Astronauts & Atlantis

I have always enjoyed learning about space, watching the stars, and seeing pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. I used to think being an astronaut would be so cool. I find it to be magnificent, amazing, and awe-inspiring. The fact that God went to such great trouble to create the beauty of outer space and places seemingly out of reach is always such a marvel to me.

Since we moved to Florida several years ago, I have been wanting to make a trip to Kennedy Space Center. Over Labor Day weekend, we finally had time and money to go. I was motivated by the fact that Little Bear was working on a NOVA award, for Cub Scouts, that required a visit to a place that investigates or teaches about space. While we were there Little Bear had to ask several questions to people who worked there.

We arrived at Kennedy Space Center in the morning and the first place we stopped was the rocket garden. We took a short tour and learned about the different types of rockets NASA sent up with satellites and astronauts. In the rocket garden, we had the opportunity to sit inside of capsules. Sitting inside of the capsules I learned, that I would never want to be an astronaut. The capsules are VERY close quarters. You are trapped in a small space with no real way to move around. In capsules with more than one person, you are stuck in basically a bus seat with someone next to you for hours or even days. I don't like anyone enough to be in such close proximity for that long. Between watching Howard on "The Big Bang Theory" and how much he didn't like being in space and sitting in the capsules I no longer think being an astronaut is so cool or at least not cool for me to want to do it.

Our next stop was the Mars exhibit, where we learned about what NASA and Space X are doing to work towards getting people to Mars. This was one of Little Bear's favorite exhibits. He thinks working for NASA would be really cool. He does not want to be in a rocket hurtling through space for two and a half years. His proud Mama Bear thinks he could be an engineer or something. I don't think he needs to be a pilot though, or at least not yet. His lunar module landing skills and capsule docking skills leave a lot to be desired according to repeated crashing in the simulations.

One of my favorite parts of the day was our lunch with an astronaut. The food was delicious. There was a wide variety of things in a buffet with a few things I could eat and tons of things my guys scarfed down like hungry animals. The astronaut that came to lunch was Jack Lousma. I had never heard of him prior to deciding to our arrival. I did a quick google search before lunch to learn a little about him. He spent time on Skylab and piloted the space shuttle Columbia. My favorite part of the meal was listening to him talk about landing the Space Shuttle Columbia at White Sands, New Mexico.

We had seen the Space Shuttle Discovery in Washington D.C., so I was not really that excited. Little Bear did not remember seeing the shuttle in D.C. though so this was something we had to do. The display at Kennedy Space Center beats the Smithsonian. You enter the building and are ushered into a moving video then you move into another room where they start a video that makes you feel like you are watching the shuttle fly. As the video ends the wall lifts up and you are face to face with the Space Shuttle Atlantis. I will say I was disappointed at first that we had to sit through two movies to get to the Space Shuttle, but the videos were so moving that they are well worth the wait to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis revealed in such a magical moment. The space shuttle is up off the floor and at an angle that makes it seem to be flying through the air. It was nothing short of awesome.

The Kennedy Space Center is not Disney World, but it is an amazing place that everyone needs to visit. There are people from all walks of life, from countries far and wide. There is more to see and do than you could possibly get through in one day. If you or your kiddos are interested in space science, NASA, or anything remotely related this is a wonderful place to learn and get some real-life insights.

In Honor of My Mom's Birthday - A Funny Story

In honor of my mom's million and third birthday (she is really not very old, I just love to pick on her), I am going to share one of my favorite stories. I am sure she would rather me share about the time we went to Alaska and flew in a helicopter to land on a glacier, but that is not my story for today.

A long time ago, when I was in high school, we went to North Carolina. It was a sort of last minute trip. My dad was going for business and had been gone an awful lot so he took the family with him. While he worked, my mom, my brother, and I went to see the sights.

One of our trips was to some kind of zoo or animal refuge. It was a small place that took in retired circus animals and animals that had once been pets. They had a lot of bears, monkeys, and apes. When you paid you could get food to feed the animals. They didn't come up and take the food from your hand, you kind of had to throw it into the cage.

We walked up to a cage of some type of monkeys. It has been a long time and in my old age, I cannot remember what type they were. We stood there and fed them for a while.... and then, my mom got tired of feeding them. When she quit one of the monkeys was not happy with that and he spit.... Right on her.

My brother and I found this to be the funniest thing ever and were laughing hysterically. My mom threw him another piece of food and then started to turn away. When she did he spit again and hit his mark. And let me tell you something about monkey spit, it is not as much like people spit as you would think. It is horribly stinky, it is slimier, and it has visible particles of monkey food in it, and I won't lie, all of those things made it seem even funnier that my dear mother got spit on by a monkey and not just once. Sometimes I wish it was in the days of cell phones so we could have taken a video to save forever. It always makes me laugh. Since it was long before those days, I will just share the story for all to read.

Happy birthday, Mom! Hope you have a glorious day and do not get spit on by monkeys!

My Top 10 Favorite Places to Visit

I have been blessed in my life to travel across much of the United States. I have been to 36 of 50 states, not including the states I have only been to airports in. Many of the states I have been to were in my childhood, but they were still amazing and memorable. In my adult life, I have also been to some glorious places.

Out of all these great states, I have ten places I have most enjoyed visiting and have some of my fondest memories at.

1) The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, NM & CO

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is by far my favorite place. First, the historic steam train is super cool. Second, the landscape and scenery are gorgeous. The first time I was there I was in kindergarten and we saw the Indiana Jones train cars on the tracks. We visited the railroad almost every year after that until I graduated high school. I have been blessed to go back several times as an adult and love it just as much if not more now.

2) The Alamo & Missions, San Antonio, TX

The Alamo and the missions in San Antonio will always have a special place in my heart. First, they are an amazing part of Texas history. They have a sad story that is also filled with hope and joy. They are also a place of beauty and peace. I can wander these missions for hours or sit and enjoy the peace that I feel in these places.

3) Shenandoah National Park, VA

Shenandoah National Park has a special place in my heart. It is one of the first places we took Little Bear hiking. We also went camping there once and saw more bears than I had ever seen. We saw 11 bears on our trip including three bear cubs. It was amazing. Skyline Drive is an amazing drive through the mountains, whether it is spring, summer, winter, or fall.  

4) Echo Amphitheater, NM 

Echo Amphitheater is an interesting and beautiful rock formation found in New Mexico. It is a lovely spot stuck between the mountains and the High Desert. The landscape is stunning. So stunning in fact that many famous artists such as Georgia O'Keefe have used the scenery for inspiration for their work.

5) Cass Scenic Railroad, WV

The Cass Scenic Railroad is a really neat place in West Virginia. When Popeye came home from his first deployment. While the Cass will never take the place of the Cumbres and Toltec it is a truly beautiful railroad. It is in the middle of nowhere, which gives it a really nice relaxing atmosphere. The Cass Scenic Railroad and the wonderful bed and breakfast we stayed at made a perfect getaway after months apart.

6) Top of the Rock, NYC, NY 

When we visited New York City it was a really neat trip. We did a lot of cool stuff including seeing the Statue of Liberty, but I felt overwhelmed by the crowds everywhere. I was thrilled with the views from The Top of the Rock. Top of the Rock was amazing. We could see all of New York City from up there. It was a special moment in time that I will never forget. 

7) Yellowstone National Park 

Yellowstone National Park is a really stunning place. We went when I was in middle school. I don't think my family planned to go there on vacation, but we ended up there. It was one of the coolest vacations we ever went on. We saw wildlife galore, but even cooler than the wildlife are the geysers, springs, and mud pots. The bubbling ground is so interesting. The science and nature combined to make bubbling mud pots, water that has so much acid it can dissolve almost anything, and water that shoots through the crust of the earth rising high into the sky at regular intervals is a feat that only God could perfect. 

8) Colonial Williamsburg Williamsburg, VA 

Colonial Williamsburg is a beautiful historic area. It has more history than almost anywhere I have ever been. The Revolutionary War and Colonial history here give you opportunities to learn so many stories. Besides learning about all the history you can enjoy the stunning gardens. During Christmastime, the Colonial style decorations are interesting and have inspired lots of craft projects for me. 

9) Fort Washington National Park, Fort Washington, MD 

Fort Washington National Park can be found tucked away along the Potomac River just outside of Washington D.C. It is a quiet park with an amazing historic fort that served our country from 1809 until 1939. The historic fort has a beautiful view across the river. It is filled with historic batteries, cannons, and more history than most of us can imagine. When you walk down from the fort to the shores of the Potomac you can fish and find sea glass or river glass as the case may be.  

10) The Blue Ridge Parkway, NC and VA

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the first place Popeye and I went camping. It is also where we rode the first train together of our married life. We made several trips up and down parts of The Blue Ridge Parkway in the early years of our marriage. It will always be one of my favorite places. The Scenery is lovely.

Shacke XL Duffel Bag

This duffel bag by Shacke is huge. When I read the listing to get the size and saw how big it is I thought, “Oh, neat. That’s pretty big.” In reality, I had no idea how big it would really be until it showed up and I started filling it up. It says the bag can hold 75 pounds and I do not doubt that it can.


Be warned if you fill it that full, it will be extremely heavy and awkward. My husband used this to carry stuff when he came home from an extended overseas trip. He filled it up with tons of stuff. It was heavy and horribly awkward to carry, but it held everything he needed it to and it could have held me. Although more would have made it nearly impossible to carry around. It has a shoulder strap and handles so you have the option of hand carrying it or putting it over your shoulder.


When the bag arrived at my house, my son and I tested it to make sure it was what my husband needed. He was gone and did not have enough bags to get everything home so I had to order him a bag and ship it to him in a care package. Little Bear and I fit 3 huge pillows in it and had room left over . It is really a huge bag. You could hold more than enough stuff for one trip. Little Bear also tried it out and asked if I could mail him in it since he fit. 


One of my favorite features besides its giant size is that this bag folds up into a nice neat square for storage. The zipper goes all the way around so it does not come unfolded. When it is folded up the handles tuck in and you don’t have to worry about it hanging down or getting caught on anything.

You can buy the Shacke XL duffel bag here. 

Travelsafer Tire Gauge

For years we have had a traditional tire gauge in our cars. Recently one of them quit working accurately. I traded it in for a Travelsafer Tire Gauge. This digital tire gauge is really neat. It is quick and easy to use.


The digital tire gauge can measure PSI, Bar, or Kgf or KPA. It is easy to switch between each of these when checking your tire's air pressure. The gauge has a lighted display and nozzle. These make it easy to see what you are doing whether it is day or night.

Taking a reading is quick and easy. Put the nozzle over the end of the valve and press firmly. Pressing it on properly makes sure you get a tight seal. If the seal is not tight you can hear the air escaping from the tire. When pressing tightly the tire gauge will quickly give you a reading on the LCD display screen.
If you need to change the type of reading you are getting you simply press the button and it scrolls through the different units. This tire gauge will automatically turn off after about 20 seconds. You can manually turn it off by holding down the button.

This tire gauge is larger than a traditional one so it takes up more space in the glove box. It is easy to use and my readings are more accurate than with our old tire gauge. The feature I like best is the light because it makes it really easy to read even if it is slightly dark outside.

You can purchase the Travelsafer Digital Tire gauge here.


I received a discount on this item. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

My Favorite Place - An Introduction & A Little History

484 performing a blow down

Throughout my childhood we went on one vacation. Really, it was many vacations, but we went to one place. We went to Chama, New Mexico, and rode the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. My dad is a train fan, but he loves this railroad most of all. These trips led to my love for trains. We rode the C&TSRR almost every year from the time I was in kindergarten until I was 18. As an adult my love for this railroad has not changed. The Cumbres & Toltec is my favorite place.

The water tank and coal tipple in Chama, NM

Since I now live on the East Coast, I have ridden quite a few other railroads, both steam and diesel, but the Cumbres & Toltec remains my favorite. This railroad is historic, scenic, and all around fun. It is family friendly and can be enjoyed by history buffs, train fans, people looking for something fun to do, by people of all ages. Riding the rails is a joyful experience.

Train coming up to Lava Tank

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad runs from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado, crossing the border eleven times along the way. Depending on which trip you choose, the journey can take anywhere from four to eight hours. The entire length of the railroad is 64 miles, much of that journey is traveled while winding up and down the mountains, sometimes along a 4% grade. On the Antonito end you will go through the San Luis Valley. This end of the route is beautiful in its own way. The landscape is no longer the lush green mountains, but a more barren land with beautiful views of mountains in the distance.

From the train looking 600 feet down into Toltec Gorge

During the ride you will see huge gorges, tunnels, trestles, mountains, valleys, rivers, and creeks. You can see elk, mule deer, cattle, sheep, horses, pronghorns and other wildlife from the train. The scenery is magnificent. Some of the sights you will see were used for advertising great American adventures, during the hey day of railroads. Even in these modern times the sights are stunning.

The railroad, originally built in 1880, is 3 foot narrow gauge. The original track was abandoned in 1969 and much of the track dismantled. Thankfully a group of rail fans and preservationists fought for the railroad and it reopened a few years later as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. It is now run by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. It has help with historical preservation from The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The C&TSRR became a National Historic Landmark in 2012.

When you ride the Cumbres and Toltec your train will be pulled with an authentic steam locomotive. These locomotives were built between 1902 and 1925. The railroad also has many passengers cars, box cars, gondolas, and other assorted rolling stock.

Many movies have been filmed along the Cumbres & Toltec. Some of the most famous movies filmed here are Shootout with Gregory Peck, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade with Harrison Ford, and Showdown with Dean Martin. More recently A Million Ways to Die in The West was filmed along the railroad.

Working on the drop bottom gondola

Many of these cars have been rebuilt by the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec over the years. When I was 18, my dad and I helped rebuild one of the drop bottom gondola cars. It was an interesting experience. The work the Friends do to keep up with the historical preservation is wonderful. They help maintain buildings and many other things along the railroad line. The Friends also have docents that ride the train to help answer questions and give interesting information about the railroad, scenery, wildlife, and much more.

Riding the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is always interesting. Each trip is a little different than the one before, so take a step back in time and experience the thrill of a steam train and the stunning landscape of the Wild West.

You can learn more about riding the train here. You can learn more about supporting the railroad and joining the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad here.

Friends of the C&TSRR work week in 2001

463 in Osier, CO during the lunch stop

Sources:

History - Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2016, from http://cumbrestoltec.com/history/

Latest News. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2016, from http://www.cumbrestoltec.org/

Echo Amphitheater - A Place of Beauty

Echo Amphitheater from the parking lot

Growing up we went to Northern New Mexico on vacation all the time, by all the time I mean almost every year from the time I was in kindergarten until high school. We almost always drove and the drive is a long journey. We would go from hill country, to desert to high desert and grasslands and at last into the mountains. One of my favorite stretches is an area where the mountains are made with layers of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone and gypsum and the landscape still is somewhat desert. These combinations make stunning layers of colored rocks. You will find yellow, red, gray, white and brown mountains mixed throughout this area.

Little Bear & I at the top of the stairs

In the midst of these stunning mountains and canyons, you will find Echo Amphitheater. Echo Amphitheater sits at 6683 feet above sea level and is run by the Forest Service. The parks amenities are nothing fancy, but the views are amazing. There is a concrete trail that is easy to walk that takes you up to the amphitheater. The trail is slightly uphill with benches along the way. Once you get the amphitheater there are stairs so you can go up and get a better view.

The park has a campground and restrooms. There are some water faucets near the picnic area. The picnic area has covered tables. These are great for a quick picnic. I have seen artists sitting in the shade of a covered table painting the amphitheater in the distance. The cost to enter the park is per carload. As of June 2016, it was $2 per vehicle per day. The parking lot is large enough for trailers and RVs.

Along the trail, you can find all kinds of plants and animals. Some of the trees and bushes have signs to help you identify them. In the spring and summer, you can find many wildflowers. In the winter there can be snow. Seeing it in the snow gives it an almost majestic feel. There is a large variety of wildlife including snakes, lizards, squirrels, and even things as large as bears and mountain lions, although I have seen nothing larger than a ground squirrel, except human beings. Beware of snakes as you walk, especially if you leave the concrete path to venture out into the wild. Make sure you take plenty of water, especially in the summer. The temperature here can vary greatly. When we visited in mid-June it was 99 degrees. I have also been when I needed a light jacket during the summer.

Left: Indian Paintbrush Right: Ponderosa Pine

Cholla Cactus Flower

I loved stopping here for a bathroom break as a child. As an adult, I still adore this place. It has a sense of peace and calming about it as well as a hint of mystery. Bringing Little Bear has been a fun experience. It reminds me of my childhood excitement about running around shouting.

A few years ago we took a family trip and got to bring Little Bear. At three he loved it. The walk was a little long for his short legs, but the path was easy. Now that he is a second grader, Little Bear had a blast. He loved hearing his voice bounce off the walls and carry out into the surrounding area. The trail is a breeze for him and I kept reminding him to slow down and wait for me. He practically ran up the stairs and when he got to the top he was excitedly yelling "Woohoo! Yippee! Hooray!"

Looking up from the top of the stairs

Little Bear enjoying the echoes

A throwback picture at Echo Amphitheater from 2001 with snow on the ground

On your grand New Mexico adventure, this is a great place to stop. You can find more information about Echo Amphitheater here.







Sources:
National Geographic. "Cañon Retumbido or Echo Amphitheater".
USDA Forest Service. "Echo Amphitheater Picnic Site".

Mom, Look Out the Window!

One of the things all my friends and family know about me is that I am not a morning person. I loathe getting up early and what I consider early is later than most people. Not being a morning person is a huge pain in my house since Papa Bear and Little Bear are both morning people. Most days they pop out of bed at practically they break of day and are happy and ready to go. If I have to get up early I drag my carcass out of bed grudgingly and it can take me hours to feel truly awake and ready for the day.

When Little Bear and I went on a trip recently we had to be up way before the sun to catch a 6am flight. We got up at 3am. Little Bear was his bright sunshiny self. I was dragging, partially because I had no sleep the night before from travel anxiety, and partially because it was WAY too early.

We got on our plane at 6 AM. The sun had not really come up yet. The sky was starting to lighten some, but it was not sunrise yet. My intention was to take a nap once we got in the air. About ten minutes after got in the air Little Bear says "Mom, look out the window." So, I pretended I was asleep like any non-morning person would do. He says again more urgently, "Mom, look out the window!" So, I finally do and I saw such a glorious sight. The sun was rising at 10,000 feet in the air.

I have seen many sunsets from the air, but never a sunrise until now. Sunrises from the air are majestic. The beauty of the heavens and earth meet in a bright and shining glory that could only come from God. The clouds lit up and turned pink and orange. The sun shone brilliantly between the clouds like a ball of fire. The edges of the clouds brightened to a dazzling orange. There are no words to describe the splendor of the sunrise we watched. I have no idea how long we watched, but I am torn between saying an eternity went by and it was no time at all. The brilliance of that sunrise is engraved in my mind. The pictures I took with my phone through the dirty airplane window could never do justice to the magnificence of that sunrise. The power and the beauty of a sunrise from the air are worth an early morning flight, once in a while.