I hadn't really bothered reading the signs at first, but I slowly realized that they were repeated every 5-10 miles or so. When I finally took the time to read them, I saw that they were instructions on what to do in a dust storm. We so don't have these in Tennessee. Culture shock!
It was unnerving to think that there was the possibility of dust storms. I was worried for my kids. I did not want to lead them into danger. We drove on. El Paso was soon behind us and we entered into New Mexico. I pointed to the left of our car. "See those hills and stuff?" I asked my wife. "That's Mexico!" She was awestruck. She'd never seen the border before. It was pretty neat seeing another country so close, but we pressed on.
Our plan of having the boys eat and then sleep on the way to our next stop, Deming, New Mexico did not come to fruition. No, they remained awake the entire way. Every time a rest area came up, they had to stop. It made for a slightly longer trip, but we made it to a hotel (this time a Hampton Inn, our favorite while traveling) well before dark. I made a quick supply and gas run to Walmart and then headed to our room for some food. We brought with us, in addition to all the snacks and lunch foods, a healthy supply of camp food. We figured it would save money, which it did. I had lasagna. It was surprisingly good. After our bags of dinner, we swam a little and then tucked the boys into bed. Mama and I weren't too far behind them.
Sunday, day 4 of our adventure. We packed the car and ate the always awesome Hampton Inn breakfast buffet. Instead of continuing west, we took a detour to the southeast to a state park called Rock Hound State Park. One of the unique things about this place is that they encourage visitors to collect things. The only thing is is that you have to go off the train a ways to find the good stuff. We found a couple shiny rocks, but nothing too notable. We wandered up a path a bit and enjoyed the lizards and cacti. I was hoping to see a snake so I could get a picture, but that didn't happen. After about an hour or so of roaming around and an awkward conversation with what seemed to be an arguing couple, we headed back to Deming and the interstate.
The next leg was slightly more grueling that the previous ones had been. We were deep in the desert. The threat of dust storms keeping me in reality as I drove us towards Tuscon. My mind kept going back to what if one hit. I guess we'd just pull over and wait it out. Or at least that's what the signs made it sound like we were supposed to do.
Tuscon crept ever closer. The boys either watched videos on their blessed DVD players or played with the few toys that they had brought or read. My wife and I bantered about trivial things like what we'd do once in San Diego and stuff like that. I think the conversation of "what would you do if we won the lottery?" came up a couple times. I wanted to go to Saguaro National Park, but for some reason I hesitated. I think I was tired and wanted to make it to our next hotel. We passed the exit for Saguaro National Park East. No worries I thought, we'll just go to the western one. Well, that turned out to be for naught as it would take us at least half an hour off the interstate to get to the park. I decided that we needed to just get to our next spot. We couldn't risk being too far from San Diego on our last night before our hotel reservation started. So on we pushed.
The evening was spent with camp food and TV but this time I felt weird. I think the excess of salt was messing with me. I didn't finish my meal. The boys delighted in about 30 minutes of swimming and then it was bed for all of us so we'd be ready to make our final push toward our destination.
Upon waking up, we went about our routine for the trip: get dressed, eat breakfast, pack the car, have the kids empty their tanks, get in the car, head out. I made a quick trip to Walmart to get new sunglasses as my "nice, expensive" ones broke in my pocket (I still have no idea how they broke, they just did).
The desert was beginning to get old. Just shades of browns, blacks and other earthy tones. I was also anxious as I did not want to miss check in at our hotel. Shortly before lunchtime we arrived in Yuma. Yuma was an old west town and a place I had been once before way back in 1997. One of its main draws was the old territorial prison. Again, I had been there once before and thought it was cool so I thought the boys would like it. They were slightly too young, but they enjoyed it anyways. In the last decade or so I've become fascinated with the old west so being able to once again see this place and actually appreciate it was welcomed. It's a cool museum and has exhibits outside where they have recordings of "inmates". Pretty cool and a little creepy. If you're roadtripping through the Southwest, I recommend it. It's a pleasant little spot and has lots of cool history and old west things. Go here to check it out.
We ate lunch in the parking lot and continued on. I forgot how beautiful the eastern edge of Southern California was. The boulder encrusted mountains were breathtaking and amazing. It was like driving through another world. It had been some time since I had last driven through mountains so I was taking my time and letting all the maniacs fly by me. The oldest boy began complaining about his ears so we taught him the old trick of pinching your nose and blowing. As we climbed higher and higher I kept my eyes peeled for something I ran across on Google Maps, a tower. I was beginning to think that we had passed it, but nope, I caught sight of it up on a ridge. Signs soon pointed the way and within 5 minutes we were climbing out of the car.
The Desert Tower is a bit campy and a lot interesting. I can't remember how much we paid, but there is a small charge to go up. It's worth the expense. The views are gorgeous and it provides a nice reprieve from the road. The boys loved it so much that they didn't want to go back down. Finally we did and took the chance to explore the caves (just passages between giant boulders). I hiked around a bit alone because there was a beehive nearby and the boys don't like bees (bad experience).
The Desert Tower now behind us we headed further and further west, the miles on the signs getting smaller and smaller. Finally the GPS chirped with instructions to get to our hotel. It led us through interstates and highways and around curves and loops. I had a bit of trouble following it. I was not very familiar with the area since I had left it nearly 28 years ago.
We pulled into the Best Western Marina Gateway. We had made it. After five days of driving we had made it. We spent the evening resting. We found a little park nearby for the boys and had dinner at the next door restaurant. I was amazed at how chilly it was there. Though I had not called that place home for nearly 30 years, something felt familiar and right about it.
We all pooped out early. Not a problem as we wanted to be rested for exploring.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Sunday, September 15, 2019
The Return Part 1: The Largest Spring Fed Swimming Pool in the World
San Diego. The place of my birth. A place that I had not been to since the summer of 1997. Since connecting with my oldest and dearest friend, Pierre, back in 2011, I have. yearned to go home, to go back to this place I hear so much about and yet know little about. So in January of this year my wife and I decided to do it. Go back to San Diego and see the land of my youth.
I hate flying with my kids. Why? You ask. Simple. I have to carry all their stuff: the backpacks, the car seats, the snacks, the stroller and whatever other crap my wife says the kids need/want. I did it once with one kid and I swore a private oath that I'd never do that again. At least not until they are older and don't require so many support items. No. We would be driving West. That's the way I was raised to travel and that's how I want my kids to travel. Not only do I have more control when driving, but you get to see more of the world and create more stories and memories. I think this is more important than quickly traveling to places.
We departed somewhat early on a Thursday. We were fortunate to miss the rush hour traffic of Memphis and to make it through West Memphis, Arkansas with very little issue. The road went by in greens and browns and grays. Little Rock came and went and we finally stopped for lunch. To save money we packed sandwich fixings and a ton and a half of snacks. We pulled up to a rest area and began our first lunch on the road. The kids were happy with the sandwiches and stuff that they usually don't get to eat in their day-to-day lives. Back on the road.
The hours went on. The sun was getting dangerously close to the western horizon and we weren't near Dallas yet. The oldest boy began to get restless and wanted to stop. We pulled over and got gas and saw the golden arrow of In-N-Out Burger.
Some may say this place is overrated. Say what you will. We don't have these in Tennessee and I have great memories of eating here when I was a kid. Whenever I get a chance to stop at one, I take it. We popped in and in no time we were eating those delicious burgers with animal style fries and sweet sweet Coca Colas. It was awesome. The feeling of being on vacation finally started to spread through my mind.
Another plus to our dinner stop was that by the time we got back on the road the dreaded Dallas rush hour was over. Huzzah! We made it through Dallas and then Ft. Worth. I was surprised that there seemed to be wilderness between the two as I always thought they basically clumped together into one mega city.
I was getting tired. The boys were getting tired and so was my navigator, my wife. We had originally thought to camp along the way, but our gear wouldn't fit in my wife's car with all the other stuff we needed to bring. So we abandoned that idea before departure. We pulled off the interstate in Weatherford, Texas, a place that I had been to a few times as my grandparents used to live in a town close to it. We found a Super 8. It was decent. The rooms were clean, they were close to shopping and food, and the staff were friendly. Also, the free breakfasts are worth it.
Day two saw us depart a bit earlier than the day before and we drove into West Texas. Desolate. Hot. Brown. That sums up this region of the Lone Star State pretty nicely. Not that it's not without it's own beauty, but it is a stark place.
By lunchtime we were rolling through Abilene. Using the modern miracle of the smart phone, we found a nice little park to eat lunch. It was actually right next to the Abilene zoo, but we did not stop there. The play ground allowed the boys to run off some of their massive energy stores and gave me time to make their sandwiches. We ate, ran some more and went to the bathroom before heading back West.
As the hours ticked by I became a bit more worried about our accommodations, or the fact that we had no plans for such. I made a couple phone calls just before reaching Pecos, TX. A gruff voice answered for the second number I called.
Hotel guy: "Yes?"
Me: "Yes, I'd like a room for the night."
HG: "What?"
Me: "...A room? For tonight?"
HG: "Oh. How many folks you got?"
Me: "Me, my wife, and two little kids."
HG: "Weeellll. I only have one queen bed left so..."
Me: "We can squeeze in. The boys are small."
HG: I don't know. I don't mind kids, but I don't y'all to be uncomfortable."
Me: "It's fine. We just need it for one night."
HG: slightly irritated "Well okay. About when can I expect y'all?"
Me: "We are just about to Pecos and will cut down state road 17. I guess we'll be there in about an hour or so."
HG: "Y'all be careful on that road."
Me: "Thanks"
It didn't click with me about what he said until about 1-2 minutes later. Why did he say that? Suddenly visions of The Hills Have Eyes started playing in my mind. I could just imagine us getting a flat and ending up the main course in house full of mutants. Great. I white knuckled the steering wheel as we drove down the lonely road. Trucks would pass us. Oil derricks pumped rhythmically as we wound our way south toward Interstate 10. Finally, we turned down another small desert road and soon found our way to the town of Balmorhea, Texas.
I had been there once before in the late 80s. My grandparents took my mom and I there on the way from San Diego to their home in Mineral Wells, TX (the aforementioned town near Weatherford). I loved to swim and somehow my Granddad found out about this pool near Balmorhea that was absolutely huge. It's the largest spring fed swimming pool in the world. It's located in Toyahvale, TX and is housed in the Balmorhea State Park. This thing is pretty big. It's shaped somewhat as an L with a large circular pool where the two arms meet. The circle is about 20 feet or more deep. I think it's actually 25-30 feet, but can't quite remember and I don't know where my notes are for this trip. People were scuba diving in there. There's also turtles and fish living in it. I loved it then and have spent the last 30 years talking about it. It is one of my best childhood memories. It's something I wanted to do with my boys since before the oldest one was born.
We found the hotel and checked in. It truly was small, but only $74/night it wasn't bad at all. We had been pretty good about not buying food out so we decided to do dinner at a restaurant. We chose a Mexican place down the road called La Cueva de Oso and it was pretty tasty. Food sizes were good and it wasn't too expensive. Since it was about a million degrees we decided an ice cream treat was in order. We walked down the road to the small ice cream shop and each got a cone. By the time we got back to the hotel most of us has rivers of melted dessert flowing down our arms. My youngest son also had the cutest chocolate goatee.
Another powerful memory of my first trip here was that my Granddad loaded us all up in the car a little while after dinner and drove into the middle of the desert. He had us get out and look up and bam! The Milky Way! It still stands out in my mind. It's something that I didn't fully appreciate or understand at the time, but now it's something that thrills me. So I wanted to check out the stars. After our ice cream trek, my wife went about bathing our monkeys and I went looking for a place to see the stars. It was still fairly light out so I wanted to track down a place so I could find it. I asked the guy in the office where I should go and he directed me down the road to a chapel. I found it with no issue and returned to the hotel. I helped put the kids to bed and read for a little bit. After awhile I could tell that it was dark out so I got ready and headed out into the desert. The little chapel was perfectly charming...in the daytime. Now, however, it looked like something out of a horror story. The wind whipped through the dark desert and carried with it the cries of coyotes. I stared up into the heavens. I couldn't see the Milky Way just yet, but several stars were visible. It was beautiful. I wanted to take some pictures, but the eeriness of being by myself out there and the potential for not-so-friendly critters lurking about gave me the drive to get out of there. I got back in just a few minutes. I wanted to be well rested for the pool.
The water was cold. Don't know how cold, but it was teeth chattering cold. We all splashed around and swam. I dove in a few times and BSed with the dads near us. It was fun trying to stand up because the ground in the pool is covered by a slimy film. I towed my oldest son out to the circle so he could see the turtles. I loved being there and sharing it with my family. It was so great and fun. The boys, being small and skinny, got cold quickly and wanted to leave (Where's their sense of adventure!?). We made lunch and ate while we dried off. We were back on the interstate and heading west by 12:30pm and began our third day of travel.
Something important to note is that Balmorhea State Park advises you to buy a day pass. I highly recommend it. By the time we arrived at the park, there were already signs out saying that the park was full. If we did not have the pass, we would not have been able to get in. Here's a link to their website.
I hate flying with my kids. Why? You ask. Simple. I have to carry all their stuff: the backpacks, the car seats, the snacks, the stroller and whatever other crap my wife says the kids need/want. I did it once with one kid and I swore a private oath that I'd never do that again. At least not until they are older and don't require so many support items. No. We would be driving West. That's the way I was raised to travel and that's how I want my kids to travel. Not only do I have more control when driving, but you get to see more of the world and create more stories and memories. I think this is more important than quickly traveling to places.
We departed somewhat early on a Thursday. We were fortunate to miss the rush hour traffic of Memphis and to make it through West Memphis, Arkansas with very little issue. The road went by in greens and browns and grays. Little Rock came and went and we finally stopped for lunch. To save money we packed sandwich fixings and a ton and a half of snacks. We pulled up to a rest area and began our first lunch on the road. The kids were happy with the sandwiches and stuff that they usually don't get to eat in their day-to-day lives. Back on the road.
The hours went on. The sun was getting dangerously close to the western horizon and we weren't near Dallas yet. The oldest boy began to get restless and wanted to stop. We pulled over and got gas and saw the golden arrow of In-N-Out Burger.
Some may say this place is overrated. Say what you will. We don't have these in Tennessee and I have great memories of eating here when I was a kid. Whenever I get a chance to stop at one, I take it. We popped in and in no time we were eating those delicious burgers with animal style fries and sweet sweet Coca Colas. It was awesome. The feeling of being on vacation finally started to spread through my mind.
Another plus to our dinner stop was that by the time we got back on the road the dreaded Dallas rush hour was over. Huzzah! We made it through Dallas and then Ft. Worth. I was surprised that there seemed to be wilderness between the two as I always thought they basically clumped together into one mega city.
I was getting tired. The boys were getting tired and so was my navigator, my wife. We had originally thought to camp along the way, but our gear wouldn't fit in my wife's car with all the other stuff we needed to bring. So we abandoned that idea before departure. We pulled off the interstate in Weatherford, Texas, a place that I had been to a few times as my grandparents used to live in a town close to it. We found a Super 8. It was decent. The rooms were clean, they were close to shopping and food, and the staff were friendly. Also, the free breakfasts are worth it.
Day two saw us depart a bit earlier than the day before and we drove into West Texas. Desolate. Hot. Brown. That sums up this region of the Lone Star State pretty nicely. Not that it's not without it's own beauty, but it is a stark place.
By lunchtime we were rolling through Abilene. Using the modern miracle of the smart phone, we found a nice little park to eat lunch. It was actually right next to the Abilene zoo, but we did not stop there. The play ground allowed the boys to run off some of their massive energy stores and gave me time to make their sandwiches. We ate, ran some more and went to the bathroom before heading back West.
As the hours ticked by I became a bit more worried about our accommodations, or the fact that we had no plans for such. I made a couple phone calls just before reaching Pecos, TX. A gruff voice answered for the second number I called.
Hotel guy: "Yes?"
Me: "Yes, I'd like a room for the night."
HG: "What?"
Me: "...A room? For tonight?"
HG: "Oh. How many folks you got?"
Me: "Me, my wife, and two little kids."
HG: "Weeellll. I only have one queen bed left so..."
Me: "We can squeeze in. The boys are small."
HG: I don't know. I don't mind kids, but I don't y'all to be uncomfortable."
Me: "It's fine. We just need it for one night."
HG: slightly irritated "Well okay. About when can I expect y'all?"
Me: "We are just about to Pecos and will cut down state road 17. I guess we'll be there in about an hour or so."
HG: "Y'all be careful on that road."
Me: "Thanks"
It didn't click with me about what he said until about 1-2 minutes later. Why did he say that? Suddenly visions of The Hills Have Eyes started playing in my mind. I could just imagine us getting a flat and ending up the main course in house full of mutants. Great. I white knuckled the steering wheel as we drove down the lonely road. Trucks would pass us. Oil derricks pumped rhythmically as we wound our way south toward Interstate 10. Finally, we turned down another small desert road and soon found our way to the town of Balmorhea, Texas.
I had been there once before in the late 80s. My grandparents took my mom and I there on the way from San Diego to their home in Mineral Wells, TX (the aforementioned town near Weatherford). I loved to swim and somehow my Granddad found out about this pool near Balmorhea that was absolutely huge. It's the largest spring fed swimming pool in the world. It's located in Toyahvale, TX and is housed in the Balmorhea State Park. This thing is pretty big. It's shaped somewhat as an L with a large circular pool where the two arms meet. The circle is about 20 feet or more deep. I think it's actually 25-30 feet, but can't quite remember and I don't know where my notes are for this trip. People were scuba diving in there. There's also turtles and fish living in it. I loved it then and have spent the last 30 years talking about it. It is one of my best childhood memories. It's something I wanted to do with my boys since before the oldest one was born.
We found the hotel and checked in. It truly was small, but only $74/night it wasn't bad at all. We had been pretty good about not buying food out so we decided to do dinner at a restaurant. We chose a Mexican place down the road called La Cueva de Oso and it was pretty tasty. Food sizes were good and it wasn't too expensive. Since it was about a million degrees we decided an ice cream treat was in order. We walked down the road to the small ice cream shop and each got a cone. By the time we got back to the hotel most of us has rivers of melted dessert flowing down our arms. My youngest son also had the cutest chocolate goatee.
Another powerful memory of my first trip here was that my Granddad loaded us all up in the car a little while after dinner and drove into the middle of the desert. He had us get out and look up and bam! The Milky Way! It still stands out in my mind. It's something that I didn't fully appreciate or understand at the time, but now it's something that thrills me. So I wanted to check out the stars. After our ice cream trek, my wife went about bathing our monkeys and I went looking for a place to see the stars. It was still fairly light out so I wanted to track down a place so I could find it. I asked the guy in the office where I should go and he directed me down the road to a chapel. I found it with no issue and returned to the hotel. I helped put the kids to bed and read for a little bit. After awhile I could tell that it was dark out so I got ready and headed out into the desert. The little chapel was perfectly charming...in the daytime. Now, however, it looked like something out of a horror story. The wind whipped through the dark desert and carried with it the cries of coyotes. I stared up into the heavens. I couldn't see the Milky Way just yet, but several stars were visible. It was beautiful. I wanted to take some pictures, but the eeriness of being by myself out there and the potential for not-so-friendly critters lurking about gave me the drive to get out of there. I got back in just a few minutes. I wanted to be well rested for the pool.
The water was cold. Don't know how cold, but it was teeth chattering cold. We all splashed around and swam. I dove in a few times and BSed with the dads near us. It was fun trying to stand up because the ground in the pool is covered by a slimy film. I towed my oldest son out to the circle so he could see the turtles. I loved being there and sharing it with my family. It was so great and fun. The boys, being small and skinny, got cold quickly and wanted to leave (Where's their sense of adventure!?). We made lunch and ate while we dried off. We were back on the interstate and heading west by 12:30pm and began our third day of travel.
Something important to note is that Balmorhea State Park advises you to buy a day pass. I highly recommend it. By the time we arrived at the park, there were already signs out saying that the park was full. If we did not have the pass, we would not have been able to get in. Here's a link to their website.
Discovery Park of America
Ah Spring Break! The well deserved and much needed respite that teachers and students get between the 3rd and 4th quarters of the school year.
There is a dark cloud, however, a trouble that plagues those with kids: no school!
Kids get a little crazy when they are home for a week with not much to do. As such I try to plan ahead and have a lot of things of various sorts ready to go beforehand. This past Spring Break I had scheduled a couple hikes, a movie or two, some fun lunches, a visit to the library, and a trip to the Discovery Park of America.
Discovery Park of America, or DPA for short, is a wondrous place located in Union City, Tennessee (Northwest Tennessee). It's not a super huge facility, but it is jam packed with fun and adventure.
We were a bit unlucky in that the day we picked for this trip was during the one rainy day of the week. However, the mix of outdoor and indoor activities provided an amazing time for my two kids. Both boys like different things. The older one likes cars, science, space and stuff like that whereas the younger boy likes dinosaurs, machines and rough and tumble antics. Both were satisfied with the DPA.
Upon entering you are greeted by a stuffed or heavily tranquilized Grizzly Bear. From there they have natural history displays, military vehicles from history including replicas of the atomic bombs used in World War II. There is even a section on torture. They have classic cars, dinosaur skeletons, a giant slide in the shape of a human body that kids can use to go from one level of the museum to the one below. Outside there is a garage with several vintage farm equipment, a reproduction of an old American town, different gardens (one is a Japanese garden). There is also a church and old rockets from NASA from the 60s.
The two boys had a blast and wanted to stay longer. Sadly we had plans for the next day. This is a great place that is not too far for either Memphians or Nashvillians. They have a variety of tickets that allow you to see what you want. I recommend the all access pass so you can do everything. There is also a pass that allows you to have two days. Might be good especially if you want to kill multiple days. I highly recommend this awesome place that has something for everyone.
There is a dark cloud, however, a trouble that plagues those with kids: no school!
Kids get a little crazy when they are home for a week with not much to do. As such I try to plan ahead and have a lot of things of various sorts ready to go beforehand. This past Spring Break I had scheduled a couple hikes, a movie or two, some fun lunches, a visit to the library, and a trip to the Discovery Park of America.
Discovery Park of America, or DPA for short, is a wondrous place located in Union City, Tennessee (Northwest Tennessee). It's not a super huge facility, but it is jam packed with fun and adventure.
We were a bit unlucky in that the day we picked for this trip was during the one rainy day of the week. However, the mix of outdoor and indoor activities provided an amazing time for my two kids. Both boys like different things. The older one likes cars, science, space and stuff like that whereas the younger boy likes dinosaurs, machines and rough and tumble antics. Both were satisfied with the DPA.
Upon entering you are greeted by a stuffed or heavily tranquilized Grizzly Bear. From there they have natural history displays, military vehicles from history including replicas of the atomic bombs used in World War II. There is even a section on torture. They have classic cars, dinosaur skeletons, a giant slide in the shape of a human body that kids can use to go from one level of the museum to the one below. Outside there is a garage with several vintage farm equipment, a reproduction of an old American town, different gardens (one is a Japanese garden). There is also a church and old rockets from NASA from the 60s.
The two boys had a blast and wanted to stay longer. Sadly we had plans for the next day. This is a great place that is not too far for either Memphians or Nashvillians. They have a variety of tickets that allow you to see what you want. I recommend the all access pass so you can do everything. There is also a pass that allows you to have two days. Might be good especially if you want to kill multiple days. I highly recommend this awesome place that has something for everyone.
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