Surging through Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana

From Santa Fe we headed north towards Colorado on  I-25 over an 8000 ft pass, barely.  As mentioned before the land yacht may need a larger engine to climb passes on warmer days.  We have to slow down with the emergency signals on just like the trucks.  This works well if there is a truck lane or at least two lanes so that people can most easily pass. 
On this pass into Colorado they decided to reduce the freeway to one lane due to construction.  To say that I was impeding traffic climbing at 20 mph on the freeway would be an understatement.  Even at that pace the engine was overheating and alarming.  The land yacht captain doesn't like to be that close to shutting down an interstate highway.  Towards the top there was a break in the jersey barriers and a steep exit.  Thanks goodness the overheated land yacht was able to clear the only freeway lane.
Also mentioned before is fact that large metropolitan and land yacht docking is like trying to mix oil and water.  The interstate 25 corridor through Colorado on the east side of the Rocky Mountain range used to have breaks in-between the major cities.  Now from Pueblo to Fort Collins seem to be on huge over populated area with Colorado Springs and Denver in the middle.  Hence on must plan the crossing around the rush hours.  We still ended up in stop and go traffic.  
We barely made it into overcrowded expensive RV parks on either end of this grand crossing.  I was told that the area is growing so fast that many decide to call the RV parks their home.  It is much cheaper than the 300K to 600K basic homes for sale.  There were several people that we wanted to visit in the area.  We felt that making it out intact was more important.  We will need to attact the area without the land yacht.  There is still a majority of the country that doesn't fall into this urban chaos living.

Bruno, the land yacht hound, in front of a mighty oak by the powder river

240 miles north of Fort Collins is the very small town of Kaycee, Wyoming.  We found an uncrowded moorage for the land yacht beside the Powder, River.  This is rural Wyoming at its best:  clean streets, flower baskets on every block, and a rodeo every other Saturday night all summer.  This area was considered open range grazing back in the day.  The problems begain when the open range got too crowded.

The larger ranchers hired an army to take the smaller ranchers out.  Many died but the smaller ranchers finally chased the "invaders" out.  This was called the Johnson county war.  As happens today no one was prosecuted for the crime due to correct connections with important people.  Some things haven't changed since the 1890s and before.
This area was a hide out for Jesse James and other outlaws due to the geography and rock structures.  The "hole in the wall" ranch was here where they could hide tussled cattle in a local canyon.  It was easily defended.

 The general grocery store, hardware store, feed store, and gathering place for the local folks

From Kaycee we set a new for us land yacht record of miles for one day; 460 to Anaconda, Montana.  This was most of the way across the state.  Anaconda for years was known for its copper mining and smelting.
The tall smoke stack remains.  It is taller and wider than the Washington Monument.  They have kept this small town alive by catering to tourists with both summer and winter sports.  There is good eats, shopping, and a well kept up old town.

Beautiful Big Sky RV park in Anaconda, Montana

In the area are some great lakes and wilderness areas.  This is also the area where the Nez Perce Indians were slaughtered in their teepees at night after running from the Army.  Yes, the Indians had killed a few people while defending their land which used to contain eastern Oregon, Idaho, and some of Montana.  Again the most influential, with the biggest guns, and an organized government wins over the minority.   The monument to this slaughter is well documented at the The Big Hole National Battlefield.  The rules of engagement must have been different with the military back then.
The larger ranchers hired an army to take the smaller ranchers out.  Many died but the smaller ranchers finally chased the "invaders" out.  This was called thw Johnson county war.  As happens today no one was prosecuted for the crime due to correct connections with important people.  Some things haven't changed since the 1890s and before.
This area was a hide out for Jesse James and other outlaws due to the geograophy and rock structures.  The "hole in the wall" ranch was here where they could hide russled cattle in a local canyon.  It was easily defended.
From Kaycee we set a new for us land yacht record of miles for one day; 460 to Anaconda, Montana.  This was most of the way across the state.  Anaconda for years was known for its copper mining and smelting.
The tall smoke stack remains.  It is taller and wider than the Washington Monument.  They have kept this small town alive by catering to tourists with both summer and winter sports.  There is good eats, shopping, and a well kept up old town.

In the area are some great lakes and wilderness areas.  This is also the area where the Nez Perce indians were slaughtered in their teepees at night after running from the Army.  Yes, the Indians had killed a few people while defending their land which used to contain eastern Oregon, Idaho, and some of Montana.  Again the most influential, with the biggest guns, and an organized government wins over the minority.   The monument to this slaughter is well documented at the The Big Hole National Battlefield.  The rules of engagement must have been different with the military back then.

The Big Hole National Battlefield

Waltz across Texas and on to New Mexico

Leaving San Antonio early to avoid traffic we headed to NW Texas through major oil fields.  In Texas oil is king.  Presently oil is good due to inovative techniques acquiring and transporting it.

Subsequently Texans especially rural Texans near the oil fields are doing just fine.  People come from all over in order to work in the oil fields.  There is a housing shortage extending to a shortage of RV parking.  This becomes a problem when you need to park the land yacht for the night.

 Andrews Texas, in the oil rich Texas panhandle, has solved that problem.  Behind the Chamber of Commerce there are several RV support stations that can be used for 3 days a month with their permission.  Interpreted you have electric, water, and sewer as well as a potential for trash disposal.  What more does one need in a land yacht?

We have learned from other campers that one of these wind makers is needed if you want to spend time outside the RV while camping in the south in the Summer.  Some of the fancy ones will spray a mist as well.  They do make a difference.  The other option is finding shade and sweating without wind.

In the rural areas Walmart comes in handy.  You may be able to park without all of the utility support for free usually with their permission.  I have heard that Cracker Barrell offer similar support.  Their parking lots are generally too small for the land yacht.  Neither of these options work out for traveling during the summer in the south.  Air conditioning is mandatory.  Running your generator 24/7 is not an option.  For these reasons the docking at Andrews was a treat.  Every town should have this option optimally.

Truth be told this is not how it works out in the major metropolitan areas.  Walmart are usually restricted by law from allowing boondocking.  Land is expensive so the very few RV parks that exist can be exclusive.  Your rig is too old, law only permits so many days of rental, your dog looks mean,  and more often pets not allowed in our park are used as excuses for eliminating normal land yacht docking. 

Most often in order to visit major cities you have to park your land yacht 30 miles out of town and ride the dingy (tow vehicle) through traffic into the urban jungle.  We occasionly fight our way into the urban jungle for major sports events, restaurants, and events then ask ourselves "why".  There is a big country out there to explore easily by land yacht without these troubles and complications. 

The day that we spent at Andrews the thermometer reached 110.  Thanks chamber for the AC but we quickly decided to head for the hills in New Mexico in order to cool off.  On the way we went through the town of Roswell where they were quite proud of the space alien rumors.  There were several road side green people and space ships that were humerous.  No we didn't hove to with the land yacht in order to take pictures!

In the end we ended up docking around 7000 ft in a town called Ruidoso.  This is a town where Texans go to cool off in the Summer.  This makes it a busy destination resort with a lot of activities.  We found zip lines, 4 wheeling, mountain biking, hiking, casinos, horse racing and many good restaurants.  People reserve land yacht docking months in advance.  We were fortunate to get in due to a cancellation.  All of the attractions made for lots of traffic.  In the Winter this becomes a ski town.

The next day we traveled west back down to the desert and the White Sands National Monument then headed north.  We went through over 100 miles of desert without a single chance to refuel the land yacht.  Course planning became important in this area.  Note to self:  When you find fuel at the end of drought of services it is probably going to be at least 50 cents more per gallon than you usually pay.

Full Moon over rain clouds in Santa Fe

Our destination today was Santa Fe.  We found appropriate moorage along one of the major roadways into the city.  I went out for some provisioning.  Traffic was a huge problem even on the weekend.  I went down town and ended up on narrow streets, limited parking, many people visiting many art studios and many restaurants.  As with a lot of large cities the area was rather dirty with a lot of people asking for money; not always politely.  The avocados were hard and they were charging for grocery bags at the store.  No, we aren't in Texas anymore!  In case you can not tell; we have a preference for smaller and friendlier towns.

Rio Grande Gorge

Rio Grande Bridge with Taos mountains in back

We took a road trip up to the Taos area.  This major ski resort area also serves as a cool place to be in the summer heat due to elevation.  Along with the 13 thousand foot peaks the Rio Grande River has carved a gorgeous gorge.  The area hosts major musical events in the summer.  The whole area was beautiful and attractive but much too high in elevation for the land yacht.

Santa Fe has been the official capitol of the area for hundreds of years dating back to early native American times.  It has a lot of historical buildings and museums.  Several of them are made of adobe; straw and mud.

We visited another Diners, Drive ins and Dives restaurant, The Tune-Up Cafe, featuring El Salvadoran food.  I am a new fan of the Pupusas and pickled carrots.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, was originally an adobe chapel built in 1626, torn down during the Pueblo war and founded in 1714.  The present majestic structure was completed in 1887 with several updates since.  It is  one of the major draws along with the plaza to down town Santa Fe.

With the lack of down town parking we did invade on the bus.  You can often meet the most interesting inner city characters on a bus.  The price was right; free for Veterans.  

Next on to Colorado and Wyoming.  

Lousianna to Hello Texas

It is starting to get real hot here.  The air conditioning is working overtime.  Time to get across Texas and back towards a place where the nights get a little cooler!  In our younger years we would have just found shade and create wind.  Now the body requires a doable temperature usually with air conditioner assist.

We left you in Mississippi on the Blues Highway.  We crossed into Louisiana on our way to Houston for a 90th birthday party.  Louisiana is a special place for us.

The people are fantastic and friendly.  The Cajun food is such a treat.  The  Zydeco music keeps you moving, always.  FM101.in Lafayette, KBON, is available as an app in the google store just in case you need a Zydeco injection.  While we were there a Zydeco barn dance was going on Saturday with live bands in the park on Sunday.

We discovered a bunch of the rarely visited beaches on the southern Louisiana coast.  The beach houses were rarely built without stilts due the extreme potential for flooding during a hurricane.  The land is flat for miles.  Cheap beach front property usable most of the time until a storm surge is available.

From there we returned to Texas to visit relatives and the birthday party.  While in Houston we visited the Johnson Space Center 50 years after the moon landing.  Several million dollars were spent in order to recreate the mission control room.  It was nicely done.  We were able to sit in the gallery area while watching a replay of the lunar landing.  Quite intense for the amount of computer technology available at the time.

The updated  visitor's center still has  the lunar landing vehicle and one of the original moon dune buggies.  There are several tours via trolley exploring the International Space Station and other exhibits such as the Saturn 5 rocket that launched the lunar landing.  It is now under cover of a building.

I was most impressed with the 747 on display that carried the shuttle back across the country when it landed in California.  When we were in the Air Force at Davis Monthan in Tucson, CA they would often stop for fuel.  Weight had to be added to parts of the specially configured 747 in order to achieve balance with the shuttle on top.  There is a multistory display that allows you to explore each vehicle from the inside.

After our space adventure we headed across town to the Red Neck Country Club and the Republic BBQ run by Michael  Barry the talk radio host.  He was there.  The whole operation was certainly customer orientated.  The BBQ and the service was first class.  This rather small venue has hosted to major country music acts.

We maneuvered the land yacht through down town Houston on a Sunday dues to lighter traffic setting a course for Shiner, Texas.  This is the only factory making Shiner Bach beer.  It was started by some German immigrants in the early 1900s.


San Antonio was our next port to visit Air Force friends.  There is always something  going on  in this growing metropolis.  They are trying to keep up with the growth by building new freeways unlike other areas that we have visited.  The tex mex and bbq here is legendary.

What's up Mississippi

On our last trip across the country we were able we visited Memphis, Tennessee and Graceland.  Memphis is a largely poor and broken central area surrounded by thriving suburbs.  This seems to be a typical pattern for many southern cities.

It was once known as the local gathering spot to Blues musicians on Beale Street.  A lot of money has been spent in the area to restore the area.  Every year they support the Memphis in May Blues Festival  We had to take a look.

When we travel across the nation we like to stop in on eating establishments that were featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives TV show.  Memphis knows chicken.  We found this place in the middle of the project area.  We were the only Caucasian people in the place and were treated well with good food.

RV camping is hard to come by near big cities.  The parks are usually on the dumpy side with a lot of long term campers.  Near Memphis due to the special gambling laws there are a bunch of gambling casinos near the Mississippi River.  Many of these casinos have fairly nice RV parks that are inexpensive.  This gave us an opportunity to explore the area.

Highway 61 going south from Memphis into Mississippi is known as the Blues Highway.  Many musicians would travel from the cotton fields to Beale street in order to spend the weekend making music.  There are several attractions along the way preserving that era of history.

We headed south to Leland and Greenville.  For the most part this is a very poor area of the state.  There isn't much opportunity for jobs and industry.  There are several river gambling casinos but that isn't enough to keep the economy going.  Rumor has it that an old Air Force Base closed in the 1960s is being revived in order to train pilots.  This should help some.

Our main goal was to tour the BB King Museum.  BB was a nickname that he acquired in Memphis standing for Blues Boy.  He was orphaned and stayed with relatives in this area.  He would pick cotton during the week and play his music on the weekends.  Saturday night he would play Blues on the street corner of Indianola, MS and on Sunday he was part of a gospel quartet that got famous.  When asked which he preferred his answer was:  While playing gospel music people would stop and say, "You will be famous some day."  While playing on the street corner at least they contributed money to my guitar case.  "Which would you choose?"  The cotton gin where it all started is now part of his museum and burial place.

Back in Leland is where Jim Henson grew up.  They call the town the birthplace of Kermit the frog.  Johnny Winter got his start here as well.

On south towards Vicksburg was a flooded area and many homes under water.  This is an area where they intentionally breach the levies on the Mississippi river to relieve the flooding to down river towns.  Many people put up signs to fund the pumps.  I am not sure just where the water would be pumped to.  I guess that this may have been an issue since the last president didn't fund the pumps either.  In other areas of the country prone to flood; the houses are elevated on stilts or by some other means.  This is a hot topic for the farmers of mid Mississippi.

Vicksburg is built on a hill above the Mississippi River.  This made it a great place to place cannons to protect the river during the civil war.  Many thousands of Americans died here trying to take over the town from the confederates.

The union army eventually surrounded the town and prevented anything from getting in or out.  The families of Vicksburg dug caves in order to hide from the cannon fire.  It is no wonder that a white flag signaled giving up after starving and cave dwelling during the hot Mississippi  summer.

The National Military Park is dedicated to recognizing the battle here.  It set up like Gettysburg, PA with each state building monuments for their fallen.  Several battle sites are depicted.

Part of the park is dedicated to preserving the iron clad river boat USS Cairo.  The river boats had a low profile covered with iron to deflect cannon balls and a shallow draw so that they could maneuver on the river.  It took a lot of coal and steam to move the protected paddle wheels.

This boat was sunk while removing mines in the river after the war and was recovered after 100 years sitting on the bottom.  It is the only one that still exists.  Note the huge tent in order to preserve the old wood.

There are a lot of houses of the period that remain preserved today.  Many of them are bed and breakfast.  A lot of money has gone into preserving history here.

Down by the river is a museum dedicated to the history of the lower Mississippi river.  Part of it was a complete working riverboat from the period open for tours.  Note the huge engines needed to move the boat.

Now Jackson the capital of Mississippi is another one of the large southern cities with a lot of deteriorating infrastructure.  We drove through miles of rough roads and fenced off lots before arriving at the old capital.  Here the thriving part of the city moved east again.

Sweet Home Alabama!

We headed to Birmingham Alabama to visit a good Air Force friend and avoid Hurricane Barry.  We enjoyed a nice Jamaican Jerk restaurant in the downtown area of the  capital city.  The downtown streets were empty @ 5pm.  You could tell that this used to be a popular part of town.  While eating good and listening to Bob Marley someone came into the eating establishment and asked for money from each table.

A lot of the downtown area was a shell of the former glory.  You would discover trendy shops, eating places, and night spots separated by multistory brick facades that were tumbling down and dumpy.  There was a recently updated civil rights memorial.  The best looking office building down town was labeled the Southern Poverty Law Center:

A lot of the government state capital buildings were kept up well.  Following was the Alabama Historical Museum celebrating the 200th anniversary of the state.  On the grounds of the museum was the first confederate white house for Jefferson Davis that was well preserved.

Our friend stated that the downtown area was making a comeback recently.  After the forced integration in the 1960s, the money makers left the downtown area and invested in the areas just east of town.   These areas are thriving today.

In one of the nicer buildings areas downtown was the Hank Williams Museum.  The 1952 Cadillac convertible perfectly preserved was worth the price of admission.  Hank Williams Jr. got to drive it to high school after he inherited it.  What a cool ride!  No photos were allowed but the museum web site has a great picture.  Hank died at the young age of 29 due to a heart disease  His music continues to be legend.

Tuscumbia, Alabama is where Helen Keller grew up on a large plantation.  She was born a normal happy girl until she had a high fever and seizures at the age of two.  After the illness she couldn't hear nor see due to brain injuries.  This turned her into a fairly wild child until the age of 6 when one of her caretakers was able help her connect with her environment.  She built on this eventually able to speak, graduate from college, and inspire the world.  Pictured here is her childhood home.

This was part of the original 600 acre homestead.

Next on to Tennessee and Mississippi