Monday, October 16

Left home about 9 am. Drove 71 to 270 to 70 to 44. Stopped for picnic lunch around Indianapolis. Started raining soon after and continued all day until we reached Rolla, Mo. where we spent the night. Got through St. Louis without a hitch even though it was rush hour time but ran into three long backups going away on the west side. Crazy.

Tuesday, October 17

From Rolla to Norman, Ok. (I-35). Arrived at Dave and Kathy's about 2 pm. Nobody home ( we had told them we'd be there around 2:30) so drove into town to a restaurant/pub across from the stadium and entertained ourselves watching people (most with a cell phone to their ear) pass by. Returned to the house and discovered we had missed Dave and Kurt, who was in town from (Rice) and had stayed an extra day just to see us. Had a nice visit with Kurt. He had to catch a plane at 5 pm. Spent the evening with Dave, Kathy, Mark, Stephen and Michelle. Kurt lives in the dorms at OU.

Wednesday, October 18

Left about 8. Drove I-40 to NM 84 to I-25 at Romerville, NM. Called Michael and Dawn along the way and found Michael and Cole waiting for us at the post office in Rowe. We loaded all our stuff into their Suburban, left our van in the p.o. parking lot and drove up to their place on Rowe Mesa via 34 and the ranch `road' up to their house. Dawn , Aidan, Ruthie and Eli were waiting for us.

We got settled in, had a hearty supper of chicken soup (rooster unintentionally euthanized by Michael as he swung a chain to teach the miscreant a lesson to quit attacking Aidan, the mishap resulting in our supper).

Thursday, October 19

Kids all up by 7. Michael mixed up a batch of biscuits. Weather brisk and windy but beautiful cloudless sky. Aidan showed me the chicken coop (and the six hens whose back feathers had been ripped or picked off by that nasty, but now deceased and suppered, rooster). He has the job of feeding and watering the chickens. Ruthie's job is feeding the dogs; Cole's the cats.

One of Michael's ongoing responsibilities is to maintain the water lines that run from a well several miles away (pumped by an oil rig pump) to various storage tanks arranged far and wide around the ranch property, which is composed of both privatively owned land and land leased from the Federal Forest Service.

During the course of the afternoon I drove one of the trucks and followed him as he drove the front end loader out across the fields to where one of the water valves needed servicing. He left the loader there and we drove back to the house.

Ruth and I and the kids took a walk down to the lake/pond situated below the house (a double width mobile/manufactured home. I can't believe the roominess of it) Nice walk but the wind was fierce so we returned after a short time.

Spent the evening reading, jabbering, enjoying the children. Eli looks soooo much like Cole and for sure they'll be taken for twins when they're older.

Friday, October 20

Drove with Michael to check the water pump and the water level of various tanks. (These are big storage tanks which feed the small cattle tanks.) He found when he went to start the front end loader that the starter motor was shot. He ordered a new one. Around here it's not as simple as, "I'll be right back. Runnin' in to NAPA to pick up a starter."

This afternoon Ruth and I joined the kids riding with Michael to gather fire wood. The ranch `roads' are mostly grass paths that criss-cross the mesa and are used as all-purpose roads for anything from a variety of ranch maintenance responsibilities to hunter, fire wood gatherer and illegal tree poacher access roads.

On the way we ran across a small herd of cows. Michael carries an aerosol can air horn with him and he stopped and blew it and I mean them little doggies came arunnin'. He carries some sort of cow snack with him for just such occasions hoping to train them to respond to the horn at roundup time. Works better than a guitar, I guess.

Stopped by a stand of dead trees and while Michael got to work with the chainsaw Ruth and I took a hike across the fields and through a stand of pine trees. We returned in time to help load the wood. The `road' out was in really terrible condition, Michael bridging (sort of) ruts that looked 2 to 3 feet deep. One looked like a 6 footer. Ruth closed her eyes. By the time we got to the main road (graded dirt) by comparison it seemed like a newly paved turnpike.

Saturday, October 21

Drove down to Rowe and I-25. A spectacular birds-eye-view scene on the hill leading down off the mesa to town. Continued on to the area of the Pecos Pueblo ruins and the site of the Civil War battle of Glorietta Pass, which we were anxious to visit since we spent two summers several years ago visiting all the major Civil War battlefields and this was one of the few fought this far west. The guided tour of the various battlefield sites was even more interesting to us because they took place in large part right on the path of the historic Santa Fe Trail (more later).

This evening Michael and the kids got a fire started for a cookout. We came in as the sun was setting. It was a fitting ending to our stay here.

Sunday, October 22

Loaded up all our stuff and left for church at 7:30 am. We stopped by the water pump on the way out. All the water tanks were full and Michael wanted to turn the pump off. We arrived at church in Santa Fe shortly before 9. We thoroughly enjoyed their pastor's bible class and he delivered a powerful Law/Gospel sermon - worth a 1 1/2 hour trip to hear.

They are very fortunate (blessed) to have such a faithful, Scripturally-sound pastor and the congregation is fortunate to have Michael and Dawn as faithful members. Dawn is Sunday School coordinator and Michael is a member of the Council and accompanies on the piano when no organist is available. They are one of the very few members with young children, which is a little discouraging for them, but I know for sure that the other members are thrilled and encouraged seeing them and their children and the one or two other young families in church every Sunday.

We had stopped on our way through Rowe at the post office to transfer all our gear from their Suburban to our Voyager and then followed them to Santa Fe. After church we left our van in the parking lot and drove together to a park in town for a picnic lunch. We then spent a couple of hours touring the historic district, visiting the historic church and ambling about the Plaza area.

About 3 or so we returned to the church, said our goodbye's (sadly) and after not following Dawn's simple directions, instead of getting back on I-25 two blocks away, ambled in a wide circle (as far as we could figure) around and through Santa Fe suburbs and about a half hour or so later finally ended up on I-25 headed for Las Vegas, NM where we are now holed up in a motel for the night.

Tomorrow we will continue what we were already able to start the last couple of days - a trip along the course of the old historic Santa Fe Trail through New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.

(A post script: Everyone who has visited Michael and Dawn in New Mexico will agree that the unique environment and life style they are enjoying together with their children could provide a setting for a novel.

A remote mesa high in the mountains an hour away from `civilization', their view is 360 degree wilderness. A playground comprised of a couple of swings hanging off a pipe propped on both ends in the crook of trees, a 2X4 enclosed sandbox, a pirate ship crafted of logs stretched between four saplings complete with sail, pilot wheel, walk-the-plank plank and cannon. The family is together virtually 24-7, homeschooled, no TV, but a yard and playground that might as well be the universe. Dawn is, like, something, and manages the household with cool reserve.

Aidan is already an accomplished fiddle player, Ruthie is taking piano lessons and Cole is beginning strumming a guitar.

We will treasure these four days.)

Monday, October 23

After breakfast at Burger King (they are now off our list along with McDonald's - it was awful) we headed for Watrous (a few scattered `dwellings') and on to Fort Union. We toured the site for about an hour. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Enough of the ruins remain so that along with the tour brochure one can gain a feeling for what the place was like in its heyday. We were especially happy to see that the ruts from the Santa Fe Trail are clearly defined across the area.

Drove I-25 to Wagon Mound (Michael's granddad's ranch was on a road just east of here) and took Rt 120 west to Ocate. The map shows the Trail crosses 120 and our info had the location on a road 1 mile off 120 14.5 mi from W.M. We found the road but it was a ranch road and posted private property so we passed it by.

The road from Ocate (took a picture of an abandoned adobe building standing next to a tree) to Black Lake and as indicated it was not safe for large trucks or towed vehicles. Very narrow in places with hairpin turns. Stone and rock surface all the way but it was great traveling for us backroaders. It ran along a canyon bottom most of the way but now and then broke out into a valleys with great scenery.

We turned onto Rt. 434 to Angel Fire where we ate lunch and then continued on to Taos on 64. Spent a couple of hours there. Toured the Kit Carson homestead just off the plaza, stopped in a few of the shops lining the plaza, drove out to the Taos Pueblo, which looked tacky and cost to get in (we didn't do it), looked for KC's gravesite at the KC park (couldn't locate it) and left Taos unimpressed.

Returned to 64 and backtracked to Angel Fire and on to Cimarron where the Trail passed through the center of town. Because it was still light we decided to continue on too Raton, where after driving around in circles for a half hour (got off at the wrong exit) we found our motel.

Enjoyed the ride to Cimarron because for miles the road follows the Cimarron River as it rushes down along a canyon bottom. (Around where we come from it would be called Cimarron Creek but, hey, they can call it whatever they want, it's theirs.) Also enjoyed the drive from there to Raton because of the knowledge that the Trail route ran right along this road.

Tuesday, October 24

Left Raton after indulging in a well-stocked continental breakfast in the best facilities we've seen yet on all our travels, the motel room itself included. Low price and AMERICAN OWNED AND OPERATED by a middle-aged couple - the remnants of an era at its end.

Drove I-25 over the Raton Pass to Trinidad enjoying the sights along the way, noting especially the rocky terrain and wondering how they ever got wagons, let alone heavily loaded wagons, across before improvements were made. (Found out later that they often disconnected the animals and man-handled the wagons over the rocks and boulders.)

Took Rt. 350 out of Trinidad and stopped at Iron Springs west of Timpas for a look at the wagon ruts in evidence there, picking up Rt. 50 at La Junta. Like most of our journey thus far from Santa Fe onward (excepting our side excursion to Taos) the roads closely follow the actual wagon trail, which helped give us a real feeling for what the travelers in those days were confronted with, both the difficult and the `breeze'.

Bent's Old Fort is just east of La Junta and we stopped there and toured the restored site. We have found in all our travels to historic sites across the country that (it hurts me to say it) those managed by the Federal government are always well-managed and expertly restored and maintained, Old Bent's Fort no exception.

We continued along 50 to the Colorado/Kansas border and on to Garden City, Kan. for the night. Stopped along the way at Indian Mound west of Lakin to enjoy the very view the wagon trail travelers often remarked about. And we stopped at the Charlie's Ruts site, which is right next to the highway. As with all the ruts that have been preserved, one must use a little imagination when standing and looking.

Like previous days, it was great traveling along all the while conscious of the fact that what we were looking at was the same scenery viewed a century and a half ago by the Santa Fe Trail travelers. We stopped at all historical markers, many simply stating what took place there even though no physical evidence remains. We did a lot of reading before we left home so were already familiar with the history of what occurred at most of the marked sites.

One note: we were less than impressed with the towns along the way. Although indicated on the maps, almost without exception they are either don't-blink-as-you-pass-through towns comprised mostly of a handful of rundown buildings or else small towns with both depressed business and residential areas.

Wednesday, October 19

Headed out on 50 and stopped at the Santa Fe Trail Ruts where a walkway is provided for easy access to several well-defined depressions in the ground caused by years of wagon travel across the open fields. Then on to Ft. Dodge, which is now a soldiers home. Got the historical lowdown from the lady at the museum/library and drove around the site to see the historic buildings, some of them original.

Now came another of my time-losing wrong or missed turns. The fort is just east of town on Rt. 400, which runs out of town triangularly from 50. There is a road just east of the fort that runs between the legs of the triangle from 400 to 50. I missed it and in the course of trying to get back to 50 on the next road (5 plus miles) we (I) raced for about an hour along dirt roads in who knows what direction trying to get to 50. This is prairie country folks and there ain't nobody around to ask questions. I somehow finally got back to 400 many miles from Dodge City but retraced my steps to there and thus back to 50. Story of my traveling life. Poor Ruth. She's learned to tolerate it, saying that traveling with me is always an experience.

Took Rt 56 out of Kinsley and stopped at Ft. Larned, an excellently preserved fort with all but one of the original buildings standing and fully restored, many rooms furnished with items appropriate to the room's original use. The property was owned for years by a farmer who used all the buildings in his operation, which was a god-send for the Federal restorers.

All the forts along the way (most long gone) were built for the purpose of protecting the SFT trade caravans. Bent's Fort was a private trading station and was not run by the military. The Santa Fe Trail, unlike the Oregon and other trails, was used almost exclusively as a trade route with 100s of wagons (6 oxen or mules to each) traveling together heading west each spring in caravans and smaller groups returning in the fall. It was not a pioneer settlers' route.

Drove up to Pawnee Rock, an outcropping jutting up in the middle of nowhere and often mentioned by Trail travelers, and walked to the top where one can see for miles in all directions. It must have really been something to watch from this point as a long train of wagons stretching for miles in either direction passed below this hill.

Stopped at Ralph's Ruts located on a dirt road outside of Chase. As usual, one must use one's imagination but there are a number (7?) fairly well-defined depressions running parallel across the fields and supposedly continuing on sporadically for 2 miles. I drove down the next nearest road and around the block (that's Kansas prairie block) to look for them but no luck. It had started to rain about an hour before this (after 8 days of gloriously cloudless, sunny skies) and these roads were the gumbo type. I didn't bother stopping when coming to corners.

It was getting late, it was raining, and this trip is already longer than we had originally figured it would be (home by Wednesday? Today? Haha). Although I really didn't want to miss Council Grove, a main camping site, the Trail pretty much leaves Rt.56 and cuts cross country from east of McPherson to CG so we decided to head straight for Emporia for the night and maybe head over to CG in the morning to pick up the Trail.

Then I did it again. To make a loooong story short: in the course of looking for a low-cost motel at Emporia I mistakenly got on the ramp to the turnpike, couldn't figure out how to undo my mistake, and ended about an hour's drive away at a motel here in Topeka. Now it's really late.

Thursday, October 20

Drove back to 56 and the Trail at Baldwin via I-70 and 75 and stopped at several marked sites (Black Jack Park Ruts; Santa Fe/Oregon trail juncture) on the way to Independence, MO. We spent an hour or so there at the National Frontier Museum, an excellent facility run, this time, by the city rather than the federal government. It deals exclusively with the Lewis and Clark expedition (we had followed their route from St. Louis up the Missouri River into Montana when Michael and Dawn lived there) and the Santa Fe Trail.

The Trail runs east out of Independence along Rt. 24. We drove around Lexington, MO but couldn't find the historic sites located there and stopped at the Tabo Creek Crossing on the way to Marshall and then Arrow Rock, both a Santa Fe Trail and L & C historical site. Then on to Boon's Lick and across the Missouri River to our final destination, the place where it all started, the town square in New Franklin, MO.

From the Santa Fe Plaza in New Mexico to the town square of New Franklin, Missouri. Four days to cover ground that took close to two months to cover 185 years ago. A memorable trip - then and now.

The vacation travels over, we made a beeline on 40 to I-70 and headed for St. Louis. It had never stopped raining (off and on) since outside of Dodge City but now it began pouring and never stopped. I-70 traffic was heavy and it was a maelstrom of wind-driven rain and torrents of splashing water all the way here. Because of this (a good excuse this time) I missed 270 around St. Louis and ended up in even heavier traffic going through.

I don't even want to talk about this motel. With the World Series game (Detroit and ?) tonight in St. Louis the cheaper motels were full and we got stuck with this one. It's so bad it's funny. I'm leaving the lights off by the sink and in the john so I don't have to face what's there. Ha.

Friday, October 21

Got up early and out of that `pit'. Somehow or other got on I-55 headed for Chicago (I give up. I'm an incorrigible wrong turner) and didn't realize it until we were half way to Springfield. Took I-72 from there and I-74 back to I-70 and on to Columbus and I-71. Raced to 28388 Rt. 58, Huntington, Ohio, the traffic, pouring rain and highway maelstrom continuing the whole way along 71. Arrived around 5 pm. Total mileage: 3500+.

It was a great vacation, one of the best we've been on, wrong turns and frenetic dashing along cyclonicly (so, I made it up) rain-drenched Interstates not withstanding. And really - I'm not kidding!!

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