Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Late Sunday morning we broke camp and drove for about an hour to Chatfield State Park, our home for two weeks.

Baby Natalie
Here are two pics of three-day-old Baby Natalie—she’s almost grown up already.





In case you missed them and have an interest, last week’s shots of just-born Natalie (all downloadable) are available by clicking here.

Austie Camping
For most days this week, Jan has picked up Austie from pre-school in the afternoon returning him back the next morning. During our time together, we walked the Pups several times a day, built superhero Legos every night, played at the park at all hours, and discussed world issues continually--good thing I’m in shape for an old guy.

Morning Hikes
I had the luxury of taking long morning hikes every day with a few photo ops.







Birding Walk
On Saturday morning, Jan and I joined a group of about ten for a birding walk inside the park. Joey, our leader, was a library of both avian and park knowledge, and he shared his favorite places for finding migratory birds. Also had the chance for a close-up with a mature bull snake.













Bath Night
Here is a picture of the always-feminine Mitzy on bath night.



Culinary Shot
All that hiking and fresh air takes a lot of energy. Here is a shot of Jan’s Thrasher Beef and Veggie Soup.

Headlights

April 29-May 5: Chatfield State Park
May 6-10: Colorado Horse Park
May 11-14: Travel south and west
May 15-24: Durango, CO (near Denver) to visit family
May 25-31: Blue Spruce Campground Vallacito, CO
June 1 On: ???

See you next week.

Tags: travel photography, Bird photography, Colorado

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunday: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
The wind finally settled down and we had a nice view of the Guadalupe Mountains as I took the Pups for a long walk in the chilly air (49 degrees). After breakfast, we broke camp at Van Horn at 9:30 and took a nice and leisurely 63-mile trip north on Highway 54 to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, gently rising to 5,600 feet.

Carlsbad Day Trip
After getting situated, we unhooked the car and drove the 60 miles to Carslbad, New Mexico, for a wonderful lunch of Mexican for Jan and barbecue for me (of course we brought the Kids a treat). Carlsbad Caverns National Park was right on our path, so we pulled into the visitor center and I looked around. It wasn’t hot but we didn’t want to leave the Pups in the car so we were unable to explore the caves--some other trip.



Monday: Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamagorda, New Mexico
Morning Hike
Before dawn, Jan and I drove to the Frijole Ranch Trailhead in Guadalupe to hike the 2.3-mile Smith Spring Trail. It was quite chilly at sunrise, but slowly warmed, and at the end of the trek I was ready to shed my jacket. We enjoyed the walk along the stony path, going up and over the hills, and around a pond and by the springs.



Shortly after returning to camp we were packed and heading west on Texas 62. At El Paso we turned north on New Mexico 54 then turned into Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, about 12 miles south of Alamagordo. After getting settled in, we drove to White Sands National Monument, stopped by the Visitor Center, and then took the drive to scope out our photography hike for the next morning.

We can see for miles looking out from our high desert campground. This park is at the very tip of the Chichuahuan Desert in the foothills.





Jan has had quite a time watching the dust devils (baby tornadoes) as they suck and spurt among the cacti and the scrub. At any one time you can see six to ten of these little turbos.

Our camp host is an amateur astronomer of over 40 years, and he was kind enough to share his views of the heavens with Jan and me. Through the viewfinder of his 12-inch reflector, we peeked back into time viewing growing stars and dying nebulae. Just a wonderful experience. Makes me want to consider a new hobby :’>>>

Tuesday
White Sands National Monument
The gates to the Monument don’t open until 7 a.m., so we slept in, leaving BERT at 6:20 to drive the 30-minute journey. Because the morning was chilly, the Pups got to go. Jan and I took the Dune Life Nature Trail hike, and after that, drove through the Monument, stopping several times when we saw something interesting. This is a very interesting and unique park--one I feel most people would really enjoy.











Dune Dogs
Both Pups love running in the sand and they thoroughly enjoyed being off the leash. Here are a couple of my favorite photos of them.





Day Trip



In the afternoon, the four of us took a day trip to some small towns east of Alamogordo within the Lincoln National Forest.

Wednesday: Sugarite Canyon State Park, Raton, NM
Morning Hike
Before dawn I hiked a short trail within walking distance of our campsite. Here are a few shots of desert flowers.











When I returned, Jan already had the Pups on leashes so we took them for a nice stroll/run before getting on NM Highway 54 north at 9:00. Once again, a beautiful day. We finally stopped at another New Mexico state park a few miles outside of Raton, close to the Colorado border.

Thursday
Morning Hike
Jan and I drove five miles across the border into Colorado, pulling into the James M. John State Wildlife Area. Here we hiked by ourselves for a couple of miles around Lake Dorothey.









Capulin Volcano National Monument Day Trip



After stopping back at camp to pick up the Pups, Jan drove us west on Highway 72 to Folsom. Here we turned south on 325 to the Capulin Volcanic National Monument. After spending time at the Monument, we returned back to camp via 64 East and I-25 North. Wonderful trip. Along the way we saw scenic vistas and herds of deer and antelope.













Friday: Colorado Horse Park, Parker, CO
Baby Natalie
At 7:30 a.m. we got the call from AJ--Kelly and he were heading for the hospital. We quickly packed up and headed up I-25 across the Colorado border and on to Parker. We set up camp at the Colorado Horse Park, 15 minutes from their home. At their place we walked their dog Hanna Pug, dropped off our Pups, and drove to the hospital. Natalie Marie Helman, all eight pounds and two ounces of her, was born at 11 a.m., April 20. One glance and it is obvious that this gorgeous, intelligent young female will grow into a woman of style and grace. Here is a pic of mom and baby. (Anyone interested in our granddaughter can see many more shots [all downloadable] by clicking here.)



Saturday
Austie and Hanna Pug spent the night with us, and Saturday was quite “active” between walks, games, playgrounds, swimming lessons, car rides, setting up video…. Ended the day wonderfully exhausted. Life is good--very, very good.



Audible Books
Correction: Last week I referenced the dog-car racing book as “Driving in the Rain.” Should have had my coffee first. The correct title is The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. Sorry about that.

This past week we made the miles fly by while listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and podcasts of National Public Radio’s “Car Talk.” Both recommended.

Headlights

April 22: Colorado Horse Park, Parker, CO
April 23 to May 5: Chatfield State Park, CO (near Denver) to visit family
May 6 - ??: As of now, our plans are to head to Durango and the Four Corners area for a few weeks.

See you next week.

Tags: Wildlife photography, Colorado State Parks, Colorado, New Mexico, texas

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Final Preparations
Although we are now “old pros” (at least part of the term fits :’>), we still had lots to do in final preparation for our trip, but by Wednesday at 10 AM, we were ready. Our motorcoach, BERT (Big Expensive Road Traveler), was loaded, and our main cockpit crew of Jan and Mitzy were rested and at the wheel. Jerry and I were busy studying maps and plotting courses.





The Plan
The plan for Phase One of our trip was a simple one: relentlessly drive north and west to the very western tip of Texas. Hence, we took I-75 north to the top of Florida, then west on I-10 crossing out of Florida, touching the bottoms of Alabama and Mississippi, skirting across the bayou lands of Louisiana, then grinding it out across the girth of Texas.



Stops
Our stops for the evenings included such exotic locations as Vortex Springs, Florida; Jerreau, Louisiana; Seguin, Texas; and Van Horn Texas. True Americana.

Conditions
From the beginning and for the majority of this segment, conditions were excellent: warm weather, beautiful skies, pleasant scenery, fairly flat, fairly smooth highways, and moderate traffic. Yes, we had some slow time due to traffic jams caused by wrecks and road work, but overall we made good time. However, that started to change on Saturday as the scenery became more and more desolate the further west we drove and the winds began to pick up. BERT slowed down and forearm muscles tightened on the wheel. We drove through dust storms the last couple hours of the day. After setting up we were happy to be inside. We heard the wind howl and smelled the swirled dust all night. OMG! Glad we aren’t tenters!

Pics Along the Way
Although Jan is the primary bus driver, I give her a break every few hours. Mitzy, however, is always at the ready--here she is driving from my lap.



It also seems like more and more pups are taking the wheel. Here is a truck-driving dog that Jan captured.



At one of our stops in Louisiana, we had a hay field behind us. Having an Impressionistic moment, I was inspired to take this pic of a hay bale and later paint it on the computer. I call it my Bayou Monet.



At another stop, our camp host lived in a boat, and at the same camp, this cool old truck was parked behind us. With a little work, it would make an awesome tow car.





Finally, here are shots of a flower box, a mailbox from our morning walks, and one of an off-the-leash flying Jerry.







Audible Books
It is hard for me to type the words “audible books” as my muscle memory wants me to type “books on tape.” Oh, the pace of technology. As you all know, listening to a good story makes the miles fly by. For several hours we listened to Driving in the Rain, by Garth Stein. I believe just about everyone would enjoy it, but especially dog lovers and car racing enthusiasts (Jerry, Al, Ben, and Jeff immediately come to mind). Highly recommended. We also listened to Sick Puppy, by Carl Hiaason. Along with being an excellent writer, Hiasson is a staunch environmentalist, and most all his books contain some element about Florida and environmental abuse. A good read that all Floridians can relate to. I recommend this book as well.

Winn Dixie Cats Update
Yes! The public outcry has worked--Winn Dixie has backed down on its plan to evict the cats. Thanks to all those who shouted out against tyranny.

Headlights

April 15: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
April 16 - 20: White Sands National Park
April 22 - 22: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
April 23 - May 5: Chatfield State Park, CO (near Denver) to visit family
May 6 on: As of now, our plans are to head to Durango and the Four Corners area for a few weeks

If you have recommendations regarding the above itinerary, I’d love to hear from you.

See you next week.

Tags: travel photography, Americana

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Sunrises
Fog, clouds, and light combined this past week to give rise to some very pretty dawn and pre-dawn skies. Here are fours shots that I like.









Odds and Ends







Island Birds
Here is an image of a young eagle making one of his first flights. I wouldn’t call him (or her) cute or cuddly, but a good-looking youngster, don’t you think? Also, here are some cedar waxwings frolicking as they rest during migration, a young family of osprey, and a young pelican.









Moku Hanga
Moku Hanga is Japanese woodblock printing, and this Macintosh app gives pictures this unique look. I applied it to the osprey and pelican shot above, plus the tree face below and a couple of previous posts from past blogs. What do you think?







Winn Dixie Cats
This is an Island Issue--sorry to bother you if you are not a resident, but here is the scoop: Three neutered, good-natured cats live by the Winn Dixie up at the Island Center. They don’t cause anyone any problems, and local people take care of them--they are a part of the Island culture.

However, it seems that a mean-spirited, cat-hating, part-timer is trying to run the Island and has complained to Winn Dixie corporate about the cats and demanded their removal. Corporate’s knee-jerk reaction (without any investigation) was to tell the local Winn Dixie manager to get rid of the cats--end of story. This is a perfect example of how one sick moron can ruin things for the rest of us. It is also a sad example of lousy management. If you’d like to help save these cats before it is too late, or you just want to stop mean meddlers, go to www.winndixie.com, click on “contact us,” and tell them what you think, and then pass this link on to others. By the way, I did, and found it quite enjoyable to sound off!

Headlights

April 11: Depart Pine Island
April 12 - 13: Heading North on I-75 then West on I-10
April 14 - 15: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
April 16 - 20: White Sands National Park
April 22 - 22: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
April 23 - May 5: Chatfield State Park, CO (near Denver) to visit family
May 6 - ??: As of now, our plans are to head to Durango and the Four Corners area for a few weeks.

If you have recommendations regarding the above itinerary, I’d love to hear from you.

See you next week.

Tags: Bird photography, Pine Island, Moku Hanga

Contents

Rearview Mirror - Summary of the past week
Headlights - Our schedule as to where we will be heading

Note: click on any photo for a larger image/slideshow)

Rearview Mirror

Baseball
I had the chance to watch a Red Sox vs. Rays game with friends at the new JetBlue Stadium. Here are a few pics. Note the excitement of the fans…







Birds
It was kind of quiet bird-wise on the Island, but here are a few pics.













Brainstorming
My home office is strewn with atlases and maps, brochures and guides. Destinations are being designated, locations are being located, and routes are being routed. Finally our initial phase of Motoring Across America is laid out.

Headlights

April 13: Depart Pine Island
April 14 - 15: Heading north on I-75 then west on I-10
April 16 - 17: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
April 18 - 19: White Sands National Park
April 20 - 21: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
April 23 - May 5: Chatfield State Park, CO (near Denver) to visit family
May 6 on: We will probably stay in Colorado at least for a month, maybe more, then ???

If you have recommendations regarding the above itinerary, I’d love to hear from you.

See you next week.

Tags: Bird photography, JetBlue Stadium