Saturday, November 29, 2008

Surprise!

We surprised everyone by making it to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. We first stopped at Peggy's (Bill's sister) and completely surprised all of them. Then we drove to my mom and dad's and they weren't expecting us. Especially since the day before we told them we were still in Arkansas.

I promise I will update everyone on what's been going on the last 2 weeks. I especially need to list the birds from the Crane Festival. It was really great! If you are a birder and have never been to the Bosque del Apache NWR, I highly recommend it. You don't necessarily have to go during the Festival of the Cranes, but I would highly recommend you go at that time. Quite frankly, you could call it the festival of the Snow Geese for how many were there.

Now that we are settled for a while, I'll be able to get pictures posted and update you on the last 2 to 3 weeks of this leg of the trip.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Quick Check in

Just a quick check in to let you know that I haven't forgotten the blog. We spent a really great week in Socorro, New Mexico at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge during the Festival of the Cranes. Never did see the Sungrebe. But I did get a few new birds.

Right now, we're on the road traveling East. Don't know when we'll actually reach our destination, but when we do, I'll update you on what we've done the last 2 weeks or so. Lots of pictures, too.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Santa Fe, New Mexico

We made it to Santa Fe and have been here the last 3 days. It's a very nice place. Even though it's the capital of the state, it doesn't seem to be out of control. You can get around the place easily. It's just a little expensive to live here.

We went to 3 brew pubs while we've been here. And 2 wineries. The first winery was the Santa Fe Winery. The wines were OK, but the guy who was pouring had no personality and it seemed like they didn't do wine tastings very often. They have another tasting room downtown in a gallery and I have a feeling we should have gone there instead. The winery itself is in Espanola, and that's where we went. We were served our samples in plastic cups. It didn't give a great first impression of New Mexico wineries. But then we went further north to Black Mesa Winery. Now THIS is a winery. They had great wines, and the gal who poured was very knowledgeable and helpful. We even got to take our tasting glasses. One of the wines they have here is called Santa Fest and they serve it warm with cinnamon sticks. Talk about the best winter drink! And their signature wine is Coyote. It's a red wine that even Bill liked.

We're heading to Albuquerque today. But we're only going to be there one day. Then it's off to Socorro and the main reason for being here. The Festival of the Cranes!! Expect lots of pictures. Then it's off to the East coast for Christmas. We're still not exactly sure what we're doing for Thanksgiving. It's going to depend on where we are and what the weather is like. Hopefully it will only take us 5 to 7 days to get there. All I can say is that the first place we hit had better have a bath tub, because that's where I'll be for a couple of days.

I'll post from the Festival of the Cranes.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Woke up this morning...

...to this. In Flagstaff. Clearly we are still too far north.

OK, I know. It will be gone in about an hour, but that's not the point.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

More Pictures

American Coot London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ Sunrise at the Grand Canyon The sign at the entrance to the park

Arizona - Grand Canyon

As you can tell from the title, we have made it to Arizona. The altitude is getting to me, though. And it's extremely dry here. I've had a headache since we got here. Other than that, the Grand Canyon is absolutely beautiful! You look out at these rocks and it reminds you that you are a mere speck in the world. We watched the sun go down and then, in a true act of altitude insanity, got up at 5am this morning to watch the sun rise. Only it was cloudy, so it wasn't as spectacular as we had hoped.

We will be spending the next 2 nights in Flagstaff. Still at a high altitude, but it doesn't feel as bad. Tomorrow we want to go to Sedona. We have to start on our way to Socorro soon for the Festival of the Birds. Oh, speaking of birds, I have added some to my list: Gambels' Quail, Great-Tailed Grackle, Mountain Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Pinon Jay, and a California Gull.

Enjoy the pictures.