Aransas National Wildlife Refuge a BUST!!

Friday, December 31, 2010

The most exciting part of the trip was the ferry ride across the water.  That was a first for me - we were driving along and all of a sudden Dad and all the people behind us, drove onto this flat boat and the next thing I knew, Dolphins were swimming in front of us - I couldn't believe it!

Dolphin riding the wake in front of a barge




This is a pelican - they call him that because (are you 
ready for this?)  "his bill can hold more than his belly can"
 (sorry, that is Dad's joke)





A VERY long bridge going across the bay.

When we finally got to the Refuge, (over a 2 hour drive) we walked and drove all over the place looking for birds, deer and alligators and didn't see much.  The birds we DID see were so far away, you couldn't even figure out what they were.  We saw lots of raccoon tracks and deer tracks, but no deer and no alligators.

Mom said that all the critters must have taken the day off to rest up for the New Year's Eve celebration!


If you look really, really close, you can see a crane in the
middle of the picture - that was about it!



Dad and I looking for alligators - or anything!

We were all very disappointed  -  especially after that long drive!

Hey everybody - Mom and Dad said to tell all of you to have a safe and Happy New Year's eve!  Mom found out that there is a party at the RV park tonight, but it starts at 8:00 pm - our bedtime!!

Take care, ya all!

Flowers every where...

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Today we were kinda lazy and only went to the Botanical Gardens in Corpus Christi.  I slept in the truck, while Mom and Dad wandered around looking at flowers.  Here are some of the pictures Mom took:




This was a weird looking thing!




Orchids in the Orchid House




One of the many roses in the rose garden (Dad's are prettier)




Butterfly in the butterfly house


Tomorrow we are going to a National Wildlife Refuge, so Mom should get some pictures of birds (maybe).

We are at the BEACH!!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Today we took a ride to explore Corpus Christi and Padre Island.  Mom and Dad let me run on the beach again!.  They have REALLY fine sand on Padre Island - it's really soft on my pink paws.  They let people drive right on the beach here and you can also set up your camper if you want to.  Of course, there are no hook-ups so you have to be self contained - and able to get your rig on and off the beach.  The tide is only about 2 feet here, so you can get high enough to keep out of the water.  The beaches in Corpus Christi are just crushed up sea shells, so it's a little rough - but - its a BEACH!!  When we got home, Dad had to clean out the truck because we all got sand all over the inside of the truck.



Methodist Church in Corpus

  

South Padre Island





Me and Dad checking out the surf




Tracks!



Beach in Corpus Christi

The weather was warm but as you can see it was cloudy.  It's supposed to clear up tomorrow so hopefully we will see more sunshine.  It's supposed to be in the mid 70's for the rest of the week!  (Hope all of our friends in the North can keep warm.)  Sorry, we just had to rub it in a little....

Back to Downtown

Monday, December 27, 2010

Today we went back to down town.  Mom and Dad left me in the truck, but Mom said they went on the river boat ride through the canals down town.  they also went to the Alamo, but Mom and Dad were VERY disappointed - it was in a bad state of disrepair and there were soooo many people it was hard to see any of the exhibits.



The Alamo




On the San Antonio River

 Tomorrow we are off to Corpus Christi - Dad said maybe we can find a doggy beach again!!!  Yaaaahooooo!!

Mission Day

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Earlier today, we tried to go to the "outdoor drive through zoo", but the lady wouldn't let us in because I was in the truck.  I guess they are afraid that I would show up the other animals.  Dad told the lady that they need to put that information in their advertising - she didn't realize that it wasn't there.  If Mom and Dad would have known, I could have gone to Doggy Day Care!

So, we went back to town and went to a bunch of Missions.  The park service has no problem letting us four legged sight seers in as long as our "parents" keep us on a leash and clean up after any messes.  Mom and Dad are good at taking care of those things for me.  Anyway, we went to about three missions and I ate a bunch of acorns off the ground.  It was fun at the time, but later tonight I wasn't feeling too well.  I kept Mom up most of the night.....sorry Mom.



Mission San Jose




Mission Espada - Click on this one
and you will see the Padre standing
in front talking to someone (use your
back button to come back).

 

Mission San Jose front entrance























A lot of the buildings are closed up because they are restoring them, but Mom and Dad said some of the detail was unbelievable - I just ate the acorns.....

Mission San Juan

 On the way home we ran into these funny characters "making hay". They are made out of full sized rolls of hay!!! Mom said someone has too much time on their hands...but they are very clever...




 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

Mom made this Nativity Scene on her sewing machine before we left just to remind us what this day is all about.

We hope you all have a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS

What a nice Christmas!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Boy, we sure had a nice Christmas.  Dad gave me a new bone to chew on all day.  The sun was out and I chewed on that bone while I took my sun bath.  Then Dad cooked and cleaned Alaska Shrimp that we brought with us and I got to help him (Dad gave me the little pieces that broke off) and Mom cooked this really great Prime Rib roast and I got those left overs too.

After dinner we went to the river to look at all of the lights.  There were a lot of people, so I got my ears scratched a lot while Mom took pictures.  Then, when we got home, the three of us walked around the park and Mom took pictures of the lights people put up for Christmas.

Then, to top it all off, we came home and had pumpkin pie before bed...what more could I ask for?

I wish Christmas would come EVERYDAY.......What a nice Christmas!

 


Christmas Lights on the San Antonio River Walk

Christmas decorations in the RV Park

 I'm a lucky dog...........

Christmas Carols around the fire.

Friday, December 24, 2010

It took us no time to get here today - San Antonio, TX.  Less than 2 hours and we were pulling into the next camp.  It sure is a good thing we have Anni (the Android phone).  She sure knows where she is going.  After we got camp set  up, Mom and Dad went grocery shopping and bought this GREAT BIG PRIME RIB ROAST!  Mom said I have to share with them - it's our Christmas dinner.

Anyway, it started to rain, and I mean it really rained!  It rained so hard that when we got back to our camp site, Dad got out the car wash brush and was able to go all the way around the trailer and got all the road dirt off of it!  The rain stopped before he got to the truck tho....

Tonight, almost the whole camp ground got together and sang Christmas Carols around a fire.  It was fun because every body came by and scratched my ears, and some of them gave me Christmas cookies...don't tell Mom.

Mom and Dad met this one couple that are doing the same thing we are!  They are leaving tomorrow for Corpus Cristi, TX  (that's where we are going next), and Mom gave them the name of the place where we will be staying - Mom said it was a really good deal.  Anyway, we might see them along the way because we pretty much have the same route in mind.  Sure glad we aren't the only ones doing this...

Well, time for bed...Mom said Santa is coming tonight!!!

On the road again...

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Today we traveled a LONG way - well, it seemed like it.  Dad said we really made good time considering the weather.  When we left Alpine, TX it was really foggy, then we ran into some rain.  We went about 274 miles and it only took us about 5 hours.  We hadn't planed on going that far, but we were all feeling OK, so we went about 40 miles further that we had planed.  The camp site was real nice, in fact, Dad said we may stay here when we go back North to Dallas.

Tomorrow we will be going on to San Antonio, TX.  Hopefully it will be warmer...


This was the view from the navigator's seat!!



Here's a nice shot of the Restroom across from our "camp"
(ha, ha)

 

Big Bend National Park

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Today we went to Big Bend National Park.  This place is huge!  We pretty much saw the same thing we have been seeing - cactus, grease brush, (lots of grease brush), all kinds of yuccas, and, MORE ROCK!  We also saw some fossils from more dinosaurs.


PINK cactus!

We saw the Rio Grand River, and of course across the river is Mexico.  At one stop, there were little scorpions and road runners made out of wire and painted walking sticks made by the Mexicans.  There was a hand made sign selling every thing for $6.  Across the river were Mexicans (with horses).



Crafts for sale across the Rio Grande River.



Mexicans across the river with their horses.



Me helping to plan our next move.  WOW, this is a
REALLY big state!!!

We will be moving on tomorrow - down highway 90 towards Del Rio.  Dad said that will make for a short day when we go into San Antonio.

100 Days on the road!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Today was our 100th day on the road, and we have seen and experienced a lot of stuff, and we are having a good time!  Today Mom and Dad took me to Fort Davis.  It was really cool and the rangers let me walk around the grounds (but I couldn't go into the buildings).  I guess I should clarify - the weather was hot - the Fort was cool.  They have restored some of the building and it was really interesting for Mom and Dad. 



ME!




Center of the quad.




Officer quarters.

It's really warm here and all the grass has dried up and they have A LOT OF STICKERS.  Mom and Dad are constantly taking stickers out of my paws!  Dad said he is going to get me a pair (2 pair) of boots for Christmas!

Our camp is nice - they have a nice big fenced area and Dad and I went and played ball tonight - the place is called "Lost Alaskan RV Park"!  We met a big black Lab, but he didn't know how to fetch, so we just chased each other.

Tomorrow, we are going down to Big Bend National Park - it's farther south towards the border.  We have seen a lot of border patrol guys, and the flags are still at half staff for the one that was killed from Tuscon when we were there.

Nothing to say......

Monday, December 20, 2010

Van Horn, TX - what can I say about Van Horn, TX - not much.......this was the most exciting thing we saw...



Not sure if he got a room at the Motel or not - maybe they had a stable around back...



Across the Continental Divide

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Today we left Tucson, AZ and went all the way to Las Cruses, NM.  It was kind of a long drive - almost 300 miles and about 6 hours on the road.  Of course, we stop and stretch and we ate lunch during that time.  Dad said we crossed the Continental Divide.  I guess that the water will be running the opposite direction now.  Dad was really happy with the new tires on the trailer - he said they made a really BIG difference in how the truck and trailer handle on the road - especially when big trucks pass us.

Yesterday was really boring for me.  The other day when we all went shopping, Dad bought new scissor jacks for the front of the trailer.  Dad and I installed them while Mom reorganized EVERYTHING in the trailer.  Now she says she knows where everything is and what we have for food.  Heck, all my food fits in a bucket in the back of the trailer!

This is me HELPING Dad install the scissor jacks - REAL TOUGH WORK!

We will be moving on tomorrow, but not sure which way we are going.....

Butterflies and Cyote!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Today Mom and Dad went to the Botanical Gardens in Tucson.  Mom said it was really neat because they had a Butterfly exhibit.  Mom got some really cool pictures of the butterflies - she said they even brush you off when you leave so the butterflies don't escape.  Then they walked around the garden and saw soooo many plants - 5 1/2 acres of plants, but most of them were cactus.


Very colorful butterfly





Unfortunately, this guy only opens his wings like this when
he is dying



This is what the butterfly above looks like when they have
their wings closed.




Fuzzy Castus.....

 After that, we went to another Saguaro Nation Park on the west side of town. There is a place there called Old Tucson and it's an old movie set where they used to make Western movies.  In the parking lot we saw one of my cousins - a COYOTE! He was just standing the parking lot like he was waiting for someone to give him a hand out.




This is my cousin?  What happed to his EARS???

 I'm not sure what Mom and Dad have in mind for tomorrow.....

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Today Dad and I went and got "new shoes" for the trailer.  The original tires on the trailer were wearing kind of funny, so for piece of mind, Dad got some new tires put on.  While we did that, Mom stayed at the camp and did all the laundry and later cleaned our home from top to bottom.  Then Dad took her to lunch and we all went shopping.  It rained this afternoon - you would think it was a REALLY big deal because they have been talking about it for 3 days.  I guess it hasn't rained here since October (no wonder that cactus we saw yesterday died).  Anyway, it was a nice rain, but it didn't last too long - only a few hours worth.  Tomorrow, Mom and Dad are talking about going to the Botanical Gardens.

Icky - Stickery!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Today we headed out to the desert (again) and went to Saguaro National Park just outside of Tucson, AZ.  We walked and drove all around the park, but Mom and I still haven't seen a Road Runner - what IS a Road Runner?   Mom and Dad make sure I don't get too close to the cactus - they are REALLY STICKERY!  Anyway, here are some of the pictures Mom took...



Saguaro and Prickly Pear Cactus



This is a close up of a Fish Hook Barrel
Cactus

Mom and Dad make sure I have
plenty of water




This is what happens when you don't
have enough water!!





When we left the Saguaro National Park, we went to a county park just down the road. It was called Colossal Cave Mountain Park. Mom wasn't too impressed - they charged Dad $5 to get in and then they wanted $11 to walk through the cave. The lady at the store said that I couldn't go into the cave, but they would babysit me if I had a CRATE! Mom laughed because she said I don't even know what a CRATE is - what is a crate anyway?? (So much to learn!)  To say the least - Mom and Dad didn't go into the cave. They also advertised that they had Tortoises at the ranch and we didn't see any - Mom said they were probably hibernating - everything was all closed up and there wasn't a soul around....



Gift shop built in front of the Cave in the lower left of this shot





Deformed Cactus







I think we made a wrong turn??? This isn't Yuma!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Yesterday we left Las Vegas, NV and traveled to Wickenburg, AZ.  When we got there we went to the wildlife refuge - but it was CLOSED!  So we went back to camp.

Today we took off and we ended up in Tucson, AZ.  Mom and Dad had talked about going to Yuma, but it was over 100 miles out of our way from Wickenburg, so Mom said Yuma wasn't a "deal breaker".  Dad said we need to have some work done on the trailer, so this is a good place to do it.  We are going to stay here until at least Saturday, then we will move farther East.

Tomorrow we will probably do some site seeing - Dad is still trying to find Mom and I a road runner - I don't even know what that is....

Mom told me that we are REALLY on our way now - no more circling around - Dad wants to be in Texas for Christmas.  We will keep you all posted on our progress....

Brunch for the Bunch

Sunday, December 12, 2010

This morning we all went back to the Bellagio for Sunday Brunch - Uncle Andy was able to join us.  Everybody had a great time and a really good visit.



The Gotelli Boys - Don, Hal, Andy, Terry



They finally got MOM in FRONT of the Camera!
Don, Hal, Lyn, Terry

Dad took Uncle Don and Uncle Terry back to the airport Sunday evening so they could go home.  My family is very lucky to be able to spend time together and I know we will have a Merry Christmas and who knows what the New Year will bring.......