Travels in 2008, and 2007

Photos

Some photos are posted within the narratives. Others are on our Picasa site: Picasa Photos

New Mexico

15 Aug 2008
Alamogordo, New Mexico

We finished up Annie in the welding shop in Amarillo - she now has tow-bar brackets on her front nose. It was painful watching them dismantle her.

Amarillo had a "Horse" display going on - similar to the Pigs in Seattle. Even Ronald McDonald got into it!

 

While we were waiting for Annie, we walked downtown to pick up the mail and have lunch. We found a terrific Mexican restaurant with a shrimp salad to die for - over a dozen large shrimp! Chris had menudo, which made him happy also. We knew we were in Texas when the "wine cabinet" was actually filled with beer.

From Amarillo we headed west to Tucumcari, following Route 66. I saw on the news that Paul McCartney and a friend were following the Route from Chicago to LA and probably went thru Amarillo while we were there - but he didn't stop to visit...

We stayed overnight at the Elks Lodge in Tucumcari - we're starting to take advantage of the cheap and convenient parking the various lodges have. It turns out $7.50 - $10 per night is lots nicer than $30 per night in a commercial lot.

Next stop was Alamogordo - in southeastern New Mexico near White Sands. We'll visit the Sands tomorrow night - it's a full moon! Today we wandered thru the Space Museum and saw an IMAX movie. The guy we arranged to install the brake wiring in Annie turned out to be a disaster, so we'll wait till later on that. After spending all day waiting for him to get the job done... Grrrr.

You know how I am about graveyards and cemeteries - here's a new one! Above is the grave of Ham, the first chimp in space.

Dalhart

9 Aug 2008
Amarillo, Texas

Well, we're still hanging out here... We got the wiring done on Annie on Friday; Monday the tow brackets will be installed, Tuesday - ? - on the road? Only if mail comes in on time.

Today we drove up to Dalhart - even further up the panhandle than Amarillo - to check it out and possibly go to the XIT Reunion and Rodeo celebration.

• We stopped at the Dalhart Elks Lodge, which had the 4H Craft show going on (I bought a really cute set of corn holders made of horseshoe nails) and to take photos for the Elks' web on RV parking.

• We had to stop at the XIT Museum. The 3 million acre XIT Ranch was formed in the 1880s as a way for Texas to pay for its new capitol building in Austin. It was waaay bigger than the King Ranch, which everyone has heard of.

"XIT history is a triangle of superlatives. The XIT range was the largest in the world under fence. Texas, the biggest state in the union, used the sale to pay for its red granite capitol, still the largest state capitol on the North American Continent. The Austin structure, after more than a century, still houses the Lone Star state government and as capitols go, is second in size only to the one at Washington, D.C. In one respect it is even bigger than the U.S. Capitol, its dome stands seven feet higher." [from the county website]

The museum was fun - lots of different kinds of 'stuff' - including stuffed animals, a U.S. map of postage stamps, a windmill, good written and illustrated history of the XIT Ranch in small vignettes, maps and stories, a series on how to make a good felt cowboy hat, a jail, some guns, a wagon, a snake skeleton, a huge bucket of old branding irons, a collection of spurs, saddles, and an old dentist's chair. See Picasa for the photos.

• Our final stop was the XIT Rodeo grounds. They have "the world's largest free barbecue" - they feed 10,000+ people! For free! So we had barbecue, beans, applesauce, and sauce. Good stuff! See the photos on Picasa. We decided we had seen a rodeo before and didn't need to hang around for it to start - we were at least an hour from home, so we just came back.

• Another fun part of the day was going through Hartley, Texas - named, no doubt, after cousin Bill Hartley. Or maybe not...

Thought for the day:
I live in my own little world....but it is OK......they all know me here...

Tourists Loose in Amarillo

5 Aug 2008
Amarillo, TX

Things we've done; places we've been: [We're not in Minnesota nor Iowa anymore, Pancho.]

• Texas, the Musical

Down in the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon, in a gorgeous setting, in an outdoor amphitheater that seats over 2,000, every summer for the past 43 years they've put on a musical "history" of the area. Great singing, dancing, horses, wagons, flags and fireworks.

• The Cadillac Ranch

Some local businessmen decided to "plant" a collection of old Queen Mary sized Cadillacs nose-down in a field. And then let anyone who wanted to spray paint them. And they have.

• The Legs

The same guys - on the other side of town - did these huge legs. There is an historical marker with a story of some early 'visage' at the same scene, but I'm not convinced it's true. The bulls in the field were clear down by the pond and did not bother us.

New Tow Baby

2 Aug 2008
Amarillo, TX

We did it! We came home with the new baby. And she's sooooo cute. She doesn't quite match Pugs, but her Borrego Beige Metallic almost matches the gold-ish swoops on the side. Lots closer than the silver. [Oooops. I forgot to identify her - she's a CR-V EX-L (that means "leather" - yum) AWD.]

I had to say good-bye to Toad - our good and faithful buddy for almost 8 years (he came from Lynchburg, Virginia, even):

�

We picked up the new baby at the dealers' lot: (with Michael, our very nice salesman)

The new, yet un-named baby is home:

Life is good.

And I've lost 5 pounds since Minnesota. Life is really good!

Thought for today:
One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young. ~ Will Rogers

Amarillo

1 Aug 2008
Amarillo, Texas

Welcome to Texas! We're home!!

It's so strange to be surrounded by matching license plates - we can't use the tourist excuse here when we make stupid traffic moves. Everyone thinks we belong.

We like Amarillo. Once we considered using it as a home base - buying a house and all that. To start with, the people are really nice! It's the right size - under 200,000 people; it's the right price range - 4 bd home under $150,000; it's clean and appealing - fairly new city hall, convention center, parks, shopping malls; it has minor league baseball, hockey and indoor football; it has a Vet's hospital and a major medical center of impressive proportions; it's centrally located - on I-40 with other major interstates not that far away and within 1,000 miles of almost anywhere in the States... And when a heat wave hits, it's dry heat.

But.... there are a few drawbacks. Tornados, ice storms, snow, wind, cold, wind, heat, tornados, wind, tornados, ice storms... just to name a few. In other words, the trees grow at a slant; if we bought a house it would have to have a storm cellar; and we'd have to buy a wardrobe of parkas and down filled ski pants.

Oh, well, it was a great idea.

Coming into town we saw some fun things:

... the not so quite straight water tower....

... the Texas-sized cross...

... someone's idea of a great fixer-upper motorhome...

We've not yet driven out to photograph and/or contribute to the Cadillac Ranch. Nor visited Palo Duro Canyon - 2nd only to the Grand Canyon. We'll also visit the American Quarter Horse Museum. We've already partaken - on a previous visit - of The Big Texas Steak Ranch but we didn't get to see someone polish off the "steak" like AJ and Irene did.

BTW, just as a side note, we're purchasing a new toad here also - as in I Go Where I'm Toad. We bit the bullet and sat down in the salesman's office and played the games. It should be delivered tomorrow. How fun. Good memories of Amarillo. Some people just buy dinner and gas.

Thought for the day:

The mockingbird can change its tune 37 times in 7 minutes. Politicians regard this ability with awe.

 

Thermometer Readings are Scary

27 Jul 2008 - Happy Birthday yesterday to Eliza!
Oklahoma City, OK

We were heading for Austin, when the weather reports got to us. Let's see: 10 days of 100+ degrees forecast in Austin, or 10 days of 90+ degrees in Amarillo?  Hmmmm. We haven't been in Amarillo in a while.

Our stopover in Fayetteville, Arkansas was fun. Chris & wife Kathy first moved to this area in 1970; their first home in the States after leaving Africa. They arrived in winter, in time for multiple ice storms. ("We're not in Kansas Africa anymore, Toto!") They didn't stay long. In fact, Kathy didn't stay long in the States - she moved back to Africa very soon.

-We visited a Civil War battle site - Pea Ridge. Interesting and informative. One of those that helped the Union win the war in the west. Having a fairly incompetent Confederate general didn't hurt.

-We visited Bentonville - home of Wal-Mart! Downtown is a shrine to the Waltons - one of their first stores has been turned into a well-done museum. They really were terrific people who gave back to the community and the nation. Why did I feel I should have genuflected as I left?

-We visited downtown Fayetteville, with its old downtown post office (now a restaurant) building surrounded by flower and plant gardens that are fantastic.

-We visited the Razorbacks' bookstore and purchased a sweatshirt - Go Hogs! Sorry, couldn't resist. We did not visit the "Clinton Museum" - I may not have been aware that the former Prez was a professor at the University before beginning his political career. Nor do I care.

 

Life is Good, Again!

23 Jul 2008
Springfield, Illinois - still

It has been in the 80s with medium humidity today!!! The door has been ajar; the windows open; I sat out and carved on a couple of gourds; Life is Good. Chris says I'm so much easier to live with when I'm happy with the weather.

We visited Lincoln's Tomb - excellent site and setting. Last night was a well-done flag retreat ceremony by a Civil War re-enactment group.

We visited the Illinois Military Museum - small but significant. Would you believe our favorite item was the actual artificial leg previously owned by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (the Mexican General whose forces conquered the Alamo, of course.) The 4th Illinois Infantry captured said leg at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. Wow. The things you didn't plan to see...

We drove around the Oak Ridge Cemetery - this is a classy old-time cemetery tucked into a bunch of hills and valleys. Way cool.

We visited the Museum of Funeral Customs! Hey, it was right there near the gate into the Cemetery. It was well done; if the cost hadn't been excessive, I'd have purchased a sweatshirt.

Tomorrow we head for Missouri.

Photos are in Picasa.

I'm a Weather Wuss!

22 Jul 2008
Springfield, Illinois

I'm a wuss, and easily admit it. Last night was spent listening to our noaa radio squeak about Severe Thunderstorm Warnings!!!! "What county are we in, again???" It rained. It lightninged. It blew. The little fiberglass house held together. We did not go to the Storm Shelters in the basement of the office (also referred to as the bathrooms...) I do not care for breathing air that is wet. I especially don't like it when the exterior temps are in the high 80s and the humidity is even higher.

But I retrieved my sense of humor and focus on reality when I saw this sign at the laundromat where I took our dirty throw rugs:
 

I saw no ice, nor slipperies...

We've enjoyed meeting Mr. Lincoln in Springfield. It's been an educational opportunity, even. I guess I never knew much about the man. There are fairly new centers here (2005) -  the Presidential Museum and Library, which are modern, up-to-date technology and cover the subject fairly well.

My favorite visit so far was to the Lincoln Train Station, where he gave a farewell to the town in which he had come to maturity, married, worked and raised children. He didn't return - except in his casket.

The Lincoln Home is well taken care of, as is the neighborhood in which it is set. Much better than just a single house alone. It was more enjoyable because the house was given to the state by Lincoln's son - no buying and selling over the years. Most of the furnishings were actually owned by the Lincolns.

The Old State Capitol building is fully restored and gorgeous inside - I love the 4-way staircase!

Today we will finally visit Lincoln's Tomb and the cemetery - as well as the Museum of Funeral Customs! Cool.

Later this week we have to decide where we are going next. I talked with the Austin, Texas family yesterday and the heat and humidity are even worse there. Plus a hurricane is moving in from the south. Let's see, Colorado is sounding good...

"If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there." --Sterling Holloway

The Green Mid-West

16 Jul 2008 - Happy Birthday, Dawn!
Davenport, Iowa  

We took a scientifically-based poll - counting the two of us, and Pancho - and decided a few important things:

1. The State Animal for Iowa is the Riding Lawnmower, usually Green in color.
2. The State Plant for Iowa is Corn, with its Green Leaves.
3. The State Color for Iowa is John Deere Green

There must be hundreds of thousands of large grassy areas that have to be cut weekly, or twice a week, in Iowa. Moms, Pops, kids - they all serve their time.

There must be hundreds of millions of acres of corn in Iowa. With a few acres of soybeans thrown in. We have seen few cattle, and only pigs on remote farms.

There must be hundreds of gazillions of John Deere dealerships, farm vehicles, mowers, tractors, cultivators, used dealerships, junk yards - all filled with Green machines. We are not speaking of the Jolly Green Giant that we saw in Minnesota and forgot to comment on.

How much pollution is generated by all those residential (if you can call 3 acres of lawn residential) lawn mowers? I'm thinking it would be doing the planet a favor by outlawing them. We certainly did it in our lives. Desert, rocks, gravel, sand... Yes! Well, we might be around green grass in the summer, but someone else waters and mows it. Okay, you can throw in a shade tree occasionally.

I might have liked lawn mowing better if I'd had one of these!

Our park on the outskirts of Davenport not only has THREE riding lawnmowers working this morning, they also have a colony of what appears to be prairie dogs out our front window toward the farmers' fields. And some beautiful flower beds. And a welcoming Pig.

 When told the reason for daylight saving time,  the old Navajo said...

"Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket."

The Field of Dreams - Dyersville, Iowa

13 Jul 2008
Dyersville, Iowa

   I'm sure it will be a great disappointment when we visit The Field. It's too early for the corn to be high enough to hide the ghosts - corn had a bad year in Iowa anyway. But, we had to stop by.

Dyersville is just a little Iowa village, with some terrific points of interest:

• The Field of Dreams movie site, where the Kevin Costner movie was filmed is apparently still there - not commercialized nor for rent. Just there. Bring your own bat and ball.
• 
• The National Farm Toy Museum and the RC2 (formerly Ertl) Outlet Store - we may spend some money here guys...
• 
• The St. Francis Xavier Basilica was worth the visit all by itself. Mass is still done in Latin (which, speaking as an outsider, is the way it should be! Whatever happened to tradition?) - people come from miles and miles around to attend. It is gorgeous, besides! We felt it matched any of those European beauties. (See our Picasa link above. The photos didn't look as good in a slide show. I have to start remembering that photos are better in the slide show when they are horizontal, not vertical.)
• 
  

   Our campground is an adventure, in and of itself. This area was part of the massive floods a month ago. I could find no RV park in or about Dyersville, so we opted for the county park. The same county park that has no address nor directions in any book. Nor a review on any of my normal check-it-out sites. So, we came here anyway. I figured out about where it should be. Did I call? No. Did we just show up on Sunday afternoon? Yes. Did we continue on past the "Pavement Ends" sign? Yes. Do we have a 40' coach and a tow car that don't back up? Yes.

   And then we meandered down (literally) a very narrow country road into the low-hanging trees, and then up a little hill, around a corner, across the extremely narrow one-lane bridge with no load limit sign on it, and dropped down into a terrific little campground. 

The narrow little bridge... and below - the footings...

   Last month it was a terrific little lake, from what people we've talked to say. The debris is still very evident along the creek/river - huge trees gave up their lives and roots. Much of it piled against the footings of that same bridge that we have to traverse going out. There are 30 & 15 amp plugs at each site, and a water connection.

   Half a dozen sites have had gravel laid as a base, so we don't sink into the still-wet grass. There is a dump at the central building, a nice little playground and portable toilets. What more can you ask for? Of course, there is one other thing - yes, the satellite dishes both work! Life is good!!

Photos: the other end of the campground; Pugs sits in all his glory in a green field - you can't see the gravel under him, or he'd sink to his knees.

And, as a special present tonight, the fireflies came out in droves to entertain us. Fantastic!

 

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to
hope for." ~ Joseph Addison