Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Catching Up


We arrived in Texas on Saturday, though it seems like a month ago now! We headed right towards San Antonio, worried about upcoming weather. It's a good thing we did because right outside the city it started pouring. I pulled over into a gas station because I couldn't see. It rained maybe 5 minutes and then there was a break so I wanted to get to our hotel before we started pouring again. But on the way to the interstate, water started literally coming out from the ground, not from pipes or other drainage or water sources, but out of the ground and filling the streets. I have never seen anything like it. Thankfully, we got on the interstate and got through the water, but it was terrifying. I am praying for all the families that were caught in flash floods this weekend. It really just comes out of nowhere. 

We got to our hotel, the beautiful Drury Plaza on the Riverwalk. 





Our friends Pete and Nancy recommended it. It was absolutely beautiful and the kids were in awe! It is an old bank building from the 1800's converted recently into a breathtaking hotel. After "social hour", a time when you can have a delicious free dinner in the grand lobby, we headed down to the Riverwalk. 




It was quite crowded because of the holiday weekend, but it was really unique. We walked along the many underground streets along the river for about an hour and then headed back to the hotel to swim. The pool was a in a beautiful glass walled room, which was beautiful, even with the lightning, until I saw that we were issued a tornado warning and rotation had been detected in the area. We went back to our room and then spent about 30 minutes in the snack room in the middle of the hotel. It stormed all night like I have never seen (except maybe in a hurricane), but we were safe. Unfortunately, the storm has continued to cause devastation and many others can not say the same. We are praying for those families.

The next morning we headed to the Alamo. It is right in the middle of the city. I learned so much about the importance of the Alamo and why it has stood as a symbol of freedom and liberty. 






(and there was not a basement for those of you who get this joke and might be wondering.)  

After the Alamo, we headed to El Paso. Thankfully, we were west of the weather now and that was an easy drive. Nothing much to report there except it was a lot more like Texas there than in San Antonio. If you do go to San Antonio, just know it is much more like New York City. If you want a real Texas experience,go to El Paso. We could see the border. It was interesting to see the difference from one side of the interstate compared to the other. 

Then yesterday we headed to Flagstaff. It was a beautiful 8 hour drive. I have never experienced so many changed of geography in one day. 




We went from desert like conditions, to red rock, to flatlands, to lush forests, to more flatlands, to huge mountains, to more flatlands to more red rock and then to Flagstaff which is this beautiful lush city in the mountains. I could easily live here. Our hotel is overlooking a beautiful snow covered mountain. There is cute historic downtown on Route 66. 



Last night we went to the Lowell Observatory and saw Jupiter and 4 of its moons, Saturn's rings, and the moon up extremely close. We could see all of its craters and the Sea of Tranquility where Apollo 11 landed. But today we have just decided to stay in Flagstaff. We need a break from driving today. It's time to rest!   




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