Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: parks

  • Canyons in Navajo Country: Rural Road Trip

    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

    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

    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…

  • Indian Oasis: Rural Road Trip

    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

    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…

  • The Canyon Remembered: Rural Road Trip

    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…

  • On The Road Again: Rural Road Trips

    As we head out on another adventure, I am oddly ambivalent. I don’t feel ill, but I also am not myself. Usually I am giddy with excitement. Today, I could just as easily go back inside and hide under a blanket. But grand adventures aren’t for the timid. So we load up, hook up the…

  • The Great Lake: Rural Road Trip

    Sandwiched between a visit with our kids in Chicago and a work trip in Milwaukee, we squeezed in a day of enjoying rural Lake Michigan. After walking the granddogs to the local bakery for breakfast and a leisurely walk, we loaded up the car and headed North. The day was sunny, warm and beautiful. After…

  • State Park Adventure: Rural Road Trip

    There is something very relaxing about a camping trip. I sound hypocritical to my own ears when I say that the trick is a minimalist mindset (we own a class A motorhome). I know people who won’t camp that talk about the work involved. Less is truly more. (And I still think a backpack is…

  • Some Days Are Just Beautiful: Travel Goals

    Some days are just beautiful. The sky is unbearably blue. The air is cool but the warmth of the sun kisses your cheeks. A slight breeze teases your skin and all seems well with the world. It is an impulse stop. I am on my way to a work related training. We are headed north…