Day 6: Carlsbad to Albuquerque

This morning we had our first try at breaking camp and completely repacking the van. It took longer than expected, but went fairly smoothly. We turned north out of the campground, and our first stop was Roswell and the International UFO Research Center and Museum. Cheesy and touristy, but fun. The souvenirs were especially amusing. Afterward we went to the world's only UFO-themed McDonalds and ate ice cream cones next to Ronald McDonald in a space suit.

We then found our way to Albuquerque and our KOA campsite just off old Route 66. Putting tents up in daylight and without a storm brewing, proved less stressful. As the sun was beginning to descend, we went upward on the world's longest tramway to the top of Sandia Peak. We saw a magnificent sun set and watched as Albuquerque's night lights came on. Our plan was to go to Garduno's Mexican restaurant, but the nearest branch was permanently closed and by the time we got to another branch it was closed for the night. Eventually we found a 24-hour Mexican restaurant called Federico's. It was good food, fast, filling and inexpensive. We finally got back to our tents about midnight.

Day 4: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Carlsbad, New Mexico

Heather: What a long, terribly long, excruciatingly long day. It took 13 hours to drive 550 miles, when you include stops for bathroom, gasoline, eating, photographing and shopping. We met some nice people today - two ladies at a welcome center just in Oklahoma, and the Mayor of Cookietown, Oklahoma. We're Girl Scouts, so we just couldn't resist a stop in Cookietown!! But like so many small towns, as soon as the interstate was built, Cookietown disintegrated. Now it has just has a Mayor - who is also Police Chief, Fire Marshall and City Administrator. As we entered Texas, the roads became straighter and seemingly flatter, a gradual increase in 3000 feet of altitude. The vegetation changed from cotton and peanut plants, to prairie covered in mesquite bushes, and finally to prickly pears, chollo and yuccas. Lunch was at the world's first Prairie Dog Town in Lubbock, Texas, and we raced against thunderstorms all late afternoon. We finally found our campsite and managed to put tents up before it got too, too dark (some flashlight was required for putting in the last few tent pegs). Standing still is definitely underrated!

Janelle: I am definitely not in Kentucky anymore. Kentucky is all green in the summertime, and although New Mexico is much greener than I had pictured it, it's certainly not the Emerald City. The ground is all gravel and red dirt, speckled with cacti and scrubby brush and plants that look like extraterrestrial life forms. The landscape alternates between plains and mountains, and on the prairies I can see all the way to the edge of the world. In the towns all the buildings are adobe or brick, so that they match the desert around them. Even places like Target or Walgreens, which I'm used to seeing in colors like white or blue, are orange and brown here. We have to watch out for such creatures as scorpions and rattlesnakes--and ticks, because it turns out they can carry bubonic plague here. This desert is beautiful, but it all seems so alien to me, like something from another planet. In many ways New Mexico feels more like a foreign country than England ever did.

Day 5 - Carlsbad Caverns

Last night I learned a lesson about practicing what you preach. I accidentally left some Hersey kisses in my day pack, and when I used my day pack for a pillow I found out why you should never take sweets into your tent. Little fire ants found the chocolate and were kind of mad at me for interrupting their feast. They were all over me and the sleeping bag, biting me and eventually Charles. Charles woke up as I was trying to brush them off my arms and legs, and all Anna heard Charles say, "Heather, you can't kill them all," so she decided to stay quiet and pretend to be asleep. Charles and I slept in the van.

I had been to Carlsbad Caverns before, when I was about 5 years old and we were living in Lubbock, TX. The cave formations were impressive, but the bats really stole the show. It had been unpleasant weather the night before, so few bats flew out. That made our show even more impressive. Thousands and thousands of bats flew out of their cave and swirled around the cave entrance a few times, before flying off to find water. We watched for 45 silent minutes, and only left because we couldn't see any more, but the bats were still coming out.

Day 3: Oklahoma City

Heather: After visiting St Joseph's Old Cathedral for Mass this morning, we ventured across the street to the Oklahoma City National Monument. The only more moving monument to loss of American life that I know is Arlington Cemetery. The entire site holds grief and symbolism and gratitude that all equal hope and rebuilding and courage. I hate to say I have a favorite part, but I really connected with the Survivor Tree, an American Elm that stood outside the Murrah Building. Despite being severely damaged in the blast, the tree survived. As a matter of fact, the Survivor Tree is twice a survivor, because it was originally planted in the back yard of a private home in the 1920s, that was torn down in order for the Federal Building to be built on the site. The tree survived. The worst part was seeing the children who were killed in the onsite day care, and the interviews with their parents who hoped their babies had survived when I already knew that they had not. The Oklahoma City National Momument was far more moving than I expected it to be, and more inspiring.

Janelle: I have never before encountered a museum that literally moved me to tears. When I entered the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum it was like stepping back in time--like 9:02 am on April 19, 1995, had been permanently frozen between two enchanted gates, and I was actually there, experiencing it, as a terrorist's bomb blew up in front of the Murrah Building and killed 168 people. It's hard to describe the museum without going on for pages and pages about it; it's really something you need to experience for yourself. But I can say that it truly is a testament to the goodness and resilience of the human spirit--and, unfortunately, to its potential evil as well. To think that someone would actually load up a truck with explosives and park it intentionally in front of a building full of innocent people--and children...
In the Gallery of Honor I found a little girl named Jaci Coyne who died in the explosion on that day. She was born on February 9, 1994--just one day before I was born. She would be the same age as me now, sixteen years old, if she had lived...

Day 2: West Memphis, Arkansas, to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Heather: We made real good time, driving to Oklahoma City. We spent 454 miles just on I-40 West today. That's over nine hours, when you have to make 2 bathroom breaks and a lunch break. It sure felt nice to arrive at our fabulous hotel suites and get ourselves into the hotel pool. The supper I pre-prepared at home was extra good, and then we gathered around the laptop to watch a chick flick. We were going down to the pool again this evening, but everyone was too tired, so it will be showers and bed for all of us.

Janelle: So much driving in only two days. We've been on the road almost nonstop since 5:15 the other day--and I am proud to say that I have not once asked for a bathroom break (though I did take advantage of it every time someone else did). The Super 8 we stayed at last night was incidentally not all that super, but for one night it was adequate--and in any case it was preferable to sleeping in the van. (I must say that the van is quite spacious, though--probably the biggest vehicle I've ever ridden in, excepting buses and airplanes.) Our hotel here in Oklahoma City is much nicer. Funny, then, that my inner hillbilly would choose to manifest itself HERE--I've been walking around barefoot more than my mother would ever allow, and if it's possible I think my accent may have gotten thicker...We'll see if I do anything truly embarassing at mass tomorrow morning.

Day 1: Sturgis, Kentucky to West Memphis, Arkansas

Heather: So far I have forgotten two things. First, I didn't pack our hiking poles, which is not a really big deal. Maybe I'll "borrow" from someone else. Second, I forgot to tell the Girl Scout parents the address for this blog. I guess I was too excited to get going!