Tuesday, May 31, 2016 ~ We slept in this morning, ate breakfast and messed around the hotel because we knew we would have another long day of driving. We finally left the hotel in Dallas around 11:45 am. 

I have not been west of San Antonio by car in 55 years. In 1961 I was ten years old and traveled with my maternal grandparents to San Diego to visit my mother's only brother and his family. The boys have never been west of New Orleans by car, so everything is new to us all. Jacob, especially, loves the changing landscape and is very interested in seeing the Grand Canyon tomorrow and the desert region of Southern California next week. AJ is very eager to get outside and climb a mountain.

AJ, again, found a really good place to eat lunch today. Since we didn't have pizza yesterday, we ate at Mr. Jim's Pizza in Vernon, TX.  Mr. Jim made our pizzas and AJ said it was the best cheese pizza he had ever eaten.

The Texas and New Mexico landscape is beautiful. We experienced both Texas and New Mexico thunderstorms today. The thunderstorm late this afternoon in New Mexico provided us with a beautiful lightning show, followed by a gorgeous sunset. It was reassuring to see the rest areas along the interstate  provide tornado shelters. I'm just glad we didn't need one.

Temperatures varied today from the high 80s in Texas to the mid-50s in New Mexico. When I stopped for gas in New Mexico just before the thunderstorm, I was surprised at how cold and windy it was while I was pumping the gas.

We arrived at our Homewood Suites in Albuquerque around 8:45 pm Mountain time. Our hotel is part of the ABQ Uptown shopping complex and is right off the interstate, which is very convenient.

We are almost finished listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Our photos from today are all scenic landscape pictures taken from the moving car. AJ did a great job of taking the photos, especially of all the wind farms. He was very patient with my asking him to "take just a few more".

Tomorrow is a much shorter travel day. We should arrive at the Grand Canyon Hotel mid-afternoon and will be there until Saturday afternoon.

Collecting Memories - Not Things, Summer 2016 ~ Paula, Jacob, and AJ

Monday, May 30, 2016 ~ Leaving Pensacola at 9:09 am, about an hour later than I had hoped, but it took a little longer to pack since we've never gone on a three-plus week car trip before. Traffic wasn't as bad as I anticipated until we reached New Orleans...then very slow moving. We made it to Dallas at 10:00 pm, about two hours later than we anticipated. One advantage to that is there was very little traffic when we got here and we didn't have any problem finding the Homewood Suites.

AJ accidently found a very good seafood restaurant in Slidell, LA for lunch. We were looking for a particular pizza restaurant but came across a local restaurant that we decided to try. They were very accommodating and the food was delicious. My goal is to NOT eat at fast-food, drive-thru, restaurants. So, we had McDonald's for dinner.

We finished listening to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and will begin the Chamber of Secrets on Tuesday. (Pictures are not in chronological order)


Collecting Memories - Not Things, Summer 2016 ~ Paula, Jacob, and AJ

Sunday, May 29, 2016 ~ On Monday morning, May 30, 2016, we will leave Pensacola and begin our trek westward. The first leg of our trip will take us to Dallas, TX, where we will spend our first night. Please join us on our journey as we experience many of the wonders our great country has to offer. AJ, Jacob, and I will contribute to the contents of this blog, which will serve as a journal for us, as well as, letting our family and friends know what we're doing and where we are.

Collecting Memories - Not Things, Summer 2016 ~ Paula, Jacob, and AJ