I have no pics for this one. My fingers are too numb to push the trigger!! Honestly, I just had to post about the frigid temps here because there is no way this can be normal! When we were travelling today we couldn't believe the temps were in the 30's. Now, tonite I am shivering as I finishing up this long list of blog posts because the temps are plummeting down to the mid 20's!!! Now, we love Texas. But really, this isn't Friendly at all! I saw that it will be back to normal...mid 70's by midweek...but we'll be Long Gone by then Y'all!
Still, we love the hospitality of this great state and are enjoying seeing the panhandle, as we missed it in our travels last year. We found a great RV park with an indoor pool, laundry and game room. We also were invited to sit in on a Cowboy Roundup and enjoyed some fun fiddlin', pickin' and harmonica playing mixed with the great cowboy wit.
We still love ya, Texas. Even if y'all are FREEZING us tonite. :-D
Sunday, October 11, 2009
International Balloon Fiesta!!
How great is it that we were able to travel through Albequerque, NM the same week as the Balloon Fiesta?! We were really excited that we could catch a bit of the event. We boondocked at Mr. Bob's office near Fiesta park to see the Fireworks on Friday night and then basked in the beauty of the Mass Ascension on Saturday morning. So cool!! We already love the balloons and are spoiled with the Up Close and Personal contact we get in our own little town's yearly balloon rally. But it was quite a sight to see over 500 balloons launch over the sprawling city of Abq. Even so, I think I had more fun watching the children huddled on the dash of the RV wide-eyed at all the different balloon shapes. Definitely a memory I'll savor.
Mr. Bob's
Last year we were blessed with a wonderful visit to Mr. Bob's house in Albequerque, NM. Since we were passing through again, we couldn't miss the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of Mr. Bob and his family.
Mr. Bob is a dear friend of David's. His family's generosity is a huge blessing to us and the children were very excited to stop for a visit. In fact, they would have loved to stay a whole week!
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Mr. Bob is a dear friend of David's. His family's generosity is a huge blessing to us and the children were very excited to stop for a visit. In fact, they would have loved to stay a whole week!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A Great Find on the Old Route
In our meanderings on the Mother Road we found Oatman, AZ. A fun little "ghost town" haunted with a main street of t-shirt shops and other tourist draws. We took a short walk through town to pet the wild burros and explore the feel of the old west, recreated.
As we headed out of town we drove another winding road pitted with abandoned mines from the glory days of the Gold Rush.
Scenes of Route 66
It's not hard to figure out we are a strange herd. For a few years now we have had an unlikely obsession with the infamous Route 66. We've collected a few books, watched the videos and even travelled a tiny bit on the route on our road trip last year. This year, we are hittting the Mother Road with vigor. Be gentle with us, please. It's not like there's a whole lot else to do while cruising the desert roads. ;-)
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An Experiment in our Nation's History
When planning out our trip, I purposed to stop at some state parks for various reasons. Along the way, our plans have changed and we ended up not going to some of those planned stops. We were glad, however, that we didn't miss this stop in California. Allensworth State Historical Park is a unique place of learning. We enjoyed the simplicity and quietness of the campground and reconstructed town as we took our personal tour.
In short, the town of Allensworth, CA was born out of the determination, courage and hope of a community of former slaves. It was a dream that became a reality and a beautiful testimony of the faith and drive that comes from the belief that anything can be done.
Colonel Allensworth began his life as a slave. He was punished for learning to read. Served in the military twice and eventually went on to college and earned enough to purchase land to build a town after he purchased his own freedom. He did this with the help of two other friends who had purchased their own freedom and the dream of a town built and governed completely by african americans became a reality.
Their primary emphasis, besides governing themselves, was to create a school that would educate all of their children. The first small building that served as the school was the center of the town and the later larger building continued to be the force that drove this town's growth. They grew over the years and Col. Allensworth travelled to recruit more families to join the effort. Unfortunately, the changing times of the railroad and struggles with water supply eventually caused the town to slow and most community members moved away. Yet, it is still a great story of a group of people rising above their foes in triumph. We found it a stark contrast to the impression we left the desert with in our reflections of the Navajo Nation.
As we visited the outside of the buildings and read the histories, a park ranger arrived and opened the house of Col. Allensworth for us to tour. We always love a trip back in time.
Hey, here's the link to their website if you want to learn more. I definitely recommend checking it out for any who are looking to enhance their study of american history. http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=583
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In short, the town of Allensworth, CA was born out of the determination, courage and hope of a community of former slaves. It was a dream that became a reality and a beautiful testimony of the faith and drive that comes from the belief that anything can be done.
Colonel Allensworth began his life as a slave. He was punished for learning to read. Served in the military twice and eventually went on to college and earned enough to purchase land to build a town after he purchased his own freedom. He did this with the help of two other friends who had purchased their own freedom and the dream of a town built and governed completely by african americans became a reality.
Their primary emphasis, besides governing themselves, was to create a school that would educate all of their children. The first small building that served as the school was the center of the town and the later larger building continued to be the force that drove this town's growth. They grew over the years and Col. Allensworth travelled to recruit more families to join the effort. Unfortunately, the changing times of the railroad and struggles with water supply eventually caused the town to slow and most community members moved away. Yet, it is still a great story of a group of people rising above their foes in triumph. We found it a stark contrast to the impression we left the desert with in our reflections of the Navajo Nation.
As we visited the outside of the buildings and read the histories, a park ranger arrived and opened the house of Col. Allensworth for us to tour. We always love a trip back in time.
Hey, here's the link to their website if you want to learn more. I definitely recommend checking it out for any who are looking to enhance their study of american history. http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=583
The Hoover Dam
This was another one of our famous Drive-By Tours, but we glad we did it. No matter how short the stop, a view of and drive over the Hoover Dam is impressive, to say the least. A bit of history helped us understand just how valuable the construction of this amazing site was to the progress of the city of Las Vegas, never mind the surrounding states and country as a whole. It was interesting for us to note that the same year the Hoover Dam was completed was the same year gambling was legalized in Nevada. Interesting coincidence.
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