How We Spent Our Summer Vacation - Part 3

Two words. TEXAS BBQ.

A smoke pit FILLED with meat.

I've developed an odd appreciation for public bathrooms that get the toilet paper dispenser right. There are so many ergonomic and efficient ways to dispense toilet paper but it seems 99% of public restrooms don't understand this. The Salt Lick in Driftwood Texas not only gets BBQ supremely right but they also get toilet paper dispensers supremely right! I just had to take a picture!

We stopped in Austin for the night to see what all the fuss was about because at least 50 of our friends say they "LOVE it" and they'd "Totally move there!" But maybe that's because the bats did their job...

So under this bridge resides the world's largest bat habitat. That's right. They live under this bridge. But you can't see them, you can only hear them skwaking around under there and there are signs saying, "watch out for bat droppings" but they're waiting for their curtain call. It's a very popular thing in Austin for people and families to flock to this bridge come dusk and then when the sun sets, THOUSANDS OF BATS COME POURING OUT INTO THE SKY!!! From under this bridge! So Paul and I head down there WAY too early before sunset and other people sit on the grass next to the bridge having picnics and their kids run around acting like bats. And it starts getting darker and more and more people gather and it's like we're all waiting for the Rose Parade. There's even vendors selling light-sticks and buttons. (We totally bought a button that says "Keep Austin Batty!")

So we wait and wait and the sun sets. On top of the bridge people line the street! There are BOATS next to us out on the river where people paid money to get the best view of these "THOUSANDS" of bats and they're waiting too.

Well people are really restless now and the kids are crying and everyone starts to leave and we're just sitting there in the dark totally dumbfounded by the most anti-climactic event we have ever NOT witnessed. The bats never swooped. A few just kinda flew around under the bridge. Stupid bats.

Oh! Earlier in the day we visited the capital building that was HUUUUUUUGE and awesome.

There was a nice memorial celebrating the pride and heroism of the confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

Wait, Confederate Soldiers?!? What?

It's like that time in Vietnam when we asked a 5th grader what she knew about the Vietnam war and she says, "Well. We won." ....Always a nice reminder that the stories you were taught growing up weren't the only stories and that there's two sides to every coin.

Okay here we go...another BBQ place in Texas. Yes, this one's a chain, but MMMMM BOY is it soooooo good! If you ever go, tell them it's your first time and they'll let you sample everything. Then they give you this big box of meat on butcher paper and you eat it all with your bare hands! (Not really. I mean, you can if you want, but we had forks) But we really chowed down till we were ill.

Funniest part was when Paul ran back inside to snap this picture and this cowboy in a ten-gallon hat says to him, "Goin' on Facebooook?" In a really thick drawl. And Paul says, "Yup" and they both laugh... he laughs because of Facebook and Paul laughs because of the other guy's accent!

Austin was "a'ight" but SAN ANTONIO was fantastic!!! I LOVE San Antonio!!!!

The Alamo!!! I wanted to do a jump picture sooo bad but once I did a jump picture on a quick stop at Gettysburg and I felt TERRRIBLE so I don't do jumps where people died for their country. ...unless it's in a graveyard....and it's JWB.....then I dance. But not here. Click on the pick below to read the inspiring plaque.

First of all, it was SOOOOO hoooooot in San Antonio. Muggy. But the city was full of color!

I love the energy here.

After strolling along the river walk, we went to this awesome Mexican restaurant and they had awesome food...

And I loved the way it was decorated. Who doesn't love twinkle lights?

Look look LOOK at this amazing Texas sky over The Alamo!!!!!!

I was sad to say goodbye to San Antonio. I could live there I think. The next day was Sunday so we went to church in Albuquerque and LOVED the ward.

We drove on to Roswell, New Mexico and stopped in at the Roswell UFO museum!

Some super fascinating stuff here! They had signed accounts from all kinds of people back in 1947 of what they saw and heard, etc. Click on the photo to enlarge.

All the accounts said that the FBI came into their homes and threatened them not to talk about it anymore. Neighbors said that the rancher who owned the land where the spaceship crashed was talking all about it and showing metal from the ship to people and then after the FBI came into town they said soon he was driving a brand new truck and had new ranch equipment and never said another word about the crash. So they say he got paid off because he "never had two pennies to rub together before the incident". It really makes ya wonder....

And what's a UFO museum without a little Dana and Fox? Hey! Who's that alien in the purple shirt?

We continued on our journey toward Arizona, bummed that we were three days early for the Roswell UFO Festival!!! Talk about a missed opportunity to go people-watching!

But we had more glorious and important things to see.....like the Grand Canyon!!!

We pulled into the park perfectly at sunset. We had never seen the Grand Canyon in person before and it literally took our breath away.



It is impossible to feel anything but total awe and reverence when you see such a spectacular creation. It was such an obvious manifestation that God not only exists but that He is a master artist and has nothing but our happiness in mind.

We spent the night in one of the lodges thanks to Paul being so internet deal savvy. One of the employees was really good at his job and when we checked in suggested that because it was a full moon, we should drive to one of the lookout points, get out and walk the path along the edge and "the full moon will be so bright you can read a book in the dark!" So we said, WHY NOT?! Walking along the edge of a thousand foot cliff with no flashlights in the middle of the night among the wildlife seems like a PERFECTLY GOOD IDEA!

So we got in our car, drove out to a desserted lookout point, parked our car, and gleefully galloped up the cement path toward the biggest hole that ever existed, and as soon as the lights from the parking lot faded behind us and we made it through the clearing of brush, we hit the brakes. Nothing but blackness surrounds us. Uuuum, where's the moon? We look up and it's covered by clouds. We take a few more steps and a light, warm breeze blows my hair off my shoulders. I can't see ten feet in front of me (and we stay on the cement path), but an odd feeling was in the pit of my stomach. Quiet. It was so. Quiet. Not a sound. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and the bright full moon came out behind a passing cloud and that's when I saw the darkened abyss spread out before my feet. The canyon, that sleeping beast was. right. there.

It was like this:

But only awesomer. Because it was at night.

I freaked out, half scarred out of my mind but mostly elated at our daring adventure and the still very fresh excitement of seeing one of the wonders of the world for the first time and sharing with it, a quiet time, a special moment that only Paul and I had together. We knew that come morning, scores of people would be crowding her edges and buses and snapping endless pictures (we were two of those people) but for right now, right then, the whole canyon was ours.

Eventually our eyes were able to see well and we followed the path around peaceful corners and breezy vistas. The moon came out fully from the clouds for only a few minutes and we could see our shadows clear as day! What a magical place!

The next morning we awoke bright and early for a light hike.We met up with a ranger who guided a group of us about a mile or so below the rim to some nice lookouts. He said only 5% of visitors ever go below the rim. Most people just "stop by and take a quick look." Are they nuts?!

This is a plant that grows crazy fast. Something like 13 inches a day. You cant' really tell but this plant is about 8-9 feet high.

We looked out over "Squaw Peak" which, thanks to bleeding heart activists, it has now been changed to "Navajo Peak" and the local Indian tribes are like, "Dude. "squaw" isn't derogatory. We're not offended by it." Sigh... Why can't we just leave the Indians alone...

(England represent!!)

So it turns out that visitors' chances of getting struck by lightning are double that of falling over the edge. Every year it's something like ten people get struck by lightning - and five morons who go walking on the cliff edge at night during a full moon fall off.

There was an old founder's cemetery near one of the lodges. I LOVE cemeteries and really wanted to see some old tombstones but this one is really the only one. It was made of wood!

Dramatic tree:

So here, I got this zoomed in because it was a really hot day and I was becoming braver and braver and I was like, "Hmm I think I'll just step out onto that little ledge there and snap this cool picture of the river. Come on, what's gonna happen?" So I begin to take a step and then out of nowhere in the dry stagnant heat of the day, a huge gust of wind whips across me and pushes me back and I say to myself, "NEVERMIND!!! Heh heh heh!" and I take five steps backwards...And I made a promise to God I would never tempt disaster ever again!

This is the only fence we ever saw. Every other lookout point is just a huge drop-off. We saw mothers with their little kids go RIGHT to the edge and look over with their toddler standing next to them not secured by anything. I couldn't even look.

We had such a wonderful time at the Grand Canyon. As we drove out of the park we loved how the slot canyons wound around through a seemingly endless land.

Continuing our spontaneity we pulled off the side of the road and ran down a dirt road to get a great view!

Behind Paul is a huge drop-off. We were throwing rocks and didn't hear a sound! I just love how flat the earth is and it just ENDS!

We drove right past the bottom of Lake Powell and we were seduced by it's refreshing blue waters so we took another spontaneous pit stop to explore!

We almost stripped down and went swimming.

Instead, we danced.

We were right next to Bryce Canyon and really wanted to go (We've been there before...) but after driving a few miles in, we turned around and continued our trip. People were expecting us in Utah.