Sledding on White Sands, NM

New Mexico is a vast desert land and driving through it reminded me of southern Idaho.  In between the bigger cities, there is really nothing but sage brush, flat terrain and road.   The main cities are, however, very unique in geography and quite beautiful.  The drive out to the White Sands from Alamogordo was uneventful for 10 miles.  Then, we began to see this white glimmer in the distance.  Driving through the dunes, I began to picture a winter wonderland, but with warm, soft sand instead of snow.  White, everywhere. 

There it is.  The beginning of the Park.  Can be seen from 275 miles in outer space.

Shirts off....the girl wants to be just like her Daddy

Ready to go at the top of the hill.  Sleds and wax needed.

The pose

Football catches to soft landings.  Dreams of being a star<>

Or high fives in the air.  At this point, they are best friends.

My favorite photo of the trip so far.....pure bliss

The writing on her tummy is of her own doing, quiet and creative

Shade picnic areas that are popular all over NM

Up, up and down over and over again

 Cool facts about the Park. 
1.  The sand starts out as a gypsum mineral and the wind blows it over and over again to become as soft as talcon powder.
2.  The other half of the Park is shared by the military where they test missles. 
3.  The same military base has F22 planes that fly faster than the speed of sound, making us believe we are under attack at 9pm each night.  A boom and shake to the RV.
4.  There is a very shallow water table.  You can dig a small hole and it will fill with water.  So, the undersand is quite hard.  Elise has a pretty good bruise from a flip to prove it.

Truly in the Heart of Texas

We arrived at the Heart of Texas Resort truly in the middle of Texas in the hill country.  It has all the amenities that any kids would LOVE at camp.  A full miniature golf course, pool, lake front, playground, shuffle board, arcade games and dirt to ride bikes all around.  

Hanging with a fun family, the Sitzman's from Austin TX.

We've met many amazing new people while staying here.  Our favorite has been this family of seven who also is venturing out and traveling while schooling their kids.  They rent homes all over the US such as a farm house in Washington state, a cowboy ranch in Colorado and beach front property in Oceanside CA.  Such incredible experiences have encouraged us to stay the course and enjoy the journey.  We don't seem to be alone in this venture to school and live outside the box.

Our home for 30 days at the resort.  Five people bring a lot of stuff to camp!

Elise shows off one of the permanent resident's RV here in the park.  He is a veteran with an impeccable lawn, gorgeous flower beds and US pride all over the place.  Right next to him lives a hippy couple who also have a beautiful site with a huge poster that states, "sure you can trust the government, just ask the indians".  Wonder how that's played out over the years. 

Alex showing off a bike jump down by the lake.  Nice view of LBJ.

Where Are We?

A long travel day starting off with snow, followed by a $250 stop at Camping World for new wheel straps, car battery and other necessities, a stop in the middle of the day at the most desolate city park EVER and ending in a state  park in the middle of no where New Mexico.  Matt has this love/hate relationship with the GPS.  When he fights her and tries to go his own way, we usually end up on a diversion, mumbling curses under his breath as he tries to get back on her path.....with the echoing "do the nearest U-turn" coming from the device. That being said, we were faithfully following her directions to the Oliver Lee State Park outside of Alamogordo, NM and both of us were shaking our heads, saying "where are we going?", "there is nothing out here".  Low and behold, at the end of a long road of nothingness, we arrived at the state park.

City park of San Antonio, New Mexico



Kids didn't mind that it was a desolate park



Our camp site at Oliver Lee State Park



Tanner is the best pancake cook, making dinner for us at the park

Today, we head out to White Sands National Park.  A quick stop at Walmart to pick up some sleds for the trips down the dunes.  Needless to say, we are all anticipating a GREAT day!

Not all days will be bright and sunny

We left Colorado in the morning after seeing only wind and rain in the forcast, with hopes of sun as we headed south.  We were surprised at the snow storm that we faced all day long.  Our three hour trip turned into five and then six as we faced the blizzard, a broken wheel well strap and the hills of New Mexico.  It was not our beautiful Moab experience, but rather a bit of weather reality making for a stress filled drive. 

The kids, however, know no stress.....at least we try to keep it that way.  They do school, they play, watch movies and help make movies!

Elise's 4th bday and that's no April Fools

We had a gorgeous 80 degree day in Moab and the kids all got one last swim in the pool.  They met a sweet friend the night before named Bridger.  I always love to watch the boys make new friends on the trip.  Tanner, in particular, struggles to initiate  conversations with new kids and will remain silent and searching if the other child makes no move.  I seem to end up initiating the conversation and in this case, Bridger was an awesome 9 year old who loved having two boys to play with.  Wish I got a photo of him.  As we were leaving, Tanner wondered outloud how many new friends they might meet along the way.  I think our goal will be for he and Alex to seek out friends in every place we stay.  Elise, for some reason, has no issues finding friends.  Girl thing?  Talking is easy...

We headed out of the park and into 40 mph headwinds towards Colorado.  Traveling 25 mph in the RV up the steep climbs was a bit unnerving, but I'm now convinced that my capable, amazing husband can do just about anything.  We landed in colder Colorado mountains safe and sound enjoying the views. 

 Bay field, Colorado....this is the view outside our door.  Creek, beaver dams, alpaca and swings.  We are in heaven!

The lone alpaca on the property.  None of us could remember if you could pet an alpaca without getting a finger taken off.  Matt wanted me to be the first to try.  Poor alpaca remains unpet. 

Found a great swing

Enjoying down time with the boys

Happy birthday, our sweet girl.

As tradition in our family, Elise spent the day dictating what we ate, drank and played all day.  She loved celebrating her life all day long.

Moab Sights

The RV park had minature golf and swimming.  Jacked up prices were a bit frustrating as we discovered it was Jeep week.  However, watching those Jeeps climb the cliffs was worth the price.  Unbelievable. 

A beautiful musical park in downtown Moab.

Matt after his 12 mile extreme mountain bike trail on Slick Rock. He's already planning his next trip to Moab.  Now, I just need to get a bike and an exercise program....

On the Road Again

Once again, we are on the road. Let me give you a little insight into how our trips get planned. Texas is a no brainer because we adore our extended family down there and choose to make a trip yearly to spend time with them. Last year, we spent our month at a rental house on the Texas coast, which was fantastic, but this year with the RV, we've decided to take 10 leisurely days to see the world in between Idaho and Kingsland, TX where we will camp on the lake in the RV for a month. That's a big challenge in itself, but then we got to thinking.....we might not have this RV long.....and we are all the way down there, nearly half the states away from Florida. Neither of us have seen or traveled the southern states, so let's take some more time to see the coastal beaches. And, while we are sooooo close, we can't possibly deny our kids a chance to see Disney World, right? Do you know how much a Disney World trip costs from Idaho? A lot..... you see my justication. This is what my husband hears all the time. And, you also see who usually ends up winning....

A week of cleaning, packing, organizing, repacking and help from our "besties" family friends got us on the road on March 27. We left a rainy day in Boise, ready for the adventures ahead of us.

 What an awesome crew of kids.  We're gonna miss these guys!

Wow.  Here we go!

Our second stop after Provo, UT.  We are enjoying 80 degree weather in Moab, UT.  The boys completed their first Jr. Ranger program and earned a badge.  We discovered that each National Park has a Jr. Ranger program where the kids complete a number of activities, writing assignments, research to earn a badge.  They learn about the history, geology, environment and lots of other things along the way.  Love this kind of school.  We have several parks on the trip planned, so many more badges to be earned!

Spectacular views of the red rocks

Yes, Elise loves to be posed! Just beyond this photo was a one mile running trail that I spontaneously took. It might be ranked up there with one of my most enjoyable treks yet. 

Celebrating our 16th anniversary.  This is a dream for both of us. 

 Alex, holding up the famous Balanced Rock.  It's an awesome sight.  Our little Alex has been a trouper as he is fighting some kind of virus.  Love this little guy and his perseverance.  I learn much from his sweet attitude.

Almost done with our 3 mile hike up to Delicate Arch.  I'm holding onto Elise's hand tightly at this point as you can see the drop off cliff on the side.  But, just right around the corner is......

One of the most glorious sights. Delicate Arch....absolutely stunning natural beauty.

The boys celebrate making it up.  Just beyond them is a drop off.   The few arches in the park are very fragile and no one knows how long they will hold out.  The red rock is salt based and has been known to collapse on other arches in the middle.  We are so happy to have witnessed it this trip.

The view at the top was breathtaking.  The small crowd gathered quietly taking in the view. The arch is considered one of the wonders of the world.  The hike was long, beautiful and treacherous.  As we turned the corner to view the arch, it was as if we got a glimpse of a bit of heaven.  What an extraordinary creation God has given us.  I honestly had this moment where I sensed that we might feel this same peace, joy and anticipation as we wait to be in God's presence.