Lawrence (Kansas) Lincoln (Nebraska)

After a lovely breakfast of bacon and eggs made by Ty we head off in the direction of Lawrence, a college town, in Kansas. We check in to a motel and go into the town. It's small and quiet but we enjoy walking around and James is happy when we find a science themed shop full of cool stuff. As we arrived late afternoon there isn't much time to do anything so we eat and go back to the motel.

The next day we do a detour to Wamego where the Wizard of Oz museum is. It's full of memorabilia and very creepy looking statues but you can't go to Kansas and not experience Oz can you?! It's good to see how the special effects were done and we even caught a bit of the film in the mini theatre. Across the road they have started to build a yellow brick road so we walk along that and it leads to a back alley...where's the wizard?!

We arrived in Lincoln after 5pm so again we're too late to do anything but eat. Its match night so the town is packed but we don't have to park so far away since all the locals are happy to pay and avoid an arduous 5 minute walk. We find an Indian place to eat and luckily curry doesn't seem to be the food of choice on match night so we get a table easily and enjoy our selection, they've even got Kingfisher in! We're determined to get a full day in Omaha tomorrow so we have an early night.

Dallas and Wichita

It's a long drive from Carlsbad to Dallas so by the time we get to our hosts house it's the evening. Zac and Virginia welcome us in and make us a gorgeous vegan meal (so it can be done!). We talk into the night and swap traveling stories.

Zac and Virginia have already told us that Monday is the day that everywhere is shut so we're not expecting to get much done today! It's a bit depressing that the number one thing to do in Dallas is visit where JFK was shot but with so many conspiracy theories you can understand why. We go to the book depository and the 'grassy knoll' to have a look for ourselves at the possibilities but it's the finals of a basketball tournament in town so loads of fans are doing the same. No one was lying on the X in the middle of the road thankfully.

After a walk around the historic downtown we want to explore some of the other neighbourhoods so we catch the free bus to Bishop Arts. It's a leafy suburb with some cool looking shops and nice street art but it's a little deserted as it's a Monday. We moved onto an area called Deep Ellum where there is lots of funky artwork and more cool looking shops (closed of course!). We stop for some water and the assistant quizzes us on why we've ended up in Ellum! It's a gorgeous day so we settle down in a beer garden, there are plenty of bars to pick from so e just head for the music. We text Zac and Virginia to see if they want to join us but we get a reply to say it's a wrong number, doh! That'll explain why they never answered our calls on the drive to Dallas. Eventually we go back to the house ready for another drive tomorrow but miss the last bus. D'oh again!

In the morning we say goodbye to our hosts and aim for the Hare Krishna temple to enjoy a lovely vegetarian buffet before starting the drive to Paul's Valley. They are just as disappointed as us about the phone issue and missing out on a drink but we're forgiven! The temple is tucked away on a normal neighbourhood street and we don't see it until we get right up close even though it's so big. We enjoy eating all the vegetables we've been missing out on and eat some more for good luck! On our journey we stop at Chickasaw Park which is really pretty and peaceful. We have a walk around and see a giant terrapin sunning itself, awww. We spend a while in the park before checking into a motel and getting some more planning done.

 We skip the offer of continental breakfast (fruit loops) and set off to Wichita. It's back to couch surfing again as we meet our next host Ty. After getting some information about the area we leave Ty to finish his work and stroll through the beautiful parks towards Wichita. We see some people playing disc golf but we're too shy to ask if we can have a go, plus we'd probably throw the discs straight into the river!
The next stop is the giant Indian statue by the river where we read all about Indian history and culture. Unfortunately we're not going to see it's fire show tonight. We buy a giant ice cream each before wandering the streets and bobbing into some shops. Stopping for a drink we text Ty and he comes to join us with his friend. Apparently we have to show her that couch surfers can be normal people to convince her to host in future (we think we did OK). On the way back to the house Ty gives us a tour of Wichita then we go back for a few beers next to the fire pit before a gorgeous dinner of beer can chicken and sweet potato (yeahhh!!).
We have loads of fun chatting through the night, we're glad we don't have to be up early tomorrow!

Carlsbad

The plan was to go for breakfast with Peter but he has to leave for work. We thank him and go to the cafe that he has recommended where James has a huge breakfast burrito.
We're on our way to Carlsbad cavern because when we were in the caves in Slovenia last year we overheard some American people say that Carlsbad caverns were much more impressive, we had to see for ourselves! On the way to Carlsbad we just have to drive through the Alien town of Roswell, oooh spooky! Well, not really but we did have fun playing spot the alien. They seem to have embraced the legend/history (choose your own spin) and there are aliens plastered everywhere as well as welcome messages for any future visitors!

We arrive at Carlsbad Caverns and have just enough time to walk around the huge cave. We agree that the caverns are very impressive, it takes about 2 hours to walk around. Whether they are better than the Slovenian caves is a matter of personal opinion so you'll have to have a look for yourselves but they are definitely bigger. It was nice that we could just walk around at our own pace instead of being shuffled along by a fastidious guide. We will say that we love trains and baby dragons though, heehee!

It's time to make our way to our next couchsurfing hosts, Saul and Lesley. When we arrive at the house we get a really warm welcome and we're told that tonight it's BBQ and beer night with Lesley and Saul's friends, hurray! We have lots of fun getting to know everyone and laughing at the dog eating the majority of the BBQ chicken when no one was looking. This was a real BBQ, not a vegetable in sight (or a fork or even bread!) and very tasty! James gets mega excited when Saul's brother offers to take us out for a drive in a Camero. After a few speedy runs down some local roads, he and his partner take us to a great spot where we get a view of the city all lit up. It was a great night and we hope Lesley and Saul will visit us in Manchester so that we can return the favour.
The next morning Saul makes us a traditional New Mexico breakfast dish of green chili enchiladas which helps us to get over our hangover!
We say thanks and goodbye and get in the car for the loooooong drive to Dallas!

Trinidad and Santa Fe

We left the van as early as we could, with no one coming to say goodbye or get the keys we leave them outside and hope that they don't get burgled. It's been snowing again which is annoying to drive in. We take it slow and we're glad we did as we see quite a few cars that have driven into the ditch by the side of the road, eek! We really wanted to walk around Trinidad as it looks like an unusual town but when we get there it's snowing heavily. We check into the motel and drive down the main road looking for food. After pizza the snow has stopped, hurrah! We walk around the tiny town, seeing a huge canary in a cage and walking along pavement bricks that have been stamped "Trinidad", a nice souvenir? We visit Shirley's Thrift Shop but Christine is left feeling sad when she can't buy two cups that say "Trinidad Care Home" and "Doris", awww. That's about it for this town so we go back to the motel to upload some of the blog but the tablet has enough after two entries and refuses to do any more (wimp).

Today we are having our first couch surfing experience with a guy called Peter. He's a really nice guy and we're staying in a separate building which he told us he built himself as well as the massive house he lives in, impressive! We chat with Peter for a while before heading into Santa Fe where we visit the oldest church in the USA and have a ding on the bell. The buildings are really unusual abode houses and there's a nice feeling about the town, everything looks old and because it's such a small city it reminds of our fun times in Europe. We stroll along the market where Indians are selling handmade Jewellery and gifts, all of the products have to be reviewed by a committee to make sure they are genuinely handmade by Indians before they can be sold. They all have big sticks to whack the hands of anyone who tries to touch before buying (it'd spoil the purity). We find somewhere to stop and watch the world go by, that seems to be the number one activity in Santa Fe and it fits in perfectly.

On the way back we stop at a general store and chat to the lady behind the counter. She loves the fact that we are from England because she lived there for a while and would like to go back for fish and chips and "oooohhh Flakes! Flakes and ice cream!". Back at the house we talk with Peter about travelling. When we mention being in Trinidad last night he tells us a funny story, wish we knew it at the time: Trinidad was the site of the first sex change op in the States! Apparently half the people in the town are mid or post op so we missed out on a fun people watching game!

South Park, Denver and Dinosaur footprints!

In the morning we are warned that there will be strong crosswinds so we have to be careful. It's a horrible drive as the wind hits the RV making it sound like it's falling apart but it's still very scenic as we drive through the canyonlands. James gets very scared when an oncoming driver flashes his lights at us and waves his arms around so we pull over, get put the ladder and make a precarious climb to the roof. Luckily nothing looks broken yet!  We realise that we miscalculated the days that we had left before we needed to be in Denver, we have an extra day which means we have time to stop earlier than usual which is perfect as we want to get off the road! After driving through Canyonlands we find a park to stop in. It's the evening again and there's nothing nearby so it's another night in the RV for us.

Mexican Hat at the Canyonlands

Doesn't look so windy here does it?

It's another day of driving as we have to be as close to Denver as possible. The views are amazing as we drive past snowy Aspen and see lots of skiers. It may be scenic but the RV isn't happy with the steep snowy mountains! We stop in a town called Fairplay in the early afternoon and decide to explore as we're starting to get cabin fever. Walking around the corner we realise we are somewhere we've both heard of - South Park! The town seems pretty dead with all the shops shut and not many people about until we spot some tourists having their picture taken as the characters in South Park. We take their picture for them and ask them to return the favour with two of them filling in the gaps, heehee! We take some pictures of South Park and find a bar to relax in. It's nice to be out of the RV! We do go back to it to make dinner as we have lots of food left to get rid of. We have an Everything Chili and go to bed.

Aspen here we come...

Where the beer flows like wine!

Fake Kenny, real South Park

South Park high street

It snowed last night so it will take us longer to get to the RV drop off place. We take it slow and then all of a sudden the snow disappears and it's bright and sunny. We've lost count how many times we've gone from sun to snow to sun etc, we can't handle it! We drop the monster off and a nice man gives us a lift to the train station so we can get to the airport to pick up our next car. We wait for the route C train and while we wait we hear an angry man shouting into his phone "why did you lie to me?? That's a felony on your ass right there!!" After he goes another angry man turns up and beats up a bin, grrr! Maybe it was talking rubbish to him (hahhh!!). It's weird how everyone seems to be angry here, surely legal marijuana would have chilled them out?! We're waiting ages before we realise that the C train isn't running today, doh! We finally pick up the car and arrive at our next stop at 5pm. We're staying in a small van which isn't lit very well, the mattress looks comfy though. We speak to our hosts and learn that the guy is in a Pirate Metal band. We looked it up and it's exactly what it sounds like. We go to find dinner (at Sam's Diner, where Christine gets spat on by the adorable child on the next table), have a walk around and have a few beers in Illegal Pete's. There isn't much that we want to do in Denver!



We get dressed awkwardly, (we're already glad we didn't book more than 2 nights) and drive to Dinosaur Ridge. We stop for food where James has a deep fried sandwich (Monte cristo - delicious)...hmmm. Dinosaur Ridge is an area where there are loads of fossils and dinosaur evidence at a site where movement of the earth's crust has lifted the ground up at an angle. We join a group of elderly folk for a bus tour. The guide "takes us back in time" explaining how the area would have looked 150,000,000 years ago. Then it's the good bit as he points out dinosaur fossils, bulges (...in the ground made by their feet before you start thinking something else) and footprints on the dinosaur freeway. It was a great tour and well worth the $5!

Stegosaurus plate fossil

Footprints on the 'dinosaur freeway'

Dinosaur bulges, fossil footprints to you and me

We stand on the Golden Fault which is where two tectonic plates meet and then drive to Red Rock Amphitheatre which is a massive open air music venue, it would be amazing to watch a band play but as usual for us it's out of season, sighhh. Looking at the rocks James points to a weird shaped hole and shouts "That looks like a human footprint...wearing a shoe!" ???? He's a fool!

Red Rock Amphitheatre. If only we could have seen a concert. It's probably the best reason to live in Denver!

 Stopping for a drink in a nice little town called Morrison (we're putting off going back to the cramped van) Christine gets asked a question by a big hairy biker "excuse me, do you know what makes the world go round?", "Erm, love?", "no, you're wrong, it's hugs! Can I have one please?" One hug and a menacingly comment of "I got 'cha, I got 'cha now!" later and the biker is very happy, James not so much!

Back at the van we dance to music from the "now is oxy modo" speaker.