Wednesday, May 30, 2012

OREGON OR BUST!

We landed in Montrose, Colorado, after going over the big pass and touring some cute historic towns along the way. Our new digs are quiet and peaceful next to a gurgling creek and lots of shade. We arrive early and Michael headed out to explore the “deepest canyon” in the United States. 1000 ft deeper than the Empire State Building is tall. I took a nap. When Michael returned he had a great tale to tell about driving MY CAR to the bottom of said canyon! But, he had enough of white knuckle driving for the day, AND regretfully no pictures.   The good news was we had outrun the smoke and wind.

We had a relaxing evening here, but are starting to feel like moving along and getting closer to our destination, so we only stayed one night and continued on into Utah to Green River. Unfortunately, my technical tools have been giving me some issues, or maybe just my brain is giving me issues, so I can’t find pictures of anything in Utah! I am sure I took some.....didn”t I????

Green River was a lovely little town and we stayed in the State Park right in town with 30-40 University of Montana geology tenters. It was fun to have the entertainment of so much youthful exuberance. Great place to study geology, the colored rocks varying from sage green, to bright red, to black. We had planned to cut through Utah with only 2 nights straight across US 50, but had to divert and go north to Salt Lake/Provo area in order to find some of my needed anti-inflammatory herbs. Success with that, but that put us at a huge city RV park in Salt Lake. It was okay, but not our style, so we headed out early for Nevada, which we knew would be a bit bleak after Utah.


SALT FIELDS FOREVER








Utah: Gorgeous, colorful, wholesome, wilderness appreciation.
Nevada: Bleak grey, forgotten American dump-ground, offering lap dances at the first sign.


NEVADA OUTBACK
OLD CABIN IN OPAL COUNTRY

To be fair, our one night in Nevada in Battle Mountain was not terrible, seemed to be a thriving little town, with gold mining and not much housing. Our park was newly built and filled to capacity by full-time workers.

But now we are ready for Oregon! My goal was to be there on my 65th birthday. On the last leg of Nevada rt 140 we began to ascend into Opal Country. Took a side trip up to this camp in the Sheldon Natl. Wildlife Refuge. The only wild life we saw was a couple who approached us selling OPALS. They were quite the pair, he with his cowboy hat and loose tails and she with skin the color of the desert dust. We looked at the opals they has packed in water, but declined to buy and promised to come back. When we drove away he was on his hands and knees looking for more opals in the desert sand. Ummhmmm........OPAL FEVER. This cabin built in the hill
may have been their home, but not sure. There was a lovely geologic pond there, which she was headed for.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

OH COLORADO!

We had a small reprieve with the wind and smoke on that last morning in New Mexico, but Michael was ready to get out of the desert! We high-tailed it north again, but still no reprieve from the conditions in the area. I am hoping for the best for all the people who live here

We stayed in an RV park in Durango, but had little desire to explore this lovely town, choking on smoke. Luckily, we had secured a nice spot for the night in a park which was loaded with road bicyclists that were running a 50 mile race through the mountain pass. YIKES!

Some time in the night, the wind subsided and the temperature dropped. We woke up to 23 degrees
and no smoke.....Yay!











We took off early and are headed to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, where Michael wants to explore and we are hoping for a 2 day stay. Traveling over a 10,000 ft pass in the Rockies is an awe inspiring vista. As I listened to veterans stories on NPR and tried to keep from driving off a cliff, I felt I could not be in a better place on Memorial Day. America, the beautiful, before my very eyes.
 
10,000 FEET and snow......
BIRTHDAY BOOTS, JUST IN TIME FOR COLORADO

Saturday, May 26, 2012

FIGHTING THE ELEMENTS IN NEW MEXICO

Our plan was to be in our next campsite early enough to explore Santa Fe some, but fate dealt us another dustbowl day.  We were also peppered with minor vehicle issues, causing a lot of delays. I had scraped the underside of the car on the dusty road where we stayed, so had a flopping underside! We stopped in Socorro, a very sweet little town on the Rio Grande, and I crawled under to duck tape temporarily, while Michael was in the store. So many people saw me and stopped!!  I forget “normal” 65 year old women don’t do things like that.........and we are in mano y mano country. But hey, it just took a minute, and it needed a woman’s touch for the tape to stick!

Back on the road again, and we were soon stopped on the main freeway for over and hour for the most bazaar DOT debacle we had ever seen. On a holiday weekend, they shut down the freeway completely, with no warning and chance to divert. The windy, hot, waiting and inching along reminded me of what it must have felt like to the travelers escaping the intolerable circumstances they faced in the dust bowl.

Once we escaped captivity we just wanted to get out of the dust and smoke as fast as possible.  Fires in Arizona and elsewhere also brought heavy smoke riding on the gusting 30-50 mile an hour wind. So we drove north and did not even stop for a Santa Fe break. On to Abiquiu Lake in the area where Georgia Okeefe roamed and painted.
SMOKEY SUNSET


MORNING AT ABIQUIU LAKE

I was disappointed in the air quality that evening, but in the morning we were granted a reprieve and I could see the beautiful cliffs and put myself in her shoes for a little while.
RIO GRAND THROUGH ABIQUIU, NM


 I have been a Georgia fan all my life and loved seeing her terrain in person for the first time. I can completely relate to her love of this country, and I am re-inspired to study her life and works. I spent some time reading about her life here and bought a small print, "MY BACK YARD".

GEORGIA OKEEFE'S BACKYARD

Friday, May 25, 2012

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, New Mexico

The 21/2 hour drive up to TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES was hot and dusty, bringing back the sense of my theme Wrath of the Grapes. Urgency happens when you can barely stand in the wind and you are being exfoliated by blowing sand. I was reminded of the many years in sub zero weather in Alaska, where relaxation does not happen outside, you just get-er-done as quick as you can. So much for our relaxed meandering.......

We hooked up at the beautiful Elephant Butte Lake, and were sheltered somewhat, until later in the night when the winds picked up again, giving us a rocking all night long.
NIECE LAURA'S LAKESIDE HOME

My niece’s husband, Bruce, hosted us for our brief respite, before taking off early the next morning, hoping to get ahead of the wind.  I am starting to feel whipped............

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

EL PASO

We followed the Rio Grand west, after descending from the Davis Mountains, towards El Paso. Traveling with Michael means we go the roads “less traveled”, so there is very little interstate freeway travel. We always meander on the smaller roads, usually running parallel to the interstate, but with much more interest and history, and that was the case coming into El Paso. We followed the river valley, with Mexico on one side and the U.S. on the other, seeing little difference in many cases, between the two sides. Farming along the river, with the emphasis on pecan groves on the U.S. side, and much poverty on both sides, each saturated with hispanic culture. In this manner, we approached east El Paso, where my sister, Linda, lives and presides, like a small whirlwind of a matriarch over her family.

We entered her realm and were quickly absorbed in her busy and long rooted wake, where one must swim along, in order to enjoy any moment of time with her. Michael was soon discovered by 2 year old Kindle, who proceeded to wooo him with her precocious charms for the entire 3 days!
MICHAEL AND KINDLE There is something about him and red heads!


We took this time to take care of some maintenance on the vehicles  and ourselves, between visiting with Linda and her daughters Laura and Katherine, and Laura’s children Sara and Chase.

I have been doing some scrambling to find resting camps along the way, North through New Mexico, on this Memorial Day Weekend. My sense of time is fading, as we journey on, which is a rare pleasure for me. Each day is marked by experience rather than dates on a calendar. I am grateful to be able to just enjoy the moment, and have the time to contemplate life, mine and others.


VIRGIE, KAY AND CHRIS IN LAS CRUCES
Michael and I drove to Las Cruces and met 2 of my childhood friends for a wonderful visit with them and their spouses. We spent the afternoon laughing about our childhood “activities” in our old neighborhood, from 5th grade through high school graduation. Somehow, we all made it! It had been many years since we had seen each other......so funny how old friends still seem the same. It is comforting in an odd sort of way, like recognizing your own history through others eyes.


For our entire visit in El Paso, we had strong wind and blowing sand. Happy to be parked in Linda's back yard with her home as shelter, and happy to not live here.  This is our last town in Texas, now to head north. Our trip north and west is somewhat unplanned at this point, though we know we will travel north through New Mexico, stopping at TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES,  where my niece has a lovely lakeside home, for one night and then on up to the Santa Fe /Taos area, where I want to view Georgia O’Keefe’s “lovely desert light” for a couple of days. We have been experiencing west Texas’s famous gusty, dusty wind for a couple of days, and are looking forward to the mountains again and less wind and heat.


Sunday, May 20, 2012

FT DAVIS/INDIAN RIVER LODGE and MARFA

As we head out into the higher elevations of the Davis Mountains, I can feel my heart swell with the openness of vistas that allow for seeing a hundred miles in any direction. This feeling is bred in me and lies at the core of what I long for, when in more constrained society and environments. The walls come down, the protective nature becomes more primal, and for me there is more room for joy.  The spirit flies.

JAVELINA IN THE CAMP







Ft Davis State park and Indian River Lodge are our destination for the next few days. We are camped in a shaded arroyo in this beautiful park, where wild Javelina and Prong horn antelope roam the area with plenty of snakes and lots of pretty birds. The park is quite high (5-6000 ft), and though we have no cell service, we can get wi-fi at the lodge which is one of the CCC’s amazing facilities, that has withstood and prospered for 80 years, giving enjoyment to thousands of traveling Americans, as well as international travelers from everywhere.

FROM MICHAEL:
The past couple nights we have spent in the Davis Mountains State Park, a spectacular example the enduring work performed by the Civilian Conservation Corps created  by FDR to employ desperate Americans impoverished by the Great Depression.  Back in 1935, some 350 young men trekked up into this gorgeous canyon and constructed first a work camp, then mountain access roads and trails, and finally a crowning masterpiece, the Indian Lodge.  All the buildings are constructed of locally harvested materials, including the massive 40# adobe bricks that form the foot-thick walls of all buildings, the stucco surfaces painted a brilliant white, the stone roadways and trail markers, and even the bulrush ceiling poles found on the banks of the Rio Grande.  We are here in a cool oasis in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert, a place once thick with black bears and cougars and still full of deer, pronghorn antelope, javelina wild pigs, and amazing bird populations.  The buildings are perfectly preserved and form an elegant ambiance at the luxury lodge and the shaded campsites where we reside.  I cannot recall ever seeing a more beautiful and lasting monument to the New Deal, or a more appreciated project built by young men who signed on to hard labor in exchange for three meals a day and $25 per month, nearly all of which was sent home to help feed their hard hit families and siblings.  Here is a project that no Texas rancher would ever have conceived or accomplished without federal stimulus.  And just down the road is another CCC built oasis in Balmorea, complete with 2 acre swimming pool and a vast irrigation network.
As we hear the outcry from conservatives to rein in government spending, let’s not forget the wonderful successes of the CCC and the stimuli that helped our nation recover from that depression.  Magnificent public works projects are not the province of private investors and will not be accomplished by lowering taxes.  Our nation has so many opportunities for public investment and such resources that can and must be harnessed to ready our infrastructure for coming generations of Americans.  We cannot succumb to individual greed and shortsighted policies that will leave our children poorer.  Take the example of the CCC as testimony to America’s bright future.






 From this home base, we head down for a day trip into Marfa, where I was born. Marfa has  evolved from the small Tex/Mex town I was born into.  Even in 1947 the town had a lot of character, with numerous artists and eclectic folk, but mostly , it was a ranching town. After Hollywood discovered it, and filmed the epic movie GIANT here, things began to change more toward the eclectic.  Housing famous movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean brought a bit of the avant guard to cowboy country. After Hollywood left, the town struggled on for a few decades until a group of way out in space East coast artists “discovered” it, and two new movies, recently famous NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and primed the town economically again, and now the weird mix has created a little town recently named in the Smithsonian Magazine as the 4th best small town in America! Believe me, the locals are still shaking their heads in wonder. As one local told us, “25 years ago, all the kids could not wait to leave Marfa. Now, they all really want to move back to the IN place.”

Michael and I visited some of the quaint establishments, as well as my old stomping grounds.  My grandparents on my fathers side owned the Marfa Hotel off Main St, and as a kid I visited them there often, after we left Marfa for points further west. We looked up the doctors home/office, where I was born, and talked to many locals that remembered visiting Ms. Niccolls snack bar as kids, or helping in the hotel.  The movie GIANT spawned the fancy hotel Paisano around the corner, which is still a beautiful center Oasis on Main St. The old Marfa hotel is being renovated into apartments by “one of those weird investors”, according to the local talk. It was good to see someone is preserving the old building, weird or not.
OLD MARFA HOTEL RENOVATION

We ended the day by visiting a shop where a young man is making handmade boots in the old way, where I was hoping to get fitted for a pair of “cowgirl” boots for my 65th birthday, coming soon. It did not work out, but it was fun talking to him and seeing the individual boots he was making. This is a dying art he has rejuvenated, and he has been discovered, receiving orders from all over the world. Such a polite and genuine Texas ranch boy, a new generation of art meets country. (www.cobrarock.com)


Friday, May 18, 2012

BALMORHEA STATE PARK

We had an uneventful day headed west out of San Angelo. This is the part of Texas that seems bleak and naked of diversion for the eye, and gives one a sense of caution against getting stuck here. Due to the price of oil, the oil business is booming here, so the main diversion was the oil rigs and oil rig workers along the road. I played road games with good old oil rig workers, checking out the only female for miles on the road in a little red car. Surprise, surprise.....just a grandma!  Luckily we only had a few hours along this road, and soon spotted the beautiful Davis Mountains along the edge of the horizon.

Our destination today is Balmorhea State Park on the edge of those mountains. 

History: The Original inhabitants of the area were the
Mascalero Apache Indians. The City of Balmorhea was
established in 1906 by three land promoters: Balcom,
Morrow, and Rhea. San Solomon Springs, located at
Balmorhea State Park, supplies 26 million gallons of water
per day to area farmers. The picturesque canal, which flows
through the middle of Balmorhea, carries water to 10,000
acres of farmland. Water is stored at Balmorhea Lake,a 600
acre reservoir, which is stocked with Bass, Catfish, and
Crappie. Balmorhea Lake and the surrounding area is also
excellent for bird watching. The most unique attraction is the
swimming pool at the Balmorhea State Park. The pool was
built by Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. The
swimming pool is the "World's Largest Spring Fed Swimming
Pool". With and approximate depth of 28 feet and 74 degree
average temperature, one can enjoy a refreshing swim. The
crystal clear water also provides excellent scuba diving.

NOTE: This info courtesy of the Balmorhea City web site.
OUR CAMP


It is truly an oasis and the pool is awesome. As a kid, we visited family in the area (Oatmans), so I had fond memories, but was surprised to see the fish in the pool. They came over and nibbled on your feet. Not my style, but Michael was in fish heaven, swimming with the fishes.


 
Seeing 80 years of endurance in this CCC project
still making money for Texas and offering immense enjoyment to so many people is a testament to what is possible, when people think outside the box.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

SAN ANGELO

We had a short trip on to San Angelo enjoying the massive wind farms that walk across the plains like giant white aliens. I like the concept of this industry which brings us energy with little side effects and creates a positive industry and jobs throughout Texas.


WIND FARM

As the sun rises over the west Texas horizon, and the doves and bob whites call outside my window, I am contemplating this journey so far and thinking about where we are going next. We have been welcomed here in San Angelo by my cousin Sybil and husband Norvelle. They have shared their lifestyle and fed and toured us and given us a dose of their sweet, loving selves, served up with a dose of sassy.



We are humbled by such beautiful people and both Michael and I have been renewed by the experience.

We stayed at a San Angelo state park near the town, which was lovely and quiet, a far cry from the “freeway rv park” we had in Clyde!  Today we head towards Marfa, where I was born, and where a number of avant garde artists of various genres have created a “destination” art community in the old Texas town.
BLOOMING CACTUS AT SAN ANGELO STATE PARK

Sunday, May 13, 2012

MOTHERS DAY

I spent Mothers Day returning to the old ranch with Michael, where I crawled over the no trespassing sign and walked around the old rock house thinking about my grandparents life here and my influence by it. I tried to get Michael to go over the fence and catch me, but he said, “are you kidding? I don’t want to get shot”. So he remained on guard with the dog, trying to look innocent.........All was well in the end.

I loved walking around the old place and thinking of all the good times we had there and how much I was influenced by the tenacious people that made a life here.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

CLYDE, TEXAS

I was wondering as we headed North towards Clyde, if everyone feels the draw that I do towards their TRIBE. We float around as emissaries in the “other world”, representing our tribes. Connecting again with this part of my own tribe is such a comfortable feeling for me. Like coming home, or recognizing pieces of yourself in others. It has been a while since I have felt this, and I am grateful to remember who I am and where I come from. As someone who is often the odd cookie, it brings deep relief to spend time with the rest of the missing recipe.

BLOOMING PRICKLEY PEAR

Our trip North from Austin into the Abilene/Clyde/Baird area was gorgeous with the rolling hills and famous Texas flowers. North of Austin is quite rural and the rolling hills reminded me of Provence, France. The rain this spring is bringing them back from the severe drought threatening this part of the country for the last few years. 

CLYDE TEXAS COUSINS
We were welcomed in Clyde by my cousin Jane and her husband Bill, and cousin Larry and his lovely wife Jan. A Texas chili dinner at Jane and Bills was the best. It is raining and cooling down, so our camping is easier without the heat. My grandparents built a life here on a ranch between Clyde and Baird, and I grew up spending happy summers here with my cousins and my special grandparents. My grandmother taught me to drive out in the fields peppered with cows and mesquite and prickly pear cactus. She used to drive through these fields and the cows would follow the honking horn, and that was how the cows were gathered for special feed or doctoring.

THE OLD ROCK HOUSE ON THE FARM/RANCH
IRMA AND ME


Jane and I drove out to the old place and visited a neighbor cousin at her 120 acre place where she lives alone. Irma Dale is in her mid-80’s and charmed us with her stories and ready laugh. She was, and is still ready for fun and trouble if needed. Irma was also my mothers good friend growing up and told some great stories of their adventures growing up.






IRMA AND JANE WITH ONE OF HER MANY HAND MADE QUILTS
Irma is a charming character, who loves purple. Note her skinney jeans and purple cross. A perfect image of Christian woman that is not afraid of having some style.



Jane graciously toured us around the area of nearby Abilene to visit another cousin, Julia at her home there. Julia and the rest of the cousins recently renovated her home there and we got to see the improvements, as well as some of Julia's amazing artwork. I was so overwhelmed, I did not get any pictures! Then we all had MORE MEXICAN FOOD Texas style. Can't get enough of it!

Friday, May 11, 2012

AROUND AUSTIN

NANCY IN FRONT OF TILE MURAL AT MUSEUM......SHE MATCHES!
I am  blessed to be part of such a special family. All of my mothers sisters and brothers are gone now, but their children, my cousins, carry on the legacy.  On this journey down memory lane through Texas, my heart has begun to feel that legacy, in the company of these great people who know how to laugh so easily and bear the burdens of life with amazing grace.







Cousin Nancy, who is an Austin native extraordinaire, offered to be our tour guide and we had a wonderful afternoon at the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas.
We saw a collection of Hudson River artists, as well as the permanent collection of western and other art. Then we took to the driving tour, learning all about the development of the Texas state capital and viewing some of the many unusual iconic treasures of the vibrant city of Austin.

TEXAS STATE CAPITAL .....THE GOVERNOR WAS OUT TO LUNCH



THE LADIES ARE THE COUSINS
We ended the day with cousin Sylvia and her husband Curtis, sharing camping stories and laughing over excellent Mexican food.


MIKE ON THE BANJO...NICE PARK IN AUSTIN
These Austin-ites made our visit here  special indeed!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

AUSTIN

ARRIVED and ready for a 3 day plug in! Texas Oak campground in Austin is peaceful and shady. For travelers, you have to have time to set up camp, eat and do other necessary maintenance.  In Steinbeck's story, the people unloaded the cooking tools, looked for water and food and started the fire. You had to negotiate your way along the trail. Our journey is the same in that way, just much easier. In my mind, I am always thinking of the parallels. We have progressed, but are still souls journeying through life and looking for the best way. My basics needs are the same except a comfortable perch means happiness and feeling the love of others STILL brings joy.

A PEACEFUL RESTING SPOT WITH VIEW

MIKE CHECKING UP ON THE NEWS

MIKE CLEANING UP

AHHH........RESTING

SIERRA AND HER FAVORITE TOY

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

SAN ANTONIO

Our drive out of Houston and on to San Antonio was a relief, to leave the big city traffic and pollution and to see some lovely hill country back roads, with the wild flowers in bloom.



San Antonio has a long history as one of the oldest settlements in Texas. The Alamo is not the oldest or most interesting missions. There are a number of them there, which give you a sense of the old days.  The highlight of the town is an amazing River walk downtown which has hundreds of restaurants and hundreds of people strolling along.

ENTRANCE TO  THE ALAMO

ON THE RIVER WALKWAY

DECIDING WHAT TO EAT


We only had one night here, so we had dinner down by the river and then the next day had a lovely visit with my cousin James Ray and his wife Judy. I am sorry I did not get their picture!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

HOUSTON CAN YOU HEAR ME


We had an easy drive into Houston and set up at a very nice park near my niece, Beth.  We loved our host at our new home, a true Texas icon, hat and boots and all, and the friendly, but tough attitude. He liked us, so we got an upgrade to lakeside.


BETH JACKSON AND MIKE
JACKSON TEACHES MIKE TO USE PLAYDOH


Our visit with Beth and her 3 year old son Jackson was wonderful. We loved seeing them in their lifestyle and getting some much needed baby and young mother time.  Jackson is a charmer and seeing Beth’s devotion to his well being was a treasure to share.





Only missing element was not getting to see cousin Karen.


Friday, May 4, 2012

HEADED FOR TEXAS


SATELLITE DISH PARK

Each day, we are trying to find a routine incorporating our “rituals” biking for me, running for Michael, and getting a little practice time in on our instruments. Mandolin for me, Banjo for Michael. So far, we are traveling pretty fast, but won’t keep that up. Our next plug in was in Beaumont Texas, more just a convenient stop before Houston traffic. We had to laugh at the RV park in hot Beaumont, not a tree in sight. Our experience in Florida is always having shade. I asked the check in woman, why no trees? It looked like the DUST BOWL..............Her answer was “the big rigs" don’t like trees to interfere with the satellite reception. Hmmmm....yeah, and think of the massive energy use in this huge park. Oh, wait....we are in oil country, now! No problem.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

JAZZ FESTIVAL DAY



Our next day in New Orleans was mostly devoted to the New Orleans Heritage Jazz Festival. The festival is a huge event, hosting musicians from all walks of life, providing hundreds of local jobs, with any profit going to the rebuilding and sustaining of the amazing art culture of New Orleans. Due to my limited walking abilities, I mostly parked in my folding chair in front of the stage hosting FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, our main listening goal.  It was pretty hot, but our spot near the pathway, afforded a grand and constant view of people from every walk of life and every age. We also tasted some of that famous fairground cajun food. Florence put on a beautiful show and we were delighted to see her performance style, which is so unusual and ethereal, perfect for our evolution into the rhythm of the WRATH of THE GRAPES epic RV trip.


That evening, Urban spoon found us the perfect dinner spot in the Kenner Fish House, much to the delight of Michael. He loves those good local spots. When we returned, however to our humble plugged in abode and hungry puppy, we found a hot home, with no a/c or lights. In the process of entering said home, we were attacked by a swarm of flying queen ants, which entered the rv on our bodies and in the air.YIKES!!! Find the flashlights!! They are on me, they are on me!!!! GET THEM OFF! Thankfully, they did not seem interested in biting..........Oh, and did I mention the tension?

Eventually, we got them all and hit the hay with the a/c sort of working and a trusty back-up fan. Starting to remind you of the Steinbeck grapes, yet? Different now, and hopefully not as desperate a situation, but remember, this is tongue in cheek, folks.