After Jon spent more than two hours tying up loose ends at work, we were finally ready to set out for Big Bend National Park. Our Day 1 destination: Mule Ears, Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon — among the park’s most iconic sites. First, we stopped for lunch at Rio Bravo, a Terlingua cafe that…
We hadn’t planned on visiting Big Bend National Park when we set our 2015 travel calendar. But we also hadn’t planned on Jon attending the world’s largest gathering of radiologists just two days after Thanksgiving. The Radiological Society of North America will hold its annual meeting in Chicago from November 29-December 4, and Jon was asked to attend so…
The hundreds of visitors who camped around the Hardeman County Courthouse in Quanah, Texas, are all gone now, leaving Cloud 9 as the lone witness to a weekend of activities, acquaintances and all-things-Airstream. It was our first regional rally, and our first experience “boondocking,” or dry camping–that is, camping without water, electrical or sewer hookups.…
Our beloved Loyd Park is finally recovering from the spring floods, opening more sites–and more possibilities–for weekend campers like us. Four of Loyd Park’s five camping loops are now accessible, but signs of the flood persist, as debris, as well as rusted sign posts, dumpsters, electrical hookups can be seen throughout the park. We had…
This year’s Fourth of July, our 14th celebration together, was an experience we’d rather forget. Although it began with much promise, it ended with more of a whimper than a bang. We thought the stars had aligned when we were able to get a campsite at Loyd Park, despite being told, early in the week,…
After an intense, albeit shortened, work week, we began our three-day weekend at Loyd Park with a quick set-up, a first walk and a refreshing cocktail. We fired up the BGE and were soon enjoying grilled salmon, cob corn and shishito peppers, complemented by caprese salad and cabernet wine. That’s roughing it, Garinn-style. An after-dinner…
With so many area parks closed due to flooding, finding a place for weekend camping is a challenge. Thankfully, we discovered Loyd Park, a campground managed by the City of Grand Prairie. We hesitated to try a “city” park for a number of reasons. First, city budgets aren’t generous when it comes to parks and…
At the end of a particularly demanding work week, we were eager to get away. We set our sights on Salado, a tiny Texas town that was established in 1867 for the sole pupose of building a bridge across Salado Creek. Cliff’s Garner family was hosting its annual reunion at the Stagecoach Inn, a Salado…
8,000 | Altitude, in Feet, At Which We Had Our Most Strenuous Day 3,036 | Total Miles Traveled 750 | Estimated Number of People Viewing Old Faithful Geyer at 2 pm on May 27 152 | Coal Cars Counted on BSNF Train 72 | Horses Counted in One Pasture at Buffalo Valley, East of the…
Day 8 of our Yellowstone Adventure found us overnighting at the Amarillo KOA, our third overnight there. Among other things, Amarillo is known for its meatpacking industry, one of the largest in the nation, and was once called the “Helium Capitol of the World,” for having one of the country’s most active helium fields. The…
Garinns on the Go 