July 6, 2007
Meredith:

Our big trip has finally begun! I've never seen the Texas landscape more beautiful. All the rain we've had this summer has turned the countryside many shades of green. We passed a gigantic golden sea of sunflowers, all the more vibrant against the green backdrop. Had I been thinking, I would have pulled over to take several pictures to contribute to Nana's watercolors. Oh well, at least it's on my mind now!

It's been a tour of classic Texas scenery. Bulky longhorns, romping baby calves, grazing sheep and goats, majestic horses -- as we head farther west, I'm sure the scenery will soon shift from livestock to oil pumps.
Just before Goldthwaite, we found a spot to capture a snapshot of green countryside. As we turned around, we saw a rainbow! Pretty colors in the blue sky -- and pictures to document it!

Goldthwaite -- a one-word tongue-twister. I almost stopped to ask the locals (perhaps at the Wagon Wheel restaurant -- gotta love these little Texas towns) how they pronounce it.
The clouds in the sky are so impressive. Pictures definitely can't do them justice. Huge, mighty rainclouds surrounded by patches of blue sky.... Throw a sunset in there, with its cast of orange and reddish hues -- a sight to behold.

Tonight is Lubbock. Tomorrow -- Sante Fe for lunch and then north to Colorado.
Click image for more photos.
Logan: Start of trip to Colorado

We started behind schedule. Fastest time we'll get to Lubbock is 10:30. Started raining at 7:39.

I'm at Part 2 in my book. Passed a huge field of sunflowers. Loki is probably going to eat at least 2 things while we're gone. We will have lots to put in the journal.

Long live Rayquaza!
Nolan:

CHAPTER 1: We're going on the road.

We're on the road and saw a huge sunflower field and saw longhorns and dad is home and I a'm sad for him and I whished he could come.

CHAPTER 2: We're going to colorado.

We're staying in a hotel for the night and win we wacke up we will woch the prairie dogs and feed them grass and we're staying in Lubbock. and we so a flooded Plain station and saw cows on a Hill and saw Horses and mowtins and sheep.
July 7, 2007
Meredith:

1pm: Well, I'm not sure whether to admit this, but my first impression of Lubbock -- at least at 1 in the morning when we arrived -- is that it smells odd. A definite odor in the air.

It was pretty interesting yesterday -- we drove up our first "mountain" in Brownwood, and since then it's been flat. Flat grazelands and farms, flat Lubbock -- even the houses in Lubbock are all one-story -- making it appear even more... well, flat. Not a single oil pump, by the way. I guess I was thinking of the roads toward El Paso.
The prairie dogs this morning were cute and entertaining. They barked like squeaky dog toys and wiggled their tails to warn one another if we seemed too near. They appeared to enjoy the carrots we brought. We dropped the spinach leaves at a tunnel head so the prairie dogs can hopefully enjoy them later.
Driving into New Mexico, we're beginning to see gradual terrain differences. Still flat at first, but as we head farther north, we see some long subtle hills. The dirt has turned red, and we talked about adobe and what it's used for. Fact-kid Logan started listing names of Native American groups who used adobe and their locations. I'm happy we are getting to see with our eyes the very things the kids have read about in books or learned in school.
We can see for miles around us. Even though this terrain is dry and scattered with shrubs, it is beautiful.
1:44pm: The speed limit on the interstate in New Mexico (I-40) is 75!
2:40pm: Not too far from Clines Corners we climbed a long hill -- the first time the semi trucks had to slow down. We saw a big hill covered in taller trees -- an oddity out here but a sign of things to come.
And in the distance to the north, a faint mountain range was visible. And sure enough, as we turned north off the interstate toward Santa Fe, more mountain ranges cropped up. It's official -- we are heading to the mountains! The kids and I cheered and high-fived each other.

We've enjoyed the many mesas we've seen along the way. I like the mini-mesas. They're cute.
I knew Santa Fe had lots of adobe buildings, but I didn't know EVERY building was adobe or adobe-like. Culturally speaking, though, it was pretty cool. We walked through the plaza area. Expensive!
North of Santa Fe we began passing through our first mountain range. As the mountains got taller, sounds of "Oh my! Oh my!" were coming from Nolan in the backseat.
We saw rivers and gorges. The gorges were gorgeous. Ahem. We stopped to walk across one. Logan strutted across the bridge so casually -- Nolan and I proceeded cautiously, hands clinging to the rail. I like how the widest of gorges can be made by a wee little river below.
Note: Aha! Logan says that if I had felt his heartbeat, I would have known that he was actually scared going across the bridge. But I was impressed by his coolness, all the same.
8:24pm: Colorado at last!

Cheers in the car as we passed the "Welcome to Colorado" sign -- it won't be long now!

Going around a curve we saw a strange mist on the side of the road. A bit ahead, patches of white appeared. We discussed it being snow, but it was 57° F outside. So we pulled over to check. Was it snow? Yes! It was a combination of snow and marble-sized hail.

The pine-scented air was heavenly.

Farther down the road -- lightning and rain. Great. Our first night of camping will be wet.
Logan: I'm looking for my pencil,

where could it be?

Oh, here it is in my hand

Cause' I'm writing with it

Now!

 Prairie dogs barking, barking,

To warn all their friends.

Prairie dogs eating, eating,

Feasting on spinach and carrots

That my family gave to them
So far we have been past hundreds of cows. I am almost done with my book. A few seconds ago we saw our first few mountians of the trip. I think this will be great for fun!

We are going to Santa Fe. Mom says green chile cheez burgers are BLECH.

On our way to Santa Fe, the dirt became so colorful it was if an artist had lobbed 10 colors onto the landscape. The mountians around this area are very beatiful and coloful. The gorges seem like it would take an eternity to hit the bottom but would actually be less than a minute.

8:22 central: We found ice alongside the road at sunset. Mom gave us cookies. My hand was almost frozen. Soon it will be time to set up camp!

P.S. Mom wanted to take pictures of Nolan peeing.
Nolan:

CHAPTER 3: We're going to see the prairiedogs.

We're on the raod and going to see the prairiedogs at prairiedog Town. and saw mesas and a huge canyon and a desert and a huge herd of cows on a farm. and we feed the prairiedogs little Spinach partes and carrots and we saw huge ants and a accident fire on a little shed and three people buy it. and we saw a huge vallvy Below and it is more than 20 miles. and it's almost 90° F. We saw our First mountain really far away from us and now we saw our 2Ed mountain and our 3Ed and our 4th mountain and we saw a car that was at tennessee and we saw snow and hail
CHAPTER 4: We're at colorado.

Were at colorado and were almost to the campsite.
July 8-9 July 10-11 July 12-13 July 14-16