 (Texas, USA) Hi Travel family! I hope you are well and safe as we end September. I have just returned, (still have to unpack) but wanted to write this while its still fresh in my mind. For my family travel has been almost nonexistent this year, for oblivious reasons, of course, but my work obligations + the need to clean up my mothers estate have pushed me to venture out in to the world again. I was both excited (A TRIP! YESSS!) and also rather hesitant to commit to a 29 day adventure.  (New Mexico, USA) So September was a huge change from the pervious months of staying at home and working via Zoom. These last few weeks I have either been in work meetings, dealing with family issues, driving, or working with clients. But we were able to go for a picnic, a couple of hikes and visit a few of our favorite places while traveling in Texas and New Mexico. Life is defo different with almost empty hotels, less traffic and social distancing in cafes. But even so, I feel very blessed that we were able to do these things and still stay safe. Besides the pandemic there was also an unexpected hurricane, complete with Texas floods, as well as smoke from the Cali fires to content with. Read a bit about the Hurricane here.  But in-between all this we did sneak away for some fun. Let me just quickly share some trip highlights and I will blog about the adventures in greater detail after I tackle the laundry, lol.  We were in Roswell about 4 days... and it's always good fun.   Empty hotels..I must say this is a BIG change.  It was also difficult to find places serving, except fast food. We did a small bit of shopping too.  We were looking for Halloween decoration but instead we seem to be skipping right into Christmas.  Picnic on the creek in Boerne, Texas  Complete with ducks, swans and geese!  An afternoon spent in Palmetto State Park.   And from the lushness of the coastal plains of Texas to the High desert of New Mexico.  And everything in between, lol!  I have sooo many picts to sort through! But in the meantime I hope you have a great evening and enjoy the end of September.
I will be back soon with more of our adventures :D  Hello and welcome to July! It's going to be a good month, I think. The parks are finally open here, so I went out early today for a run. It was AMAZING to be out and moving again. I have been running/walking around the neighborhood, but its great to be back on the park trails. The days are longer as we head deeper into Summer and I'm so ready! It's also warmer now, but we have the air con on and plenty of fruit, so bring on July adventures!  The weather has been great overall. June was warm with scattered showers blowing in to cool things off and I think July is predicted to be more of the same. In America July is a month of pool parties, BBQ's and road trips. I have done most of that already in June, but am looking forward to more downtime to visit and catch up with friends. (We still wear masks and social distance, but its great to be able to move around some and not be trapped inside.) - I have a couple of small road trips planned and hopefully time to just explore around here, weather permitting.  I can't wait to see what July brings...  This is Part 3 of the Roswell Trip  Hi Travel Family, My last day in Roswell was tempered with cooler weather and a bit of shopping. We visited the Alien Invasion and ate impossible burgers from Burger King. Read part 1 and 2 and also overview of Roswell here from an older post. Most of the shops are on Main Street and easy to find. Call before you visit though, as not everything is open. Also most people have masks on and are social distancing. New Mexico is taking things seriously, so be prepared before you visit.  Even these guys are staying 6 feet apart.  We did a bit of shopping at the Alien Invasion. Its is a funky T-shirt shop. It has well made T-shirts (not your 2 for $20 set) and alien giftware. You can get something for everyone on your list here and spend as much or as little as you like (See pictures below). They also encourage pictures, so if you want some instagram snaps stop inside.     It's across the street from the UFO Museum.   Inside the shop...                From there we walked around a bit...    Love the street lamps...   We didn't go into the soap shop, I couldn't handle the smell.  See ya next time!  US and New Mexico flags. Happy Monday! I hope you are well and your week is off to a good start. I'm so late in posting today...Monday mornings are always busy for me because I have all the normal reports to run, plus certain other tasks that have to be done, even if we are traveling. By the time all that stuff is done it's time for online meetings with staff. Sooo long story, short- we had a very late start today, but we did a bit of exploring. If you want to read more about Roswell look here and visit here too to learn about the town.    In our quest to read the historical markers and learn more about the area we stopped at this little park. It is a very cute, and well maintained just outside of Roswell.   We were going to the International UFO Museum And Research Center downtown today, but were told that it was closed due to the pandemic. (If you are planning a visit call EVERYTHING first, there seems to be no rhythm or reason as to what is open or closed.) This museum is focused on the 1947 Roswell Crash and later UFO incidents from all over the world. It was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization and is located in a former movie theater from the 1930s. The museum is said to contain an extensive library and exhibits focused on the history of UFO encounters. The Museum was opened in September 1991 and for some reason I always seem to skip going to this one... It also has a gift store with UFO-inspired souvenirs. Maybe #NextTime  We drove around some and also changed hotels.  Last nights hotel was nice enough...but the people next door were really loud. So we only spent one night there. We changed to another place that was much more mellow.     And finished the night off with a gluten free, cheese free, loaded veggie pizza. I haven't had pizza (of any kind) this year! So this was a special treat. It was AMAZINGLY good!  I'm sunburned from walking around today. :( I have work the rest of the week, so it could be a few days till the next post...but I will see you soon!
 Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a restful one. I am currently chilling in Roswell after a very hectic week. Its been a gorgeous couple of days here. It was very warm 101' - Thats 38.33 Celsius #Yikes!! But there is no humidity so it wasn't as bad as it sounds. This was actually a work trip, with just a brief stay in Roswell. But after being in the house for the last few months we were glad to get out and walk around. We even managed a 'walk about' before supper. (Great food was had and we wolfed it down, sorry no pictures!) But I do have snaps of the drive to Roswell. If you want to learn more about Roswell read this. Roswell UFO STORY On the drive over we saw a few murals, the BIG wind farm and a few other things in the desert. I started the post here if you want to start at the beginning.  Murals in the small, but cute town of Mountainair..    Historical Marker at the salt lake...  Wind Farm at Moriarity      Dust storm at Estancia  Look around the train...see the "smoke or dust"? Thats actually a dust storm. I pulled off the road to take a picture of it, but the train sped by before I could get a clear picture. We managed to drive around and miss all but a few feet of it.  Then we were in Roswell.   We didn't stay at this hotel, but I like the sign, lol  Believe...  More pictures and adventures tomorrow!  Goodnight!  Good Morning! Super glad it's Saturday and the weather is gorgeous. I'm up early because we are doing a bit of traveling this weekend. June is the perfect time to get out and explore, especially since some of the restrictions have lifted. We are still being safe, wearing masks and washing hands frequently, plus avoiding crowds, but also going a bit stir crazy from staying in so long. We have some light hiking, (weather permitting) and of course a bit of shopping planned for today. This is the perfect time to go for walks and hikes before the weather turns off too hot. You never know what you will see in the high desert or plains area of the United States. It's not always what people expect.  What most people think all of the Southwest looks like...  What most of it looks like... But regardless of what you expect, it's always a good idea to explore for yourself. Yesterday was a fun road trip day... here are some random pictures. More once we get settled into our holiday house.    Note the llama, lol  Love driving through the mountains so much!   The road goes ever on...  This hill is a sacred Native American site.   Love that it was cloudy and not as warm. More shortly~
Have a wonderful weekend!  "The richness of the rain made me feel safe and protected; I have always considered the rain to be healing—a blanket—the comfort of a friend. Without at least some rain in any given day, or at least a cloud or two on the horizon, I feel overwhelmed by the information of sunlight and yearn for the vital, muffling gift of falling water."
Douglas Coupland I'm currently traveling and enjoying the rain. Have a great weekend!  You just need to do a little planning in advance to find the most eco-friendly travel options, but trust me it can be done. Eco-Friendly Transportation 1. Getting There Planes, trains, and automobiles... Of these, planes are the worst, but if you fly on an airline that has taken measures to reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating excess waste and recycling as much as possible, it will be better. Southwest is an airline you might want to consider which has done a lot to reduce their carbon footprint. What about trains? Trains are a very scenic way to travel and they are not terrible on the environment. Automobiles? If you are making a road trip, then consider renting a hybrid vehicle if you don’t currently own one.  2. Hotels
Look for hotels that use green programs. Also check the hotels location and make sure there is plenty of public transportation nearby that you can use. Once in your hotel, notify them that you don’t need new towels every day. Turn lights off when you leave the room and adjust the thermostat when you are not in the room to use less electricity. 3. Exploring/Sightseeing Even though you checked your hotel to see that it has public transportation, also consider finding other ways to travel. If you stay in the city centers you will be able to walk to many places of interest, plus cafes and shops. You could also consider renting a bicycle for the week and traveling by bike. 4. Leave It Cleaner Than When You Got There It is always good practice to pick up trash when you see it. It can help balance out your carbon footprint and is just the right thing to do. 5. Shopping Also shopping at local farms, farmers markets and small fruit stands while you are away, instead of the grocery store is another way to reduce your carbon foot-print. You will find fresh, local produce and save money too. Staycations are also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint by exploring things right in your own area and being in nature. Travel definitely takes its toll on the environment, but if you do choose to go away, you can still reduce your carbon footprint when you travel. How do you approach an eco-friendly vacation? |
Author Welcome to my (I used to travel) blog, my healthy Vegan lifestyle blog and my life! It's a lot, but it's my passions and I just love to write about it. Here I share tips, stories and photos from my adventures and life. This is the place where people can find daily inspiration to travel and motivation to live healthier lives and laugh a bit too! 
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