The Grand Canyon of Texas

Situated near Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the U.S., roughly 60 miles in length with an average width of 6 miles. The canyon’s depth ranges from 800 to nearly 1,000 feet, displaying dramatic geologic features, multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa walls. It was the…

Storm Before the Calm

Anyone who has ever planned a 10-day road trip knows that the preparation can be daunting. After all, there are supplies and provisions to be obtained and stowed, reservations to be made and confirmed, lists to be compiled and checked, and itineraries to be planned and finalized. And, as Robert Burns reminded us, the best…

Route 66

That California Trip

In one week, we plan to motor west on Route 66. Our destination is Yosemite, but we’ve arranged to see Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff, Winona, Kingman and Barstow along the way–cities made famous by the 1946 R&B classic. We spend some time after work each night and on the weekends preparing for this first long road trip in…

Unexpected Pleasure

In the business world, this is known as being flexible and adaptable. In our world, it’s known as compensating for inadequate planning. We took delivery of our 2014 Airstream 22FB Sport on Saturday afternoon. We had concerns that it might not make it up the driveway and, even if it did, it might not have…

For Our 10th Anniversary: Aluminum

What better way to celebrate 10 years of marriage than with a traditional gift of aluminum! Ours is a 2014 Airstream 22FB Sport, the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream. Its maiden voyage will be to Yosemite, with a stop along the way at the Grand Canyon. We’ll get our kicks on Route 66 with overnight…

Think Spring!

We’re spending the weekend at our favorite “backyard” state park, primarily because it is convenient and reliable. We know what to expect. Because this is “spring break” for many families, the park is “sold out,” although there are many unoccupied sites. The brilliant orange gerbera daisy, pictured here, adorns our table, a product of “Fresh…

Modifications

To understand why we purchased, and then modified, a tufted-leather storage ottoman for our camper, you first must understand the importance of a tufted-leather ottoman in our daily life. We have an enormous tufted-leather ottoman in our den. It’s so big, in fact, that Cliff’s sister actually slept on it when her house lost power…

Home is Where the Heart Is

We took advantage of this Valentine’s Day/Presidents Day weekend to head out to our favorite backyard state park, where we experienced a surf-‘n’-turf Date Night, a truly memorable full moon, warm, breezy days and cool, crisp nights. It’s clear to us that wherever we go in our little home on wheels, we are truly at…

Ready to Roll

We’ve begun making preparations for our mid-May trip to Yosemite and we can hardly wait to hit the open road! We’ll be traveling along much of the old Route 66 and staying at many of the places Bobby Troup named in his 1946 classic tune. First stop, Amarillo (Palo Duro Canyon State Park), then on…

In the Bleak Midwinter

We’ve spent the weekend at our favorite “backyard” state park and we’re pleased we took the chance on North Texas’ unpredictable winter weather. It’s been alternately warm and windy, but sunny and mild every day. In fact, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer weekend. To underscore the fact that we’re still outdoor “novices,” we…