11 a.m…Typing as we drive because I can type and look at the scenery
at the same time. Might have to correct
a few mistakes but that’s the price to pay for this particular kind of
multi-tasking. And I don’t have to worry about the status of my computer
battery because the truck has a 110V outlet built into the dashboard. In the
past I’ve used my phone as a mobile hotspot to get my computer online which
turns the front passenger seat into what I call the MCC (Mobile Command
Center). The downside of that was
running the computer battery down. Not an issue anymore. I am plugged in and ready to rock n roll. 👍
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In the truck and on the road by 8:30 a.m.…
heading to Tucumari, NM, via US 54. Our
route beyond Tucumcari is undecided at this point but we’ve got a about 3 hours
to think about the options.
Stopped for fuel at the northern end of
Carrizozo and that’s as far as we were allowed to go on US 54. Road was closed due to a bad traffic accident
somewhere between Carrizozo and Vaughn, and all traffic wanting to travel 54
had to find an alternate route to their destination. I had already looked at an
alternate route to Tucumcari but had decided against it because it was more
than an hour longer than the normal route of taking 54 to Santa Rosa then
heading east on I-40 to Tucumcari. I’m all about taking different routes but
not to the extent of adding that much time to an already long trip. Well, hello! that’s the route we had to take
anyway. Took US 380 through the
foothills of the Sacramento Mountains to US 70…and we encountered a little town
named Picacho along 70. Not much to it
but there was a bona fide US Post Office building in good condition, so that
gives it some status. Haven’t ever seen
a Picacho, AZ, post office in any condition. Anyway, it should eventually bring us into
Tucumcari and that’s the goal.
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On US 380 we passed through a town called
Capitan which really laid claim to the Smokey Bear name. Museum, gift shop, visitor center, a
boulevard an historical park and more all had Smokey Bear in the name. Made us
wonder what connection Capitan had to a cartoon bear used for fire prevention
ads. I googled it and found that Capitan was the birthplace and is now the
resting place of Smokey. Here are some
excerpts from an article that details how that happened:
One spring day in 1950, in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, an
operator in one of the fire towers spotted smoke and called the location in to
the nearest ranger station.
As the crew battled to contain the blaze, they received a report of a
lone bear cub seen wandering near the fire line. They hoped
that the mother bear would return for him. The cub took refuge in a
tree that became completely charred, escaping with his life but also badly
burned paws and hind legs. The crew removed the cub from the tree, and a
rancher among the crew agreed to take him home. A New Mexico Department of Game
and Fish ranger heard about the cub when he returned to the fire camp. He drove
to the rancher’s home to help get the cub on a plane to Santa Fe, where his
burns were treated and bandaged.
News about the little bear spread swiftly throughout New Mexico. The
state game warden wrote to the chief of the Forest Service, offering to present
the cub to the agency as long as the cub would be dedicated to a conservation
and wildfire prevention publicity program. The cub was soon on his way to the
National Zoo in Washington, D.C., becoming the living symbol of Smokey Bear. He
remained at the zoo until his death in 1976, when he was returned to his home
to be buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico, where
he continues to be a wildfire prevention legend.
In 1952,
Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins wrote the popular anthem that would launch a
continuous debate about Smokey’s name. To maintain the rhythm of the song, they
added “the” between “Smokey” and “Bear.” Due to the song’s popularity, Smokey
Bear has been called “Smokey the Bear” by many adoring fans, but, in actuality,
his name never changed. He’s still Smokey Bear.
I thought it was strange that every
reference in the town of Capitan was to ‘Smokey Bear’…I wondered what happened
to his “middle name”. Although I can’t
recall ever hearing the song, this article answered my question. 😎
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I’m enjoying the cross-country drive home
but occasionally my mind skips ahead to the workload that awaits me when I get
home. I’ve been getting work related messages from people since I left in
February and I’ve told everyone of them that I wouldn’t be home until the first
week of April and that if that time frame didn’t work than they would need to
find someone else to do their alterations.
Well, it’s the first week of April, I’m not home yet, and the calls and
texts from people who decided to wait for me to return have started. I keep
telling myself not to think about what might have to be done next week, that my
focus should be on picking the route and enjoying the ride. It’s a personal
application of Matthew 6:34
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Evening Update: The detour we had
to take to Tucumcari was scenic…once we turned off US 70 the roads were
definitely less travelled, a bit narrow with no shoulder but in decent shape. And
while it added time to our drive, we did see more of the countryside including
a slight dust storm and some pronghorn.
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Ate lunch at the Pow Wow Restaurant and
Lizard Lounge, home of the painted walls, in Tucumcari. Today we sat with Mr.
and Mrs. Wellborn, who were raising a glass in honor of something so I raisedmy glass with them.
It took
some digging online but finally found their connection to Tucumcari: Donald Wellborn
was a pharmacist and owner of Wellborn Pharmacy from 1984 to 2008. He died
March 5, 2018, at the age of 79; a celebration of his life was held later that
month at the Pow Wow Restaurant. He was survived by his wife, Reverend Gay
Scruggs Wellborn, to whom he’d been married for 57 years, as well as three sons
and their wives, grandchildren, siblings, etc. From what I could or couldn’t find online,
Mrs. Wellborn is still alive. Makes me wonder what she thinks of the painting
of her and Don on the wall of the Pow Wow Restaurant.
And we found out that fried alligator tastes like chicken...if you use enough sauce.
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Instead of heading across the panhandles of
Texas and Oklahoma, we’re heading up to Kansas via US 54, out of Tucumcari.
Every single time we’ve driven I-40 across those two states we’ve encountered
unbelievable wind sweeping across nothing but flat as far as the eye can see. Welcome
to the Great Plains region! Anyway, I thought to avoid that kind of sustained
wind so we’re basically retracing the route we took out here. That goes against
my tendency to change up the route, but Mom gets to see some more of the
country this way. Besides everybody should see the feed lots of Dalhart, TX, at
least once in their lifetime. P.S. I’m hoping the wind in Kansas has settled
down some since February.
Must admit that the recent severe, tornado
causing weather that ripped through the mid-section of the country and the
forecasted upcoming weather has been on my mind. But no matter which route we
take back to the Mitten, we have to travel through that part of the country.
The alternative is to stay put but that’s no guarantee that bad weather won’t
find us, either, so the best course of action is to just pick a route and pray
for safety.
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Texas tidbits:
*It was tumbleweed mania from
the border of Texas to Dalhart.
*As I had hoped, Mom was
suitably impressed with the size of the Dalhart cattle feedlots. J
*Jumped ahead another hour
when we entered Texas.
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Reservations already made for a motel in
Pratt, KS, which will make it a 600+ mile day.
The truck is behaving splendidly…only had a slight trailer wiring glitch
which was remedied with a little electrical tape.
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40 Days of Lent opportunity: Pray for Holy week to impact your life. Done! Update on yesterday’s opportunity: I tried to
listen to yesterday’s sermon but phone service was so spotty on our route today
that I gave it up. Will try again
tomorrow.
