What happened to my dineros?

Oh yeah...they were spent at Meteor Crater near Winslow, AZ

IMPACT CRATER!

yeah, it made an impact alright, 

right into my wallet....talk about a big giant rip-off.

Albeit, very interesting...just completely overpriced for the experience.

Meteor Crater as a destination is what you get when you cross 

a family run business with one of a kind.....they dig deep into your

pockets because they can.

 



Local Wildlife



The only wildlife we seem to be seeing are

a sampling of the areas many different species of reptiles.

Morgan and the Meteor

My suggestion...unless you are really into meteors, astrology, extraterrestial events....pick up the brochure at the local visitors center and save your money....Great place to go for kids on a field trip but overpriced.

What wood doesn't burn?

Answer:  Petrified Wood

The Petrified Forest National Park has one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood.  It is also home to the multi-hued badlands of the Painted Destert. 

"the colorful badland hills, flat-topped mesas and sculptured buttes of the Painted Desert are primarily made up of the Chinle Formation.  The sedimentary rock mainly consists of fluvial deposits" - http://www.nps.gov/pefo/upload/geology2006.pdf

Right on Route 66, it was easy to pull of the road for a spell and do the drive through the park.  Make sure you pee at designated pee stops because if you wait until the next one, it could be a while, especailly with my little teeny tiny bladder. 

Eons ago some logs were buried by sediment before they could decompose while volcanoes to the wes spewed tons of ash into the atmosphere.  Winds carried ash into the area where it was incorporated into the deepening layers of the sediment.  Ground water dissolved silica from the volcanic ash and carried it through the logs.  This solution filled, or replaced cell walls, crystallizing as the mineral quartz.  the process was often so exact that the replacement left a fossil that shows eery detail of the logs' original surfaces and, occasionally, the internal cell structures.  Iron rich minerals combined with quartz during the petrification process created the brilliang rainbow of colors

Resource:  http://www.petrified.forest.national-park.com/





Agate Bridge

"The agate Bridge is a natural formation created by centuries of scouring flood waters that washed out the arroyo beneath this 110 foot petrified log.  The stone log, harder than the sandstone around it, resisted erosion and remained suspended as te softer rock beneath it washed away.  Enthusiastic visitors fascinated by the Agate Bridge worked to preserve it through the establishment of the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906.  Conservationists felt this ages-old natural bridge needed architectural support and in 1911 erected masonry pillars beneath the log.  In 1917 the present concrete span replaced the masonry work"

Resource:  http://www.legendsofamerica.com



More Petroglyphs

"Petroglyphs were made using two techniques.  A direct blow to the surface of the boulder with a hand-sized hard, rounded rock called a hammer-stone removed the boulder's darkened surface but did not allow control in placing the peck mark.  If a hammer-stone was used in conjunction with a chisel, however, greater control could e exercised, resulting in a superior effect"

Resource:  http://www.legendsofamerica.com/



"Get closer mommie! 
Get closer! 
There he is! 
Did you get him?"

We even got so see some local wildlife.

Yes we all know how much I love snakes!

I was shaking in my boots trying to take this picture....darned kids...

I don't know what kind of snake it is, I don't care...

I snapped the picture and got the

H--E--double toothpicks--outta there!

Morgan and Monica...vision of fashion I'd say!

So long from the petrified forest! On to the next destination...where is that you ask? 

I have no idea until we get there!

Rock Art or Graffiti

October 18, 2010

Is it Rock Art or is it Graffiti?

 

"Petroglyph National Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five volcanic cones, hundresds of archeological sites and an estimated 25,000 images carved by ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers.  Many of the images are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex."

 

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroglyph_National_Monument

"It is estemated that 90% of the petroglyps were created by the ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians who have lived in the the Rio Grande Valley sinced before 500 A.D.  and that most of the petroglyphs were carved between 1300 and 1680's. 

A small percentage are believed to reach back as far as 2000 B.C.

 Resource:

http://www.nps.gov/petr/historyculture/what.htm

"Petroglyphs ( alos called rock engravings)  are pictograms created by removing part of a rock surgace by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Petroglyphs are found world-wide and are often associated with rehistorci peoples.  The word comes from the Greek petros meaning stone and glyphein meaning to carve.  It was originally coined in French as petroglyphe"

 

Resource:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroglyph

"There were many reasons for creating the Petroglyphs, most of which are not well understood.  They are believed to be powerful cultural symbols that reflect the complex societies and religions of the surrounding tribes.  They are centraly to the monumen'ts sacred landscape where traditional ceremonies still take place.  The placement of each petroglyph was not a casuual or randon decision and have much importance to the surrounding orientation to the horizon and landscape.  Some represent tribal, clan or society markers.  Some are religious entities and some only hold meaning for its individual maker"  - 

http://www.nps.gov/petr/historyculture/why.htm

What does it mean?

 

On Top of the World

October 18, 2010

Sandia Peak Tramway

Albuquerque, NM

"I'm on the, Top of the World, looking, down on creation and the only explaination I can find...."

Tramway Fun Facts

"Bell Engineering f Lucern, Switzerland, constructed the tramway in what they considered their most difficult tramway construction project, primarily, because of the steep and rocky terrain.  entering serviceon May 7, 1966, the tram now makes 10,500 trips per year. 

The tramway ascends from a base elevaion of 6,559 feet to a top elevation of 10,378 feet.  A trip up the mountain takes about fifteen minutes to ascend at 12 mph. 

The tramway has two support towers.  The first tower is 232 feet tall and sits at 7010 feet of elevatin and the second is 80 feet and is at an elevation of 8750 feet."

Resource:  Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandia_Peak_Tramway

OOhhh.....thats a long way down!



Wow!  Thats view is spectactular!  Isn't it?

So is that the name of the restraunt or is it the cost of the kid?

Getting ready for the trip down!

So sad to see the trip come to an end.

Talk about a rush...it truly is like being on top of the world.

To see what the weather is like now, log onto the tram live cam at the link below.  Last week it was beautiful....today it is snowing.....brrrrr....

http://www.sandiapeak.com/index.php?page=tramway

Up Up and Away

October 18, 2010

"Up Up and Away and my beautiful oh beautiful balloon...."

That's us, getting ready to go up!

Balloons over Albuquerque at sunrise!  What a high!  It was absolutely fantastic.

Captain Bentley from Private Balloon (http://www.privateballoonflights.com/)

was ever so gracious to take our reservation at the last minute. 

Balloon Fun Facts (as told by Private Balloon Flighs)

"It is now more than two hundred years since the first balloon took to the skies.  The Montgolgier brothers, two paper makers from the southern Frent twn of Annonay, were intrigued by the way smoke rise above a fire.  They decided to capture its lifting powers with small paper and cotton balloons and, while they were mistaken in their faith in the smoke itself (or Phlogiston as it was referred to at the time), they succeeded in creating the world's first hot-air balloon.

On June 5, 1783 they were ready to demonstrate their discovery to the townspeople of Annonay and a small unmanned ballon was inflated over a fire of straw and wool then released to fly high above the town square.

For their nex experiement they sent sheep, a duck and a rooster aloft for a flight of eight minutes to ensure that they came to no harm so high in te "atmosphere".  When theise pioneering creatures returned unscathed (except for a broken wing on one of the birds caused by the goat kicking out) they decided it was time for a man to take to the skies.

For such an experiment to take place required the permission of the king himself and Louis, concernd by the possible risk to one of his subjects, decreed that two convicts should make the ascent. (If they survived, they would be granted a royal pardon, and if they didn't...)  The Montgolgier brothers were dismayed by this proposal and after much discussion with the court officials persuaded the king to relent and on November 21, 1783 a brightly decorated balloon arose above an ecstatic Parisian crowd bearing aloft the first aeronauts - the first humans to fly Pilatre de rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes. 

Heat for the balloon was generated by a straw fire carried in a brazier slung beneath its mouth and the two men were carried in a narrow gallery incircling it.  Howeve as the balloon was only made of paper and cotton, they spent much of thir time eithertending the flames or dabbing out the little fires from the smouldering embers with wet sponges fixed on to the end of long sticks.  However the Marquis d'Arlandes was unable to ignore the splendor of the panorama unfolding down below them, but de Rozier soom reminded him of their plight.  "If you look at the river in that fashion you will be likely to bathe in it soon!"  Yet despite the many hazards the balloon landed safely after a flight of thirty minutes. 

Don't worry Morgan, I'll protect you!

That's a pretty massive balloon Morgan!

We're not getting in there are we?  Will that hold all of us?

Captain James said that each burner puts out 12 million BTU's. 
There are two burners on this balloon!  Wow!  Not thats some hot heat!

120,000 cu feet of air fills the balloon....thats a lot of air!

"Up Up and Away....oh we sang that one already"
Getting ready for take off with our new friends "The Smiths"
No, not from the movie...but I heard it from an unconfirmed authority that
they are just as big of celebraties in the circles in which they move.

Is it the Ohio?  The Mississippi?
No....It's the mighty (or not so mighty)
Rio Grande!

Our sister balloon dancing over the Rio Grande

Drifting at Dawn

Morning at dawn, the air is crisp, the sun is still asleep

The Magic is about to begin

As the gondola ascends into the morning air,

The sun begins to rise over the horizon

What a magnificent sight

Floating above the ground, the basket kisses treetops

The Landscape opens up to a panoramic vision of the world

The colors of the ballon burst forth agains the backdrop of the deep blue sky

As we rise higher and higher into the atmospher

Below, the mighte Rio Grande snakes back and forth through the countryside

Like a child's ribbon blowing in the wind

Serenely suspended above the land, the balloon dances in harmony with the wind

As Mother Nature's forces uide us where she wills

Then th gently descent back to the earth

The ecstasy of the experience coming to an end

As the land moves gently up to meet the coccoon

That carried us so safely through the air

Champagne toast brings the enchantment of the experience to a close

Soaring into th heavens...pure childlike delight!

-Monica Bourke

October 20, 2010

"Whew, its over...so sad"

Irish Balloonist Prayer 

The winds have welcomed you with softness.

The sun has blessed you with his warm hands.

You have flown so high and so well that

God has joined you in your laughter

and setyou gently back into he loving arms of Mother Earth

Bubbles in the Earth

October 15 and October 16, 2010

Lane Springs, Mark Twain National Forest, Rolla, Missouri

Mark Twain National Forest seemed like a great stopping point after traveling for so long in a day.  After a stop at the National Forest office, we chose Lane Springs Campground.  

http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGD115-015

Lane Springs Fun  Facts

"Lane Spring Recreation Area is a pleasant little spot for an afternoon or weekend escape. Though it’s close to the city of Rolla, it’s a hidden enclave in the valley of Little Piney Creek that feels like the middle of nowhere. Completely renovated in 1996"

Lane Springs boasts quiet secluded camping sites, a playground and a natural spring which bubbles up from the earth.  This spring is part of Little Piney Creek and is supposedly home to some of the best fly fishing in the area.  (I wouldn't know-fly fishing not really my thing)

The spring originates at the entrance of the campground at this location:

No, this picture is not blurry,

if you look closely, 

 straight down at the stream from this point,

you can see the water bubbling up from the earth. 

 Again the music, I can't help myself..

"once upon a time there was a man named Jed, kin folk say could hardly keep his family fed, then one day while he was shooting at some food, up from the ground came a bubbling crude....OIL that is....TEXAS TEA...."

Did I get you?  Are you singing it now?  Can't get it out of your head, can you?

Morgan was a big help at this campsite.  She made sure that we were kept nice and warm.  Some parents give their daughters dolls and dress up clothes to play with but I guess only me, the great adventurer, would give their daughter a.....what?

Lorena Bobbit has got nothing on my little angel....its amazing how you give a "tween" an axe and a camp saw and it keeps them busy for hours....YES I was watching very closely and provided the appropriate boy scout safety lessons....I said boy scout...  (Morgan used to come home from girl scouts after receiving her "makeover badge...or craft badge....or shopping badge..".it was like Troop Beverly Hills)

Incidentally, when I was working at Cobe

I did get an award one year at our annual nurse's meeting as

 "The Most Adventurous"

Hard day at work Morgan?

Is it heaven on earth for Morgan or for me?

She gets to relax in the hammock...I get some quiet time...sow who's heaven is it?

Probably both of ours!

Base camp would not be complete without a gourmet camp kitchen in which to cook delectable delights such as steak with mushroom sherry sauce, new potatoes with parmesean, corn on the cob and spinach salad..or eggs Benedict...yes...we ate well at this campsite.

 

The nearby gurgling stream was a welcome addition hat lulled us to sleep at night with its soothing melody. 

It was clear, it was cold and it felt great to splash around in on the hot October's day. 

Nothing better than pulling up a chair and sitting a spell.

The wondrous world of water!  Every child's (or child's heart) dream!

Next Adventure?  Getting our "Kicks on Route 66"

Perhaps I should get our friend Patrick to do a soundtrack for us....

all these musical references merit some level of organized melodic reverence, don't you think?



The Gateway to the West

October 15, 2010

"Meet me in St. Louis-Louis, meet me at the fair...."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037059/

Don't you just hate it when a song gets in your head and you can't get rid of it?  I've been singing that darned song ever since I started the telling of our excursion up the ARCH!

So as our journey continues on, Morgan and I made a stop in St. Louis on Thursday, October 14, 2010 to go up the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Arch Fun Facts

The Gateway Arch, known as the Gateway to the West was part of  a govermental Westward Expansion Memorial project in 1963. 

The measure 630 ft. wide at it's base and 630 ft. tall.  It was designed by the architect Eero Sasrinen and his structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947.  Construction did not begin until February 12, 1963 and ended on October 28, 1965.  The official dedication occured on July 10, 1967.  The monument cost $13 million dollars at that time ($89,638,095 today).

Resource:  Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch



The Tram



The tram is literrally an "egg shaped" elevator that holds five persons.  If you are claustrophobic or afraid of heights, I would highle recommend a good ole' "Vitamin V" (for all you non-hippsters...thats Valium to you) before you embark on the ride up.  It is like being in a cocoon.  If there are only two of you...then you ar in a cocoon with three other strangers.  Just pray nobody has bad case of  flatulence because that combined with the fear of small places could make for a miserable ride to the top. 

Obviously Morgan and I suffered none of these maladies as evidenced by the joy on our faces here at the top of the arch. 630 ft. up!  The view is phenomenal! 



Stadium shot for road warrior relatives and die hard baseball fans!



So, Greetings from St. Louis!  Where do we go next?