Getting Ready

I've been doing some online research getting ready for our trip. I have received free travel guides from New Mexico and Utah. I expect to receive Arizona's and Oklahoma's soon. I have been surprised by the amount of information contained in these publications. Plus, you can't beat free.

Avery and Erin helped me give the rig a bath this week. Of course, they couldn't reach very high but they had a blast scrubbing what they could. Avery took special joy in spraying me with the hose.

Holly has found several great books for the girls based in the areas that we are going to visit. The girls have already read stories about the Oklahoma Land Rush, an Armadillo from Amarillo, and an indian girl in New Mexico. We have found all sorts of activities for them to do along the way. They certainly won't be bored...or at least they won't have good reason to be.

We've mapped out a tentative itinerary. We're going to leave in the afternoon of Tuesday, July 3rd, and try to get as far past Little Rock, AR as we can...Fort Smith would be ideal. That will give us all day on the 4th to trek across Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas. There are a few sights in Oklahoma we plan to stop and see along the way, and we'll probably spend the night somewhere around Amarillo, Texas...maybe Palo Duro State Park. We'll spend Thursday and maybe part of Friday in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area and get into Las Vegas sometime Friday night.

We'll spend the weekend with our family before heading back east via southern Utah (Zion Nat'l Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon). The only thing I have a set time and date for is a day hike in Taos, New Mexico with a Llama outfitter. The girls will ride the Llamas while Holly and I hike with our Llamas in tow carrying our gear. Holly is very much looking forward to that day!

I'll start putting some pictures together as we pack the RV with supplies and gear. To be continued...