Day 9 - July 5, 2013

Day 9 - July 5, 2013

Phoenix, AZ

Temperature 101 degrees

Marriott Canyon Ranch Vacation Villas

This was literally a housekeeping catch-up day.  So I will warn you now – not much happened, you may want to skip to the pictures below, although there are only a few.

I woke up with a cold/allergy thing.  I suspect there used to be feathers in this room, as my eyes were swollen to golf ball proportions.  Rich had to work and I caught up on the trip blog, downloading pictures, updating the road trip budget, paying bills, confirming reservations, reviewing itineraries and laundry.  Phew - work, work, work.  I also ran to the grocery store to get lunch supplies. 

At 11 a.m. I was on duty as the defacto adult-in-charge.  Rich had conference calls and Jan and Jeff had an appointment with the Marriott people (long story).  I made lunch for everyone then we decamped to the Cochran room to have a carpet picnic.  We ate lunch, cleaned up, applied sun-blocked and marched everyone to the pool.  We stayed there for two and a half hours.  The kids were very good to me.  I got to finish the book I’m reviewing, so it looks like I may make my first Click Lit Plus dead line.

I was relieved from duty around 3, when I retired to the room with Bear to type up a quick rough draft.  Then I talked to Kelly for a while, before heading back to the pool, but was intercepted by everyone returning from the pool.  I showered, made frozen pizzas, fed the kids (rinse, wash, repeat).

Rich, Jeff, Jan and I went to the Dessert Ridge Resort for dinner and had a lively time.  Back to the room and to bed, as we have an early departure tomorrow.

 

Day 8 - July 4, 2013

Day 8 – July 4, 2013

Tucson, AZ – Phoenix, Z

144 miles/ 2 hours

Temperature 107

Marriott Canyon Ranch Vacation Villas

Well for days now, the kids have been hounding me, “When are we going to see the Cochrans?”  So when we woke up this morning and Rich asked me if we wanted to take the kids to the pool – I was like, “No.  We need to get to Phoenix, so the kids can see their cousins.” (And so they’ll leave me alone!)

We had a very quick drive north, to Phoenix.  I was nervous that we wouldn’t be able to check in, as we got here before noon, but we lucked out.  The property is amazing!  In no time, we were reunited with Jeff, Jan, Susannah, Jackson & Elizabeth and hanging out by the pool.  The pool is huge, which is a good thing, because you would not believe how many people are here.  It was packed.  It’s been a very long time since we’ve been somewhere this crowded.  We typically hit places in the off-season, both for the cost and to not stress out about the kids and a crowd.  But this was the 4^th of July, so giddy –up!

It was HOT, about 104 at one point, I couldn’t even walk on the cement by the pool without shoes.  But there’s no humidity, so I thought it was quite nice, although I have a feeling I may have been in the minority.

Around 5:00, I brought my boys back to the room (Rich was already there, working), while Audrey opted to hang with her cousins.  She and Beansy (Elizabeth) are thick as thieves.  I probably won’t see much of her over the next week.

We gathered up the troops, to find something to eat.  I was elected the DD and Jan opted to stay at the hotel, so it was me and nine children (including Rich and Jeff).  Jeffy, who I love dearly, was on my last nerve – he knows this, and we’re all good, but I was about to open a can of whoop-***  on him last night.  That’s all I’m going to say, because he’s practically the only family I have left, and I love him very much.

Early to bed, as I think everyone was worn out from the heat, excitement and swimming!

Quote of the day:

Jeffy!  But I can’t print it here!   

 

Never get sick of this!

 

Uncle J & Bear

 

Jackson

 

 

Susannah, Audrey & Elizabeth

 

Jeffy & Cammy

 

 

Daddy & his boys

 

Can you tell by the look on my face I'm over him?

 

Impossible to get all 7 to look and smile at the same time!

 

Yes - believe it or not, we ate at Mimi's Café!  Mimi was Jeff's mom and my Aunt, who passed away about a month ago.

 

Rich, Cam, Jeff

 

Great picture of Hunter!

 

We lost two at dinner!

 

Happy Fourth!

Day 7 - July 3, 2013

Day 7 – July 3, 2013

Las Cruces, NM – Tucson, AZ

277 miles/ 4 ½  hours

Temperatures – 104!

Radisson Suites Tucson, Rooms 303 & 304

I took the kids to the pool right after breakfast, to hang out for an hour or so, while Rich made some work calls.  It was actually very chilly by the pool, at 9a.m.  The kids were bellyaching about how cold they were.  I told them to enjoy while it lasted, because 3 figure temperatures were only hours away!

We hit the road before 11 and I’m going to mercifully spare you all of my ohhhing and ahhing….no droning on about the beautiful views.  I will just let the pictures do the talking.

We got to Tucson at 3:15 – or so we thought.  I think I annoyed the hell out of Rich with my comments and confusion about the time.   I was by the pool, thinking we needed to go in to get ready for dinner, when it dawned on me, with Rich’s confused expression that something wasn’t right.  I’m probably not explaining this correctly, or perhaps this doesn't interest anyone like it did me, but my phone, my laptop, my watch and my brain all registered different times – hours apart!  I actually googled on my phone, "What time is it right now, in Tucson?"  I did not believe Google, because I knew we were in the Mountain Time Zone, because I’d goggled that many times.  Then I googled what time it was in Denver, LA, Chicago and Atlanta, and I didn’t understand how it could be __:00 in Tucson.  Well, they don’t recognize Daylight Savings Time.  Why?  I don’t know.

So…checking in at the hotel, I was greeted by my old friend from the Ritz Carlton days!!!  Jana!!!   I met Jana my fist day the Ritz, in June of 1988.  We haven’t seen each other since I was pregnant with the twins – and that reunion was a bummer, because I was suffering severe morning sickness.  She looks exactly the same – hate herJ!

We all went out to dinner together and caught up.  Poor thing was introduced to the family at their tired, hungry, hyper best!  We went to an old west steak house where they cut off your neck tie, if you are stupid enough to wear one.  It was fun, but our visit was too short.  We’ll just have to come back, because we didn’t realize how close the OK Coral is to Tucson and Richie wants to see it.

Quote of the day:

Rich:  “No it doesn’t,.  It doesn’t, it doesn’t it doesn’t! No sane person would think that!”  This was said emphatically, with a touch of whining and desperation, after I innocently declared that the warm 100 degrees breeze blowing my skirt up felt good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allie & Jana

 

 

 

Day 6 - July 2, 2013

Day 6 – July 2^nd, 2013

Carlsbad, NM – Las Cruces, NM

255 miles/4 ½ hours

Temperature – high of 85 (it has really cooled off! – I’m chilly, most of the time)

Springhill Suites Las Cruces, Rooms 310/312

Poor Rich got up at 3a.m., so he could get some work done.  I guess this won’t be a true vacation for him, after all.  I took the kids to breakfast when we woke up, so he could work in peace.  Then I loaded the car and we were headed to Carlsbad Caverns.

The caverns are in the middle of nowhere!  But it sure is pretty.  The vistas from the top of the mountain are awesome.  We barely made our tour, as we took so long taking pictures of the view.  The tour group consisted of 55 people and the guide urged us to not be too loud, as voices echo.  Yes, thank you for putting me on the edge, lady.  I was bracing myself for Barrett’s rendition of Rubber Dubbers the whole time.  Little did I know that would be the least of my anxiety.

The caves are amazing.  They were only discovered just over a hundred years ago, which is pretty unreal, considering there’s archeological proof that they are thousands of years old.  The pictures I took don’t do it justice.  The stalagmites in the cave are almost like crystal chandeliers.  It was very cold down there, I was freezing.  We were a mile underground, which I tried not to think about.

At one point on the tour, they turned the lights out – and it was true darkness.  I have no idea how a 16 year old (the age of the man who discovered the Caverns in 1897) would have had the gumption to enter the cave, with just a lantern.  It was during the dark period, that we had “the incident”.   After the lights went out, someone in my family – wasn’t me, I know it wasn’t Cammy, because he was sitting on my lap, wasn’t Bear, because he would have recited his standard comment when this happens, so it was one of the other three, who mortified me.  Based on the snickers, my money is on Hunter or Rich.  Well, we are in complete darkness, and it is very, very quiet – until we hear _______.  Can you guess what the sound was?  Yep.  And they just laughed.  If it hadn’t been totally black with darkness, I would have been able to tell who it was, based on the face.  I literally can’t take them anywhere.

After the caverns, we started our journey to Las Cruces, but then saw a sign that indicated there would be no gas stations for 150 miles – so back to the city of Carlsbad we went….a 50 mile round trip.  Sucked.

The drive southwest, back to Texas, around El Paso, and north to Las Cruces was beautiful.  Well to be honest, parts of El Paso are most definitely not beautiful.  I know you must be sick of my musings about this, but it is truly part of God’s country.  We are so lucky to do this and I am so sad that some people will never see it.  The topography of the country is so varied and so amazing.

In Las Cruces, we just checked in, swam, and then walked to Applebee’s for dinner.  We were tired!

Quote of the Day:

Audrey:  “There is something wrong with this family.”  This after Barrett passed gas at the dinner table, giving his standard tag line, “Did you fart?  Say excuse me.”  Then Camden smelled his butt to verify?!  Then he dramatically fell back on the booth, breathlessly declaring, “Yep.”  Why I’m telling you this, I do not know.

"Get your motor runnin'...."

Wide open spaces!

Day 5 - July 1, 2013

Day 5 – July 1^st

Austin, TX – Carlsbad, NM

477 miles/ 7 hours

Temperature – a Surprisingly, a balmy 75 degrees! ?

Fairfield Inn Carlsbad

Happy July 1^st! Reinforcements have arrivedJ))))!  Wooo-Hooo.

But first, I must start at the beginning.   Bear had a rough night.  He started singing about 2:30 a.m.  Hunter appeared to be awake (although he doesn’t remember this), as well.  I pleaded with Bear to hush and to go back to sleep.  It worked for a little while, but he seemed to rouse me every 20 minutes. I’d had grandiose ideas about hitting the gym at 6.a.m and gave up those aspirations around 4a.m.  Finally, somehow, I was able to coax the wild man into slumber about 4:30.

When the alarm went off at 6 I was NOT happy, but I got up anyway.  Quickly showered, woke the kids, ushered them to a lackluster buffet, loaded up the luggage cart, and got the car.  Then I discovered that we’d (or rather my car) had been BOMBED by birds!  It was revolting.  Apparently this happens quite a bit, because the hotel gave me a voucher for a carwash at the Circle K.  I gratefully took them up on it!  I was also hoping it wasn’t an omen for the day.

Luckily our route, heading SW from Austin, was not heavily traveled on a Monday morning!  It was truly easy getting out of the city.  The drive into the Hill Country of Texas was amazing.  I absolutely loved it.  We drove through the cutest little town, Fredericksburg, TX, and I really wished we’d had the time to stop and explore.  But I was on a mission to pick up daddy!  About a half hour after Fredericksburg we dropped off the grid for a while.  I was literally in the middle of nowhere; I didn’t even have cell service.   Then we made it to I10 and the skies gently opened up.  The rain wasn’t so bad, but the grey overcast was a bummer, because the countryside was amazing and I can’t even imagine what it would’ve looked like under full sun and a crystal blue sky.  Still – the rolling hills, rocks, and mini mountains were unbelievable

Then we exited I10, heading NW on back roads and our surroundings lost their luster.  Very barren and desolate.  Kind of spooky, actually.  We passed through 3 towns and there were zero lunch options.  I kept throwing bags of chips to the back of the car for the kids.

So we made it to Carlsbad and upon first impression, seemed like a one horse town.  I have a review due on Monday and I left the book in Dallas (I know, big screw up), so I googled B& N and found one on the University of NM’s Carlsbad campus.  Dudes – the campus consists of one big building and the B&N was smaller than the student book store at Loyola University, in 1987!  They didn’t have the book.

So we headed to the “airport” to get daddy.  The airport terminal is smaller than our first house.  And this is the text I got from Rich, while on the Airplane:  “For the record…this was the mother of all bad ideas…never again.  F*** me.”  Uh–oh.

The skies in Carlsbad were clear and sunny, so I figured he was over-reacting, but the texts continued.  Richie made it safely, but he sure didn’t look good when we saw him.  But how cool is this?  We were able to greet him on the tarmac?!?!?!  There was no security and the pilot was also the ticket agent.  What a throwback.  Something to be said about small towns.

We brought him to the hotel and had a quick swim.  Then we headed to Chili’s, which appeared to be the top of the line based on my earlier recognizance.  Well Chili’s handed me a buzzer and told me it’d be an hour and a half – on a Monday night!  Wha-wha?  Rich said no.  So we went on the hunt.  Well that’s the thrill of a road trip, we found Shangri-La, in the form of Yellow Brix, the best damn restaurant in Carlsbad.  They had a kids menu that resulted in clean plates, even though Bear’ chicken nuggets were homemade (he usually prefers processed crap).  Rich and I got fancy wine.  He got a fancy fillet and I got a designer salad that rivaled the Bistros of Sonoma.  And we had FUN.  Goes to show, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, I amend my one horse town opinion.

GOOD Day – the gang’s back together!

Quote of the day: 

Hunter, with great exasperation, “This is my worst nightmare.”  After Audrey spit out a piece of my salad that she’d wanted to taste.

The little airport.

Waiting for daddy

I don't think I'd be comfortable on that plane!

WOw - look at his expression - he kissed the ground after this.

 

Daddy being daddy.