More sand(storms)

We left Las Cruces with a new fridge cover. And I am not making it up, the fridge is running great, since. Even though the wind seems to be getting less, it is blowing.

Funny enough, after 15 miles - there was the next sign, saying the same.

And it went on and on, and on with these signs. Then we saw more and more of these signs...

We thought, yeah..well....until we saw plenty of  "sand tornadoes". Nice to watch from a distance, not so much when you see it coming towards you. Well, it came from the side. Rupert timed the speed just perfect, so it went in front of us, crossing the highway. Kinda scary.

It's hard to see the sand clouds, trust me-they were there and plenty

We arrived shortly after 4 PM in Tuscon, AZ. Set-up and off we went into downtown.The revival of downtown is a success, with nice little bars and restaurants. Quite a lot of people were strolling around. We had absolutely delicious food which we closed with an after dinner cocktail "at home". And both, Rupert and I slept really well for the first time since we are on the road. May it be the "sand-plasting", or the nice and cool (if not to say cold) nights.

Ta-ta
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flying snow angel

El Paso was planed as our next leg. Instead we opted for Las Cruces. We drove through some high mountains up to over 8.500 feet high. The wind had picked up, if that was possible (up to 60 mi./hr locals told us) Going over 50 mph was mostly impossible. Sometimes it was so bad that we slowed up going downhill. At the steeper mountains (6%) "Moorly" was struggling really bad and we rather crawled than drove with often not going more than 25 mph. But, we've made it. Very nice scenery, but I have to say, it was a rather intense drive. We crossed the continental divide and we totally missed, that we have crossed another time zone.

Coming down the last mountains, from far away we could already see the White Sands Monument. At the entrance it said it's a approx. 16 mile "round-trip". We decided to gas up before doing that. So, we headed back. Our trusty TomTom (GPS) piloted us to the next gas station. Which was inside an Air force base. Yup, that's right. By the time we've noticed it, we were already in front of the gate. It was an "oh-shit-moment". Well, one guy, full uniform, guns at the ready, came running towards us and cleared the cones in order to make room on another drive in lane for our "big rig" and the apparent "big wig" trying to get on base.  Tell you what; with Rupert's credentials.....we got in. Honestly. But guess what, no diesel was to be had on that base.

Add caption

And the German flag was flying to honor...well...me. Duh?

Further back into town we finally gassed up and off we went to the White Sands Monument. At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain-ringed valley. Rising from the heart of the basin is one of the world's great natural wonders. The white glistening sands of New Mexico. What a sight.

Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the largest gypsum dune field in the world.

So no, not a snow, but a sand angel

Roughly 50 more miles to Tucson, AZ. Arriving at the RV-Park - another mishap. We have lost the access cover for the fridge (outside). The fridge was (is) giving us some headaches. Rupert was constantly checking if it was working. At the last control check he must have closed only one latch. The wind must have ripped it out of it's hinges. Oh, well...


Ta-ta

High plain drifters

We got a new rim with a tire and exchanged the tire we’ve just mounted with a new one. So, we should be OK. From Fort Stockton, TX to Carlsbad, NM was a short drive of only 140 miles.  In between were only 2 cities which disrupted the drive through a rather vast land high plateau (4,000 ft). And Rupert mentioned the movie with Clint Eastwood, “High Plains Drifter”.

On the side of the road were just oil derricks. Not a lot, but every now and then. All the billboards along the road were advertisements for drill rig services, pipe line repair and similar. Rupert was wondering why they did not have any advertisements for Brazilian butt lifts, breast argumentation, or face lifts done during lunch break like one can see on Miami billboards. Don’t they know what’s important in life?

Wind was shaking our rig and we were glad to arrive early in Carlsbad. We drove into the city, which is really an ugly city.  “Moorly” (our truck) got treated with an oil change. For a 21 year old truck he is doing really excellent. On Saturday, we did the Caverns in a self-guided tour. Equipped with audio guides we strolled around for 4 hours. 

 

Isn't that fitting? Rupert as a 'caver"

Man, time went by so fast, it was unbelievable. I have seen many caves or caverns (whatever the difference might be) but that one is by far the most impressive. Not as colorful and decorated as some, but the dimensions. Just unreal. What an experience. Wow-wee.

This is the natural entrance to the cavern.

After a visit to the Living Desert & Zoo in the afternoon we drove back to the Caverns to witness the bat flight. Too early in the year to see thousands of them, but we saw quite a few. 

quite impressive

Back into town for dinner in a well know restaurant, were the service was so bad, we almost left. Well, we were hungry and it was already very late. Too bad, we found out way to late that Carlsbad had a drive in movie theater that was actually open. I have never been to one. Well, maybe we will find another while cruising the country.

Ta-ta

Big bend counrty

270 miles to Fort Stockton. Just an over-niter on our way to Carlsbad Caverns in  -well, Carlsbad, NM. Did I mentioned that everything is bigger in Texas?

In front of the rig was a "little" cat - Jaguar XK8

Well, here you go. That was the biggest rig I've ever seen that got dragged behind. I've seen a lot of cars dragged behind a RV, but nothing like that rig. And there were plenty of them at that particular RV-Park.

30 miles before our next base ( I really have to refer to them as RV-Parks other than campgrounds), we had another blow-out. I put the warning triangle on the break-down-lane, so hubby would be safe. All the truckers moved over to the other lane, but one RV. Man, was he blowing by us. Such an *&^%%. Half an hour later we were back on our route. Well done, hubby.

Another piece missing from the fender and a dent in the aluminum

Tomorrow will have to check out tire places to get another spare tire, and another rim with a tire, just to be sure. At the RV-Park a guy came over to tell us all about a 60 mile Road- Race- Rally, starting on Saturday, nearby. Apparently there are only 3 rallies in the US like that. A highway (not sure which one) will be closed for 60 miles. On guy came all the way from Kansas to participate in the rally.

What a nice toy!

Bratwurst and salad for supper accompanied with red wine, and strawberries for dessert. Now we call it a night..til then..see 'ya....

Ta-ta

Fiesta Mexicana mayhem

Last day for us to witness how San Antonians party. At the Market Square I had to try Mango with chilli.

Yummy - tasted just like ours @ home. I will make it for us once we are back

. 

Hope, we will have a good harvest.

The Buckhorn Saloon. This sign is made of the rattles of the rattle snake

Now off to the party. We had no idea what to expect. We were told tales of about 200 plus food booth featuring food from all over the world. Parking was again terrible. All the lots were $ 20 or more. On that 3. day we were so good, that we always found a place to park for free in only rather short walking distances. And after all the food we ate it was a good thing walking some of it off.

The town of the Alamo

By the time we made it to the festival, it was well under way. $ 15 a head entry fee and with coupons in hand for drinks and food we weaved our way into the mayhem. We saw food both represented from France, Italy, China, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Greece, Germany, too many to count. Well over 200 different things to taste, that's for sure.

Inside the German area (inside) with polka music and.....

.....of course, a bratwurst-stand. Not really a bratwurst, more a Burenwurst like in Vienna. Yummy!

Just a fraction of all the people in one food/country section. Now multiply that by all the countries represented.

We were glad we did participate. Glad it "payed" to stay for 3 nights. One never knows what is going your way. But I tell you, vacationing is hard work. :-)

Ta-ta

Mission Trail and River Parade

Monday we did all the Missions. Again, all were so close by, it was a breeze. The four southernmost Spanish colonial missions—Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada—are included in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which officially opened in 1983.

The beautiful Mission Concepcion was dedicated in 1766 and stands as the oldest unrestored stone church in the U.S.

me - feeling Texan :-)

San Jose

Founded in 1720 is the best known Mission; San Jose. The size of the complex testifies to San Jose's reputation as the " Queen of the Missions". The Missions residents learned to use firearms to fend of Comanche and Apache raids.

Enough pics of churches. After a while they all look alike. Well, they are not. We saw a lot and heard many interesting facts. On our trail we past a cemetery. I guess, the influence of the Spanish can't be denied. Most plots are decorated with flowers, all the time. What we saw here was so unusual, that we turned around just to take a picture.

Most plots were decorated with Easter ornaments. Mostly plastic and trashy for our taste. Nevertheless, they do care for their deceased.

 

This black and white was bigger than Dicker, taking all the little space there was.

A little rest in a shady place after all this walking

Rupert is contemplating the Mission Trail.  After going through it all, and being raised strict Catholic he concluded - he is still not "saved" and will go to hell in every religion. A quick pit stop at home before we went to the River Walk once again. A River (Walk) Parade was scheduled with 51 floats. Along the river was seating available for $12-24. We did not know that those seat were to be ordered online in advance, so we had to settle of standing only. Next to us was a local who provided us with many interesting facts. Starting at 7 PM we had to wait 1 hour until we finally saw the first float.

The first 10 or so floats were from different branches of the Military. Quit a show. Kenny, you would have loved that spectacle.

Approx. $ 300,000,- from this event will go to 40 different organizations. All for kids in need.

The way out of town was well organized, but tricky. We got bumped as one car was trying to get in our lane. It sounded like a lot of damage. No way we could (or would) stop. Even the cop waved us through after evaluating the situation, besides there was total grid lock, no way to stop. Once home we checked our truck out. The other car had hit our back fender. It looked no more than a speck of dust. I was sure he had some damage on his car. I have to say; I was quit nervous, waiting for a phone call, since our # is on the back of the truck in bold numbers. We've heard nothing. He must have realized that is was his own fault. Phuh....

Ta-ta

Hill country

Wednesday - just a short drive (70 miles) to Fredericksburg, Tx. We decided to skip Austin, since again, all event were already over, or would start on the upcoming weekend. So the "German Provinz" Fredericksburg it is. We took a more scenic route, about 30 miles longer. Finally we drove through some country sides, other than boring highway.

St. Mary's Church with all the windows dedicated to German families, founders of the city.

  We only saw one Fachwerkhaus. Not that we needed too, but we thought they would be more on main street. Apparently not. Mostly German names in the correct written way we (or still are) owners of a the little stores. I had to go into "das Kuechengeschaeft" (kitchen store). I tell you, not even in Germany have I ever seen so many kitchen utensils in one location than it that store. I could have easily spend much more time in there. What a shame ;-)

 

Luckenbach, Tx

A hill country hamlet complete with blacksmith shop, post office, beer joint, dance hall and cotton gin. Population 3 (three). Tops the Spotted Horse in Wyoming by one :-)

 

I liked the rather extensive menu. 1. local beer, 2. other beer. Oh, and only cash. A sign said, if you need credit you don't need a beer, but a job. :-)

Originally we wanted to stay for 2 nights. Now that we did all in one afternoon we divvy up our next leg into two. Twice approx. 200 miles makes it easier and we can take a little relaxation time, since not much is going on where we are going. 

Laters.....Ta-ta

Holy Anthony

Better known as San Antonio, Texas. Our first trip into town, since it was still early, was visiting the Alamo. It served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly 70 years. It also played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. Nice thing about the Alamo and the missions, it's all free.

The Alamo

From there we went to see the famous River Walk. That is really nicely done.  The San Antonio River Walk is a public park (river side walk) open 365 days a year, lined with individual businesses composed of restaurants, hotels, attractions and more.

It looks much nicer at night time

So many choices. We settled for the Republic of Texas.

Back at the River Walk Mall Rupert was right next to his buddy.

We discovered that everything on our "to see list" for San Antonio is close by our home base. The River Walk was packed with people, but the city itself was deserted. Even at the Alamo. You would think since it is for free you would see a lot more people. We already thought 3 nights is way to much. There was a 17 day fiesta going on. Every year at the same time for usually 11 days. Since Easter was in between this year it got extended to 17 days. Armored with more reading material we checked on our options for same fun besides the culture thing. Most fiestas were already done, or starting by the time we have already left. Oh well. We'll make the best of it. So much for Easter.

Ta-ta

Cowboy Country

We left New Orleans bright and early by 9.15 AM, Friday. That's early for us. We need our morning coffee and a real sit-down-breakfast. We know how to enjoy life :-) .  360 miles to Houston, Texas. I-10 is a road that is more a pot hole than a road. We bounced up and down, afraid the trailer will get loose. At some point it was so bad, I almost got sick. Dicker slept almost all the way behind my seat on the floor. At 4.30 PM we arrived at our campground just a few mile from downtown Houston. We unhooked the trailer and I was just happy to have an internet connection and load some of the pics from the days before. Got the schedule ready for tomorrows adventures, and Rupert treated me to Olive Garden. 

Downtown Houston, Texas

The weather is perfect for our first stop; again, a cemetery. Glenwood Cemetery. They say, everything is bigger in Texas. Yeah, that's right. I have seen many different cemeteries, this one is different, alright. No place to park, but to drive through. We parked on the side anyway and walked.

This plot is for one family - and it's a small one

 The largest plot we have seen was approx. 30 x 75 feet. Again, for one family, unbelievable. More a park than anything else. Did I mentioned that I love walking in cemeteries?

Some mausoleums were as big as a house. Really.

serenity to the max - or so we thought.....

Next on our program was the Museums District. Natural Science Museum, Health Museum, Children's Museum, Holocaust Museum, just to name a few. Unfortunately we had not enough time to do any of these. So we opted for the Rothko Chapel, just a few miles away.

There were just a few people in there, but it was so quite in there, you could hear a needle drop. Now, that was pure serenity.

 The Rothko Chapel is oriented toward the sacred and yet it imposes no traditional environment. It offers a place where a common orientation could be found - an orientation towards God, named or unnamed, on orientation towards the highest aspiration on Man and the most intimate calls of the conscience.These "black spots" are called "paintings". One sits there and looks at the "paintings" long enough and you may "see". Most unusual experience. And I have to say, I really liked it.

I was busy programming our TomTom, but we got lost a few times in the big city, as TomTom was not steadily mounted. And me holding it in front of my face (I can't read a map anyway) was not good enough. So Rupert handcrafted a "permanent station" out of cardboard.

Darn, he is so good ;-)

 One more stop; the Beer Can House. Yup, the Beer Can House. John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, started his project now known as the Beer Can House in 1968.

Everything was used from beer cans to decorate the house.

 And his wife was crafty, too. Once she wife wanted a lemon tree. So, here it is, still standing.... and one more observation - he was of Austrian heritage with an Grade School education (does that tell you something? - scary)

look closely

Houston is a beautiful city. Very clean and green. Green - everywhere. The neighborhoods were all well kept. They should do something to the roads, though. Potholes and bumps everywhere. No wonder all traffic participants obey the speed limit. Just going the speed limit could result in major damage to the car.

Back at the "base" I did some laundry, while Rupert checked out what to do at our next stop, tomorrow. We only have roughly 200 miles to go. So, it should be an easy drive. Can you guess were we are heading?

Now, we will get the grill ready and have spicy sausage (courtesy of New Orleans) with fresh artisan bread and salad (and some wine). I wish we had a grocery store like they have here. Publix looks like a Circle K in comparison to these stores here. All the things my little heart is longing for (food wise - silly).

 We ate too much. Well, nothing a Schnaps could not heal. We just love to wallow in pleasure.

Ta-ta

Cajun country

New Orleans, we are here....After setting up the camper we've made our first trip into town. Along the river walk, a short stroll through the French Quarter. Sweet memories. I was here once before in 2002. All by myself. First trip over the ocean, with just a few words of English. Boy, was I proud of myself and all the things I did for the first time. Our hosts at the campground gave us a lot of useful tips, especially where to eat. So we went to a place called Coops. We are not really crazy about fried food, but we have been told to try the fried platter. Mountains of fried oysters, catfish, crab claws and shrimp. Finger-licking-delicious! That was followed by spicy gumbo, more fried stuff (chicken this time) and dirty rice. Aahhh....unbelievable. My mouth waters just by the thought of it. Bringing the evening to a close we found a bar were they were playing really good blues.

It got cold, so we unpacked our space heater once we got "home" and slept warm and comfy. Next morning,  packed with more info from our lady-host we've made our way to the Garden district.

Not to forget we payed a visit to my always favorites places, the cemeteries. Lafayette No. 1 is my favorite. Dark, decrepit, spooky, even in day light. Love it. Even though I have lived close by in 2002 I never went to the city park and St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. That cemetery is, well, just a cemetery. Clean, clearly laid out and bright.

Lafayette # 1

ditto

  

 In the city park we discovered the sculptured garden. With 49 acre the 5th largest city park                                                                             in the States. Very nice, but see for yourself......

monkeys

my absolute favorite

 

 

Will he disappear into another dimension? 

any more fried food and I will look like this lady ;-)

Thursday was all cloudy and rain was threatening all day. We strolled one last time around the French Quarter and the French Market. More fried food...it's just so good. As we walked to our car it started raining. Lucky us. Made it "home" dry and contemplated on our impressions of New Orleans in those days. You could easily compare it with Key West. But, KW is tame, civilized, clean and you can feel safe. A lot has changed in NO since I was here last over 10 years ago. Not to the best, I hate to say. Nevertheless, we had fun and enjoyed our stay!