Tuesday, April 30, 2013

White Sands - Alamagordo, NM

On the Sand Dune Nature Trail

On the Road to Alamagordo

A new friend

White Sands as seen from 16 miles away

Sliding on the sand dunes

What road?   We drove on packed sand

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalup Mountains National Parks

Stalactites in Carlsbad Caverns

In the Big Room, Carlsbad caverns

Guadalupe Mts National Park - El Capitan in background

Going into the National Park

Pillars in the Big Room

More Guadalupe Mountains

Drapery in the Big Room

Lunch at Guadalupe

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Alamagordo, NM

We left Carlsbad and took hwy 82 to Alamagordo.   It was a surprise that we were going to have to cross the Sacramento mountains at 8500 feet!   Whoa!   Hadn't planned on THAT!   We drove down a 16 mile descent at 6% grade.   The descent included several opportunities to view the area.   We could even see White Sands in the distance as a strip of white.

After setting up at the Boot Hill RV park we drove back into town and had lunch and then stopped at the Chamber Visitor's Center to survey the opportunities while we are in town.    Headed to the NM Museum of Space History and checked out the rockets, satellites, etc.  

Sunday we drove the 16 miles to the White Sands National Monument.   After a stop at the Visitor's Center to stamp my Passbook and watch the intro film and look through the exhibits, we drove into the park.   Our first stop was the 1 mile Dune Life Nature Trail.   It took about an hour, and we saw a bleaached earless lizard, a darker lizard and snake trails.   The loop road is an 8-mile road through the dunes driving on packed sand.   We at lunch at Primrose Picnic Area where many children were riding plastic discs down the dunes like children ride them down snowbanks in colder climates.    Many singers have used the dunes in their music videos, and some movies have been made there as well.  

On Monday we broke camp and set out for Albuquerque.


Thursday, April 18, 2013

El Paso - April 13 - 15, 2013

We ate breakfast and then hitched up for our trip to El Paso.   Our route took us on Hwy 90 W through Marfa to I-10, about 100 miles of sand and cactus.   The campground we stayed in was right on I-10, and was a mere 35 miles from downtown El Paso.   Luckily we had restaurants, churches, grocery stores all within 5 miles of the camp.

The big excitement in EP that weekend was the implosion of the City Hall in order to build a baseball stadium on the site.   There was quite a bit of dismay by the residents of downtown EP.   They would rather have had a NASCAR racetrack....but of course NOT downtown!  

We were concerned about getting downtown, as I-10 and most downtown streets were blocked from 8:45 until after the implosion and the dust settled.   We were afraid we would not be able to get to the Magoffin historic home, but luckily we exited off I-10 one exit before the road was blocked.   Joseph Magoffin  built his home in 1877 on the edge of EP.   He was a politician and civic leader, and held the positions of county judge, mayor 4 terms, collector of customs and co-founder of the State National Bank.   The house was always in the possession of the family, and was deeded to the state by the sole survivor in 1977.   The house was  put back to the way it looked in 1930.   We really enjoyed the house tour, and also the courtyard in the rear.   The roses were beautiful!

After lunch we visited the El Paso Museum of History and our last stop was the Railroad Museum.  

We had some problems with our Apple phone, iPad, and Macbook PRO so on Monday we drove to the Mall to the Apple store to get some help.   The machines wouldn't recognize our passwords, so we couldn't use any of them!   YIKES.   It was such a treat to walk into an Apple store and not have to wade through bodies and wait for service.   It was wonderful!   We ate lunch at the mall and then did some shopping (boots and hats, anyone????)

The winds really kicked up after lunch, and soon the air was brown!   The TV indicated 40 mph.  
When the winds finally died down about 8 p.m. we loaded chairs, etc.  into the truck so we could make an early start Tuesday for the Carlsbad KOA.

Carlsbad, NM

Tuesday morning we left EP at 9:45 and were on our way to Carlsbad, NM.   The road was desolate -- very little traffic, lots of cactus and desert on both sides of the road.   Had to go through a Border Patrol inspection complete with a drug sniffing dog.  

Arrived in Carlsbad at noon, so ate lunch at McD's before heading to the KOA, 15 miles north of town.  It was 91 degrees, so enjoyed the AC and put off exploring the campground facilities until after supper.

Wednesday we drove to the Guadalupe Mountain National Park (50 miles south), watched the video and walked a mile nature trail before eating our picnic lunch outside the visitor's center.   The wind was gusting to 50 mph about that time (the area is noted for it's extreme wind conditions).  

On our way back we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns National Park and after watching the movie we took the self-guided tour of the Big Room, the most famous portion of Carlsbad Caverns.  We descended 750 feet down into the cavern by  elevator in 1 1/2 minutes.   The trail is paved with only a few steep hills and is well lighted.   It took us about 1 1/2 hours to walk the 1.25 miles of trail.   We saw the Lion's Tail, Bottomless Pit and Rock of Ages formations.   We learned (I probably forgot from school) that stalactites are formed from the ceiling down; stalagmites are formed from the floor up.   The lighting in the cave accentuated the formations very nicely and we got many pictures.   I'm so glad we did this tour!

Today (Thursday) we drove to Roswell UFO Museum to learn more about the sightings of UFO's in 1947 and onward.  Included in the Exhibit Hall is information on The Roswell Incident, Crop Circles, Ancient Cultures and Abductions.   The Roswell Incident presents witness statements, copies of newspapers, the cover-up and ongoing research.   The primary goal of the Museum is to provide information so the visitor is able to make up their mind about the Roswell Incident, UFOs and other possible extraterrestrtial phenomena.

After lunch we stopped at the Roswell Museum to view the workroom of rocket pioneer Robert Goddard.  I found the movie clips of his early experiments very interesting.   I especially liked the quotation that the USA asked the Germans about their rocket expertise and they said that they had learned it from the works of Robert Goddard!  

Friday will be catch up day here in the campground before leaving on Saturday for Alamogordo and the White Sands National Monument.  

Friday, April 12, 2013

Alpine, TX April 8-12, 2013

We got a new trailer tire in Fort Stockton and by 11:30 we were on the road south to Alpine, TX (pop. 5000+).   It was very windy, and so the diesel gobbled fuel like crazy - we only managed 10 mpg!   Usually we get at least 15!  

Our campground is in the town of Alpine, and is called The Lost Alaskan because the original owner was from Alaska and never went back, so his friends called him "the lost Alaskan".   The facilities are very nice and the work campers are great sources of info on what to see.   After setting up we drove downtown to the grocery store to restock our freezer and pick up other goodies.

The town likes it's donuts -- three donut shops in town and a hidden gem - Judy's Bread and Breakfast which makes cinnamon rolls and sticky buns to die for!   It's the Amboy Cottage Cafe of Texas!   In the afternoon we went to the Big Bend Museum on the campus of Sol Ross University here in town.   It's very well done -- and FREE!   Ok, we're CHEAP!!!!

Experienced campers suggested we leave our trailer here and get a hotel room in Terlingua and drive down Hwy 67 to Presidio and the "river road" which runs from Presidio to Terlingua which is right outside the Big Bend National Park.    The river road is desolate and climbs and drops almost as well as a roller coaster!   It follows the Rio Grande, and is considered one of the 10 best scenic drives in the US.    Along the way there's a Fort Langdon and a deserted western movie set to explore.   It's 85 miles at 35 mph.    Checked into our hotel in Terlingua, ate lunch and then headed to Big Bend National Park.

We toured the Castolon scenic route, about 30 miles one way, and while we were there, we hiked to the Santa Elena Canyon.   Along the way we met 3 people from Austin, TX whom we kept running into at various stops along the road.   We had fun teasing each other about following each other.   They beat us to the Castolon Visitor's Center and when we arrived they were sitting in the shade eating ice cream.  After the hike to the Santa Elena Canyon, we drove back to the hotel.

Thursday we got up early and after breakfast we headed back into the park.   We took a lot of pictures, and I worked on pictures of the various cactus we saw along the way.   It's spring, and the cactus are blooming!   We ate lunch at the Rio Grande Village  and ten drove to Boquillas Canyon and walked the trail.   As we were approaching the top ot a hill who should we meet but our 3 Austin friends coming back down!   We also met and climbed with a couple from New Bern, NC.   We took turns taking pictures of each other at the Rio Grande.   The climb and descent to the river were worth it -- very pretty.   We had an additional reward of seeing wild borros on the Mexican side of the river and a horse.   From there we headed back to Panther Junction and headed back home.   Our last Visitor's Center volunteers were from Cloquet, MN, so we enjoyed a few minutes of chat before we headed north back to Alpine.

Friday morning after breakfast of sticky buns and cinnamon rolls, we drove 25 miles north on Hwy 118 to Fort Davis, a key post in the defense system of west Texas.   From 1854 until 1891, troops stationed at the post protected emigrants, freighters, mail coaches and travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road.
Today Fort Davis is one of the best remaining examples of a frontier military post.    In June 1891, as a result of the army's efforts to consolidate its frontier garrisons, Fort Davis was ordered abandoned, having outlived its usefulness.  

In 1966, Lady Bird Johnson dedicated the fort, along with Big Bend as part of the National Park Service.  

Saturday we will leave for El Paso, TX.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Pictures of Everything LBJ

The Johnson Oval Office

Outside Boyhood home in Johnson City, TX

Outside LBJ Presidential Library - Austin, TX

By Air Force One Half - LBJ Ranch

Outside the rebuilt LBJ Birthplace

Inside Lady Bird's Office

Jack demontrating LBJ Negotiating Tactics

Junction School

Bluebonnets - State wildflower

Everything LBJ!

We camped near Austin, TX for two nights so that we could visit the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin on the campus of the University of Texas in downtown Austin.  Admission to the library was free, and a donation was gratefully accepted.  

The library boasts three floors of documents for research, and the public library/museum offers film clips and displays of events during his presidency - from film of Kennedy's assassination,  a replica of his oval office and Lady Bird's office, his early years in government, and the film clip of his decision not to run for re-election.  

I was blown away by the amount of legislation LBJ was able to accomplish in his time as president.   He was born on a ranch near Stonewall, Texas to Rebekh Baines Johnson and Sam Ealy Johnson Jr.   At the age of 4 he went to a one-room school called, Junction, a short distance from the house.   At age 5 the family moved to Johnson City, TX so that Lyndon would have more opportunities for education.   He lived in that home until  he was married to Lady Bird.    He attended college in San Marcos, and taught school to migrant children for a short time.   He admired FDR, and when he became president his goal was to level the playing field, so that poor people would have a better chance at bettering themselves.   As a result, he worked at negotiating his "Great Society".   He was president from 1963-1969.   His body of achievements include voting rights, Headstart, Medicare, and PBS to just name a few of his accomplishments.   The reader can see the extensive list of his achievements on the web.

Other sites of interest on our tour of all things LBJ included a short walk from the National Park Visitor Center in Johnson City to the "Johnson Settlement" where Sam Ealy Johnson Sr. brought his bride in 1867.   Sam was a cattleman and he and his brother drove cattle from Texas up to Abilene Kansas.
On the site is also a James Polk Johnson Barn, built  by his nephew in 1875.  Johnson City was named after James Polk Johnson, who donated the land for the town.

We drove the 16 miles from Johnson City to Stonewall, to the LBJ State Park and Historic Site Visitor Center where we received a free driving permit and a CD containing audio about sites we would see on the tour of the ranch area.    

Junction School:   4-yr old Lyndon learned to read at this one room school.  He returned 53 years later to sign the Elementary and Secondary Eduction Act with his first teacher sitting beside him!

LBJ's birthplace was reconstructed by LBJ and was used as a guest house during his presidency.

Johnson Family Cemetery is right across the road from Lyndon's birthplace.   Lyndon and Lady Bird are both buried at this cemetery as are generations of Johnsons.

Sam and Eliza Johnson (Lyndon's grandparents) moved to Stonewall and lived out their lives "just down the road" from his grandson, Lyndon.

The Texas White House - The house is a century-old rock farmhouse which was enlarged as the Johnson family grew.   During the Johnson presidency it was called the Texas White House.   The site includes a hangar and LBJ's smaller Air Force One (he called it Air Force one half) which flew him from Austin to the ranch.   Today the site includes a working ranch and as you drive to the house, you share the road with cattle grazing along the road.  

We enjoyed our stay in the area and felt we had learned a great deal about our 36th president of the US.

See the pictures in the next blog.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

George H. W. Bush Presidential Library - College Station, TX

The George Bush Presidential Library is located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.    We planned ahead and packed a lunch as we weren't sure how long we'd actually be at the library.   We weren't disappointed!

The library introduced us to the families of George and Barbara Bush from childhood onward.   The whole feel of the library was "comfortable"-- a "welcome into our family" affair.    It progressed from childhood to college years, and then George's stint in the navy.   We were guests at his wedding to Barbara,  and enjoyed family pictures of their early years -- as well as their restored Studebaker.  

In the process of learning about their life together, we learned about the child who died much too young due to Leukemia, George's time working in the oil business from the ground up, his extensive preparation for the presidency through his military career, his time as head of the CIA, his time at the United Nations, and finally his Presidency.

As with other Presidential Libraries, we were treated to a model of his White House Office and I especially enjoyed the Camp David office and pictures of the chapel there and the family Christmas held there.  

The tone of the whole library was one of a close family in service to their country.    The funniest area was a relaxation area with books for kids to sit and look at, and videos of George and Barbara cracking up on Saturday Night Live.    There was a skit of them playing golf and Barbara winning.

While we were there, the staff indicated that they had seen a Secret Service detail in the building, and that Barbara Bush was somewhere in the building.    We didn't see her, however.   She was known to come into the library and talk to the people who were there visiting.  

We visited Barbara's Rose Garden behind the library, and the sculpture of Freedom, in memory of the Berlin Wall after we completed our visit to the library.  

Jack attempting to get George's attention

The Freedom Sculpture in memory of the Berlin Wall

In the rose garden 

In front of the Library

The pond and walk behind the library