Category: Along the Great Divide

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

A slightly late start, a firecracker send-off  (a practice adopted from the Chinese, who mark significant passages through life in this way)…..

and our first stop is Eastland, TX, about 20 miles south of Breckenridge.

Although still warm, it’s much drier in Eastland than in East Texas, making for a comfortable stroll through  this pleasant town.  The Eastland Historic Hotel was a boarding house in the early days of the 20th century; restored 20+ years ago by transplants from Buffalo, NY!  

It’s right off the main square, down from the courthouse.

The courthouse is the site of a tribute to the local celebrity, Ol’ Rip.  

A clever town father consigned a living horned toad to the cornerstone of the old courthouse in 1897 (along with other memorabilia).  To everyone’s shock and surprise (no less the toad’s!), he re-animated when the cornerstone was opened 31 years later, in 1928.  Sadly, life out of the cornerstone was the undoing of Ol’ Rip, who died of pneumonia only a year later.    

Eastland is also an outdoor museum, with reproductions of almost 40 paintings displayed on walls and fences throughout the town.  What a great way to stimulate interest in traditional culture, while showcasing the skill of local artists!

Road fare will likely take its toll on our relatively pampered tummies.  We simply could not resist the lure of the best onion rings in Anson, TX…. Which came with fried catfish, fried hushpuppies, gloppy mayonnaise-y cole slaw and an appetizer of beans with large chunks of nitrite-laden hot dogs. 

“Delicious,” says Henry. 

West across the New Mexico border is Hobbs, a bleak, sun-baked and windy town where Robbie’s family lived  for a short time 55 years ago.  With an address clue from brother Mike, we found the house – now of course worn out and much diminished, but still standing!  

Continuing across a landscape so different from the piney woods… we knew our road trip was well and truly under way.  Flat, dry and desolate – but rich in resources that provide energy – wind and solar the relative newcomers, but also densely dotted with pump jacks sucking up dribbles of oil as they have for many decades….  a pump on every 5 to 10 acres for as far as the eye can see.  

This area’s hey-day followed World War II…. Oil and gas reserves exploited for the post-war boom; its extraordinary isolation and atmosphere brought pre-war missile testing and later scientists looking skyward… as at the Sunspot solar observatory….

and the Very Large Array Radio Astronomy Observatory.   

Awareness of our perceived Cold War vulnerability is marked by such structures as the Abo Elementary School and Fallout Shelter in Artesia, NM. 

The entire school was built underground, its playground a concrete slab that served as the roof…. 

Built in 1962, it also incorporates a facility for over 2,000 human souls to wait out a nuclear attack (including storage for supplies)!  It was quite a different time, although one we Baby Boomers remember well.

Every landscape, no matter how severe, reveals its beauty to those who look…….

Next we will ascend to the mountains… and that first draught of really cool weather we crave.

Cloudcroft and the Lincoln National Forest are a refreshing contrast to the dry plains.  After sharing an ice cream sundae, we found a lovely area to camp..

and explored the coolness of the forest and dappled meadows on the  4-wheeler (whose tires needed adjustment for the high altitude).

Fully appreciating flora and nature’s phenomena requires looking closely.  A stick….

…shows the story of the bark beetle, as she plows furrows in the cambian layer of a tree underneath the bark in which to lay her eggs…. fantastic tracings that can ultimately kill her host.

A tree’s wound leaks sap…..

…and you can see the stuff from which precious amber comes.

A puff ball….

…is an intricate, lovely, but also highly-efficient way to spread seed at precisely the right time.

A few more beauty shots….. just because they are.

It got downright cold at night – mid-40s (degrees Fahrenheit)!  But warmed into the mid-70s during the day.  Just right!

What a nice state New Mexico is….. you can drive a hundred miles and be in an all-new environment. Maybe that’s why they call it “The Land of Enchantment”!

Settling in for the evening at our camp in the forest, we heard an alert  about a coming cold front, expected to bring heavy rains and high winds.  Not wanting to be caught attempting a descent from the mountains with our high-profile rig in such a storm, we pulled up stakes and retreated to an inn in Alamogordo.

Parenthetically, this area is a pistachio-growing region.  The delicious and nutritious nut was first planted here with sources brought from Lebanon in the 1970s.  So glad they tried it!  And what beautiful colors…..

This diversion allowed for a bit of reflection.  A fellow named Roy and his partner provided us with some kind suggestions about our stay in Lincoln Forest.  Learning that our current trip would take us into Canada, they revealed that their own bucket list included an adventure beyond the Arctic Circle along the relatively new Dempster Highway to the Arctic Ocean…….

Whaaaaat?  A drive through British Colombia, the Yukon and the Northern Territories all the way to the northern coast of this continent?  Hmm….. we are already outfitted for a long journey…… heading in that general direction…… cool climate is always an attraction.  

The idea had an air of inevitability about it.

So here we go.  Will attempt this run over the weeks to come…. almost 4,000 miles one way.  Should be able to dally a bit, reach this goal and still be in Winnipeg by July 31!

The blog name is changing to “Along the Great Divide”, as our route will roughly track and take us over the Continental Divide a number of times.  (If you’ve never noticed, the Continental Divide cuts across North America and is plotted on most maps….. and if you’ve never asked or wondered, it is a topographic feature whereby virtually all of the surface and rain water to the west of the line ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean; water to the east of the line drains into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico.  Don’t ask me what you are supposed to do with this information……)

Stay tuned for more on our new adventure.

We found that Henry’s daughter Ivy had business in Farmington, NM as we made this decision to turn decisively north.  (She is the audit chief for a coal company; they were kicking off an audit at a nearby mining facility.)  So lucky timing and routing enabled us to meet up with her there for dinner and a visit.

Hoping to find a good spot to fly the powered parachute at one of our next stops in Colorado……

A last little memento from New Mexico to accompany us on the journey forward…..

Henry heard of a private airstrip near Delta, Colorado.  It was hard to find, and when we did, the entry to the premises looked rather forbidding…..

Always undaunted, Henry rapped on the door and we were welcomed with open arms by Richard and Becky (and their dog Rebar), who had recently purchased the property.  Their 120-acre place is atop a bluff overlooking a valley, with snow-capped mountains in the distance.  It features two rather overgrown airstrips,  as well as a home with fantastic views and several outbuildings containing an extraordinary collection of….. all kinds of stuff!  Henry found some kindred spirits….

Becky and Richard were kind enough to let us set up camp on their property, alongside the abandoned caretaker’s trailer, which (funny coincidence) contained some paneling that was exactly like some Henry used to make our closet doors back home!

Although a magnificent location, we did not take advantage of their airstrip to fly, as we were a bit fearful of what the sticker bushes might do to Henry’s recently-refreshed parachute wing.  We earned a little bit of our keep… Henry buried the remains of a critter that had expired not far from our camping spot….. and Becky got a handmade potholder!

We are so lucky to meet such interesting and friendly folks on our travels.  We said farewell, however, to move on to the next potential flying site.

A few shots from our transit through Colorado….

A late foray into Wyoming to an intriguing spot near Rock Springs…..the Green River Intergalactic Spaceport.  Not making this up…. here it is on the map.

And with an on-coming storm, we felt as if we were going to have a close encounter with a gigantic space ship/cloud…

What a majestic and isolated site! We took a few photos and set up the trailer for the night just before the storm hit.

Clear weather in the morning finally gave Henry the chance to fly!  (On his own this time…. checking out the refurbished gear and practicing his skills.)  A little bumpy, but worth it…

Next post we move into idyllic Idaho.

Idaho is a great state for many things….

 … one of which is recreational flying!  We usually look for small airstrips in remote communities for several reasons.  

First, it is preferable (if not mandatory) to have little to no wind when flying a powered parachute such as Henry’s.  Wind is usually at its lowest speed at daybreak and sunset, so it’s best to spend the night close to the field.

Secondly, airstrips that are regulated by the FAA are open to the flying public….meaning that we can access even gated airstrips with no attendant at any time of the day or night, and can park the trailer and spend the night on the property.  We are far away from the crowds AND often have a beautiful setting (such as Green River shown in the last post).

Finally, the fraternity of recreational flyers (and it is mostly male) is a very friendly and interesting group.   We don’t usually encounter others, but when we do they are almost always an engaging, friendly and interesting bunch of people.

Idaho seems to have a generous number of accommodating airstrips.  Here are three where we stayed over the last week.

Arco did not have such a beautiful setting…… but interesting landscape.  This was Robbie’s first flight of the trip.

Next was Donnelly, just north of Cascade.

A beautiful, deserted turf airstrip on land donated by a woman who immigrated to the US from Poland at the turn of the century, and became a flying enthusiast.

Loaner bicycles were available on the strip for people flying in for a visit to the area!

Such a lush place, full of wildlife (we saw lots of deer, including a group swimming across the river) …. popular with all kinds of sporting types.

Then on to Craigmont (previously known as a railroad town called Vollmer).

A few more photos from across Idaho…

Alas, adversity comes to us all – especially on long-haul road trips.  A pipe used to pump water to the trailer sink and shower blew out, requiring replacement and a day or two of drying out the contents of Henry’s locker.

And we spent the better part of a day at a Ram dealership service department in Lewiston, ID, getting some electronic warnings taken care of…

While there, we picked up still another new friend to keep us company on our way to the Arctic Ocean.

Next we go off the grid again for several days at the Dworshack Reservoir in Idaho for some canoeing and fishing!

Once the truck was successfully rehabilitated, we spent a few days (still in Idaho) at a very remote campground Henry stumbled across several years ago and really enjoyed……

We got to christen his new canoe…..

… take Flower (the flamingo) out for her first camping trip…

and enjoy a bit of damp weather.

This campsite is frequented almost exclusively by locals – many of them active or retired foresters or loggers.  Lots of fun visiting with them.  Bill taught Henry a new technique for cleaning fish.

Jim shared our campfire (and some of his own retirement dreams) during the worst of the rain….

Indie just wanted us to throw the stick…. throw the stick…. throw the stick….

Did we say Grandad campground was remote?  It took over 3 hours to cover the 30 miles each way from civilization….

On the way, we passed logging operations….

and saw some magnificent trees and flora…

including a quite striking toad and a pretty flower being invaded by a spit bug.

Treated ourselves to ice cream at the end!

One more stop and then off to Canada!

Still another resolve – a moratorium on the mundane chain motels that have multiplied in the past decades.  Farewell Fairfield Inn; sayonara Super 8; buh-bye Best Western; later La Quinta; toodle-oo Travelodge!  

Hello Mom and Pop!  What a joy to stay in locally-owned inns. No one pressures you to join the loyalty rewards program when you check in; toddlers are not necessarily flinging Fruit Loops all over the floor as you glop your own tasteless breakfast onto a styrofoam plate; and more often than not, the proprietor takes a personal interest in your satisfaction.  

When we need WiFi or crave a long hot shower, we will stay at a B&B or roadside motel rather than the trailer.  Have found great places (with the assistance of Trip Advisor), and they have been amazingly clean and comfortable….. and often had unusual or interesting features.  In Springerville, AZ, Reed’s Lodge had an art gallery featuring local talent.  At the Konkolville Motel (Idaho), the original owner started a cook-your-own steak dinner tradition for his guests that continues today; there is actually a plaque in his memory at the entrance.

The ambiance at the Creston Valley Motel (British Colombia) was charming and the owners so helpful and friendly.

In Boston Bar (BC), the Canyon Alpine Motel is quaint, the grounds maintained lovingly.

In larger towns, it’s almost impossible to avoid the big chains, but in isolated communities there are wonderful opportunities to experience something different.

Back to the travelogue, after a quick visit to my cousin John and his wife Joann in Sandpoint, ID….

We are finally in Canada!  O Canada…. oh boy!

We crept along the southern border of British Colombia, spending a hopeful night at an airstrip in Osoyoos….

Unfortunately, the wind prevented flying there.  But we did get to visit the amazing Osoyoos Desert Railroad display, the most expansive and detailed model train exhibit ever…..  a couple of the scenes below.  The creators of this lilliputian world are immigrants to Canada who installed it in an industrial park on the outskirts of town among fruit orchards and vineyards.  To give a sense of scale, the human figures here are less than an inch tall….

One of the scenes even includes a teeny tiny bordello (complete with arresting cops)!

Brilliant!

From here, we press northward through BC toward the Yukon.  Phone coverage is already sketchy; internet service may be scarce; we will try to update as we can.

Time to devote a post to the wildlife we have encountered on the way!

Most animals are shy and hard to spot….. unlike in the early days of the First Nation people, when humans were sometimes the prey.

Most memorable encounter was with beaver at Boya Lake in BC, with impossibly clear water.

We were able to follow one along as he swam beneath the surface!

Moose are especially elusive, although we spotted several as we flew overhead, quietly browsing in marshy wetlands…… and found this giant print on the bank of the lake.

Like most deer, those racks on their heads are shed and re-grown every year.  Truly amazing!

We have seen white-tail and mule deer, and maybe a dozen black bears (usually ambling through a clearing on the side of the road), and a lone wolf in Idaho as we flew overhead.  Pronghorn in the American west, generally thought of as antelope, but their closest living relative is actually the  giraffe!  A few elk – this was the cutest…. Elkon John.

Bald eagles have been easy to spot, but not so easy to photograph.  Also quail, osprey, Canadian geese….. and this tiny pipit fledgling (playing possum) who had been hopping around our campground and was later reunited with his worried mom.

At the lake in BC, we were lucky enough to encounter a pair of loons and their babies, one of whom created a commotion when he was temporarily misplaced.

The wail of a loon is haunting on a quiet evening by the lake…. and they are so distinctive, with their stark black-and-white patterns!  The Canadians like them so much that they are imprinted on the dollar coin, which is commonly called a loonie.

Please note that Canada has no paper dollar bills, and has done away with pennies!  Still another thing to admire about this country!

In addition to the fish Henry caught in Idaho, he was successful in landing several good-sized pike….. rather scary with their dead shark-like eyes and razor-sharp teeth!

One more category of creature that is common to the landscape here…. the flying biting insect.  Mostly mosquitoes and deer flies so far, but soon to be joined by the dreaded black fly, whose bite can leave a welt the size of a golf ball!  Okay, maybe the size of a large cherry.  In any event, we are more or less prepared.

This has been our first try at adding video clips to the blog.  Hope they work out!