I escaped with my life, but it was a close call.

okay. I don't have a picture for you tonight. We've had two travel days out of Alpine, Tx - the first night in San Angelo, Tx in a beautiful park on a lake.  No incidents to report.  Today we headed to Waco, Tx.  I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that we headed over here just to stalk our pathetic little version of celebrity. We've become very fond of a little HGTV show called Fixer Upper. I've been watching for 2 years now and got Barry hooked a few months ago.  The couple who host the show, Chip & Joanna Gaines are an uber-talented husband and wife team that helps families in the Waco area to buy run down homes in great neighborhoods and then they come in and completely transform them.  They are talented and funny and so sweet with each other and their little family and in an article we read recently in the paper have almost single-handedly transformed Waco's faltering downtown economy....anyway, that's why we're here - we're Lookie-Lou's, gawkers, hangers-on - call us what you will, we almost didn't make it this far....

First, and this isn't an excuse, but if it was it would be a good one, I've thrown out my dumb back so the ride hasn't been exactly comfy...but even trying to get out of San Angelo this morning appeared to be a task beyond our GPS or map reading skills and we circled the same set of highway on and off ramps about three times before Barry rather "tensely" pulled into a (not kidding here) Best Christians Thrift store parking lot to negotiate the crazy-making Texas Loop system that passes for a freeway here.  We finally got on our way to follow 250 miles worth of two-lane Farm-to-Market roadways (still not kidding, that's what they're called).  It was great for my back....

We entered Waco, about 1.5 hours later than predicted on Texas Highway 84. Which was fine except it wasn't going to our campground because Barry might have only listed "Waco" in the GPS and not the actual address of the RV spot....so now we're trapped in GPS hell with Barry insisting on listening to both the IPad and the rig's GPS simultaneously and succeeding only in circling the same block of old downtown Waco about 150 times, complete with people honking at our giant behemoth selves as we careened around on narrow tree lined streets yelling at each other. I'm now being instructed by the non-author of the blog to make sure you all know that at this point I had also fired up my IPhone and was insisting that Barry needed to stop listening to the still blathering IPad and just listen to me because by now I could see the web we were trapped in but nooooooo, about the fifth time we found ourselves pointed in the entirely wrong direction he pulls off the road and g'rabs up the other  IPad and types the address into that one too!  Now he doesn't ask it for directions but shows me this teeny dot alongside the freeway and through gritted teeth in an over-exaggeratedly patient voice says, "See? That's where we need to be."  Oh yeah. I see all right.  I see plenty.  Two curbs. Three parking lots and four u-turns later we arrive at NorthCrest RV Park in Waco, Tx.  We get pulled in, jacks down, sides out and as I approach the Motorhome,  Barry sweeps into his arms and announces, "I'm glad we didn't kill each other today."

And that's when I knew how close I'd come.....

And we didn't even see one chihuahua!

We drove and drove and then hiked and hiked and no matter how hard we tried we didn't find even one chihuahua out here... so Sammi Olsen, my profoundest apologies to Miss Sassy who I know was really counting on us to locate her ancestors.  We looked far and wide for jeweled collars, sparkly coats and tiny paw prints but they were no where to be found in this vast wilderness.  Is Sassy sure she is a full-blooded chihuahua??

   

 
Now, what we did see was lots more rocks, cacti, Montezuma and Scaled Quail and some sort of  rare-ish Banded Pigeon.  None of which we were fast enough to obtain photographic evidence of (just in case my brother asks...)

After our fruitless chihuahua search we headed up the road to Fort Davis - a real true blue Old West fort that was active along the Pecos Trail between San Antonio, El Paso and California.  It is a relative newcomer to the National Parks Historic sites having been commissioned by Lady Bird Johnson in the 1960's.  True restoration of the ruins of the old fort didn't even get really underway until the 1990's and now it is one of the best places we've visited.  The fort is described as a key post in the defense system of West Texas and was an active fort between 1854 and 1891.  Troops stationed at the fort even included two garrisons of the  U.S. Army's Buffalo Soldiers.  There were several pretty major Indian battles with the Apaches in and around the area and during the civil war it was an encampment for Confederate troops.  We even found what appears to be Buddy's real name on the muster list of the Second Texas Mounted Rifles unit of 1861...What do you think?  Do you read that as Dan Dansie?  

I know that some people enduring this blog are beginning to not believe me when I wax enthusiastic about every single place we've been but this time it  really, really was so cool.  Throughout the day they play various bugle calls that would have been used to communicate every command to the troops across fort.  I don't know whether its the landscape or the restored buildings interspersed among the ruins  but it really gave you such a sense of time and place.  Even Barry got into the spirt of the visit while we tried on the hat samples that we only later realized were actually part of the kids play area in the museum part of the visitor's center.  So really, you've got to go.  

You just gotta go.

I would have never given Texas this much credit.

Wait!  That didn't sound like I meant it to....

We left Las Cruces, New Mexico Tuesday morning intent on making the sideways trek across Texas 90 to a little place called Alpine way down in the southwest corner of Texas.  Wick & Gwen Elder and David & Lyn Thomason have just raved about this corner of their state and its wonderful sights.  Now, I’ll tell you that on the way in, on the very flat, very straight, whole lot of nothingness Texas 90, I wouldn’t have given 2¢ for the whole place – figured it was just your typical Texan bragging but after arriving last night in our little RV park here in Alpine  we headed up the “mountain” to the McDonald Observatory.    Having failed to factor in the time difference in our latitude we made the mad dash up the mountain to arrive on time for our reservations at the “Star Party.”

I’ve really got to give it to Barry on this one because after several hours of battling Texas winds and roads he very accommodatingly hopped into the Jeep 15 minutes after arriving and lit out for the observatory knowing absolutely nothing about what I’d gotten us into this time.  Thankfully for me, it was INCREDIBLE!!  I once upon a time signed up for an astronomy class at Diablo Valley College thinking it would be an “easy” way to fulfill my science requirement but within about two minutes of class beginning I came to the horrifying awareness that ASTRONOMY = MATH. Lots and lots of big daddy type of math – well, that was it – I was out.  

Still, I intrepidly had us signed up for a “Star Party” which I really hoped wouldn’t involved any math but as it turned out it did cause there was a whole math movie in the observatory theater called the Power of Ten which involved a whole lot of math about light years and telescopes and stuff but was still pretty interesting.  We then went outside where a really funny astronomer (who could have guessed that someone with that much math in their head could even be funny) led us on a laser-guided tour of the night sky.  It was mega-dark up there and the path lighting was all done in these red lights so that we could gain our night vision - which they assured us took 45 minutes – and was hampered by a waxing gibbous moon (THAT’S THE KIND OF CRAP I KNOW NOW THAT I’VE BEEN TO STAR PARTY – and I intend to use it as often as possible in the future!!) 

Orion Nebula

I don’t know what kind of tiny little handheld laser this guy was wielding but it was sure fun to see the various constellations and their individual stars come to life under its influence.  I kept expecting to hear the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind cued up at any minute.  

It sure made you feel small but amazingly secure when you consider that we were looking at constellations and distant stars that have been burning brightly for billions of years.  Maybe we won’t blow it all to pieces in one horrendous greenhouse gas swoosh… Probably the best part was getting to look in the telescopes.  They had a total of six set up for viewing.  Three views of that waxing gibbous moon (I told you I was going to use that as often as possible) and three more to view specific consellations including Orion’s Belt and the Orion Nebula – A-MAZ-ING!!!  Really.  Not enough words!   What an incredible universe.  

This morning we rose at the crack of 10:30 (Don't mock.  We are on vacation and hadn't factored that time change and the Gibbous Waxing Moon...)  We set out on the Southwest Texas exploration this time heading south on Texas 118 toward the Rio Grande also historically called the Rio Bravo (yet more knowledge accumulated on this trek).  

Our actual destination was Terlingua, a ghost town where original settlers mined cinnabar -- wait for it -- I get to show even more accumulated knowledge -- the ore from which mercury is extracted.  To say this area is toxic is probably the understatement of the century but it is still inhabited (yeah, I know I said it was a ghost town and it is pretty ghosty and abandoned but there are some folks still living out here and still burying their dead in this really cool cemetery that dates back to the 1850's.

I'm not really sure how to characterize this place other than to say it seems to be some kind of artist's enclave/hippy retreat/wild west survivalist kind of place that was accessed through some of the coolest geological formations we've seen so far - I mean not Joshua tree cool - but pretty darn cool.

Beyond cool right?  We drove on south and into the Big Bend Ranch State Park and then on into Lajitas where we had an incredible meal on lovely patio at the Lajitas Golf Resort which is an incredible gem of a place in what has to be the most isolated, out-of-the-way spot ever.  We spent a lovely evening on the patio watching the Red-Naped Sapsucker (a first-time sighting for us) and several Texas hummingbirds - this is a place we've committed a repeat visit.

                                        

A New First - Floor Food Grazing....

Today was a travel day.  I had not planned to post.  Circumstances have intervened.  I have unwillingly born witness to the totality of the man I married.  Be afraid.  Very afraid.

We logged about 390 miles today and landed in the lovely Rincon East RV Resort in Tucson.  We decided on an easy dinner of tacos and quickly threw them together.  Our plates prepared, we sat across our little table having a relaxing meal after a long day's drive.  Barry finishes first and rises from the table to clear his place.   I continue to finish my tacos and am casually observing as he goes about his business at the kitchen counter.  Almost simultaneously we both notice a tiny chunk of taco meat is on the floor of the motorhome.  I see him spy it, turn towards it and begin to stoop.  Now in my head I’m thinking there’s no way this man that I’ve know for over 46 years is going to eat off the floor but this just goes to show they can still surprise you no matter how much togetherness you share.

Me, incredulously:  “Do you even know what you just did?!!!!??”

Barry, casually and completely unoffended: “Yeah, I was helping clean up.”

Me, astounded at this point:  “You ATE A PIECE OF MEAT OFF THE FLOOR!”

Barry, not even a little bit defensively: “It had been there less than 5 seconds from the time I spotted it.”

Me, horrified:  “THAT’S NOT THE RULE!!! I can’t believe you did that.”

Barry, unconcerned:  “I didn’t think you would want a piece of meat on the floor.”

Me, resigned: “I could put this in the blog you know.  What do you think of that?”

Barry, nonplussed: “That doesn’t scare me.  I’ve done worse things.”

Heaven help me.  Really?!!?  I must say that this deterioration might have been inevitable after last night’s dinner debacle.  We went from the sublime culinary fare of the central coast to the wonders of the foodies in Palm Springs to – wait for it --- Hamburger Helper on last night’s table.  

Now my children will undoubtedly weigh in here to let everyone know that they practically had to live on Hamburger Helper when I was the cook in the family.   What can I say?  I got a hankering for how I remembered it tasting and last night we cooked up a batch of Deluxe Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper.  It struck us awfully funny that it was so truly awful that we laughed until we cried.  Gosh I don’t know what possessed me but it has now come back in awful retribution: I HAVE A FLOOR FOOD GRAZING HUSBAND!