Tally Ho Travelers

During our stay in Homolovi State Park we took a drive down to Holbrook, AZ to see the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert.   The park runs north to south (or vice-versa) and only takes a few hours to enjoy, unless you want to walk the trails and spend many more hours exploring. In the southern portion of the park you'll find the major concentrations of the colorful petrified wood.  As you head further north, you'll begin to notice the colorful banded badlands rising up before you - welcome to the Painted Desert. The petrified wood in Arizona's park is generally estimated to be around 225 million years old, dating back to the Late Triassic Epoch of the Mesozoic Era.  Petrified wood forms when the wood is buried under sediment or volcanic ash.  This prevents the wood from decaying due to lack of oxygen.  Over time the groundwater, carrying minerals, seeps into the wood and gradually replaces the organic material with minerals.  This creates...

While staying at Homolovi State Park we could not pass up the chance to visit Winslow, Arizona.  I'm certain most of you are familiar with the Jackson Browne & Glen Frey song "Take it Easy" made famous by the Eagles. Winslow is a small, cute little town with the "corner" as a tourist destination. On the "corner" are statues of Glen Frey and a "Jackson Browne" look-a-like. Jackson Browne actually declined to have a statue of his likeness erected there.  Sculptor, Ron Anderson, therefore created the statue to represent ALL songwriters, not specifically Jackson Browne.  Ron Anderson happened to be there when we were visiting and when I walked up to the Jackson Browne look-a-like and said "Hi Jackson" Ron came over and talked to me and told me the story about Jackson Browne declining a statue be made of him. Winslow is also known for having the Smallest Church in America.  It really is small. Winslow, a little town with plenty of n...

We love staying in State Parks.  It's been harder & harder to find state parks that will accommodate our motorhome.  Many state parks were designed to handle smaller campers, tents & travel trailers.  They haven't been updated to accommodate larger motorhomes or Fifth-Wheels.  When we find one, we will usually book it if it near an area we want to explore.  As we head further west, they've been harder to find. That's how we came upon Homolovi State Park in Winslow, AZ.  Homolovi is Hopi for "Place of the Little Hills" - the traditional name for Winslow, AZ. Homolovi State Park is a center for research and archaeology study of the Hopi from the 1200s to the late 1300s.  Archeologists study the sites and work with the Hopi to unravel its history.   Homolovi has more than 300 archaeological sites identified within park boundaries, including multiple pit houses and four major pueblos that date back to the 14th century. Two of the historic pueb...

ICE CAVE AND BANDERA VOLCANO AND EL MORRO, GRANTS, NEW MEXICO Our next stop was visiting the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano in Grants, New Mexico.  I always try to find some interesting, "off-the-beaten-path" places to visit.  This was one of them.   Known as "The Land of Fire and Ice."  Bandera Volcano exploded in volcanic fury some 10,000 years ago. It is one of the finest examples of an erupted cinder cone and lava field in North America. The Ice Cave is located in a section of Bandera’s collapsed lava tube. The caves temperature never rises above 31ºF year round. The natural layers of ice have been forming for over 3,400 years. It is a natural phenomenon by a combination of physical factors forming a natural ice box; the ice block is at least 20 feet thick. The cave is well insulated due to the porous lava and an opening shaped just right to trap cold air. This causes the continuing generation of new ice as rain water and snow melt seep down to its floor and f...

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - MAR 9, 2025 On March 9 we decided to take a drive up to Santa Fe, NM.  It was about an hour drive up and we wanted to visit the old town.  They have a very informative walking tour so we stopped into the Visitors Center and picked up a map of the various landmarks. Our first stop was the New Mexico State Capital.  We didn't venture inside as we had Lotte and Dixie with us. Our next stop was San Miguel Chapel. Considered the oldest church in the US, still in use.   The interior is beautiful, with icons and statues.  I believe the bell is the original, but it is now inside the church, people leave their rosaries as well as "m ilagros" ( small, metal charms) as religious votive offerings .  They are used to represent prayers, wishes, or gratitude for answered prayers.    The word "milagro" translates to "miracle" in Spanish.   We walked past the Oldest House in the USA, and strolled through the  Santa Fe Plaza, w...

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO - MARCH 3-12, 2025 We were excited to get to Albuquerque, as we got to visit with our friend, and former dog sitter, Lin.  Lin was wonderful with our dogs.  She sat for us while we were in Ireland and took great care of Max, Apollo, Penny & Murphy.  She even had to deal with our dear Max as his health declined while we were away.  Unfortunately, he got so ill he had to be euthanized.  We were fortunate that Tiffany was able to get to the vet and be with Max during his final moments.  It was difficult for us to be away, but thankfully our fur babies were in great hands with Lin and we are forever grateful that she was with them during that difficult time.   Our sweet boy Max While in Albuquerque we stayed at the Albuquerque KOA.  It was a convenient location and close enough for us to visit with Lin and see some of the sights in Albuquerque.   We went to the Paseo del Bosque trail to take a walk and see the  Pu...