Tag: mother

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns

heartswelladventures
download_20180124_2040161517938288.jpg
So long Texas!

After a much needed stop in Ft. Stockton, TX, we finished our drive to Carlsbad, New Mexico. This cute little park was in the middle of the desert, yet it was situated on a lake.

We pretty much stayed inside the rest of the day as the winds were absolutely insane! We even contemplated pulling in the slide at one point to help ease the rocking. Our camp hosts told us that this was unusual for this area and should ease up by the next day.

img_20180122_172507132255462.jpg
Great covered playground – if only the kids felt better 

Thank goodness they were right and we were able to get out for a bit. Sadly, the kids were still sick and didn’t want to play that much.

Which meant another low-key day for us, playing inside.

photogrid_15170822001261926007001.jpg
Aliens were everywhere!

By Wednesday, we all felt pretty good so we took the opportunity to get out. A short drive away is the city of Roswell and who could pass up the opportunity to see aliens!?!

photogrid_15170823453791871748977.jpg
amazing assortment of animals for a free zoo

While, sadly, we didn’t encounter any being from another world we did get to see some animals from this one at the Roswell Zoo. This cute zoo is free and filled with lots of animals that the kids could get close to.

Right next door is a cute playground, while had a 1970s rocket slide – which Damon had to try, of course 😄

It’s been a while since we hit a Goodwill, most of the small towns we’ve visited the past few weeks didn’t have one. So we jumped at the chance to visit the one in Roswell. I scored a pile of books for the kids (I collect old Disney and Golden Books – they’re awesome and these are a steal!).

img_20180125_110741_788594183657.jpg
This McDonald’s was outta-this-world!

At this point, the kids were pretty worn out, so we headed back to the RV. Before we left, we made a quick stop at McDonald’s, which had an extraterrestrial feel to it 👽.

screenshot_2018-01-25-09-02-26609938740.png

Since we were in Carlsbad, we’d hoped to visit the famous Carlsbad Caverns. Unfortunately, the only way to see it with kids is to use their elevator, which was down for maintenance all week. And, while it was supposed to be fixed before we left, the lovely government shutdown delayed things. Which meant no caverns for us this time. I was pretty bummed – I visited the caverns with my Grandma when I was about 6 and wanted to revisit it.

Instead, we used to day to clean the RV (which really helps with leaving the campsite), and going grocery shopping. Since it’s been cold out, I made my Crock-Pot Chili (and no, I’m not scared to use it. The ‘This Is Us’ guy died from bad wiring and NOT a Crock-Pot!).

And so ends another RV stop. Next up, Albuquerque.

California Adventures: The Rose Parade

California Adventures: The Rose Parade

heartswelladventures


The Rose Parade is a California staple. For as long as I can remember, my family and I have gotten up on New Years Day, made breakfast and hunkered down to watch the Rose Parade. When we moved to the East Coast, we made sure to watch the California broadcasts with Bob and Stephanie (the east coast people cut out too much of the parade, have too many interviews, and just overall don’t know what they are talking about). So you can imagine how excited I was to learn that we were moving to Glendale – a short drive to Pasadena: Home of the Rose Parade.

Since we have mini-man, I went ahead and got stadium seating so we wouldn’t have to get up early and wait for the parade in the cold. Totally worth it – we arrived in plenty of time to park and find our seats. However, there were a few things I didn’t realize:

  • Long wait: we had to arrive early before they closed the gates. But that’s usually before the parade itself starts. And we were 90 minutes from the start of the parade – which meant we wait for a long time.
  • Unusual pre-show: People know that you are waiting there. So they march in the street yelling all sorts of things. I think I was told I’d be going to be damned numerous times by a variety of groups. Definitely something you don’t see on TV.
  • It’s quiet: you watch the parade on tv and you hear music and commentary. In person, you don’t hear commentary and barely hear the music.

All-in-all, I was very disappointed seeing the parade. I’m glad I got to experience the parade but next year, I’m staying home where it’s warm and I can see the parade better.