Three weeks on the road!

We are in Dalhart, TX

Click any of the photos to enlarge and click the "weather" above for our weather.

Great weather.  Spent couple hours this afternoon riding part of the trail at Lake Rita Blanca which was a state park, but now is a city park of Dalhart.
We had intended on going on into New Mexico today, but when Phyllis talked with Dennis Geer in Albuquerque to tell him we would see him later this week, found out he and his wife are getting on a

plane in the morning and heading to eastern Iowa.  They will be in Clarinda this weekend and get back to Albuquerque next Tuesday.  We found that the XIT Museum here in Dalhart is not open on Mondays and decided to just take some extra time

 here and over in New Mexico so will still be in Albuquerque area next Wednesday.  We spotted a good RV Park here and when setting up Phyllis spotted a bad cut on one of the trailer tires.  We pulled to a recommended tire place and had it replaced and then

 went on the bicycle ride.  Glad we didn't go a lot further with the tire because it was a pretty deep cut.  This only 4 days after we had the Ford in the shop to have 5 fuel injectors replaced and all 4 brakes smoothed and new pads.

At lunch in a local restaurant I had inquired about Lake Rita Blanca and our waitress said it "was a joke"  nothing there and just green water.  I asked about the trails and she said she didn't know anything about them.  That was sure right.  The lake had a lot of ducks and other birds.  When we  

 stopped so the tires didn't make their sound on the fine gravel/sand we were on it was really nice.  All sorts of birds calling.  Even though the temperature was 84 degrees, there was a little breeze and while we were moving it was really nice.  The whole trail was something like 9 miles.  We haven't ridden the trikes much lately and we turned around a little under 2 miles and put in about 4 miles total.  The path had some pretty good rise and fall to it and with the spots of soft gravel/sand it was a pretty good workout.

I had mentioned in last post that we had visited Dorothy and Toto at their house from the Wizard of Oz in Liberal, KS.  Here is one of the photos.

While Donna & Phyllis were at the nail shop Wes went with me on a recumbent trike ride.

           Donna & Phyllis in their breakfast nook.

Saw a lot of big grain elevators in the panhandle of Oklahoma on the way through.

 Several were working on picking up the outside piles of corn.

 This is at the same elevator as above, another huge pile still covered.  There were a lot of small feedlots and kill plants in the area, though we really didn't see that many fields that might have been, or would be corn fields.  Speculating if this grain is brought in for feeding, but that wouldn't make sense for the outside piles.

This is one of the smaller feed lots we saw.  We did see off in the distance what appeared to be a huge hog confinement setup.

We are going to do the XIT Museum here in the morning, maybe ride some more trail at the lake and then head to the Capulin Volcano National Monument and look around that area and Raton, NM before going on to Santa Fe.

Later, Lynn

Liberal, KS - headed for Dalhart, TX and Capulan, NM

Pengy watching all the flat plains of southwestern Kansas go by the windshield as we drove from Wichita to Liberal, KS Saturday.





We unhitched our trailer at an RV Park south of Liberal, only a mile or so from the Oklahoma line, and went to Donna and Wesley Brinkley's house where Donna had prepared a great supper.  We visited for some time and then back to our trailer.  Around 10 this morning we drove back to their house and did some visiting, Wes and I road the recumbent trikes a little over a mile and then the girls picked us up to drive around the town showing us the sites.  One of them was the Dorothy & Toto of Wizard of Oz place.  For some reason I can't get Blogger to upload any more photos.  We ate at a fairly new Steak House restaurant at noon and Donna and Phyllis then spent some time at a Nail place while Wes & I rested a bit.  After some delicious desert in late afternoon we came back to the trailer and I set up route for next couple days.

Will spend some time at the XIT Museum in Dalhart, TX tomorrow and then head over to Capulin RV Park near the Capulin Volcano in Northeast New Mexico.  The following day we will go to Raton, NM and then to Santa Fe, stopping wherever we get a notion.  Tomorrow we will go through Des Moines, New Mexico.

Phyllis was able to visit on phone with Darlene Winslow in Michigan and Roberta Rarick in Clarinda, IA today to catch up on things.

Later, Lynn

Trip, day 20

Wichita - click "our weather" above
   Last evening we attended great-nephew Steven Miles' wedding with Melissa Dorpinghaus.

Proud Steven with bride Melissa and Grandma and Grandpa Miles

              Steven with mother Julie Kechley

Melissa Dorpinghaus coming down aisle with father Todd and mother        Her parents live in Colorado Springs, CO.

                                                 Just pronounced Husband and Wife

Melissa's father, Todd, giving some advice and congratulations at the reception.

              Steven looks up to his wife Melissa during   their first dance.

The Miles side of the family.
Step-dad Todd and mother Julie Kechley, Steven and Melissa Miles, Grandparents Roger & Carolyn Miles, Cousins Michael & Angie Alexander, Cousin Keith and Becky Miles with their girls Tiffany and Jessica.




We had visited with brothers Don & Roger and families at their hotel on Friday morning and then Don & Vickie and Phyllis & I went down to Winfield, KS and to the Rubbermaid Factory store and bought a few bargains.  Light rain most of the day, but let up by the time of the wedding on the veranda of the Wichita Boat House,
   We are getting ready to hitch up and head to Liberal, KS and spend tomorrow with our friends Donna and Wesley Brinkley who winter in our RV Park in La Feria, TX

Till later, Lynn

End of day - Big Bend Photos

End of day Wednesday.  We went to Coleman Outlet Store here in Wichita.  Interesting, made a few small purchases.  Was going to go to the Rubbermaid Factory in Winfield, KS, but decided to stop at the Ford Dealership to inquire about the trouble I have been having starting the Ford on cool mornings, and the roughness it shows until 5 or 6 minutes getting warmed up.  They wanted to put computer on it cold in the morning so we left it at their dealership and they had taxi bring us back to the RV park.

Rode the Recumbent Trikes couple miles and I also started to cut some boards to make small platform at back of trailer to carry the 5 gallon of gas to run the Honda Generator we carry with us.

Will hear from Ford Dealer in the morning and hopefully will get the Ford back tomorrow some time.

Meantime, I have finally trimmed, cropped, straightened and checked coloring on the Big Bend photos and they are at Big Bend Photos on Picasa
Click that if you want to watch them, either indivdually or as a slide show.

Til later, Lynn

Day 16 of our "50th Journey"

Wichita, KS  33º

For the first time since December 2008 we saw fresh snow first hand.  Not much, but a skiff last night while the temperature dipped to 27º. 
When we were at Elk City, OK yesterday morning and the temperature was 37º the old Ford hardly started.  It nearly refuses to start at anything below 40º and I had to crank it probably 2 minutes before it would fire enough to keep running.  This morning I dug out the magnetic heater and stuck it under the oil pan and plugged it in to see if it will help.  It is supposed to warm up fairly quickly and there is bright sunshine with no wind right now.

We had stopped about 5 pm and set up in a nice pull-through and didn't have to unhook.  Was really nice and warm, though really windy.  The house rocked and rolled a little in the night after it had gotten real still and the wind switched from the south to the north.  We had breakfast, pulled up the levelers, brought in the TV Cable, water hose, and electric wire and headed east around 9 am.  It rained, or misted all day on us.  We stopped and got diesel for "only" $3.52; which is the least we've paid since year ago June.,

On Sunday we had intended staying in Palo Duro Canyon, but by about noon we had walked a couple trails, windshield viewed the canyon and decided with the predicted colder weather coming we would head east.

This amazing canyon resembles the Grand Canyon when you are in it.  And until you get within a half mile or so from it you are driving on a very flat plain and there is no evidence of this canyon.  It is all below the level of the surrounding area with no raised edges on it showing from a distance.

 Lots of color and lots of vistas.  We saw a nice DVD on history of the canyon at the visitors center and I was able to buy it and have viewed it several times since.  Also bought the book on Charles Goodnight who ranched in it for many years.  When they first brought their cattle and wagons to it they had to take one cow at a time down the rough edge, took apart all the wagons and carried them down by the piece and reassembled them as well as all the wagons were carrying.

 I am going to have to read the book to see how they eventually took the cattle out when sold, etc.  Imagine they had to rough in roads.  It was quite a descent with the trailer, and even steeper, it seems, when pulling the trailer back out.

There are lots of trails.  We only walked part of a couple.  One could spend a lot of time just walking or biking.  The paths were not wide enough in the brush,etc., to take the three-wheelers.  Some were horse trails and others had "No Horses".
I have up-loaded 175 photos taken at Palo Duro Canyon at my Picasa of Palo Duro Canyon

Click to see that album.



We stopped in Amarillo at the restaurant near where we visited Phyllis' cousin back in 2005 to see her.  Found she had passed on a couple years ago.  We did visit with the waitresses about her and her family while we ate lunch. 

Heading out of Amarillo we stopped at  The Big Texan Steak Ranch where you get a 72 oz. steak free if you eat it and all the extras (potatoes, salad, etc.) that come with it within 60 minutes.

We had just eaten and it didn't even sound good.  You have to pay $45 to attempt, then get it back if you succeed.  Some newspaper articles on one wall indicated there had been some 37,000 attempts since the mid 1970's and I think there were something like 2,700 who succeeded.

A true Texas landmark in this part of the country.



On to the east at Groom, TX we stopped and spent some time at The Cross

Will post pictures on that this afternoon when I catch up on this blog.
Lynn

Lubbock, TX

Just a quick note to say we have spent two nights in Lubbock and are heading this morning to Palo Duro Canyon, just south of Amarillo.  Will make longer posts one of these days with some catch up photos.
Lynn

Day 11 of our "50th Trip

Remember to click "weather where we are" above and also click on any photo to enlarge as well as click on any link to go to that pages.

Sunset at Stillwell Store & RV near Big Bend NP

In Lubbock for the night.  Set up on a real nice spot.  We got here this afternoon and went to Carol Breeden's place (my first cousin on my Dad's side) and visited with her a bit at her house and then went out to eat with her and one of her grandsons at a nice Chinese Buffet.  Had a long catch-up visit, she said it had been 2000 since we were together last, though we keep up on Facebook.

 This morning we had left our park near Midland and spent some time at George W. Bush's house as a youngster.  Very nice escorted visit through the house with a lot of history given by lady on the years when George H W Bush and Barbara lived there with George W. as a lad.

We had stopped in Odessa, TX at the Presidential Archives  the afternoon before and spent a couple hours looking at history at each and every president, with photos, as well as First Lady photos and many recreations of first lady dresses.

The whole area south of Midland and some to the north is busy with all sorts of well drilling and trucks of all sorts.  We took one of the last sites available at an RV Park and they said most of their sites are occupied by oil rig workers.  When we got set up we found that many were living under picnic table covers with tarp wrapped around them.  One even had an air conditioner duct taped into the side of it.  Several guys were sleeping in vans that had electric wires running in a window, I suppose for heat and maybe lights, etc.

 It was 37 degrees when we woke up and I doubt these people had spent too good of a nice.  They were living there full time while working.  Sure beats many of those liberal people on welfare that "can't find work".  Nuff said.














We are going to find a laundromat tomorrow and I will get the oil changed in the Ford tomorrow before we head north to Amarillo.

Cow Chips aren't for Dipping!

Lynn

Day 9 of our "50th Trip"

We are at Historic Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, TX.  Not a busy time here, there are two other units here at this time.

We spent the day, after I got up after 9 am, touring Fort Davis National Historic Site , driving around Fort

Davis itself and getting a really good New York type pizza.  Bought several books by local people at a nice book store and we got some groceries.  We didn't buy anything at Javalina and Hollyhocks JAVELINAS AND HOLLYHOCKS but it was a very interesting store.  Turned out the few Javelinas they had were metal artwork.






The Fort Davis was an interesting place.  Some of the buildings have been restored and settings of the 1854-1891 time period it was used.  The Buffalo Soldiers, Negro companies, were stationed here and though were good soldiers, they were not treated well by many of the Caucasians.

Last evening we had gone up to McDonald Observatory and listened to a fascinating hour presentation of the stars.  With this area of Texas so little populated, and the observatory being at an  elevation of 6326 feet above sea level a lot of stars were visible.  The bright quarter-moon was almost a hindrance at looking at some of the stars.  The presenter rattled off names (and pointed with a laser light) hundreds of stars, planets, etc.  At a presentation before dark he had placed kids with planets in their hands on sticks, and shown the various positions of them in relation to the earth, sun and the 13 zodiac signs.  Yes, he said a 13th is now recognized by some 13th Zodiac sign .  Here are the current, by some, signs/dates:

 Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18 - May 13
Taurus: May 13 - June 21
Gemini: June 21 - July 20
Cancer: July 20 - Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 - Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 - Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 - Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 - Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 - Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 - Jan. 20

 On the way from Big Bend we had stopped in Alpine, TX at Museum of the Big Bend which is Part of Sul Ross University.  We spent several hours there.  I will put some photo albums together and put them up on my Picasa site and give website to it when can. 

  
It has been cool here at this 5,200 feet elevation in the night time, but warm in the daytime.  With winds it has been comfortable.  Tomorrow the high is to be only 66 degrees here at Prude Ranch.


Tomorrow we hitch up and head north.  Plan to stop in Midland, TX and look at birthplace of the elder George Bush.  Will stop in Lubbock and try to look up my cousin Carol Breedon.  I have located a Passport America RV park south of town and we plan on staying there one night before heading north to Palo Duro Canyon.
Later, Lynn

'Nuther day on our "50th" trip

I refer to our "50th" trip because this is being done to celebrate our attaining 50 years of marriage back on March 10th (and also that I will be 70 on June 10th)

If you click on the on the web site at the top of this page Weather where we are you should get the weather wherever we are. (Providing I remember to change the site each time we move our trailer)

I had a visit from my old friend IBS in the middle of the night I was in no shape to travel this morning until close to noon.  (Had been over 6 months since the last little visit)   

We did go into Big Bend National Park and stopped at the entrance to get our window sticker.  They still honor the Golden Pass that I got when I turned 62 so that saved some bucks.

We stopped at the headquarters (first photo) and got some tips and also bought some books.  We drove all the way down to Rio Grande Village and walked out to where we could overlook the river and a very small town on the Mexican side.



We were in temperatures all the way from the 60's to 96 degrees as we went up and down the different mountain roads, gaining and loosing over 2,500 feet several times.

I didn't take a odometer reading tonight, but think we drove between 150 and 200 miles today, eating supper at a fancy restaurant at about 5,000 feet elevation.  We took 233 pictures and I am just to tired tonight to go through them so will try to do that tomorrow.  We have decided to stay here at Stillwell  Store and RV another night, exploring the southwest part of the park tomorrow and then heading up towards Fort Davis the next day.

More later, Lynn

Stillwell Ranch store & RV Park near Big Bend National Park

Finally made it to Big Bend area.  Set up at Hally Stillwell's ranch.  She's been gone for some time, but we visited with her granddaughter who is running the place.  At least she will run it for a little while longer.  She has sold it and will not be here after May 1st.

 After leaving Amistad Reservoir we headed west on 90 and stopped at Seminole Canyon State Historical Park.  It was 62 degrees, heavy overcast and a very stiff wind blowing so we did not spend too much time outside.  To the left are photos of several signed plants.

 Click on any of the photos to enlarge them, and it should give you a slide show.

This photo and the one below was taken from the observation window at Seminole Canyon.  The bottom photo is at 16 magnification.

seminole-canyon  Click this link to go to their website.  It is the site of very old American Indian rock painting.  Some of these are thought to be over 7,000 years old.

Going back to our day in Del Rio, TX; we visited Val Verde Winery.  This is the site of the oldest winery in Texas and has been operating since 1883.
Val Verde Winery  Click link for the website.

 A very nice young lady told of the history and makings of the wine and the growing they do right out the back door as well as sometimes using grapes from other vineyards to make their own wine.  Her husband is stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base right outside of Del Rio and she works a couple days a week selling their products and giving tours.

Laughlin Air Base

The are trying for their first year selling Extra Virgin olive oil.  Phyllis chose some olive oil and one bottle of: Texas Rosé.
The taller trees in the background are the olive trees and the shorter ones in front are grape vines.

 We rode our trikes around the  Holiday Trav-L-Park Friday evening we rode by some of the largest coverings over mobile homes I have ever seen.  The top one is a new double-wide that isn't even finished yet.  Was told it is owned by one of the many oil rigs in the Del Rio area and their employees use it for R&R.

Another huge covering.  Leaves enough room on the outside for entertaining, I guess.

 And one more.  These looked like good size Morton Buildings cut off a little below the roof.







This is one of many Agave plants we saw that is getting ready to bloom.  It shoots up a really big thingy!

Insulation is added to water hoses so they don't boil and explode in the summertime!

 Spent some time today at Langtry, TX and visited the Texas State run Judge Roy Bean visitors center where the buildings of Judge Bean have been preserved and a lot of history was on display.

We had lightning and thunder a bit ago, but very little rain.  Looks like some of Texas got it north of us.

Till next time, Lynn