Old Timer's Reunion - Arizona

We're back on the road again. The RV is packed up and we're heading for our friends' home in Glendale, Arizona and the Super Bowl. What a package! As usual, we take our time getting there, driving only a few hundred miles each day, and Angel (our border collie) appreciates that approach!

Saturday, January 31, we depart for Arizona, happy to leave behind the wave of icy weather the whole area has been experiencing. The final necessities are stowed in the rig, freeze prevention in place on vulnerable areas around the house and yard, bird feeders and water tubs topped off, and off we go!

A few hours later we pull into San Angelo State Park, one of our usual stops. The lake has been fairly low the last several time's we've visited, and there's not much change now. Texas is definitely in drought conditions.

The area we are parked in is dry brush and dust, pretty much what most people think all of Texas looks like, though we know otherwise! We pretty much have the place to ourselves, and surmise the blast of icy cold we're just coming out of probably caused a lot of cancellations. We do have neighbors though. Steve met them while they were out calling their cat. It seems they adopted the stray tabby at this park several years ago, and when they come down from their home state, Michigan, to get away from the cold, the cat comes too. He likes to prowl his old home, but he always comes back to camp! The cat probably lived here long enough to know how skimpy the vittles are, especially this time of year. I did find a bush with tiny little berries, and a few cactus that might be considered juicy by a rodent, but didn't see much evidence of anything a cat would be interested in. Since most everything in this landscape has thorns or stickers of some type, exploration was limited. 

February 1

Next stop, Balmorhea State Park. This lush oasis has always been one of our favorite stops, but it's been under construction for refurbishment for quite some time. 

Everything finally opened up, and they did a really nice job. The site shelters, campground roads and visitor cabins have all been improved and had a facelift. We didn't check out the spring fed pool but other campers mentioned it was in great shape too. 

Feb 2,  Rockhound State Park, New Mexico 

We love this park! I especially love it because it has few restrictions and they actually encourage people to pick up samples of rock here and there. The park is known primarily for geodes, but I'm always picking up things that just look interesting and then I add them to my cactus plantings or potted plants. The scenery is beautiful, as are the sunsets. This photo shows our view across the valley to the Little Florida Mountains. The mountains catch a lot of beautiful clouds as they float overhead. 

While at  Rockhound State Park, we took an extra day to visit Pancho Villa State Park, in nearby Columbus New Mexico. The little town hardly seems a likely place for General Francisco "Pancho" Villa and his army to attack, but Pancho had a bit of a grievance with not only the U.S. Army but a business in Columbus. It seems the Mexican Army had ordered some weapons/ammunition from a merchant in town and though the merchant had been paid, the product hadn't been delivered. Pancho was not happy. . . . If you've ever heard Willie Nelson's Pancho and Lefty, it was based (loosely) on this battle. You can read actual facts about the historic event, now known as "The Battle of Columbus", here.

We enjoyed watching a short video in the visitor's center that presented the story through photos and film taken of interviews of residents of Columbus who were alive when the event happened. There are several historic military weapons and other items on display too. This creation, below,  was the very first thing we saw, placed right at the entrance. It was an experimental vehicle known as a "tank".

More photos and notes in the album. 

Feb 4  

On to Picacho Peak State Park, in Arizona. We're getting into the really pretty part of the desert with this stop. There are beautiful mountains in the background and interesting plant life in the areas around the campground. This is a quick, overnight stop, and we head out for White Tank Mountain Regional Park early in the morning. 

Next stop is White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Arizona. This will be home for several days. We really like this park as the sites are generous and are spaced far enough apart that you can actually see and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. We're in saguaro country here. The birds love to sit on top of these towering cactus and sing their little hearts out. Well maintained trails are plentiful and most are fairly flat so easy to navigate. Angel and I enjoyed several outings across the desert, though I'm not sure she's looking for scenery as I am, she does a lot of exploring with her nose. 

The Ol' Timers Reunion - Glendale, Arizona

We started the event with a fish fry dinner at the local American Legion post, which our host and his wife are serving as post president and president of the auxiliary. Great food! and we met a lot of nice folks. Following days were filled with catching up with friends and some great BBQ. We were missing some of the usual attendees though. Unfortunately some last minute health issues cropped up and interfered.  

After the reunion we moved over closer to Tucson, taking up residence in Gilbert Ray Campground - Tucson Mountain Park  The sites are all surrounded by beautiful landscape and wide open sky. The stars at night are amazing, and often punctuated by what look like moving stars, but the sounds of aircraft gives away the truth.  After all, there is an Air Force base here, and an airport, not to mention wonderful collections of historic aircraft. We'll be exploring some of those too. 

We're right on the edge of Saguaro National Park -West , home of the giant saguaro. Conditions in this area are perfect for these giant beauties. They grow taller, and fatter, and in greater abundance than anywhere else. They won't be in bloom until later in the year, but they are still impressive even with no flowers. Many of these cacti are older than one would guess. They can live 150-200 years!

There's a lot to see and do in this park. We took one day to visit the visitor center, to get our bearings you might say. The Red Hills Visitor Center, just a short way up the road from our campground, has some very informative displays, including a cross section of an elderly saguaro, and a few facts about these amazing plants. If you can enlarge the photo you'll see a lot of detail, or go to the album where some of it is summarized in the photo notes. There are also photos of the area. 

They also have a great gift shop if you're looking for souvenirs. There are several short trails around the visitor center, and dogs are welcome on some of them. Most of the longer trails in the park are closed to dogs.  Only a few are open to dogs, so checking signs on the map is important

The next day's project was the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, easy to find on the map, it's just a short distance up the road from our campsite in Gilbert Ray campground. Their website invites visitors to "Turn your idea of a museum Inside Out!" Well, that sounds exciting, but we still weren't prepared for what we saw. This "museum" is like an interactive Disneyland for nature enthusiasts. 

Artistically designed trails and plantings wander around, in between, over and under naturalistic boulders, caves and pathways. Interspersed with informational signs and posters the displays are organized loosely by subject categories such as birds, cats, cactus, geology, wildflowers, reptiles, etc. There are live displays, fossils, hands-on activities for all ages, and all this is tied together by artistic plantings and sculptures. 

There are two gift shops, both offer a variety of really nice t-shirts by a local artist, and there are a couple of small cafes. If you still have energy left after rambling the trails, there are a couple of galleries to explore. The facility is well staffed with docents who are happy to explain the intricacies of displays, or landscape views from any of the carefully positioned viewing areas. All the docents are volunteers who have a deep appreciation for this environment and are anxious to share with visitors.  See the photo album for several shots from the museum.  Below is the entrance to the bee yard. I can only imagine these gardens in the spring when wildflowers are in peak bloom.

Feb 12

Pima Air & Space Museum is one of those places that has been recommended to us many times, and now we have time to tour it! There are several aircraft collections in the Tucson area, some are for maintenance and storage only, but this is a well maintained and beautifully presented historic and modern collection of a variety of types of mostly military aircraft. A portion of the displays are indoors, and others are outside. 

When we saw the size of the area covered we knew immediately that taking the tram tour as part of that would be sensible. We're talking several acres, outside, and a huge indoor space. There are several photos in the album, with captions on most so you know what you're looking at. It's way to much to take in unless one is an absolute aircraft specialist, but we enjoyed seeing it all, and best of all the displays was meeting Richard B. Bushong, a 102 year old WWII pilot. He was telling stories from his time in service and signing copies of his book. His photo is in the album, this location was so extensive it has it's own album! What a day! We went back to camp with our brains full!

Time to pack up and begin our trek east, back to home. We stopped at the same sites we stayed at on our way west, toward Arizona, in reverse order of course! In some cases we stayed in the exact same site. It was interesting to watch Angel hop out of the truck, take her usual survey of the surroundings, and then wag her tail as if to say, I recognize this place! For a dog who seems really set in her routines this trip has been a major learning experience for her. 

Feb 15

Our final stop before heading home, Pecan Valley Ranch & Farm.

This RV park is new to us. What a find! There's a warm and friendly farm type atmosphere, beautiful scenery, the entertainment of small farm animals grazing on a grassy field, a beautiful river flowing by, and friendly guests and hosts. Guests are free to wander amongst the chickens and goats, visit the small "country store" offering t-shirts and pecan treats, walk by the river or through the pecan orchard.  This beats most private RV campgrounds by a mile. We met the couple in the site next to ours and discovered we had a lot in common. We spent the evening sitting around their fire ring and chatting about all sorts of topics. In the morning we all departed, we for home and they for their new grandchild in Houston.  

Happy Trails! It's been a great trip!

Reunion trip to Arizona album

Pima County Air & Space Museum album

Click on the first photo in the album, then use the side arrows to page through the remaining photos. Most have captions. 

Holiday Greetings from Texas!

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Better late than never!  I wrote this back in early January and then forgot to post it!!😁

We hope this little note finds you and all your friends and family doing well. We are all doing well, unaffected by many of the issues that made the national news. We live at the edge of “Hill Country” but are fortunate enough to live on a ridge, out of range of the devastating flash floods that struck the Texas Hill Country, particularly along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. It’s been a really dry year in general, so who would expect that kind of flooding in July. This state is known for its extreme contrasts in weather, so we shouldn’t be surprised. So far, the tornados have missed us too!

Steve’s main hobby is maintaining and improving the RV, and we’ve made good use of it this year. We made the annual trek to Arizona for the annual “Say Hi before you die” reunion with his former coworkers from Orange County, CA, and enjoyed visiting several parks and museums along the way. It’s great to be able to connect again with friends from so long ago. 

Much of our spring was consumed with family concerns, helping Daph’s siblings relocate their older sister, Diana, to a memory care facility. She passed away in late October, just a few days before her 92nd birthday. Several trips to CA were required to assist with the sale of her house as well as the contents. Two siblings still live in CA so most of the responsibility fell to them. We will all miss Diana, but she had a long and good life, so no regrets. 

 Once the dust settled around all of that we turned our thoughts to another dog. Since we lost our other two last year things had been just a little too quiet around here. We found a “rehoming” opportunity for a 6 year old border collie that seemed ideal. She’s now part of the family. We adopted her in May and we’re still trying to figure each other out but she’s fitting in pretty well. She almost has us trained to suit her standards! She came with the name of Angel, and she’s pretty sweet and calm (for a Border collie), but definitely has her own idea about how and when things should happen. We tried changing her name but so far that hasn’t been too successful. 

We introduced Angel to camping in October and she took right to it, with long walks, an introduction to campgrounds and friendly armadillos, and lots of opportunity for sniffing. Her favorite activity is chasing a ball or Frisbee which is limited in campgrounds, but the exploring opportunities seemed to keep her busy enough. 

Kendra and the boys are doing well. 

Raylan is now 11, and though he hasn’t caught up to Jaxen yet, he is growing. Jax is now taller than Steve! And he’s only 14. To celebrate his birthday he wanted to go to NASA, so, off we all went, to Houston. It was a good trip, and we all really enjoyed the Space Center. 

The collection there includes an amazing variety of space vehicles, many of them very historic. Our generation grew up with the first moon landing and many other “firsts” but to the boys it’s all ancient history. They’re dreaming off into the future and seeing all the vehicles that have been into space and back really fueled their dreams.

Kendra’s health challenges continue. She became eligible for VA health care this spring thanks to the PACT Act and it has been helpful, as well as frustrating. As with all bureaucracies everything seems to move at a snail’s pace. When things finally happen it’s a real benefit. She just took delivery of a new power wheelchair, a process that started back in early October.  It will really make life easier for her.

So we’re all doing well and ready to start a new year. We hope yours holds good and exciting things for you and your friends and family! 

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! 

Happy Hanukkah! Happy New Year! 

Take your pick or celebrate them all!!

An Autumn Get-Away pt. 2 - South Llano River

 Oct. 23

We've been to South Llano River State Park many times before so it feels "like home". We've never stayed more than one night however, as we're always on the way to somewhere else, and the park is fairly close to home. This time we're here for three nights, leaving  us two full days for exploring and absorbing the park ambiance. The drive from Lost Maples to South Llano River is only 75 miles, so usually under two hours, depending on the route you choose. We can't arrive before the stated 2 pm. check in however, due to turkey roosting season regulations, so we took our time. . 

Our check-in time was 2 pm and we arrived at the locked gate at 1:45. It was locked... in a few minutes a couple of staff showed up and checked their watches, we chatted for a few minutes and when it was exactly 2:00 the unlocked the gate. It turns out, this was the official end of of one of the Axis deer hunting seasons, so it was due to that activity that no one was admitted sooner. It may seem strange to have hunting in a state park, but it's common in Texas as there is very little public land that isn't included in a park, natural area or wildlife management unit. Many TX state parks offer multiple hunting seasons, some for archery, some for firearms, some for specific species too, so hunters (and anglers) need to know their species!

The entrance to the park is a bridge over the river for which it's named, and the river was a welcome site. It has more water in it than any of the other rivers we've seen lately, though it's been higher in the past, at least there's plenty of water for the wildlife, swimmers and tubers. 

This park is famous for it's wildlife, especially birds, the feathered residents have high priority here.  Starting Oct. 1 through March 31 specific trails are closed to hikers from 3 pm. until 10 am so the wild turkeys that are gathering here for the winter can settle into the trees along the river in the evenings without being disturbed. There are bird blinds here and there along the trails for those who want to wait and watch for that perfect photo op, and so many trails to choose from it's hard to make a decision. 

We were settled into our site by 3:00 ready to relax and enjoy the scenery. The shadows were beginning to creep across the mesquite duff covered ground partially disguising the  little armadillo (video) that was starting to nuzzle around under a bush nearby. Soon another one showed up a short distance away. They are common here, and not especially bashful as they seem to know they are protected. 

One little guy came up to me and Angel as we were walking through the campground and would have climbed up on my foot if I hadn't moved!!

According to the trails map we received when we checked in there are several leading to the river, so on our first full day we decided to check them out. most of the river access trails are short and fairly direct from a parking lot, making carrying a tube or other equipment fairly easy. Unfortunately the shores are quite densely covered with brush in some areas. That probably changes with seasons so visitors need to scope out the situation before heading out with all their "stuff". If you just want to take a leisurely walk along the river check with park staff and they can point you in the right direction. I made notes on my map as we explored so I have it for future reference. 

In the afternoon Missy Angel and I walked from the campground over to Buck Lake, which is between the river and the campground. 

The little off-shoot of the river is named for the Buck family that owned the property before it was given to the park. The lake has a small fishing dock which is probably the best location to fish from as the banks are quite steep and brushy, especially this year. On wetter years the water level may be higher.  It's a beautiful secluded area with a totally different atmosphere than the actual river. 

The trail from the camp is clearly marked across from space 42, and they make the bird blind the most noticeable, on the signboard behind it, they list Buck Lake. 

The bird blind is about half way between the campground and the lake so it's a nice place to rest in the shade and maybe catch a few good bird photos. 

The trail continues on all the way to the river if one chooses to hike further.  The lake shows clearly on Google maps and if you zoom in, using satellite mode, you can see the trails available. 

We had spent so much time sniffing (that would be the dog's job) and snapping photos that we decided to go back to camp, noticing on the way in the powdery dry path we followed that we weren't on a deer trail, we were following a raccoon trail! Those cute little hand prints are unmistakable. I was glad I took the photo then instead of thinking I'd go back. . . because . . . it was all washed away over night. 

A boisterous thunderstorm kept made for a restless night, so we weren't feeling too energetic in the morning of our second day. No worries, this place is made for relaxing. A few short walks with Missy Angel were sufficient for her (she was up most of the night too - not too fond of thunder) and then, there's football! That kept the wagon master busy. 

We depart tomorrow. It's been another great trip!

There are a few more photos of this trip in the album

We were home in time to prepare for the Halloween adventures. Kendra and Raylan collaborated on his costume and his mask. He knew exactly what he wanted it to look like, and Kendra figured out the engineering. . . it's all made of polymer clay. 

Raylan's character is a warrior from the future, or another planet?,  a hybrid design with elements from from Dune and the Star Wars series. His light saber came in handy as a night light when he was walking around the neighborhood.

An Autumn Get-Away - Lost Maples Natural Area

 When you live in the middle of a Hill Country forest it seems a little strange to say "get-away" when you go camping in the middle of another Hill Country forest, but there are advantages. For one, we can gaze at the ancient oaks and mesquites and not have to worry about which ones to trim this winter!

I my last post, in January, I mentioned that we had lost both of our dogs during the fall. We waited awhile to decide what to do about being "dogless", and then decided it felt weird. So, when the opportunity arose to adopt a 6 year old border collie that was being re-homed, we took up the opportunity. We adopted her in May, and we all seem to be adapting to the situation pretty well.  She probably thinks we're a little weird, and at times we think the same of her, so it averages out. She came with the name of Angel, but she's not really all that angelic, having a firm mind of her own, so we attached Missy as an alternative. She answers to both, as well as "dog" !  She's a pretty good trail companion and a lot easier to step over than the other two that were twice her size. 

October 20 - 23

Our first stop on this week long outing was  Lost Maples State Natural Area. The area is quite unique in Texas as there are very few native maples in the state. This area was isolated in pre-historic times, left behind when the area climate changed. Now it's about the only place in Texas where one might see fall color in the leaves. Unfortunately, that wonderful glowing red is dependent partially on low temperatures and adequate rainfall. . . neither of which we had this year. So, the hillsides are currently covered in a healthy showing of green, of all shades, but still green. 

This sad Virginia Creeper was the only plant that managed to have a little of the cherished red in its leaves. 

We had never been to this park before, so it was a new experience. There are several trails deep into the park area for those who do enjoy long hikes, but they have very rough and rocky river crossings and some really steep sections. They are not suitable for mobility aids or strollers. Bikes are only acceptable for the first mile, due to the trail conditions. We were more interested (as was Angel) in shorter hikes with fairly flat, stable surfaces.  There is a trail that parallels the road in to the campground that is accessible from behind the restrooms. It leads directly to the river and is a safe walking trail if one has dogs or children with them.  

In spite of the rocky and steep issues we enjoyed out hikes on the trails we did try out. There was running water everywhere in the creeks and little rivulets that feeds those stream. We were lucky enough to have good weather too!

There is plenty of parking at each of the trail heads, the parking area for the east-west trail includes an older house that belonged to a former concessionaire who ran a ranch and lodge on the property before the state purchased it. There are little surprises like that around the area if you explore and ask questions.

The park is nicely maintained and the sites are spacious, each having its own covered picnic table and fire pit. The restrooms are clean, sites are nicely mowed, making a clear space several feet past the spaces to minimize fire risk.  If you forgot to bring reading entertainment there's a little loaner library box out in front of the restrooms too.

The visitor center has a small information display about the plant and animal life in the area as well as the historical native tribes who occupied the area. There were plenty of staff to answer questions, as well as the usual cups, t-shirts, hats and pins for collectors. 

One thing we have learned about the whole state parks and natural areas systems is that even though the trails may say bikes are allowed, e-bikes are not. They are considered motorized vehicles.
Fortunately the campground was a pretty good sized loop.

On the day before departure we decided to go in search of a little fuel, so ventured down the highway a few miles to the little Lost Maples Country Store just outside of Vanderpool.. Their "grocery" items are few and far between, possibly due to seasonal demand,  but we did get the diesel we were after, and then decided to venture further up the highway to check out the little town of Utopia. 

Who wouldn't want to visit Utopia, especially if it's only ten miles away?! The little town was named such by its first postmaster, who thought the weather was so perfect that living there was like Utopia.  It's a very small town, peaceful and very tidy. They even have a website so you can read all about them. 

Tomorrow we move on to South Llano State Park.  

Old Timers Gathering (Say hi before you die!)

Friday, Jan 31.    

We're headed out for Glendale, Arizona. It's time for the annual mini reunion of folks Larry (Steve) worked with back in the 1970's, before we moved to Oregon.  It's a great time for them to catch up, as well as re-telling stories and remembering some of the events they were all involved in the Orange County Sherriff's Department "back in the day".  

It's also an excellent excuse for us to take a short road trip. 

Our last post  on Stephen F. Austin State Park mentioned that we had lost Shiner and unfortunately, four days after that trip we learned that Watch had cancer that could not be treated, so he has gone over that rainbow bridge to be with his best buddy. After Shiner was gone, Watch had become my best walking buddy, and he loved to snuggle with Steve on the sofa in the evenings, so we really miss him. 

It's weird being "dogless", and it does impact our traveling style to some extent. For this trip we decided to make it strictly auto/hotel with no RV involved.  We can travel much faster, and we had budgeted a short time, so it worked out well. 

 It's a rarity these days, even in law enforcement, for people who have worked together for many years still stay connected even long after retirement. The group that meets in Arizona varies from year to year, as many, like us and our hosts, have moved out of the Orange County, CA area. 

We stayed overnight in Clint, TX, just a short hop outside El Paso, then up early to be on our way to our next stop

We arrived at the hotel in Tolleson, near Glendale, by 3:30, quickly got settled in and hopped over to our host's house only a short distance from the hotel. 

Two days filled with catching up on friends, health and families, of stories reliving their crazy and sometime humorous experiences kept everyone laughing and enjoying the comradery. Our hosts kept us well fed too!

Feb. 3, Sierra Vista, AZ

We'd planned a bit of touring on our route home, and our first scheduled stop was the infamous Tombstone. 

Our first stop was the OK Corral, where the famous gunfight took place. It's hard to envision anything like that now. Early birds that we are, at 10 AM many of the shops aren't open yet, and the wide main street is practically empty. A few resident reenactors, looking like they were all ready for that gunfight greeted visitors and answered questions. 

There are now three locations in town where that famous gunfight can be seen, but we passed on that and instead visited the history museum in the county courthouse. The museum is really well done, and profiled some interesting local personalities. 

 One of the most famous is  Sarah Herring Sorin, the first woman lawyer in Arizona, also became the first female lawyer from Arizona admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court in April of 1906. 

Another noteworthy resident was Ed Schieffelin, who founded the town of Tombstone in 1877. Ed was apparently wealthy enough as a result of successful previous mining exploits, but he loved the hunt, so to speak, and discovered rich veins here. 

He had been warned he'd "only find his tombstone" when he went in search of minerals near the Huachuca mountains, thus the name of the town he settled. This history of the town's growth and prosperity is interesting, and mirrors many come-and-gone mining settlements. 

For a fun dip into a blend of history and modern times, visit the Tombstone Times, a little newspaper that is hand out free when you visit. It's online, free if you wait a bit for the month's edition to come out, or by subscription. They also have a collection of some of their featured articles online.        Tombstone photo album

Feb. 4  

First stop of the day is nearby Bisbee, a historic copper mining town only a few miles from the border. Much like Nevada's Virginia City. This historic town is built in a valley with steep incline on both sides, so the buildings form a sort of random staircase leading up the mountain sides. 

The visitor center is cleverly situated at the opening of one of the original mine tunnels, and you can take a hard-hat required tour if you like. We just browsed the offerings, picked up a map, and headed out to explore. 

At it's peak Bisbee was a bustling metropolis with a large population and beautiful architecture. Now, with a much smaller population and less mining activity, tourism is one of the major industries. 

The town is beautifully restored and maintained, with many modern touches like murals, statues, ornate wrought iron, and plenty of shops, restaurants and galleries.  (see the photo album for examples.

In modern times, copper mines are no longer tunnels, they are wide open pits, and there are many still in operation. The multicolored soils of the surrounding hillsides are a clue as to how rich this area is in mineral content. 

The Bisbee Historical and Mining Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate - so members can take advantage of their discount in the gift shop. The museum is beautifully done, with large graphics setting the mood. They have a short video on their website that includes a few dramatic scenes of the town, a few of the museum displays, and historic photos.  One of my favorite parts of the mining section was the prominent placement of several small signs with some of the "Miners' Ten Commandments".      

The original  Miners' Ten Commandments were actually written in 1853 by James M. Hutchings (1818-1902), and first published in the Placerville Herald newspaper. The signs posted around the Bisbee museum are rather humorous take-offs, the text being much shorter than the original, but still conveying some truths that only a hard rock miner can truly appreciate. The full text of the original work can be seen here, but be ready to enlarge the font as it's very dense text. 

The museum displays are all extremely well done, and very informative, but we were especially impressed by the dioramas. This one, in great detail, shows the process of obtaining water from a well in Zacatecas Canyon and carrying it back to the settlement. Bisbee's first water pipes were not installed until 1908.

After a quick lunch we went back toward Sierra Vista, to Fort Huachuca, where our daughter had some of her training while in the Army. Checking in at the entrance was a real experience, including being photographed and providing all our credentials. We were provided with a pass bearing our portrait, which the guard preparing it assured me, was "like all government photos", meaning not especially flattering. 

The fort has been in existence since 1877, when it was home to cavalry protecting settlers, and a base for the famed Buffalo Soldiers. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and has served many purposes through out our nation's history. The fort museums do a beautiful job of presenting the long history, Currently the fort is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School and the world’s largest unmanned aerial systems training center. More about the fort here. 

With our brains full of historic facts, but with a hearty appetite, we ended our tour for the day and headed back to our hotel in Las Cruces for dinner and to pack for departure. 

Bisbee photo album

Feb. 5

We're headed for home, and we have one scenic spot to tour on our route . . . Chiricahua National Monument. Called "the land of Standing up Rocks" by the resident Chiricahua Apache, this is a geologic treasure. The amazing pinnacles originated 27 million years ago when the Turkey Creek volcano blew ash over thousands of square miles. This ash formed rhyolite, which cracked as it cooled, and then erosion took over and created these amazing shapes. Erosion and gravity of course continue to shape the landscape, softening edges, moving boulders, and shaping the cliffs. 

If only these formations could talk! In days past these pillars and canyons provided refuge and escape for Chief Cochise and Geronimo and their warriors. The Chiricahua Apache were the last tribe to surrender, and they were then remove to reservations in Oklahoma and New Mexico.

This national monument celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2024. Although there are few man-made structures here, those in existence represent a lot of history. 

In 1888 homesteaders from Sweden Neil and Emma Erickson settled here, raised a family, and eventually turned the homestead into a guest ranch which hosted visitors until 1973. 

The family built trails, led guests on horseback rides, and lobbied for the area's protection. They eventually had their wish recognized 1924.

The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) was established in 1933 and they completed many of the restoration and conservation projects in this area. The visitor center has displays with details on all this history, local wildlife, and more.

Although automobile access here is limited, this is a perfect place for those who love to hike, as there are miles of trails of all levels of difficulty, and a variety of wildlife to watch. The thick, mixed tree forest is a beautiful contrast to the geology.  It's a definite "must see" park. 

Chiricahua National Monument album

This marks the end of our tour for this trip. We'll be home tomorrow. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

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Season's Greetings!!

We hope you and your family are enjoying the holiday season. 

I seem to have lost a few parts of the year, having a bit of brain fog will do that. I think back over the year and it feels like we didn’t do much traveling at all, but in reviewing the calendar I find we actually did quite a bit, but it was primarily early in the year. 

For one thing, it seems we’ve entered into the age of healthcare taking priority over other issues, for ourselves as well as the dogs and Kendra. Looking back over the calendar there are a lot of appointments! That seemed to occupy most of the summer months, which worked out alright as it was too hot this year to do anything else! 

 In Jan- Feb we took a trip of about 5 weeks to Arizona for mini reunion and a brief visit with some of the relatives in southern California. 

We met up with Steve’s youngest brother for a couple of days camping in the Anza Borrego desert. Dale camps there frequently and he’s a great tour guide.   He took us to an area where a local sculptor, Ricardo Breceda, has placed several amazing, huge metal sculptures. There are dinosaurs, human figures, and some fantasy figures.

Somehow the sculptor managed to make them look at home in the wide open spaces of sagebrush and cactus, right next to paved roads! 

One such sculpture starts on one side of the highway and appears again on the other side, as if it had burrowed under the road. 

The trip also included a stop in Fort Davis, a Texas location we’ve been wanting to visit. 

The University of Texas observatory is located there, and they have wonderful public programs. There's a nature conservancy attraction with wonderful plant collections, the restored fort, and more to visit.

In March we flew to California for memorial service for Steve’s mother, who passed away last November. It was a really nice service and enabled us to see distant relatives we hadn’t connected with for several years. 

Kendra and the boys accompanied us, and so the boys had the opportunity to experience the Pacific Ocean for the first time. They enjoyed the waves and of course digging in the sand! 

Based on the boys’ interests we visited as many of the California tourism sites as energy and time would allow, including a dinosaur related museum and the battleship USS Iowa, so it was a great trip!

In late April we took a short trip to north Texas to visit Palo Duro Canyon (known as the Grand Canyon of Texas) We also visited Ft. Richardson, which figured largely in the early history of the state and is well restored. It was all fascinating, and the scenery was wonderful – and very different from our part of Texas. 

In reviewing the calendar I also note the primary reason we didn’t travel much in the summer…..most of the notations were for physical therapy appointments, some leading up to my knee replacement at the end of July and others after the surgery to get back in shape. The anesthetic for the surgery accounts for some of my brain fog I think, at least that’s my theory for the moment! They say it can take up to a year to recover. 

I had lots of entertainment during the first days following the surgery. We have a few Ring security cameras that aren’t installed so we can move them around the yard. We put some near bird feeders and some under the house where we’d been hearing odd noises. Every morning when I got up I’d check the camera displays on my computer. 

I watched raccoons, foxes and armadillos milling around the back yard almost every night. That was fun but not really surprising. Here's a photo of one of the foxes watching a raccoon eat the bird seed on the ground. They seem to coexist pretty well. The cameras we put under the house were a bit of a surprise – we learned we were being visited by opossums, skunks, rodents, and neighborhood cats. We’ve taken steps to close off their access, at least until someone digs another tunnel! 

December has been a busy month. First, we celebrate our 51st anniversary!!! 

Steve spent lots of time and energy upgrading and repairing some systems on the RV as well as trip planning – his favorite hobby. To celebrate we tried out all the RV improvements on this most recent trip. Our destination, near Houston, was the Stephen F. Austin State Park. The park is historically the site of the birth of Texas, as it was the land grant from Mexico that eventually became the state of Texas. We had a great time and enjoyed walking the trails and enjoying the early winter scenery. 

Unfortunately during this year we lost both our dogs. Shiner passed away in early October of age related issues. 

Watch left us 3 days after we returned home from this last trip from cancer that was fast moving and not treatable. We often found them resting together like this, touching paws. 

They really were buddies, and their passing leaves a giant hole in the family. We miss them both, but vowed to take our time about getting another one. 

We of course had birthday celebrations to spice things up – Raylan is now 10 years old, and Jaxen is 13 (yikes!) It seems just yesterday that we were announcing their arrival. They are still being homeschooled and seem to be thriving, finding plenty of time to pursue their art projects, video games, and swimming in the backyard pool when it’s warm enough. Kendra and Scott share teaching duties and that seems to be working out well. 

Early this month we visited with Kendra and the boys and watched them decorate their tree. It seemed like a good opportunity to take a photo. In this family it’s usually difficult to get more than two people to stand still long enough to take a group photo so this is a rare exception in this family! 

We do hope you and your family have had a good year. I know as we all get older (hard to believe it happens to our children too, isn’t it?) we develop health and other concerns that can become all consuming and cast and unwelcome light over everything. Your close bonds as a family are something you can really lean on and be thankful for. We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

The Worshams

Stephen F. Austin State Park

This park's location is important not because of the landscape, but because of it's historic significance. Stephen F. Austin chose this area as home base for es­tab­lishing Anglo-American colonies in Texas. The historic plaque commemorating the site of Austin's colony explains the details. 

The place to start for a background on Texas's birth and fight for independence is the museum, known officially as San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. This is the location, on the highway just outside the park entrance, is where Steven F. Austin first established his colony in 1823. The colony grew to become the social, economic, and political center of American immigration to Texas before independence. 

This life-size sculpture greeted us at the entrance to the museum

The museum includes a variety of period artifacts, murals and other artwork that provide an overview of life at the time. The gift shop has a variety of the usual items for sale, and the staff are readily available to answer questions. 

Outside the walls of the museum one enters into a small village of log buildings, all well maintained and often populated with volunteers dressed in period clothing and going about their daily chores. On the day we visited there was only one, a blacksmith. He happily explained his tools and the project he was working on. 

The campground here in the park is situated in a mixed forest of cedar elm, water hickory, Osage orange, sugar hackberry, pecan, Mexican plum and western soapberry.  We're visiting in early winter, so most of the branches are bare, and the only wildflowers are a few Turk's Cap blossoms still hanging on. The native holly, also common here in the campground, is still covered with red berries. The birds will do away with those soon as the weather turns colder. 

We planned only a short trip, as we're approaching Christmas and there's a lot to do to prepare for Santa's visit, so we only had time for one more site visit. The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge is only a 30 minute drive (19 mi.) northeast of the campground. It's a great place to get an overview of the amazing natural history in this coastal plains environment. 

The center moved into a new facility not too long ago and they are still getting organized so they weren't officially "open" when we visited. There was an employee in the building however, and when she saw us watching the video of the Prairie Chicken Dance in the entrance area she happily opened the door so we could visit inside. The collections and displays are all focused on explaining the importance of protecting the species, their traits and the overall ecology of the area. 

The displays in the visitor center include an extensive taxidermy bird exhibit and some lovely artwork by students. The activities the staff plan for busy seasons are clever and entertaining for everyone, but especially suited for school age children. 

Browse the photos in our photo album for this visit to get  better idea of the scenery and the museum itself. The center's official grand opening is expected to be in the spring for their "Boom and Bloom" festival (The 2023 Attwater's Prairie-Chicken Festival, Booming and Blooming Festival will take place on the second weekend of April, unless it falls on Easter weekend, in which case it will be the previous weekend.) 

The "boom" is the male performance during mating season, and the video in the entrance lobby shows staff members and visitors demonstrating the steps to this "dance" ritual. It's a really entertaining way to introduce some rather interesting animal behavior! Here is a short but amusing video explaining the purpose for the "boom" dance, and a more scientific  8-minute video exploring the issues around the survival of this species as well as the steps being taken to assist in their survival. 

There are several bird blinds around the nearby pond and a short trail so it's easy to get good viewing angles, also a nice place to set up your easel or camera.

The town nearest the campground is Sealy. It's a small town, but necessary services like groceries are available, there's a Walmart so you can pick up whatever you forgot, and there are several choices for restaurants, auto parts, etc. We drove around in town on the first day in the park just to get our bearings. There are a few interesting shops in the old original downtown area too. . . including a quilt shop! If you're a quilter, look for the Wooden Spool.

The park gift shop has an extensive collection of T-shirts, hats, stuffed toys, games and collectables. Sites are all pull-thru, nicely spaced in the wooded area. Many have large grassy areas that are perfect for kids or campers with pets.  

Restrooms are nice, clean, well designed with shower accommodations for individuals using wheelchairs in all - men's, women's, two family and one "handicapped" restroom.

The campground is surrounded by multiple walking/biking trails that all seem well maintained. 

We really enjoyed wandering through the woods, especially since the weather was mild. The birds were fairly active, and we found a few stray wildflowers still blooming here and there. The low-lying portions of trails that get flooded frequently often have some sort of bridge or boardwalk over them. A local bicycle club has helped to put in and maintain many of the trails sections. 

Time to head for home. This was a nice respite in a busy season. 

photo album for this trip