We may not be running, but we are driving and every day is a dream come true. Stargazer is covering many miles. Already we have topped 3,000 and we have not yet made it to California.

We arrived in Sweetwater and after finding our home for the evening, we headed to Buck’s Steakhouse to meet up with long time pal, John Kirby. I have known JK since 1969 (and no, JK was not the center on the MB Basketball Team) and catching up was a blast. John is running two newsrooms and is a wealth of political information. BTW: On this trip thankfully we have not seen many Trump signs, even though we have been traveling through Trump Land!

From Sweetwater we headed south to Big Bend National Park. By the time we got to the Maverick RV Park the temperatures were over 90 degrees. Both nights the skies were clear and the stars were amazing. Visiting Big Bend included a hike along the Rio Grande and drives through expansive landscapes.

From Big Bend we headed to El Paso where we stayed at Franklin Mountains State Park, the largest urban wilderness park in the US. Otto and I got in a good hike, but we kept a close eye out for rattlers! On Easter morning we headed to the Chiricahua National Monument, the land of the standing rocks, in Arizona. Off the beaten path, but a real highlight (much better than Big Bend). Don’t miss it. The landscape included some amazing volcanic rock formations (see the Easter Bunny below) and we took a wonderful hike.

While driving through Arizona we saw some amazing super blooms! Tonight we are in Bowie, AZ staying at the Alaskan RV Park (long story) and tomorrow we head out to Joshua Tree National Park.

With April 1st tomorrow, don’t forget what Mark Twain once said – The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year!