Captain’s Log --- Star Date 07012009
Location – Amarillo Ranch RV Resort, Amarillo, Texas
Trip Miles – 1384.2
Report from Engineering – All systems operational; Star Ship Wolverine cleared for transit to Galaxy of Oklahoma
Diesel Fuel Price -- $2.50 per gallon, 29.0 gallons loaded
Weather conditions – Violent (Scary!) thunderstorm in evening of Star Date 06302009; Clear and Hot on 07012009; Maximum outside temperature – 95F
I was barely out of bed when The Commodore snarled in my ear, “I want YOU to be a MAN! I want you to start to talk like a TEXAN!!” So…Ah gritted mah tayth (teeth) and Ah SAYED (said), “Ah’m a TEXAN and Ah eat NAILS fer BREAKFAST!” The Commodore grunted her approval and we’ve had a fine (fahn, in Texan) day here in Ammarillah! O’course , Amarillo means “yellow” in Spanish and is actually pronounced AH-MAH-REE-OH. But, no matter … we do what we DO here and we SAY what we SAY here! Actually, the town was founded back in the 1800’s by Mexicans who named the town after the yellow dirt they found around here.
Amarillo has been a real surprise to us! We expected it to be a miserable layover spot that we couldn’t wait to leave. We were DEAD WRONG! One of my great joys is to shed my prejudices about a place when confronted by the truth about it. Amarillo is a gracious city, with interesting things to do and an abundance of good restaurants and civic attractions.
Today has been gorgeous, weatherwise…sunny and clear all day! In the early morning, we did some geocaching along Julian Street, a beautiful district of lovely homes and green parks. I emphasize the word GREEN since, having lived in a desert climate for many years, Barbara and I had not expected the intensity of the green in the parks, lawns, shrubs and trees. LUSCIOUS was the word for it!
To an eclectic mishmash of music over High Plains Public Radio, Barbara and I drove 25 miles south to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Palo Duro Canyon came upon us as an utter surprise, suddenly yawning forth from a seemingly endless plain. It’s the second largest canyon in the U.S., exceeded in size only by the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The park entrance is patrolled by two ancient and enormous Texas Longhorn steers named Biscuit and Gravy. We drove the winding road to the canyon floor, red rock walls standing in sharp contrast to the green of the trees by the stream beds on the canyon floor.
We were HONGRY and nuthin’ but BBQ would do fer lunch! As if directed by Divine Guidance, Ol’ Edna…our Garmin navigation system…led us over to Doug Henk’s Pit BBQ! This is the eating place to go to when in Amarillo! Succulent pulled pork and turkey, served with true Texas hospitality! Nuthin’ but GOOD!
We spent the hot afternoon at Splash Amarillo Water Park, acting like two kids on a summer day! We rented ourselves an inner tube, rode the Lazy River twice, then the Wave Pool twice, and then climbed and rode the three Slides! What FUN this romp was…it was also the “official” kickoff to Barbara’s birthday celebration! Her actual birthday is July 4th. Oh, by the way, them young lifeguard ladies were shore purty…a true Texan man must voice his appropriate word of appreciation here!
A REAL TEXAS MAN, of course, will take ten Cadillacs , bury their noses in the dirt of his immense farm, and then paint the exposed portions as works of modern art! Fantasy! NO! Welcome to Cadillac Ranch, about 10 miles west of Amarillo! It’s weird here! It’s also a top attraction in Amarillo.
We have had visitors at our trailer….Marvin and Florence Kopf, fellow square dancers from San Diego, who are “On the Road” like us and who happened to pull into the RV site next to ours! These are friendly folks we hadn’t seen in ten years!
What a GREAT DAY this has been, I tell you WHAT!
Well, Friends and Neighbors, we got bidness (business) to do in Oklahoma…better git movin’! Y’all have an excellent day!
Yours Truly,
Captain Bobby Jim
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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
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