Note: I found this draft post from a while back. I guess I forgot to press the publish button. I think I may also have forgotten to finish it.
A beautiful, twisty road leads to Carlsbad Caverns.
We found a dispersed camp site just 30 minutes from the park gate. It was a rough and rocky road to get there. Xena surveils the environment, keeping a steady watch.
The Caverns are 750 feet below the surface. Visitors can either hike down a switchback trail or take an elevator (the elevator is required for all on the return trip). The photos can’t convey the beauty and enormity of the caverns. You have to make the trip and see for yourself.
Archeologists from the University of Southern New Mexico have recently unearthed a well-preserved village near the the pueblo of Las Cruces. Dubbed “Mesilla” (pronounced meh SEE ya), this village displays the physical village arrangement typical of the first band of Spanish thieves. They established a sense of place by creating a town square called an “alameda,” after an island in San Francisco Bay.
Building papist churches was a high priority among the gang of Spanish thieves. Look closely and you will see the graven image of an unwed mother in front of the edifice. The motif of the Unwed Mother, along with other imaginary personages, was prominent among these thieves.This is an early example of well-executed graffiti, typical of the early days of imperial conquest. Archeologists have determined that this sample is literally translated as “Window of Mesilla,” but no convincing explanation of its meaning to its contemporaries is proffered. It is worth noting that the juxtaposition of the varied type faces is deprecated in modern graffiti.This signage indicates the location of a restaurant, which provides sustenance to locals and visitors alike. They accept US currency and some credit cards as forms of payment. The name is a mystery. “La Posta” means female letter carrier or female mail man. Despite the many hypotheses seeking to explain why anyone would name a restaurant after a category of postal worker, none have proven satisfactory.A close reading of the historical record indicates that a misunderstood and culturally downtrodden person called “Billy the Kid” was accused of killing a few people. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang in this building. One wonders if Mr the Kid saw the irony of being tried in a building named for him! Legend says the judge declared him guilty and sentenced him to hang until “dead Dead DEAD!” To which Mr the Kid is said to have replied, “I’ll see you in hell Hell HELL.” At which point he ran away, to the consternation of the authorities. He escaped the noose, only to be shot and killed a few days later.This is a gratuitous image of a black cat, Xena, the Warrior Princess; neither the image nor the cat was uncovered during the excavation of Mesilla.
I had to get a new military ID card, and White Sands Missile Range is the closest installation, so off I went. It’s a dry, dusty and very flat place with widely spaced buildings, most of which are surrounded by tall fences and razor wire. Apparently, the Army has difficulty keeping its soldiers where they belong. I wanted to take pictures of these brutalist buildings, but they threatened to shoot me if I did. The post bills itself as the “Birthplace of America’s Space Program.” I suppose it is, courtesy of Nazi Werner von Braun.
This is an example of an early American modification of the Nazi V-2 missile. They used them, unsuccessfully, to frighten Londoners into becoming Germans. Although the museum is covid closed, the missile park is open. They have dozens of missiles on display, some as small as your arm.
I’m spending a few days at Aguirre Springs Campground on the eastern slope of the Organ Mountains. The mountain peaks form a backdrop to the west and, to the east, the Tularosa Basin houses the missile range, White Sands National Monument and Holloman AFB. I avoid campgrounds when I can, but I admit that this one is pretty nice. The campsites are spread far enough away I can almost imagine that I’m alone. Xena loves climbing the trees and exploring the rock piles.
I think the designers of this campground and its environs were amateurs. The sculpting of the mountain peaks seem a little overwrought to me, with the slick rock faces and pointy peaks. Just doesn’t mimic nature very well. Moreover, the landscaping has no coherent design schema that I could discern. Just plants stuck in the ground willy-nilly Finally, the nature soundscape is far too loud (not to mention repetitive); they need to turn the bird sounds down.The Organ Mountains, standing tall to keep Las Crucians out of the Tularosa Basin.The plain containing White Sands Missile Range and White Sands (gypsum) National Monument.
Xena, the Warrior Princess, is an excellent tree climber. She was right on the heels of a Texas squirrel in San Antonio. Until she ran out of string.
A programming note: I’ll be back in Oakland the first week of April.
On the recommendation of friends, I examined the tiny village of Marfa, Texas. This plucky place houses artists specializing in psychedelics and makers of soap. It is a great place, and, if you’re ever miles from nowhere, stop in.
The real gem is a place to stay, but I don’t have a word for it, They call themselves El Cosmico. You can camp there in your own tent, sleep in your vehicle (like I did), or rent a yurt or tipi or vintage travel trailer. They have wood-fired hot tubs! And an interesting gift shop with Wi-Fi. I met a Canadian there who had a husky named Sitka. Sitka and Zena, the Warrior Princess cat, had a great time staring at each other.
If that weren’t enough, there is an architectural treasure known as the Hotel Paisano. Beautiful 1930s architecture, built around a central courtyard with a fountain, artisanal details everywhere. It was designed by the nearly-great architect Henry Trost. Go and stay for a long weekend. It won’t quite be worth the trip, but you’ll have a fine story to tell upon your return to civilization.
The Hotel Paisano. James Dean stayed here, along with whats-her-face and the other guy, for the filming of Giant. I filched the pic from their web site.
El Cosmico has vintage travel trailers with alluring eyes. I’m told the eyes keep watch while you sleep and ward off evil.
If you wish, you can stay in a tipi and reflect on the genocide that has resulted in our current society. They didn’t have to worry about climate change, because they didn’t destroy their environment for the profit of a few. LOL, what a bunch of tree hugging weirdos.
For some reason, Marfonians built an elaborate edifice to house their civil servants. Very pretty and imposing. By design.
I’ve discovered there is a thing called “Buc-Ee’s.” They are established on the roadside of major thoroughfares are serve the needs of the traveling public. Their mascot is a cast bronze beaver for some reason, as you can see below.
This beaver is suitably sized for selfie taking. Imagine the delight of being hugged by a bronze beaver!
These retail outlets are an amazing combination of a Target, deli, truck stop and grocery store.
A dizzying array of dry goods for sale at Buc-Ee’s.
A deli to suit all tastes, especially those inclined to beef brisket.
In case you’ve forgotten your smoker/grill or fire pit, you can pick one up at Buc-Ee’s.
But-Ee’s as the world’s largest array of ice machines ever assembled. Let no drink go uncooled!
In addition to ice machines, Buc-Ee’s is second to none in fuel pumps. This particular one can fuel 100 vehicle simultaneously. Many a European army would love to have logistics like this!
They claim to treat employees well. 401k matching and 3 weeks of vacation a year!
Made the long and tedious drive to Key West. If I were you, I’d skip the drive and fly or boat to the cute beach town.
We made it! As south as you can get in CONUS.
What a treasure we have in Everglades National Park! Spent the night in a very nice campground deep in the swamp. Had to make an emergency run to the camp store for bug spray—I stepped out of the van for one minute and was assaulted by clouds of bitey things. The bug spray worked like a charm, except for some particularly hungry biting flies. Its a good thing they stayed in an area far from the camp site.
Traversing this pass was the high point of my visit.
Beautiful and peaceful, isn’t it? As long as you stay in the car. This is where the unstoppable biting flies dwell.
North of the Everglades, I found a delightful Gulf Coast town: Venice. It was Saturday, so a farmer’s market had taken over the broad street leading to the beach. Clearly a moneyed town; there are many mansions lining the waterfront. The town was designed by the famous urban planner John Nolan and is an excellent example of the Garden City design movement of the 1920s and 30s.
This enormous banyan tree in Venice reminded me of the trees in Hawaii. Did you know they are a ficus?
These Floridians are a type of carnivorous iguana. They migrated here from the Galapagos, an unintended consequence of the Panama Canal. Many keep them as pets and train them to perform light housekeeping duties.
From the coast, I drove up through central Florida. It is very difficult to drive from the gulf coast to Gainesville without using I-75, but I mostly managed it. They raise a lot of cattle there, black, brown and dingy white ones that need laundering. I was surprised that Florida permitted the mixing of cow colors like that. The cows have a nice life, it seems, grazing in the sun or lounging under enormous oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.
Traffic and road conditions prevented me from getting a picture of cows, so you’ll have to use your imagination.
This BBQ joint looked sketchy enough to be legit, so I dined therein.
Ribs! Very nice…and enough for two meals!
Red beans and rice, along with “sausage” that looked a lot like hot dog. Still tasty, though.
Xena, the Warrior Princess, is having a great time. Here, she lounges in the dirt following an unsuccessful lizard hunt.
I have been savagely misled. Visited Cocoa Beach; it is ordinary sand! Doesn’t faintly resemble cocoa and makes a lousy hot beverage. Have not been so disappointed since visiting the Gold Coast. Geographers are a dishonest lot.
Cocoa Beach disappoints; just ordinary sand.
Otherwise, in all fairness, I must report that Florida is an awful place. It’s no wonder that the inhabitants thereof are so surly; I would be, too, if I were condemned to a life there. Did you know that it is possible to drive for 15, maybe 20 miles, down a road and see nothing but strip malls? I had no idea a place needed so many fast food chains, tattoo parlors, and knick-knack shops. There seems to be no end of Floridian appetites for such merchantilism. As an urban designer, I have to admit that it leaves me…depressed.
On the other hand, Florida has achieved an epic level of discourtesy and rudeness. I’m not talking about the customary insolence of what passes for wait staff in these parts. I hope you have never had to endure what I about to describe; the more sensitive may wish to resume watching cat videos. Entities, masquerading as people, pull into a gas station, occupy a pump, wander about the grounds, complete their Christmas shopping at the truck stop store, feast on government approved food products from the roller apparatus, take a nap, squabble with their spouse, all with complete indifference to the queue of people waiting to fill their tanks. An extraordinary display of callous disregard for others. As you might imagine, I’ve patronized many gas stations on my journey; these folk live exclusively in Florida.
I’m happy to report there is one redeeming quality to this (thankfully) vanishing part of America: song birds. The place is full of them, singing the songs of their people all day long. Bright red cardinals, pretty bluebirds flashing their colors, drab little brown birds…all of them singing their hearts out. Delightful.
Maybe we can blame it on the pandemic, but I’ve discovered the Southern cooking ain’t what it used to be. I did manage to find some good catfish, fried of course, in Natchez, Mississippi, right on the banks of the river. Next door is the club in which Jerry Lee Lewis got his start.
Magnolia Grill in Natchez. Good catfish.
Fried green tomatoes. Looks great! Not so good, actually. Sliced too thick…I can make better ones myself.
I made a quick pass through the Vicksburg battlefield. You could spend days tracing the movement of troops through the area, but I’ll save you the trouble: the Americans won. An interesting fact I learned while there…during the American occupation of Vicksburg, they stationed what they then called “colored troops,” armed to the teeth, to maintain law and order. Poetic justice is served!
A slaver “general” exhorting his troops to make the world safe for human trafficking. His white supremacy was no match for American ammo; he was cut down shortly after he posed for this statue.
Visited the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola Naval Air Station. Huge building crammed full of planes. Nice collection of early airplanes from the WWI era. I was glad to see they had a large and informative exhibit about airships and blimps.
The Navy learned that airplanes fly better without anchors, so they placed all of them in museums.
This old trainer is not in actual flight. Look closely and you’ll see that it is chained to the ceiling.
While traveling through the waterlogged section of the country, I’ve learned that boat launch ramps are often good places to camp overnight.
Blackwater River in Florida.
Xena, the Warrior Princess, loved camping here. She is an expert at digging holes in the soft sand. She digs until she find moist, cool sand, then lays in it. Even when it is already chilly.
A stand of pines along the banks of Blackwater River.
A Note to the Reader: After writing and proofreading this entry, I found that it is mostly a letter to myself. I will find no offense if you pass it by for more interesting matter.
Did you know the “alma mater” can be translated as “nourishing mother?” I was told it could be and so chose to believe it. Since I was in the neighborhood, I visited my alma mater, Louisiana Tech. Interesting how, nearly 40 years later, so much remains the same and so much has changed.
See the flagpole at the top of the driveway? Air Force cadets are responsible for hoisting the flag every weekday and retiring the flag at the end of the day, accompanied by the appropriate music. It has always been thus at Louisiana Tech and remains so to this day.
People don’t often think of Louisiana as cold and I suppose it isn’t, really. But when I was up at 0630 on a blustery 30-degree day in a thin blue uniform, I thought it was really cold. The flag detail marched across the quadrangle early each morning from the white tower in the background, the freshman and sophomores carrying and escorting the flag, with a cadet officer, a junior or senior, marching along to supervise. In the afternoon, the reverse would occur. I don’t remember a single instance when this failed to occur.
The University installed a walkway with every graduate’s name inscribed in a brick, so current students can tread on their predecessors. I found both of my bricks (BS ‘83, MS ‘84).
Many of the buildings have not changed in the nearly 40 years since I left.
This tiled and oh so very institutional hallway is the same as when I attended electrical engineering classes here. Except I think the fire extinguisher sign is new. The precise alignment of the tiles are symbolic of the no-nonsense, get-it-right engineering ethos of Louisiana Tech.
This room, Machinery I, housed a PDP-8…or maybe it was a PDP-11. I would come here and play 29 Matches (a silly computer game) and fiddle with it.
I had a great chat with the Professor of Aerospace Studies (that’s the title of the guy in charge of ROTC). It turns out that he recently transferred to Space Force. We had an interesting conversation (I thought, anyway), about the impact of the creation of this new service and the ripple effects from that decision. He was very gracious with his time and showed me the framed displays for each year of Air Force graduates as far back as they could go. I reviewed my year; it was a jolt to see names I had long ago forgotten.
Passed through easternmost Texas, which is covered with petrochemical plants, mile after mile. The Cajuns of Louisiana are fond of building structures on stilts! They do this so they can sleep unmolested by the gators and snakes that live in this area.
A Louisiana papist church built on stilts to get closer to heaven.
Louisiana higher education: a school on stilts.
On Avery Island, Louisianians make a type of flavored vinegar called “Tabasco Sauce.” I thought it interesting from a geological perspective, as it is built on a salt dome, from which they mine the salt used in the manufacture of the sauce.
When you need a lot of Tabasco, order a truckload.
The marketing approaches used throughout the history of the company is fascinating…check out these examples.
Cottage cheese & Tabasco! A culinary achievement, but just for men.
Torrid novel sells sauce.
Lob hot sauce at the enemy! That’ll teach ‘em.
Spent the night on top of the levee holding back the Mississippi River. A local old man farmer came by in a pickup to check me out and photograph my license plate. He said that was in case anything came up missing. I laughed at told him I didn’t have room for all my own stuff and certainly had no room for any of his! We conversed further, he gave his permission for me to stay the night and advised me to take care of myself, because some bad people wander these levees. I did not volunteer the info that I’m from Oakland. I was glad to have some sort of local connection, having gone to college at Louisiana Tech.
