A much bettter day!

Today was a nice leisurley day. I decided to take my time and to stop at as many rest areas and tourist info centers as we wanted. This really broke up the day. I still made it to Lincoln, IL tonight, so now I only have 300 miles to go tomorrow. Then I will be home! Also, tonight we found Kickapoo Creek Park. It had a lot of land with many many trails. We went on a couple of longer trails and Moon Shadow loved it. She ran a lot and seemed thrilled with the leaves and grass.

A Tiring Day

I started early this morning in the dark, hoping to make as many miles as possible. I wanted to make it at least to Joplin and maybe even farther. It ended up being a very long and tiring drive. There was construction going through Tulsa and the toll roads took up time as well. Oklahoma does not have any rest areas. They only have "picnic areas" that do not have bathrooms. This means that I stopped at McDonalds along the way. Each time you got off the toll road, you had to show them your receipt and get a refund at the exit and then pay as you got back on the turnpike. Talk about a pain! Then I had to make stops for Moon Shadow that were separate from my stops. Overall, I ended up making 530 miles. I was pretty much ready to stop driving an hour before Joplin, but the area that the hotels were located at were not very good. They were basically a gas station and a hotel next to a field and dirt roads. So, I pushed on and made it to Carthage, MO. I still have about 700 miles to go. At least Missouri and Illinois have rest areas!

Las Cruces to Vega, Texas

I made it to Vega, Texas today. It was about a 400 mile drive. I drove on US 54, which goes through the valley of many different mountains. It was very scenic. I had a hard time finding places to stop, as the towns were very small and far between. They didn't have much in the way of parks, etc. I think Moon Shadow is feeling confined in the car, as she sits up and looks at me like "when are we going to stop?" She doesn't sleep at all when we are driving. I know she will be happy when we finally get back to our home where things are familar and where she can go to all of the parks she ever wanted to.

Also, today I had to go through another border patrol inspection. Brent and I went through one coming from Tubac, AZ. Some times they just set them up on the highway. The one I went through today was a permanent one. Yesterday I saw 4 border patrol trucks that pulled over a car on the side of the highway.

I am posting some of the images from yesterday's blog of the crows flying into the wind. I heard this morning on local news that there were actually gusts of 50 mph yesterday. It definately felt that way!

A Blustery Goodbye

I headed for home today after dropping Brent off at the airport. I left in the pouring rain. Little did I know I was going to be in for sleet, snow, then rain, then 40 mph winds! As I drove through Texas Canyon (in Arizona), the elevation increased and the temperature dropped from 48 degrees to 32 degrees. Then came the sleet and snow. It also was real foggy and mysterious driving past these huge boulders covered in snow. As I drove out of the snow, I stopped at a rest area. When I got out of the car, I couldn't believe the wind. I didn't feel it in the car, as it was blowing directly behind me. I found out later on there were gusts of 40 mph. With the wind, came the dark dramatic skies and the tumble weeds blowing across the highway. I never had such an entertaining drive! I decided to stop in Las Cruces, NM. When I took Moon Shadow for a walk at their State Park, there were crows flying everywhere. They would perch on the side of this dirt mound that ran along the road and then almost jump into the air to glide in the wind. After a while they would come back down to rest and then do it all over again. They looked like they were having such a good time.

Sabino Canyon

Yesterday, Brent and I went for a 4 mile hike at Sabino Canyon. It was a beautiful warm day. The water was high from all of the rain. The most exciting part was at the end of the hike. We had to cross a river that was up to our knees in some parts. I had to roll up my pants and of course our hiking boots got soaked! The water was very cold!

Today we are packing things up, cleaning our little rental house, and doing laundry. Brent flies home tomorrow and I start for home. We had a great time on this journey.

The Desert Museum and the Historic Downtown Walk

We had a very full day today. We went to the Desert Museum near the Saguaro National Park. It was a beautiful sunny day. They have live Predator Bird Demonstrations every day. We were able to see a raven, hawks, and a road runner fly above us and perched on trees. They fly back and forth to their keepers because of the easy food. They truly are amazing creatures.

Then I had an appointment at the Old Pueblo Frameworks and Gallery in Tucson. I met with the owner, Kathi. She ended up taking 6 of my shadow boxes. It felt so good being the artist having a gallery owner take my artwork, instead of the other way around, which I was very familiar with when I had my gallery. I really felt good about having my artwork in her beautiful gallery. Her website can be viewed at http://www.oldpueblogallery.com/

Then after this, Brent and I went for a walk with Moon Shadow along the old historic route in downtown Tucson. We saw some really amazing adobe buildings, St. Augustine Cathedral, old courthouses, etc. One really beautiful place was The Wishing Shrine. Many people come to burn candles and pray, asking for help with their problems. They say if you light a candle and it doesn't burn out over night, your wish will come true. Of course Brent and I each made a wish!

Saguaro National Park and DeGrazia's Studio

Yesterday Brent and I went through Ted DeGrazia's Museum of artwork. He had quite an impressive array of work. My favorites were his paintings of myths from Arizona. We also saw the paintings he did while studying with Diego Rivera. These paintings were in oil and were much heavier than his later pieces. He also worked in clay, bronze, watercolor and built his own gallery and studio. He was quite a man. I took one photo of his studio.

Today Brent and I were able to go out to Saguaro National Park. We went to both the East side and West side. We were more impressed with the views of the West side. They also have a little hiking trail on the West side that takes you to the petroglyphs. You can actually get close to them. The Saguaros are amazing. They grow all the way up the sides of mountains. How they hang on, I will never know. Native American Indians tell a creation story of how people came from Sagauros. They say that at dusk and dawn, the Saguaros look very similar to people. We had a great day, even though it rained on and off and was only in the 50's.