http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/in-the-blink-of-an-eye/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from in the blink of an eye en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:58:05 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:58:05 +0000 days 3 4Mom has always dreamt of going to Telluride and finally she got to go there We spent 2 amazing days wandering around the town soaking up the sun we even got burnt wasn't expecting that relaxing in the ginormous hot tub at our hotel. Seriously this thing could've fit about 15 people easily but we had it to ourselves Telluride is a tiny town nestled in the valley in the Sa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Colorado/Telluride/blog-448154.html day 2Last night we stayed in Chinle AZ. As far as we could tell there's nothing fantastic about the town but lurking shortly outside of the town limits is a spectacular place neither mom nor I had anticipated. I'm talking about Canyon de Chelly National Monument This gem of a beauty happens to be FREE to visit at all times of the year. FREE However to enter into the canyon you have http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Canyon-de-Chelly-National-Monument/blog-445573.html day 1 My mom has always dreamt of going to Colorado so we decided to take a road trip to Telluride. We took the scenic smaller roads in favor of the interstate. Arizona has so many beautiful places many lurking just around the corner. So many places in fact that we haven't even seen a lot of them. The Salt River Canyon was on our list of places to see. The Salt River Canyon is a short http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Petrified-Forest-National-Park/blog-445014.html ...where the deer and the antelope play My friend Launie had to drive back home to Montana and asked if I'd like to come with. So of course I said yes. Unfortunately Jeff didn't get to go but it was just a short trip anyways. We left Launie's house in Phoenix and started the journey north. We took a short detour from the path we were on and stopped at Navajo Bridge. Navajo Bridge is at th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Butte/blog-433970.html Want to hike camp in the Grand Canyon was what we asked eachother and my mom. Hell yeah was the obvious response. So we began preparing for the trip. A group of Couchsurfers were planning the trip and had all the details ironed out. Sure we could have done the trip on our own and for a little cheaper but forking over the dough to them ensured a somewhat hassle free trip. The organ http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Supai/blog-427652.html With a couple friends we went to Puerto Penasco Mexico dubbed Rocky Point by the gajillion Americans that frequent. It's a short jaunt from Tucsononly about 215 miles southwest. The road there leads through miles and miles of scenic desert until like a mirage you reach the once sleepy ocean side town. I guess it's not really a town anymore though parts of it have the feel as though it s http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Sonora/Puerto-Pe-asco/blog-425983.html In the springtime the desert comes to life Surprisingly many animals and plants hibernate throughout the winter even here in the Sonoran Desert. It seems as though one day the ground is brown and barren and the next day the cacti are in full brightly vivid bloom and the earth is teeming with life. A boring drive down the streets turns into a thrill as you oooh and aaaaah at the splashes of co http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Tucson/blog-421525.html Okay maybe you don't need to walk on fire to live here but if you're my crazy family you do it for fun. When the weather is cold. Over a bonfire. We drove north to stay with family in Paulden a place a couple hours north of the Phoenix area that is pretty much in the middle of nowhere but allows for a bonfire a large group of people without fear of neighbors complaining of noise. Jeff jo http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Jerome/blog-420920.html We went on a trip again with my mom. This time was a quick drive over to the L.A. area for multiple purposes. The first reason was to visit my aunt mom's sis and her family. My cousin had a gymnastic meet and this was the perfect opportunity to finally watch her in action. Honestly we weren't sure how we'd fare during the meet but were all equally entertained surprised at how great of a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/blog-420911.html We went along with my mom on a trip to the army base in Ft Huachuca. Located on the base are stables named Buffalo Corral Riding Stables. I think they are open to the public so no special identification is needed to access the stables. This was mom's first time on a horse It was only my second time on a horse unless you count sitting on a Clydesdale at an Amish farm waaaaay back in the da http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Fort-Huachuca/blog-416612.html Both of us have been to Las Vegas on numerous occasions but never with eachother. This was our first trip there together and I'm sure there will be more to come. We are both night owls and Vegas is the kind of town that just sucks us right in enticing us with never closing bars twinkling lights and a plethora of activities. Someday I'll actually get to the Red Rocks to explore more of nature http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/Las-Vegas/blog-414276.html Venice Crystal River Orlando. That's what this trip entailed. When we signed up for our phone service a year prior they had a one day special. That special was that if you signed up for service faithfully paid your bills then in a year you would get a free plane ticket. We may not always be frugal but we love free stuff Who doesn't With the free ticket you could choose from a number http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/blog-411381.html As soon as I amy got out of the military I booked flights to go visit a few of my girls. First I went to Seattle WA to stay with Claudia Co. It snowed. A lot I was told that it was odd that usually it's rainy gloomy but not snowy. Lucky for me I grew up in the snow and though I don't miss living in it I do love the occasional frolick in the white powder. The snow was fleeting tho http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/blog-411356.html Our original plan was to go with my mom to Disneyland but those plans fell through. Determined to still do something fun and out of town we decided on a trip to San Diego to breathe in the fresh sea salt filled air and go the the ginormous zoo. We stayed in a hostel in the gaslight district. Mom had never stayed in one and her first experience was definitely one to write about The first ni http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Diego/blog-399180.html I amy took a quick but desperately needed trip to Moab with my dear goddess of a friend and her son. I was there with her for moral support and in turn she showed me her beloved stomping grounds. After a short stay with some friends in Flagstaff we drove north to Moab. While there we did some short hikes and she took me to her favorite secret place Mill Creek where we wandered for what se http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Utah/Moab/blog-399156.html We drove up to Mt Lemmon to escape the triple digits of Tucson weather. Granted it's not that much cooler of a climate. But seeing as though it is more than 6000 feet above the city it definitely drops a few degrees. Instead of feeling as though you've stuck your head in an oven you get a nice gentle cool breeze. The Catalina Highway really a 2 lane road slowly winds up the mountain for a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Tucson/blog-399142.html Our first trip to Arkansas. And boy were we pleasantly surprised at how great this place is We went with my mom to visit her brother my cousin. Or my uncle and her nephew if you'd like to think of it that way too We spent a few days wandering through the winding streets of the quaint town of Eureka Springs caught a few local acts toured a haunted hotel and just spent quality time with fa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arkansas/Eureka-Springs/blog-391062.html We went along with my amy's mom on a hike in Sabino Canyon mom's 1st hike ever. Sabino Canyon is in the north part of Tucson along the base of the Catalina Mountains. The year prior or maybe 2not sure there were bad floods and a large part of the trails signs etc had been washed away. There was lots of water flowing when we went on our hike and we had to traverse the stream back and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Tucson/blog-389156.html Our friend Tara came to visit us in Spain from Germany with her son hubby. They showed up on Thanskgiving morning we ate a quick meal and headed out. We drove east until night fell then found a camp ground and crashed for the night. The next morning we strolled around Ronda pronounced with a long Oh sound checked out the deep ravine the more than 200 year old Puente Nuevo that spans a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/blog-385056.html After a day to drive back home repack get a little sleep and recoupe from our boarding trip to Granada we were on the road again. This time in the opposite direction to Lisbon Portugal. It was about a 4 12hour drive. We arrived in the early evening checked in to our hotel and then wandered toward Bairro Alto to check out the nightlife. The hills were SUPER steep to get up there and we k http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Lisbon-and-Tagus-Valley/Lisbon/blog-382277.html