Lake Mineral Wells - Reststop near Decatur

Man, welcome to Texas. We've spent the last few days in shorts uncomfortably warm at 90 degrees. Today it didn't get above 47 and it's slotted to drop to 27 tonight. Being in Texas, it will change again in a few days back up to the high 80's and then some rain. Ya can't get bored with the weather.

Even in the 20 - 30mph Northern cold wind, I was determined to see some of the park in the daylight. We hiked and climbed rocks around Peneteniary Rock. Another site that will be beautiful in two months. Today it was a lot of fun. I didn't realize Texas had any landscape like this. The city folks come here for rock climbing. Even though I didn't see anything taller than Stony Point in Chatsworth, CA, it was tall compare to the flat landscape we saw the last few days.

We headed on out battling the wind, hoping to make Dallas which is only a couple of hours. We didn't get far before the weather won. We drove by Bridgeport. Very pretty town and seems so out of place. North of I20 in the country is very pleasant. Lakes, green meadows, gently rolling hills. I didn't get a photo, but this is a web photo of a place in the area. This picture doesn't do the area justice.

We're spending the night at a rest stop just north of Decatur. Part of the budget aspect and the wind's just too bad to drive in. The state parks of Texas charge camping fees plus an entrance fee per person. We're taking advantage of being near a town with internet. Clint worked on his website and I added the photos to the last week's worth of blogs. We'll be heading into north Dallas tomorrow.

Lake Colorado City - Lake Mineral Wells

Most of the day was spent traveling. We attempted to visit a few other tourist stops, but we had no where to stop the RV. The streets and parking were too small to pull over.

We camped at Lake Minerals Wells State Park. The park is huge, close to a metropolitan area and recently repaved. I can tell that the contractor responsible for laying out the sites has no experience with large RV's of any kind. The turns are sharp and even though the sites are long, there's no maneuvering room to back the rigs in.

After setting up, we took a sunset hike. Another park which is probably beautiful when fully green. Right now, the oaks are barren, the cattails dried out and a cold northern wind has come. We heard ducks and geese fly overhead. Our bodies are going through climate shock (welcome to Texas). Yesterday we slept with the windows open and last night we had the heater on in freezing (literally) weather.

I did enjoy civilization for grocery shopping and having meat for dinner. Supper was great. Oh, and my twist to the Farkle game was fun... and the distraction allowed me to stomp Clint both times.

West Texas - Monahans, Odessa, Colorado City

We’ve been touring through the great state of Texas – west Texas with little to no internet access. Wide open spaces starting with rocking mountains of limestone VERY GRADUALLY shrinking to flat open prairie. Even though it’s 80 – 90 degrees, it’s still winter and brown. The shrub trees nor the small oak trees have any green on them. The prairie grass is dead. And it’s all accented by grayish brown limestone.

After leaving Pecos, I was determined to find something to be a tourist about. First stop, Monahan Sandhills State Park. Damien – to slide down the sandhills, we need to use a cheap round plastic sled or a simple wooden board. Since the winter winds have shrunk the hills, we chose not to play. We enjoyed the birds and checking out the little tracks in the sand. I fully enjoyed the Visitors Center. I learned a lot about how sand dunes are made. The Texas ones are babies compared to Death Valley and Sand Mountain in Nevada, but at least you don’t have as high to climb back up after sledding. The Park Rangers were very friendly – we think they may have been bored, yet I enjoyed all the info they shared. They were a couple – the wife shared her photos of the wildlife seen there while the hubby shared stories of the bison around Lubbock. I also learned that I20 follows the exact same trail the local Indians showed the pioneers before territorial wars broke out. The trail or I20 stops at watering holes through the desolate flat prairie – which now is covered with oil drills.

Back on the road, we passed by a huge billboard which read “Stanton – 3000 Friendly People and a Few Old Soreheads”. An interesting way of advertising your city.

Outside of Odessa, we stopped at the Meteor Crater. Seems that the scientists didn’t realize this hole was from a meteor until about 10 years ago. The hole was almost filled in and not impressive – especially after seeing the Meteor Crater in Arizona. I was shocked to learn that another crater exists south of here that’s over 10 times larger than the one we saw in Arizona. I did enjoy their Visitors Center though, especially the specimens such as the large crystalline olivine within a meteor, or the tektites from around the world. Moldavite, Libyan Glass, and other specialties are names to specify where the tektite comes from. Each one has its own unique look created when the meteor hit the ground, melting the sand, flinging it into the air (some going back into the atmosphere), immediately freezing, and falling back to earth. The content of the sand will affect the color and texture of the tektite.

I enjoyed the stories the best though – especially the one where the Apaches watched the “God” fall to the earth and retrieved what was left. They carried the meteorite around with the tribe for decades until the newer generations turned over the “rock” to the military who placed it in a University museum. Another group of early man observed their “God” fall to the earth, recovered “him” and mummified the meteorite. Clint enjoyed seeing the 23lb. meteor that fell through a lady’s car in Florida. Oh, our lonely visit was changed when a Senior Citizen bus stopped to take a tour. The comments were entertaining. Some were fascinated others wanted to know "why did they leave to see a big hole in the ground".

Our West Texas tour took us into Odessa. I'm surprised. It's actually kinda nice and modern. We stopped at the University to tour the horizontally correct replica of Stonehenge. Since I don't know if I'll ever make it to England, I wanted to stop and see. It's only 2/3 as tall, but still impressive in height. I'm surprised at how small the inner circles are and yet fascinated on the astronomical aspects. It would be fun to see this at an equinox and/or solstice.

Back on the road again, through Sweetwater and the County of Nolan. I missed the photo opportunity of a sign with Nolan's name.

We spent the night at Lake Colorado City. At first I wasn’t too thrilled with the park. Flat, brown with the main attraction a small lake that cools a local electric plant. I was also hot. Another day at 90 degrees and the evening wasn’t cooling down much. As I adjusted, I came to appreciate the area. At first it reminded me of Northlake by its look, but gradually it began to feel like South Texas – home. I very much enjoyed the covered fishing pier that I could sit on to watch the sunset and read.

On my sunset hike,

I came across my first live, wild armadillo. He was scouring in the brush near a dry creek bed. After my shock of seeing him, I was fascinated at how much noise he made. He had no fear of being heard. I didn't have a camera with me but this stock photo is close to how it look except his paws were on a branch and he was nibbling in a brush.

I slept with my windows open enjoying the warm breeze – more like a strong wind, but still felt great. I did forget how many bugs and insects Texas has. Those I did not miss.

Texas - El Paso to Pecos

We headed out of New Mexico. I think I may have worn Clint out with all the hiking the last few days. He's happy to just drive a while. After spending the day at the City of Rocks and rockhunting in the forest, Clint bypassed Rockhound Park for this trip and any other sightseeing expeditions for New Mexico.

We stopped at the Texas Travelers Center just past the border and left with three bags of brochures. I'm more appreciative of the size of Texas after driving through Arizona and New Mexico. I feel like Texas is at least 3 separate states if not five. And we drive for hours now with little landscape change.

Clint stopped at El Paso Saddlebag Blanket to see if they're viable as a wholesaler. They have nice items mostly blankets, saddles and pottery. Unfortunately he's unable to carry the items he was interested in due to lack of room in the RV. But it is another fun place to take the grandkids. Inexpensive and fun to look around.

We opted not to go to Big Bend. After so much desert for the past month, we're wanting to see green. Due to the time of year and lack of rain, no flowers blooming. I didn't see any photos that called me....until we had passed the last turnoff. Now I think it would be fun to go rafting through the canyons. Maybe another trip or on the way home.

We arrived in Pecos to spend the night at a Truck Stop. I watched a real cowboy herding his cows for dinner. Kinda cool! It is very warm here. It hit 90! I spent the evening reading up on possible sites to stop at on the way to Dallas. With no internet or TV, Clint and I chatted and read. Very nice.

City of Rocks - New Mexico

While heading out of Silver City towards Deming, we passed a sign for City of Rocks State Park. Fate greeted us at the gate with a Roadrunner and a gentleman saying they just had a campsite open up and directed us to Saturn (site E6). All the campsites are named after an Astronomy item. The electric sites were the planets. The non-electric were constellations. (Those white boxes seen in the front are the RV's. If you double-click on the photo, it will enlarge to allow full appreciation of the "city" and its surroundings.)

The park is 40 miles from anywhere in the middle of a wide open area surrounded by mountains 10 - 40 miles away. Millions of years ago a stratovolcano exploded throwing a huge piece of tuff (about 1 mile long x 1-1/2 stories tall). As it hardened, it shrank, cracked and eroded with water and wind causing "narrow streets" and "thin buildings" throughout. VERY FUN to climb around on and through. Reminds me of a medieval village with alleyways. Throughout the city, rocks exist with natural footholds with hollowed areas on top perfect for sitting or laying.

The stars at night were awesome! The park even has its own observatory that they open up once a month. A natural auditorium exists within the city that cuts out any lights that might possibly exist. We heard cows, coyotes and a wolf howl. The place feels so peaceful. And they have some of the coolest camping sites I've ever seen. The non-electric sites are placed around the outside of the city with places made into the city. Some have picnic tables hiding in a little rock house with no ceiling. Some have huge caves that a family size tent can fit into. One site looks like a three level house. Most of them are very private. Even if they had a full house, you could camp without anyone in site.

I enjoyed their Visitors Center and the footprint exhibit which identified many of the ones we saw at the riverbank the day before. And of course their "pet" rattlesnake sitting on the counter. He just wouldn't stay away from the front door no matter how often they'd take him away. Now he's a permanent resident (even though he's stuffed).

Highly recommend this area and would love to take the boys to crawl around. My biggest concern is Katy trying to keep up with them. It's easy to get up and a bit harder to get down.

Silver City, NM - Big Ditch, Javelin, & Obsidian

We stayed another night in Silver City which is 45 miles south of Gila Cliff National Monument and 40 miles north of I-10 in the southwest part of New Mexico. It's a nice central location for sight-seeing.

We toured the historical downtown of Silver City. I enjoyed chatting with the 80-year old man volunteering at the Visitors Center. He's lived here for over 50 years as a biology professor at the local university. He filled in parts of the city's history that I won't find written anywhere.

* Billy the Kid did live here for a few years but compared to the other scoundrels of the area, he was a pussycat. Seems Silver City was established about the same time as Tombstone and for the same reason - mining. Both cities had unscrupulous individuals come to find their fortunes. The mine was within a short walking distance to Main Street.

* This area is also in the heart of Apache territory. Seems as if their anger started at the copper pit within sight from where we're camping. The Apaches were farmers who were enslaved by the Spanish to work the copper mine. They revolted and continue doing so for centuries.

* I walked along Main Street and the park called the "Big Ditch". This was a river about 50 feet below street level. Pretty little park. Originally, Silver City's Main Street existed where the river now exists. The trees and shrubbery around the town were cut down for building, heat, fences, etc. which left the landscape unprotected to erosion. A major rain came which flowed down the mountain in the now barren areas which led all the water to Main Street. Overnight the street was washed away 35feet below ground... now a huge ditch. Within a few years, another flood occurred which washed away the rest of the loose dirt down to the hard rock leaving a ditch fifty feet deep.

I was fascinated that the landscape could change so dramatically in 12 hours. In an area that had no river or stream, just streets, now has a river and no street. The "Big Ditch" hit granite and is stable. The citizens have rocked up the sides of the 50 foot deep ditch to prevent sideways erosion.

* Silver City had many of their men fight in World War II. Some came back not quite mentally whole. The city cherished their "characters" and cared for them - even those that were Peeping Tom's or walked the streets a little crazy. The citizens just endeared them as part of their city.

* We did some hiking today looking for local wildlife at the National Bird and Wildlife Refuge. We saw no birds or wildlife except 3 LBT (Little Brown Things - tiny brown birds). The tracks along the river were awesome. Beaver, Raccoon, Deer, Coyote, Wolf?, Bird, and others. I believe the area will be teeming with life and beautiful in about a month or two. The area was surrounded with barren trees that I know will be lush by early summer.

* While crossing the bridge outside the Reserve we did see 4 wild Javelinas and 3 Sandhill Cranes. Unfortunately those rascals can move quickly and disappeared before we could catch a photo of the javelinas. They were just lounging at the bank of a river with the cranes near by.

* The scenery is beautiful west of Silver City. Large rolling hills with meadows surrounded by mountains. After touring the city and the wildlife refuge, we headed for a rock hounding spot to look for Apache Tears. The trip took us through a true forest with real trees - beautiful & comforting. We hiked along a sandy stream bed searching for obsidian which were easily found laying on the ground. The area was just so peaceful and beautiful. Clint caught an early butterfly visiting near by. I was surprised to realize that this tranquil place with the big open areas are calderas from violent ancient volcanoes.

Overall Silver City and the surrounding area is very nice. We could stay here for a long time and be very comfortable. The people are friendly, the area is peaceful and there's room to move. A downer - the copper pit (HUGE) is so bright at night that my night sky was washed out. I'd need to travel about 30 miles to have a great night sky. I believe just south of here the City of Rocks has a monthly astronomy club meeting. Oh, and the local Rock Club sounds like a lot of fun.

Silver City, NM - Gila National Monument

We woke early this morning and headed for Gila National Monument. We're parked in a KOA outside of Silver City... and NO TRAINS! The area is mountainous, with green cypress and many naked oak trees on large rolling hills covered with prairie grass. It's a very pretty combination. I'd love to see it in two months with the flowers blooming and all the trees full of leaves. Here's New Mexico's version of "warning falling rock".

Gila National Monument surprised me. The Mogollon's (the pueblo tribe native to this area and possibly ancestors of the Hopi) made their home in the ash tuft, the same type of land as in the Badlands. Except here, water and vegetation reappeared. We rode over an hour through snow and pines on winding roads. The mountain scenery opened up to the wilderness which is a large caldera that's green with the Gila River. Beautiful. The picture on the right is a distant view of the pueblo you see on the left. They're in the top layer of rock on the left side.

We were able to walk through the ruins, observe the petroglyphs, and learn a little about the culture there.
Not much is known about the short use of the home. Theories range from a tribe looking for a temporary place with water until the drought ended (about 30-35 years). Others believe the place was for the shaman and those in his/her support role for the tribe's ceremonies. The difference is because this place only houses about 60 people and they've recently found another housing structure very nearby that can hold over 1200 people. The mystery still lies in why they left after only 35 years of use.

These are fossiled corn cobs left by the original Mogollons 700 years ago.

Afterwards we hiked some more further downstream and played inside a single family's pueblo built into the wall near the river. Very cool. More room than our RV and very well hidden. This is tucked away under huge cliffs in a corner by the river.


A little further down the trail almost looked like where the kids hung out. They had a sliding rock (like the one my grandsons slid down in Yosemite) and across the path the walls were covered with petroglyphs. These are examples of the more elaborate ones.

Tombstone - Deming, NM

We're spending the night at WalMart in Deming, NM outside of Rockhound State Park. Clint wants to do a little digging. I'm seeing if I can swing by Gila Pueblo. The security guard here is great. We were escorted through the WalMart parking lot to a spot. Seems this is a VERY common place to stop. It does have the most RV's of any store parking lot we've seen in the past year. And of course, what would be RV camping without our lovely train nearby.

We spent the day at Tombstone. Fun place. If you visit, be prepared that it's not a national historical marker so everything costs to see. The people have done a pretty good job at keeping the town in its original format. I didn't realize the town was created due to gold and silver mining that exists within blocks of the main street.

The Birdcage caught my attention the most. This saloon has been left with its original paintings, bullet holes, advertisements, etc as it did at the turn of the century. We saw a bigger than life revealing painting of Little Egypt. The cages held the dancing ladies. I was just in awe of how open everything was compared to how uptight society is now.

My favorite sign was the law that went into effect June 17, 1881. It was law #7 made by Wyatt Earp: "Unattended and Unruly Children Will Be Arrested and Sold as Slaves". The law about paying respect at a hanging and not loud belching or farting (actual verbiage on law) was unique.

I was surprised to find a metaphysical store specializing in Witchy products at the end of the main Tombstone historical road. Seemed a little out of place, but fun. Many of the buildings held special ghost tours at night. This guy was near the OK Corral.

We ended our tour visiting Boothill. Because it had been refurbished, it didn't quite have an old west feel to it, but the causes of death were very unique. This cemetery felt very different than Old Sacramento's. The historian stated that due to the weather, the wooden grave markers disintegrated pretty quickly. They used records and eye-witness accounts back in the 30's to erect metal grave markers. Many of them are "Unknown" - found in mineshaft, or in the desert, or ??

I'm now on the lookout for the movie Tombstone. I've never seen it. I've always heard bits and pieces of the story and read the original newspaper articles in Tucson. My curiosity's now piqued.

We miss everyone and wish y'all a great weekend.

************Happy Early Birthday Nolan!!!************

Tucson - Oracle - Hiking

Thursday was a work day. We put new tires on the Jeep and resealed the roof of the RV. Took the whole day.

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Friday we received mail for the first time since we hit the road. Mostly junk, then bills, but a couple of nice letters. We're planning on leaving tomorrow so Clint can get to see his mom by the first of March. We wanted to see the Tucson mountains before we left. Didn't see the portion that has greenery, but I did enjoy hiking some along the Arizona Trail southeast of Oracle. We saw what we believe is a golden eagle perched on a scrawny cactus tree. Beautiful!

We passed by Catalina State Park. The Biosephere2 is close by. I'll be adding that to my things to see next year.
I enjoyed seeing a little snow at a distance on the mountains. There's skiing up in them thar hills. I really enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

The highlight of the day was listening to the news about the jaguar that was captured and tagged just southwest of Tucson - down a little south from the park we visited earlier this week. He's the same one they've seen crossing the border the last few years. Tidbit of info: he's the largest cat in the US and the only one that roars. This guy came in at 118 pounds.

Tucson - Maintenance Day

Ah, life. We play a little, we work a little. Today was maintenance day. Looks as if we will be pulling out of Tucson this weekend. Clint wants to make it to Dallas by March 3rd. Since we've own our home for a year now, it's time to do annual maintenance-- especially if we're going to do any boondock camping.

Our exciting day of generator oil & filter changes, Jeep tire research, inspections of heater & fridge outlets, and rear tire covers for the RV. I also did a little more research on the goings on in Tucson as far as workshops, events, etc. I'm amazed at how many different cultures exist within this small town. The architecture, the people, the priorities, the stores, the entertainment, etc. is all different.

Tucson has a university scene that is scholarly, focus on world events, and houses national and international acclaimed research especially in astronomy and archaeology. We've seen the international gem group in the smaller hotel chains. One area is very colorful, family oriented, few restaurants, lots of family events, and many of the stores list Spanish first. I was entertained by the woman in line at WalMart frustrated because she couldn't find an English language "trashy" magazine. She's right. The Spanish versions far outnumbered the English.

We've toured the newer area that is cookie-cutter. Reminds me of Elk Grove. Same chain stores and restaurants everywhere. We drove through a part of town that reminded me of Folsom around the zoo. Same park, zoo, police station, etc. Even the feel of the places are the same. I know we have a wealthier version along the foothills that I've not seen yet and of course the poorer areas which we've been through. I'm just fascinated with the diversity and how well it's connected to the world for being out in the middle of nowhere.

The landscape appears to be as diverse as the people. Within 30 minutes I can be at a desert, high desert, valley, or even to the top of a 9K foot mountain. I haven't seen many wild animals in town, but did see a bunny near a park. The architecture is as varied along with the age of the buildings. Some are thousands of years old while others are brand new. The city does an awesome job of bringing beauty to their roads. Most of the overpasses are pieces of art. I can tell when I'm nearing a major landmark based on the decor of the road.

Tomorrow is a roof maintenance day. I'm hoping to make it to the mountains afterwards. I'd really like to see the BioSphere and the SkyLab if possible. If not, I guess I'll have something to look forward to for the 2010 show.

Tucson Tourist - Museums

Sunday we visited the Arizona State Museum located at U of A. I didn't realize it was affiliated with the Smithsonian for Native American pottery identification, storage, display, etc. Kinda cool seeing their vault and workshop where the researchers identify and restore pottery over 2,000 years old. I enjoyed listening to the artist explain how she makes the pottery much more than the archaeologist's work.

I started the tour reading all the signs at the exhibit "Circles of Life: Katsina Imagery in Hopi Basketry". I feel kinda proud realizing that I finally could understand the differences and similarities between the katsinas by the end of the hall. Even more impressive, I could identify many of the markings on the kachinas in the museum store 3 days later. (I'm not sure if katsina and kachina stand for the same thing or not. I picked up that katsina is the more traditional name for the spirits, yet I also gathered that kachina is more of a physical form of the spirit. Maybe one day I'll find someone here to ask.)

I didn't finish the exhibition on the history and cultures of 7 different groups of indigenous peoples from this part of the country - or the Puebloans. They believe they're all related. I did have enough time to do a quick walk through. I loved the museums icon "Paths of Life" that depicts a variation of the Hopi's glyph on their arrival on this earthly plane. (Note: Clint has photos that I need to retrieve and post).

I did see photos of how the Hopi unmarried females fix their hair - very unique style. Reminds me of Princess Leia from Star Wars, except not as tightly spiraled, yet taller. I did get to check out some weaving and pottery techniques, boat making, and a little of the histories of a few of the cultures. I'd enjoy reading the rest of the stories.

Once it closed, I utilized the evening hours washing clothes. How fun. But it was quiet and I was able to do some reading.
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Monday - Car Repair Day which took most of the day and we still have a few follow-up steps to be done. We utilized our evening hours going to a 2D screening of Coraline. Currently, this feels like the strangest, oddest movie I've ever seen. My brain hurts attempting to make logic out of the things I saw. I want to see it again in 3D. We both thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I was in the movie completely disconnected from reality, totally immersed the entire time.

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Tuesday - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson just before the Saquaro National Forest. Another one of those forests where no trees exist. It's miles and miles of the single pole TALL cacti with an occasional left or right arm. This guy is over 140 years old and unique w/ 4 arms together.

This was well worth the $13 entrance fee. Another all-day museum visit and we were unable to see it all. The majority of the exhibits were outside, not in buildings. Watching the Harris Hawks flying freely across the desert was awesome. They're the only hawk breed that hunts and lives together. They even share the same cactus top. (Huge talons!)

I enjoyed playing in the man-made cavern the best. I saw my first javelin. The locals talked about seeing him in their yards and golf course like we talk about deer. But the beaver looking eye to eye at me shocked me the most. He was HUGE! bigger than most other animal I saw today except the mountain lion and maybe the wolf. Oh, the Mexican Wolf is beautiful! And the Elf Owl was TINY - smaller than the size of my open hand.

The desert flowers were just starting to bloom and should be beautiful next month. I was a little creeped out when I'd come around a corner to see a snake lying on the ground. He was behind plexiglass, but the exhibit was so well done you couldn't see it until you got really close. These pair of bobcats were fun to watch - looked like oversized kitties. The river otter was cute to watch during feeding time - very playful.Yes, I did see the beautiful mountain lion pictured in the museum logo - he's huge! but the fox on his own blankie was cuter and grabbed my heart.

We had as much fun outside the park as in, such as watching this shy Pyrrhuloxia (a type of cardinal) catching dinner. And where else would you see a sign in a parking lot warning you "not to feed the coyotes"?

It's one of those places I wish I had my kids and grandkids to share it with.

REMINDER: All photos can be double-clicked on to open them larger for better viewing.


PS: Organ Pipe Cactus - this native plant was on display at the museum with another guy. Approximately 20 miles away from the museum, hundreds of miles of these exist at the Organ Pipe National Monument. We may or may not go. Travel advisories exist due to the Mexican Drug Cartel battles flowing past the border. If we stay on the main drag and about 10 miles or so north of the border, we're suppose to be safe. I think I'm happy with this example. I don't need that much adventure.

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Personal: I haven't felt up to speed the last couple of days. Missing family and hit an uncomfortable spot in the Monkey Workbook. I'm grateful for Hulu as an escape along with the movie and museums. I've caught up on Bones and Medium.

We checked out Gilbert Ray Campground south of the museum and Grant's Pass. Desolate, but looks like it might be fun being out in the wilderness. We might even see a wild javelin. We're checking out the campgrounds on the east side next. Maybe tomorrow. I have a least 2 more museums to see, and if possible, a mission, a Biosphere, and a SkyLab.