Cross Country Part 2

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10/31/09
On Halloween we took Oscar to two different parks in New Orleans. First we went to the park next to the hotel, where we happened to come upon a large array of birds. There were ducks, geese, a black swan, little white birds with long skinny beaks, seagulls and also one large rodent. They were all very tame. Afterward, we drove to the City Park, where the Voodoo concert was being held. The park was full of gigantic trees covered in moss. After Oscar played with an enormous nine month old Irish wolfhound we headed back to the hotel to rest up for our night in the French Quarter. After our rest we put on our mullet wigs and flannels and headed out. While walking around we came across some street performers doing a break dance/comedy act. For the next few hours we just walked around, mainly on Bourbon street, checking out everyone's costumes. Unfortunately Dave's camera wasn't working well so we weren't able to get many pictures.

11/01/09
Before leaving New Orleans, we went back to the park next to the hotel for the pet festival. It was a festival for dogs full of vendors selling anything you can image for dogs, food stalls, and live music. The best part was the fact that there were hundreds of dogs, all kinds, all over the place. I hope it made Oscar's day. After a full day of driving, we eventually reached Stephen Austin State Park, outside of Houston at around eight o'clock in the evening. All night we heard the craziest owl noises as well as coyotes.

11/02/09
We woke up and took Oscar for a walk around the park. It started out easy but then the path was covered with mud. I wasn't wearing any shoes, which was a bad idea. There's a good picture of it. Afterward, we drove to San Antonio and got a campsite at KOA right outside the city. We took Oscar to a dog park outside the city before cooking dinner on the fire.

11/03/09
In San Antonio all we really wanted to see was the river walk. I was expected something like waterfire in Providence. It was far more impressive. In a way t reminded me of a modern day Venice. It's beautifully landscaped with endless restaurants, shops, bars, gardens and waterfalls. Seeing as we were there in the morning everything was closed, which made for a quiet, private walk. It seems like a wonderful place to spend a hot summer evening. After leaving San Antonio, we headed to Seminole State Park. It's located on the Rio Grande, near the Mexican border. We had to stop at a border patrol checkpoint on the way to the park. We arrived right before sunset. It felt like we were finally in the desert, being surrounded by nothing by dry dirt, rocks and small shrubs. We could see miles in every direction. Before going to bed, when it was dark out we were visited by a skunk. Oscar tried to jump through the tent and ended up ripping it in the process.

11/04/09
In the morning we went for a hike to the Seminole Canyons. It is a smooth cut, glacier formed canyon, 100 feet deep. After our hike we got back on the road. We were planning on heading to Big Bend National Park but we found out dogs aren't allowed on any of the trails. Seeing as the reason we were going there was to go hiking, we decided to skip it and head to Arizona. We made it to Balmorrhea State Park, which is truly in the middle of nowhere Texas. The only redeeming quality the park had was an acre natural spring fed swimming pool. Dave took a quick dip. The giant catfish kept me from going in.

11/05/09
We drove to Catalina State Park, outside of Tuscon Arizona. It is a beautiful park located at the base of mountain.

11/06/09-11/08/09
In the morning we took Oscar for a four mile hike around the base of the mountain. The park is covered with saguaro cacti, roadrunners, mountain lions and canyons. After our hike we drove to my aunt and uncles house in Mesa. While we were there, we checked out the area around ASU, played dominoes, went on a hike, went to the contemporary museum in Scottsdale, had a beer at the Rusty Spur, relaxed and got to do some laundry.

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