Vegas is always a great trip! It is an easy flight and the public transportation is very good. We booked a four night stay at the Excalibur. Leave at a reasonable hour on Monday, return on Friday with the weekend to recuperate (from the mental anguish of the great financial loss that normally occurs). We joined my brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Debbie, for this jaunt. We always have a great time together and have made this trip together in the past. They left from Amarillo, Texas and we all met up at the Las Vegas Airport. We walked out of the airport to be faced with our first taste of 100 degree weather. What a shocking jolt to the memory! We had forgotten how hot summer can get. And to think that I wasted space in ... read more

Some places demand a return visit. Roman Nose State Park is one of those places. Although we visited in March, May provides an entirely new perspective and definitely new experiences! Rather than being bundled up to face the cold north chill, our attire is shorts and tees. After all, when you go paddling, you have to dress for the occasion! Our trip out from the City mandated a lunch stop at Eischen’s for chicken and okra. In case you have not been to Okarche in a while, the rumors on the internet are not true. Eischen's has not closed, as noted on Urban spoon. For $14 you can get a whole chicken, cut, breaded and deep fried. Throw in about two quarts of fried okra, and you are set for a walking coronary! The okra was ... read more

Our final day in New Mexico began with a great breakfast at a local cafe frequented by the local oil-field workers, as well as the town's professionals. The menu was exactly what we were looking for - good country cooking and lots of coffee. We had plenty of time as our plans for the day included hitting the local antique stores and a mountain tour of the Lincoln National Forest. There were four primary antique stores in Carlsbad, our favorite was more of a conglomeration of "stuff". We were able to find several treasures that were worth hauling back to Oklahoma. The shop merchants were extremely hospitable and inquisitive of our "virtual" store. Of course, we did not really expound on the "virtual" aspect of The Prairie Schooner. Most shop owners seem to detest those who ... read more

We have headed back out on the road to a destination that we all remember visiting as children - Carlsbad Caverns in southeastern New Mexico. Due to the storms predicted for Wednesday evening in OKC, we could not pack up Stormy until very early Thursday morning. After last May's hail storm, I am very reluctant to have the motor coach out in the un-predictable Oklahoma weather. So, that meant that I got up at 4 a.m. for the short drive to Edmond to retrieve Stormy for our voyage! All the while, Cynde slept snuggly awaiting my return and eventual departure. After fueling up, I got to the house about 5:30 and called for Cynde to "get up"! We hurriedly loaded the coach and got away from OKC around 6:30 a.m. I chose a south and south-west ... read more

Yep, we are on board the Heartland Flyer making our way to OKC with many stops between. Did I say that this is a great short trip!! Today we had a lite breakfast in the hotel then on to the Cattle Merchant's Building. There is a great museum in this historic building. There is no admission, but a nominal donation is expected. The museum is well worth the time and donation. The docents are great - taking great time to share their knowledge of local and state history. One point of interest is a lightbulb that has actually been burning for over 100 years! That is correct, and this is well documented. It has not been turned off, ever!! There is one bulb in California, manufactured by the same company, that has been burning a few ... read more