That there's a big hole.....

You may want to get a snack and a beverage...this may take a while...

So our Friday morning started off bright and early and we headed to the Grand Canyon.  It was most impressive.  If you have not been, it is definitely worth the trip.  We spent a few hours, started a great sunburn, and took lots of pictures and we could have stayed way longer.  This is my very first view as we walked up the path from the parking lot and it was a stunner.  The picture does not do it justice.

Here is a family photo at the Grand Canyon...somehow we managed to not push each other off the edge...  

and it is a loooooong way down.  Again, this photo does not do it justice....

Here we are - the ringleaders of this crazy circus...we are smiling because it is still early in the morning and we haven't had enough time to get spun up yet!  Also, I'm super excited to be able to wear a tank top...it will become apparent later that this was a bad, bad choice.  I just got caught up in the warm and sunny moment. 

I thought things had been going fairly well overall, but in this candid picture Brooke took of Charlie, unknowingly, it does look like he's contemplating ending this whole long trip and just jumping right over the edge.

A few hours later we arrived at the Meteor Crater Landmark....now, let me preface this by saying I was told by someone in our group...no names...CHARLIE, that this would be a 15 minute detour.  Well, it was 15 minutes plus 2 hours....you do the math.  We arrived at the ticket gate, because evidently you have to pay to see a gigantic hole in the ground, and we ask about any discounts...military, AAA...so the guy mentions that if we are traveling on orders (we are) that we can get in for free.  Well, it was gonna be $51...to see a huge hole in the ground, so we go back to  the car for the orders...you know orders that you would put in a particular spot for safekeeping...umm hmm....so we rip our car apart and finally 25 minutes later and a lovely addition to the sunburn, we find the orders and take them up to the window.  Now remember,  we are gonna save $51 by doing this ($51 we'll later spend on aloe and sunscreen).  The guy then tells us that Charlie gets in free and the rest of us well, not so free...yeah, more like full price!  He may have been a little wrong about the rules. 

So off we go to take the crater tour with our friendly Navajo guide, Mike...yeah that was his name.  He gave us a one hour PARTIAL walk around the crater, in full sun, which further added to the blistering sensation of our skin.  It was fabulous...you know that sizzle of your skin that you can kind of hear as it's happening? 

 

In all seriousness, it was a very informative and interesting tour.  We are glad we stopped and that we paid the price of admission to get in.  And Mike, was also a really great guide. The photo below is a taste of the crater...it is vast. At some point in the past, companies mined at the bottom of the crater and the workers lived in homes at the bottom.

One of the things we saw along our trip, on Friday, were things like this...an RV on fire!!!  Look to the right of the photo...that's a guy with, I kid you not, a brush fire hose...think garden hose, attached to a Hummer. Looking to the left, I believe you'll see the couple who used to own a nice RV and all that they could salvage before it got this ugly. Note I took this photo while Charlie was driving MACH 2 on the interstate!

On Saturday, we just drove and drove and drove and drove and...well you get the picture.  We also spent a considerable amount of time, while driving, slathering ourselves with aloe.  It was a painful ride.  We only stopped for lunch, dinner and restroom breaks.  We crossed into Texas around 7 pm, had dinner and then we got to see our very first Texas sunset.  Isn't it awesome??? Again, I took this photo while Charlie was going MACH 2...someone likes the 75 and 80 mile an hour speed limits here in the southwest. (Trip stats: The Suburban got 15 miles per gallon and we spent over $600 in gas in just 5 days...stats courtesy of Charlie).

We arrived in Boerne, right outside of San Antonio, around 4 AM and slept a bit and now we are spending time hotel hopping and house hunting. The temps had been climbing as we went further south but today it was 102 degrees here.  But let me assure you it wasn't too bad...say it with me now..."it's a dry heat!"

I will let folks know what's happening as we figure it out ourselves.  There are plenty of houses to choose from but not everything is fabulous.  We'll find something I'm sure! 

Stay posted for further developments, YA'LL!