Don and Barbara's Grand Adventure

[dkl]

The Grand Adventure continues

We are alive and extremely well. We got to Big Bend Sunday only to find that this is their busiest week of the year..no campsites available.
But, as has been the case several times, God put one of his angels where we needed him. A very nice young man from Dallas motioned us over as we made the loop in the campground in a fruitless search and offered to share the campsite he, his wife and 3 small children had just grabbed..the last in the Rio Grande Village campground. They left Tuesday morning and we have had the site to ourselves since then.
This park is absolutely beautiful, quite unlike anything we have ever seen before. If you haven't been here, we can reccommend it, just don't come in summer when the temps reach 110+. It has been in the high 80's the past couple of days but cool (40's-50's) at night.
New pictures have been posted and I hope that you can get a feel for the scenery.
More later when we get access to wi-fi again. We had to drive about 30-35 miles to Chisos Basin restaurant today. Beautiful drive though so we aren't complaining.

[R90srider]

So glad to get an update Don. Thanks.

Big Ben is a place I have missed and want to go there. My friend in Pearville, TX has invited me to join him on one of his annual trips to Big Bend and I plan to take him up on it soon. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

[Bikebum]

Sunday Evening - 3/22
I just talked with Don and they are in Fort Davis, Texas, spending the night at the Harvard Hotel and Lodge. Don said they were stopped today by the Border Patrol as they left Big Bend. The guy wanted to make sure they were American citizens and as soon as he heard Don say a few words he just grinned and told him to pass on.

Don is still in very high spirits and said he is amazed at the beauty of the mountains of Texas.

Don has posted some pictures on http://picasaweb.google.com/dklittle46

[Norwood]

Sunday Evening - 3/22
I just talked with Don and they are in Fort Davis, Texas, spending the night at the Harvard Hotel and Lodge. Don said they were stopped today by the Border Patrol as they left Big Bend. The guy wanted to make sure they were American citizens and as soon as he heard Don say a few words he just grinned and told him to pass on.

Don is still in very high spirits and said he is amazed at the beauty of the mountains of Texas.

Don has posted some pictures on http://picasaweb.google.com/dklittle46

Thanks for posting...great pictures.... the border agent didn't realize he was speaking with the Sheriff of Ditto Landing.... Don should have pulled the badge on him....

[Vance]

I think my two favorites are the one of don in the canyon and the the one of Barbara giving don the tongue. He better be nice to her...or....its a gonna be a loooong trip!

Looks like a blast you guys...be careful and have fun...and keep the pictures comin'!

[Gator]

Just spoke to Don about twenty minutes ago. They are doing fine and had a pretty good day today. They went back and finished their visit to the fort and continued west towards the Texas/New Mexico border. The did fight some pretty stiff winds most of the day, but the bike and trailer are performing well. He may be posting some more photos tonight if they are not too tired. I told him that I know that having fun is very tireing
Gator

[dkl]

Don and Barbara's Great Adventure

Don and I finally got to the Guadaloupe Mountain National Park on Tuesday. We left Big Bend on Sunday after spending a week there and I honestly think we could have spent another week but we have to save something for next trip, right?
We spent Sunday night in Ft. Davis and visited the restored calvary fort and rode the 75 mile loop road there. Don especially enjoyed the fort that was home to a unit of the Buffalo Soldiers in the 1870's.
Monday, we visited the McDonald Observatory and when we left there, the winds were horrible. When we finally reached Van Horn we called it a day. The winds have been terrible all week, 20-30 mph with gusts to 40mph..not fun.
We moved from the Park into Carlsbad today in high winds and temperatures in the 30's. There was actually remnants of the snow that fell here last night.
I think we are going to visit the Caverns tomorrow and visit some other parts of the Park that we haven't seen yet. Don has posted some more of our photos so you can enjoy our adventure too.
More later.

[gsezrider]

Thanks for the update Barbara. I really liked the old Calvary post. It reminds me of Ft. Robinson up in Nebraska.

[Bikebum]

I just talked with Don. They are staying the night at Brantley Lake State Park near Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The weather is still cold, especially at night. They rode up into the mountains today and battled 65 mile per hour winds. Don said he was really glad to be back down off the mountain as it was very hard to stay on the road. Tomorrow they plan to head toward Roswell. I just hope they don't have an encounter with little green men!

[R90srider]

Thanks for the Don and Barbara update. I have ridden in heavy winds, but not 65 MPH winds. Even at 20-30 MPH, its difficult to keep a bike on course.

[dkl]

Don and Barbara's Great Adventure

We made it to Roswell ok and I must say after the winds we encountered Wednesday night, I think I would rather deal with little green men. When we have winds like this at home, we call it a hurricane. We are staying at a commercial rv campground for a couple of nights to be close to groceries and to have internet and the lady here says they had gusts of 80 mph in Roswell Wednesday night. UNREAL!!!
There are some great museums here ahat we hope to visit and when the weather allows we are going to try to get to Santa Fe. We are getting reports of snow forecast for Santa Fe area this week and we are avoiding that.
We had a wonderful time at Carlsbad Caverns and even went a 2nd time for a guided tour of areas not accessible on the public tours. There are such beautiful formations there and so many of them that it was hard to know where to look. Some of our pictures turned out well especially after Picasa doctored them. We are going out now to look for UFGO's.
More later.

[R90srider]

Thanks for the update of your adventure. I can't imagine how it would be to ride in winds like that. You and Barbara are real troupers!

Sure hope you can go to Santa Fe and get a chance to see the miracle staircase. I am looking forward to hearing all about it and seeing some photos. Here is an AccuWeather forecast for Santa Fe which looks pretty good except for the feels like 13 degree nights.

http://www.accuweather.com/us/nm/santa%20fe/87500/forecast.asp?partner=netweather&traveler=1&zipChg=1&metric=0

[dkl]

Don and Barbara's Great Adventure--Santa Fe

After a "close encounter" with the aliens in Roswell, we packed up and moved to Santa Fe. When we got up Monday morning, it was 29 degrees in the tent. We decided it was time to move up here and get a motel.
It was cold here this morning, below freezing, but it warmed up and was a beautiful day. The wind was non-existent which was nice.
We went downtown to check out the Loretto Chapel and its "miracle staircase", the Plaza, and the Georgia O'Keefe museum. The chapel was beautiful and the staircase was remarkable. Check out the photos.
It has long been a dream of mine to visit the O'Keefe museum and I really enjoyed it but not sure Don liked it very much.
I think we are going to Bandalier National Monument tomorrow if weather permits. The winds are expected to be high again so we will see.
BTW: If you get to Roswell, be sure to have breakfast at LaHacienda. You get a lot of good food (refried beans included) for a very reasonable price.
Till next time..

[Gator]

Thanks for the update Don & Barbara. We really enjoyed the photos. Those little green men look like some of my relatives. Enjoyed the photos at the Loreto Chaple with the staircase. Someone sent me an e-mail with pictures and the history behind the staircase. It's a truly amazing story. Looks like you're taking in some fantastic scenery and are having a great time. We're jealous. Keep the updates and pictures coming. Have fun and be safe.
Gator & Wanda

[Bikebum]

I just talked with Don and they are spending the night in Albuquerque and will press on tomorrow toward Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Don said the weather is improving somewhat but the wind is still blowing very hard. He said to say hello to everyone so HELLO EVERYONE!