Home Stretch!!
We are heading to Chester, Va to Aaron’s parents’ house to clean the truck to officially end our journey!
North Carolina! Our visit with my grandparents was very nice. We arrived Wednesday night and went out to eat with Pop-pop in downtown Ashville at the Mellow Mushroom Pizza (while grandma entertained a party she had scheduled before we were going to visit). Thursday we drove up to Yellow Mountain! We walked up to the Bald and enjoyed a picnic at the top! It was a really great visit up there and thinking about my childhood memories of summers and holidays spent up there. We even got to hike down to see the old house. That night we watched the olympics and relaxed while Pop-pop made use a delicious meal with various things from his garden! It was great!
We stayed at my parents farm house in Marshall, inside the closet haha!
We got to check on a few things up there for them and pet the donkey, Festis!
Atlanta! I’m so happy we got to stop and see my aunts, uncles, and cousins! Including my new second cousin, Jake! He is five weeks and he makes Jackie and Nick so happy! It was a short, but very fun stop. I will need to come back very soon to spend time with everyone!
Well, yesterday we got up and went south to our swamp boat tour! It was bright and sunny, but with the threat of thunderstorms (which fulfilled its threat..)!
We got on the airboat Aaron reserved for us, which was a small airboat! It ende up only being me, Aaron, two girls and the guide! He drove us around finding alligators with ease, in which we found out that it was because I was wearing white! Apparently alligators love the color white and eat everything that is white! (They also don’t eat what they can’t swallow..!) But their favorite treats include marshmellows! The guide said it’s cuz they are “marsh” animals. HAHA! We loved that pun! The guide also had the greatest love for the gators and even was touching them on their faces and all!
Anyway, it began to rain.. and downpour.. we continued a bit further so we can see examples of the bayou before we got hit with any thunder or lightning and we had gotten back just in time and SOAKED!
It was great fun and I would totally do this again!
Last night we went out to eat at the same restuarant as the first night because it was so good!! I had the gator pasta again and Aaron had blackened chicken pasta. YUM!
New Orleans is fun! We are staying in the French Quarter at the Prince Conti. It is just off of Bourbon Street so we get to see the crazy partiers and see the shopping areas and the people! This city really doesn’t sleep (except at 9am on Sundays)!
We are heading to our swamp airboat tour today!!
New Orleans on Bourbon Street last night! We showered and went out to eat! Aaron got a gator burger and I got spicy gator pasta! SO GOOD! We both really enjoyed dinner and walking down the party street! It was full of funny people. We explored a little more around the area as well and picked out a few places we wanted to see today like the antique collector gun store! haha!
More later!
So, sorry about not updating, but I had to wait until we had internet to grab some photos off of Aaron for the update. Since we left Santa Fe, we drove through Texas (the hottest night we had to spend in a horrible state park outside of Wichita Falls, TX..) It was over 90 degrees the whole night! Then we drove up through part of the border of Texas/Oklahoma to arrive in Crater of Diamonds State Park! We got there early enough to get some mining in!
It was very, very hot! We didn’t find anything exciting that night. We returned to the campsite and played card games and showered! (First shower since Las Vegas!) We also cooked up some teriyaki chicken with rice, onions, and green peppers! It was so good!
The next day we mined from 10:30am - 4:30pm straight without barely a lunch breakand in 106 degree sun. We kept hydrated and snacks and sandwiches. We got burnt and tired, and did not find any diamonds, but we did find some pretty cool rocks and crystals. It was SO FUN!
We went to sleep after we recooked our leftovers from the night before, played cards, and went to sleep— we left pretty early the next morning to head south to New Orleans! (Not exciting drive, lots of traffic in Baton Rouge.) But we both decided that we became a little homesick because Arkansas is the first place we have been that actually looks like home because of the trees and “some” humidity.
..Also, nothing is real.
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Blair Russell (These are the wise words of Blair Russell gave me when I first met him and he was giving me advice about VCUtheatre. It holds so much meaning.) Blair and Nicole met up with us, after they had to be called in to work last minute last night in Santa Fe Opera. We met at the Plaza, which after 10pm everything is closed, but we piddled around until they came into view, of course Nicole was screeching “ERRIIINNN!” It was great fun catching up with them over a late dinner and learning about “real” theatre world and about how Santa Fe works. (They also fought over the bill and would not let us pay it.) Blair was kind enough to let us stay with him in his air conditioning! Thanks again guys and I hope that I get to see you soon!! |
Mule Ridin’ in the Grand Canyon! It was good fun and it led to a view of the widest section of the canyon called the Abyss! (18 milea across!!) We ended the day with a hike down the bright angel trail, but only part of it.
Spaghetti and italian sausage tonight with garlic bread! (Aaron is skillful with a skillet and propane stove)! YUM
Grand Canyon!! So incredible!
We apparently got up really early this morning and got going to explore the area and food.. We got all checked into our Mule ride, took a cool trail to a point all before 11am. We thought it was 12pm when the mule guy told us that Arizona doesn’t observe day lights savings!
Mule ride today!
