Blogs from Pecos, Texas, United States, North America

BARNEY K. RIGGS Barney Riggs came from a good Texas family and always stood on the side of law and order, by God, even when it came to shooting a sassy neighbor or cousin. Barney was born in Arkansas in 1856 but was raised on a ranch near Salado, Texas. Two of his uncles Brannick and James decided to try their luck in Arizona in 1876 and Barney joined them in 1880 working with his Uncle James near Dos Cabezas. James had lost his first wife and married a Colorado girl named Elizabeth Hudson. Elizabeth had a son named Richmond Hudson who was born in 1863. Richmond and Barney became close pals as step cousins. During February of 1882 Barney married Vinnie Hicklin in Dos Cabezas. The marriage soon produced a son. Barney was not often ... read more

From Grammy's point of view. What a day, we slept in and enjoyed a causal drive to the Carlsbad Caverns. It was HOT, (102 degrees), but the Cavern was 46 degrees, we actually wore jackets. We all went except Papa, he has a difficult time navigating in the dark. It was a great time and Grammy walked the whole way!! (a mile and a half) I thought I did good, till a couple with young kids on their backs passed by me, going uphill. The cavern was beautiful, we all enjoyed the stalagmites and the stalagtites, ( we also learned the meaning of these cave creatures) After the tour we did the one thing all tourist do, hit the gift shop. How can you ever leave a National Monument without getting a souvenior or two? We ... read more

October 22, 2009 “The truth is out there”… what a day we’ve had. We began it with a tour of the UFO museum and research center…really! It was fantastic!!! It gave the whole story of Roswell, what happened, who lied, and who covered it up! They had letters and sworn affidavits, pictures, movies. You could not leave this place without realizing “The truth is out there”! From Roswell we headed to Carlsbad Caverns New Mexico…wow. I have never seen anything like it in my life…and probably never will. Visitors get in an elevator and descend 750 feet into caverns. I know the pictures won’t do it justice…there were huge caverns or “rooms” the size of cathedrals. There was every size and shape stalactite and stalagmite (Bill told me those words!). We all thought it looked like ... read more

If you want to get a feel for the immense wide open spaces in this country I suggest a drive through West Texas. I had been through West Texas before in my youth and my impression was colored by the youthful impatience of wanting to get from point A to point B. Driving along at a leisurely pace in an RV and being a tour guide for my friends gave me an entirely different perspective. This time I really looked and studied the scenery as we drove through it. I noted for Vincenzo how the landscape and vegetation changed as we drove into different altitude and climate zones. I came away with a greater appreciation of getting a chance to take a good look at this part of the country. One can dismiss it all and ... read more