Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Perspectives

  • Trading Post: Rural Road Trip Arizona

    Trading Post: Rural Road Trip Arizona

    On our way to Canyon de Chelly, we stop at the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic site. To get here, we drove though miles of Navajo Country, wdesert and across a tiny one lane bridge. On the outside, the building looks as it once did. Adobe bricks baked by the sun form crude walls. A…

  • Canyons in Navajo Country: Rural Road Trip Arizona

    Canyons in Navajo Country: Rural Road Trip Arizona

    Sometimes a place calls to me with no rhyme or reason. Canyon de Chelly has jumped off the map for a number of years. It is off the main highways and requires a multi-hour detour through rugged landscape. Deep in Navajo country, the canyon has remained illusive. You have to mean to go there. It…

  • Zoos and Aquariums Always Make Me Smile: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    Zoos and Aquariums Always Make Me Smile: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    Few things beat a day at the zoo. Seriously. I love zoos. Animals and small children are too cute. The combination is irresistible. The Albuquerque combo ticket fee is a good value and includes the botanical garden, the zoo, and the aquarium. As a St. Louis girl I am used to the world class zoo…

  • Albuquerque Botanical: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    Albuquerque Botanical: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    The Albuquerque Botanical Garden is an unexpected delight. The grounds are immaculate. It is a shady oasis in a desert landscape. As we walk among the trees by a large lake, I am refreshed. It is nice to visit the desert, but I am a hillbilly girl who loves the forest. This will have to…

  • Old Town Charm: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    Old Town Charm: Rural Road Trips New Mexico

    Sometimes a road warrior just needs a little down time. In old town Albuquerque, a quiet stroll and a leisurely meal fit the bill. The old section of town is a bit ragged around the edges. Shops have closed and the tourist traffic is light. But the streets and adobe buildings have a magic all…

  • Indian Oasis: Rural Road Trip New Mexico

    Indian Oasis: Rural Road Trip New Mexico

    After a full day of driving, I was thrilled to pull off the highway to the Route 66 RV park on the Laguna Pueblo. Of course navigating two tight roundabouts in a large rv while towing a pick up truck was an unexpected surprise coming off the interstate exit. It was not a problem other…

  • Amarillo By Sunset: Rural Road Trips Texas

    Amarillo By Sunset: Rural Road Trips Texas

    Amarillo, Texas is usually a drive through city. We spend the night, eat a meal and head for points further down the interstate. This trip we decide to stay a few nights. We select Fort Amarillo RV resort solely for its location. The roads in Amarillo are confusing with one way corridors that run parallel…

  • Birthday Special: Rural Road Trip Missouri

    Birthday Special: Rural Road Trip Missouri

    My mother in law (who is likely reading this) just had a birthday. This year she insisted on taking all of her children and spouses out for fried chicken. In her world (and mine) family is everything. On her ninetieth birthday, all she wanted was a trip to a beautiful nearby state park with her…

  • The Canyon Remembered: Rural Road Trip Texas

    The Canyon Remembered: Rural Road Trip Texas

    We are standing in Palo Duro Canyon. A roadrunner follows us around the parking lot. He assumes an assertive stance on the red dirt hill just off the sidewalk and challenges us to follow along the trail to the river. Of course I tag along. He is cute and I love to hike. It is…

  • Iconic Texas: Rural Road Trips

    Iconic Texas: Rural Road Trips

    Rolling down highway 40, our big rig pulls into Amarillo Texas in late afternoon. After miles of rough road and cross winds, the rv park is a welcome relief. We quickly set camp and take a walk around the park. Like most RV parks along the interstates, this on is tightly packed and full of…