Lafayette, here we be!

Yes, we did make it to Lafayette Friday afternoon and we have been busy visiting with family and friends.  Mother's Day proved to be especially exciting as my Great Nephew decided it was time to make his entrance into the world...."Noah Allen"....a beautiful, healthy baby boy...."your great Auntie loves you bunches, little one!"
So...we be settling in here for the summer...kicking back and having fun!  I leave you with a few pictures from my hike in Meramec State Park....

Meramec State Park, MO

We got lucky!  We pulled out of Carthage yesterday and decided to go ahead and check out Meramec State Park along our way.....hoping they might be open and we could spend a couple of nights there.  Well, upon arrival, there was a big sign stating NO vacancies!  BUT....I've learned to not always believe those signs....and it paid off this time.  I went into the office and the sign was up because of the park closure due to flooding.  The park ranger asked how long we wanted to stay....two nights....she called down to one of the other rangers who reported back that the area was clear and to let us "come on down"!  Let me tell you this is one beautiful place and we are just about the only ones here.  No one is in our section.....

 

As you can see.....we have a concrete pad, patio, and picnic table....FULL hookups.  The spacing is better then a lot of places we have been....BUT we have also had a lot less.  DAD....it reminds me of the river property....you would love it.  Lots of trees....lots of woods....and the Meramec River is just a across from us...a few feet away.  Last night and this morning a whole herd of deer (about a dozen mama's and babies) came through the campground area....awesome!  Today I'm hoping to do some hiking and get some photos to share we you all.  In the meantime, here are a few photos from our campground in Carthage....a few signs that despite the snow...spring is well underway.....

 Happy Travels....

 

Cold and Rain Continue......

Carthage, MO.....where cold and wet continues to be the news of the day.  We had planned to spend a couple of days at Meramec State Park, but they have temporarily closed the campground due to flooding.  So we opted to spend another night here in Carthage and hope that gives the rain a chance to clear out.  We are so tired of being cold and wet, but come Monday the forecast will be looking up....sunshine and 70's is what I'm seeing.  Unfortunately, I don't think it will last....looks like more rain will eventually find its way back into the forecast by the end of the week.  We plan on being in Lafayette ( our summer destination) by Friday and the forecast is predicting cooler temps and rain for our arrival.....I think I'm starting to "squish" when I walk....LOL!

Living Desert, Palo Duro Canyon, and Oklahoma City!

As promised, here are a few photos from the Living Desert in Carlsbad....

Roadrunner.....

Prairie Dogs....it was really hot that day and they were napping....

 

They did have a beautiful Lilly Pond....all in bloom...and this guy....

 was just "hanging" around....

Once we left Carlsbad we headed to Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  Talk about stunning views.....

Awesome!

Here is our site.....

The colors were intense....

Next we headed to Oklahoma City, boy what a change in the weather and the views.  A cold front swept down on us and the wind was terrible...and with the wind came the cold and rain.  I think we are lucky we didn't see snow.  Today it is only in the 40's and the wind is still with us!  Needless to say.....I'M FREEZING!  I had to break out my long johns and SHOES!  Tomorrow is another travel day as we continue our journey to Indiana....next stop Carthage, MO.  I sure hope it warms up SOON!