Sunny Tuesday in Prescott

What a wonderful day we have had here in Prescott, Arizona! The weather could not have been better!!

We started off running an errand in town and then came back to the Chapel Rock Center where Belinda had declared a "personal day" for herself. Charles took advantage of the great weather and went off in search of a golf course and as luck would have it found one in nearby Prescott Valley. This is the first time Charles has played a "desert course," and he really enjoyed the experience. StoneRidge Golf Course (www.stoneridgegolf.com) is a real challenge and while Charles isn't ready to go on the tour, he does recommend the course to anyone who passes by Prescott!

Belinda's day was very enjoyable with time for restful walks, email, and just some real quality "down-time."

We're staying in tonight, enjoying the time to be still. If you have not tried it yourself, take it from us, it is worth it!!!

A Special Hello to Our Nephew Kyle Hammitt!

Hello to Kyle Hammitt!

He is one of the faithful blog readers of this blog, and we want to give him a special Internet Blog Salute: Yee-haw!

Hey, Kyle, hope that you are doing well and enjoying the great weather we are all enjoying right now!

Do you like the picture above? Uncle Charles took it at the Albuquerque Zoo.

Thanks for keeping track of us by reading the blog entries!

Sending you our thoughts and love from Prescott, Arizona,

Aunt B... and Uncle C

P.S. We did get you a special keychain.... when we find out where we carefully stored it (in all the luggage), we will send it to you!

From Winslow to Prescott!

What a great day today was! We back-tracked a bit, and we DID go to Winslow Arizona. What a fun place to tour and shop! The place is famous for beign mentioned in the Eagles song "Take It Easy."
(www.winslowarizona.org/Visiting.htm)

Lyrics:
"Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me." This is the actual corner that the Eagles' song refers to in Take It Easy.

Then we visited the historic La Posada Hotel. It is one of the "last great railroad hotels,” offering a unique cultural experience for Southwest travelers. Built in 1929 for the Santa Fe Railway, this hotel is truly one of America’s treasures. (www.laposada.org). It was also noted for being a hotel which featured the "Harvey Girls" (see the film with Judy Garland).

Then we were off, headed for Prescott. En route, we stopped at the Montezuma Castle National Monument. Wow! This five-level, 20 room cliff dwelling nestled into a limestone recess high above Beaver Creek served as a "high-rise apartment building" for prehistoric Sinagua Indians over 600 years ago. It is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America (www.nps.gov/moca).

Tonight we checked into the "Vicar's Cottage" at an Episcopalian Retreat House called Chapel Rock in Prescott (www.chapelrock.net/index.htm). Sadly, since there was no Cracker Barrel in Prescot we had to eat in the historic part of town. We had an awesome meal at the Prescott Brewry (www.prescottbrewingcompany.com) which has both wonderful food and great beer!

What a great day. God is SO good!!!

Welcome to Arizona!

We said goodbye to New Mexico this afternoon after attending church at the First United Methodist Church of Albuquerque (www.firstumconline.org). It is the oldest Protestant church in the city and has some wonderful stained glass windows depicting the Apostles.

After leaving the city behind us, we headed west on I-40 for Arizona. Along the way, we saw more reminders of US 66 and more wonderful scenery as we moved west. We ended up stopping for lunch at a Cracker Barrel in Gallup, NM which was nice as we missed the "church rush!"

Reaching Arizona in the mid-afternoon, we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park (www.nps.gov/pefo). This is one of those places Charles grew up reading about in National Geographic and it really lived up to his expectations.

By the time we had driven through the Park we had seen ancient fossils, pronghorn antelope, and some stunning scenery.

Well we had other places to get to today, so we continued westward and so we continued west on 1-40 past Winslow, Arizona (made famous in the song by the Eagles, www.standinonthecorner.com) and on to Flagstaff. Believe it or not we didn't have supper at a Cracker Barrel!! Belinda graciously took Charles to the Outback that was next door! Not to worry, Cracker Barrel is "on the menu" for breakfast tomorrow!!!

We'll be spending a few days in Prescott, AZ so come back and see what we've been doing.

Greetings from Albuquerque

We said goodbye to Santa Fe this morning having had a great time there this week. This morning we headed south on I-25 for Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, about an hour south of Santa Fe.

Along the way we made a couple of stops, traveling part of the wat along the old Route 66. We drove a bit of this famous road before heading back to the Interstate. A bonus this morning was getting to the NM monument for the Spanish explorer, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, (www.nmmonuments.org/inst.php?inst=4) which is located along the banks of the Rio Grande. This monument provides a fascinating glimpse into Pueblo culture before and after the Spaniard's arrival.

Then it was back along I-25 to Albuquerque where we went to visit the International Balloon Museum (www.balloonmuseum.com). This is located at the site of the famous hot air balloon festival and chronicles the history, equipement, and personalities of those who take to the skies in these colorful contraptions. Really a great stop for all ages. The manager of the museum shoppe, Jennifer Taylor, was a wonderful ambassador for the community and gave us a awesome recommendation for lunch.

Following Jennifer's advice, we went to El Pinto, a restaraunt that is as famous for its own brand of salsa as it is for its food. We tried to eat a light meal but we still came away stuffed! If you ever come this way, be sure to visit El Pinto (www.elpinto.com)!!!

After lunch, we decided to walk off the awesome example of NM cuisine we'd just sampled by taking a walk around Old Albquerque. We visited the oldest church in the city, San Felipe de Neri, which is just beautiful (www.sanfelipedeneri.org). A bit of window shopping later and we were ready for more sight-seeing.

We found the National Hispanic Center of New Mexico (www.nhccnm.org), a wonderful site for everything you ever wanted to know about this diverse portion of our society. A short drive away was the Rio Grande Zoo and even though it was closing in 45 minutes, Charles was able to check out the gift shop and talk to some friendly flamingos (www.cabq.gov/biopark/zoo).

Tomorrow we'll be heading west, leaving New Mexico having made so many special memories.

Touring about in New Mexico

Today we got off to a sunny start. After chatting with fellow guests at the hotel in Santa Fe, we headed out to see some more of this area. First stop was Los Alamos, home of the atomic bomb. We really enjoyed a visit to the Bradbury Science Museum (www.lanl.gov/museum) which has mock-ups of the first two nuclear bombs and some amazing videos and hands-on exhibits. We also got to visit the Los Alamos Community museum which explains how the transition from tiny camp for boys to a state-of-the-art research community.

Then it was down a twisting road to the Bandelier National Monument (www.nps.gov/band), down a deep canyon with a remarkable view from the bottom. This place was much like the Mesa Verde National Park that we saw earlier this week.

Just as we left the park we came to the small village of White Rock where we had heard there was a winery that was owned by a former engineer at Los Alamos. We met the owner of Balagna Winery (www.nmwine.com/wineries/balagna.htm), John Balagna, who said he retired in 1984 after 40 years at the labs. The winery overlooks the Rio Grande and has the most awesome views you've ever seen.

After that, it was on to El Santuario de Chimayo, "The Lourdes of America" which is in a tiny hamlet just north of Santa Fe and was worth the effort to get to it and discover for ourselves. The Shrine is an intimate place and is a deeply intimate place (www.archdiocesesantafe.org/AboutASF/Chimayo.html).

We thought about getting to Taos and seeing what the excitement was all about but given the time decided to head back to Santa Fe and have a supper at our new favorite place, Cowgirls BBQ.

Tomorrow we leave Santa Fe for Albuquerque and then on Sunday for Arizona. Stay tuned for more.

Thursday is a hit!

Another beautiful day here in Santa Fe even thought there were plenty of weather changes to keep everyone hopping. It was cooler today and a we even had a brief rain shower in the afternoon.

We went to get a massage this morning since we have been traveling for over a month and we were feeling a bit out of alignment! So we got ourselves down to "High timz Oxygen Bar & Utopia Massage" where Lisa put us through the paces. When she was done we were both feeling a lot happier and more mellow than we had in weeks!!

While Belinda was getting her massage, Charles took the opportunity to visit the nearby Georgia O'Keefe Museum (www.tfaoi.com/okeefe/okeefe.htm). After seeing a glimpse of her work yesterday Charles was motivated to see "the rest of the story." The range of the artist's production was simply astounding and if you're ever in Santa Fe stop by and see what all the fuss is about!

After some strolling around looking at shops, we ate lunch again at the Plaza Cafe` and enjoyed the people watching across at the people eating in the park. On our walk-about we passed through Burro Alley where we made sure to get pictures taken with one of Santa Fe's star attractions. After getting caught in the rain (we ducked into a cute shop to wait it out) Charles dropped Belinda off at a mall where she did some shopping and got a color bath with the New Mexico style.

Charles then took off for a whirl of museum-viewing. On Museum Hill he found four museums and got into three of them. First up was the Museum of International Folk Art (www.internationalfolkart.org) which showcased styles and objects from around the world. It was really a fun place to wander around in.

Next up was the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (www.indianartsandculture.org). This may well be the best overall museum Charles said he'd been to since we've been back. The displays seemed to cover everything from ancient indiginous cultures to today's Native Americans and culture.

Finally it was time for the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art (www.spanishcolonial.org). Set in an old Spanish colonial home, the museum displayed items depicting life on the Spanish frontier through everyday objects and some really well-done paintings.

After supper in the old part of town at Tomisita's (next to the railway station) it was back to the hotel for a rest and relaxation before tomorrow's adventure. Come back and see where we went and what we did!!!

Olde Town Santa Fe

What a splendid day this was, with perfect weather and a terrific part of the city to wander about in we really enjoyed today. We started off driving to the old part of Santa Fe and visiting the Cathedral (www.archdiocesesantafe.org) which is a really great cathedral. The use of colors and fabrics throughout the space was really special. The baptismal font in the middle of the sanctuary was also a fountain and really added to the feeling of sacredness.

Then we walked around the area and visited the oldest church in the USA, San Miguel (www.nosfarchives.org/sanmiguel.html) which was built in 1610 and is such a sweet space to worship God.

At the visitor's center we were directed back to the church where we were told that next door to it was the oldest house in America. Such a tiny space but it really brought the reality of those times to life.

We saw the Loretto Chapel (www.lorettochapel.com) which is the location of the work of the "mystery carpenter" who created a stunning work of wood-working with a spiral staircase. This really is a beautiful chapel, formerly used by a girl's school, now just a museum.

After lunch at the Plaza Cafe`, a Santa Fe landmark since 1905, we walked about to enjoy the sunny afternoon. Charles went into the Contemporary Art Museum to take in some of the Georgia O'Keefe exhibits and some of the other creations. Later he walked up to the Cross of the Martyrs (a memorial to some of those killed during a revolt by Native peoples in the early 1600's) and got a really great view of the city. Belinda took the opportunity to enjoy some of the shops around the Plaza and met up with Charles again to tour the Palace of the Governors (www.palaceofthegovernors.org).

After a long day out and about, we decided to call it a day and rest of up the rest of our stay in the oldest state capital in the USA.

Warmer Weather in New Mexico!

Today we visited "THE" Four Corners, USA! This is the only place in the United States where four states meet at one point! Yes, our feet were firmly placed IN four states at ONE time... yee-haw! How cool is that?! The scenery in southwest Colorado and into New Mexico is stark in places and always changing, revealing many inspirational sights along the way.

We stopped for lunch in Bloomfield, New Mexico at a great local diner, where they had the BEST coconut meringe pie EVER... yummy! We continued south and we "tried" to take the scenic route through the Sante Fe National Forest, but we soon realized that the signs indicating a rough road ahead meant what they said, i.e., we are still in the winter months! We knew this to be true as the nice road turned to a dirt road which turned into a mud road. So we turned around and got on a much better road! (The area did reach a high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit today!!!)

We arrived at Sante Fe and checked into our room at the Super 8. After a nice rest, we headed for the "Cowgirl Bar-b-que Restaurant" in Old Towne Sante Fe. Yee-haw: It was the BEST bar-b-que ever! And the sweet potato fries with special honey dipping sauce was simply "heavenly!"

Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventure!

Ooooh, Ahhhhh !!!

Today we woke up in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, at The Springs Hotel (http://www.pagosahotsprings.com/). What an amazing place!! If you can ever make it to this place, you must go! If you forget your swim suits, it's okay! You can check them out, along with lovely luxurious robes. (P.S. The beds and pillows are SO comfortable!). Charles had a soak in the thermal pools last night and enjoyed it so much that he took advantage of the opportunity of being in this setting to have a second soak. Boy, was he a happy camper!

We headed west out from Pagosa Springs, first stopping in Durango, CO (www.durango.org) where we enjoyed lunch and a very pleasant walk through the downtown area.

Afterwards, we drove through Mesa Verde National Park (www.nps.gov.meve). Wow! Wow! Wow! The drive to the visitor's center/museum was challenging and over 20 miles long but the views were just awesome!!! Not a particularly well-known park but it is certainly worth the effort to get there.

We left the park, driving towards the Four Corners area, driving out of Colorado, into Arizona, and then into New Mexico. Tonight we are tucked into a "Super 8" hotel in Farmington, New Mexico. After a good night's sleep, who knows what adventures await us tomorrow?! Tune in... to find out!

Today in Pagosa Springs, CO

We enjoyed going to church this morning with the Hammitt's at Forest Ridge Community Church (www.forestridgechurch.org/) which meets in Kyle's middle school. It was great to be able to spend this time with them and though we were sorry to say goodbye, we know that we'll be back!

We set off on the next leg of our journey, heading south towards Peublo before turning west where we enjoyed a marvelous experience at The Great Sand Dunes National Park (www.nps.gov/grsa/) This was a real treat and well worth the effort to get there. On the way to the Park, we stopped in the shadow of Mt. Blanca (www.sangres.com/mountains/mtblanca.htm) , one of the mountains in Colorado that is over 14,000 feet tall!

An interesting drive through the mountains brought us through Wolf Creek Pass, elevation over 10,000 feet. Belinda was so happy that Charles was driving! We ended our day in Pagosa Springs (www.pagosa.com) in southwest Colorado. We found a hotel next to the hot springs where Charles is going to test the waters in the morning! Pictures to follow!!!

More to follow tomorrow from New Mexico!

The weather today was clear and cold which made for excellent site-seeing weather. We went in search of a chocolate factory we'd heard about but found on the way there that it was closed for tours this month. So we headed down to the old part of Colorado Springs and visited Grace & St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (www.graceandststephens.org) which was just beautiful and fully engaged in its community. We also visited The First United Methodist Church (www.fumc-cs.org). 1st UMC really caught our attention as its approach to children's ministry is nothing short of WOW!

With a lot to mull over after those two churches, we found a neat restaurant where we could consider what we'd seen called: La Creperie. Located across the street from the Acacia City park, this small bistro had some of the best food we've had on our trip: The crepes were perfectly done and the potato & leek soup was awesome!

That excellent lunch enable us to press forward into the rest of the day. Belinda was taken back to the Hammitt household in Monument for a relaxing afternoon with Rob & family. It was so much fun relaxing with her "bro" and the family, and the time spent with the puppies added to the experience for everyone!

Charles in the meantime headed back to Colorado Springs to visit the Cheyene Mountain Zoo (www.cmzoo.org) which has a well-deserved reputation for its stunning location. An unexpecteed bonus for visiting the zoo was the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun (www.cmzoo.org/shrine.html). This memorial to the famous American has incredible views and the drive up that twsting, icy road was well worth the exprience waiting for Charles at the top.

After the zoo, Charles noticed a sign pointing to the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame (www.worldskatingmuseum.org) and this hidden gem of a museum is well worth the time and cost (only $3.00 admission). While not a figure skating fan per se, Charles commented that this was one of the better sports museums because it had something for both the serious fan and the casual fan too.

We wrapped up the day with an superb stew prepared by Chef Rob and a trip down memory lane looking at the photos from the Hammitt family's trip to Cornwall, Wales, England and France last summer. It was so much fun reliving those exciting three weeks!!!

Tomorrow it is church in Monument and off on the road again!

A Chilly Friday in the Mountains

Today turned out to be a tad different than we had anticipated it would. Due to changing weather conditions, we decided to alter our plans a bit. We began the morning by visiting the headquarters of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs (COS). We took a short tour of the administrative part of their campus and came away really impressed with what we saw. But the real amazment came when we went to the visitor's center - blown away with this center and what they offer -for free- to the community! If you're ever in the COS area, do yourself a favor and stop by, it will knock your socks off. Be sure to take your children with you, because they will never forget the "experience!" They can slide down a three-story building (in height)... super-slide! (We were sad that we were too tall to do it ourselves!!!)

After that, the weather cleared enough for us to take a drive through the "Garden of the Gods" (www.gardenofgods.com). Located just outside of COS, this place is awesome! This ancient place contains numerous rock formations and simply must be experienced to be believed. (Yes, the third picture IS of Charles holding up this 500-ton rock: Wow, what a strong fellow he is!) We have more pictures of our visit if you want to see them. We also got to visit the famous Trading Post in the park (www.co-trading-post.com) , first built in 1900. It is a fun place to get that special western or Indian art piece or item for that special someone back home.

After a quick rest, it was up the interstate a few miles to visit Belinda's brother Rob and his family in Monument. We had a great time getting caught up on thier lives and getting the tour of their stunning house! A special treat was getting to meet the eight Golden Lab puppies that they had bred. It was so much fun, lots of laughs, super food (Rob is a great cook) and puppies, who could ask for more?!

March-ing Forward!

It is hard to believe that it has been one month since we left England! Today also marks Charles' official re-entry into the civilian world. Next stop: The Parish!

After yesterday's snowfall, we were not sure what we would encounter today. Our doubts were quickly set aside with a glance out the window to crystal clear sky and mountains glistening in the fresh snowfall. After breakfast in our room, we set out for a day in Colorado Springs. First stop was at the AF Academy's Visitor Center (www.usafa.af.mil/superintendent/pa/visitor-center.cfm?catname=Visiting%20USAFA) which has some really cool exhibits and insights into life at this special place.

Afterwards we took advantage of the weather to tour the Academy's stunning Cadet Chapels (www.usafa.af.mil/superintendent/hc/). This place is so futuristic it boggles the mind and so spiritual at the same time!

After that, well, hold on to your hats: Belinda and Charles made a visit at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame (www.prorodeohalloffame.com/website)! This is a fun place where even non-rodeo fans can find something to get excited about.
After this much fun, we took a break from the tourist role and visited the nearby Cracker Barrel (Praise the Lord... and pass the biscuits!).

Back to museum touring! We found out that the US Olympics Training Facility (www.usoc.org/12181_19092.htm) was located in Colorado Springs so we made a point of visiting. Our tour guides included a resident of the facility currently training as a potential Olympic cyclist in Bejing! We saw wrestlers, weight lifters and others going through their paces. It was really interesting to see how much effort is being put into training and in providing for the support of those amazing young men and women.

After two sports-related museums, it was time for a break and so we "paid" a visit to the American Numistatic Association's Money Museum. Wow, talk about a well-done museum! (www.money.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=&WebsiteKey). All they needed was a film, and it would have been perfect! There was so much to see, and we learned a lot in just a short time.

A treat to end the day was the visit to the Current Factory Shop. For those not familiar with Current, they specialize in greeting cards, wrapping paper and so on. It was a fun way to "wrap up" our day:

www.currentcatalog.com/frontpage.asp

One more stop: a trip to the Lazy-boy furniture store to see what has been happening in the world of home decor. We got lots of great ideas. Come visit next year, and see if we got it right!

We enjoyed a meal of Schlotzky's leftovers and got some more laundry done, which helped to tidy up the day. It was a real treat to get out into the area today.

Up next: ??? (Come back tomorrow to see!)

Colorado Winter Wonderland

An interesting day here in Colorado, there was a call for snow tonight which began at mid-day and continues here in the early evening. The mountains that loom over the Air Force Academy were just stunning this morning, the air was so crisp and had a real clean scent to it. After driving through the relative flatness of Nebraska yesterday it is a real treat to see the mountains all around us.

We did something that may seem dull to some but for us, it worked. We got a leisurely start and headed out into the chilly morning for the base exchange/comissary where we took a whirl of how things looked from the Air Force perspective. It was nice walking around looking at what they had!

After picking up a couple of items that we'll use later on, we headed into Colorado Springs. As we were leaving we noticed four parachutist being dropped to the small air field on the base. There was also a glider soaring across the face of the mountain which must have been an incredible view for those inside!

Funny thing though, at that moment we started to drive into the city the snow flurries picked up quite a bit. So as it happens there was a Cracker Barrel just outside the Academy's South Gate where we ducked in for lunch.

We had thought to go a to museum after that but it turned out to be closed on Wednesday. So it was back to the city where we picked up a carry-out supper from Charles' favorite place, Schlotsky's Deli. Then it was back to the Academy grounds where we burrowed into our suite to see just how much snow does fall today! The view from the suite is just wonderful, everything you'd hope to see in the Rocky Mountains!

Right now, the mountains are shrouded in snow and clouds and "all" we can see are the evergreens being drapped with snow. This "campus" looks like a park and really is an oasis from the busy life that is taking place just outside the gate.

Tomorrow we'll see some museums and hopefully more of the mountains!

Just like the Pony Express: "Westward Ho"

Hello from Colorado Springs, Colorado!

We enjoyed a lovely drive through Nebraska today. After leaving Lincoln in the morning, we headed west on I-80, next stop: Colorado. Well, not really, we couldn't pass up stopping in in Kearney, NE, to visit a good friend, Rev. Dr. Marvin Koelling, Charles' former district superintendent when he was first in Nebraska. We had a great visit with him, getting caught up on life events for the past few years! He gave us a tour of the church he is pastoring (www.kearneyfirstumc.org/index.html). They are doing so many amazing things!! It was so inspiring to feel the energy of that congregation! Yea, God!

Just before Kearney we saw thousands of geese, ducks and swans taking part in the annual migration north. It is so moving and inspiring to see this miracle of nature. Charles likened it to the mass of planes and people moving through the skies above any major airport. We also saw the Archway Monument - www.archwway.org, (located above I-80 east of Kearney), we must make a point of visiting this tribute to the early pioneers.

We also stopped by Gothenburg, Nebraska, where we saw an original pony express station! We were quite excited by that! Even though there was a lot of snow on the ground it was fun to see a slice of American history. And, of course, while we were there, we just had to poke our heads into the local United Methodist Church there, which is absolutely beautiful, by the way!

We enjoyed a lovely day, driving through the western part of Nebraska, and then into Colorado! A beautiful day all around, it was!

Now we are all tucked into a fabulous suite of the Rampart Inn here at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It is really quite plush! We are grateful to be staying in this lovely place. It will be great to see the mountains all around us tomorrow morning in the daylight!

See you tomorrow!

We're Nebraskans Again!

Today was the last full day here in Lincoln, and we got a lot done. First up was getting a bank account set up, which was accomplished in quick order. Then it was to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to get our Toyota registered, titled, and tagged. Both the bank and the DMV visits went much more quickly and effortlessly than we had imagined. We were able to use a local UMC pastor's address for our "residence," until such time as we are able to establish ourselves wherever and whenever the Bishop determines!

We enjoyed lunch with a fellow clergy person, Jamie Norwich-McLennan (from Lincoln 1st UMC), and she graciously allowed us to leave some of our excess luggage at her house, happily located next door to the Conference office!

We made a couple of stops at the VA, first to see about getting Charles' medical records evaluated and seeing about the next step for his dental work at the VA Medical Center. Both stops provided the information we needed, and now we wait for the Navy to send the last paperwork our way.

Tomorrow, it is back on the road for Charles & Belinda! We're planning on making a couple of stops to visit friends on the way to Colorado. If you're on the way, look out for us!