2 Adults 2 Kids » RVing

Gallup, New Mexico

KJ — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:01:04 +0000

We are STILL in New Mexico. We can’t seem to escape this place!! Honestly, there’s so much to do and see that we keep pulling over and end up not doing too much driving.

Yesterday, we drove along Route 66. We followed parallel to I-40 most of the time. It was very interesting being able to see how I-40 really cut through the mountains and Route 66 just went around them. The sad thing is that the short detour around the mountains probably only added 2 or 3 minutes to the trip.

We took some really great video and some really great pics. (One of these days I’m going to upload a new video.) CM and I really enjoyed the drive. Midget and Widget — not so much. Early on they fell asleep. Midget woke up first and she did look out the window for a bit, but mostly she seemed to be staring at the back wall of the RV.

When Widget woke up he asked if we were there yet and if he could go back to bed. He said there was nothing to look at out the window and that it wasn’t exciting. I tried to get him excited by telling him that Route 66 was the road that Lightning McQueen took in “Cars”. The funny thing is, once he got into it and started playing along, I was frustrated that we had to talk about the landscape in terms of cartoons and not just enjoy it for its beauty. Maybe I’m expecting too much from a 5 year-old.

Today we are headed to the Petrified Forest and a giant meteor crater! We are really going to try to get the kids involved today. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Our Trip to White Sands, New Mexico

KJ — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:05:16 +0000

Yesterday we went to the White Sands National Monument. I had hoped to go early in the morning before it hit 100˚, but CM had read that it is best at night. So we ended up entering the park at around 7pm and we stayed until 10pm. Last night was perfect and I’m sure I will never forget it.

Although you can hike through the park on foot, we chose to drive through it. There are several pull-offs along the route that you can park at and wander off on foot. As it turned out, the first pull-off was the most isolated. The rest always had a lot of people, but there were still amazing views.

We saw the sun set and that’s when things really got interesting. It was almost a full moon and the white sands really reflected the moon’s light. As a result, even though it was dark we could still see for miles. CM and I sat at the top of a dune and let the kids run around. Widget drew pictures in the sand while Midget tried to build a “snow man”.

It was a great night. By 9pm we couldn’t see anyone else on the dunes and the air just howled in our ears. At 9:30 the park ranger stopped by with a friendly reminder that we needed to be out of the park by 10. He was a nice guy and we promised that we’d follow the posted speed limits. We took a little video when we got back to the RV and then we headed home.

Midget and Widget fell asleep instantly. We drove back to the camp site and parked. Everyone was so sleepy that we didn’t even plug in or put out the slideout. We put the kids in their sleeping bags, sand and all.

This morning everyone woke up in a good mood and there’s a layer of sand over everything in the RV. I don’t mind, though. It was a great experience.

July 5th Finances

KJ — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:36:31 +0000

Keeping track of the Day 1, Day 2, etc. was starting to stress me out, so I’m just including dates from now on.

Lunch – $17.66 (Poor planning, we should have cooked our own food.)

Snacks – $1.55 (Mostly sodas to keep us awake.)

Tolls – $24 (For 2 cars)

Gas – $117.20 (For 2 cars)

Total – $160.41

Day 2 – Finances

KJ — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:15:02 +0000

Even though we spent most our day mulling around camp, we ended up spending quite a bit of money yesterday. Here’s the breakdown:

Groceries for 4 days: $75.76
Portable Grill (and Accessories), Deep Fryer, and a few other items for the RV: $102.22
Gas for the Van: 61.92
Total: $239.90

We are going to have to buy chairs soon. Our camp site has no place to sit.

Day 2 – Do Your Clothes Define You? (KJ)

KJ — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:48:57 +0000

I once did a little bit of research on a man named Edward Bernays. He is considered the father of modern public relations. While working on an ad campaign for Macy’s he created and popularized the idea that people should use clothing to define themselves. I think this idea is built in to our society now and people buy clothing to distinguish themselves.

I mention this because CM and I are both having problems reducing our and our children’s clothes and I’m wondering if this might be why. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have enough room for everything. It’s possible we are having a difficult time transitioning from clothing being a statement to clothing being items of utility. It doesn’t help that I keep worrying that I will be wearing the same outfit in all of my photos of this trip which I plan to look at for the rest of my life.

Okay, this is why I love this blog. Once I actually typed that last line out, I realized how stupid it is. It’s not like someone’s going to be looking at my pics saying, “Oh my God, are you wearing the same outfit on Route 66 that you wore in Hawaii??”

Okay, I better go sort through my clothes right now while I’m feeling determined.

QuoteLove #14

KJ — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:00:07 +0000

Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

**I could have used this quote when I was going through the purge.**

QuoteLove #13

KJ — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:00:46 +0000

Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.

Mohammed

QuoteLove #12

KJ — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:00:45 +0000

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.

Henry Miller

QuoteLove #11

KJ — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:00:38 +0000

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.

James A. Michener

QuoteLove #10

KJ — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:00:57 +0000

The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore … unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits seek victory over those things that seem impossible … it is with an iron will that they embark on the most daring of all endeavors … to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown.

Ferdinand Magellan