Portales, New Mexico to Lamesa, Texas
Sunday, June 22 - Portales to Ruidoso, NM
The last three days had been mostly about me and the reunion band, and Barbara was a really great sport about me doing the band bit while she was cooped up in the room at the motel during the daily rehearsals. Now it was time to begin life on the road on our own terms.
Today was basically a travel day for us. We got up early enough to have breakfast with Carol and then begin moving all of our "stuff" from our room to Big V and the Equinox, visited with Bob Cunningham, who was also staying at the Super 8, for a bit, hooked the car to Big V, ran through out checklist, and then took off for the 90-mile from Portales to Roswell.
Many who see this part of the country for the first time think it is drab and uninteresting, but for those of us who were raised here, there is a special beauty in the wide open spaces, hills, and plains.
When we got to Roswell, we stopped at Happy Jack's Bookstore, just to see if it was open today. The good news was that it is open on Sunday. The bad news was that it wouldn't open for two more hours. Happy Jack's is our favorite used book store in the world, but we couldn't see waiting around for two hours when we were finally working on our own time, so we stayed put long enough to have a lunch that Barbara had prepared, and call my brother to let him know that we were passing through, but wouldn't be able to see them until later in the week.
After that bit of rest, we fired up Big V and headed out the highway toward Ruidoso, one of our favorite mountain communities.
As we entered the community of Ruidoso Downs, we saw the racetrack that is well known for its All-American Futurity, the richest quarter horse race in the country.
We finally arrived at our destination, the Twin Spruce R.V. Park, one of our favorite places to stay when traveling in Big V. We checked in, unhooked the car from Big V, got a load of propane, and then found the way to our site. Within a short time, we had Big V opened up and the site set up for a few days of rest and recreation.
I really wasn't beating my head against the car...just bending over and putting a little extra "elbow grease" into unhooking the car.
We had learned earlier that part of our "adopted" Artesia/Hobbs family, the Francis clan, was in Ruidoso this weekend, and we were very disappointed that we were going to miss them, since they were headed home today. Barbara called Susie to talk about making arrangements to see Karen and Baby Eli later in the week and Susie said that she, Karen, and Eli were staying over tonight just so we could see them...what a pleasant and exciting surprise.
We made arrangements to meet the bunch at Casa Bonita, one of our favorite Mexican food places in Ruidoso, for dinner tonight. Barbara and I got there a little early to scout out the place, and even though there was a large crowd, we managed to score a prime table.
Susie, Karen, and the baby arrived shortly and we had our first opportunity to meet (and hold) Baby Eli.
It was a wonderful evening...good food and great fellowship with our extended family...life is good! Barbara and I even tried something different tonight...hot blue corn tortillas smeared with butter...yum-yum!!!
It was getting dark by the time we finished, so we quickly made arrangements for Susie, Karen, and Eli to come by Twin Spruce tomorrow morning to get some things we had for them. Then, Barbara and I did a quick bit of shopping at a local grocery store and returned to the park to settle in for a quiet evening with cool mountain air.
+++++++
Monday, June 23
We woke up to a cool, crisp mountain morning...quite a change from our normal life.
We promised ourselves yesterday that there wouldn't be any fun activities today until we had Big V cleaned up inside. With all the travel we'd been doing, our home had become more like a catch-all closet that a residence. Not only that, we hadn't done a serious dusting or cleaning for some time, but that changed this morning after breakfast.
It took until nearly noon, but when we were finished, the interior looked nearly showroom new and ready for habitation after being thoroughly dusted, wiped down, scrubbed, swept, vacuumed, and polished. Boy, were we ever feeling self-righteous!!!
When all (except laundry) was done, we had a little lunch, got cleaned up, and took a little drive up to one of our favorite scenic places on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, the Inn of the Mountain Gods. As always, (except during severe droughts) the scenery along the way was gorgeous, lifting our spirits after a busy morning of house cleaning.
As we turned of the main road to go to the inn, we spotted deer grazing alongside the road. No one was behind us, so we just stopped in the road and started snapping away with the camera.
The deer gave us only a cursory glance and continued grazing. When it looked like we were going to be joined by other vehicles, we pulled forward under the overpass and went on to the inn.
After an hour or so of wandering around, we drove back to downtown Ruidoso, taking the back road from the inn.
Not only did that route give us a scenic drive, it also took us past the local Sonic...just in time for the two-for-one drink special...Diet Coke with extra ice for Barbara and a Diet Dr. Pepper for me...a nice little afternoon break.
Our next stop was at Walmart to buy a few necessaries and to look for some things for Big V (like a replacement lens that fell victim to the hailstorm the other day).
Back at Twin Spruce, we gathered up what looked like a month's worth of laundry and trudged down to the laundry room to get caught up on that not-so-little chore.
After a coupe of hours, we had clean clothes in our clean (at least on the inside) motorhome, and we felt very comfortable about spending the rest of the evening doing nothing but enjoying life in this beautiful setting.
+++++++
Tuesday, June 24 - Ruidoso, NM
We were very excited the other day to hear that our "adopted" Terpening family from Artesia would be coming up to Ruidoso to visit today. Jerry and Nancy were keeping their grandsons, Daniel and Jonah, who are always up for an adventure.
We met Jerry, Nancy, Becky, and the boys at the Inn of the Mountain Gods around 11:00, visited a bit, and then joined the crowd at the buffet line. Once we got our food, we had a grand time eating and visiting, and eating and visiting, and...well, you got the picture, we're sure.
After some fun time at the inn, Barbara, Nancy, Becky, Daniel, and Jonah rode into town for an afternoon of excitement at the fun center. Meanwhile, Jerry and I stayed at the inn for another hour or so, giving me a chance to try out my photography skills with the beautiful scenery.
Jerry and I then drove to the fun center to join the others. We photographed Barbara and Nancy when we found them, about the same time that Barbara took a shot of us arriving.
It was obvious that everyone was having a grand time. While Jerry and I were up on the mountain, the others discovered the water cannon boats.
For dry land fun, they did the Grand Prix.
When Jerry and I arrived at the park, Becky and the boys were getting ready to go through the Maze.
We then tackled the challenging goofy golf course (making up the rules as we went along).
The golf course was challenging, and made even more so by the afternoon heat. By the time we had holed in the last ball, the adults were ready for a break, which we took inside, watching the boys do their final activity of the day.
And then it was time to say goodbye for the day.
The Terpening tribe drove back to Artesia while we went back to Twin Spruce (with a short stop at Sonic for an afternoon libation) for a few minutes of rest.
One of the reasons we wanted to spend some time in Ruidoso was to visit the J-Bar-J Country Church. We "discovered" the church during a stay at Twin Spruce in the summer of 2008, and have visited it whenever we were in the area. We have always enjoyed the fellowship of the folks who attend there, and were looking forward to another visit.
We learned that the pastor who started the church had recently taken his second retirement and returned to Texas to be closer to his family. The church is currently seeking a new pastor, but members remain faithful in their service to the community.
We also learned that one of our friends from the church, Harold Cole, had recently passed away. We got to visit with his wife, Barradine, who reminded us that they had once stopped in Artesia to visit us in Big V years ago when they were traveling. It was so very good to visit with Barradine again and renew our friendship.
It had been a long and very busy day, so we went back to Twin Spruce, packed away our outdoor furniture in anticipation of our trip to Artesia the next day, and then sat down and rested before enjoying our last night of sleeping in the mountains.
+++++++
Wednesday, June 25 - Ruidoso To Artesia
Today would be a travel day, but since it was a relatively short trip to Artesia, we took our time getting around and preparing Big V for some road time.
Susie, Karen, and Eli came by for a few minutes around 11:00, and then we started buttoning up Big V for the trip.
We have seen the landscapes from Ruidoso to Artesia many, many times over the years, but the sights seem to be different with each journey. While I drove, Barbara put her camera to work to capture the images as they were today.
When we got to Artesia, we stopped at Walmart to unhook the car (and learned a little lesson about disconnecting on a slant...the lesson is "don't"). While Barbara went on out to the Terpening spread, I refueled Big V and then drove out to the pecan farm to park on the slab that was our home for three years immediately following retirement. It didn't take long to get the water and electricity hooked up, and Big V leveled and opened up for our short stay.
Once we had everything ready, we cranked up the air conditioner and then drove the four miles back into town to do some shopping for items we might need on the next leg of our adventure.
We returned to Big V to find a not unusual sight, a dust cloud preceding a windstorm that was cranking up...quite a welcome home!
We later walked over to Jerry and Nancy's house to spend the evening. When we got there, we found Jerry, Daniel, and Jonah attempting to launch air and water propelled bottle rockets.
Later, we all went inside to spend the evening enjoying brisket and all the trimmings, a rousing game of Chicken Foot, and a general good time...so good to be back with our "adopted" family in our hometown.
+++++++
Thursday,June 26
To be on vacation, we certainly are finding ways to fill our days!
Nancy, Becky, and the boys invited us to go to Bottomless Lakes State Park today to hook up with Barbara Yehl and her children, Henry and Miriam. We said we'd love to do it, but first we had some things to take care of in Roswell. We left Artesia early enough to go to Happy Jacks store so we could scout out some new authors. That went well enough that we walked away with a large sack of paperbacks that should keep us occupied for a while.
Our next stop was to see my brother and his wife. I called to see if Jerry and Jane were in and then we went over to visit for a bit.
After getting caught up with Jerry and Jane, we started the drive to Bottomless Lakes. Barbara called her sister Carol to see if she would consider coming out to visit when she got off work. Carol said she'd think about it and see how she felt.
Bottomless Lakes State Park is an interesting geological feature of Southeastern New Mexico. Most of the lakes are not much more than small pools of water fed by underground springs and trapped by the rock formations.
When we arrived at Lea Lake, a main public recreation area, we found Nancy and her bunch and began the visit by having lunch. Barbara Yehl and her kiddos got there about the time we finished eating and then we all hit the lake for a little cold water time.
Carol did drive out from Roswell to join us, so we had quite a good sized party for swimming, floating, and splashing.
When we'd had our fill of sun and fun, we said our goodbyes to the group, said we'd meet the family back in Artesia, and drove back to town to go to the coin-op laundry and do some serious clothes washing.
Barbara called Lynette, one of her nieces, to let her know we were in town and would be available to meet them at Burger King for an afternoon treat. Lynette was still babysitting and didn't get to come; but Teresa got back to us later and said she, Darrell, Tonya, and Baby John would be able to meet us, so we joined them for a few minutes of family time.
We were invited to a Terpening family dinner at La Fonda this evening, so we drove into downtown Artesia to meet up with the bunch for a delicious Mexican dinner. While we were waiting for the others to arrive, we grabbed the camera and had some photo phun with The Vaquero, one of several sculptures placed strategically throughout the downtown area.
As always, the meal was wonderful and we had a great time visiting with Jerry, Nancy, Becky, Daniel, and Jonah.
On the way back to Big V, we noticed the wind lofting the American Flag at Bulldog Stadium. Barbara said we needed to get a picture of it, so I whipped the car around, found just the right place to stand, and got this shot of the flag and stadium as sunset neared.
We approached the turnoff to the Terpening property just as the sun was setting. This time it was Barbara's turn to grab the camera and start shooting.
And then we were back on the property. Since I had the camera in my hand by then, I got this photo of Big V, looking much like she did when we lived there before.
Everyone in the family was totally wrung out after a busy, busy day, so we all went to our separate places and collapsed for the night.
+++++++
Friday, June 27 - Artesia, NM To Lamesa, Texas
Our New Mexico time in Big V ended today and it was time to start a new adventure.
We took it easy for a couple of hours this morning and then started going through the routine for packing Big V for highway time.
Nancy, Becky, Daniel, and Jonah came over to send us off and we put the boys to work helping to close up the motorhome and hook the car to it.
We finally got away around 11:00 and had an uneventful trip through the oil patch to Hobbs. Big V was badly in need of a washing, so we started looking for a place with a large enough wash bay to accommodate us, but didn't find anything in Hobbs, Seminole, or Lamesa that we could use.
Barbara did, however, get this flag photo as we were passing through Hobbs. Set against the blue New Mexico sky, it was a beautiful sight!
We got to Lamesa around 4:30 Texas time, gassed up Big V, and then drove to La Verdera R.V. Park, a relatively new park. We got set up for the night, cranked the air conditioning as far as it would go, and settled down for the evening. If there was any excitement in Lamesa, it never found us.
"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind." - Seneca (4 BC - AD 65), Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist
Spending a very warm night in Lamesa, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
