Friday, October 11, 2013

Day 158

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
Oct 11, 2013, 7:48 PM

Well we are just leaving the balloon fiesta and it was an absolutely fabulous, wonderfully exciting and enchanting afternoon and evening. We didn't have a super start to our day though. We stopped at the Sky City Casino RV Park  last night for two days, and it was pretty darn full last night. This morning at the UNGODLY hour of 6:30, in the flipping AM I might add, there were these inconsiderate idiots, and let me tell you what I am giving you the PG version here, that were standing outside talking so loudly that we could hear every word. This went on for a good twenty minutes or more too, Steve even went to get the car keys and chirped the car alarm. They actually laughed about the fact that someone probably wanted them to shut up, YA THINK!!!!! I mean come on, does a brick wall have to fall on your head to get through. I thought he should lay on the air horns of the RV or get the air horn that we have and sneak up behind them and blow it, scare the living hell right out of them, but then of course other people would have suffered, so we didn't. I just seethed!

We slept in a bit (or tried to) cause the balloons go up in the morning at 7AM. We are over an hour away from the event I thought there was also an evening assention, I was wrong. At least not tonight, tonight they were having a "Glowdeo", like rodeo except starting with glow. They don't go up in the air but they fill the balloons, then make the fire burn brighter and make the balloons glow. I think it might have been better than seeing them all take off and fly. Spanky got a pin although there really were no Spanky photo ops. We had no idea where anything was happening in Albuquerque, just that the balloon fiesta was in Albuquerque. So we set the GPS to the city and then set out to find the balloons. We found the Hot Air Balloon Museum and that was where the action was. Behind the museum was a huge field, probably five football fields long and several wide. There were vendors set up and a mariachi band playing, picnic tables, human size hamster balls, mini zip lines, food and more. People came with blankets and chairs, there were so many people there. We walked around a bit and we were worried that they were going to cancel the night's festivities because the wind was still blowing pretty darn hard. We saw a couple sitting at a table and asked if we could sit with them for a little bit. Well they turned out to be the nicest people. They have friends living in The Villages, they are from Ohio, they were just so much fun to sit and talk to. Then don't you know the gondolas started to be unloaded from the trucks, we heard the flames start and balloons started going up left and right. We watched for a while from the table then said good bye to new friends and started to walk around. It was so cool to see how the balloons were inflated, there were people hanging onto the gondolas trying to hold them down I would imagine, there were guys holding on to guide lines, they were filling them up and then lighting them up. We were able to walk all over around and among where the balloons were and there were so many in the end. It was a sea of crazy characters. It was just magical. So Steve and I are now on our way back to the RV. It was getting so darn cold and we did so much walking and tomorrow we are on the move again. This should be a hoot, we are going to Roswell, New Mexico. So if you don't hear from us again, we were probably taken to the mothership and now we are off exploring "space the final frontier, these are the voyages of the RV ship Baker, it's six month mission to explore new worlds and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man and his crazy wife has gone before" (you fill in the Star Trek music here). Good night guys!























Thursday, October 10, 2013

Day 157

What A Wild Travel Day

Oct 10, 2013, 3:36 PM


By the time we got up this morning the snow on the ground had melted and just rain was coming down on and off, it was COLD, but at least we could hear traffic getting through and it looked like we might have dodged a bullet. Oh but looks can be so deceiving! We got all disconnected and we were ready to take off when the flurries started. That really stepped things into high gear and as we were pulling out of the campground the flurries were coming down harder. The sky was so low and gray and we were now in SNOW!!!!! Before we got to the highway we were in nearly whiteout conditions. Our only hope was to keep moving away from Flagstaff to lower elevations because there they were only expecting rain. Just when it seemed like maybe we should get off the road, the sky brightened and the snow was gone. Thank you God! The thought of driving this thing in snow makes me crazy. After that we had to deal with high winds, rain, low visibility, you name it we dealt with it today on the road. As we were getting close to our destination we even saw the most beautiful rainbow. I'm telling you, we had it all. 








The campground is nice. It is part of a casino, so we decided to go to the buffet for dinner, then we just happened to go into the casino. I lost $20 at the Roulette Table, but Steve won $30 on the slot machine. So we are up!! We had such a good time. The wind here was so fierce it felt like the RV was going to roll over, but since dinner it has calmed down. Tomorrow we are going to go to see the hot air balloons. I hope the weather allows them to take off. They showed a few seconds of footage on the news of all the balloons and it looked beautiful. I can't wait!! Good night guys, we will talk again tomorrow. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Day 156

Not A Good Day

Oct 9, 2013, 4:24 PM


Last night before going to bed we were a little worried about today's weather. Flagstaff was expecting winds gusting to over 50 MPH until late in the evening. Thursday there was really cold weather coming in (below freezing), and snow. When we got up the winds were so bad and Thursday's weather report was deteriorating so we decided to stay put for the day. Steve got everything ready to leave on Thursday that was possible so that he didn't have to spend anymore time outside disconnecting than absolutely necessary. I made calls to set up reservations for the rest of our trip. It was a bummer of a day. We weren't able to go to the Grand Canyon again and our trip is winding down. We will be home on October 31st.  Don't get me wrong it will be great to get home but the thought of this absolutely wonderful, life affirming trip, that Steve and I couldn't have enjoyed more, it's depressing. I'm sure as we get closer to home we will be more excited to be going home, but right now facing the end of our trip makes me realize I DONT WANT IT TO END!!!!!


When I think of the wonderful things we have seen and done, I saw a freaking MOOSE, yes you read right, a moose, and thank God this ridiculous temper tantrum coming out of Washington didn't happen till well into the trip and it is a good thing too. I want to go up to a national park with a copy of my passport, a copy of the constitution and when I'm told I can't go in I want to stand up and tell them I OWN this national park, I am a natural born citizen, I am the people in "We the people. . .". It makes me sick the crap they are pulling. We have been to so many parks and zoos and it has been so fabulous. Being in Vegas for our 10th anniversary and having family with us, it has been PERFECT!! So I guess I have no reason to be depressed at the thought that the trip is coming to an end. 


So adjusting my attitude, I can't wait to get to Albuquerque and see at least one day of the balloon festival, then making our way to San Antonio and the Alamo, good things are still happening and I can't wait to get to them. Good night everyone, and you all in Florida, watch your rear view mirrors cause you'll be seeing us soon. Oh and by the way, keep your fingers crossed that the snow is not too deep here tomorrow and that we don't run into weather/traffic issues tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Day 155

Sedona, Arizona
Oct 8, 2013, 9:21 PM

Oh my gosh another wonderful day. Again a beautiful location. I had forgotten just how stunning Sedona is. It is so hard not to be cynical when you drive to these special locations and there are barricades across the road because of the spoiled rotten babies filling the halls of important buildings in DC. Every single one of them is worse than the next. But you know what, I'm not going there. It makes me sick and I don't want to dwell. 

We drove around Sedona taking in sights and being awed by the homes we saw. The houses were beautiful, but their views were simply breathtaking. Tomorrow we are going to do some more sightseeing. Hopefully we will hit pay dirt again. 

When we got home this evening we set out a plan and path for getting home. It looks like our arrival date will be Halloween day. BOO!!!!! So enjoy the photos and I'll be in touch tomorrow.