Leaving San Antonio and the 'Canyon'

Dewberry blooming near the visitor center at Government Canyon State Natural Area

As Mother Nature would have it, the weather was perfect for our last week at Government Canyon.  Sunny skies, warm days, cool nights, wildflowers popping up everywhere and darn it, it’s time to go! 

 

 

Redbuds blooming and starting to leaf out

 

 

Along with our usual duties, we enjoyed our last week by giving interpretive presentations in the campground in the evenings and leading a Girl Scout hike along the Savannah Trail.  It was sad to say goodbye, but as my mother always says, “It’s best to leave when you still want to stay.  That way you always want to come back.”  And indeed, we do.

 

David shows mammal skulls to campers

 

 

After leaving San Antonio, we drove to Odessa for a week with family and to handle some routine business (taxes and insurance always demand some attention).  Then we took my parents to their cabin in Ruidoso, New Mexico.  My brother and sister-in-law were already at the cabin, so we had a cozy time with 6 people, two dogs and a cat in a small cabin.  David had his birthday at the cabin and we celebrated with cake and a dinner out.

 

Maya is a popular addition to the campground programs 

Now everyone is back in Odessa except for David and Maya and me.  We are planning on a few days of hiking in the mountains, though not today as there was snow in the mountains last night.  The trails are muddy and snowy so we are giving them a day to dry out a little.  Besides, we hear it's cold up there!

 

Bear grass bloom with wasp

 

I know the blog posts have been a bit few and far between lately.  We haven’t been ‘on the road’ as much for one thing and haven’t been doing as many exciting things.  But never fear we have adventures planned very soon.  By the first week of May we will be heading through Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and up into Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and maybe even Canada.  We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but for sure new places are in store.

 

Maya relaxes in a bed of golden-eye phlox

So for the next few days we will be in New Mexico getting our fill of green chilies and then back to Texas for a couple of weeks to get ‘Silver,’ our RV ready for a long road trip and to stock up for the journey.  Then it’s ‘On the Road with Maya’ one more time.

 

 

A fallen tree 'arch' on the Savannah Loop Trail