Riddles on the Road–Week One

OK, so as many of you know, we bought a camper van. If you did not know, well, we bought a camper van. A 1993 Dodge Ram series extended body converted camper van. With a pop top sleeper. Its name is Sonny, after my grandfather, Sonny Austin, who every summer when I was growing up would pile all the grand kids and anyone else who could (or would) fit into his van and haul us all over North America, from Matamoros to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon to the Great Smokey Mountains. Fitting name for our van, as you will see.

After touching down for jet-lag recoup and good ol’ Southern hospitality in Mississippi, we flew to Austin, TX, picked up Sonny the Sportsmobile, hauled to Galveston packed up our apartment and are awaiting the sale of our house, sold and donated extraneous clutter, downsized into our humble House on Wheels and hit the road. What lies in store on the road ahead? What ALWAYS buries itself behind each curve of tarmac? ADVENTURE.

I hope you enjoy your vicarious virtual travel across up and back down the Great North American West and North (props for our friends The Canadians, whom we will visit as well) And without further adieu:

Week One: Palo Duro Canyon, TX; Santa Fe, NM; and Yosemite, CA

We left Ft. Worth and hit Palo Duro Canyon, the SECOND largest canyon in the US (behind ol’ Grand Canyon)–neither Shawna nor I had ever been there. What a place. We did not explore the vastness of the place; half of the park was closed due to a recent flood, but we did wake up to coyotes singing in the early morning!!! Here are some good pictures:
















Santa Fe, NM: Crash land at our friend, Jen Davidson’s house. The hospitality was pure Texas (generous and warm!) And the food was authentic southwestern! What a great town! Definitely enchanting...(sorry no photos--Jenn has them!!)

Here is a special shot we had to take--our friend Dennis Koi used to call Kai, Kaibab, after the Kaibab National Forest outside of Flagstaff, AZ. SO...




Santa Fe to Yosemite: nothing to report other than if you never make it to Dubai, go to Las Vegas; it’s the same place...Although, Kai and Emma DID chase jackrabbits at Lake Mead National Park, where we slept a night.


Yosemite National Park, CA:





All I can say is that it is one place you must see before you die. There was still a heavy snow layer in the upper elevations, and where we camped on the east side in the highlands (9000+ ft) nighttime lows were in the upper 30's and daytime highs were in the 70's...for our non-American friends who cannot convert, that around 3 - 4 C for a low and about 18 C for a high (I guess–I cannot convert either! ). El Capitan was commanding; Bridalveil Falls, breathtaking; trees and green, dream-branding; people, plentiful–what do you expect for 4th of July weekend?!?




(The kids do not remember Christmas 2004 when it snowed in Galveston, so this is a first for them to play in REAL snow, not fabricated Ski Dubai stuff...)


There is so much more wildlife than people in the park though. We saw chipmunks and yellow bellied marmots, and Shawna "swears" she heard a bear snooping around our campsite. I still think my sinuses were acting up again...No deer or elk, but we still have many stands of trees to explore...




Now, we are just off 101 in Northern CA, on the way to Redwoods. Update to come...