National Park Love

Vacation lifted the dark clouds that kept trying to set up camp above my head.  Since it was so exciting and there is so much to share, the next three posts will be my vacation series.  First is National Park love.  Second is family love.  The third will be things we learned in Albuquerque.

RV life is a secret society kind of life.  Who knew that there would be an existence of apps that show which WalMarts and Casinos allow you to boondock through the night?  How about that there's an app that tells you which Flying J Travel Centers have dump stations?  RV people that’s who!

As we departed for New Mexico, we didn’t really know what it was like to travel a great distance inside a 38 ft. land yacht.  We were not disappointed.  The panoramic views were great even when there was nothing, but desert for miles and miles.  When Carlsbad, NM came into view our excitement could hardly be contained.  Luckily we could pee along the way, so there was no bladder stress as we drove into our temporary spot at the local KOA, complete with green aliens.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a great park.  There is a bat cave!  We searched and searched for the bat mobile to no avail.  There were mountain goats and ring tails lingering in the mountainous terrain on our way up to the visitors center.  Surely there were rattlesnakes and luckily they kept their locations to themselves.

Upon arrival we hiked down the natural entrance to the cave.  It’s a series of switchbacks that take you deep into the mouth of this natural wonder.  There are petroglyphs along the way.  The bats weren’t active at the time of our visit.  If you ever get the chance, I would recommend watching the bat flights out of this entrance.  I can only imagine the sight.

We toured the cave on our own and the kids earned their Junior Ranger badges.  There was more variety in cave formations in this park than any other we’ve seen.  The Big Room was the size of 14 football fields!  

The second day was dedicated to a Ranger led walk through the King’s Palace and the Queen’s Chamber.  We got to experience total darkness and the gentle drip of the cave growing at a glacial pace.  The stories of the cave’s founder were funny and well told.  I still secretly hope that my son follows his dream and becomes a Park Ranger one day.

The second National Park was Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  Luckily we’d borrowed a car and could make it up there without the Big Montana.  El Capitan is the highest of the range showing that with elevation comes a very different environment.  Surrounded by desert, this mountain range is home to a variety of hardy creatures.

This range must have seemed so strange to people crossing the country by stage coach.  Nothing, but desert for hundreds of miles and then BAM a huge range of mountains with life giving resources.  The sun hits this ridge at different times of day illuminating its beauty throughout its seasonal changes.

The following day the Montana delivered us through Roswell and into Albuquerque where we got to visit Petroglyph National Monument with family!  Imagining the original Americans creating these images in a special ceremony out in those hills was pretty cool.  Getting to hike it with family made it even more fun.

You dear readers know my continued love for our National Parks.  Getting to do three in one trip was nothing short of a thrill.  I love to share our experiences as we support the parks.  Hopefully you’ll support them too and plan to get out there this summer.  

Go Find A Gator

It’s 3:00 AM and rather than getting that vital shut eye, here I am plugging away at this keyboard.  It’s frustrating to be in a land where my brain won’t shut off.  Instead of staring at the ceiling, I may as well put the whirling thought cloud to work.  Memories seem to be their brightest before the dawn.

A few months back I was battling to keep the smile on my face.  A situational cloud of depression loomed over my head.  For the most part I’ve kept it at bay.  At times it tries to sneak back up on me.  Blowing that dark spot away from my head requires some effort. The solution all comes back to what made me happy as a kid.

Growing up in Upstate New York, it never occurred to me how incredibly fortunate I was.  Sure my family loved me.  Sure my school system was exemplary for a small town public school (my graduating class was 28 kids).  Sure my friends then remain my friends today.  What I really think about the most is my woods.  My Grandfather’s ashes are spread there, as I hope someday mine will be as well.  It is a peaceful, wonderful place that brings me comfort even as I close my eyes to take myself back there.

At my son’s age, I was always outside.  There were no cell phones to distract me and it didn’t matter what season it was.  The creek that runs through my family’s property held the gates to my own, personal Narnia.  My dog Ninja and I would travel into this mystical land and stay out there exploring for hours, the only sound was the stomping of our adventurous feet and the animals that lived in our special world.

In the Spring, the birds yelled their warning signals through the canopy of deciduous trees as we happily trudged through the sprawling field above our house.  We giddily found the wild strawberries that weaved their way along our path.  The smell of that open air welcomed us like an old friend.

In the Winter my brother and I would happily work our legs through the knee deep snow to adventure out on a blessed snow day.  We’d find the blanketed tree limbs that hung low enough and pull the avalanche of  snowy fun down on our heads.  It didn’t matter that our toes were turning to ice.  The adventure kept us moving forward.

In the Summer, the hot air would help us drift off down to the Hermit’s place where the creek’s bend might just be deep enough to offer relief from the humid days.  The quiet days when I climbed to the top of that fallen tree and silently watched as my father entered the fishing hole and happily cast his line are like a moving picture in my head.  Even the scenery of that place has changed, yet it remains the same in my memories.

In the Fall we’d bundle up on those bright, crisp days to crunch the falling leaves beneath our feet.  We’d climb to the top of that hill that opens to a vast clearing to capture the views of the colorful, changing trees.  Breathing in all of that beauty made everything calm and peaceful in my happy, young world.

Now I’m no longer that kid loving my Narnia because it’s almost 1500 miles away.  The truth is, I’ve had to create my Narnia wherever we’ve moved throughout this crazy military wife life.  The doors to that outdoor mystical land have been found in the waterfalls on Oahu.  They were floating on down Crystal River searching for Manatees.  They were on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park.  They were walking over the Brooklyn Bridge on a sunny day.  They were on the hikes with my Aunt and Uncle throughout the country.  Now they are in my searches for the gators down here in the bayou.

When a dark cloud tries its level best to cover your sunny day, you have to fight to keep it away.  My smile almost instantly returns when I find a space outside that can bring back the whimsy of my childhood Narnia.  When you have the same trouble take my advice, get over it and go find a gator.   There is no reason that we can’t find the happiness that we found as children.  It’s out there to discover, it just takes a little more will power.