Let it rain, let it rain...

Wow can it rain. It has been a long time since I moved from Kansas and was part of a rain storm like we got into today. We had planned for a casual drive from San Antonio to Fredericksburg, the beginning point of our trek in Texas Hill Country.

First the forecast - 90% chance of thunderstorms.
Then the warning - expect severe thunderstorms.
Followed by - possibility of flash floods.
And finally - flood warning for the Pednales River.

And then, 3.28 inches of rain in less then 24 hours. Whoa baby! Thunder, lightening, rain, rain, rain, and closed roads due to runoff.

First we head to Boerne (pronounced Bernie). Once we got there our rental car which had been sounding like a dying washing machine, started sputtering with dash lights on. So just for exercise, we head back to San Antonio to swap cars. Now back towards Fredericksburg.

By the time we re-arrive at Boene, we are getting hungry. The trusty Fodors book says we much go the the OST diner in Bandera. So off we head.

Well on occasion we have discovered that the yardstick used by Fodors is different than the yardstick we might use. This wasn't a yardstick, it was a mile marker difference.

Our trip to Fredericksburg included a side trip to the LBJ Ranch and the Texas White House. On our way there the rain really started to pour. To stay dry we took a bus tour which became the last tour of the day because it had to go across the river which was about to flash flood. Just keeping things exciting.

Attached are some pictures of our adventure. Click here to see them. Note particularly the spillway on the LBJ Ranch that Johnson used to drive across (not today he wouldn't), also the flood guage on a countryside road (one foot over flood stage), and the picture that shows the total height of the water on the Pednales River before it receded.

Daytrip to Gruene

A one day excursion from San Antonio heads us northeast to New Braunfels and Gruene. New Braunfels is on old German town on the Guadalupe River. This areas claim to fame is day long tubing trips down the river and there are tubing shops everywhere.

After a bit of streetwalking, we climb back into the car and head to Gruene (pronounced green). Why Gruene? The music of course, and it's a Harley ride destination.

The main attraction in Gruene is Gruene Hall (pretty original name huh?). An old time dance hall, beer hall, country music hall and general all around honky tonk.

So what you say? Well this is where Janis Joplin developed her music and called her home stage. Who else? Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Ernest Stubbs, etc. etc. If they do country they have been here and there are signed pictures on the walls to prove it. Oh, don't forget, John Travolta for the movie "Michael".

But before the Hall, we had to find some grub. A trip to the old mill was in order. Great spot, all windows that open, overlookng the Guadalupe river.

Gruene is a place to return to! See some more images by clicking here.

San Antonio Missions

We head out of downtown San Antonio and explore the San Antonio Missions. The missions are made up of five missions along the San Antonio river, four of which are part of the National Park System.

Which one is not included? Well the Alamo of course. It is considered a shrine to independence for Texas from Mexico. While the Alamo fight itself did not settle the independence question, it did provide some momentum for subsequent battles.

The missions were run by the Franciscans and the four under the care of the Park Service are active Parishes. As a result, they are not overcrowded, quiet and reflective places.

On the other hand, the Alamo is swarmed by hoards of people with no manners. Lines everywhere, kids running and shouting, so much for the facility being a shrine.

If you click on the map at right (as with any pictures in the blog) it will blow up so you can see the locations of the missions. The first mission visited was Mission San Jose which is the park headquarters. We then headed south to Mission San Juan and Mission Espada. Finally, on our way back into San Antonio we visited Mission Concepcion.

Because it is a required stop on any trip to San Antonio, I have thrown in a couple pictures of the Alamo. However, I think this picture most likely will be the reason that Don will "Remember the Alamo".

I have attached a few pictures of each mission. Click here to see them.



OK, OK, here is a real picture of the Alamo:

San Antonio & the Riverwalk

Welcome to San Antonio. Can't think of a better way to start our visit than a couple cold prickly pear margaritas with chips and salsa. So the wander about is back on track.

Some time back when we first began to plan this section of the trip, we couldn't believe the price and availability of hotel rooms in San Antonio. And this was when there was no convention going on in town. Well if you ask the wrong question, you get the wrong answer. No conventions, but the NCAA Quarter Finals are here in town. So if you aren't wearing red (Ohio State), blue (Memphis), maroon (Texas A&M) or orange (Tennessee) you are not "cool".

So I thought, let's play along and get a couple tickets. Ouch, bad idea, cheapest seats in the Alamodome - $155 each. Good seats in the Alamodome you ask? $760 per seat. So we decided to have another margarita on the River Walk.


Actually the River Walk is quite fun. Sort of New Orleans (pre-Katrina) without the loss of ones inhibitions. And believe it or not, right in the middle of it is a rookery for Yellow Crowned Night Herons.

Lots of good food, eaten outdoors. Easily worth a couple evenings.

Weather was crappy for picture taking, gray and threatening rain but very bright so nothing much to show off other than snapshots of the place (click here). I hope you enjoy them.

Tomorrow, the San Antonio Missions.

Homeward Bound

This may be the most exciting post you have seen. Driving home, hard and fast! Home for a day of laundry and repacking, then off we go to San Antonio on the big bird.

See you on the other side!

Colorado National Monument

My last national park before a two day drive home. Colorado National Monument is a bit of a sleeper. In the mountains above Grand Junction, this is a playground for mountain bikers, hikers, runners, and all other kinds of outdoor enthusiasts. I was surprised by the amount of use.

An intersting place with roads hung on the sides of canyon walls but mostly a one horse show. If you are not an outdoorsy type, this is a no go.

So have a look at my pictures, then sit back while I catch up and fly away with Pam deep into the heart of Texas.

North from Durango...

This can be sung with the same tune as North to Durango which had the same tune as North to Alaska. Hey, it's better than 100 bottles of beer on the wall ...


I am driving north on the scenic route out of Durango planning to get to Grand Junction for the evening. Once there I plan to visit Colorado National Monument, and then head to my own adobe so I can fly with my bride to San Antonio. From Grand Junction to Portland will be a couple of fairly long driving days.



Once I looked at the route I was a bit concerned about the road conditions.


As you can see, the pass was fairly high and there was lots of snow remaining. But, the road was clear the whole way so no sweat.



On the way down, there are two great little towns, Silverton and Ouray. Both are mining towns that have turned to the tourist traffic to survive. I managed to drive through Silverton without stopping but when I got to Ouray, all bets were off. A cold beer, outside, in the sun, warm, fresh air, and a bit of lunch on the deck of the Goldbelt Bar & Grill was just too strong an attraction to ignore.

I have posted a few pictures of the route, click here.

North to Durango

North to Durango ... sing along to North to Alaska, pretty catchy tune isn't it? After spending the morning bouncing around in a Jeep and driving through rivers, I head off again. North of Canyon de Chelly is Navajo Country. I won't make it to Navajo National Monument this time but I will next time for sure. That is where they have all the standing plateaus.

But not to be disappointed, as I head north, that is exactly what I see. Only wetting my apetite for a later visit.

Finally, how could I possibly drive by another pueblo? Of course I can't. So when I approached Aztec Ruins National Monument the car automatically veered to the left. I know you wouldn't believe me if I didn't take a snap or two so the proof is in the puddin. Here you go for one more visit.

A Journey to Canyon de Chelly

I arrived in Canyon de Chelly after visiting the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert and Hubbell Trading Post. I am deep in the heart of Navajo land. I first visited the south rim of the canyon. I had often heard of the canyon but had no idea what to expect (again). The canyon is Navajo land and is considered very sacred. Evidence of life goes back to the Anastasi with petroglyphs and cliff dwellings. This time of the year the river flows through the canyon but runs dry during the summer.

I explored the canyon rim and returned for sunset pictures. I was later convinced that I should take a canyon floor tour. You can only enter the canyon with a guide and it is a four wheel drive trip. Much of the route is in the river.

Our fine chariot is at right. Of course this met with some trepidation as I had read about how critical it was to have a sound running vehicle for the trip and I once owned a Jeep. So I started the trip with a no confidence vote.

Our tour guide was a Navajo named Daniel who lived on the canyon rim about an hours drive away. Daniel provided a Navajo perspective to all the canyon sights.

Two others were on the tour, another Bill and his Godson, Raimonds, a student at Arizona State from Latvia. I hope that if they check this they will give me his correct name spelling. Anyway, Bill is quite connected with Xavier U. who had won their NCAA tournament game the night before over Brigham Young. Hence the big smile.

The canyon is quite a place. There are lots of pictures attached because it is so unique. Have a look and enjoy.

Back Country Arizona

Leaving beautiful Holbrook Arizona for places north. I will end the day at Canyon De Chelly and I have no idea what to expect there. But on the way three stops should be interesting. The first stop will be the Petrified Forest National Park.

Will this be another "bunch of old rocks" visit? And riskier yet, will the adjacent Painted Desert be at all interesting after having visited some of the places I have to date?

Surprise, surprise, both were quite unique and very pretty. The light was pretty good to show them off as well.

After my visit of these two parks, I headed north to the Hubbell Trading Post. This is the oldest continually operating trading post and has been in operation since the 1870's. A special treat was watching Mary Begay weave a Navajo rug as she had been taught by her ancestors.

Pictures of each of these stops can be reached by clicking here. Enjoy!

But you can't forget the local petrified rock tourist trap:

Loose Ends ...

It seems like a good day to update you on various loose ends that don't fit in prior posts:

First loose end - Don requested some feedback on the fine SouthWest dining experiences I was having. So once I sorted through the Subway and Slotskies sandwiches, chips and salsa, cheap beer joints, crummy hotel restaurants, bad room service, I remembered a couple that stood out:



Stuffed sopapillas at Guadalupe Cafe in Santa Fe (ate there twice).




Huevos Rancheros at Plaza Cafe in Santa Fe (OK, I ate there three times).




Carne Adovada at La Plata in Albuquerque.





I did have other good meals such as The Shedd in Santa Fe (twice), Serious Texas Bar B Que in Durango, Italian in Sedona, Cafe Roka in Bisbee, Cafe Poca Cosa and El Charro (twice) in Tucson. But generally I was well into the meal before I remembered to take a picture and I am sure you didn't want to see it then.

Second loose end - As you recall at the beginning, I was tracking my shower cap average. Well after several days of no success, I figured it was wiser to quietly drop the issue rather than be embarassed by my failure. However, I have recently been reinvigorated in this quest. Five of the last six nights have resulted in shower caps.

I seem to be back on track.

Third loose end - Don thought my WhooPee comment about driving quickly across the desert was appropriate. I am not sure how appropriate he thought it was but here is an example:












Fourth loose end - When I arrived in Holbrook Arizona I realized that there was more of Historic Route 66 that needed to be shared. Please check out the attached pictures.

Fifth loose end - For any of you who may not know how to use one of these here is a thorough set of instructions. If followed closely your clothes will still fit (mine do) and they will come out their original color (mine did).



And you thought this trip was all fun and games didn't you?

Back to Arizona

After a couple days in Albuquerque, it is time to move on. My trip back to Arizona will be the first step of my heading home in time to fly to San Antonio with Pam. It will be nice to be home, however briefly.

My main objective is to visit Acoma Pueblo on my way to Holbrook. The Acoma Pueblo is the longest continuously lived in "city" in the U.S. As with most of the Pueblos in this area, the Franciscans brought the Church to Acoma. Our guide, Orlando, gave a fascinating history of the Pueblo, the relationship with the Franciscans, the relationships with other tribes, and life on the Mesa.

Before arriving at Acoma however, I passed another Pueblo named Pueblo de Laguna. Each Pueblo has its own tradition and pottery art forms. Laguna Pueblo is another Franciscan Mission.

Finally I arrived at the Acoma (Sky City) Cultural Center, a new building built with Casino earnings. Our guide, Orlando, spoke of the debate within the tribe about initially opening and now continuing the Casino's operations.

Now my trip to the Mesa. Had to buy a bus pass to the top. Could only visit when accompanied by a guide. Also had to buy a camera pass for any photography on the reservation. And then, couldn't photograph the cemetary or the inside of the Church. So once we got all the ground rules, we were off.

Ever wonder what people did with no plumbing, electricity and living on top of a big rock? Here is your answer:




Oh, the Kiva, which is reserved for men's religious ceremonies does have a generator, and the required large screen TV for sporting events (with no women allowed). Hey, I guess you do what you have to do.

I have attached a few pictures of the Pueblo (click here).

Finally, another buddy. I have always wanted to photograph a Roadrunner. I am sure this is brought on by years of Wiley Coyote and Beep Beep. Well after the Publo visit I had my chance. As I was exiting the freeway, on ran across the road in front of me. I slam on the brakes and slide to a stop. Grab the camera and jump out of the car. Well he had disappeared into the brush. So I climbed back in the car, put away all the camera stuff and headed out very disappointed.

Well, just around the corner, he ran across the road in front of me once again. I slam on the brakes and slide to a stop. Grab the camera and jump out of the car. This time I head into the bushes after him. There were no rattlesnake signs so why not? Well after another 30 minutes crawling around in the dirt and scanning the area with the binoculars, I give up and stand up to head to the car. And what do I see, but Mr.

Roadrunner sitting on a concrete pedestal watching me. >?#)(*^$)@*!#))@$^&%*$(@ bird anyway!

So, this is as good as you get!

Salinas Pueblo Missions

I planned to head back into White Sands for some of the morning light today but when I woke up, it was a low cloud cover and gray which would not work for good photos so I headed north after putzing around for a bit. My hope for the day was to visit the three Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument sites, Gran Quivira Ruins, Abo Ruins, and Quarai Ruins. Each of these is the remnants of pueblos and Franciscan Churches representing their efforts to convert. Conversion was not a raging success; the villages eventually emptied and the Franciscans (who survived) moved on.


But before I got out of Alamogordo, I had to stop and see the Franciscan Mission Church that is still active today.

Then I am off and running again. As you can see by the map, lots of backroads without many people and even fewer cops. So pedal down and let it roll! Yippee! More on that another day.


The first stop, Gran Quivira Ruins (click for pics). I have become comfortable with rattlesnake signs everywhere but this one had a new twist. After a brief stop at the Visitors Center, the volunteers final words of advice on my way out the door, "careful, them rattlers are on the move". Well SHIT! Of course, in my world, this just turns it into a challenge to really find one.


My second stop was the Abo Ruins (click for pics). Most of the pueblo ruins surrounding this Franciscan Mission Church are still burried in the mounds around the Church. Have you ever felt like you were being watched? I did and I was!


Finally, a stop at Quarai Ruins (click for pics) before heading toward Albuquerque. Again, most of the ruins remain underground in the mounds surrounding the Church. A question remains about each of the pueblos I have visited so far, where did they all go? They still allow an occasional wedding at this location.

Tomorrow, a day of rest in Albuquerque, then the adventure continues.

Told you so!

Told you there were little green men hanging out here. This picture of a group of college students trudging accross the dunes is proof!

Roswell to White Sands

Up this morning and heading north (mostly). First stop after leaving Carlsbad ... Roswell, a close cousin to Area 51 in Nevada. If you don't believe in UFOs, skip down a couple paragraphs. If you are slightly interested, stick with me.

As the story goes, in about 1947, a UFO crashed outside of Roswell. A rancher collected some of the debris but was not able to get to town for a couple days. When he finally made it to town and showed the sheriff his booty, the sheriff called the military. Initially, the military issued a statement that there was a crash of some sort and that wreckage had been collected. Shortly afterwards, the story was recinded and it was reported that a weather baloon had come down. By the time acquaintances of the rancher returned to the site, the Air Force had it cordoned off and nobody was getting in while they cleaned it up. In the process they apparently discovered a couple green men. No, I am not making this up.

Flying saucers, little green men and all disappeared into the black hole of the Air Force. If nothing else, it created a great tourism base for Roswell which has very little else going for it. Check out the other Roswell highlights!

From Roswell I head east through Billy the Kid country. Initially, he was simply a cowboy working in the area until he joined one of the feuding sides (similar to the Hatfields & McCoys). He gained fame killing folks in the feud and hiding out in the hills. Kind of a grimey looking low life if you ask me. In time he took the pointy end of a bullet and had a highway named after him.

Final stretch is to Alamogordo and White Sands National Monument. The dunes are made of gypsum, a.k.a. sheetrock, and are a very light dusty "sand". While it is sort of a one trick pony, a drive in and walk in the dunes for sunset, is an interesting experince. Problem...

How does one find their way out of a horizon to horizon totally white vista, after the sun has set, and it is dark? Oh yea, remember that at the bottom of some of those dunes are lakes to get stuck in.

But the scenery and sunset were marvelous. Click here for some pictures of White Sands.

By the way that is a self portrait.

Brief Texas Interlude

Arrived in El Paso late and took off early so I could hit both Guadalupe National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Guadalupe is a large mountain range that pops out of the Texas range. Minimal road access and primarily back country hiking. Pretty but nothing compared to my later stop. The Texas road portion reminded me of Kansas. Straight, horizon to horizon, and go FAST! WooHoo!

In addition to the a couple pictures of the Guadalupe Mountains, I heard a thump, thump, thump on a tree and found a Ladderback Woodpecker working on a tree. Those pictures are attached.

The next stop was Carlsbad Caverns. My first disappointment was that all guided tours (except 1) scheduled for Sunday and Monday were already booked Saturday afternoon. So I headed off on the self guided tour. I expected a big hole in the ground but this was a really big hole in the ground. Today's quiz: can you identify the pictures with people in them?

This thing goes on and on for about two miles. Well worth the tour but enough is enough so tomorrow I will head to White Sands rather than wait around until Monday for a guided tour. After all a hole in the ground is just a hole in the ground right? Check out this hole in the ground.

This was a long day. So looking forward to a soft warm bed I headed to the City of Carlsbad. The days sights were nothing compared to my stay at the local Best Western (supposedly 2 diamonds) and dinner at Chilis, the local biker bar. Six, big women Harley riders enjoying their suds. I am sure one was Jolee Turner and another was surely Rosanne Barr from TV.

Finally the sun sets on the day.

Gila Cliff Dwellings

I have been so busy I haven't had a chance to update this. Today I promised Pam that I would get something new to look at posted.

When I last reported, I had gone across Arizona and stayed the night in Lordsburg, NM. The trail to Gila Cliff Dwellings will be long and interesting. Forty four miles of one lane, curvy, hilly driving. As I expected the trail was interesting, and very beautiful. Lots of mountains and Ponderosa Pine forests and very few people. On the 44 miles each way, I encountered 6 other cars. And that 44 miles takes about two hours of driving.

But as you can see from the attached pictures, the drive was worth the effort.

The weather this day was about perfect, 78 and sunny. So a couple beers and some chips and salsa were required at a campground in the woods. Good book, sunshine, light cool breeze, almost perfect (it needed Pam to be perfect). Anyway, headed back out and finally reached the freeway at Deming.

A quick stop at a rest area seemed in order before making the last run to El Paso. I was immediately greeted by the sign at left. I must admit it did cause a bit of concern about where I might sit or stand. But no varmints encountered so off I went.

One must look for the silver lining - I was indecisive long enough to enjoy a great sunset.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.