Zig-zagging

 A quick glance at the odometer this morning tells me we are almost due for an oil change. 

We’ve traveled almost 3500 miles since leaving home 18 days ago. 

No words

 Just photos 

Lots to see

 . . . and do. 

But first, the news:

Mrs. Duckworth (aka Ducky), took a 6th overall in her grouping. 

That was yesterday. 

Today we are tourists, eyeballing how those with the resources stay in San Antonio. 

The Emma Hotel offers a room for about $600 a night. 

That’s the bar and salon. 

I wanna see what you get for that kind of money. 

It’s easier to walk here

 …and you see more

Not the Alamo

San Antonio, TX

We’re here for the gymnastics, and to visit some friends 

Out of the hills

 So we visited my cousin in Boerne, TX and decided we we have to come back to finish catching up. 

Now we pick up Ducky and her mom at San Antonio Airport, for the next gymnastics competition. 

Currently watching I-10 and planes landing. 

Resting mode

 Today we’re leaving friends and driving about two hours to family. 

Here are some photos from Big Bend. 

I would caption them, but phone blogging sucks. Just know that three of the five are at Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande; the fourth is an abandoned working windmill; and no. 5 is in the ether somewhere and unimportant 

I took exactly one photo today

 In a parking lot at the H-E-B in Burnet, TX. 

Nice tree, huh?

Where’d the day go?

 I dunno, but none of it was wasted. 

Here’s some filler 

Spelunking?

 Carlsbad Caverns NP

I came up with my own names for the last two:

Kinda looks like the Grinch in the second photo. 

The third photo looks a lot like Jaba the Hut. 

We also visited Guadalupe Mountains NP, but MB gets all the glory of photography for it. 

Catching up

 So… there was a minor mishap, and now we have an appointment to replace the windshield when we get to San Antonio on Thursday.

It’s okay it was dirty.

This morning, after breakfast we backtracked a little.

From where we stopped we could see White Sands about 20 miles to the west.

What we really wanted to see was an “abandoned” railroad trestle over Spanish Canyon.

On the road again

 

Just one of many we traveled yesterday. 

This was Apache Pass Road. 

It saved an hour. 

Friday cat

 

Extra post

 Saguaro NP

And

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 

Glitchy

Tuesday’s video finally uploaded when I was able to transfer it to the iPad.

Cell service isn’t at all what I am accustomed to.

I’m mostly at the mercy of the wifi connection wherever we’re staying.

Here are some photos from yesterday:

Those who have access to MB’s feed on koobecaf are being treated to some really nice photos 

Today

 

Not sitting still much

A little fun… then a long drive

 But first:

What’s missing from yesterday’s post is the explanation that we drove up the backside of the ridge behind the Badwater Basin, which more than 280 feet below sea level. 

The place where I shot the photo, Dante’s View, is 5,575 feet above sea level, and is very windy and cold.

Sunday we were at Las Vegas for a gymnastics competition where MB’s granddaughter, Ducky, was participating. I have 

She placed fourth overall in her level and age group. 

After having lunch with her and her mom, and several others, we filled The Grey Lady’s fuel tank and headed toward Phoenix, with a brief stop to see an imported landmark.

We went back again

We might not come this way again.

We had our ups and down

We had 'em in spades. 

 First, it was the temperature. it dropped to 37° from 47°. Before very long it was 57°. 

Eventually it reached 78° degrees. 

Then, there was the elevation. 

Started at 2400 ft, climbed to about 4500 feet. 

We drove down into a valley at 2800 feet then up to a summit just shy of 5000 feet. Downhill once more, really down, all the way below sea level.

 Future posts may not be so chatty, the iPad and blooger do not play well together.

Friday cat(s)

source: daily timewaster

 "Starlink dishes give off heat during winter months, and the cats know about it."

Hitting the road

...when we can see it

We're off to other places again

We have a plan. 

We leave on Thursday.

There will be no laptop.

An effort will be made to post a picture each day.

There may be cats on Fridays.

six weeks   . . . again!

Friday cat

 First cat of the year.

Blabbing and . . .

 Over at Sarge’s place they have music.

Here all you get is words today.

That’s because I totally forgot to take pictures of the Split Pea Soup I concocted yesterday.

I also forgot to make the cornbread.

C’est la vie.

Ketchup*

 Tuesday, December 28, 2021

There was some clearing, but no warming, so we cleaned the accumulation of snow from the Gray Lady and headed down the road.
The road in the photo is the only one that had yet to be plowed.
The highways were covered in "Road Snot" so we were constantly using the window washer, which we had to defrost before it would work.

We drove as far as Cottage Grove, OR , where we stayed the night, for two reasons.

1. It was getting dark.
2. There were mountains.

It was 35⁰, too, and dropping.

Ice is not my friend.

 Wednesday, December 29, 2021

We found there had been no new snow overnight and were pleased to find that the roads were quire clear and almost dry, with very little "Road Snot."

There was plenty of snow on the ground all the way to Shasta Lake in the Northstate¹.

The Sun even shined on us occasionally, however Mt Shasta was invisible to us once more.

The only photo from that part of the trip is from lunch, a burrito bowl from one of my old haunts.

I'd say that was the best part of the trip, but not having to chain up trumps it.

We arrived home around 5:00pm as it started to rain.

 Thursday December 30, 2021

MB has temporarily unretired, and she had to go in to work, so I had to rest up for both of us.
I supposed I could've taken a photo of the pool being drained enough for the skimmer to work or of the hummingbirds showing their appreciation for the freshly filled feeder, but, as I said, I was resting for two.

source: Incidental Comics

*play on words

¹ the part of California that's north of Northern California