7/25/10 - 7/30/10 Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Burbank/LA, Templeton, San Simeon, arrival in San Fran

Photos: 1) in Calico ghost town, 2) with the "arc de triumph" at the Parisian, 3) with the "Venice" from Los Vegas, 4) the girls at the Hoover Dam, 5) off of Hwy 1 on the CA coast going toward San Fran, 6) view from top of Hearst Castle, 7) with the Templeton family and their cool car, 8) Devin and the rest of us (Kelby was taking the photo) at the 50s diner, 9) Hollywood sign, 10) in Rainbow Basin

The closer we got from cool Flagstaff to Hoover Dam, the hotter it became. By the time we went through an "agricultural checkpoint" where they made us unzip the bag atop the car to make sure we weren't hauling fruits and veggies (so weird), it was 115 degrees. I don't know how those checkpoint people could bear to be out there for 3 minutes, much less an entire shift. Next we had to go through a security checkpoint where we assured them that we did not have firearms before approaching the dam. Finally, we made it to a parking lot of the dam, where it took a 20 minute walk to reach the dam - in the sweltering heat. The dam is unbelievably huge. The views to the right of the lake offered boaters, windsurfers, etc. To the left, you could look down to the bottom and practically get vertigo it is so high. Enrique and I paid $11 to see the film on Hoover Dam and then go on an engine room tour and to the visitors center. It was pretty neat. Some people say it was the greatest feat of engineering since the pyramids at the time it was built. It has enough concrete to build a 4 ft wide sidewalk around the whole equator. It is over 60 ft wide at the top, and over 600 at the bottom. The only part I was bummed about is that since 9-11 you can no longer go outside at the bottom and look up to see the grandure from that view. Stupid security.

When we finished, we continued the last leg of our drive to Las Vegas and and arrived in the early evening. The first room we were given was uncleaned with trash everywhere. Given that it was at Treasure Island Casino, we were rather shocked, however we were given another room on the 26th floor (higher than our first) with a view out over the strip. The room was quite nice with WiFi, a nice TV, desk, etc. We got a really good deal on it though "place your own bid" on priceline, but when we arrived we had to pay an additional $22.50 for a "resort fee," so it should have been nice. Wish we had the time to appreciate any of the resort amenities like the pool or gym.

Once we settled in, we showered and went out to find somewhere to eat dinner. We walked all through the Venetian which, on the inside, looked like walking through streets of Venice with a canal and gondolas and everything. Outside, there was a recreation of St. Marco's Square and the Rialto Bridge. It was really, really, cool. Every restaurant seemed to be a minimum of $15, so after walking through, we settled on Chinese at the food court.

From there we walked to the Bellagio where we saw a fountain show. It was similar to the one in Barcelona, but in my opinion, not as cool. The fountains were not different colors and while there was music, the water didn't seem to be dancing with the music. Also, the man standing next to us while we watched the show was from the coast of NC. Small world.

From there we walked to the Parisian and saw the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower. Enrique headed back to the room so he could shower and rest a bit, while the girls all walked through the Parisian which on the inside recreated the streets of Paris.

From there we practically ran back to Treasure Island to see the free "Pirate Show" out front of our hotel. What a let down. It was basically just scantily clad women dancing around (not very well) and pirates without shirts who swung from ropes upon occasion. The best part was when a couple pirates did flips and dives off the gangplanks. It was almost midnight when the show ended and I went up to the room to update my last blog and go to sleep. Enrique was just rousing himself to out out on the town, and Theresa and Carmen had left from the show to wander around.

I slept quite well, and the next morning we didn't wake up until after 10 which was quite unusual for us. It turns out, they hadn't gotten home until 4 am. Enrique had also heard his first gunshots when we was down on a lone part of the strip. I think he was quite shaken and all of a sudden his impression of America's safety was diminished. It was actually a little amusing.

It was Monday morning, and after driving the whole strip, we drove to Calico Ghost Town which was an old CA silver mining town from the 1800s. It was pretty neat and many of the buildings were very old. Next we drove to nearby Rainbow Basin. Rainbow Basin was basically a desert with dunes that look solid, but are actually some sort of shale or other movable gravelly rock. Driving on the 3 mile dirt road loop through the basin, the dunes appear all different colors. It is really beautiful. We pulled over a couple times to take pictures. At one point we pulled over and Enrique climbed to the top of one of the dunes. I began to follow in my flip flops. It was a little slippery going up, but not too bad. However, when I started to descend I realized the problem. Every step basically started a slide of gravel, and in my flip flops, it was practically impossible to stop. I slid a little at first, and the girls heard we holler a bit and asked if I was okay, I said yes, but my keys had fallen a few feet away from me. As I reached to get them, I slid again, this time about 8 feet or so, on my palms, feet, and butt (I was wearing a skirt). Luckily when I stopped I'd almost reached the bottom. However, my hands and butt were chaffed and stung most of the day. We had first aid alcohol wipes, so we cleaned me up and then left shortly there after.

We drove through the desert and into the mountains, from which we saw the sunset. Then we drove around Big Bear Lake which was beautiful and then down the mountains toward LA. We were looking for a cheap hotel around the lake area, but we did not see anything. Earlier in the day Kelby (my friend from high school) had texted me to ask if we could hang out when I was in L.A. and when I told her we did not yet have anywhere to stay, she offered up her apartment in Burbank. Since we could not find a hotel I called to see if we could come a night earlier, and she said we could which was really sweet of her. We went down the crazy winding roads overlooking the massive expanse of L.A. lights, and made it to Burbank around 10:15 pm. After settling in I got to catch up with Kelby who'd just returned from Hawaii. Her boyfriend Ryan had left that morning to go see his family on the East coast, so it was just Kelby, the dog Kingsly, and Ryan's friend who was staying with them for a bit named Devin. He was staying in the loft, so I slept with Kelby and the others stayed in the living room.

On Tuesday Kelby was kind enough to drive us around a bit and take us to Hollywood Blvd where we could also see the Hollywood sign from afar. We then drove back to Burbank so Kelby could get some errands done. I made a sandwich at her house while the others walked to a nearby Chinese place for lunch. We next wanted to go see the Beverly Hills area and I invited Devin to come with us. We said goodbye to Kelby, and Devin and I went to find the others then we drove over to Beverly Hills. We parked and walked a bit, seeing some of the homes on foot, then we drove down Rodeo Drive, and back to Burbank. Once there we got Kelby and were about to go out to dinner when we saw massive black smoke going by the apartment complex. We ran outside and saw that a building nearby was shooting bulbous flames and tons of black smoke. The firemen hadn't even arrived yet (though they did as we watched). It was really bad, but luckily we found out later that no one was hurt and it had been like a storehouse for candle oils. After we watched the fire a bit, we all went to a cool little 50s diner where we picked up breakfast food to go and drove to a nearby mountain to look over the city at sunset. We had a picnic and then returned to Kelby's house. Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa wanted to go out to the Hollywood area again, and Kelby was kind enough to drive them to the nearest metro station. Kelby, Devin, and I just chilled around the house and after the others got back, we went to bed.

On Wednesday, Devin came with us to go to Santa Monica beach, but Kelby couldn't come because she had to work that night (she's a nurse). It took about an hour and a half to get there thanks to traffic. Once there we had to pay $10 to park and then we walked to the pier. The pier reminded me of Brighton Pier in England with a carnival on top, street performers, vendors, etc. We walked to the end and watched the fishermen and enjoyed the views of the water. Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa wanted to see the carnival, so Devin walked with me to the area where there were exercise things like metal rings, ropes, pull-up bars, swings, etc. We watched this one guy swing from ring to ring like a dancing gymnast. Devin and I climbed to the top of the ropes, and then we decided that was enough exercise for one day. We went over to the beach to soak in the warmth of the sun and try to combat the chill of the breeze.

After a while we all met up again and then started the drive back to Burbank. It took two HOURS!! I'd never been in such horrid traffic. It was so totally frustrating because there was no reason for it other than a lot of cars on the road. We didn't end up leaving for Templeton (where our next CS hosts lived) until after 4 pm.

We arrived to their farmhouse at about 10 pm. Their names were Lynn and Ken and they had a daughter named Noa who was 11 and reminded me a lot of my cousin Lilly. They were very kind and we all chatted in their beautiful home (that Ken and his relatives had made themselves) until about midnight. The next morning Noa showed us their garden and Ken & Lynn made yummy croissants with fresh fruit for breakfast. I wish we could have stayed and enjoyed their company longer. Enrique was especially impressed with Ken's 1950s car.

From there we went to San Simeon where I dropped the girls off at the nearby town of Cambria and Enrique and I went to Hearst Castle where the Hearst family built a mansion in the 1930s that was visited by many famous guests. Before going to the castle Enrique and I visited the long San Simeon Pier. The water was so beautiful and the drive to San Simeon from Templeton redeemed my view of CA - the beautiful rolling golden hills and the green/blue water were all so lovely (compared with LA life that is).

The castle was really cool with three large guest houses, beautiful gardens, huge pools, and a main house that looked like a cathedral. William Randolf Hearst built the place in period themes, getting old tapestries, choir seats, gates, etc. from Europe. Many things were 400 to 700 years old. The rest was made to look old. The indoor pool was created to resemble the Roman Baths and statues all over the garden looked authentic, though they were not. The best part about the palace was the view to the coast and at the rolling golden hills around it. They still have cows and zebra roaming the property.

After the tour Enrique and I picked up the girls and then we continued to drive along the 1 toward San Francisco. The coastal road was very beautiful, though with many curves. We pulled off a couple times to get photos. Traffic around San Diego was bad, but we still arrived in San Fran a bit before dark. My cousin Erin let us stay at her place even though she is out of town, which is so nice. After we unpacked we went to the nearest grocery store and bought food for the next three days.

It is now Friday morning and we are trying to decide what to do today. I feel overwhelmed - there is so much I want to see and not enough time!!

Pics soon

7/23-24/10 Tucson, Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon

Pics: 1) Tucson desert, 2) at the Tucson Desert museum, 3) Sedona red rocks, 4) with the girls and the red rocks, 5) under the Sedona bridge, water far below, 6) with our host Daniel at the Grand Canyon, 7) at our special spot in the canyon, looking out over the vastness, 8) view from "the chair", 9) sunset on my face, 10) sunset behind the mesa

The Arabic place for dinner in Tucson was really good - especially since I got a Greek gyro. Lol After that we rented “My Cousin Vinny” since I’d so amused everyone with my Marisa Tomei impression of the deer hunting scene in the movie. Theresa and Enrique really enjoyed the movie that night, but of course Carmen (aka - the cat) fell asleep half way though. I’m constantly blown away by how much she sleeps. I thought I slept a lot! Lol

The next morning we left the house at the same time as Rich. He went to work and we drove to the Tucson desert museum which was actually like a zoo and nursery of desert animals and plants. It was really neat - we saw havalinas (desert pigs), prairie dogs, mountain lions, black bears, wolves, raccoons, bobcats, humming birds, reptiles, and many desert plants including saguaro cacti.

It was a pretty cool place, but, being I the middle of the desert, quite hot. We also stopped by the outside of Old Tucson where all the Western movies are filmed (usually by Disney) but unfortunately it was $17 pp to get in, so we just took pics of the front and left. Then

we drove through the Saguaro National Park on our way to Sedona. We decided not to go to Phoenix because Rich said that it was just a big, hot city with too many people. He said going to Flagstaff by way of Sedona would be much prettier.

As we got closer to Sedona the landscape started to change and red rock mountains rose out of the ground, trees suddenly appeared, and the temperatures dropped. We got out at one scenic overlook and I climbed up this big red plateau which looked all over the red rock country. It was so breathtaking. The temps were only in the 70s and the air felt wonderful. Enrique was shocked at how much the landscape had changed from desert and cacti to mountains and pines, from 90s to 70s in just a matter of a couple hours.

From there we went to the tourist info point in Sedona and the girl there was really sweet. She was so excited to hear about our trip and gave me all her info so we can be face book and CS friends. She said anytime I want to come back to Sedona, I have a place on her couch. She told us to go to this “airport” overlook that looked out over

Sedona and the red rock country, as well as to another little pull-off where we could see the underside of this big bridge and see the river hundreds of feet below.

We did both, as she suggested, and they were both breathtaking. The woman at the airport overlook who gives information to tourists started talking to us and was SO excited about the idea of couch surfing. She was probably in her 40s or 50s, but so energetic and excited it was almost comical. She wished us the best of luck, and we moved on.

US-179 is the scenic highway that goes from Sedona to Flagstaff and it was quite a beautiful drive. The higher we got, the more dense the trees and the more curvy the roads got. It was overcast and the temps were dropping more, and it somehow reminded me of what I believe Forks, Washington will look like. Who knew that northern AZ could looks so lush and actually get rain?? Well, it is monsoon season after all. Millions of years ago, Sedona used to be the bottom of the ocean, and Flagstaff was the beach - and given Flagstaff’s elevation, I can believe that. We stopped at an overlook on the way to get pics of the height and the beautiful pink sunset.

We met our host Daniel at his house in Flagstaff. He had two very sweet dogs named Opey and Daisy. Sadly, Opey is dying from lymphoma, the news of which Daniel had just gotten that day.

It was sad because we all grew to love that dog very much. Daniel had a nice little House and we all had places to sleep and fresh linens. He even let us do laundry there. That night, he took us to downtown Flagstaff which was so quaint and sweet. I really liked it a great deal. Enrique, Carmen and I ate at a Greek restaurant called “Greek Isles” while Theresa went with Daniel who was practicing music with his band partner in an old brothel that once covered as a hotel.

The owner of the Greek restaurant was from Crete (a Greek isle) and I talked excitedly to him about Greece. The waiter boy was new and looked so much like Robert Pattinson that it was uncanny. He was a sophomore at the university as a theater major. When I asked if he had heard that he looked like Robert before he was like “ohh no, not again. Everyone says that.”

I said, “well, you should be flattered, women love him.” And he said, “yeah, 12 yr olds and 40 somethings.” I had to laugh at that. When we fished (I had a gyro for the 2nd night in a row), we met Daniel and Theresa at the old brothel. I was tired so Daniel took me back to the house so I could go to bed, and the rest of them stayed out until 2 while Daniel rehearsed.

The next day we took Daniel and the dogs with us to the Grand Canyon. It was only about an hour drive through beautiful scenery. We listened to the Eagles and sung along the whole way.

Once at the Grand Canyon we went to several different overlooks. I was so amazed. It was not a disappointment as some people said it would be after so much build up. It was absolutely

fascinating.

As we walked around the overlooks on the rim, the dogs were fascinated by the squirrels which were everywhere and they were making everyone laugh, lunging at them, despite their leashes. Then this awful woman said "That's not funny. Dogs disturb the wildlife, that's why they aren't actually allowed out of the parking lot." We were all taken aback. How high-and-mighty she thought she was. Daniel was shocked because 1) everyone likes his dogs and 2) he'd never heard that rule before, but she sounded so sure. So later we asked a ranger, and in fact, dogs are allowed at the rim, just not on the trails. Plus, I think the humans feeding the squirrels Cheetos were doing more harm than Opey and Daisy. Also, a squirrel ate sunflower seeds out of Carmen's hand. Very adorable. But at least sunflower seeds are natural.

Daniel took us to this one overlook where you can kind of hike out to this rock formation that looks kind of like a big chimney. From there, the view over the canyon was pretty out of this world. Daniel calls this one spot “the seat” because you can sit on the rocks and dangle your feet over the edge of the canyon but not feel unsafe because the “seat” leaned back away from the edge. It’s sort of hard to explain, but nonetheless, it was really cool. Theresa and Carmen stayed behind on the main overlook area as they were scared, even though it wasn’t really very dangerous. We all ate lunch at that stop (even though it was 5 pm) then we went over to Desert View overlook to see the sunset. It was soo beautiful, even though there were some low-laying clouds that prevented the full effect of a Grand Canyon sunset, it was still colorful and lovely.

As soon as the sun started setting it got quite chilly and the wind picked up dramatically. It had been nice all day - in the low 80s - but now it at that point it got downright cold. We walked back to the car covered in goose bumps. As we drove back, we decided to stop at the Indian Reservation Lodge for dinner. Driving there was a bit scary because the wind was gusting so hard that with all of us in the car and the roof carrier on top, I felt like the car was being randomly punched every few minutes from a giant. After we ate at the lodge however, the wind had died down and the rest of the drive back to Flagstaff was uneventful.

We sang a lot of 80s songs this time.

7/19-22/10 Big Bend, El Paso, arrival in Tucson

Pics: 1) with our tent, 2) on the way up Lost Mine trail, 3) in "the window", 4) the mansion in El Paso, 5) the girls with Phillip at the carwash/diner, 6) Mission San Xavier del Bac

After we arrived in Big Bend and marveled continuously at the phenomenal scenery, we set up our tent right near the bathrooms and we had no problem finding a site as there weren’t many people there. The tent was surprisingly easy to set up, and afterward we made our dinners (ie - sandwiches and fruit) and drove up to the Big Bend “cottages” area which have a great view of the sunset. After sitting on a big rock and eating, Theresa and I walked a little way up a nearby trail before sunset and we saw a couple deer eating leaves right next to us. They were does and jus looked at us, not seeming at all disturbed, then walked slowly away. It was pretty cool.

After watching the sunset we went back to our tent area and got ready for bed, being careful to keep all food stuffs in the “bear lockers” or in the closed car. We went to bed about the time all the light left the sky (around 10:30) and watched the stars and very bright moon through the screen parts on the top of our tent. Unfortunately, we could not see the stars that well because the moon was so very bright. The temperature at night was perfect and probably got down to about 65.

Around 5 am, I woke up and had to use the restroom. It was very close by, and with the lights from the restroom I could make out a clear path to the door, so I got up and went out. It is a strange feeling, standing out in the night by yourself in the middle of nowhere. A little scary, a little awe-inspiring - especially when I saw the sky which was like no night sky I’d ever seen before. The moon was gone (I don’t know where) and there were billions of stars lighting up the sky like diamonds. You could even see a milky colored strip that wound it’s way across the sky in one part, embodying the phrase “the milky way.” It was breathtaking. After I used the bathroom, I came back and stood outside the tent, still marveling until I heard what I thought was a bear growl, at which point I literally dove into the safety of the tent, heart pounding. However, I later realized it was probably Enrique who’d heard me and woken up a little bit, and when he wakes up, he growls.

The next day we woke up at 8:30 with the sun shining and after eating breakfast and packing our lunches, we went to the visitor’s center and got a map and advice on different trails.

We decided to start with the Lost Mine trail which took us to an elevation of over 7,000 feet and gave us a fabulous view of the Chisos Mountains and Basin (the part where we were camping).

It was a 5 mile hike round trip, and well-worth it. We met several interesting people on the trail and everyone was fascinated by the story of our trip and how we met. At the top we could see out toward Mexico, though weather we could see far enough to actually see into Mexico we are not sure. There were many hawks at Big Bend, and we got many close up views of them flying. It was so beautiful sitting on the top of this mountain and eating our lunch and watching the birds fly and listening to the wind. It was indescribable.

When we got back down, we had ice creams from the visitor center store and then went to our campsite to relax a bit. The next trail I wanted to hike was called “The Window View” trail, which was another 4 miles but this time down into the basin instead of up into the mountains.

Enrique and Carmen were too pooped to come, but Theresa was kind enough to humor me despite the blisters on her heels. The hike was hotter since we were going down, but the view from the “window” which is a little slot between two canyons that looks out over the western ranges and in which the sun sets. The view was pretty awesome, but unfortunately Theresa thought she was going to slip so she didn’t make it the last couple hundred feet to the actual window, which I was sad about - it was, after all, awesome - but she didn’t seem too disappointed.

It was a harder walk back because it was quite steep and by the time we returned to the campsite, we were about to pass out our feet were aching so badly. After 9 miles of walking, my ankles are still sore today (3 days later). That night I again woke at 5:15 am to use the restroom, but this time Carmen came with me and she got to see the stars too (and we could protect each

other from the bears lol).

The next morning we ate, packed up, and hit the road on the way to El Paso. We made it to El Paso around 3 pm after traveling along the Rio Grande and seeing some absolutely stunning scenery of staggering cliffs, desert plains, and interesting little houses along the Rio Grande. In El Paso we went to the mall for a little bit so Carmen and Enrique could take advantage of the American prices on things like Levi’s and Dockers.

The mall was called Cielo Vista and everyone there spoke Spanish which was really funny because when we walked in the mall a woman offered Carmen a sample of something in Spanish and she was so shocked. Lol Basically it was like Miami but with Mexicans instead of Cubans. It was nice for Carmen and Enrique though. J After that we went to our couch surfers house which was like a mansion!! There are 3 medical students living in it because apparently housing is dirt cheap in El Paso. Our host’s name was Daniel, and his roomies were Phillip and Meredith. They were all really nice and went with us to a yummy burger place called TorroTorro for dinner. It also had veggie burgers for Theresa. That night we sat around the mansion chatting with Phillip since he didn’t have to work the next day and even though there was no AC, it was perfect temperature with the windows open sleeping.

We woke at 8:30 am and went with Phillip to a carwash which also serves as a famous diner that apparently George Bush and other famous people went to.

I had an egg, tomato, and lettuce sandwich and oatmeal which was seasoned with cinnamon and was quite good. The people working there and the owner were very happy to have us there (especially people from other countries) and thanked us profusely for coming. It was rather lovely.

We dropped Phillip off at the mansion again, then went on toward Tucson. Again, we went through beautiful scenery and then went to San Xavier del Bac (one of the oldest and grandest Spanish missions in the USA). It was really beautiful. It was also on an Indian reservation and there were these merchants outside the mission selling their wares. This one Indian guy made silver jewelry that was very beautiful and he started talking to me and telling me his life story. He was stationed in Ft. Bragg, NC in ‘65 where he jumped out of planes for the military. He was also an actor for many years and was in movies and shows with tons of famous people playing Indians, Mexicans, etc. He had pictures with Michael Landen and Melissa Gilbert from Little House on the Prairie, with Kevin Costner, Emilio Estevez, Whoopie Goldberg, Denzel Washington and many more. He busted out a photo album to illustrate all his stories and movie roles. It was so crazy! I felt so lucky to have met him. Apparently he also is a musician and makes really cool jewelry. His name is Joe Begay and I bought a little silver charm he made of the mission.

When we left the mission a huge storm was rolling in and it was so cool to watch. We get hit by some of it on the way to our couch surfer’s house, but it wasn’t too bad. Our CS host is very nice and interesting and used to be a US tour guide. He has tons of cool stories and we’ve been sitting around talking for hours. Now we’re going to an Arab place for dinner.

7/16-19/10 Austin, Canyon Lake, San Antonio and arrival in Big Bend

Pics: 1) Patrick and me in front of TX capitol, 2) all of us at the concert/bar/bowli) ng ally, 3) at the creek, 4) on the Hayes' boat, 5) Patrick and girls in front of San Antonio's Alamo, 6) view in Big Bend upon arrival

On Friday Patrick took all of us a lunch at a TexMex restaurant which was quite good. Afterward we went to one of Patrick’s favorite places to swim. It was a bit of a hike down there over a lot of limestone. Patrick says he can’t stand that in Austin all the ground is limestone and there is no real dirt. Once we made it down to the river, we walked beside it for a while and then found a place to put our stuff so we could swim. The area reminded me of Asheville a lot as there were many people there smoking (both cigarettes and pot), many with dreads, many with tattoes and body piercing and they gave off an overall air of “whatever” attitude. They seemed friendly enough, though it was a bit crowded for my taste. Patrick’s favorite part of the creek is a rope swing hanging from a high tree. I did the swing three times, and it was fun. However, on Patrick’s 2nd time he tried to backflip off the rope and his right ankle got caught up in the bottom of the rope which was split into 2 narrower strands. Luckily, the majority of his body was already in the water when the rope virtually hung him by his foot. Everyone watching gasped in fear, but somehow he managed to just lean up and untangle his foot. However, it was hurting him quite a bit directly after and it left a red burn looking mark like an ankle bracelet and it swelled a bit. That did not, however, deter him from doing it another 2 or 3 times. Men - never learn a thing.

Anyway, it was quite a lovely afternoon and after hiking back to the car, we went home, showered, and got ready to go to a bar/restaurant/karaoke/dance & music hall. We shared some food while we waited for a band called “The Blue Hit” to come on - one of Patrick’s favorites. Unfortunately, they were the last band to perform so we had to wait a while, but the atmosphere was nice and when the band arrived we got to meet them because Patrick knows them. They were really good, though by the time they were on, I was so tired that I was being lulled to sleep by their foly sounds.Theresa especially enjoyed the band and Patrick gave us one of their cds to remember by. The next morning (well, more like early afternoon) we left for Canyon Lake, TX where Patrick’s parents have a river-side house. It is only about an hour away, but the area is quite rural and quaint. The traffic for the last half hour was terrible because everyone was driving to the area to “float the horsehoe” which means tube down the section of the Guadalupe River that makes a horseshoe shape and therefore drops you off close to where you enter the river.

Patrick’s parents’ house was really beautiful - it had a Tuscan influence with beautiful Mexican tile floors, floor to ceiling windows, an outdoor stone floored dining area with a stone fireplace that helps keep away the bugs at night. There was also an outdoor hot tub and a guest house connected by a porch area. I knew as soon as I saw it that Mr. and Mrs. Hayes must have designed it themselves, and Patrick’s mom confirmed my suspicion. Their original house was totally demolished from a flood 8 years ago and so when they rebuilt they took the parts they loved from the original designs and added new touches to mae it more functional and beautiful. They are also right on the Guadalupe River and thus you can enter into the horseshoe right in their bacyard instead of waiting in the lines just a few hundred yards down river. After we arrived and they fixed us lunch, Mr. Hayes took all of us out on their large sail boat. The lake was only 10 minutes away and the sea foam green color of the water, with small hills rising up along the edges reminded me of some lakes I saw in Austria - of course, the water was not nearly as cold! Lol I got a tad seasick upon sailing out, but I was pretty okay by the time we stopped and all got off to swim in the beautiful water. Carmen and I spend most of the trip up on the front of the boat, laying out in the sun. It was either Patrick or Carmen who asked me if I felt like a rich lady, up there with by big white sunhat and glasses. I laughed and said, in fact, I did feel rather privileged.

After swimming a bit we got back on the boat and returned to dock. Patrick’s mom was working on dinner when we got back but said we had time to float the horseshoe. The water was quite a shock after the perfect temperature of the lake water. It was, well, downright frigid and I think we provided other river-floaters much amusement with our shrieking. Enrique wanted to stay behind and read, so it was just the 3 of us girls and Patrick. The pace was very slow for the first part of the horseshoe and we got to watch all the others floating around, drinking & eating out of floating coolers, and some rope swingers at a nearby house. They invited us to come up and try out the rope swing, but one look at me glaring at his ankle and Patrick said “no thanks” to the invitation.

After we got to the bend though, the water picked up and there were a couple mild “rapids” to use the word lightly. Carmen really enjoyed that part and when we were done was ready to do it all over again. Lol
Once we walked back to Patrick’s parents’ house, we sat in the hot tub to warm up and then got ready for dinner. Patrick’s cousin Shan was also joining us for dinner, as he’d been out on the river with his friends for the day. We ate a wonderful meal of beef ribs marinated in some really yummy sauce, spring roles, veggie curry, mango sauce, and rice. For dessert Mrs. Hayes made a

delicious bunt cake. W. e ate outside with a fire to keep the bugs away and everyone ate well and talked a lot. It was so kind of Patrick’s parents to go through so much trouble especially since they had to leave at 4 am to catch a flight to Charlotte of all places! They were going to fly there and then rent a car to drive up to Durham where Patrick’s grandmother lives, then after visiting with her there, driving over to Asheville to see other family. It seems like everyone has family in good ol’ NC.

The next day Patrick took the 4 of us into San Antonio where we went to the Alamo and then to the River Walk. I really wanted to go on a boat cruise down the river walk as Patrick’s mom had recommended it, but the rest of them didn’t really care to, so Patrick went the area with me on the boat while the other’s walked about observing the shops along the river. It really is a very beautiful design and San Antonio would not be the same without their lovely River Walk. The guide on our boat was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of interesting facts about the area and the buildings along the river. For example, San Antonio is the home of the oldest cathedral in the US (from the 1730s I believe) and it is so decked out in the Italian style with so much gold that even a simple retouching last year cost 5.8 million dollars.

Also, San Antonio has the 2nd highest space needle type tower in the US (2nd to Las Vegas) - which is strange - I thought Seattle’s was taller. When we got off the half hour boat ride Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa found us immediately and we all left San Antonio so we’d have time to get groceries and do laundry and pack so we could leave early on Monday morning for Big Bend National Park. Also in San Antonio I bought Patriick an ice cream that I’d owed him since Europe when he graciously postponed his departure from Saltzburg in order to leave later with me and explore the Sound of Music mountain with me (pronounced Oontesburg, but I forgot how it is spelled). I must include this in my blog so in future I have record that my debts are paid. ;)

This morning we left for Big Bend about 9:30 or so, which was later than I wanted, but we have made good time. I am typing this in the car on our drive, though I assume I’ll not have internet again until I get to El Paso on Wednesday evening. Oh, and yes, since I’m writing, Enrique is driving. He’s finally getting use to this “HUGE” car as he puts it (lol) and to the “cruise control” option. When we said goodbye to Patrick we thanked him profusely and gave him mint chocolate chip spice ice cream as a insignificant “thank you” gift. We felt bad that we couldn’t do more for him, as he was so very kind - always trying to buy our meals for us and giving us that CD.
Along our drive we were stopped by border patrol and had to pull over so Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa could get their passports out of the trunk. They asked where they were from as we unpacked the strategically packed trunk to get to their suitcases. They asked if I was a US citizen and I said yes and they didn’t even ask for my ID! Jeez. But anywa3y, they were very nice and wished us a safe and enjoyable trip. We’ve seen very few cars and towns sicne then (except for border patrol vehicles) but the views have been spectacular. A mix of corn fields and flatlands, with some small hills has now transformed into into spectacular vistas in a rocky and small shrubbery landscape. They mountains are so oddly shaped - with plateau’s and random jagged rock formations on top. We are now less than an hour from Big Bend, so I better wrap this up, but I will end by saying that it is spectacular to see terrain so very different.

Galveston and to Austin

Pics: 1) playing Titanic on the Galveston ferry, 2) a beautiful mansion in Galveston, 3) Carmen, Sam our host, the other Sam, Enrique, and Theresa at dinner, 4) Sam and me after he taught me to surf, 5) the 4 of us with Mike, Julie, and Sam, 6) at 'the' NASA

On Wednesday we woke up leisurely and went down to the beach a little before noon. Our CS host in Galveston, Sam, was already down there teaching kids to surf. The oil has not yet reached Galveston and the water felt great. Enrique and I went straight to the sea while T and C laid out. After a bit we tried to play frisbee but the wind made it difficult, especially for people who'd barely ever played. Finally Sam finished his class around 12:30 and after he ate and returned, he endeavored to teach us how to surf. I must admit I was a little skeptical, but as it turned out, I got up on the 2nd try! I was so proud of myself! lol Carmen tried twice, but didn't want to do it any longer, and Enrique (who'd surfed before) did fairly well, making it up quite a few times (in between some rather nasty spills). While I fell off a bit, the worst problem I encountered was one time when Enrique was pushing the board back into the surf and we were all next to him - a giant wave hit the front of the board and whipped it around smacking me in the neck so hard it thunked and bounced back. I thought it displaced my jugular and was coughing and holding my neck which really hurt. Sam was sort of panicking, and thought he may have to put me on the board and push me back to shore, but after a minute the muscles stopped spasming and I was fine. It feels a bit bruised today, but nothing major. Around 2:30 we finally went back to the house as Sam was darn near falling over from exhaustion and I was quite worried that I'd be very sun burnt from all the waves crashing into me for over an hour.

Once we returned we all took showers and packed up the car, then we took a group picture wit

h Sam, his roomie Mike, and Mike's g/f Julie (who is just as sweet as can be). We were sad to leave, but we had to get going since the NASA space center was on the way to Austin and given the hissy fit Enrique threw when we didn't stop to see th NASA facility on the way to New Orleans, I figured we needed to stop at this one. I hope very much to see Sam and crew again, and that we can all plan a trip to the Outer Banks together, or maybe even Spain. :)

At the NASA facility it cost $5 to park, then they wanted to charge $20 to just go in! We were like "no way!" But then Theresa started talking to the security guard who was French (and she also speaks French) and he told us to go in and say we had a plane to catch at 7 pm and we just wanted to get gift shop passes good for 45 minutes.

That was fine with us since all we wanted to do was take some pictures anyway. So, we got our passes and went in, walked around looking at the different

activity stations and spaceship modules, then went to the gift shop and bought space food for some of our future CS hosts.

Unfortunately, when we left it was rush hour and what should have taken a little under 3 hours to get to Austin, took about 4. We were really happy to finally make it and it was so good to see Patrick again! (I met Patrick last summer in a hostel in Salzburg, Austria where we hung out for several days). After unpacking we played Rock Band until it was time for bed.

Today, we walked all around the University of TX campus where Patrick went to school and ate lunch at Kerby Lane which is a famous Austin restaurant. We also visited the state capitol which was very pretty and went to an art museum on campus.

Patrick knows a ton about the history here so he was basically a guide, giving us random trivia the whole day and often walking backward, just like the real tour guides do! lol It was hot as hades, but we had a good time. After we got back tonight the girls and Patrick all went swimming in the apartment pool while Enrique worked on the computer.

Anyway, it was a very long day so I'm going to bed, exhausted. lol

New Orleans, arrival in Galveston

PICS: 1) the 4 of us on Bourbon St., 2) the girls with Pablo, 3) Carmen and me with the cathedral 4) playing with masks, 5) in a graveyard, 6) Houmus House Plantation

We arrived at our CSers house (her name was Jessica) with a bit of hesitation considering her street looked like the hood and the house next door was a dilapidated haunted looking crack house (not really, it was actually abandoned, b

ut you know, it could have been…). Inside wasn’t a whole lot better considering Jessica’s roommate smokes pot and cigarettes inside the house with

out the windows open and she’s a pig so it was a mess. Jessica is in the process of finding a new place to live.

The house was 4 rooms in a row with the bathroom in the back, so while the front two rooms were a bit more bearable since there were doors

between them all, if we wanted to use the bathroom we had to hold our breath and run. It was rather awful. However, luckily for us, Jessica’s friend Pablo lived in a really nice new condo so after we unloaded our stuff, we went to his place and took showers there. Jessica was really tired and she wanted to go to a party that night so she took a nap at Pablo’s while he took us to the French Quarter. We went from bar to bar in Bourbon Street experiencing the different bands playing in the different bars. We chanced upon a salsa club and Carmen and I danced for a while there. I was rather scandalized by the number of sex shops that blatantly advertised “come here for sex.” Eww. Overall, I wasn’t that impressed, but it was an experience none-the-less.

After that we went back to Jessica’s to go to sleep and she went to her party. The next morning we took the street car into the French Quarter and ate breakfast at Café Beignet (which it turns out was a good move because Café Dumonde - the famous one - had a fire that morning and didn’t reopen until the evening). From there we walked about the FQ by day, taking pictures of all the pretty buildings, and then took another street car up to the cemeteries which were so beautiful. I don’t think we saw the one that was in Double Jeopardy, but it was still cool. Then we walked about half a mile to City Park which was quite beautiful (we saw a blue heron and some other cool birds) and then took the street car back to the French Quarter where we found a mall and ate at the food court and then walked along the Mississippi.

The clouds were sooo beautiful and fluffy against the bright blue sky and on the river there was a breeze that helped combat the humidity. We got to see a river boat and then walked to the French Market where we browsed the shops and Theresa found a guy working in a candy shop who spoke German, which was fun for her.

We met Jessica back at her place around 7 pm, grabbed our stuff, and then went to Pablo’s to shower after having been more or less drenched in sweat all day long. It was so nice of him to let us use his shower both nights. After we left there, we went to grab some late dinner with Jessica then went back to her house to sleep. Oh, and before we went to Pablo’s we witnessed a ghetto fight across the street where 3 or 4 black women were screaming profanities at each other at the top of their lungs. We’ve been laughing about that ever since.

This morning we got up at 8 am and then packed up the car and left around 9. First we headed toward Houmas House which is this beautiful plantation in Louisiana which fabulous gardens. We didn’t go into the house, but we walked through the gardens and took many photos.

On the way to Galveston (where our next CS host was) we passed our first oil rigs and then got to take a ferry across the water to make it to the island of Galveston. It was really fun and we got to see dolphins splashing along next to the ferry.

Our CS host Sam and his roomies (Sam and Mike) live 1 block from the beach and love to surf. They are all marine-biology post-grad students. They surf and scuba dive a lot and study the effects of the oil etc. on marine life. We were so excited to see the house - relatively clean, big, smoke-free, sofas, pull-outs and a free bed. It was like heaven. Lol They have a wide network of friends here so people are constantly in and out.

We went to dinner with Sam, Sam, Mike, and his girlfriend Julie (who was also and English major). They are all so

wonderful and fun to talk to. After dinner, we drove around in Sam’s truck and saw some beautiful mansion homes that are lit up at night. Now we are back at the house chatting it up and enjoying their company. I wish we had more time here….we leave around 4 tomorrow to head to Austin.

7/2/10 On the Way to New Orleans

PICS: 1) me, Carmen, Enrique in Bellingrath Gardens, 2) on a bridge in the gardens, 3) the three girls on a (unbeknownst to us) oil-infested Biloxi

We left Tallahassee at about 8:45 am on Sunday morning and drove to Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Alabama. The gardens were really beautiful, though it was sooo hot. We were drenched in sweat in about 10 minutes. However, thanks to the extreme heat, we were literally the only ones walking around the gardens. It was neat walking down to the dock on the lake (or river?) and sitting with our feet in the water and laying in the shade almost like it was our own personal dock and mansion. ;) We saw some really huge and colorful grasshoppers, all sorts of pretty birds and flowers, and the architecture of the gardens (full of waterfalls and fountains).

When we got back to the giftshop building we had ice creams and then took the US-90 along the coast to New Orleans. We stopped on the way in Biloxi because it was the first beach we’d seen - but it struck us as strange that it was a Sunday and there were almost no people out there. We ran to the water’s edge and put our feet in, ran up and down the sand, and just enjoyed the day for a few minutes. It wasn’t until we were ready to leave that we saw what looked like black rocks and were actually soft - probably oil-soaked sand. As we kept driving toward New Orleans, we noticed people on the beach - in yellow work vests and gloves and trash bags, picking things up and putting them in the bags. So, guess it was good we didn’t actually swim in the water…hopefully our feet were not contaminated. I can’t imagine how Biloxi and other coastal towns must be suffering from this oil spill.

We arrived in New Orleans about 6 pm NO time (7 pm according to our bodies). More to come….

7/9/10 Tallahassee

Pics: 1)Enrique, Lauren, Carmen, Theresa about to leave Charlotte; 2) Carmen and Lauren in front of the old Capitol in Tallahassee; 3) all of us at a Tally park; 4) terror over alligators at Wukulla; 5) at the St. Mark's lighthouse

We arrived in Tallahassee Thursday evening, ate and went to bed. In the car Carmen and I had a long discussion in Spanish which was great - I’m going to speak so much better by the time I return!! We found out that we both love art and have some similar favorite paintings in the London National Gallery. Friday everyone slept in late and then went to the FL History Museum which was interesting since FL was first settled by the Spanish and there are many artifacts from old wrecked Spanish Fleets. They were also impressed by the mastodon skeleton and the 9 foot armadillo from ancient times.

Next we went to the Old Capitol and the New Capitol where we had tours and went to the 22nd floor (in the new one) to look out over Tallahassee. Theresa and Carmen were very impressed by the uniformed security guards and wanted to take pictures with them, but were too shy to ask. Haha

Everyone loved the Spanish moss on the trees, but apparently this is not something they have in Spain, so we don’t know why they have that name. As we looked out over Tallahassee they were like “wow, so many trees!”

Finally, we went to the Mary Brogan museum where they have hands-on exhibits like Discovery Place in Charlotte. Right now they also have a special exhibition where there are old arcade games that we got to play. They closed at 5 and we came home where grandma made a great dinner of stuffed shell pasta. Brian then came over and we taught Theresa, Carmen and Enrique to play spades. We all went to bed fairly early Friday so that we could get up at 8:30 am and get ready to go to Wakulla Springs.

On Friday all of us and Grandma left the house about 10 and went to Wakulla. We went on the boat ride first and we got to see about 6 or 7 alligators, a lot of turtles, along with many cool birds like the snowy egret, white heron, etc. Enrique and Theresa had never seen alligators before, and Carmen had only seen them once in Cancun.

When we were done, we ate a picnic lunch which we’d packed before we left, and then went to the beach part of Wakulla. Grandma was the first one in the freezing 68 degree water, but I was next, followed by Enrique then Theresa. Enrique and I jumped off the lower platform into the deep water, but Theresa was too afraid of somehow hurting herself so she just swam. Carmen got in upto her knees, and she said that was enough of FL spring water for her. Lol

After we left we drove about 15 miles to the St. Marks lighthouse on the Gulf. A storm was blowing in which as pretty cool because the wind was blowing like crazy and we could watch the lightening in the distance. We also saw the oil spill catcher things in the water that are supposed to catch the oil from the spill should it come to the coast here. As of yet it has not.

Once we arrived home everyone changed and then we took Grandma out to dinner at Outback. My cousin Brian met us at Outback and we all went back to Grandma’s to watch Erin Brokovitch together.