Cruisin' Las Cruces and Mesilla

October 6th, 7th and 8th found us in Las Cruces, New Mexico, close to White Sands National Monument and the tiny, but important town of Mesilla. The picture above is the plaza in the center of town, with the church in the background. This are was part of the Gadsden Purchase in 1854. Mesilla was an important stop for the Butterfield Stage Line and in the 1800's, the town population reached 3,000. The plaza is one of the few left in New Mexico that appears as it did it its early years.

Loved the gate and entrance to this place in Mesilla.

We came across the old adobe building, with the wooden bars across the windows.

Billy the kid stood trial in this building on the village plaza, which used to be a courthouse. After he was convicted, he escaped when he was en route to face his sentence. We discovered his mother's grave when we were in Silver, New Mexico last year.

This is a good example of an old adobe building with the thick walls that keep out the summer heat.

White Sands National Monument

These white dunes are made of fine and very rare gypsum sand that look like mounds of snow in the distance. They are ever changing, driven by the strong southwest winds. They have engulfed 275 square miles of the Chihuahua Desert. We were amazed as we drove through the 8 mile loop within the park at the different types of dunes.

We found this Yellow Evening Primrose in one of our hikes into the dunes. They grow only in the low areas between the dunes where there is better soil and protection from the blowing winds.

Soaptree Yuccas against the stark white sand and the blue sky. If a passing dune starts to bury the yucca plants, their stems will grow rapidly upward so their leaves will remain above the sand.

Even trees and bushes manage to exist here!

Cottonwoods appear among the dunes since they can put down deep roots for water. They will survive even if most of the tree is covered by a dune as long as a few leaves remain above the sand.

Here is an example of the cottonwood tree after being buried. All you see is the very top of the tree and its roots!

All the way to Balmorhea!

Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-mo-ray) is a Texas state park, east of El Paso. The pool seen in the above picture is fed by San Solomon Springs. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. in the 1930's and holds about 4 million gallons of water!

The ledge at left is 5 feet deep, but you can see that it drops off considerably! The clear artesian water allows you to see to the bottom.

Many people use this pool to snorkel or scuba dive. It maintains a constant 72-76 degrees all year long.

Another view of the pool, which does have fish and turtles in it, and an occasional duck! The spring puts out 1 million gallons of water. Amazing.

The water felt great, since this day it was 97 degrees! What a great way to cool off, even if it meant sharing the water with guppies!

Our Day Was "Ruined"

Forgive the pun on words, I just couldn’t resist! Yes our day was in ruins, or should I say, WE were walking among the ruins at Fort Davis Historic Site. This fort was in use from 1858 to 1891, sometimes by the Federal Government, at other times the Confederate Army controlled it. This history lesson didn’t revolve around the North VS the South, but making travel safe between San Antonio and El Paso.

This is a view of the enlisted officer's quarters. They are in different stages of restoration.

The cottonwoods are starting to turn colors at Fort Davis.

This is how the chapel used to look. It was used for a lot of different functions. From Monday through Friday, it served as a school. On Friday nights the officer's families had dances there, and on Sunday mornings, it was used for church services!

This how the chapel looks today. Not much left.

The partially restored commisary, which was in used from 1883 to 1891. It served not only Fort Davis, but sub-posts up to 140 miles away. Most of the supplies came from San Antonio on wagon trains. The 400 mile trip took 5-6 weeks if there were no delays due to flood waters or Indian attacks. Now this trip by car takes less than a day, and we don't have to worry about being attacked!

Twenty Five Thousand Pumpkins!

All sorts, sizes and colors of pumpkins!

Pumpkins happily floating in the fountain.

The horse made of cornstalks guards the pumpkin house. This was in the children's are.

Walkways lined with orange.

Yes, twenty five thousand! That is the number of pumpkins at the Dallas Arbortetum and Botanical Gardens when we visited there. Every walkway was lined with them and the gardens had them centered around fall flowers. I never knew pumpkins would float, but there they were, all bobbing up and down in one of the fountains! This is a place that I would like to visit in the spring time, when the tulips are all in bloom. After all, I'm a "blooming idiot"...at least when it comes to flowers!

Coming full circle with JFK

Looking at the building from which President Kennedy was shot in 1963.

Us standing on the grassy knoll mentioned in so many of the FBI reports.

In front of us is the beautiful Old Red Museum, formerly the Old Red Courthouse, which is just down the street from the Sixth Floor Museum.

The graves of President Kennedy, wife Jackie and two of their infant children in Arlington.

While in Dallas, we visited the Sixth Floor Museum, formerly known as the infamous Texas School Book Depository Building from which President Kennedy was shot. We had come full circle since we saw his grave in Arlington National Cemetery earlier in the month. Okay, we did it backwards......but Don tells me that I'm backwards at times and I have to agree. My nose runs and my feet smell. Oh well, take it for what it's worth, and we'll go on from there.

We both thoroughly enjoyed this museum, especially since we're both old enough to recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard of the assassination. It's definitely something you wouldn't want to miss if you ever visit the big "D".

Views of Vicksburg

This is the gate at the entry to Vicksburg National Military Park.

The impressive Illinois monument is the largest of the 1300 memorials/monuments in the park.

Cannons snuggled together on the countryside.

The remains of the USS Cairo.

Downtown Vicksburg and the building where Coke was first bottled. I loved the sign on the wall that equates Coca Cola to purity! Hmm......I don't think that is the case anymore.

Thanks for joining us again in our travels across American. We stopped in Vicksburg, Mississippi and got another history lesson....or, as our daughter Lisa put it: "just a review of our childhood"! Could be, although I sure don't remember the battle here very clearly or coming to Arizona in a covered wagon. Not only were there Civil war battles in the hillside, they also fought the war on the Yazoo river! The iron clad USS Cairo was the first armed vessel in history to be sunk by a mine submerged in the Yazoo. Those Confederate soldiers were pretty smart, even though they lost Vicksburg in the end. The USS Cairo was in the mud and silt of the river for 90 years before it was recovered.

One other interesting thing we found out was that Vicksburg was the place that Coca Cola was first bottled (one bottle at a time) in 1894 by the Biedenharn Candy Company. We toured the small Coca Cola museum and ended up having an ice cream there.

Alabama Album

Fall foliage meets swamp land near Rick and Marsha's home.

The chefs at work in the kitchen, making Mexican food!

Rocket Park in Huntsville.

Lavern, one of the resident cats at the Burritt Mansion, which we toured with Rick.

Rick and Marsha looking great in their back yard.

Keith, Laurel's cousin, in front of his Kuk's Dog Days restaurant.

Kim, Keith's wife, with her first grandchild.

Roy, the big tuxedo cat, relaxes on Kim and Keith's driveway.

Alabama was a time for reunions with friends and family. Time to share memories and make some new ones! We were invited by Rick and Marsha to spend time with them in Madison, Alabama. Rick and Marsha went from grade school through high school with Laurel. We enjoyed Mexican food with them, especially since Rick gets red chilis from New Mexico and makes chili sauce from scratch! Marsha got out the high school yearbooks one night and we all wondered what happened to some of our classmates. It was great to reconnect with them after not seeing each other for over 30 years! They sure haven't changed much.

After Madison, we headed south to Tuscaloosa to visit with Keith and Kim. Keith is one of Laurel's cousins who used to live in Chicago. We tell everyone that Illinois is a nice place to BE from. We got to see his new restaurant, Kuk's Dog Days, which is in downtown Tuscaloosa. They treated us to dinner that evening and we stayed overnight with them. Kim made biscuits and gravy the next morning, one of Don's favorite breakfasts! Yummy! We enjoyed the good ole' southern hospitality for 3 days between the two couples.

Holy Smokes! It's the Smoky Mountains.

Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway

Autumn leaves nestled in a limb.

Laurel Falls in Smoky Mountains National Park

Laurel at Laurel Falls!

Fall comes to the Smokies.

While traveling down Interstate 81, we were in vicinity of the Appalachian Mountains and also the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Another chance for us to use our National Park pass that lets us get into any national park for free (because Don is over 65). Not only is it free, it's one place that we've wanted to visit for a long time. I yearned to take my camera out and hopefully catch some great shots of the Smokies. After setting up the trailer, we were off and running, so to speak. At Gatlinburg we took the aerial tram up the side of the mountain. Half way up there, it started to pour. We still got some wonderful pictures of the clouds hanging low over all the hills and valleys. The next day we lucked out and it was overcast, but not raining, as we hiked up to Laurel Falls. Another interesting tidbit: absolutely everyone decorates for fall here....banks, businesses, homes, even gas stations!

Wandering in Washington, DC

The white marble on the Lincoln Memorial stands out at dusk.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Don and his friend, Gary, check out the name listing for the Vietnam War Memorial.

Statues depict soldiers during the Korean War.

Fountains at the World War II Memorial.

It was a "TR" day for our trip to Washington, D.C. We drove the TRuck to the TRain, then took the TRolley around the city and the TRam around Arlington. We still managed to do a lot of walking even though it seems like it was all sedentary. The one day gave us just a taste of the city, making us want to come back for an extended stay. We had a chance to visit the Vietnam, Korean and World War II memorials in addition to several other sites. Our visit to Arlington National Cemetery and seeing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was inspiring.