California Here We Come!

We camped at three locations in California to chase stamps.  On June 16, Bakersfield was our first stop.  The Cesar Chavez Memorial Monument was our first stamp chasing effort. The monument is located on the property known as La Paz; it is the symbol and focal point of the farm worker movement and served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America.  It is where Cesar Chavez lived and worked and is the place where he and others met to strategize.   Thousands of farm workers joined him to work for social justice. The area around Bakersfield as well as other small towns going north in the western section of California is heavily farm land with groves and front yards full of orange trees.  Thus, the need for migrant farm workers. 

Cesar Chavez

The next day, we left Bakersfield for Three Rivers, a small town near the Sequoia National Park.  John Muir, a conservationist, named this park after the earth’s largest living tree, the sequoia.  In all the world, sequoias grow naturally only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, usually between 5,000 and 7,000 feet of elevation.  John Muir stated that while some trees in the Sierra Nevada die of disease or fungi, nothing hurts the sequoia tree.  Baring accidents, the sequoia tree seems to be immortal.  During the 1880s logging companies wanted to cut down the sequoia trees. Muir’s response to this suggestion was

(We might) “as well sell the rain clouds and the snow and the rivers to be cut up and carried away, if that were possible.”

As a result of the loggers' interest in cutting the Sequoia trees, John Muir used his influence with the national government, and  Sequoia National Park was created on Sept. 25, 1890.  
This declaration protected all aspects of the park from poachers, loggers, and miners.

               
Laundry and resting were on the agenda for the next day in Three Rivers.  

June 19, we traveled to Angels’ Camp RV and Camping Resort in Angel’s Camp.  We had hoped to stay at the KOA in Yosemite National Park, but it was closed due to a recent forest fire.  The route to the Angel's Campground was hilly, curvy, and unbalanced, just as I was when I completed the drive.  Seems that every time I drive I end up on that type of road.  But Buck complimented me on my driving!  (Shock--he must have been unbalanced, too!)

John Muir made the following statement about the Yosemite National Park: 

“Everybody needs BEAUTY as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where NATURE may heal and give strength to body and SOUL alike.” 

He loved the four geographic areas—High Sierra, Granite Cliffs, Sequoia Groves, and the Valley, which provided varied conditions for the inhabitants of Yosemite National Park. A grand collection of waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world’s largest living things.   Yosemite National Park is a natural wonderland and encompasses 761,170 acres.  The park was established on October 11, 1890 and includes the nation’s tallest waterfall. 

Another quote by John Muir sums it all up, 

“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.” 

Las Vegas, here we come.

Finally, after 6 nights in the Rode Way Inn and Suites, we left Flagstaff, AZ for Las Vegas.  Some would think we were excited about going there to gamble, party, and see some great shows.  Not at all.  We were excited but not for those reasons. 

Back in 2014 Buck and I, along with the polio friends who now live in San Antonio, met up in our motor homes near St. Louis, Missouri for an International Post-Polio Conference.  Kathryn and I attended the sessions while Buck and Ron toured the city.  (Talk about a bummer!) But Kathryn and I learned much about our post-polio prognosis, plus, we met a new friend.  Manny, from Las Vegas, was at the conference and is a polio survivor.   At the conclusion of the conference, we shared email addresses and continued occasional contact. 

When I shared with Manny that Buck and I were planning to travel to the SW states this summer, we informed him that he was having company.  He was thrilled!  So, that’s how we ended up enjoying our Las Vegas time with a wonderful friend. 

We camped at an urban-type campground that Manny recommended.  He and his wife live in a condo that was close by.  Long story short, we had dinner for the 3 nights that we camped in Las Vegas, and breakfast the next morning at our campsite, thanks to Manny.  The campground was right beside a parking deck for the casino. So, all 3 nights Manny, Buck, and I rode our scooters/power chairs lined up in a row right through the parking deck, the casino, and to the restaurants within the same building.  Yes, we got some looks, but who cares!  One lady looked at me as I followed Manny and Buck followed me.  Her month basically fell open.  I whispered to her that “We are good buddies.”  She smiled back at me. 

During the morning times, Buck and I went about “chasing stamps.”   The Hoover Dam is not a national park, but we wanted to get as close as possible.  “Possible” was not very close.  Greater security is provided to the Hoover Dam since threats have been made during the past few years.  We chased a stamp to the Lake Mead Recreation Center which was close by the dam.  We also headed towards “Death Valley National Park,” to chase a stamp.  That’s way out in the desert and is so desolate; thus the name, DEATH Valley.  Nothing grows there, not even sage brush. The Visitors Center at the exit where we stopped had been closed, so we went away with no stamp.  But we gave it our best shot. 

Remember that Manny provided breakfast on our last morning in Las Vegas?  Well, I think Manny did that so he could watch us close in the slides of the motor home and prepare to depart.  He is obsessed with motor homes and would love to be a traveler in his own RV.  Once we said our “good-byes,” Buck and I went to our “assigned seats,” cranked up and left, waving and remembering the good times.  Manny drove his scooter to our exit route and waved as we drove from the property.  He was also snapping lots of pictures!

I know Manny loved the time we could share with him.  Buck and I loved it, too.  As Manny says, “We Polios need to stick together.”

Manny. Janet, Buck

Still Chasing Stamps

Traveling from El Paso TX south west to Flagstaff, AZ took us about 8 hours. As we crossed the TX and New Mexico mountain ranges we noticed the temperature gage climbing. When the warning sounded, we would turn off the air conditioner and the temperature would slowly go back toward the normal range. That’s how we crossed the mountains.

As we neared Flagstaff, we drove through the Petrified Forest National Park which includes portions of the Painted Desert. Again, we were “chasing stamps,” at national parks.

The Petrified Forest is a Tapestry of Time. Countless colors, hues and shades paint this tapestry that stretches as far as the eye can see. Shaped by wind and water, this land holds vital clues to the past.

ANCIENT ARIZONA: Hot. Humid. Lush. Green. It may be hard to imagine the desert grassland in the petrified forest as a prehistoric rainforest. During the Triassic Period, 225 million years ago, this was a tropical landscape with abundant vegetation. Early dinosaurs and reptiles roamed; fish, clams, snails, and crayfish moved through rivers; and giant, 180-foot conifer trees reached to the skies. Evidence for these prehistoric conditions exists within the petrified forest. 

Over the past 200 million years continents moved, regions uplifted, climate changed, and the river system, along with its plants and animals, was buried by layers of sediment. Wind and water have continually molded, sculpted, and peeled back these layers, giving a glimpse of the once tropical land we know today as Arizona.

The names, faces, languages, and stories of the prehistoric people who lived here are unknown to us, but remnants of their life--like pottery and messages in stone--help to piece together their story.

                      

Early families wandered searching for food and water. As time passed they settled in the area and began farming. They built pueblos and traded with distant people. Around 1380 they started moving away; it is likely years of drought forced them to leave. It is believed that the villagers moved northwest and joined with other people. Over 1,000 archeological sites have been found in the park, from one-room shelters to multiple 100-room pueblos.

The Painted Desert is a United States desert of badlands in the Four Corners area running from near the east end of the Grand Canyon National Park southeast into the Petrified Forest National Park. It is most easily accessed in the north portion of The Petrified Forest National Park. The Painted Desert is known for its brilliant and varied colors, that not only include the more common red rock, but even shades of lavender.

           Pictures from the 

          Petrified Forest,

          Painted Desert, 

           and Pueblo homes

We arrived at the campground at Flagstaff on Monday, June 4 and took the motorhome to the Freightliner shop on Tuesday. We had to wait 4 hours before any service agent would even look at it.  Finally, it was determined that an oil pump leaked on the radiator and caused the radiator to heat up.  As requested we brought the motorhome back the next day at 7:00  AM and expected it to be repaired and ready for pick up at the end of the day.  It wasn’t.  Luckily, we anticipated that possibility, so we packed a bag just in case we needed to stay in a hotel that night.  That was Wednesday, June 13.  We are still in the hotel!!! At first, the hotel was a nice change, but now it’s getting old.  Hopefully, we will get on the road tomorrow for our next destination, Las Vegas, NV.  

Pictures we took of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon 

 

Thankfully, we did have the truck to get around in. We drove 

to the Grand Canyon one day. It was a beautiful day for the trip. Clear skies with a nice  breeze. The Grand Canyon was just that –absolutely breathing. I’m borrowing a short description  from the Grand Canyon National Park brochure.

A Land to Inspire Our Spirit

Grand Canyon—one of earth’s most powerful, inspiring landscapes—overwhelms our senses. Its story tells of geologic processes played out over unimaginable time spans as a unique combination of size, color, and dazzling erosional forms: 277 river miles, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep. Its rugged landscape hosts a fascinating variety of plant and animal communities, from the desert next to the Colorado river deep in the canyon to montane forests atop its North Rim.

Humans have played parts in the story for thousands of years. Broken spear points, split-twig figurines, decorated pots, abandoned mines, and historic hotels suggest some who have called the canyon home. One can enjoy the views, discover the history, and learn about the plant and animal stories. Today is just the latest page in a history still being written. Grand Canyon National Park is a gift presented to us. Our responsibility as good stewards is to pass on this gift, pristine and preserved, to future generations.

Everything's bigger in Texas.

You’ve heard the saying, “Everything’s bigger in Texas.”  I believe that.  It took two additional stops in Texas to get out of there.  We stopped at Ft. Stockton, TX about 300 miles and 5 hours west of San Antonio.  Our reason for choosing Ft. Stockton as a two-night stay was that we could travel directly south to Big Bend National Park.  The park is located on the southwestern tip of Texas and borders Mexico. We were stopped going and on the return trip by the US Border Patrol.   As we traveled to the park, the road became straighter with hardly any vegetation on the sides of the road.  We were in a desert.  Land formations were in the distance and became more visible as we traveled south.  

The park offers many activities for young and heathy people.  We are neither, so we did not stay long.  I’ve inserted a video that I found on the Internet, so you can have a good look at the park. To view the video, click the http  URL below.  Then click the link that will appear in the blue box. 
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=big+bend+national+park&&view=detail&mid=34DE6350294922E744EB34DE6350294922E744EB&&

End the link unless you want to watch more videos.  

May 31, we left Ft. Stockton for El Paso, TX which is about 250 miles NW of Ft. Stockton and near the Mexico and New Mexico borders.  The highlight of the El Paso stop was – yet again- to check out another national park, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.   Buck said this park was on his “Bucket List.”  Please allow me to share an introduction of these caverns that appeared in the park brochure.  

Your encounter with Carlsbad Caverns National Park begins in the Chihuahua Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains. But beyond the somewhat familiar surroundings of rugged mountains and broad plains is another world. Away from sunlight, away from the flowering cactus, away from the songs of the desert birds and the howl of the coyote lies the celebrated underground world of Carlsbad Cavern. It is an incomparable realm of gigantic subterranean chambers, fantastic cave formations, and extraordinary features. The first adventurers entering Carlsbad Cavern had no idea what to expect as they walked, crawled, and climbed down into the darkness. Today many of the wonders of Carlsbad Cavern are well known, yet the experience of exploring its chambers is every bit as exciting.

Carlsbad Cavern is a sanctuary for hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats.  During the day they crowd together on the ceiling of Bat Cave, a passageway near the natural entrance of Carlsbad Cavern.  In this darkened home they are seen only by scientific researchers.  At nightfall the bats leave the cave in gigantic swarms.  Silhouetted against the night sky like a dark, swift-moving cloud, the bats make their most dramatic display.  Other extraordinary characteristics of bats—their natural sonar system and their ability to fly—make these creatures of darkness of great interest. 

Bats leave the cave in search of food. 

My favorite activity at El Paso was to go shopping like normal people do.   

San Antonio TX

May 23, we traveled from Louisiana to San Antonio, an eight-hour drive. We had planned to stay 6 nights in San Antonio, because there’s so much to see and do there.  Plus, we planned to visit with motor home friends.  Hopefully, we would have time to rest and do laundry, as well.    

San Antonio did not disappoint. Full of history and Spanish colonial architecture, San Antonio offers many opportunities to learn the role the missions played in the development of the state of Texas. The chain of missions established along the San Antonio River in the 1700s is a reminder of one of Spain’s most successful attempts to extend its dominion northward from New Spain (present-day Mexico.)  Collectively they form the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America.

Rumors of riches spurred the early Spanish explorers northward across the Rio Grande River.  By the 1600s Spaniards penetrated areas to the east, encountering the Tejas Indians.  (Texas is named for this tribe.)  While the dreams of wealth faded, the Spanish concentrated more fully on spreading the Catholic faith, the basis of Spanish colonial society, among the frontier Indians.  The missions served both Church and State.  As an arm of the church, the mission was the sanctuary for converting the Indians spiritually.  As an agent of the state, the mission helped push the empire northward.  Missions also offered Indians safety from their enemies. 

The Spanish missions helped form the foundation for the city of San Antonio.  Modern San Antonio early recognized the missions’ significance.  Since the 1920s the city has worked to preserve them.  Today these missions represent a nearly unbroken connection with the past.  Carrying the legacy of generations of American Indians and Hispanics, they live as active parishes.

Each of the 5 missions played an important role in the development of culture and religion throughout the region.  The names of the missions are:  Expada, San Juan, San Jose, Concepcion, and the best known, 

The Alamo. 

Congress created San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 1978.  By cooperative agreement with the Archdiocese of San Antonio, mission churches remain active centers of worship.  This park is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. 

Another highlight of our visit to San Antonio is the River Walk which runs beside the San Antonio River right in the middle of the city.  Umbrella tables and the slowly flowing river make for a relaxing lunch.

Treka Davis and myself

While in San Antonio we were delighted to meet up with a Dover Baptist Church member who is in school in the US Army.  We enjoyed a Mexican lunch together and caught up on her duties and achievements.  

Also, as referenced earlier, we were thrilled to visit with motor home friends who are now living in San Antonio in a senior living community.  Wife, Kathryn, is a polio survivor, so we always share our stories of survival. 

 

Buck and Janet Walker (left) Ron and Kathryn Rickard (right)

Feeling rested and with drawers full of clean clothes, it was time to bring in the slides and hit the road again.  We enjoyed our time in San Antonio, TX.

More Adventures in Louisiana

A River and Its People

The Cane River region is home to a unique culture: the Creoles. Generations of the same families of owners and workers, enslaved and tenant, lived on these lands for over 200 years. The park tells their stories and preserves the cultural landscape of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations, two of the most intact Creole cotton plantations in the United States.

Oakland Plantation

A largely rural landscape is known for its historic plantations, distinctive Creole architecture, and multi-cultural legacy. Cane River lay at the intersection of French and Spanish realms in the New World. The park consists of Oakland Plantation and portions of the Magnolia Plantation.

Magnolia Plantation and Blacksmith Building

Two additional "chasing stamps" destinations were not expected to be in the location of the French Quarter, New Orleans.

Jean Lafitte National Historic Preserve

Established to preserve significant examples of the rich natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi Delta region, this park consists of six physically separate sites that illustrate Acadian culture, natural history, and pivotal events that took place in this diverse region.

Experience Jazz Music Where it all Began

Only in New Orleans could there be a National Park for jazz! We visited the visitors' center and attended a musical workshop, featuring a New Orleans import from Virginia. He explained that jazz music was different from the blues, rock n roll, etc. because of the left hand base clef rhythms. Love of the jazz style music brought him to New Orleans.

Lunch at Bubba Gump's
Also, in the French Quarter we ate lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. They serve fried shrimp, steamed shrimp, broiled shrimp, shrimp scampi, …..

Leaving Mississippi for Louisiana

Monday, May 21 we headed to Baton Rouge, LA.  But we took a side trip to another place to cancel a stamp in Buck's PASSPORT.  Although not a national park, this site in Pioneer, LA, called Poverty Point World Heritage Site, has a stamp in the PASSPORT.  I will quote from the Internet the story of Poverty Point World Heritage Site  because I can't write it any better.  Here it is -

Centuries ago, when Stonehenge was built and Queen Nefertiti ruled Egypt, American Indians were building earthen monuments in north Louisiana.  Hand by hand and basketful by basketful, men and women shaped nearly 2 million cubic yards of soil into stunning landscapes.  The result was a massive 72-foot-tall mound, enormous concentric half-circles and related earthworks that dwarfed every other earthen monument site for 2,200 years.  

The amount of forethought and organization needed to build Poverty Point without the aid of modern instruments, domesticated animals or even wheeled carts must have been staggering.  And for what reason?  We still do not know, but clues are constantly being revealed.  Archaeologists have much to work with, as millions of artifacts were found at the site.  Domestic tools, human figurines and tons of stones from up to 800 miles away have led to speculation that Poverty Point was an ancient residential, trade and ceremonial center.

More mysteries:  Poverty Point was abandoned around 1100 B.C. A more recent native group added another mound in about A.D. 700, but occupied only a small fraction of the site, and only for a brief period.  Aside from that, there was only intermittent human use of the site for 2,900 years, until settlers from Europe inhabited the area in the 1800's.

After hearing a few reports of this ancient settlement, archaeologists began systematically recording the site and collecting some of its countless artifacts.  In 1962, the federal government designated it a National Historic Landmark, one of the highest honors for an archaeological site in the US.  And in 2014, the site achieved perhaps the highest honor of all:  UNESCO named Poverty Point a World Heritage Site.  

There are only three other archaeological sites in the US with that distinction.  UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, whose home office is in Paris, France.   I could not determine the other two archaeological sites in the US to receive the honor.  

No other activities that we chose for Louisiana need to be included in this blog.  We will continue another day.