Paris, Texas

We stopped at Paris, Texas on the way home. I was only expecting to find the tower, but was very pleasantly surprised and pleased to find a beautiful war memorial next to it. I am so glad to have stopped. It was worth it to me.

Car collection museum

This is Bill's Backyard Classics cars museum in Amarillo, Texas.

The pins represent where visitors to the museum are from. We were the first to put a pin on the map for Camden, Arkansas.

We also visited Escape the Trap House. We didn't escape, but came close. Destiny had fun.

Cadillac Ranch

This is Cadillac Ranch, just outside Amarillo, Texas. The many layers of paint that visitors have applied to the cars have slowly oozed off the cars in puddles. You can see the many layers of the paint, with cars somewhere underneath.

Spring Break 2024 vacation across Texas and Palo Duro Canyon.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon is the 2nd largest canyon in the United States.

There is a rich Native American history in the canyon with a very sad ending.

Spring break 2023 camping.

It was below freezing the first night, and I couldn't get the heater working, but we stayed warm in our sleeping bags which are rated to -20 Celsius. 

Spring Break 2019 (Abraham Lincoln's birthplace)

One of America's most famous presidents was, Abraham Lincoln, who was president during the civil war, and our last stop was to his birthplace. This was my favorite part of the trip. It was so exciting to be in and see such a historical place. I learned a lot, and felt more connected to America and it's rich history.

Spring Break 2019 (Daniel Boone's grave)

One of the places Destiny wanted to go on our return trip home, was to see Daniel Boone's grave. Destiny loves history, and had been learning about this famous American  that helped pioneer our country. It had a gorgeous view.

Spring Break 2019 (Newport Aquarium) Newport, Kentucky

The second attraction in Newport, Kentucky, was the Newport Aquarium. Destiny got to have a special encounter with the penguins. That was her favorite part of the whole trip. And we both had a tour of how the aquarium works.

Spring Break 2019 (World Peace Bell) Newport, Kentucky

We saw two attractions the next day, both in Newport, Kentucky. The first was the World Peace Bell.

Spring Break 2019 (National Museum of the United States Air Force) Dayton, Ohio

We spent an entire day in Dayton, Ohio, exploring the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The pictures below are in reverse order that I took them. We started with the early years of flight. Next up were World War I and World War II. Followed by the conflicts with North Korea and Vietnam. Then we came to the Cold War era. There was even a section dedicated to missiles. The last two sections focused on more modern era aircraft and included several presidential aircraft, as well as a mock up of the space shuttle. They even had several different flight simulators, including one where you can land the space shuttle, and another where you go on a space walk at the International Space Station, using VR. The museum housed more than just U.S. examples. It also had examples from Japan, Russia, Germany, France, and England.

Spring Break 2019 (Ark Encounter)

The second attraction of our first full day of Spring Break, where we were not traveling, was at the

Ark Encounter

We got an early start at the Creation Museum, saw that, and then drove 45 miles down the road to the Ark Encounter. We took a few outside photos, then had a great buffet lunch in the restaurant at the Ark Encounter. After lunch, Destiny rode a camel, and we spent a little time with some goats. Finally, we went inside the ark. Some things I came away with were: Noah not only built this huge ark with tools and technology of the period, to house the animals(as well as plant seeds), and survive the great flood, but he had to engineer how to care for the animals (water, food, air, waste), and he was also tasked with preserving the good history of mankind to that point (art, literature, and such), as well as documenting and cataloging everything. My favorite part was the large living quarters for Noah and his family.

Spring Break 2019 (Creation Museum)

On the second day of our Spring Break vacation, we planned to see two major attractions. The first was the Creation Museum. This is where the theory of creation proves the Bible is fact, not fiction. I think my favorite part of this museum shows how the myth of dragons were in fact dinosaurs.

Spring Break 2019 (Nashville, Tennessee) Cooter's Place

We had lunch, and then went to Cooter's Place, across from Opreyland.

When I was a kid, there was a television show called 'The Dukes of Hazzard' that I enjoyed. One of the main supporting characters in the show was 'Cooter'. This is a museum full of memorabilia from the show. Ben Jones was the actor who played the part of 'Cooter', and because of his simple, lovable, character, he ran for public office in Washington D.C.

Spring Break 2019 (Nashville, Tennessee) Parthenon.

We arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, about lunch time, but first we went to see the Parthenon. It was a beautiful day, and we really needed to stretch our legs again. We were lucky enough to find a charge point open that was close, although we later discovered it wasn't working. The Parthenon was closed on Mondays, but we were still impressed with the outside. I am sure the statue of Athena inside would have been equally impressive.

Spring Break 2019 (Memphis, Tennessee)

This year for Spring Break, I planned a very busy vacation, starting with a long drive of seventeen hours to Mason, Ohio. Along the way there, and on the return trip, we made a few stops to see some historical places. The first stop was at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.

Since we left Camden, Arkansas at 4 a.m. on March 18th, it was still early when we arrived in Memphis. First, we had breakfast, and then went to Sun Studio. It was also cold and windy. Sun Studio wasn't open yet, and we had a schedule to keep, so we just took some photos and got back on the road.

Spring Break 2018 day 7:

We slept in, and went to the diamond mine at 10. We took some sandwiches, chips, and drinks with us. We dug, washed, and looked for diamonds, but didn’t find any. We returned to the camp and enjoyed the rest of the day by the river by practicing archery and going on a hike. In the evening, we had our last big campfire and made s’mores. Tomorrow, we are going to drive about an hour North to Malvern, Arkansas to check into a hotel for our last night of vacation.

Spring Break 2018 day 6:

Wow, it was a day full of activities and walking. We changed plans and went to Hot Springs today, because it was a little cool this morning. We started by going to a toy store and then saw a museum with Star Wars and superhero stuff. Then we had breakfast for lunch, (I had hash-brown potatoes, sausage, biscuits, and eggs covered in country gravy, and Destiny had bacon, eggs, and a pancake.), before going to see some model trains and town. After that, we went to an alligator farm and petting zoo. Finally, we went to walk around some nature trails called Garvand Woodland Gardens. We are both tired, but are going to enjoy a good campfire before bed.

Spring Break 2018 day 5:

We said goodbye to my father and drove to see where an ancient Indian civilization used to live about 3,000 years ago up to about 1,000 years ago. They built mounds of dirt to keep track of the Winter and Summer solstice, and of the Spring and Autumn equinox. Next, we drove to Murfreesboro, Arkansas, to spend the next four nights in a Tipi. After settling in, we built a campfire, and Destiny made some new friends. They all went out at night with flashlights on a ‘treasure hunt’ the campground owner arranged for them.

Spring Break 2018 day 4:

Took my daughter and nephew downtown Little Rock, Arkansas to three museums: Old State House Museum, Historic Arkansas Museum, and Arkansas Museum of Discovery. We also rode on a trolley car, had pizza for lunch, and ice cream in the afternoon before returning to my father’s house. I recorded a really cool video using a thermal camera.

Spring Break 2018 day 3:

Had a great Sunday with my daughter, father, my nephew David, and God. We went to church, and then my father took us to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. We came back to my father’s house, where the kids rode a 4-wheeler, and spent the whole afternoon playing. Tomorrow, we are going to take my nephew with us to three museums downtown.