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Published: April 5th 2016
My resources told me the drive from Whispering Palms RV Park in Tucson AZ to Midland RV Park in Midland TX would be just over 600 miles and would take about 12 hours per my Interstate Highways rule of thumb – an average of 50 mph after fuel, food and whiz stops when pulling the Pilgrim at 60 mph – PLUS the loss of two time zones (Arizona’s standard time to DST and Mountain Time to Central Time), so I decided to split the trip and make a stop in El Paso TX at the Mission RV Park. I had stayed at the park when I spent a week in El Paso in 2015 and found the spots are long such that one does not have to disconnect the trailer from the truck (or the towed from the motorhome) for an overnight, no frills stopover. I departed Tucson after the morning rush on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 and had a great drive until I reached the area of the Arizona/New Mexico state line where the winds increased remarkably. That was not a big deal since they were coming from the west, and I was getting a push. It got interesting a
couple of times when I passed through a canyon or when a big rig passed me – THEY don’t drive 60 mph! During a fuel stop, I estimated the winds were about 35-40 mph.
The drive through El Paso was interesting with a) rush hour, b) road construction, c) two accidents and d) a north-south road which gave me a crosswind. That major construction project, which was in the immediate vicinity of the RV park, had started when I was there last year. After two loops to backtrack because of closed exit ramps Irene (my GPS) wanted me to use, I made it to the RV park on the eastish side of the 19th most populous city in the United States (679,036). Interestingly, El Paso has been ranked the safest large city in the U.S. for four consecutive years and has ranked in the top three since 1997. Sure makes me want to build a wall! What I paid for on Wednesday afternoon in traffic congestion was well compensated for in the morning on my way out of town. Again, the winds were light as I began the trip but steadily increased as the sun warmed the terrain. I
arrived in Midland unscathed but glad to have that boring stretch of the trip behind me.
Friday found me heading to Odessa TX to visit
The Presidential Archives and Leadership Library (shortened to Presidential Museum by the road signage and by Irene). I found the address without any problem, but the parking lot was void of cars. The signage on the entry door side window indicated the building should be open for business, but the door was locked. ASIDE – The George H.W. Bush Home has the same address and shares the same web site. I decided to go to the
Odessa Convention & Visitors Bureau in, youbetchya, Odessa to get some insight. Again, I found the address without any problem, but this time (since the C&VB is on the second floor of a bank building), the parking lot was full of cars; however, the door was secured. Bank personnel could offer no help, so I said (expletive deleted) and went to get my oil changed. With fresh oil in the engine, I made a stopped to see the World's Largest Jackrabbit. That attraction made my list for an “if there is time” add-on. Today, there was plenty of time for that and for some grocery shopping. I
also happened upon a tamale fast food eatery. They offer carry-out by the dozen hot and ready to take home and eat, cold for later today or frozen for next week. I got a cold dozen and took them home to prepare some lunch. Very tasty, and $8.00 for four meals – can’t beat that with a proverbial stick (or a non-proverbial stick for that matter)!
Saturday, I drove into Midland to visit the
George W. Bush Childhood Home – I would rather it had been called The Home Where George H.W. and Barbara Bush Raised Their Family. You’re right, I don’t think so highly of George Jr., but he
was our President. This dwelling shares with the Adams National Historical Site the distinction of being the home of two Presidents – George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President and George Walker Bush, the 43rd President.
Graduating from Yale in 1948 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, George H. W. Bush moved his family to Midland in 1950 and entered the oil business as a sales clerk but soon started his own independent oil development company. At the time, 215 oil companies had offices in Midland and a local developer called
it the “headquarters of the independent oil man in Texas.” He bought this house the year after he came to Midland, and the family lived in it for four years. As his business prospered and the family grew, he moved into a larger house in Midland in 1955 and then to Houston four years later. When he left active management of his company in 1966, he was already a millionaire. Not bad for sixteen years as a self-starting businessman.
Subsequent owners made a number of changes to the George W. Bush Boyhood Home after the Bush family moved out in 1955. In 2001, the Permian Basin Board of Realtors in Midland bought the house and created the George W. Bush Boyhood Home Foundation to restore it to its appearance when the Bush family lived there. The house opened to the public in 2006 with the first phase of restoration complete. First Lady Laura Bush, former President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara attended the dedication. The second phase of the restoration project will include construction of a permanent exhibit and educational center. FINGERS DOING MATH – That’s been ten years ago!
Of the six Bush children,
only George W. (born 1946), Pauline "Robin" (1949–1953, died of leukemia) and John Ellis "Jeb" (born 1953) lived in this house. The attraction pays tribute to both presidents who lived here. The structure itself has been restored to the appearance of the Bush era and sports the original “knotty pine” paneling in the living room, den, and master bedroom; original kitchen cabinets and hardware; a phone niche; an original light fixture; and reproduction wallpaper and curtains that fooled even Barbara Bush. About half of the rooms have been furnished with period furnishings, but only one artifact, a small desk, is original to the property when it was occupied by the Bushes. The unfurnished rooms contain placards outlining some of the events of the Bushes’ time in Midland.
When compared to most other “homes of” I have visited, the George W. Bush Childhood Home ranks near the bottom of the list. The nature of the guided tour prevents reading the placards in the unoccupied rooms and, again, most of the furnishings have no linkage to the Bush family. Placards are usually found in an adjacent building with no time constraints. The restoration that has been completed in the FIFTEEN YEARS
since the creation of the George W. Bush Boyhood Home Foundation is well done; however, this restoration project doesn’t seem to me to be high on the priority list for the Bush family. After all, they could fund it next week if they deemed it important – perhaps in fifteen more years Main Street U.S.A. will fund the project to its completion!
That’s about it for the Midland/Odessa TX area. There are a couple of lesser attractions in town and a couple more a moderate drive away which I chose to forego so I could spend some more time mapping a strategy for my next (three week) stop in the Dallas/Fort Worth TX metroplex.
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No Need To Disconnect The Pilgrim For A Sleepover
