March

The weather started warming up in March. We bought our hiking boots for the Grand Canyon trip and started breaking them in. Overall, we had a pleasant month. Here's how it broke down:

Weekend #1 was also Hike #1. On Saturday, we flew out to Amarillo and hiked The Lighthouse Trail at Palo Duro Canyon. It was a nice, easy hike except for the very end, which was straight up. And even the up wasn't nearly as bad as the back down. I was pretty much on my booty on the way down!




We took the opportunity to get a couple of NPS stamps as well - at Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument and Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.

The visitor center serves both Alibates Flint Quarries and Lake Meredith:


On the Alibates Flint Quarries tour - guided by a park ranger.



Lake Meredith has lost a lot of water in recent years. This used to be a boat dock:


Lake Meredith now:


Weekend #2 was a lovely weekend, so we decided to visit the Fort Worth Zoo. Unfortunately, it was the beginning of Spring Break for the area schools and about 1 million of our closest friends also decided to visit the Fort Worth Zoo. We still managed to enjoy the visit and we topped off the day by trying another Triple D restaurant - Fred's Texas Cafe.


My favorite picture - a Mountain Lion:


Fred's Texas Cafe:


Weekend #3 took us to Illinois to visit Joe's family. I actually knew better than to travel during Spring Break, but the flights in and out of Peoria looked so good, we decided to go. We barely made it home!!! We burned a D1 because a few non-revs showed up on the list and they were all D1. Unfortunately, they all got on the list above us. For a while, I was pretty convinced that we were going to have to decide whether or not to split. There were 7 seats left and we were #7 and #8 on the list. Next, our flight was delayed. Joe and I were checking every airport between Peoria and Dallas and trying to make a backup plan. We had decided we would drive to Springfield, MO and fly home on the first flight the next morning. EEEE YIKES!!!! Meanwhile, a revenue passenger opted off the flight because they were going to miss their connection, so we had hope. If the flight left, we should make it. And, we did. There was even one empty seat on the plane. I have, once again, vowed to never travel during spring break again!!!!

Weekend #4 was the weekend we did our shopping. We bought our new hiking boots and some water shoes for a fall trip that we have booked, but I don't think I have mentioned yet. We also bought Mother's Day gifts and did a few other errands (Wal-Mart shopping, etc.). On Sunday, we headed to Lake Mineral Wells State Park for Hike #2 and the first hike to break in our new boots. The weather had turned drastically cooler, so it was chilly. But, we enjoyed the hike and the day in general.

The trail was a little tougher in places than we had in Palo Duro Canyon:


Joe loves hiking...


On the other side of the lake from our hike - near Penitentiary Hollow: