A Texas Thanksgiving Trip

Monday, December 7, 2020

Each year, it has been our tradition to make a yearly trip to Texas to see our families and dear friends.  We have always flown, because it is just so much quicker, well most of the time.  We have been delayed our fair share of times, along with missed flights and lost luggage.  However, most of the time, it has been the fastest way to travel.

This year with covid, everything has changed. Flying did not seem to be the best option, and so we decided we were going to drive to Texas.  There were some states that I had never driven through, and we were excited to see the views and make our way down and back to Texas. We chose to go through Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, and then finally Texas.  

I've tried to condense the 900+ pictures I took during the trip to the few I would like to share here.  We saw so many beautiful sights along the way and enjoyed every moment with our families.  Most everyone in our family in Texas has already had the virus, and we had the virus visit our home and community here as well, so we decided to make the trip happen.  Dan's mom is in a nursing home and has not been able to get out since lockdowns began back in March.  We were able to spend a lot of time with her, as she stood or sat at the glass door, and we gathered under the portico of the nursing home entrance and talked on the phone to her.  It was a blessing to see her and to spend Thanksgiving with her in this way.  

We celebrated three big milestones in my family, with my Mom's 70th birthday, the celebration of our daughter Danielle and son-in-love Zak's marriage, and my niece's graduation from RN nursing school, along with the usual Thanksgiving festivities.  So it was an important trip for us to make in every way, and we are so thankful that we were able to go and see everyone. 

We left after work on the Friday before Thanksgiving and drove about 5 hours,
making it into Montana.  The skies serenaded us as we drove. 


Saturday morning we turned south on I-15 and drove through Montana and then again into Idaho. 

The morning skies dusted the mountain tops in rosy whispers... a delight to see. 

At a chilly 7 degrees, the landscape was crisp and still. 

Our son and my husband did most of the driving.  I was on "camera duty". {smiles} 
They enjoyed switching off driving. 

Soon we entered the beautiful state of Utah, and I was enamored with the red sandstone mountains. 


Windmills became a common sight to see as we traveled. 

Highway 6 through Utah took us through some incredibly beautiful countryside, winding through the mountains with views in every direction. 



We drove into Arches National Park, and enjoyed our short visit.  Because we had so many miles to cover, we did not stay long, but did get to get out and walk up to several of the lookouts and views. 





We drove through Utah, into Colorado for a few miles, and then entered New Mexico. 
We made it to Gallup, New Mexico Saturday night. 


The next morning, we drove into the sunrise over Albuquerque, New Mexico.
What a brilliant sunrise it was! 

Through northern New Mexico, the beautiful rock outcroppings continued,
so beautiful to see them as you traveled. 

We stopped at Whataburger in Albuquerque, New Mexico, my husband's favorite place to eat a fast food breakfast.  Whataburger is a Texas hamburger chain and Albuquerque is the farthest north on our route that you can find one. 

Soon we entered the great state of Texas.  This northern area of Texas is wild and desolate, with many pieces of oil machinery as the only landscape markings to see. 

We dined on Chicken Express for our evening meal, another great Texas fast-food chain. 

We made it into Kerrville, Texas Sunday evening around 8 p.m.
We were quite ready to crawl into this comfy bed! 

The next morning the sun was shining beautifully! We gathered with the family at the nursing home to see Dan's mom.  She has been on lockdown since early March and was so delighted to be able to visit with us. 




We then drove to see my sister and her family, and they treated us to a meal at Salt Lick BBQ. 

If you want all you can eat Texas BBQ, the Salt Lick is where you need to be... amazing food! 

Then we made it to my parent's house the next day, and Mom prepared a wonderful meal for us. 

Thanksgiving preparations were well underway! 

The next day, Mom cooked homemade pizzas for all the family, and everyone came to eat and visit,
 the night before Thanksgiving.   





My nieces made a charcuterie board for everyone to enjoy. 

My brother and his wife hosted the Thanksgiving dinner in his covered sunroom overlooking the pool. It was such a perfect place for us all to sit and visit, and eat way too much food! 

We had way too much food... our plates were groaning! 






My brother's neighbor's cows come every night to his fenceline to get treats.  They were fun to feed! 

Mom and Dad enjoying some special swing time with one of the grandkids.

Our family always enjoys playing the White Elephant game after our Thanksgiving meal.
This year we were able to play it outside in the beautiful setting under the gazebo by the pool, as the weather was beautifully warm. 


We gathered around the fire as evening shadows fell. 



Somehow in all the excitement, family pictures were a last-minute thought. My mother had already taken the littles back to "Grammie's house" to spend the night, and didn't get to be in this picture.

The day after Thanksgiving, we had three big milestones in our family to celebrate... my Mom's 70th birthday, Danielle & Zak's marriage, and my niece's RN graduation. It was another big day of celebrating family! My brother and his wife were so kind to host two big family events back-to-back! He barbecued for us all on Friday and we had another big day together. 

My mom had help reading her birthday cards from two very smart readers! {smiles} 


Danielle and Zak enjoyed all the special attention from the family, who were not able to be at their wedding.  This was Zak's first time meeting our family, and he was loved by all!

My niece will be graduating from RN nursing school this month, so we celebrated her hard work and achievements as well.  Needless to say... it was a big day of celebrating! 

The day after the celebration, it was time for us to return home. 
Back on the road, the west Texas oil fields and machinery were our view for many hours of driving! 

I am always amazed at how different the view can be on the way back,
even though it was the same way we came, not to mention that some of the roads we traveled were in daylight now whereas before we traveled them under the cover of darkness. 


We stopped at the Wilson Arch just outside Moab, Utah.  We decided to climb up to the arch. It was a bit of a steep climb, and a great way to stretch our legs after spending long hours driving. 

The views from the top of the arch were incredible! I don't care much for heights, and the uneven ground at the top, coupled with the steep slope once at the top was a bit unnerving, so while I was happy to have made it to the top, I was quite happy to make the descent
back down to the level ground, ha! 





I'm a pretty adventurous soul, but the steep, uneven ground
at the top of this arch tested my spirit for adventure! 

Standing at the top... you can see how the ground slopes downward.  There is no real "even" ground to stand on.  The rock is very slippery too.  I didn't have "climbing" shoes on as this was an unexpected stop, and would definitely say that you probably don't want to make this climb without decent hiking shoes.  I'll be honest... I was happy to be there, but really glad to begin the descent back down from the height of that arch!

Ryan took a picture of us once we reached the bottom of the arch.  It was a great experience! 


As we continued our journey towards home, the snow on the mountaintops
reminded us what awaited on the home front we were heading to :) 

More views as we traveled home. 

December's Beaver moon serenaded us morning and night as we drove. 





The roads were beautiful for the whole trip, dry and clear.  We ran into snow on the Montana side of I-90 as we went over the pass.  The snow was light that was more wet than anything.  Thankfully we crossed both passes without any issues with the snow.  We heard that later on that day, the snow had continued until they began requiring chains to be on the pass. 
We were glad to have made it over when we did!

With great thankful hearts, we made it back home safely, in the midst of the snowstorm.  Our animals were overjoyed to see us, although they had been well taken care of by our wonderful neighbor. It is always wonderful to travel and see family, but even better, to come back home to happy animals, and to sleep in our own bed once again :) 



40 comments

  1. Marilyn, I felt as if I were riding along with you on your trip and celebrating the family events too. How wonderful for you all to be able to be together. I'm hopeful that by spring more traveling will be taking place. I'm ready to see family too. The look on your MIL's face as she looks at your husband is priceless. I'm sure she's missing family terribly. You have a beautiful family my friend.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. Thank you Betsy, we were so thankful to be able to see my MIL, she was so thrilled to see all of us. Thank you for your kind words, we are blessed with a wonderful family indeed :)

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  2. I so enjoyed this post, my friend!
    I really feel as if I was along with you!
    The photos are all beautiful.
    But the one of your husband's mother looking at him through the glass? Melted my heart.
    My mother is also in an assisted living facility, and we have not be able to visit her except through video. I miss her so.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Glad you are Home Sweet Home!

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    1. It was a wonderful trip in every way, and yes, that picture of my MIL looking at us so wistfully will be a treasured one. We were so glad we went, and thankful for safe travels. This has really been a hard year on our dear loved ones who are in nursing facilities. Many blessings to you and your family :)

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  3. Such beautiful scenery and time with family, loved your photos!

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    1. Thank you Marie, I always appreciate your faithful visits to my blog!

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  4. What a wonderful adventure! Thanks for sharing your travels via pictures. Some absolutely stunning scenes.

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    1. Thank you Ruth. We really enjoyed the trip this way... much more to see than from the window of an airplane! No doubt will be the way we travel from now on. Many blessings to you!

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  5. Of all these wonderful photos, my favorites are of your husband's mother with eyes only for him. It brought tears to my eyes. You did a wonderful job of winnowing your 900 photos. 🙂

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    1. I agree, it has become a treasured photo for us all. I am printing these pictures off for her, and she will have them too. It was quite a job to narrow down the photos to share, for sure! Many blessings to you :)

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  6. That looks like a fun trip! And as always your post was filled with many beautiful pictures!

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    1. It really was a blessed trip, we are so thankful we went. Much more to see than through the window of an airplane! Many blessings to you and your family Abbi :)

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  7. What a wonderful trip you were able to make. You certainly packed a LOT into a few days!! I can imagine how happy your MIL was to see all of you especially her son. The picture of her looking at him through the window is so touching.

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    1. It was a special moment capture by the camera, indeed. A picture we will always treasure! It was a great trip, so much that we were able to see. Many blessings to you :)

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  8. What a wonderful family you have. Glad you were able to visit. Not a lot of mask wearing though. I hope everyone is safe.

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    1. Thank you, it was a wonderful trip in every way, with memories we will always have with us. Many blessings to you, thank you for your visit to my blog :)

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  9. Wow, what a fantastic trip, so much beauty to see, good food to eat and family to visit. Thanks for sharing! ~ FlowerLady

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    1. It was a wonderful trip, we were so thankful we went. Many blessings to you Lorraine :)

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  10. What a blessed adventure you all had, Marilyn! Thank you for sharing your journey with us through these marvelous photos. Amazing!

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  11. These are beautiful, Marilyn!!! So many of them brought tears to my eyes. I'm so glad y'all were able to travel to TX and see family. We have to be brave and live life. Our elderly folks NEED to see us in person, even if it's through a piece of glass. God bless you, my friend!!!

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  12. I love road trips! A trip to visit family is wonderful! We have such a beautiful country, don’t we? Thank you for sharing it with us!

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  13. Oh, how I enjoyed traveling along with you! Such beautiful sights you saw! Your dear mother-in-law! It was heartrending to see the photos and know you could not touch her or hug her. One day, we will all look back over this crazy invasion into our lives and lament the way it controlled us and prevented so much good from happening. So thankful God protected you on your travels and brought you safely home, and it was wonderful to know you were able to be with the rest of your family. God bless you, sweet friend!

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  14. What a beautiful drive for your road trip! I'm glad you got to visit with family and celebrate all those milestones! Looks like it was a wonderful time!

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  15. So lovely the way your mother - in - law is looking at her son thru the glass. Being able to do that would be worth the trip and would have been the reason for me :) My parents sadly are now deceased (Dad Aug 2018, Mom Nov 2019) and I just can't bring myself to gather in groups of family yet - I just can't do it. As much as I miss doing things with my sister / family, right now I just can't bring myself to gather with others. But I am glad you all had a lovely time and pray that none of you get a 2nd round of covid - please do be careful out there!!

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  16. How wonderful to be able to see and spend time with your family and loved ones ... so special.
    Your photographs are a joy to see, what a lovely trip you had.

    Wishing you Happy December Days.

    All the best Jan

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  17. How great to be able to drive to Texas and enjoy your family and friends for Thanksgiving! So one thing I learned from your post is that I could be your mother since I'm turning 70 in March. :) You young thing, you! We have wondered about driving south from Eastern Washington and it's fun to see the sites along the route you chose. Your celebrations looked wonderful!

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  18. I just loved those pictures so much. Like Betsy said, it was almost like riding along with you. God provided the most magnificent views for you all to enjoy on your drive.

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  19. My what a lovely trip and so many gorgeous photos and so much yummy food. You know how to travel, that's for sure. I'm delighted to hear about your trip and very happy that you made it home safe and sound. God bless you and Merry Christmas.
    Connie :)

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  20. What a wonderful trip! That was really wonderful to be with all your family, and see such gorgeous scenery all the way down and back. I know what you mean about coming home to your own bed, however! There's no place like home! But that was a beautiful trip, and I am sure your families appreciated you coming so very much. What a blessing!!!

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  21. Oh Marilyn, I enjoyed “traveling” along with you to Texas and the back. What a trip, and of course, all your spectacular photos. You had so many wonderful celebrations to enjoy with your family and so many wonderful meals. Thank you for sharing your happy times with us.

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  22. Hello my friend!! It was so great to see the pictures of your family. Yal looked so happy. I love the picture of you guys on top of the rocks. The shadows look like the three wise men. I love it, see you in the am :)

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  23. Marilyn, good morning! You've taken me to new vistas and experiences today ... much appreciated in this time of staying close to home. We're still deciding if we'll be traveling to be with all the family this year. Trusting that God will give us discernment and make it crystal clear ... in His timing!

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  24. How amazing to be able to drive through all those states and experience new vistas, ones that you have not known before. America is filled with gorgeous and different landscapes. It looks as if you enjoyed the best family times, celebrating milestones and making new beautiful memories. Thank you, Marilyn, for sharing your gorgeous photos. I feel as if I was a backseat traveller, drinking in all the glorious sights as they sped by.

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  25. What a great trip! I think road trips are always the best way to travel and then seeing family on top of it? Priceless!!

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  26. Marilyn, simply beautiful. I would never fly again if I were you. Look how much you would have missed! xo

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  27. What a great trip!
    It sadden my heart a little to see Dan's mom in the nursing home. But when I scrolled down and looked at all that food, my oh my!
    This trip felt good, even for me reading about it. You packed so much into this trip!

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  28. Marilyn, thank you so much for taking us along on your trip! It was wonderful and I loved all of your gorgeous photos! I love seeing your family and YOU!!! glad all went well.. and yes, that hike to the top of that arch would have totally unnerved me! What beautiful scenery you got to witness. I've travelled the ways you went, but not all the way to Texas. Have never been in Texas but most of the other "western" states, but would love to drive through Utah again! It is wonderous! Glad you made it home. It's always so nice to come home after a trip, even though we enjoyed the trip! I'm sorry I didn't see this post sooner.. it somehow went into my spam folder which is weird. Oh and also, all the food your family served you (and the restaurant meals) looked so good and now I'm hungry! Hugs to you.. Marilyn J.

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  29. I so enjoyed this post, Marilyn. It speaks to what is most important in life, the love and support of family, and you, my friend, have a beautiful family. I love the "thankful" message from your Dad. What a special man. Your trip photos display the beauty of our country. And I have to say that your son is the spitting image of your husband. Ryan's photo of the three of you brought a huge smile to my face. So cute! Hugs, dear friend. And Merry Christmas! Nancy

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  30. this post was truly a TREAT for eyes and soul dear Marilyn :)

    you have such a beautiful precious and loving family ,many congratulations for all three big celebrations in the family :)
    one of your aunt in lockdown must be overwhelmed by your sweetness as i could see how lovingly you all took photo with her while she was inside ,that is really kind and sweet :)
    many more happy returns of the days to your precious daughter and son in law ,may they witness all the beauty of life and goodness together amen!
    thank you for sharing the images of your lovely parents ,they look amazing and sweet just like you :)
    this was kind of your sister in law and brother to host delightful thanksgiving dinner ,everyone looked Happy and amazing indeed.
    food in your sister's house was looked uniquely great :)
    your mom's meal was amazing too
    what can i say about your captures on the way ,i am speechless believe ,what a beauty and how wisely captured as i was there with you :)
    many more blessing and happiness to you and loved ones my friend!

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