Texas Bound…The Lone Star State

It has been a while since our last blog post, because we have been having so much fun! Another reason though is that we do not have high speed wireless WiFi internet, and we have limited cell phone coverage where we are now, so it has taken Sharon a long time to download photos and get this blog out.

But everyone has been asking where we are and what we are doing, so here is the latest!
  

Terrell, Texas

On August 14, breakfast is a quick chocolate and banana protein shake and fresh roasted Kenyan coffee as we hit the road and travel across the Plains to Terrell, Texas listening to tunes on Sirius XM radio.  We stayed a week at the Bluebonnet RV Park.  Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas, but they were not in bloom during our stay.  As you probably noticed, Sharon loves flowers!

The park was spacious and it had a nice lake with beautiful Canadian Geese and the ugly ducklings, the Muscovy ducks! During a walk that evening and while taking photos I noticed a bear and my heart started pounding.  On second look I noticed it was a look-a-like bear statue that was very close to the real thing! The RV park owners had a sense of humor!

Ft. Worth, Texas

Terrell is nothing to write home about, but we made a day trip to Ft. Worth about 90 minutes away. We went to the historic Stockyards Station www.stockyardsstation.com, best location to view the world’s only daily longhorn cattle drive.  Authentic Fort Worth cowboys drive the herd down Exchange Avenue and head ‘em up and move ‘em out! Fort Worth, known as “Cowtown,” is where in the 1800’s the Chisholm Trail was used by Texas ranchers to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railhead trading posts where cattle would be sold and shipped eastward. The trail is named for Jesse Chisholm, who had built several trading posts in what is now western Oklahoma before the American Civil War.  Immediately after the war, he collected stray Texas cattle and drove them to railheads over the Chisholm Trail, shipping them back East to feed citizens, where beef commanded much higher prices than in the West.

We stopped first to get a photo of Sharon riding one of the steers, cowboy hat and all!  Before the cattle drive we stopped at the corral and viewed the cattle with their spectacular horns as they munched on hay!

Spectators lined the street and then around the corner came the lead cowboy, whip in hand, herding cattle up the main street.  It was a site to see!

 

Being amongst the cowboys inspired us to shop for a cowboy hat and cowboy boots for Sharon.

While waiting for the drive to start, Mike talked with a gentleman from Kansas, who relocated to Ft. Worth. 

He had been in the military and bent Mike’s ears with a lot of stories while Sharon took photos.  He told us of an authentic Mexican lunch place, called Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant & Fiesta Gardens, that we could walk to. 

Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant & Fiesta Gardens

After we explored the shops in the Stockyards, we took a walk to find the Mexican Restaurant.  We came across this old building with the sign, but it was abandoned and thought “what a disappointment.”

We walked a little further and saw another sign with an arrow pointing around the corner. There it was as we turned the corner.  We enjoyed a delicious meal of enchiladas and fajitas and a cold glass of iced tea to quench our thirst!  It is hot in the Texas Plains!

As we left the restaurant, our waiter reminded us to go out back to see the beautiful gardens.  We expected a small patio with some potted plants.  It was like walking into a botanical garden with more dining outside and paths that lead you in and out of areas filled with fountains and statues and pottery and very old plants and trees and flowers. There must have been a half acre landscaped to the max.  It was a perfect setting for a wedding and squirrels.

We headed back to the Stockyards and walked past the “Live Stock Exchange” an adobe-style building that was constructed in 1902 as a center for cattle traders. It was the central location for all activity in the Stockyards and often referred to as "The Wall Street of the West.” Today, the building houses professional services and the North Fort Worth Historical Society Museum, which features artifacts from the beginning of the development of the Stockyards.

We came upon a cowboy and his horse as they were resting in the shade. We stopped to talk and found out he had been a cowboy for most of his life and although his wife wanted to retire, his passion was being a cowboy and he hated to give it up.

 

Billy Bob’s Texas – The World’s Largest Honky Tonk

We were told about a place that holds up to 6,000 people headlining famous performers nightly, called Billy Bob’s Texas http://billbobstexas.com.  The building now known as Billy Bob’s Texas was built in 1910 and was once an open-air barn used to house prize cattle for the Fort Worth Stock Show. In 1936, as a Texas Centennial Project, the building was enclosed by the City of Fort Worth at a cost of $183,500 and the tower over the main entrance was added. The “new” structure contained 1,257 animal stalls, and a 1,200 seat auction ring that is now the Billy Bob’s Bull Riding arena.  Livestock events were held here until the stock show moved to the Will Rogers Memorial Complex, in 1943. During World War II, the building was used as an airplane factory for the Globe Aircraft Corporation.  In the 1950′s the building became a department store so large that the stock boys wore roller skates to make their jobs easier. 

Billy Bob's Texas opened April 1, 1981 with national attention featuring Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers as the first performers. Other artists who appeared during opening week included Waylon Jennings, Janie Fricke, and Willie Nelson.  With 100,000 square feet of interior space and 20 acres of parking for entertainment and events, Billy Bob's features 30 individual bar stations, live music with country music's biggest stars, Live Pro Bull Riding, and a Texas size dance floor for everyone to enjoy.  Billy Bob's Live Pro Bull Riding is sanctioned by Championship Bull Riding (CBR) and contestants compete every Friday and Saturday night.  We're talking real bulls - not mechanical!  Billy Bob's also offers guests a chance to be a rodeo star by providing an authentic stuffed bull photo opportunity as if they were part of the live action.

 
   

The walls were covered with old photos of cowboy/actors, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, John Wayne and Chuck Connors, and they also had cast hand prints signed by musicians/actors like George Thorogood and Billy Bob Thornton, hung all over the walls.  Then we came to the backstage area with photos of everyone who had ever performed at Billy Bob’s including some of the biggest stars like BB King.  If we had more time, it would have been fun to spend an evening in a place like this!

 

Texas Trail of Fame

As we walked back toward the main street, we walked the Texas Trail of Fame with brass stars set in the sidewalk commemorating actors and real cowboys such as Gene Autrey, Audie Murphy, Clayton Moore and Tonto, who contributed to the unique history of Texas’ largest historical district.

Finally, ending our tour of the Stockyards Station, we hitched up at a local saloon for a beer.

Sundance Square

We then drove to a bustling place which was recommended to us called Sundance Square in downtown Ft. Worth www.sundancesquare.com.   This 55,000 square foot outdoor plaza that has become a focal point in downtown Fort Worth for shopping, dining, and events. 

Historic Fire House

Who would have thought we would have a tough time finding a place to park with our kayaks and bikes loaded on the car. No public parking was open, so we had to valet. Come to find out it would be a liability for them to park us in a public lot as they could not be responsible for our kayaks and bikes. But Mike talked them into parking us and reasoned with the valet manager that if we parked in a public parking lot, we would still have the same risk and that we would not hold them responsible, so they parked us! 

We walked the streets and slipped in and out of local shops.  We came to a really cool shop called Leddy’s Ranch at Sundance with nice jewelry, clothes, cowboy hats and boots.  Well Mike wasn’t ready to buy the high-priced hand crafted boots made by Leddy’s, but he was trying on some Stetson cowboy hats and he looked good, but he wasn’t ready to spend the asking price!  Until a sweet young cowgirl of a salesperson sauntered over to him in her short skirt and cowboy boots and Texas drawl.  Somehow Mike changed his mind and did buy that Stetson hat after all!  

 

We had made dinner reservations at a local family owned restaurant called Reata known for the best Southwestern food. Reata was down home Texas hospitality and the service was superb!  It was a 20,000 square foot four story building with a copper awing and rooftop garden. The menu was amazing and Sharon ordered the special, a tenderloin and Mike ordered the Buffalo.  Both dishes were delicious! We ended with a cappuccino and shared the bread pudding which was wrapped in a tamale!  It was moist, so delicious and satisfied our sweet tooth!

 

 

Oklahoma City

On August 21, we headed north toward Oklahoma City where we spent one night at the Road Runner RV Park off the interstate.  We have yet to see an actual Road Runner, but we hope to in our travels. It’s the state bird of New Mexico.

Amarillo, Texas

On August 22, we arrived at our next destination at Oasis RV Park in Amarillo, TX where we stayed for a week.  The sites were concrete with pebbles instead of grass.  The first night the winds were so gusty we thought we were going to take off!  Our RV shook and it was rather scary having never experienced the wind like this before.  Can’t wait to feel what a storm is going to feel like in the RV!!  The RV park was very nice and Amarillo was a nice place to be for a week. 

Historic Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas

We had to take a walk on Historic Route 66, so we headed to 6^th Street in Amarillo.  We toured the antique shops and took photos of the old architecture and streetscape.  We enjoyed lunch at a local café and Gelato at Cowboy Gelato.

 

 

 

 

Palo Duro Canyon

The highlight of our Amarillo stay was a day trip to the Palo Duro Canyon www.tpwd.texas.gov/palodurocanyon about an hour from Amarillo.  It is known as the Grand Canyon of Texas and consists of 18,438 acres.  Upon our arrival, we stopped at the visitor’s center and met a nice couple from St. Augustine, Florida (Roz and Doug) who, come to find out, were staying at the same RV park as we were!

 

 

 

We found a Dung Beetle...like the one we
saw in Africa

We got to the park early so we could hike the 6 mile trail, traversing the scenic canyon country, before it got too hot (the brochure warns that if the temperature is above 80 degrees, do not attempt to hike).  There was a 60% chance of thunderstorms but we thought we would give it a try as we only had one day left!  We had also been warned not to get stuck in flash floods! But we took plenty of water, our hiking poles, cameras, hats and were amazed at every turn.  Mike was a horse fly magnet as they bit him throughout the hike.

 We have a long way to hike to get to the Lighthouse rock formation.

The terrain was difficult and the elevation made it difficult to breathe when hiking up steep inclines.  We were on a trail to “The Lighthouse” rock formation, the iconic landmark of the canyon.  We needed to get back to make an appointment for a 2 hour massage at a local day spa, so we cut our hike short.  We had a nice view of the lighthouse formation, but Sharon stopped to rest, and Mike continued about a mile from the lighthouse.  It took us three hours to hike the trail round trip.  Even though the brochure warned that dehydration and heat exhaustion can lead to death, Sharon didn’t drink enough water and ended up with a migraine, but was soon after relieved by our two hour massage! It was a great day!

 We are getting closer....

 

Mike goes on without Sharon

Here it is...notice the person at top left

 

We are on our way back, finally!

 

 

 

 

The canyon is known for a wide variety of wildlife, including the Palo Duro mouse, mule deer, roadrunners, wild turkeys, cottontails and the endangered Texas horned lizard, as well as coyotes, Barbary sheep, bobcats and western diamond-back rattlesnakes. Painted buntings, canyon wrens and red-tailed hawks are a few of the many interesting birds living in the canyon and migrating bald eagles!  We didn’t see any wildlife, except the dung beetle and other bugs, but Sharon was on the lookout for rattlesnakes and Mike did spot a deer with four fawns. 

Jack Sisemore Traveland and RV Museum

While in Amarillo, we did a lot of shopping for the RV at Jack Sisemore Traveland and RV Museum www.rvmuseum.net  with RVs dating back to 1921, including a 1921 Ford Lamsteed Kampkar, 1946 Tear Drop Kit, and an old American treasure, the 1948 Flxible which was the Bus used by the Gornike family in the Robin Williams movie “RV” (one of our favorite actors/comedians…rest his talented soul).  The Sisemores began restoring and collecting unusual vintage RVs over 25 years ago.  The collection includes the first Itasca motor home ever built, the oldest Fleetwood in existence and many other RVs from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.  He also collected numerous dirt and street bikes including a 1952 Harley Davidson and a beautifully restored wooden Chris Craft boat.

 

 
      Robin Williams was great in this movie....
      his death is a such a loss

Cadillac Ranch

Finally, we had to see the famous Cadillac Ranch, just a mile from our park.  Standing along Route 66 west of Amarillo, Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh III. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals, and the hippies came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Caddies were driven into one of Marsh’s fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza). They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins held high for all to see on the empty Texas panhandle.

 That was in 1974. People would stop along the highway, walk out to view the cars -- then deface them or rip off pieces as souvenirs. Stanley Marsh III and The Ant Farm were tolerant of this public deconstruction of their art -- although it doomed the tail fins -- and eventually came to encourage it.

Decades have passed. The Cadillacs have now been in the ground as art longer than they were on the road as cars. They are stripped to their battered frames, splattered in day-glo paint splooge, barely recognizable as automobiles.

 


Yet Cadillac Ranch is more popular than ever. It's become a ritual site for those who travel The Mother Road. The smell of spray paint hits you from a hundred yards away as individual painters take a stance facing one of the cars, then let it fly. Surrounding visitors keep their distance, perhaps less out of courtesy than from a desire to stay clear of the spray cloud.

There were empty cans of spray paint everywhere that were discarded after visitors sprayed their message on the cars. And the cows roamed freely around the tourist attraction.  The name “Lucy” had been sprayed onto the lead Cadillac, some of you will know the meaning behind that name, and if you ever get a chance, watch the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz movie called The Long, Long Trailer, a great RV movie! 

“Cow Eating Trash at Cadillac Ranch – These Free Range Cattle have Started Picking up a Bad Habit”

Albuquerque, New Mexico

On August 29, we headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico where we stayed for three days at the American RV Park overlooking the Sandia Mountains, a beautiful backdrop.   We met two couples who were full-timers.  We plan to meet up with one of the couples (Donnie and Connie) in Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christie which is where we plan to winter.

Wild Sage Brush

Sharon woke up at 6:15 am to get this sunrise, since she wasn't able to get a photo
 of the most beautiful sunset the night before

The drive to Albuquerque was beautiful as we left the Texas Plains and crossed the border into New Mexico.  The elevation climbed to over 6,000 feet as our ears popped. Mike had great control of the RV as we went up and down the mountains.  Glad Mike was driving! There was construction for quite a while along the interstate with some white knuckle driving!  The scenery was beautiful.  There was a long stretch that had miles of wind turbines and fields of sunflowers!

The ONLY rest stop between
Amarillo & New Mexico!!

 
 

So here we are in New Mexico…the Land of Enchantment…that it is! Just beautiful.  

Old Town in Albuquerque

We walked through Albuquerque’s Old Town, a serene village that has been the focal point of community life since 1706.  Old Town follows the traditional Spanish pattern of a central plaza and church surrounded by homes and businesses.  Quiet hidden patios, winding brick paths, gardens and balconies with wrought iron and adobe benches were great places to watch people.  We shopped along the Old Town Portal Market featuring local artisans and dined at Church Street Cafe, a Mexican restaurant.

 

We also went to REI outfitter and picked up some things, including bear spray and bells…you never know when you might come across a bear! Mike also picked up a couple crystal neck wraps to keep us cool while hiking in the hot desert sun.

Wildlife West Nature Park & Rescued Wildlife Zoo

We went to New Mexico’s 122 acre preserve dedicated to native wildlife and ecology.  We hiked through the nature trails and got up close to many of the 25 species of native wildlife.  The sunflowers were abundant, one of Sharon’s favorite flowers! 

 

 

 

This is a place for orphaned, injured, and non-releasable animals and bird in natural habitats.  The park was built entirely by the Youth Conservation Corps.  Many of the animals were not visible due to the heat.  Chaco and Chama are Elk who were orphaned and were about three months old when they were brought to the park. They were keeping cool under a shade tree and not clearly visible.  

We saw raccoons, porcupine and a javelina.  However, the bobcat, Pronghorn antelope, fox, mule deer and prairie dogs were nowhere to be found.  Koshari the Black Bear was trying to keep cool against the viewing window.   Koshari is a third-time-offender from Navajo Lake in Northern New Mexico where he became an expert at raiding the coolers on houseboats.  He eats up to 20,000 calories a day in preparation for the winter.
  

Carrie-oke the Coyote was an orphan who arrived in the park when she was 5 months old. Coyotes sing as a way to communicate with other families and as a way of keeping track of their own family members.  We also saw one of the endangered Mexican Gray Wolves.  

There were numerous wild birds, including the Great Horned Owl, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Red-tailed Hawk. It was along the bird walk that we finally saw our first roadrunner!  As soon as Dusty the Roadrunner saw us, he played dead!  When Mike moved away, Sharon stood very still and finally the roadrunner got up and she got her photo! We could not find any information on this behavior, but it may be that he was just sunbathing as Roadrunners are known to do throughout the day! They travel 17 miles per hour!

 

 

 

Santa Fe, New Mexico

On September 1, Labor Day, we arrived at Santa Fe KOA campground and we are here for six weeks, until October 13.  We are told that we sit in a canyon within a canyon.  We are loving it here, 70’s during the day, 50’s at night, low humidity!  It is a beautiful place.  We soon found out that we did not have any cell phone coverage, except outside the park’s office. So we have been communicating via e-mail as the Wi-Fi works, but it is not high speed! Mike installed a cell phone booster which works in our RV, but is still not dependable. So we usually take a drive and make calls from the car! 

 




Our neighbors were Mike and Marilyn from Kerrville, TX.  Nice couple...we plan to meet up with them in Kerrville when we head to Texas for the winter.

We later had neighbors from Sorrento Woods in Sarasota, FL...small world!

Day Trip Back to Albuquerque

Since most RV parks do not allow washing your RV, we decided to take a day trip back to Albuquerque and go to Camping World so they could wash and wax our RV.  When we arrived after an hour drive, we noticed a burning rubber smell coming from the engine.  Not good!  So we contacted the Cummins engine shop in Albuquerque and scheduled an overnight stay in their parking lot so we could get it into the shop first thing in the morning.

 

Petroglyph National Monument

While our RV was being detailed at Camping World and before we spent the night in the Cummins parking lot, we went sightseeing in Albuquerque.

First we hiked the northernmost area of the Petroglyph National Monument called Piedras Marcadas Canyon, which means “canyon of marked rocks.”  This canyon is home to the densest concentration of petroglyphs along the Monument’s 17-mile escarpment, with an estimated 5,000 or more documented images of the monument’s total 20,000 images.  Of the images pecked in stone, some are recognizable as birds, animals, people, and crosses, others are more mysterious.  The hike takes you back in time to when the people who inhabited and traveled through the Rio Grande valley long ago carved the images into these rocks. 

 

 
 

 

According to William F. Weahkee, a Pueblo Elder, “Each of these rocks is alive, keeper of a message left by the ancestors…there are spirits, guardians; there is medicine…”  We met a tourist who travels the world seeking out these ancient petroglyphs. Another enjoyable hike!

Sandia Peak – World’s Longest Passenger Tramway

To view Albuquerque from the Sandia Mountains we took an aerial tram from the desert floor 2.7 miles up to the mountain top above canyons and lush forests, at 10,378 feet elevation.  The view of 11,000 square miles of New Mexico’s landscape was spectacular.

Climbing the rugged and inaccessible rock escarpment of the west face of the Sandias that only the most experienced hunters and rock climbers have known, was thrilling.  It was interesting to learn about the wildlife, ecology and the natural environment.  The mountain various types of flora and fauna including mule deer, black bear, raccoons, bobcats and various species of squirrels.  Some of the more common birds include golden eagles, hawks, jays, ravens and canyon wrens.  

 

During the construction of the tramway, the Civilian Conservation Core built a small stone building for the workers to spend the night so they would not have to go down the mountain every day. 




The tramway was manufactured by Bell Engineering of Lucerne, Switzerland and constructed between 1964-1966 at a cost of $2 million dollars. 

It is a double reversible passenger aerial tramway. Five thousand helicopter trips were made during construction of Tower 2 and the cable installation.  New tram cars were installed on the Tram’s 20^th anniversary in May of 1986.  The tram ride takes 14 minutes each way at normal speed of 20 feet per second or 13.6 MPH.  The tram ride was the highlight of our day!

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

While our RV was in the shop, we toured the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center which was established in 1976 and owned by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. The center devotes itself to advancing understanding of Pueblo cultures, traditions and people.  

 

 

 

It was an educational experience followed by a traditional meal at the Pueblo Harvest Café and Bakery!

 

Our RV is finished at the shop, but nothing was found to be wrong! Turns out it was just probably the burning of new paint, we hope!

There is more to see in Albuquerque, but we will save that for another day!

Back in Santa Fe, Connecting with Sarasota Friends 

During our first week in Santa Fe we hooked up with Kerry Miller, the daughter of our friend, Jenny Miller who lives back in Sarasota.  We met at The Shed, one of Kerry’s favorite places to eat…authentic Mexican cuisine! The food was delicious and Kerry provided insight into what to do in Santa Fe and where to hike and kayak, and referred Sharon to a salon to get her hair cut and to a couple of massage therapists!  Kerry has lived in Santa Fe for many years and has her own chiropractic practice.

While walking along the streets of The Plaza in downtown Santa Fe, Sharon looked up and recognized someone!  It was Laura and Don from Sarasota! Sharon met Laura at her friend JoAnne’s birthday party the day before we left Sarasota on our RV Adventure.  So we joined them for drinks at La Casa Sena, a local restaurant that they discovered in Santa Fe, exchanged stories and had a delightful time.  Laura and Don actually met at a Sotheby’s conference in New York and later married in Santa Fe. They were back in Santa Fe for a vacation with another couple from Sarasota.  We enjoyed our rendezvous with them and hope to see them again before they return to Sarasota!

RV Life

Since we left Sarasota, Mike has faced ongoing challenges with our RV, but he has been the most extraordinary troubleshooter and has also learned a lot about RVs.  From working with a company to install a prototype device on our RV to eliminate unwanted odors (Mike agreed to watch the company’s videos and install the first device and test it on our RV), to rewiring a replacement RV back-up camera, to dealing with defective tire air bags, to working with vendors to get our satellite TV to work properly, to getting a booster for the cell phones, since we have no coverage in the Santa Fe RV park, to getting a replacement Sleep Number bag for my side of the bed. Since springing a leak, Mike has slept on the couch! His project list continues to grow!  


He is certainly a keeper, especially after we just celebrated our 39^th anniversary!

This is just the beginning of our stay in Santa Fe. Stay tuned for more on Santa Fe in our next blog!

Cheers!