Cowboy Days at New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum

This past March, our family went to Cowboy Days at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Considering that we are not from the West, this was entertainment unlike anything we had seen before!

Cowboy Days had lots of live entertainment and activities for us to see, including a Western Shootout reenactment, carriage rides, horse training demonstrations, vendors, pony rides, roping demonstratios and much more, in addition to the museum itself. We enjoyed watching old-fashioned cowboy biscuits being made in a cast iron pot over a camp fire by women in men in vintage Western attire. The best part was tasting them! The children had a great time trying out their roping skills on pretend steer made of metal bars.

Cowboy Days is an annual event at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in early March. If you're in the area, it's a great event to attend for the whole family!


Copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

What is this Pyramid near Dallas?

On our travels we were driving somewhere near Dallas, Texas (if my memory is correct), I opened my drowsy eyes from a nap to see a huge pyramid out the car window. I was able to grab the camera and snap a picture of it:

Photo Copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

I tried searching the internet for the answer to what this incredible building is, with no luck. So, I'm asking for your input--what is this pyramid? Am I correct in thinking it is outside Dallas, or was I so groggy from sleep that I am completely wrong as to its location? Thanks for your help!

Copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

Winter is Approaching!

Even in the desert, there are signs of winter's approach! Nights are getting cold, and in the evening the comforting smell of smoke from a fireplace occasionally drifts across your nose.

Even though Thanksgiving has not yet come and gone, signs of Christmas' approach are everywhere! Christmas music and decorations fill the stores, advertisements speak of holidays and family, and the musical performances of churches, ensembles, choirs and the Nutcracker are advertised throughout the city.

Yes, hearts are a little warmer this time of year, as we think of the many blessings we have been given. I love this time of year!



Copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

Multi-tasking On the Road- The St. Louis Arch

I'm a multi-tasker to the core! So, while we were driving across the country recently, it was my turn at the wheel, the passengers were asleep, and we were about to pass by a major landmark in Missouri...the St. Louis Gateway Arch! So, I quickly grabbed my camera, and snapped a shot of the Gateway to the West!:

Photo copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

Apparently, the Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States. It stands 630 feet high. I wish we had been able to stop and actually take a ride to the top, but, it wasn't meant to be that day. However, it was a treat for my road-weary eyes to drive past and see it!

It's the unexpected, fascinating sights on those long drives that wake you up and keep you going!

Copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

It's SNOW...or IS it? White Sands, New Mexico

photo copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

One of the most fascinating places we've been was so intriguing because it really tricked our eyes. What looked like the purest, whitest snow was actually not cold at all! The "snow" was actually sand at White Sands Missile Range and park in New Mexico!

This place is nature's huge playground, being a mixture of playing at the beach and sledding down the humongous, steep dunes! To give you some perspective on the size of these things, here are some people climbing up the side of one:


photo copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home




And, while we were immensely enjoying ourselves we didn't even have to freeze as you do while having fun in the snow, in spite of bundling up in layers of clothes, coats, gloves and boots-it was warm and windy, and shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses and sunscreen were all that was necessary!


photo copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

White Sands is another one of those must-see places if you are ever in the vacinity of White Sands, New Mexico! You'll not likely to see a place like it anywhere else!

Copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

Election Bus Sighting During Our Wanderings!

The 2008 Presidential Elections are closing in on us quickly, and we were surprised, in our wanderings from home today, to drive past an election bus for John McCain!:

photo copyright 2008 Wanderings From Home

Apparently, the driver of the bus was en route transporting it to McCain's next stop--we didn't get to see the candidate himself.

So, here's one destination you should wander to on November 4: Exercise your Constitutional right and Go Vote! I know I will!

Copyright 2008

Wandering to Carlsbad Caverns

A recent wandering led us to the magnificent Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

These photos, as incredible as they are, do not do this place justice!:

Photo Copyright 2008 Wanderings from Home

Imagine a point, the size of the head of a pin...take that point and stick it on the bottom portion of the photos. THAT is about the size a person would be in this picture! Are you starting to get the idea of the magnitude of this place?!

Photo Copyright 2008 Wanderings from Home

The size of Carlsbad is extraordinary...we walked for several MILES along the route that went from room to gigantic room! You might think of a cave as being cramped and crowded, but that is not true here...the ceiling was stories high and very open in the various rooms, the path we walked was several MILES long! We felt like tiny little specks among the thousands of stalactites and stalagmites.

During certain times of the year there is a bat flight to and from the cave in the morning and evening. We weren't able to see that, but hear that it is also a sight, to see thousands upon thousands of bats leaving or coming back to the cave all at once!

If you ever have a chance to visit Carlsbad Caverns, even if it is out of the way along your journey, you will not regret it!

Have YOU been to Carlsbad Caverns? If so, when? Tell us about your visit!


Copyright 2008 Wanderings from Home

Journey of a Thousand Miles

If "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step", then here is that first step in my blogging journey! Just a step out of your front door can lead to exciting adventures, and here I post mine! Perhaps you'll be inspired by some of the places I've seen and things I've done-both near and far from home. There are many sites to see along the way, so put on your travelling shoes and come along!...