#11-44 White Sands National Memorial 11-27-2011

The visitor center at White Sands National Memorial was rustic and beautiful.  The rangers and volunteers were very helpful and we did get to see a 20 minute film about the area.

The sands move constantly, some of them moving a few feet each year.  The plants that grow in the area have to adapt to the shifting landscape. The plant above has roots that hold the sand in place enabling it to survive.  Many little rodents find refuge in the plants root system.

Lonely little shrubs do survive in the shifting sands, while others only make it in the depressions between the dunes.

The white sands and the blue sky make for a wonderful contrast in the picture above.

As we drive from the visitor center to the center of the park where the large dunes are located we run out of paved road.  From now until we arrive at the picnic area it is all compacted white sand that is graded and kept smooth for vehicle traffic.

This is just one of the picnic areas.  It had rained the night before and you can see puddles in the foreground.  All the picnic areas are sheltered with these sweeping covers.  There are 4 or 5 different picnic areas.  No overnight camping is allowed, but one of the volunteers told us that Easter weekend there are 5,000 rigs that drive in early in the morning to watch the sunrise and spend the day.  They come from Las Cruces, El Paso and even further.  Today there were only a few hearty souls picnicking in the area.  The weather was nice and the wind was still.

A few of the visitors climbing on the dunes.  At the gift shop you can buy or rent saucers to slide down the dunes.  You can see in the picture above some of the trails that are left after sliding down.  Those get covered and blown away all the time.

		White Sands VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A beautiful New Mexico sunset the evening before we head into Arizona.

#11-43 Las Cruces, NM 10-25 thru10-27

The drive into Las Cruces was nice with wide roads, fewer big trucks and the overpasses were decorated.  Makes the trip more interesting.  And we had great weather!
After getting set up we took a couple of days to visit some of the sights around the area.  Our first stop was the old town of La Mesilla.  This was an original stage stop.
Many years ago the building above was used as a Butterfield Stage stop.  It now houses a nice restaurant, where we had lunch, and a couple of gift shops.

Above is the old Mission.  It sits at the end of the Plaza where many fiestas and activities still take place in La Mesillia.


As we walked around the old town area we came upon this quaint little shop.  It sells all sorts of stuff.  Bright colored chairs out front, Metal sculptures, knick-knacks and also is a flower shop. 
Back to the RV for a little nap and dinner.  Tomorrow we will drive out to the White Sands Park.

#11-42 Fredericksburg, TX and heading west 10-22 thru 10-24

We stopped in Fredericksburg, TX for the weekend.  They were having a wine and cheese tasting in the Plaza, but we arrived too late, so just took a stroll downtown and then went to dinner.
Mmmm good!  Red cabbage, German potatoes and wiener schnitzel. 

We are a couple of happy “gourmet's.”

The long road out of the “hill country” of Texas heading west.
As wet and flooded as the Dakota’s were, Texas is burning up.  In this picture you can see beyond the bushes along the road side all the dying vegetation.  No rain and very hot summer.  Crazy weather this summer all over.
Very few oil wells on this route.  Above is an active oil pump and behind it on the hill are the wind turbines.  A changing time for energy distribution.
On to New Mexico.  We were going to stop at an RV park in Junction, TX, but it was closed, so we drove on to the east side of El Paso for our overnight stop.  Next stop Las Cruces, where we will spend a few days and visit some of the sites around there.

#11-41 Granbury, TX 10-15 thru 10-21-2011

We arrived in Granbury, TX on Saturday and immediately called our friends Roger and Anna Brown.  The campground where we parked was only about 2 miles from their house.  They came over and picked us up and we all went out for a yummy steak dinner.  Anna said she gave up cooking when she turned 70 and hasn’t cooked for 7 years.  So they eat out a lot and know where the great places to eat are located.
They live on Lake Granbury in a two story 800 sq ft house they built next to their RV.  Usually the RV is parked under the cover next to the house, but it was in the “hospital” getting some body work done.

Sunday Roger got their boat out (not the yellow kyak) and we went for a ride on the lake.  Of course I left my camera, phone and everything in the house so in case we got wet it wouldn’t!  So no pictures.  It is a big lake and took us an hour to go from one end to the other.  This was the first time this summer they got the boat out.  The Texas drought had affected the water level of the lake and they couldn’t get the boat on the lake until the rain came a week before we arrived.  Good luck for us.

Their dock in front of the house.  The lake is still too low to bright their boat here.  We had to go to the boat house where they store the boat for the winter and get in where the water is deeper.

Frank, Roger and Anna sitting on the patio enjoying the nice weather and visiting. 

#11-40 Accident on I-40 Conway exit 10-10-2011

After we left the BGHS Round-up we decided to stop in Hot Springs, AR and get Frank a mineral bath and massage.
As we were driving on I-40, right in front of us a minivan came across the median and hit another car head on.  A 3rd car was also involved.  We were the second rig behind the accident and barely got stopped.  Thank goodness Frank does not speed on the interstates.

Above is the mini van that came across the median.  There was a family of four in the van.  The two babies, one about 2 years old and one just a few months old, were in the back seat strapped into their car seats.  I ran and got the hammer out of the tool bag and a young fellow that was at the scene went through the back window and he got the babies out.  We laid the older one down on a towel on the grass and kept him still.  The baby we kept in the car seat until the paramedics came.  The mother was upside down in the front of the seat and couldn’t move.  The father, who was the driver died at the scene. 

This was the car that the mini-van hit head on.  When they hit the car was smoking, but the driver hobbled out the drivers door and made it to the grass in the median.  He ended up with a broken leg at least.  Both of his air bags deployed. 

The third car involved ended up in the median.  I didn’t see who came out of that car or if anyone did.  They might have just stayed put as they were in a safe area.  The man sitting on the grass came out of car #2.  A witness is talking to him.  Both sides of the freeway were closed and no traffic moved for almost 45 minutes.

They sent two helicopters to air lift the babies.  I don’t know where they took them.  The paramedics managed to get the mother out of the mini-van and she was transported by ambulance.  The news that night on the TV was very sketchy and we will probably never know how the babies and mother came out of it.
This was so horrific to see that I had nightmares for days.  Even though we were at the scene, there were enough other witnesses that we were not questioned at all.  I hope we never have to witness anything like this again.
We made it into Hot Springs about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and called Linda.  We had dinner together and had a nice visit.  I was still shook up and forgot to take any pictures. 
The next day Frank and I went downtown and he did get his mineral bath and massage.  The day was rainy and Linda stayed home while I walked around town and did some shopping.  By the time Frank got out of the baths it was close to 4 pm and we just went home and stayed dry.  The next day was clear, so we packed up and headed for Texas.

#11-39 BGHS Roundup- Petit Jean State Park, AR 10-5 thru 10-10

Again this year, we attended the Bell Gardens High School Roundup at Petit Jean State Park in AR.  The campground has pull through spots for big rigs with full hook-ups and includes a pad for a screen tent if you wish.  The charge for these spots is a little over $20.00 a night when tax is added.  Great views of a lake and nice big sites.  This was the 10th year for the round-up, our 3rd time, and it was well attended.  Thursday evening we all met at the Motel and had a BBQ hamburger cook-out. 

At the motel waiting for hamburgers!  Fred Fabricus the chef!

Fred’s wife JoAnn telling him to hurry up, we’re hungry!

The next evening brought more people and a cook-out at the RV park.

Frank holding Dixie, Sharon and Roger Spicer, Paula Kettlehut and Charlie Cape Friday night dinner at campground.

Sandy (Smith) and husband Jack, Friday night

Saturday afternoon we all met at the Catholic church for a catered dinner.  This is where lots of visiting and eating goes on.  Some of those who did not get to the outdoor events made it on Saturday. 

Class of 1960 (Always a good turn-out)

Class of 1961, Larry Quatlebaum, Ron Wilson (Hobson), Dixie (Cape) Proulx and Richard Ford

Class of 1963

There were more classes attending, but these are the only one’s I took pictures of.  A great time was had by everyone. 
We stayed one more day and left on Monday.  We are headed south and west.  Weather is staying nice.

#11-37 Springfield and Branson, MO 10-1 thru 1-5, 2011

We stopped in Springfield, MO on our way to Branson.  I’d been in contact with my friend and schoolmate, Carol and made it a point to stop and visit.  We met them at the Elk’s lodge that evening for dinner with Carol and her husband Rick and some of their friends.  It was nice to see her, but all too short, so we made arrangements for them to drive down to Branson on Sunday and spend some time with just the four of us.
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Sunday, we went to “Mel’s” diner and had lunch. 

All the servers sing, the one in the picture above is singing to the girl at the table next to us,  and our server had even been on American Idol. 

Carol and I with our server, Matt Kester. 

After lunch, Rick drove us around to places in Branson we had never seen.  There is a beautiful golf course near the airport.  Rick loves to golf and wanted us to see this place because it has such a beautiful view of the valley.  It is called Murder Rock!


We stopped at the clubhouse and had a cocktail.  We were able to sit outside on the deck and look over the valley.  What a treat.  Thanks, Rick and Carol for a great afternoon and visit!
We managed to see 4 shows during the time we spent in Branson.  We really liked the 12 Irish Tenors and was wishing for our friend, Linda Phillips when they were singing Irish folk songs.  We also saw the group Six, which are six brothers that sing without any instruments.  All the sounds they make are human, but, boy do they sound like drums and horns while they sing.  They were quite amazing.  The last show we saw the night before we left for AR was the Osmond Brothers.  They put on a wonderful performance and are so personable.  One of the things that Jimmy Osmond said about the difference between performing in Vegas and in Branson really says it all.  He said it is the reason they have been performing in Branson for 26 years,  and why they love it here.  “You can talk about Jesus Christ, be patriotic about our country and sing gospel.”  I think that is why Frank and I love it so much and keep coming back.  This is our 4th trip.

During intermission the Osmond’s come down into the audience and talk to the audience.  No restrictions on photographs. 

Jay, Jimmy and Wayne Osmond

Our picture to remember the night we were with the Osmond Brothers.