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Published: November 25th 2011
Sandia Snow
Snow in AlbuquerqueWhen we left Albuquerque, New Mexico, it was snowing. They desperately needed the precipitation Conner and I bought with us both times we came through here. We headed south through the heart of the state on I-25, we saw absolutely beautiful country. The temperature is very pleasant this time of year…short sleeve weather. In the middle of the state, we turned east at San Antonio (still New Mexico) on Highway 380 to Carrizozo and the Valley of Fires. You can see the lava flows from ancient volcanoes and how the 2000° F molten magma cooled and hardened in place as it coursed its way 1.5 miles wide and 20 miles long across the desert. It still looks like it is liquid. I’ve seen lava before, but not like this. From there, we went south along the edges of the WhiteSandsMissileTestRange. Alamogordo is home to Holloman Air Force Base. F-22 Raptors are based here. What an incredible feat of technology and engineering. Nothing in the world of aviation even comes close. We watched them take off in formation, and then disappear into the sky at supersonic speeds. You could hear multiple sonic booms and then see the contrails as they maneuvered at
a too-high-to-see altitude.
Conner and I drove southwest to White Sands National Monument and were totally stunned to see the magnitude and magnificence of this place. The sand is whiter than you can imagine sand being, the dunes are higher than you believed, and the vastness of it is overwhelming. You can see the SanAndresMountains to the west beyond, so you know there is an edge to them, but when you’re in the middle of it, you can’t tell how far they go. Once you climb up some of the highest dunes, you can see they have an end. The paved road past the entrance turns to sand…packed pure white sand…like driving on packed snow. In fact, it is a lot like snow. It drifts, and sparkles like dry, deep snow. If you had no sense of the temperature, you’d think you were in the arctic! You can actually rent snow saucers and sled down the dunes. Snow…er, sand boarding is popular here too! We played on the dunes and with the sand for three hours and didn’t want to leave. If you every travel across New Mexico, you absolutely MUST go to WhiteSandsNational Monument. While there, we met
Mike Bratcher from LA
Around the US in 3 Months on a Dirtbike...like mine! My kinda guy Mike Bratcher, who came sliding around a sand covered turn on his XRL650 Honda. He'd left Los Angeles on August 1st and circumnavigated the United States like Conner and I are. Only he didn't just take a Dual Sport motorcycle with him like we have. He rode it the entire way! He's camped out in a tent for most all of his trip. Now that's my idea of a motorcycle trip! Mike was quite interesting to talk to and also interested in our father-son journey.
We’ve learned that if we’re going to stay someplace for more than one night, or if we get somewhere for the night early enough to do more than sleep, an RV campground is in order and worth the $20-$40 cost. We can hook up to water, fill our fresh water and empty our waste tanks, use their electricity, and check e-mail and weather on the internet. If we just need a place to park and are just going to sleep before moving on to the next destination, we choose Walmart parking lot. It’s well-lit, usually in a safe neighborhood, close to shopping, gas and usually a Starbucks, and best of all, it’s free! And
F22 Raptor
Faster than Sound did you know that nearly every McDonalds and Starbucks has free wireless Internet? You don’t even need to go inside or buy anything. Just get close to the parking lot and you have access for checking e-mail, bank accounts and weather. Pretty cool!
After White sands, we found an RV park in Alamogordo for the night. At the SpaceHistoryMuseum in Alamogordo where we got an education on the history of America’s space program, flew a space shuttle simulator, then watched an IMAX movie on the planets in our solar system. We learned that Jupiter has rings around it like Saturn, that Pluto is smaller than some other spheres that are not called planets, such as the moons of Saturn or Jupiter, and that some planets are not made up of solid material, but are actually giant balls of gases, like hydrogen, nitrogen and helium.
From Alamogordo, we pulled the trailer up and over the Sacramento Mountains through the LincolnNational Forest and the town of Cloudcroft at over 8,000 feet in elevation, then down the other side through Hope and Artesia, New Mexico. Tom and Pam Runyan have a ranch there they’ve had in the family for nearly 100
White Sands
...or Antarctic years. Sheep, beef, apples, petting zoo, trail rides, fishing ponds, a camel, and honey. From there, we traveled east and decided not to stop at Carlsbad Caverns since we’d visited WindCave already. So White Sands and the SpaceHistoryMuseum got the nod…we just can’t see everything. So, we drove on to PecosTexas where we stayed again at Walmart RV Park. The next morning we had a pleasant breakfast and conversation at Pepito’s in Fort Stockton, Texas. Richard and Mary Louise Villasana had just driven back from their granddaughter’s wedding in Phoenix. They are both 81 and have been married 62 years and figured it would be their last big road trip! They've known each other since age 11 when Richard said he'd marry Mary Louise. She told her teacher she didn't like him and her teacher warned, "Be careful, or you'll end up marrying him!" What a fascinating couple and very in love after all these years. They even invited us to look them up in San Antonio when we got there. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to. Continuing on, we came to Sonora, Texas. I asked an old cowboy at the gas station if there was a Sonora City
Space Museum
Space History sign. He said, "Yup...where ya from?" I told him I was from Sonora, California. He said, "I'm Tracy Crites. How'd ya do?" I said, "I'm Tracy Wedel (my real name), and I'm just fine!" We laughed together at the Irony of two Tracy's, spelled with a "Y", both from Sonora's and meeting each other. He was about 75 years old and lived there all his life. Quite an interesting fellow. What a small world.
I’ve known Jeff Walton since 1979 when he pulled into the gas station where I worked for my Aunt Sandra and Uncle Jack. He had a ’74 Ford Gran Torino like “Starsky and Hutch”, and I had a ’74 Camaro similar to James Garner’s Firebird in “The Rockford Files”. We’ve been friends ever since then and Sherry and I introduced Jeff to his wife, Laura. We were all in the Air Force together. Jeff and Laura and their three daughters live in San Antonio, Texas. We parked the trailer in a secluded and wooded section of their 5 acres. On Friday, Veteran's Day, Jeff, Laura, Laura's Dad and wife Bettina, me, and the kids went to TGI Friday's in San Antonio. Veterans eat free, and
there were four of us! What a great day to be a Veteran.
Then two days later we picked Sherry up at the San Antonio Airport so we could spend some time with each other in celebration of our 26 year Anniversary! It was a wonderful reunion and we proved to ourselves that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. Conner stayed with Jeff and family and Sherry and I stole away to San Antonio’s River Walk for a river barge tour…a twenty-minute float around historic downtown San Antonio at night. Very beautiful, informative and romantic! After the float, we walked the same circuit until we found the Iron Cactus Restaurant and enjoyed a nice meal and a very smooth and delicious margarita made from blue aguave. I had no idea where tequila originated, but did you know that the blue aguave plant grown in Mexico (near the town of Tequila), is like a 200 pound pineapple that grows under ground for 12 years? It is roasted to turn the starch into sugar, yeast is added, and then it is allowed to ferment. Different variations produce different tequilas, but we tried a margarita made from the Reposado, or
Austin
Lifetime Friends tequila allowed to ferment for a year, with fresh squeezed limes and aguave nectar. Not frozen, just on the rocks with a salt rimmed glass. It was so smooth and delicious; I could have more than one, but they weret $8.00 a glass and, well, I was driving…
The Alamo is right next to the River Walk. It was beautiful all lit up at night, but closed. So, the next day we drove the 25 miles back with Conner to visit it again and take a self-tour. Apparantley I’m pretty ignorant about many things, like Texas history. But we discovered that Texas was once its own country. According to what we learned, Mexico owned the area of Texas, and opened it up to settlers from around the world. Pioneers from Europe and the United States arrived enticed by free land and no taxes. General Santa Anna became a dictator and violated Mexico’s constitution and began fighting the settlers of the Texas territory. These people fought back and kicked the Mexican army out of the Spanish mission that became called the Alamo. General Santa Anna arrived and laid siege while Colonels Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davey Crockett and over 100
pioneers pledged to fight to the death to defend it… “Victory or Death!” After 13 days, with no U.S. Calvary arriving to join, Santa Anna’s army overran the fort. Colonel’s Travis and Bowie, and David Crockett were killed along with all but the women, children, and a freed slave. A few days later, the Calvary did arrive, chased and caught Santa Anna’s army, and defeated them at San Jacinto. The rest is history. Texas became a republic, then was annexed and given statehood and became part of the United States. Being at the Alamo, the lesson learned is that freedom isn’t free. Perhaps some of the occupy Wall Street movement people should visit the Alamo and discover that their freedom, iPads, iPhones, Facebook and ATT wireless, Nike shoes and Starbucks were created by the corporations that exist because of the freedom and capitalism that has made America great and given them the opportunity to speak freely. We also found out that in Texas, every thing really is bigger. The Texas State Capital building is 15' taller than the United States Capital building in Washington, D.C. And I'll bet you didn't know that there are three seperate power grids in the
Camaro
Like the one I had...but nicer! United States...Western, Eastern, and Texas. I asked a Texan why they had their own power grid. His response? "Because we f--kin' can!" Alrighty then. E ven their attitudes are bigger in Texas. And I like it.
Sherry left for California after 6 wonderful days. Conner and I said, "See ya later!" to the Walton's, packed up and headed south for Corpus Christi and the coast...more to come!
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Momma Wedel
non-member comment
Love those pictures!
Hi honey thanks for all the excellent work on the blog, Corpus Cristi looks like a lot of fun. I bet Conner was in airplane heaven there on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Love to you both, miss you.