Friday, January 23, 2015

The Road Trip


On January 10 we loaded the 15 year old Beemer with the 13 year old Frenchie and with 19 degrees in the air we started our week long, 3424 mile cross country journey from Hudson to Santa Barbara.
These are a few of the highlights....

Memphis


best darned BBQ ever! 
I don't think we took more than two breaths and and entire rack of ribs was gone



the boy loves a road trip




 Arkansas
former Governor Bill Clinton's office...

...at the gorgeous Arkansas State Capital building

Who knew?




Clinton Presidential Library
beautiful building but ridiculous sensory overload



Oklahoma

we think he liked Oklahoma




Oklahoma City quizeen
chicken fried steak
(it was seriously good but HUGE!)

state capital building 
the only US state capital with working oil wells on the grounds





an insanely beautiful building
the dome was added in 2001and those who donated $1M or more 
have their names inscribed around it's base, a "ring of honor" as they call it: 
General Motors, Phillips Petroleum, Hobby Lobby
odd.


most surprisingly fun stop

hippo


manatee


a person of slight stature


teeny tiny snake vertebrae
(the size of a pencil)



New Mexico

snow in the desert



a train through the desert tundra
(that is snow)




no snow here
275 sq miles of gypsum crystal sand dunes
amazing!







sustenance 




Arizona

finally the sun!!!!

dairy cow barns 
surrounded by thousands of acres of irrigated alfalfa fields

next to a solar farm

fountains of water
in the desert
(releasing pressure from irrigation lines???)


 Dateland oasis


too sweet







California!

greeting us just inside California
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area
over 40 miles long in a band 5 miles wide
along the Arizona, California and Mexican borders
stunning!

last time we were at this depth 
we needed SCUBA tanks

he's done



we took a little detour to
an accidental lake


almost a mirage

what gave it away as a real place was the smell,
a cross between a wet chicken and a dead fish


the "beach" is actually fish skeletons, ankle deep crustacean hulls (barnacles?)
and evaporated water (salt)
gorgeous but stinky




an overnight in Westlake with Nadine and Laura...
...lead to a morning hike





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