Last Day

Thursday March 17, 2011

This morning we got up (not quite as early this time) and drove to Abilene.  We went to the Abilene Zoo and it was a blast!  We saw five lion cubs, ocelots (they looked like baby leopards), lots of snakes, an allegator, flamengos, a bob cat, a jaguar, etc., etc., etc.

We ate some snacks then got back on the road.

We drove back to Dallas and arrived around 4:00.

Overall, it was a fabulous trip!  The kids had fun although they were rather misbehaved at times.  Of course Nick and I were too since we're not used to being that close to each other for that many days in a row.

Thanks to my old iPhone, the leapster, the leap pad and of course, the DVD player, the kids were great car travelers.  We are looking forward to our next NP adventure.

Monahans

Wednesday March 16, 2011

We got up early again, ate breakfast, then hit the road.  We drove south through Pecos, TX then went to Monahans Sandhills State Park.  We bought two "sleds" then found a picnic table.  We "sled" around for a while.  It was not as easy as it looked. In fact, it didn't work very well but the kids were troopers and the sleds will be a blast when it's icy again.

We ate our picnic then got back on the road.

Just outside of Odessa, TX, we stopped, very briefly at the Crater Museum.  It's the sight of the second largest crater to ever hit Texas.  There wasn't much to see but we went ahead and got out of the car and took the very short hike.  The signs said to stay on the path because the snakes were alive and active.  That freaked the kids out a bit.

We got back in the car and drove to Midland.  We checked into our Holiday Inn Express (a suite this time!) and got cleaned up.

Then we went across the highway to a bowling alley where we FINALLY got to bowl for the first time ever.  The kids had a blast.  They put the bumpers on the lane for us and even had a ramp for the kids to use.

We had dinner at Olive Garden.  Ryan was so excited because she got to drink her chocolate milk in a wine glass.  We then went to Swenson's for ice cream and headed back to the hotel.  We all watched "Meet the Robinsons" then went to bed.

This was another great day!

National Park #2 (Carlsbad)

Tuesday March15, 2011
We got up this morning and ate breakfast at the hotel.  There was a group of 90 middle school kids that arrived at our hotel the night before and they had taken over the kitchen area at the hotel so we ate in the lobby.

Then we drove to Carlsbad Caverns NP.  We bought entrance tickets then visited the gift shop where we bought magnets and hat pins for the kids (we bought the same at Guadalupe Mountains). 

We attempted to enter through the natural entrance but on our way down to the entrance, Grant fell and was crying.  The park ranger advised us that he was too young (and loud) to make it down the 1 mile hike.  So we went back to the ranger station and went down the elevator.  You can make it down the equivalent of 75 floors in less than one minute.

When we got off the elevator, the kids were amazed.  We hiked the Big Room hike and had a great time.  We bribbed the kids and told them that if they didn't scream and didn't run, they would get cave hats (hard hats with lights). 

Upon completing the hike and eating a snack, we emerged from the caves and headed back to Carlsbad.  We took the 9 mile "scenic" drive first.  Dad had more fun than the rest of us.

We ate at Chili's before driving to the Living Desert Zoo.  The zoo was cool.  We saw a road runner, a pack of wolves, prairie dogs, etc.  Grant was exhausted but overall, it was fun.  It was very hot so we drank some water and ate skittles before returning to the room.

We took another nap, then got cleaned up and tried, again, to go bowling.  Well, at 6:15 on a Tuesday night, they were full.  The place was a dump.  We played arcade games for a bit but they kept taking out money so we left.

We had dinner at Lucy's Mexicali.  We had to wait forever for a table and our food so after we ate we went straight back to the room and went to bed.  It was a great day!

National Park #1

Sunday, March 13, 2011
Well today we began our national park ("NP") quest.  Since before we had kids, I had the crazy desire to make sure our kids get to every NP before they graduate from college. We left Dallas at around 6am and drove to Abilene where we stopped to have breakfast at Whataburger.  We kept driving and stopped in Andrews, Texas to stretch our legs.  Grant met a nice man who let him ride on his "bicycle".  He was very excited because I've told him since he was born that he will never ride a motorcycle as long as he lives in my house!

We arrived in Carlsbad around 1pm.  We checked into the Holiday Inn Express then ate lunch at Cortez Famous Mexican Restaurant.  Whenever we eat Mexican food, Grant (age 3) gets a side of rice and Ryan (age 5) gets a side of beans.  It works out well.

We went back to the hotel and sat in the hot tub and swam in the indoor pool (which is why we chose this hotel). Ryan, who is a great swimmer, is also going through a phase of being extremely shy when trying anything new that involves people she doesn't know.  She did not want to swim because there were other people in the pool.  She even went and stood in the corner for a while.  But eventually she gathered up some courage, got it, and really enjoyed swimming with her friend she made from Houston, Georgia, also 5.

After swimming, we went to Walmart to pick up a few things and Grant fell asleep in the car so we grabbed some Subway sandwiches and went back to the hotel.  Ryan, Nick and I had a picnic on the curb outside of our hotel because they were re-finishing the floors and it stank!  In the process, Ryan stubbed her toe BADLY (blood everywhere) and I was sure we'd be hearing about it the rest of the trip but she was a trooper.