Behold, Cloud 9, 2.0! In two weeks, we’ll tow our second home to Paradise, Texas, to the workshop of our fellow HOTC’ers at A&P Vintage Trailer Works, to get a washer/dryer installed and to reconfigure our lounge. Paul Mayeux, co-owner with his partner Ann Flanagan, is taking on this major modification that we hope will…
We spent our week in the Chihuahuan Desert, one of the four great deserts in North America (the others are Sonoran Desert, Mohave Desert and Great Basin Desert). While much of our time was devoted to exploring Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe Mountains, the surrounding landscape provided spectacular beauty. Numerous plants and animals call this…
Thanksgiving Day in the Chihuahuan Desert meant mild temperatures, clear skies, and a relatively peaceful campground. The day began with getting a glimpse of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by phone calls to Jon’s mom and Cliff’s stepdad. Soon, Chef Cliff served brunch and then began preparing for the feast. We began the day…
After spending the first two days above ground, we ventured beneath the surface at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It sounds banal, but the only word to adequately describe the caverns is, well, cavernous. The system of more than 119 limestone caves was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural…
Our second day in the Chihuahuan Desert included a hike to McKittrick Canyon, a route that began at the interpretive center and rounded a small hillside before crossing a big, rocky wash that exposed the canyon’s geology. The canyon is named after Captain Felix McKittrick, a rancher who settled at the mouth of the canyon…
Our adventure into the Chihuahuan Desert began with a drive-by of El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak, the most distinguishable and highest points in Texas. El Capitan is the southern-most peak of the Guadalupe escarpment, an ancient limestone reef that forms the present-day Guadalupe Mountains. These mountains are an exposed portion of the Capitan Reef Barrier, a 350-mile long reef made up…
After a three-week hiatus, we hitched up Cloud 9 and headed to our favorite backyard park for a weekender. Throughout our stay, we longed for a little peace and quiet — the kind that amplifies the crackle of a campfire or the whir of the wind. Finally, on Sunday afternoon, we found our moment of…
The first day of our Rocky Mountain adventure was spent driving from Dallas to Amarillo. We added some time to our trip by avoiding the shorter route through Fort Worth, which includes some of the most treacherous construction traffic we’ve ever experienced. Driving west toward Abilene and then north to Amarillo requires plenty of caffeine…
Yesterday, one of Jon’s colleagues said, “When are you ever going to take a vacation?” Answer: at the end of the month. Destination: Rocky Mountain National Park. We’ll be camping near Estes Park during our week-long stay, which will allow us time to acclimate to the altitude before hitting the trails. After traveling to Grand…
The American humorist Garrison Keillor once said, “The problem with paradise is that it’s temporary: You don’t belong here and the neighbors are nobody you care to know, so it’s only blissful for a week or so.” We lost count of how many blissful weeks we’ve spent camping at Loyd Park this season, but one…
Garinns on the Go 