Tag travel

Although my husband’s railroad job is a huge sacrifice to our family, travelling around the country has afforded us the luxury of being able to not only see places we’d have never been able to see but also to meet folks we would have never otherwise crossed paths with. There’s something about connecting with people on a personal level that gets you to the heart of what’s really beating in this big, amazing country that we all call home.

In the past six years we’ve been from one end of the country to the other and one general consensus I’ve found is that good people are everywhere. Good, down-to-earth, hard working Americans grace not only our nation’s border states but also all the states in between. From the coal miners and steel workers in Pennsylvania and Northern Minnesota to those that we’ve talked to down in El Paso and Las Cruces that have come to our country legally that are in favor of “the wall.” Americans are good people and all of them have a story to tell…as do we all.

We’ve experienced the southern hospitality of the “Deep South”, hiked the Organ Mountains in New Mexico, climbed a waterfall in Wisconsin, and fished right on Lake Superior. We’ve shared conversations about God, Trump, hunting experiences, family, and the direction of our country. We’ve explored Charleston, South Carolina and swam the beaches in Savannah but in all our travels and experiences nothings compares to seeing the devastation of the flooding in America’s Heartland…our home.

RV life allows you to connect with people on a personal level and you really get to hear others’ stories. We’ve me so many families affected by the floods, hard working folks that have lost everything. Not only have they lost their homes and personal belongings, such as pictures and sentimental keepsakes but they’ve lost their livelihoods with their family farms and crops that they’re dependent on to pay their bills. Seeing these flood waters up close has affected me and the way I look at life. It can all be gone just that quick. We’ve had some hard days this spring with not only the continual rains but with tornadoes as well. It’s been tough for mid-westerners in particular.

In all the small towns, big cities, and campgrounds we’ve stayed in over the years I had to post this picture from the other day because it renewed my faith in our youth and the parenting that is done right which we sometimes fail to see.

These boys, who were from Mississippi and Georgia, would get up every morning around 6 a.m., with fishing pole in hand, and walk the banks of the small lake that was across from our campsite. Their eyes would barely be open and their hair smashed from just getting out of bed but there they’d be…fishing. It did my heart so much good to see these youngsters, between maybe 9 and 13, riding their bikes through the plethora of mud holes that laced the roads in the campground from all the rain. I saw little girls squatted down in the bathing suits, literally playing the mud, without a care at all of getting dirty. To be quite honest, it took me back to my own childhood. It was encouraging to witness kids be kids and not walking around with cell phones in their hands or playing on video games.

If we want to get our country and it’s citizens back to a place of goodness and solid foundation then we’ve got to start with our families…and that begins with our children. We’ve got to stop pawning them off on televisions, video games, and “stuff.” It’s imperative that we invest “time” in them and teach them the basics and life skills that were taught to us as children. There is no greater investment than the up and coming generations and it starts with us, right here right now. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans, black or white, or rich or poor…it’s about our kids and grandkids and raising a morally strong generation of up and coming adults.

It starts with us.

Love and Peace,

Kelly 🙂

Last summer, while in the Deep South, I experienced something that I had never experienced before…boiled peanuts!  We were at a dirt track in South Carolina and during a trip to the concession stand we were asked if we wanted to buy a “freshly boiled” bag…a tradition of the South.

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I’ll Take A Little Cheese With That Wine

It’s not uncommon for me to travel to a place and immediately feel some sort of connection to it. I guess I’m just weird like that. No matter where we end up my first order of business is to explore my surroundings. In a nutshell, that means locating the nearest Walmart and Hobby Lobby.

However, high priority falls on finding Chick-fil-A and the local ice cream shop because if there is anything I can’t live without it’s the “number seven” (without tomato and lettuce) and my weekly peanut butter and hot fudge shake, heavy on the whipped cream.

My second undertaking is to begin what I do best…Googling stuff.   Did I mention that I “Google” everything and that includes, but is not limited to, restaurants, local points of interest, scenic hiking trails, and those one-of-a-kind “must sees.” That’s how I stumbled upon one of my all-time favorite places ever…Ruidoso, New Mexico.

The name, Ruidoso (which means “noisy) not only rolls off the tongue sweetly and easily but it’s also fun to say out loud. It’s a village in New Mexico (more of a tourist town) nestled in the middle of the Sierra Blanca mountain range. Although it’s an hour and a half drive from our campground, we’ve never minded because the drive is not only scenic, with multiple mule deer and elk sightings,  it’s also extremely peaceful because the highway winds through the mountains and the view are breathtaking.

Despite having experienced it before, there are just some familiar places that touch your heart so much that you want to go back and relive it. Ruidoso is that for us. When our second wedding anniversary strolled around this past December neither Wes nor myself, had to think twice about where we wanted to spend it. It was unanimous.

Trying to find something we had never done before was going to be challenging but after a lot of discussions, we both realized we had NEVER been to a winery so I began searching. The Noisy Water Winery and Cellars had a high rating so we ended up giving it a go and it did not disappoint. In spite of not knowing what to expect, we found that there was more to wine and cheese tasting than we thought.

First, there were endless choices of cheese to sample and I was drawn to the “garlic” and “green chile” ones. I can honestly say that I have NEVER SEEN so many different kinds. I was at the point I couldn’t make a decision to save my life. However, Wes and I managed to select several and ordered an entire tray, with crackers, to snack on. I will say that it was the BEST cheese I have ever put in my mouth. You can even buy it by the pound and yes…yes we did!!

Sampling wine is not exactly what I expected, though. When you walk in the atmosphere is a little intimidating.  Against the wall, behind the counter, is a diverse collection of wines to choose from and to begin the tasting you select three flavors that you want to try.  They give you a brief rundown of the wines…dry, sweet, red, white, customer favorites, and seasonal. I picked three. My husband picked three. I didn’t think that the small amount they put in the glass would give me buzz but boy… was I wrong!

Looking back it might have been because all we had that day was CHEESE to eat. Regardless, it was a lot of fun and we made some fun memories at that winery. Just about every review I read was five stars and our experience at The Noisy Water Winery was every bit of that and more.

We finished the day window shopping on the main drag in town.  I even stopped in a hiking store and picked myself up a walking stick and some trail medallions.  That’s another blog in itself that I will save for later.

Ruidoso is very popular and if you are ever fortunate enough to see it first hand you will instantly know why.  It has personality and warmth…an unexpected country charm in the mountains of New Mexico.  There are snow skiing opportunities, as well as casinos (Inn of the Mountain Gods and Billy the Kid Casino) and Ruidoso even has horse racing…Ruidoso Downs Racetrack.   

If you’re into hiking,  which we are, there are countless trails that range from easy to hard with unforgettable sights that you won’t see just anywhere. 

For me, winter is a great time to be there because although December is a colder month, the quaint little hamlet is a winter wonderland and perfect for the Christmas season. 

More than just a tourist stop, Ruidoso, New Mexico is a little slice of heaven.    I’ll always go back to visit when I’m in the area.   I’ll always carry a piece of it in my heart when I head back home and have to say goodbye.

Until the next time, New Mexico…ADIOS AMIGO!

xoxoxo,

Kelly     

 

If you know me personally then you know that my husband’s job takes him all around this great country of ours.  He has seen some of the coolest places and he’s also been to some hole in the walls that no one has ever heard of.   Because it’s a job that takes him away from home we were blessed last year to buy a camper that would make it a little more familiar and affordable for him when he had to be out for long stints of time.  I am thankful that I get to travel to his destinations whenever circumstances permit me to.   We have seen some amazing places in the last four years and the adventures we’ve experienced

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