Monday, June 29, 2009
Captain’s Log --- Star Date 06292009Location – Enchanted Trails RV Resort, Albuquerque, NM
Trip Miles – 892.6
Report from Engineering – All systems functioning normally; Star Ship Wolverine cleared for transit to Galaxy of Texas
Diesel Price -- $2.56 per gallon
Weather --- Sunny and clear; Temperature is 84F
Have you ever eaten a sopaipilla (SO-PA-PEE-YAH)? Fresh bread dough, fried so that a fragrant burst of steam escapes when you tear it open….drizzled with honey…eaten with sticky fingers! Oh, MAN! These golden treasures are GOOD, I tell you what! The Commodore limited me to one instead of the three or four I would have chosen without her interference. We were having lunch at La Hacienda in Albuquerque’s Old Town, watching a stream of life pass by as we sat at an outside table, being ably served by a waitress with classic Indian features.
I don’t care if you HATE museums…you will take in The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History in Old Town! That is an order! Four centuries of spectacular paintings and sculpture pieces, Native, European and American, are coupled with an arresting display of weaponry used by the Spanish centuries ago. War is hell if these weapon displays are any indication! Huge, ornate swords, pikes and spears are shown with 69-caliber muskets. I do think being hit by a 69-caliber musket ball would have done serious damage to a poor soldier’s internal organs! The grounds around the Old Town museums and galleries are sumptuously decorated with modern sculptures, fountains and gardens.
Up 12th Street from Old Town sits the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center… a must-see for any visitor to Albuquerque! Of course, a visitor will get a different view of history from any view glorifying the Spanish Conquistadores! Quietly stated, this history shows Native people as being kind and generous to the first Spanish arrivals. These Natives were rewarded with cruelty, oppression and the suppression of their cultures. However, these cultures went into hiding and survived to this day. The art works on display, all by Native artists, are magnificent!
Albuquerque has a fetish on Route 66, the storied U.S. Highway that ran to the West Coast before the coming of the Interstate Highway System. Central Avenue (part of the original Route 66) is all tricked out in art-deco style, reminiscent of the Route 66 glory days. We cruised a two-mile section of Central, over by the University of New Mexico. Brilliant white, blue, red and black store fronts line this famous stretch…even a vast pink tattoo parlor!
A ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway is called a “flight”. This odd usage made sense when we discovered that our 15-minute tram ride to the top of the Sandia Range took us a thousand feet above the ground! Up at 10,300 feet elevation, we set out on a 3 ½-mile round-trip hike to the Sandia Crest, at 10,678 feet elevation. What a hike it was, with sheer rock walls, blooming wildflowers and evergreens in abundance! We were real PROUD of ourselves for daring to heroically venture out along the La Luz Trail on this hike! It was at that point in time that two octogenarians, loaded with backpacks, courteously passed us and left us in the dirt. Ah, the Lord God has a marvelous way of disciplining our egos! Further along the trail, we made a steep ascent to the crest, pumping out several gallons of sweat. That little trek tired us out! We’ll be sore tomorrow! Lunch was at High Finance Restaurant at the upper tram terminal. The restaurant has a peculiar name but serves a most creditable cheeseburger with green chilies.
The state flag of New Mexico shows a red sun with four groups of rays with four rays in each group. Ancient Native people believed that the Giver of All Good gave gifts in groups of four. The gifts are …
The four directions – north, east, south, and west
The four seasons -- spring, summer, fall and winter
The day – sunrise, noon, evening and night
Life – childhood, youth, middle years and old age
I walk in Beauty
Beauty before me, Beauty behind me,
Beauty above me, Beauty below me,
Beauty all around me…
It is finished in Beauty,
It is finished in Beauty.
Prayer of the Dine’, the Navajo People
We love Albuquerque…too bad it’s 900 miles from San Diego!
Tomorrow we venture into the immensity of the Galaxy of Texas!
Best Regards to All –
Captain Baldy
Friday, June 26, 2009
Captains Log – Star Date 06262009Location – Thousand Trails Verde Valley Resort, Cottonwood, Arizona
Trip Miles – 460.4
Engineering Report --- All systems are functioning properly; air conditioning system operation is satisfactory (Thank God!)--; Star Ship Wolverine cleared for transit to Galaxy of New Mexico
Diesel Fuel Price - $2.60/gallon; 38.4 gallons loaded locally
Outside Temperature – 91F, sunny with thunderstorms in afternoon
This is the Captain speaking! Welcome to my presentation on the all-important Rank Structure aboard Star Ship Wolverine! As we begin our long voyage together, we must clearly understand that this Rank Structure has been put in place to insure harmonious life and effective execution of our collective Mission!
Firstly, I, Bob – or Baldy – am The Captain! As Captain, I am responsible for all phases of Star Ship Wolverine’s operation. I am responsible for all detailed planning to insure that the aims of our Mission are carried out properly. Hoo-Rah!
Secondly, there is Barbara – or Goldilocks! She is The Commodore! She outranks me. As Commodore, she is Master of the House and Definer of the Mission. She also has Whims that are Law to The Captain!
Thirdly, there is Angie! She is The Admiral! She outranks everybody! She just rules over the entire operation, with a half-lidded imperious eye!
Y’all can now see where I sit in this pecking order … at the Bottom of the Heap! Y’all may groan in sympathy for me now!
We departed Home Base yesterday at 0454 Hours. Our gross weight at lift-off was 19,320 pounds (we had our rig weighed fully loaded at a public scale). We breakfasted at the Golden Acorn Casino, a remote outpost near the outer edge of the Galaxy of California. The slots are active even at 7 am! Bright-Tooth Smiles are posted everywhere in this strange palace of ecstasy, showing that Everyone is a Winner! Yeah, sure! The eats are good and plentiful and that’s what mattered to us.
Farther east the weather became hot, particularly around Phoenix! No matter! The truck’s AC was working fine and our rig easily climbed north on I-17, scaling the steep Mogollon Rim above Phoenix. After setting up our rig, we put ourselves to bed and had a good night’s sleep.
ARIZONA – The Grand Canyon State… a vast 114,000-square-mile domain of ancient geological wonders and grand, commanding vistas, such as…
This WAS supposed to be a provision stop, you know! Of course, we also took time for a bit of geocaching …(interested folks may check geocaching.com for further information)...and a quiet walk along the Verde River.
Tomorrow, we head into the Galaxy of New Mexico!
Cheers and Regards to All --
Captain Baldy
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Captain's Log --- Star Date 06072009 --- Location:San Diego CATrip Miles -- 0
Report from Engineering -- Operational Deficiencies Rectified; Final system checks set for Star Date 06222009
Departure from Base scheduled for 0500 hours on Star Date 06252009
This is Captain Bob speaking! We will be travelling through many galaxies (states) aboard Star Ship Wolverine (that's our rig). For your information, Wolverines are the athletes of the University of Michigan, Barbara's Alma Mater. We've been making and checking endless lists and planning this trip for months. Hopefully, all the glitches with our rig are corrected! Now, we are getting very excited about setting out into the Unknown! So is Angie!
We'll be travelling first-class as usual ... with Starbuck's coffee, scented candles and the state flag from each state we plan to visit!
One of our goals is to attend Barbara's 50th High School reunion in Muskegon Heights, Michigan.
Go Orange and Black-----Go Tigers!!
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