We're home. After a four month journey through Canada, down into Middle America, and then home via the Southwest and the Pacific Coast, we've made it. It was a summer of mixed emotions.
The stats:
8,837 miles
175 hours of driving
914 gallons of diesel fuel (do the math....no, don't)
9.2 average miles per gallon (sounds pretty weak, but it's great for a 40k+ pound motorhome!)
48 mph average speed (a Maserati it ain't. Not even close)
More than the statistics, the journey has been about people and places. We spent a great few days with our friends of some 50 years, Jo and Larry, while in Northern California. A few miles further north, we had a gracious dinner with former neighbors, Gabi and Bob.
Once in Canada, near the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia, we met Nancy and Gordy. Lovely people whom we hope to see again. We spent hours sipping beverages and talking well into the wee hours of the morning! Come on down to NorCal, people! The Vancouver area is among the most beautiful we've seen in our travels, and Gordy and Nancy made our stay even more wonderful.
We enjoyed Canada Day in the hamlet of Boston Bar, BC. The owners of the RV park were so gracious that we hated to leave, but our next stop was the town of Barriere, where we met our Florida friends Deb and Larry, and Sasha's boyfriend Max! A couple of days playing golf and talking about old time went by way to quickly! They were on their way to Alaska but took time out to visit with us. Thank you!
From Barriere, the road took us into the beautiful Canadian Rockies near Jasper Provincial Park. The smoke began to drift into the park as we left, a week later, heading south toward Banff. The Glacier Highway between Jasper and Banff was extraordinary, in spite of the smoke coming from the wild fires in British Columbia. We spent a week in Banff before heading a bit farther south to visit an rv'ing acquaintance, Karen. Originally from the US, Karen has made a life, with her late husband, Bob, in an agricultural area of southern Alberta. From there, the road took us east into the prairies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the northern wilds and 10,000 lakes of Minnesota.
A great week's visit with Donna's brother and sister-in-law prepped us for a trip to central Nebraska to view the Great Eclipse of 2017. We met friends Mary and Roger in Nebraska and enjoyed more time with Donna's family, who drove down to guide us through the eclipse viewing. We eventually spent a month traveling with M'n R before heading west into Kansas and then south into Texas and New Mexico. A week long visit with my Mom and Sister in Southern California completed our circle tour for the summer!
We made a whole bunch of friends this year: the couple with two Boston Terriers who recently moved to Arizona from Alaska. Smart people! We spent a great evening with them before our paths diverged, and made plans to meet again in Arizona in the Spring. Then there was the couple from British Columbia that we met in Winnipeg. They were returning from a journey to Nova Scotia in their (new to them) motorhome. Nice people all and good times.
Our summer trip this year was a bit too short for our taste, but we got a late start, so that explains it. Problems with various things on the motorhome put a damper on the last part of the trip. But you know what? We wouldn't trade it for the world! Like thay say, "You'll never be bored if you own a motorhome!"
We're home until after the Holidays, as usual, probably just enough time for the family and our friends to get thoroughly tired of us! It will be good to the max to see everyone again and spend quality time. After the first of the year, who knows where we'll go?
Thanks you all for following along with us, and please check in again about February!
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Saturday, October 14, 2017
MogFest in Barstow
On the way into SoCal we crossed the Colorado River, which marks the boundary between Arizona and California.
We're back in California!
According to the odometer, we drove exactly 200 miles today. We're staying the night in a KOA near Barstow, CA, just down the road from Peggy Sue's Diner and about 87 miles southeast of the thriving metropolis of Cantil. This area is famous for having access to BLM and OHV areas where off-road enthusiasts can get their vehicles dirty! In fact, this weekend marks an annual MogFest, where devotees of the Mercedes-Benz UniMog gather to tear up the desert! They drive out the back side of the campground and have access to miles and miles of desert and mountain trails. Great fun!
The weather here is absolutely beautiful, and the camping sites are among lacy trees. It's been a great afternoon. Tomorrow we'll head into the madness of Southern California, but fortunately, we only need to go about 150 miles. That's enough! A motorhome parked next door to us is being operated by two British couples. They bought an older motorhome last year, and store it in Norco, California, a town in Southern California. They fly over for a three week vacation and see the sights. Great idea! Extraordinarily nice people, if a bit difficult to understand. They're from Cornwall, England....your guess is as good as mine...and were regaling us with stories of driving the large motorhome out of Southern California, trying to adjust to the traffic and the annoyance of driving on the "wrong" side of the road! Glad we don't have to do that!
Y'all take care...we'll talk again in a few days!
We're back in California!
According to the odometer, we drove exactly 200 miles today. We're staying the night in a KOA near Barstow, CA, just down the road from Peggy Sue's Diner and about 87 miles southeast of the thriving metropolis of Cantil. This area is famous for having access to BLM and OHV areas where off-road enthusiasts can get their vehicles dirty! In fact, this weekend marks an annual MogFest, where devotees of the Mercedes-Benz UniMog gather to tear up the desert! They drive out the back side of the campground and have access to miles and miles of desert and mountain trails. Great fun!
The weather here is absolutely beautiful, and the camping sites are among lacy trees. It's been a great afternoon. Tomorrow we'll head into the madness of Southern California, but fortunately, we only need to go about 150 miles. That's enough! A motorhome parked next door to us is being operated by two British couples. They bought an older motorhome last year, and store it in Norco, California, a town in Southern California. They fly over for a three week vacation and see the sights. Great idea! Extraordinarily nice people, if a bit difficult to understand. They're from Cornwall, England....your guess is as good as mine...and were regaling us with stories of driving the large motorhome out of Southern California, trying to adjust to the traffic and the annoyance of driving on the "wrong" side of the road! Glad we don't have to do that!
Y'all take care...we'll talk again in a few days!
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Jus' Gallupin' Thru
Three hundred and fifty five miles of beautiful New Mexico scenery got us to Gallup, New Mexico, on Tuesday evening. Everything performed flawlessly, so we were happy to travel a longer distance than we would normally like to go. The route took us north on Interstate 25 through Truth or Consequences, Hatch, and Elephant Butte. Pretty nondescript countryside, but we saw a sign indicating a road leading to the Very Large Baseline Array. This keeps an eye (or ear) on the universe and it's unique noises through a collection of huge radio antennas that point toward the sky. Think of ten antennas, each measuring about 82 feet in diameter, all tracking the same point in space in unison, effectively becoming an antenna ten times the size of each individual unit. The data collected is processed via computer that accounts for the rotation of the Earth, as well as the slight shifts in the crust of the Earth over time. Hope they find something!
We turned west at Los Lunas, taking SR 6 to Interstate 40, so as to bypass Albuquerque. Forty miles of the road were freshly paved and absolutely wonderful; three miles were under construction, and down to one lane. Still, it was a great bypass.
Getting on our old friend, Interstate 40, we drove west through Grants, Prewitt, and Thoreau, and crossed the Continental Divide before arriving at the USA RV Park on Historic Route 66 in Gallup.
We had planned to stay four days in Gallup, but ran out of things to do about noon on the second day, so we packed up our gear and hit the road. I40 passes through some beautiful red rock country as it approaches Arizona, and then the colors change to a light grey. Beautiful!
We crossed into Arizona. Evidently not wanting to be left out, even Arizona has it's share of wildfires. Fortunately, their's are grassfires that eventually burn themselves out.
So, three hundred and twenty nine miles from Gallup we rolled into Kingman, following historic Route 66.
We pulled into the Fort Beale RV Park at about 5:30, just before closing time, and were assigned a nice site in the pull-through section. This park slopes rather dramatically from the street to the rear, so we had a bit of a side--to-side leveling issue, which was adequately addressed by Nessie's onboard leveling system. After consecutive days of 300+ miles, we were ready for bed early.
We are staying here a total of three nights, and then will move on into SoCal to visit family. Nice place this Kingman!
We turned west at Los Lunas, taking SR 6 to Interstate 40, so as to bypass Albuquerque. Forty miles of the road were freshly paved and absolutely wonderful; three miles were under construction, and down to one lane. Still, it was a great bypass.
Getting on our old friend, Interstate 40, we drove west through Grants, Prewitt, and Thoreau, and crossed the Continental Divide before arriving at the USA RV Park on Historic Route 66 in Gallup.
We had planned to stay four days in Gallup, but ran out of things to do about noon on the second day, so we packed up our gear and hit the road. I40 passes through some beautiful red rock country as it approaches Arizona, and then the colors change to a light grey. Beautiful!
We crossed into Arizona. Evidently not wanting to be left out, even Arizona has it's share of wildfires. Fortunately, their's are grassfires that eventually burn themselves out.
So, three hundred and twenty nine miles from Gallup we rolled into Kingman, following historic Route 66.
We pulled into the Fort Beale RV Park at about 5:30, just before closing time, and were assigned a nice site in the pull-through section. This park slopes rather dramatically from the street to the rear, so we had a bit of a side--to-side leveling issue, which was adequately addressed by Nessie's onboard leveling system. After consecutive days of 300+ miles, we were ready for bed early.
We are staying here a total of three nights, and then will move on into SoCal to visit family. Nice place this Kingman!
Monday, October 9, 2017
Artesia, New Mexico
After a great day exploring Carlsbad Caverns and the town of Carlsbad, we decided to venture out a bit on Saturday, going north about twenty-odd miles to the town of Artesia. Where Carlsbad appears to have kept it's tax money, Artesia has elected to spend the oil money that "flows" in, and has beautified the city with an extensive park system, a new City Hall, touching Veterans Memorial plazas and bronze sculptures heralding the historical cattle industry activities in this area.
At three locations near downtown Artesia, at the intersections of First and Main, Second and Main, and Second and Texas, bronze sculptures highlight an event that occurred almost daily during the old cattle drive days.
We see a rustler preparing to rebrand a stolen longhorn. The branding iron is off to our right, and he's working as fast as he can to claim ownership. From the distance, he hears a gunshot and reaches for his own pistol, not sure of what is happening, but ready for the worst.
The shot comes from a Vaquero a block away who has spotted the rustler and is warning the Trail Boss of the crime.
The Trail Boss reacts instantly to the shot. He kicks his horse and leaves the main herd, about to gallop toward the rustler. What happened we'll never know, but the sculptures seem to breathe and dust rises from the hooves of the horses.
This eagle in flight was carved from a single Pecan tree that once stood in front of the Artesia City Hall. When the tree died, a debate raged over it's fate, since it was a landmark. I think they choose a fitting end for that historic tree!
Near City Hall, a Memorial to New Mexico Veterans lists the names of New Mexicans that have died serving their country. This bronze work of an eagle leaping into the air from the flame on the Statue of Liberty is awesome!
Just a bit off Second Street, but still on Main Street is this bronze work titled "The Derrick Floor." It honors the oil industry in New Mexico, while focusing on a particular well.
Illinois Number 3 was the first productive oil well drilled on New Mexico state lands. Drilled by Van Welch, Tom Flynn, and Martin Yates in 1924, after two unsuccessful attempts, Number 3 came in big!
The story goes that after the first two attempts at striking oil, the Wildcatters asked Mary Yates to select a spot for one last try. She done good!
We stopped for lunch in Artesia as we were heading back to Carlsbad. Since it was Sunday, the pickins' were slim for restaurants, and we had Sasha with us and didn't want to leave her in a hot car. Dilemma! We happened upon Los Agaves on a side street. Not very impressive from the outside, but when we inquired about food to go four extraordinarily nice young ladies offered to have the kitchen fix us up with "something". What they presented, for less than $20 was an order of Chicken Enchiladas with rice and beans and a Dr Pepper to drink. Add a Steak Tampequeno with rice and beans and a mexican Coke, plenty of hot sauce and plasticware and napkins, and we were off to the city park, where Sasha could run a bit, and we could stuff ourselves!
Just before we left on Sunday morning, we had a chance to say goodby to Sasha's Boston Terrier friends from next door. They had a good romp for a bit, until they heated up! Nice to have playmates, though!
The two hundred twenty five miles between Carlsbad and our next stop at Las Cruces, New Mexico took us back into Texas, then back into New Mexico just north of El Paso. Guess what....Texas and New Mexico look a lot alike in the Permian Basin!
We soothed our spirits with a great dinner at the Double Eagle in Mesilla, which is the original, old town, in the Las Cruces area. The Double Eagle has two restaurants under roof in an historical adobe building. One specializes in Mexican food, and the other in custom-aged beef. We chose the Mexican restaurant, Peppers. Past visits told us that the Seafood Stuffed Chili Relleno dish is to die for, but is not always on the menu. Sunday night was our lucky day! After an appetizer of Cheese Wontons with Jalepeno-Pineapple salsa, we dove right into the entree!
Sorry, I just had to post that picture.
At three locations near downtown Artesia, at the intersections of First and Main, Second and Main, and Second and Texas, bronze sculptures highlight an event that occurred almost daily during the old cattle drive days.
We see a rustler preparing to rebrand a stolen longhorn. The branding iron is off to our right, and he's working as fast as he can to claim ownership. From the distance, he hears a gunshot and reaches for his own pistol, not sure of what is happening, but ready for the worst.
The shot comes from a Vaquero a block away who has spotted the rustler and is warning the Trail Boss of the crime.
The Trail Boss reacts instantly to the shot. He kicks his horse and leaves the main herd, about to gallop toward the rustler. What happened we'll never know, but the sculptures seem to breathe and dust rises from the hooves of the horses.
This eagle in flight was carved from a single Pecan tree that once stood in front of the Artesia City Hall. When the tree died, a debate raged over it's fate, since it was a landmark. I think they choose a fitting end for that historic tree!
Near City Hall, a Memorial to New Mexico Veterans lists the names of New Mexicans that have died serving their country. This bronze work of an eagle leaping into the air from the flame on the Statue of Liberty is awesome!
Just a bit off Second Street, but still on Main Street is this bronze work titled "The Derrick Floor." It honors the oil industry in New Mexico, while focusing on a particular well.
Illinois Number 3 was the first productive oil well drilled on New Mexico state lands. Drilled by Van Welch, Tom Flynn, and Martin Yates in 1924, after two unsuccessful attempts, Number 3 came in big!
The story goes that after the first two attempts at striking oil, the Wildcatters asked Mary Yates to select a spot for one last try. She done good!
We stopped for lunch in Artesia as we were heading back to Carlsbad. Since it was Sunday, the pickins' were slim for restaurants, and we had Sasha with us and didn't want to leave her in a hot car. Dilemma! We happened upon Los Agaves on a side street. Not very impressive from the outside, but when we inquired about food to go four extraordinarily nice young ladies offered to have the kitchen fix us up with "something". What they presented, for less than $20 was an order of Chicken Enchiladas with rice and beans and a Dr Pepper to drink. Add a Steak Tampequeno with rice and beans and a mexican Coke, plenty of hot sauce and plasticware and napkins, and we were off to the city park, where Sasha could run a bit, and we could stuff ourselves!
Just before we left on Sunday morning, we had a chance to say goodby to Sasha's Boston Terrier friends from next door. They had a good romp for a bit, until they heated up! Nice to have playmates, though!
The two hundred twenty five miles between Carlsbad and our next stop at Las Cruces, New Mexico took us back into Texas, then back into New Mexico just north of El Paso. Guess what....Texas and New Mexico look a lot alike in the Permian Basin!
We soothed our spirits with a great dinner at the Double Eagle in Mesilla, which is the original, old town, in the Las Cruces area. The Double Eagle has two restaurants under roof in an historical adobe building. One specializes in Mexican food, and the other in custom-aged beef. We chose the Mexican restaurant, Peppers. Past visits told us that the Seafood Stuffed Chili Relleno dish is to die for, but is not always on the menu. Sunday night was our lucky day! After an appetizer of Cheese Wontons with Jalepeno-Pineapple salsa, we dove right into the entree!
Sorry, I just had to post that picture.
Friday, October 6, 2017
Backroads and Byways - Carlsbad, New Mexico
Happy Birthday, Dad! You would have been 100 years old today. I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me.
Do you remember, Dad, when you and Mom took your long-delayed honeymoon 70 years ago? World War II got in the way somewhere along the line, and then you had to start a life with a family that had waited for you. After a bit you saved a little money and found a little time and you and Mom drove a '40 Ford coupe from California to Arizona, New Mexico, and points east. You visited an Army buddy in Wisconsin for awhile, from the pictures I've seen. I was only two or so, and don't remember the trip, but this must have been one of the first times you could enjoy traveling! You never lost that love!
One of the places you visited was Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. I'm happy to tell you that yesterday Donna and I drove 192 miles west from Lubbock, Texas, and stopped in an rv park just north of the town of Carlsbad. It's a KOA, which you know, Dad, that we don't usually like, but this one is great!
Wide sites, friendly staff, and good utilities. You would love it, because there is a big lake nearby, Brantley Lake, where you could go fishing! Shortly after we set up camp a couple pulled in next to us. with their two Boston Terriers! You should have seen Sasha play with Cosmo and Gidget!
It's about 50 miles south to the actual Carlsbad Caverns Park, so we took advantage of picking up an hour when we changed into Mountain Time Zone, and cruised down there to check it out. I certainly don't remember what the town of Carlsbad looked like in 1947, but it probably hasn't changed much since then!
There is a lot of oil field activity around here, part of the West Texas Oil Patch, I expect. I remember how you always hoped that oil would be discovered on the Old Place, so you could give up farming and take it easy! That never happened and you worked like....well, a farmer....your whole life.
We eventually made it to Carlsbad Caverns, about 55 miles from the rv park.
We were granted complimentary access to the caverns because we have a Senior Access Pass. If I remember correctly, you were the one that advised us to get the pass 10 years ago or so. Good tip! We decided not to take the Main Entrance path into the caverns due to the fact that the trail is 1.25 miles long, and 750 high, in a corkscrew configuration! Instead we took an elevator 750 straight down to the Big Room. This trail is likewise about 1.3 miles long, but as you and Mom will remember, takes a visitor through some of the most magnificent cave formations in the world.
Sediment accumulated on top of water that filtered through the limestone into the cavern. Eventually the water disappeared, leaving limestone filigree.
This one is aptly named Rock of Ages. It is the single largest formation in the caverns.
At every turn another awesome formation presents itself.
This pool of water is absolutely clear and seems to disappear in the depths.
A ladder used during a National Geographic sponsored expedition to the Bottomless Pit is still (sort of) in place. I would hate to use it these days!
These pools of water have collected over years, but have no outlet from the caverns. They simply stay in the low points, hoping that visitors do not throw contaminated coins and such into them.
Named the Dolls Theater, this formation is awe inspiring!
Although 95% of the structures in the caverns are no longer building on themselves, we saw one huge shape hanging from the ceiling with a single bright spot of water hanging from it. Come back in a million years or so to see what happened!
This is called "The Chinese Theater":
We ended up spending more than 2 hours in the caverns. We were constantly passed by people hurrying through as if to check another National Park off their lists as soon as possible. The formations were very nicely lit to show their best features, but of course, there is always someone with a million candlepower led light examining every nook and cranny. We took our time enjoying the sights as you taught us to.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, Dad, as I know you and Mom did those many years ago. While I'm sure the lighting and maybe the paved trail with stainless steel handrails didn't exist, I know you enjoyed your experience.
Our return to Carlsbad took us into downtown.
We stopped at La Patrona, a mexican food truck, for a taco/burrito. What a great lunch! Delicious! Returning home, we took Sasha to the dog park for a bit of a run, and then started a water softener regeneration. The water here is awful, Pop!
Thanks, Dad, for the spirit of adventure you passed on. We sometimes forget how beautiful this country is, and how fortunate we are to be able to see a small part of it. We are looking forward to getting home and seeing family and friends, and seeing Mom and Sis on the way is an added bonus for sure! We'll have a nice visit with them, but I wish you were going to be there.
Happy Birthday, Dad!!
Do you remember, Dad, when you and Mom took your long-delayed honeymoon 70 years ago? World War II got in the way somewhere along the line, and then you had to start a life with a family that had waited for you. After a bit you saved a little money and found a little time and you and Mom drove a '40 Ford coupe from California to Arizona, New Mexico, and points east. You visited an Army buddy in Wisconsin for awhile, from the pictures I've seen. I was only two or so, and don't remember the trip, but this must have been one of the first times you could enjoy traveling! You never lost that love!
One of the places you visited was Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. I'm happy to tell you that yesterday Donna and I drove 192 miles west from Lubbock, Texas, and stopped in an rv park just north of the town of Carlsbad. It's a KOA, which you know, Dad, that we don't usually like, but this one is great!
Wide sites, friendly staff, and good utilities. You would love it, because there is a big lake nearby, Brantley Lake, where you could go fishing! Shortly after we set up camp a couple pulled in next to us. with their two Boston Terriers! You should have seen Sasha play with Cosmo and Gidget!
It's about 50 miles south to the actual Carlsbad Caverns Park, so we took advantage of picking up an hour when we changed into Mountain Time Zone, and cruised down there to check it out. I certainly don't remember what the town of Carlsbad looked like in 1947, but it probably hasn't changed much since then!
There is a lot of oil field activity around here, part of the West Texas Oil Patch, I expect. I remember how you always hoped that oil would be discovered on the Old Place, so you could give up farming and take it easy! That never happened and you worked like....well, a farmer....your whole life.
We eventually made it to Carlsbad Caverns, about 55 miles from the rv park.
We were granted complimentary access to the caverns because we have a Senior Access Pass. If I remember correctly, you were the one that advised us to get the pass 10 years ago or so. Good tip! We decided not to take the Main Entrance path into the caverns due to the fact that the trail is 1.25 miles long, and 750 high, in a corkscrew configuration! Instead we took an elevator 750 straight down to the Big Room. This trail is likewise about 1.3 miles long, but as you and Mom will remember, takes a visitor through some of the most magnificent cave formations in the world.
Sediment accumulated on top of water that filtered through the limestone into the cavern. Eventually the water disappeared, leaving limestone filigree.
This one is aptly named Rock of Ages. It is the single largest formation in the caverns.
At every turn another awesome formation presents itself.
This pool of water is absolutely clear and seems to disappear in the depths.
A ladder used during a National Geographic sponsored expedition to the Bottomless Pit is still (sort of) in place. I would hate to use it these days!
These pools of water have collected over years, but have no outlet from the caverns. They simply stay in the low points, hoping that visitors do not throw contaminated coins and such into them.
Named the Dolls Theater, this formation is awe inspiring!
Although 95% of the structures in the caverns are no longer building on themselves, we saw one huge shape hanging from the ceiling with a single bright spot of water hanging from it. Come back in a million years or so to see what happened!
This is called "The Chinese Theater":
We ended up spending more than 2 hours in the caverns. We were constantly passed by people hurrying through as if to check another National Park off their lists as soon as possible. The formations were very nicely lit to show their best features, but of course, there is always someone with a million candlepower led light examining every nook and cranny. We took our time enjoying the sights as you taught us to.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, Dad, as I know you and Mom did those many years ago. While I'm sure the lighting and maybe the paved trail with stainless steel handrails didn't exist, I know you enjoyed your experience.
Our return to Carlsbad took us into downtown.
We stopped at La Patrona, a mexican food truck, for a taco/burrito. What a great lunch! Delicious! Returning home, we took Sasha to the dog park for a bit of a run, and then started a water softener regeneration. The water here is awful, Pop!
Thanks, Dad, for the spirit of adventure you passed on. We sometimes forget how beautiful this country is, and how fortunate we are to be able to see a small part of it. We are looking forward to getting home and seeing family and friends, and seeing Mom and Sis on the way is an added bonus for sure! We'll have a nice visit with them, but I wish you were going to be there.
Happy Birthday, Dad!!
A Heart as Big as Texas
Our last day in Lubbock dawned grey, with a slight drizzle. We were waiting for the washing machine part to arrive and had some time to fill until we got "The Call". Lubbock is a quiet town considering it's size, without buildings much over twenty stories tall, but spread out over many square miles. It's an agricultural town, the home of Texas Tech, where Cotton is King, but fine Quarter Horses and Hereford cattle come in close behind. This is a big part of Texas, where you can see nearly to Mexico and the wind blows constantly. Only the generosity of the people of West Texas is bigger than the view.
About fifty miles north of Lubbock lies the small town of Plainview. Now Plainview doesn't have a lot to brag about, being a small farming town and all, but what the town is unquestionably proud of is the fact that it is the hometown of Jimmy Dean. Born to a God-fearing Baptist mother who was a regular at the Seth Ward Baptist Church, Jimmy, like so many before and since, grew up with gospel music in his veins. In spite of himself, he learned moral values and a love of family that he never forgot.
Jimmy joined the Merchant Marine as soon as he was able, and after serving his required year, joined the Army Air Corps.
After his military service, Jimmy found himself doing singing gigs in clubs and bars, but got a break one day when an acquaintance asked him to join an established singing group. He soon was the star of the show and moved to Washington, D.C., where he and his band caught the eye of some television people. He soon had his own show, The Town and Country Show. One of his first interviews on the show was with a shy young man named Elvis Presley. Jimmy later said the interview went like this:
Jimmy: So you're going to do a show tonight?
Elvis: Yep.
Jimmy: It"s on a boat. Have you ever worked on a boat before?
Elvis: Nope.
Jimmy: I imagine you're looking forward to this aren't you?
Elvis: Yep.
"Big Bad John" was perhaps Jimmy's most famous hit. He wrote it on the back of a scrap of paper he found in the seat back in front of him on an airline flight from New York to Nashville in 1961. During the recording session in Nashville, legendary Floyd Cramer picked up a piece of steel being used as ballast to hold up a tv camera and began to strike it with a hammer. Holding it close to a microphone, and with instructions to the sound engineer to "put some echo on it", Floyd worked some magic and the sound of a pick striking a vein of coal became a vital part of the performance.
Jimmy had hit the big time, with performances across the nation, including Las Vegas. Check out this story of one of his performances:
Jimmy valued family above all, and often remembered his Grandfather's advice: "Be yourself, Boy, because if people don't like you as you are, they're not going to like you as somebody you're trying to be." One year, while visiting family in Plainview for Christmas, he took interest in hog farming, visiting his first cousin Lucy's farm. He soon brought his brother into the picture and, with Lucy's husband, changed the name to The Jimmy Dean Pig Parlor. Eating breakfast one morning in Plainview, Jimmy bit into a piece of gristle in his sausage. That was it, and the sausage story began.
The newly formed Jimmy Dean Meat Company opened for business in Plainview. The grand opening was called "the biggest thing to hit the Texas Panhandle since irrigation", and even had the Governor at the time, Preston Smith, in attendance. Over the years, in addition to his musical career, Jimmy served on the board of his company. He sold the company to Consolidated Foods (Sara Lee) and became a spokesperson for his sausage. After investing 35 years in a company he started in his hometown, Sara Lee and Jimmy parted ways. Jimmy always said "somebody doesn't like Sara Lee". He sold all but one of his shares in the company, just as a souvenir.
Jimmy Dean was a true Texan. Born poor, he never forgot what good fortune he had enjoyed. The last picture in the museum dedicated to him in Plainview says it all:
We left the Jimmy Dean museum with a renewed sense of love for the people of this country. Yeah, there are a lot of yo-yo's, but so many Americans hold onto their belief in the basic goodness of people. Jimmy's company motto was "Do what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it, and try to do it a little better than you said you would." You can't do better than that.
On the way out of Plainview, knowing that we had an hour's drive ahead of us, we stopped at Java The Hut to pick up a hot drink.
Gotta have it!
We picked up the appliance part on the way home, put it in when we got back, and turned on the washing machine......nothing! Oh, well, I guess it's the laundromat for us until we get home and can have it looked at professionally. Drat!
About fifty miles north of Lubbock lies the small town of Plainview. Now Plainview doesn't have a lot to brag about, being a small farming town and all, but what the town is unquestionably proud of is the fact that it is the hometown of Jimmy Dean. Born to a God-fearing Baptist mother who was a regular at the Seth Ward Baptist Church, Jimmy, like so many before and since, grew up with gospel music in his veins. In spite of himself, he learned moral values and a love of family that he never forgot.
Jimmy joined the Merchant Marine as soon as he was able, and after serving his required year, joined the Army Air Corps.
After his military service, Jimmy found himself doing singing gigs in clubs and bars, but got a break one day when an acquaintance asked him to join an established singing group. He soon was the star of the show and moved to Washington, D.C., where he and his band caught the eye of some television people. He soon had his own show, The Town and Country Show. One of his first interviews on the show was with a shy young man named Elvis Presley. Jimmy later said the interview went like this:
Jimmy: So you're going to do a show tonight?
Elvis: Yep.
Jimmy: It"s on a boat. Have you ever worked on a boat before?
Elvis: Nope.
Jimmy: I imagine you're looking forward to this aren't you?
Elvis: Yep.
"Big Bad John" was perhaps Jimmy's most famous hit. He wrote it on the back of a scrap of paper he found in the seat back in front of him on an airline flight from New York to Nashville in 1961. During the recording session in Nashville, legendary Floyd Cramer picked up a piece of steel being used as ballast to hold up a tv camera and began to strike it with a hammer. Holding it close to a microphone, and with instructions to the sound engineer to "put some echo on it", Floyd worked some magic and the sound of a pick striking a vein of coal became a vital part of the performance.
Jimmy had hit the big time, with performances across the nation, including Las Vegas. Check out this story of one of his performances:
Jimmy valued family above all, and often remembered his Grandfather's advice: "Be yourself, Boy, because if people don't like you as you are, they're not going to like you as somebody you're trying to be." One year, while visiting family in Plainview for Christmas, he took interest in hog farming, visiting his first cousin Lucy's farm. He soon brought his brother into the picture and, with Lucy's husband, changed the name to The Jimmy Dean Pig Parlor. Eating breakfast one morning in Plainview, Jimmy bit into a piece of gristle in his sausage. That was it, and the sausage story began.
The newly formed Jimmy Dean Meat Company opened for business in Plainview. The grand opening was called "the biggest thing to hit the Texas Panhandle since irrigation", and even had the Governor at the time, Preston Smith, in attendance. Over the years, in addition to his musical career, Jimmy served on the board of his company. He sold the company to Consolidated Foods (Sara Lee) and became a spokesperson for his sausage. After investing 35 years in a company he started in his hometown, Sara Lee and Jimmy parted ways. Jimmy always said "somebody doesn't like Sara Lee". He sold all but one of his shares in the company, just as a souvenir.
Jimmy Dean was a true Texan. Born poor, he never forgot what good fortune he had enjoyed. The last picture in the museum dedicated to him in Plainview says it all:
We left the Jimmy Dean museum with a renewed sense of love for the people of this country. Yeah, there are a lot of yo-yo's, but so many Americans hold onto their belief in the basic goodness of people. Jimmy's company motto was "Do what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it, and try to do it a little better than you said you would." You can't do better than that.
On the way out of Plainview, knowing that we had an hour's drive ahead of us, we stopped at Java The Hut to pick up a hot drink.
Gotta have it!
We picked up the appliance part on the way home, put it in when we got back, and turned on the washing machine......nothing! Oh, well, I guess it's the laundromat for us until we get home and can have it looked at professionally. Drat!
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Windy City - Lubbock, Texas
We left Amarillo Sunday morning, heading south on I 27, heading for more of the vast high plains of west Texas. We could call I 27 one of the country's backroads if the amount of traffic was the criteria, since there was very little of it, but our destination, Lubbock, is a city of 230,000 people, plus or minus, and that is definitely not a byway! There's not much to see along this route,
and the road is just about as straight as can be, so along with the 75 mph speed limit (actual closer to 85). we got through the 131 miles in short order. We're staying a few days at the Camelot Village RV Park on 34th Street, off the 289 Loop. Texas has adopted a road system that fronts freeways with parallel highways. The frontage roads are one-way and multi-lane, so vehicles are constantly zigging and zagging, merging on and off the freeway. Kinda interesting when you drive a 50,000 lb motorhome off the freeway and immediately need to drift across 4 lanes of traffic to make a right turn! In any case, we made it with only minor tire scuffing, and set up camp in site 78. The park is completely paved, with concrete pads for every site. Most of the park is occupied by long-term residents, but everything is spotlessly clean and neat. Nice place! And the price is right, too!
We didn't have to check in (the office was closed), so we set about taking the non-op washing machine in the motorhome apart. Fortunately, most major components are accessible from the front of the machine, behind a removable panel, so with the help of the tech manual (thank you internet), we started checking parts. One part showed defective, but I don't know enough about these machines to know if it is the problem. In any case, on Monday morning, I found an appliance store nearby and ordered a new part. Should be in by Wednesday, so we'll see how it all shakes out then!
Today, Tuesday, after spending most of Monday doing laundry in the laundry room in the park and washing the car and motorhome, we decided to have a little fun. Considering that Lubbock is directly in the path of a river of wind coming in off the Gulf of Mexico, our first stop was the American Wind Power Center. This museum of wind power celebrates the history of wind powered machines, and contains a huge collection of antique and one-of-a-kind wind machines.
This Zenith wind powered generator from the 1930's was primarily used to power small electric appliances such as radios.
During World War II, GI's in the Pacific rigged wind machines built out of scrap material to makeshift washing machines so they could have clean clothes once in awhile. Pretty ingenious, these Americans!
There are hundreds of wind machines housed in the main building, including this "vane-less" machine.
Considering the constant wind in Texas, and the likely chance of a tornado, we were interested to find this tornado damaged wind machine. This was an "Eclipse" style windmill that had side vanes to help govern the speed of the machine. The vanes were attached to steel pipes that extended parallel to the wheel. After ripping away the complete wheel, tail, brake, and tower, the circular motion of the winds wrapped one of the steel pipe arms four times around the hub!
Perhaps that's why the signature T-shirt in the museum is:
Outside, dozens of windmills are on display, many of them circling in the afternoon breeze (ok, wind).
This Flowered Hundred Post Mill is perhaps the most unusual in the museum's collection. In 1619, the Governor of Virginia, Sir Yeardley, established a private settlement, of "hundred" on the James River. By 1621, Yardley had built the first wind driven grist mill in North America. In 1977, Mr. and Mrs. Haarrison, owners of the Flowerdew Hundred, commissioned an English millwright, Derek Ogden, to build a replica. This "post mill", so called because all the machinery sits atop a huge post, allowing it to turned into the wind, has now been moved to this museum, and is a working grist mill. The small wheel in the rear is a nod to an improvement to this type of windmill that was introduced in 1746, and kept the windmill automatically turned into the wind. Obviously not an original part.
Our second stop of the day was the National Ranching Heritage Center on the campus of Texas Tech. Tech has a student body of 35,000 students and covers hundred of acres north of downtown. Constant expansion of the campus is the norm, and event though the University was established 50-odd years ago, there are still huge tracts of land still available. This is a huge university!
In any case, the museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the high plains. Huge donations by the 6666 Ranch (called Four Sixes around here), The Mallet Ranch, and the Pitchfork ranch has given us a glimpse of how rough life was back in the day.
This 1780's era fortified home is the earliest on display in the 17 acre outdoor park. Called "Los Corralitos", it is made from cut sandstone, mud and mortar, and has small gunport in the walls.
From the Matador Ranch, this half-dugout was cut into a bank with the door facing southeast to catch cooling breezes. Ranchers and their families moved to better housing as soon as possible to avoid the snakes and critters that liked to share the dugout with them.
This Box-and-Strip (or Board and Batt) home from about 1903 became popular when railroads began delivering scarce wood building material to the southwest. The walls were only as thick as the vertical boards, with no insulation, and when the wind blew, the walls actually moved. I know because that's the kind of house I grew up in!
In 1879, when this bunkhouse was built, cowboys slept wherever they were. Ofttimes these widely scattered bunkhouses would stand empty for months, but when needed, they provided shelter. It's said that the first fire of the season in the fireplace was exciting because all the snakes who had been hiding during the summer came out....!
This "Fort Worth Spudder" was used to find oil in the '30's. Brute force and awkwardness were the trademarks of the machine, because a series of belts attached to a power source raised and dropped a bit to drill a hole up to 6,000 feet deep. Bang, bang!
A huge exhibit of branding irons is in one of the barns. Hundreds of irons are on display, along with stories about them and their owners. This King Ranch "Running W" is one of the most famous.
Inside the main museum, a side room told us the story of the Western Bandanna. Turkey Red is the name given to cloth dyed with materials originally from the country of Turkey. A yard of this material was used as a dust mask, sunburn protection, washcloth, and sweatband.
This "Hat-in-the-Ring" bandanna promoted Teddy Roosevelt's presidential ambitions in 1912.
The Code of the West sculpture represents common sense values of working for what you get, helping neighbors, taking care of family, and having your handshake and word be your bond. What a concept.
An extensive display of frontier handguns resides in another room of the museum, This Texas Ranger commemorative edition of the Model 19 .357 revolver has the Texas state seal embossed on the it.
Outside near the entry to the Ranching Heritage Museum stands a bronze sculpture of Captain Samuel "Burk" Burnett, the founder of the Four Sixes in 1868, when he purchased 100 head of cattle from Frank Crowley of Denison, Texas, that were already branded with 6666. Today the Four Six encompasses over 300,000 acres, and is owned and operated by Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion (known as "Little Anne"), the great-granddaughter of Captain Burnett.
A marble bench at the entry commemorates Captain Burnett.
After a steak dinner at Bryan's Steakhouse,
We returned to Nessie for a wonderful West Texas sunset.
and the road is just about as straight as can be, so along with the 75 mph speed limit (actual closer to 85). we got through the 131 miles in short order. We're staying a few days at the Camelot Village RV Park on 34th Street, off the 289 Loop. Texas has adopted a road system that fronts freeways with parallel highways. The frontage roads are one-way and multi-lane, so vehicles are constantly zigging and zagging, merging on and off the freeway. Kinda interesting when you drive a 50,000 lb motorhome off the freeway and immediately need to drift across 4 lanes of traffic to make a right turn! In any case, we made it with only minor tire scuffing, and set up camp in site 78. The park is completely paved, with concrete pads for every site. Most of the park is occupied by long-term residents, but everything is spotlessly clean and neat. Nice place! And the price is right, too!
We didn't have to check in (the office was closed), so we set about taking the non-op washing machine in the motorhome apart. Fortunately, most major components are accessible from the front of the machine, behind a removable panel, so with the help of the tech manual (thank you internet), we started checking parts. One part showed defective, but I don't know enough about these machines to know if it is the problem. In any case, on Monday morning, I found an appliance store nearby and ordered a new part. Should be in by Wednesday, so we'll see how it all shakes out then!
Today, Tuesday, after spending most of Monday doing laundry in the laundry room in the park and washing the car and motorhome, we decided to have a little fun. Considering that Lubbock is directly in the path of a river of wind coming in off the Gulf of Mexico, our first stop was the American Wind Power Center. This museum of wind power celebrates the history of wind powered machines, and contains a huge collection of antique and one-of-a-kind wind machines.
This Zenith wind powered generator from the 1930's was primarily used to power small electric appliances such as radios.
During World War II, GI's in the Pacific rigged wind machines built out of scrap material to makeshift washing machines so they could have clean clothes once in awhile. Pretty ingenious, these Americans!
There are hundreds of wind machines housed in the main building, including this "vane-less" machine.
Considering the constant wind in Texas, and the likely chance of a tornado, we were interested to find this tornado damaged wind machine. This was an "Eclipse" style windmill that had side vanes to help govern the speed of the machine. The vanes were attached to steel pipes that extended parallel to the wheel. After ripping away the complete wheel, tail, brake, and tower, the circular motion of the winds wrapped one of the steel pipe arms four times around the hub!
Perhaps that's why the signature T-shirt in the museum is:
Outside, dozens of windmills are on display, many of them circling in the afternoon breeze (ok, wind).
This Flowered Hundred Post Mill is perhaps the most unusual in the museum's collection. In 1619, the Governor of Virginia, Sir Yeardley, established a private settlement, of "hundred" on the James River. By 1621, Yardley had built the first wind driven grist mill in North America. In 1977, Mr. and Mrs. Haarrison, owners of the Flowerdew Hundred, commissioned an English millwright, Derek Ogden, to build a replica. This "post mill", so called because all the machinery sits atop a huge post, allowing it to turned into the wind, has now been moved to this museum, and is a working grist mill. The small wheel in the rear is a nod to an improvement to this type of windmill that was introduced in 1746, and kept the windmill automatically turned into the wind. Obviously not an original part.
Our second stop of the day was the National Ranching Heritage Center on the campus of Texas Tech. Tech has a student body of 35,000 students and covers hundred of acres north of downtown. Constant expansion of the campus is the norm, and event though the University was established 50-odd years ago, there are still huge tracts of land still available. This is a huge university!
In any case, the museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the high plains. Huge donations by the 6666 Ranch (called Four Sixes around here), The Mallet Ranch, and the Pitchfork ranch has given us a glimpse of how rough life was back in the day.
This 1780's era fortified home is the earliest on display in the 17 acre outdoor park. Called "Los Corralitos", it is made from cut sandstone, mud and mortar, and has small gunport in the walls.
From the Matador Ranch, this half-dugout was cut into a bank with the door facing southeast to catch cooling breezes. Ranchers and their families moved to better housing as soon as possible to avoid the snakes and critters that liked to share the dugout with them.
This Box-and-Strip (or Board and Batt) home from about 1903 became popular when railroads began delivering scarce wood building material to the southwest. The walls were only as thick as the vertical boards, with no insulation, and when the wind blew, the walls actually moved. I know because that's the kind of house I grew up in!
In 1879, when this bunkhouse was built, cowboys slept wherever they were. Ofttimes these widely scattered bunkhouses would stand empty for months, but when needed, they provided shelter. It's said that the first fire of the season in the fireplace was exciting because all the snakes who had been hiding during the summer came out....!
This "Fort Worth Spudder" was used to find oil in the '30's. Brute force and awkwardness were the trademarks of the machine, because a series of belts attached to a power source raised and dropped a bit to drill a hole up to 6,000 feet deep. Bang, bang!
A huge exhibit of branding irons is in one of the barns. Hundreds of irons are on display, along with stories about them and their owners. This King Ranch "Running W" is one of the most famous.
Inside the main museum, a side room told us the story of the Western Bandanna. Turkey Red is the name given to cloth dyed with materials originally from the country of Turkey. A yard of this material was used as a dust mask, sunburn protection, washcloth, and sweatband.
This "Hat-in-the-Ring" bandanna promoted Teddy Roosevelt's presidential ambitions in 1912.
The Code of the West sculpture represents common sense values of working for what you get, helping neighbors, taking care of family, and having your handshake and word be your bond. What a concept.
An extensive display of frontier handguns resides in another room of the museum, This Texas Ranger commemorative edition of the Model 19 .357 revolver has the Texas state seal embossed on the it.
Outside near the entry to the Ranching Heritage Museum stands a bronze sculpture of Captain Samuel "Burk" Burnett, the founder of the Four Sixes in 1868, when he purchased 100 head of cattle from Frank Crowley of Denison, Texas, that were already branded with 6666. Today the Four Six encompasses over 300,000 acres, and is owned and operated by Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion (known as "Little Anne"), the great-granddaughter of Captain Burnett.
A marble bench at the entry commemorates Captain Burnett.
After a steak dinner at Bryan's Steakhouse,
We returned to Nessie for a wonderful West Texas sunset.
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