The Butte.....

As we headed out of Black Mesa, the question was…where to next?  This is the way Dennis and I like best to travel.  No real plan, no set agenda.  We know we are heading to San Francisco and we know about when we want to arrive but between now and then it is just the road, a map and whatever snags our attention.  I got a text from my sister in law Crystal asking where we were.  I had seen several of her posts from Elephant Butte Lake near Truth or Consequences New Mexico.  Dennis and I have been to the Butte once before ……got our truck stuck clean up to the axle in the sand and a nice fella in a tow truck was more than glad to pull us out for the right price…  I have never never seen a lake where folks will put their 30 foot travel trailers right on the water edge...driving across soft sand.  But thats ok....I have a good recommendation for a tow truck....

Well, Elephant Butte sounded good to us…we wanted to see Les and Crys, get our boats in the water and paddle around a bit.  So we veered south and ended up in a nice spot right next to Les and Crys. 

Ya never know....

They love fishing, we love kayaking so Tuesday we all engaged in our favorite boating activities.  I never get tired of paddling and it felt good to be in the water after all the wind in Black Mesa and being on the road for a full day.

Les and Crys

Wednesday we headed over to Truth or Consequences ….Now this really is a favorite spot of mine and Dennis’ and of Les and Crys’ as well.  It is an eclectic little town that has seen better days…Back when Ralph Edwards, the producer of the show (Truth or Consequences)was a regular during the festivals and parades.   Seems back in the ‘50’s ...when it was still a radio show, he decided to have a contest and promised to air the show from a town if they renamed their town  "Truth or Consequences"…Hot Springs New Mexico vied for the prize and won….hence the name!  He visited the town the first week in May for the next 50 years and the entire town put on the dog. 

me and Les

Our favorite past time is visiting one of the bath houses and soaking in the hot mineral waters that flow from the springs.  Riverbend has been “our spot” each visit and so the four of us headed over to soak, laugh, talk, reminisce. When the water go to hot we jumped into the Rio Grande to cool off.  We had to hold onto the ropes under the deck or else the current would have swept us down stream! It was a fabulous day. 

"minnow pools"

hanging on for dear life

soaking it up

pools overlooking the Rio Grande

http://www.riverbendhotsprings.com/

We were sad to leave Elephant Butte this morning…sad to leave Les and Crys and the great time we were having, making memories together in places we all love....we spent last night laughing and playing Yatzee then star gazing hoping to catch another glimpse of the International Space Station that had graced the skies the night before….it was amazing!   But it was time…time to move on, to move west…time to get back on the road again…..

Lawton town to Black Mesa

It has taken me a while to post because I just didn’t know how much of our time in Lawton I wanted to comment on.  “Camping” in a parking lot ….mom and dad’s tv going out and tv shopping with mom….staying at Ten Oaks ….in mom and dad’s apartment because of tornado –ish weather every night..watching the devastation happening real time on the new big screen…the picnic out at the Wichita’s that did not turn out as planned….Seeing first hand the changes in mom and dad even since I was last there in April….Changes I was not expecting to be so profound.  But, Ten Oaks is a good place.  Dad likes there and mom acts like she just tolerates it…she likes it there too. The changes make it so hard to leave.  But over -staying can be difficult and stressful.

Isn't this just a cool pic?  dennis doesn't know how he did it!

Dennis did have the opportunity to get out to the Wichitas and snap a few pics.  The Trading Post is a landmark for all in the surrounding area.  That sign stands as a sentinel to the Cache entrance to the Wichita Mountains.  In its heyday  The Trading Post sold Minnetonka moccasins, Frankoma Pottery, postcards, turquoise jewelry, little Indian dolls clothed in beaded leather outfits and just about any other souvenir a family could want as a reminder of days gone by in the wild west.changes again that remind us that the days continue to pass and we change as well….The Trading Post has at long last closed their doors…

So, when it was time, we headed back on the road again….

And on to Black Mesa State Park in the tip of the pan handle of Oklahoma.  This State Park is a favorite of Dennis' and it has become one of mine as well. 

Entrance to Black Mesa summit hike

Dennis and the coach whip

horned lizard

Collard Lizard

same coach whip!

         

Dennis spent some of his old college days here collecting with one of his most beloved prof’s at Cameron University, Dr. Jack Tyler.   Lots of memories for him and now for both of us.  Collecting is what we do the most when we are here.  Road kill….sounds romantic, doesn’t it!  Dennis’ great thrill is throwing me into the dash of the car when he stops on a dime, driving in reverse at 30 miles an hour, slamming on the emergency brake and jumping out of the truck to chase down and catch a horned lizard or any type of snake.  Turtles are a lot less challenging…..and we hike.  Turning over rocks and boards looking for whatever is keeping cool underneath.  I reminded Dennis MANY times today…. that outside his little world…the world of his peers who have wives that accompany them on collecting trips….and that is a pretty limited group….most and I mean a majority of women would not consider what we did today a vacation.  But ya know?  That doesn’t matter to me….we had a blast.  Road riding, hiking, talking, taking in the vastness of the part of the country that we both love….isn’t that what vacationing is all about?  

mule deer (yes, there is a fence!)

The wonderful thing about the Black Mesa area is that in the area around the park it is truly "open range".  There are thousands and thousands of un fenced area where the cattle roam freely.  We spotted pronghorn, mule deer, prairie dogs and we crisscrossed between Oklahoma, New Mexico and briefly into Colorado....I was never sure what time zone we were in...

So, we are off tomorrow....Heading to Lake Caballo, New Mexico to catch up with my brother and his wife for a day or two.  Lots of good things to catch....walleye and whites for Les....horned lizards and whatever else crawls, slithers or creeps along our path as we get back on the road again......

hiking the summit trail 

huge cottonwood trees in the campground

turning boards..hunting for critters

open range looking towards Black Mesa

First Leg of the journey

First Leg....

Lake Bistineau covered with Giant Salvinia

Our first stop, Monday, was Lake Bistineau, Louisiana.  We tried to camp here once before but it was Memorial Day weekend and of course, there was no room at the Inn....The nice park people did let us take our bikes down and take a turn around the campground and down a lovely bike trail to shake off the road.  We went back into town and got a hotel room.  This year was different, however.  In more ways than one.
First of all the park was pretty much deserted since we were coming in on Memorial Day (eve) and the three day weekenders were gone.
Second, the lake, pristine and full of beautiful cypress tress the last visit was now choked with a very invasive water plant, Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta).  It has rendered the lake completely impassable, unuseable and  impossible to enjoy.  Even though the park ranger reported the park was "slammed" over the weekend I had to wonder "WHY?"  
Third the physical grounds are in terrible shape....Dennis and I thought maybe they had experienced storm damage because the trees are down, torn up and bent...further investigation indicates that they may be logging.  We went on a bike ride that turned treacherous- loosing the trail which was somewhat marked with small flags on the ground.  But which ones to follow?  Orange?  Red?  not to both.  Dennis ended up on the ground, tires spinning and arm bleeding.  I had to ditch in a brush pile to keep from running him over.  
End of trail riding....no kayaking....But we got a good nights rest and we were up and back on the road by 8:00 a.m.



On the way in...somewhere on I 44 between Wichita Falls and Lawton I had the great idea that maybe we should check out Buffalo Bob's, an RV park just across from Mom and Dad's assisted living center.
Now, we ALWAYS stay at the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge.  We dream about camping there all year long....talk about going, remember our past camping trips there.  It is HOME for Dennis and me.  We dated there, have fished, kayaked and swam in the small lakes that dot the refuge.  We brought our kids here all through the years when we trekked to Lawton....created memories with them and their spouses and now Ella Anne there...and .....and ....we are at Buffalo Bob's....a concrete monstrosity...devoid of trees, buffalo, longhorn, lakes, mountains, memories.  Full instead of well let electric boxes for easy access and hook up should you come in at night, huge fifth wheels and winnebago type bus campers with multiple sliders and awnings, inhabited by construction workers that move from place to place and Casino goers....and in the middle of it all is our little pop up...It reminds me of "Little House" the well known children's story.  But it is close to mom and dad.  We can be at their place in under 60 seconds instead of the 30 plus miles between them and our beloved Camp Doris.  For now....we are parked...cherishing the time with mom and dad until we get on the road again....

Beautiful Buffalo Bobs.....

Go west old man....

Well...thought I'd give blogging another shot this year...the thing I've learned about blogging is...it's really for the blogger...if someone stops by, great!  But by and large the ramblings on with the electronic pen record our travels and let us look back...
.I skipped last year...our plans were unexpectedly changed when daddy got sick and hospitalized.We were staying for the first time ever in a cabin at T.H. Stone Memorial State Park, Cape San Blas Florida..one of our most favoritest places in the world when we got the call....but i clung then as i do now to God's promise...."for I know the plans i have for you..." ....So here we are, on the road again...excited about the blessings that always come with our time together ........on the road again...with the ribbon of highway stretched out before us...(can you mix two songs in the same sentence?)

Four Snake Day!

We gave mom and dad a break today and headed out to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Understand this is my back yard...I grew up with these mountains in the horizon. Went to sleep at night counting the flares as the military played war out on the numerous ranges that border and surround the mountains. We camped out here as a family, swam in the lakes, traipsed the boulders, fields, trails (and made a few new trails) and Dennis and I spent endless hours here turning rocks when were were dating. Its where we came as teenagers to gather around campfires and talk into the night. It is were we brought company who were visiting from out of town and where I brought my children time and time again when we "came home". I can imagine my life apart from the Wichita Mountains.....Dennis and I spent quite a bit of time here last summer kayaking the small lakes that dot the Wichita's. It was way too windy to kayak today so we just bummed around, doing what we do best....walking, turning rocks, recalling times in these old hills.....

Of course no trip to the Wichitas is complete until you go to Meers....Meers Oklahoma is a cross roads.....with the best burger stop in the country. Here you get 97% lean Texas longhorn beef, with no added fat. The burgers are HUGE. Dennis and I split one...which was good! But before I knew it.....I had ordered the equally famous homemade peach cobbler with homemade (I do mean freshly churned) ice cream.....sigh...what can I say?







On to the wildlife of the Wichita's....today we spotted one dead Western Diamondback , two HUGE live ones under rocks, a dead Yellowbelly Racer ....lots of buffalo, longhorns tons of birds, armadillos and several beautiful mountain boomers....





So....it was a successful day at the Mountains, by our standards....hopefully Saturday we can add kayaking to our Wichita Mountains experience, if this wind will just quit blowing for awhile!

Lawton town.....

We headed out yesterday morning and made really good time...coming thru Wichita Falls I always think about Mrs. Miller, my good friend at work and her daughter Termekia who was stationed at Sheppard AFB. Wichita Falls was our old stomping grounds. Dennis and I lived here when we were first married. He was working on his master's degree at Midwestern State University. Then, April 10th, 1979 the big one came.....tornado, that is. We lost every thing we owned....which by today's standards wasn't much. I always loved the Wichita Falls area....Next stop....the Red River. Texas and Oklahoma couldn't agree on where the state lines should lie so, they decided to run it right down the center of the river...... For as long as I can remember this is what the Red River has looked like. Once we cross the river we are officially in Oklahoma!Home is home, that is for sure and I do love Oklahoma. I especially love the flat fields....the wheat has been cut already . I used to look in wonder at the huge combines going down the roads. When we lived in Texas on the fish hatchery outside Wichita Falls I did not love getting behind them on those narrow Farm to Market roads tho....

And the toll booth. Goodness the toll has gone up....1.5o to drive thru. Good thing we are not going any further than Lawton. Beyond Lawton to Oklahoma city there are two more and then another one or two on to Tulsa...Driving in Oklahoma is expensive!

We were absolutely tickled to find mom and dad looking so good! Tonight we have finished our second card game....it is one game every night while we are here. That is the was it always is....and of course the competition between the girls and guys is hot and heavy. We taunt and tease each other relentlessly. Girls won last night ....the guys creamed us tonight. But there is always tomorrow night.



Mom and dad.....and mom with her beloved plumeria plant. So for now we are settled in Lawton for a bit. We are going to do some errands tomorrow but then maybe Thursday go out to the Wichita Mountains and do a little rock turning and kayaking........

Heading north

Pat and Dennis had a blast shooting his walker 44 caliber pistol. "a cannon" was how dennis described it....so guess I will be getting a new skeet thrower when we get home! Paula and I ran over to Bryan/College Station (any aggie fans out there?) and ate some fantastic mexican food. Don't get me wrong here...we have some good mexican cuisine in georgia but it really just doesn't compare. I hope the availability of authentic mexican food combined with the temptation of whataburger isn't my downfall on this trip.
So here I sit in the truck, heading north on I45 with Dennis...his arm slung over the steering wheel in that true Texan fashion...and...we are back on the road again.....