupe River..... found a trail and meandered through woods until we saw the sun shining on a beautiful stratified limestone canyon wall... what a sight to see at a distance!!! So we biked right down to the river and explored the area.... wet our feet ....chatted with a lady and played pitch and catch with her son Josh... then explored some more.  Our 👀 were feasting on the immense beauty surrounding us ... we're sooooooo grateful and lucky to witness these beautiful natural wonders.

On our second day here we decided to go to San Antonio to visit  The Alamo and the Riverwalk. I was really touched by the Alamo's history not to mention how beautiful the the grounds are. I had no idea that the Alamo was a church with  a religious mission trying to convert the natives. Many years later the Alamo was converted to a fort and saw a lot of  bloodshed which ultimately led to the independence of Texas as a republic.  I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Alamo. 

We decided to end the day with a stroll along the  Riverwalk..... that's what San Antonio's famous for. This is a very creative riverfront which hosted many, many restaurants,  we even saw a wedding and managed to find a geocache as well. The people were super friendly and the city was very clean. As you can see from the photo album we enjoyed our stay tremendously.... now off to Balmorhea State Park in west Texas !!

9. McKinney Falls State Park and Austin, Texas

hey everyone,

9. McKinney Falls and Austin, Texas Album



We arrived at McKinney Falls  State Park, and at first glance it was super nice ...spent the first day biking and geocaching and exploring the park. We went to the   upper and lower falls ... these were  a huge hit with thrill seekers  and sun worshippers as the young-uns would jump off the rocks then suntan on the rocks ... well peter had to impress as well so he jumped off too ... we love exploring and finding these hidden gems.

The landscape at this park was pretty spectacular, especially the falls and the eroded rock it carved through to get to the lake below. We spent the afternoon there and enjoyed an lovely evening at the campsite. Sleeping in the van is getting much easier i.e. that we bought a FAN, it was much needed. Oh! Sidebar... we bought the fan at a Walmart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana... well let's just say there was a permanent cop stationed there... yep bought then fan and skidaddled out of there quickly !!!  

The next day we went to the city of Austin, population 900,000. We kicked off our day visiting the state capital building. Our eyes 👀 were greeted with the splendid view if this building made of sunset red Texas granite. You'll see many photos of this in the album attached to this blog. Anyway we signed up for a free tour which we enjoyed tremendously... does that make us geeks?!?! After the tour we had a picinic lunch on the congress lawn before we headed out to 6th street where are the live music 🎶 happens. Next we drove over to Zilker Park where we saw the naturally spring fed Barton Sorings pool... we continued to bike 🚴 down the path zig zagging though a plethora of joggers running near Lady Bird Lake  .... wow these Austonioans really take their fitness seriously... very impressive !!! Finally,  we biked over to the south Congress  bridge where a nightly phenomenon occurs ..... 1.5 million bats 🦇 take to the skies at dusk ... many people lined the top of the bridge and well as gathered below to witness this natural occurrence ...apparently they sleep in between the bridges' expansion joints then come out at dusk .... we waited with anticipation... then it happened ... it wa a sight to see ....but what was very peculiar about it was that all the bats flew out of one area ... hhhhmmm is there an order to this ... pecking order so to speak? Anyway all 1.5 million bats was quite something to see even though it was quite dark 👍

Once again driving in Austin Texas is like driving in the formula one... everyone scooted past you in all directions ... oh well 😔 I just nodded and said nothing !!!   Some were downright lawless ... going through a full red ... bold !!!!  Finally , we HAD to have some of Gus's world 🌎 famous fried chicken 🍗 it was so scrumptious. 

Overall impression of Austin is a  positive one even though we find it to be it past paced .. had a big city vibe unlike Savannah had more of a laid back southern hospitality vibe ... we enjoying visiting so many new cities and national and state parks ...we also enjoying the in between stuff such as Ms Bedroll giant squirrel on the side of the Highway and her pecan pie vending machine ... wow now I've seen it all!!!!

Love ❤️ always 

8. Village Creek State Park, Texas

8. Village Creek State Park, Texas April 17th, 2017

Village Creek State Park, Texas Photo Album

Well we finally made it to Texas !!!! And let me tell ya the drivers  are crazzzzzy!!!! Compared to all the other states  we've been to , where drivers are courteous, respectful and laid back , these drivers are impatient , aggressive and a little loco 😜 ... seriously!!!! One guy actually passed me on my right!!! on the shoulder!!! on a highway!!!! ....whowwwwww la ....didn't expect that AT ALL!!! Anyway I switched to my Quebec driving skills and joined the crowd 🤣

This too was a one night stay, so we explored the park a little on our bikes 🚴 had a late supper then off to bed !!! Off to McKinney Falls State Park tomorrow