After a fabulous visit with family in Hondo, Texas, we made our way into San Antonio to see the famed Alamo. Originally built in the early 1700s as a Spanish Mission under the name Misión San Antonio de Valero, it was given its current name after Mexico gained independence from Spain. From a USA Today article, "In 1835, a band of 200 Texas volunteer soldiers drove the Mexican soldiers out, and several months later, Mexican General Santa Anna sent back an army of 6,000. Led by Jim Bowie and Davey Crockett, the defenders held on for 13 days before eventually being defeated. Six weeks later, an army led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexican soldiers at the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas' independence was won."
While visiting the Alamo, we opted to do a self-guided tour of the grounds for free but there are options for an audio tour, or guided tour as well. Neither of which were very expensive. We attended a period rifle demonstration and walked through the museum. The architectural beauty and history of this monument draws millions of visitors every year. It was easy to see why.
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A beautiful oasis outside of San Antonio became our resting place for the night on our way to Hondo. This gorgeous redrock canyon in the middle of the grasslands of Texas was a welcome park for our overnight in the area. We didn't take much time to explore but all agreed that we could probably spend many weekend trips investigating what this park has to offer. The wildlife in this campground was definitely used to human interactions. First of all, a flock of wild turkeys hung out with us while we were eating our dinner. Then, as we were getting in the van to take a drive to the end of the road to explore, a deer walked right up to us... like close enough for us to reach out and touch (we didn't of course, but could have). That night the night sky was so clear and bright that Dylan and Will spent as much time outside watching the sky before the skeeters got them. Lastly, the next morning, we woke to the songs of what appeared to be dozens of coyote calling back and forth to each other in glee. This park presented itself with some very cool animal encounters and a lovely backdrop to fall asleep in Reddy.
WHAT? Like, really - WHAT? As we pulled up to the ranch we had no idea what to expect, except that it was on Google's list of must dos in San Antonio.
This place is a small piece of oddity. The fact that someone took the time and energy to "plant" a dozen old cadillacs in the ground, on an angle, in a straight row in the middle of a huge agricultural field was one thing - BUT - they then opened it to the public so that each visitor can spray paint them to leave their own mark. The paint was in every spot, on every car and about 3 inches thick. The disturbing part was that there were 1000's of spray cans strewn all over the ground as well. Odd - but a fun side trip on our way through this huge state. An unplanned side trip brought us to the Capulin Volcano National Monument, a unique little National Park in eastern New Mexico. Driving through the grasslands, we noticed numerous hills popping up, just as we noticed the sign for this National Monument - of course we had to stop. The park visitor's center was at the base of the cinder cone and a narrow road took us to the top of the rim to look into this 60,000 year-old volcano. The views looking out from the rim were spectacular to see over the grasslands bespeckled with old cinder cones. The geology of this area is fascinating. Oh, and Miss Dylan became a Jr Ranger once more.
Two months ago we were in Colorado dropping off all of our worldly goods at Will's parents' house to begin our new phase of life. Unfortunately, Dylan was plagued with the a 7 day stomach bug and we spent the entire time trying to keep her little body hydrated - so this round we did lots of playing. We.....
After 2 full months on the road exploring the west coast it was time for us to head back to Utah to take care of some house business so that we could prepare for the next phase of life. Although we spent the majority of the 10 days we had in Utah doing a few more house renovations so that the house could find its new owners, we managed to squeeze in many hours of quality family time. One of our favorite Saturdays is the End of Summer festival at Bear Park which we were fortunate to attend. Our time in Utah wouldn't be complete with a trip to the aquarium, a hike along the river of Big Cottonwood Canyon, visits with many of our close friends, a trip to the Wheeler Farmers Market, some child labor, a ride in a convertible from chosen family, and a birthday celebration session at Top Golf.
After a lovely visit with some chosen family in Boise, we stopped near Idaho Falls to check out the Shoshone Falls. This quick stopover was well worth the opportunity to stretch our legs. The Snake river, which is a tributary of the Columbia, powerfully flows over the Shoshone Falls creating an incredible view. The river is so powerful that it is harnessed to provide power for the surrounding area. Although a quick stop for us, it is definitely a recommendation on your way from Boise to SLC.
As much as we enjoyed our time with family, it was time to say "adieu" as they made their way back to Utah. At this point, we made our way an hour south to Florence. On the way, we stopped at Strawberry Hill for some tide-pooling. We found crabs and sea stars galore! The wind coming off the shore was blasting us so we went inland slightly to Woahink lake. The spot we found was secluded and the lake was warm, so we spent multiple hours swimming, sunbathing, and playing music (Will may have even tried to tan his backside - shhhh).
After an unsuccessful attempt at crabbing in the wind we spent the night in the area and took a tour of the Haceta Head lighthouse in the morning. We couldn't get into the lighthouse itself but could tour the keeper's house. Pictures were not allowed but the house was beautiful. From there, we drove north with a detour to Hobbit Beach. The hike to the beach is beautiful, through an overgrown forest which made us feel as though we were hiking through a fairy forest. Back in Newport, we enjoyed viewing the murals in the Bay Front, crabbing on the pier, a tour of the Marine Science Center, walking around the aquarium village, and celebrating the birthday of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Celebrating with us were friends of ours from Utah who were in town visiting. We were given a show by a juvenile grey whale who was hanging out at the base of the cliffs, 60 feet below us. He was so close that we could clearly see his eye. This has been one of our favorite spots along the Oregon coast because of the plethora of activities available to us. A spot to which we would definitely return. After wildfires put a wrench in our plans to visit Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National park we made our way back to the Oregon coast. The Hill family (Aubrey's husband's family) were vacationing in Newport and had a few days left on their trip so we decided to head to Newport and spend a few days with them. The reunion was so touching. We left it a surprise for Dylan, only letting her know that we were going to visit some people she knew. When we pulled up to the house, Aubrey, Carver and Papa Mike were on the front porch. The screams coming from the back of the van were incredibly heartwarming. For the first few hours, Dylan and Carver couldn't keep their hands off each other - every time they passed, a beautiful look of true love would wash over their faces and they would have a big hug. It may have been the sweetest thing I have seen in my life.
On our first time through Newport, we seemed to have missed the Bay Front area of town. This was the area that the Hill family had their B&B and spent much of their time. We had so much fun exploring the harbor, and wharf, the small shops, the sea lions, the fish plant and the fishing boats of the Bay Front with Aubrey, Steve, Carver, and the gang. We also spent the morning on Agate beach so that the big Hill kids were able to surf. Aubrey,Will and I had a blast playing on the beach with the two smaller kids as they ran and played in the river's water, explored the rock walls for small critters, and played music on the beach while we watched the big kids play. That afternoon a variety of the gang spent some time crabbing and catching 9 rock crabs for dinner. Although our time together was short we had a lovely time exploring the this area of the Oregon Coast and sharing some much needed time and space. After leaving Mount Rainier, we headed in the direction of Glacier National Park. As we drove East, the smoke was increasing in density. We stopped for the night in the middle of nowhere Washington (Ritzville) at a cute little, family-run motel, the Colwell Motor Inn. While there, we evaluated our options and discovered that half of Glacier National Park was on fire. Wildfires were evacuating the Western half of the park and the air quality was such that we did not want to expose our lungs to that.
We had family visiting the Oregon coast and were invited to join them. The wildfires seemed like a sign that we needed to return to the coast. On our way, we drove along I-84 and decided to stop at Multnomah Falls. This spectacular waterfall drops 611 feet over the edge of a cliff. Is is a gorgeous sight to behold and only a 5 minute walk up to the base. Of course, a stop here wasn't complete without an ice cream treat. We highly recommend this little stop along the highway as a place to stretch your legs and get out of the car to discover the beauty of the area. It is a very short walk up to the bridge and suitable for everyone in the family. |
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April 2019
AuthorCarolyn and Will Bollwerk share their adventures with their 5 year-old daughter, Dylan. |