Day Twenty-Five: Waynesboro,VA

We have officially finished driving the amazing stretch of road called The Blue Ridge Parkway. Thankfully we had good weather today so got to check out the mountain living along the road.
Tomorrow we are off to Philly for memorial weekend.






TTFN,
Ashley

Day Twenty-Four: Floyd,VA

Yesterday was more driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I did hike a mile out to see a waterfall even though it was pouring rain. Other than that no photos sadly.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Twenty to Twenty-Two: Pigeon Forge,TN

Arrived safely to Pigeon Forge and decided to grab a dinner and a show. Brandon my old pool friend joined us for the Hatfields & McCoy`s dinner show. It was tasty and hilarious.

 The next day was pouring rain but we still went to Dollywood. Seeing the entire life of Dolly Parton so far was pretty fun. I was able to do some glass blowing which was super educational. Marked it off the old bucket list.

Our last day it finally decided to clear up so we were able to go on a horse back ride into The Smokies as well as splash around in the Splash Country Waterpark.

Overall I`d say Pigeon Forge and Dollywood were a success.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Eighteen and Nineteen: Nashville,TN

7:30
Jeannie Seely
Clare Dunn
Mike Snider
7:30

8:00
The Whites
Gary Mule Deer
Exile
8:00

8:15
INTERMISSION
8:15

8:45
Riders In The Sky
Moe Bandy
The Swon Brothers
8:45

9:15
Diamond Rio
Morgan Evans
Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press


This Line-up was to die for. I went in knowing 3 of the performers and walked out downloading all the albums. Had a blast for concert #2

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Twenty-Three: Spruce Pine,NC

Today was the start of The Blue Ridge Parkway.  469 Miles long and we will be driving it in three days. Started out with some poor weather but hoping it lightens up enough to get some good photos.

We stayed at an adorable little inn run by a husband and wife. (as well as their dog and cat)

Due to the crappy weather I wasnt able to get any good scenic photos but we did go to a mineral museum so that was fun.

TTFN,

Ashley 

Day Seventeen: Tuscaloosa,AL

Today was just a drive day. Took a bit longer because Walt forgot some stuff and we had to turn back. Other than that just a slow drive day on the way to Nashville for the next two days.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Thirteen - Day Sixteen: New Orleans,LA

Out of all the years we have done a road trip this is the second location that I have felt right at home. New Orleans had that lively feel to it the entire time we were there. Live music from every street corner and delicious food that I can still taste.

We walked a total of 8 miles on Mother`s Day all around the French Quarter, 7 miles on Monday out to the aquarium and then 5 miles on Wednesday to see St. Louis Cemetery #1. Dinner our first night was at the famous Mulates. I had Red Beans and Rice which were tasty. Monday night we ate on a paddle steamboat up the river. I had my first Bloody Mary and we got to listen to a live performance while on the cruise. Tuesday Night being our last night we ate of the French Quarter so we could have some boiled crawfish. Was a short drive so I could eat 2.5lbs worth of crawfish while walt had fried crawfish tails.

There was so much to see and do while there but for the most part I think we hit the important stops in the time we had.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Twelve: Beaumont,TX

Just another drive day. We did go see the new King Arthur movie and boy was it awesome. Passed the expectations I had for it that`s for sure.  Tomorrow we are off to New Orleans. I am beyond excited to see a new state and all the rich history it has to offer. Lots more pictures to come the next 4 days.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Eleven: San Antonio,TX

Nice and easy drive got to hotel and relaxed a bit before heading out to a homemade meal. Loved seeing family. The best part is that even though it has been years since seeing each other it feels like home as soon as we are together.

My little Paprika has gotten so big. Already 12yrs old and taller than me by a few inches.

Dinner was delicious and it was hard to leave after three hours of visiting. Can`t wait till everyone comes out for a visit our way.







TTFN,
Ashley

Day Ten: Fort Stockton,TX

Nothing new here. Just a long drive day heading towards San Antonio to see family. Super excited since its been since the first road trip.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Nine: Almagordo,TX (White Sands)

White Sands was absolutely a blast. We did the entire drive around area and then had to go back and buy a sled. After stripping off our shoes and hiking up a dune the real fun began. I shared a video of Walt going down one of the dunes over on Facebook so you can go check that one out. Meanwhile enjoy some of the outtakes of the vidoes we made.
















TTFN,
Ashley

Day Eight: Albuquerque,NM

Today we left a little early to catch a ride on the Sandia Tramway.

 The ride was 15 minutes up and 15 minutes down. We ate lunch at the bottom of the tramway.

The real adventure was the fact we had 20 elementary school kids on the tram with us. There was screaming and i totally felt like an old person with thoughts of "grr i paid to be here so shut up."

Since Walt and I didn`t want to get on the tram back down with those kids I decided to check out a few of the hiking trails around the area. I was so annoyed by the children that I contemplated  hiking the 7.5 miles back down the mountain to avoid them. That only worked for about 1.5 miles, the air was so thin it was hard to breathe so I came back.

 TTFN,
Ashley (aka Dora the Explorer)

Day Seven: Santa Fe,NM

Today we just explored the old plaza and checked out a few shops around town. Since we were able to get into Taos on day one today ended up being a more relax day.

Went to see Guardians of The Galaxy 2 and all I`ve got to say is I AM GROOT :)

Tomorrow we are off to Albuquerque,NM (only an hour away) to take a tram ride up a mountain.


TTFN,
Ashley

Day Six: Taos, NM

We took off and kept our fingers crossed for the Taos Pueblo to be opened on day one. We got lucky and spent half the day walking around the grounds. 

The church is the oldest building on the grounds. The wall surrounding the church used to be about 8 feet high for protection. The cemetery is no longer in use. They did use to practice a stacking method in the cemetery.










This is one of the larger building still standing. They use the top 2 floors as storage and the bottom levels as houses as well as shops. We had a ton of delicious outdoor adobe oven made food.


TTFN,
Ashley

Day Five: Dinetah Ruins, NM

We arrived for our tour at 8am. Last year we had Larry as our tour guide however this time around it was a new lady.
We hit the road to go see some "Pueblitos" as well as some paintings. The ruins this time around were not made my the Anasazi people but by the Navajo indian tribe from years ago.
The way they are built looks similiar but the technique is different. Their buildings were built as defensive holdings for when the Spanish came to claim their land.
Enjoy the pictures below.

Sheep or animal bones 

Tomorrow we are heading to Taos,NM with the goal of seeing the living pueblo. We missed out on it last year so we planned a two day stay in Santa Fe just in case day one doesn`t work out.


TTFN,
Ashley

Day Four: Bloomfield,NM

Today was just a drive day since tomorrow is an all day tour of the Dinetah ruins and paintings.
The drive wasn`t too bad just a bit slow with flat land.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Three: Williams, AZ

The drive to Williams was just under 200 miles but we had a full day planned out. Our first mission was to go visit the Deer Farm. A place we have visited on every road trip.

After the Deer Farm we did the drive around loop of Bearizona as well as the walk through area. Dealt with a few people who can`t follow instructions but besides that the animals were amazing.




For dinner we went to the Historic Diner 66 for some tasty burgers.

Tomorrow is a drive day towards Bloomfield,NM for a few nights.

TTFN,
Ashley

Day Two: Kingman,Az

Just another drive day. Was only a 300 mile drive so got to stop and have a sit down lunch.
We stopped in Needles a place where we went on a previous trip. The food was so tasty.

For dinner we ate at a steakhouse that we first visited 4 years ago. Below is a then and now photo of me next to the cowboy carving. It's really cool to see the changes over the years.

Tomorrow we are off to Williams,AZ to visit the Deer Farm as well as do the drive through Bearizona wildlife tour.

TTFN,

Ashley

Day One: Tehachpi,Ca

Day One went off without a hitch. We left the house after our standard checklist reading at 740am. Stopped in Fresno for some lunch and walking at 1230pm. Made it to hotel at 430pm.

After checking into the hotel we walked across the street to grab some sushi. Some delicious miso soup helped clear up my nose. Hopefully the sickness will dry out in the desert.

Tomorrow will be another drive day to add to our 410miles we did today. We are putting some distance between us and home that's for sure.

TTFN,
Ashley