<– Day 11 & 12 – Wed. & Thurs Apr. 22rd & 23th:  Road to Recovery  | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 14 – Sat. Apr. 25th: Saddleblankets to Prada –>

When you are in Tularosa, it is easy to go nuts for pistachios.

Finally, we made it to Texas. Now our trip can start, right? It wasn’t a long day, but if felt good to be back on the road again. Here was our rather short drive:

Before we left Tularosa, we made sure to stop by and ham it up in front of the world’s largest pistachio (see pic at top of the post).

From there, we drove south on highway 54 until we saw the magic sign:

Our first and only real stop of the day was at the National Border Patrol Museum. Surprisingly, it is entirely donor based. No federal funding is used to support the museum.

Inside, the museum is divided into small sections. One area was devoted to Border Patrol vehicles. Another honored those agents that had died. One section explained the history of the Patrol, how it originated, and its evolution over time. It’s a nice little museum that doesn’t take long to explore.

Of course, I was there to see the jeeps. In fact, their 1947 CJ-2A is one of the center-pieces of the vehicle exhibit. The jeep was assembled by volunteers. The front frame rails have more patches than a leftovers quilt. And, the floors aren’t particularly pretty. But, it’s doing the job!

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<– Day 10 – Tue. Apr. 21st:  Another One Bites the Dust | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 13 – Fri. Apr. 24th: We Made it to Texas –>

On Wednesday I had a slight relapse, mostly from lack of sleep, but Wednesday night I finally got some good sleep (10 hours worth) with the help of Tylenol PM. That’s exactly what I needed. All Thursday I felt like myself. Ann felt good all day too (even got herself a pedicure).

Feeling confident, we will hit the road again today (Friday) and we will FINALLY be in Texas by Friday evening! It’s only taken a week and a half to get there. Our first stop in El Paso is to see a museum about some jeeps.

And so we bid adeiu to Fred and Cindy, the Stong Hospital and Recovery Compound, and the panoramic backyard view we enjoyed through sickness and in health. Not much happens in their backyard, but it was enough to entertain us for a week whether day or night.

<– Day 10 – Tue. Apr. 21st:  Another One Bites the Dust | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 13 – Fri. Apr. 24th: We Made it to Texas –>

<– Day 9 – Mon. Apr. 20th: Recovering from the Plague | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 11 & 12 – Wed. & Thurs Apr. 22nd & 23rd:  Road to Recovery –>

To whom should credit be given for that all-too-accurate phrase, ‘no good deed goes unpunished’? One need look no further than our bedroom to comprehend its accuracy. To wit, my wonderful wife who cared for me during my darkest hours with the plague has now succumbed to its wretched claws. Now she suffers the coughs, the chills, and all manner of inhumane indignities brought on by the horrid influenza. Tissues (with aloe) shall become her solace as she extricates the worst of dregs, nasally, from her being.

On a sunnier note, as of this evening I have shaken the devil from me. No chills, no fever, no sweating, and no more tissues!! It is no less a miracle than Jesus with Lazarus. I am reborn!

So, yes dear readers, we remain in quarantine for a couple more days. We are now a month behind my initial schedule. Fortunately, schedules matter naught to us!

Sunset in Tularosa

<– Day 9 – Mon. Apr. 20th: Recovering from the Plague | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 11 & 12 – Wed. & Thurs Apr. 22nd & 23rd:  Road to Recovery –>

<– Day 8 – Sun. Apr. 19th: Resting and Recovery | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 10 – Tue. Apr. 21st:  Another One Bites the Dust –>

I felt better today, but still sneezing and coughing quite a bit, so I laid low. However, Ann spent some time wandering around Alamogordo taking photos (good for her!). She even managed to wiggle her way onto private grounds to photograph a building used in several movies (Fred and Cindy tells us that usually NO ONE is allowed to go inside the gates). I hope to publish some of her photos on Wednesday.  We will most likely leave Tularosa on Wednesday.

I got a bit of good news. Ann and I will be the inaugural guests at Red River’s Bed and Breakfast in Fredericksburg, Texas (once the plague leaves me and we can make it there). Tomorrow I will nail down a date with James.

James runs the Red River Jeep Tours in Red River, NM, along with the Uncorked Wine Tour and now a bed and breakfast in Fredericksburg.

How about those bed lights!

<– Day 8 – Sun. Apr. 19th: Resting and Recovery | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 10 – Tue. Apr. 21st:  Another One Bites the Dust –>

<– Day 7 – Sat. Apr. 18th: No Scum Allowed | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 9 – Mon. Apr. 20th: Recovering from the Plague –>

I stuck to the bed on Sunday. I’m not terribly sick by any means, just semi-tortured by a continuous cough that won’t let me sleep or talk much without coughing. Hopefully with a day of rest, we’ll be ready to go by Tuesday.

On the positive side, I’ve had time to read a couple books. I’m particularly enjoying a book called Great Stagecoach Robberies of the Old West. As the title indicates, it is a history of major stagecoach robberies!

<– Day 7 – Sat. Apr. 18th: No Scum Allowed | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 9 – Mon. Apr. 20th: Recovering from the Plague –>

<– Day 6 – Fri. Apr. 17th: Art Fair in Alamogordo, NM | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 8 – Sun. Apr. 19th: Resting and Recovery –>

Ann and her aunt Cindy with Smokey Bear in the background

I was feeling better Saturday morning, so rather than rest, Uncle Fred and Aunt Cindy joined Ann and I for a short road trip into New Mexico’s mountains to hunt down a former gold town called White Oaks.

Today we completed a grand circle through part of New Mexico.

The first hour of the trip consisted of flat New Mexican landscape and an even less interesting highway. However, the company kept that part of the journey interesting.

Sign in Carrizozo.

We stopped in the tiny town of Carrizozo to grab some Advil, as Fred has suffered a serious and life-threatening elbow injury at the hands of his grandchildren, whom Fred has discovered are now big enough to mob him and take him down. And by life-threatening elbow injury I mean the injury effects his dominant arm, thus it seriously curtails the ability for him to eat or drink with it (hence, threatens his way of life).

It turned out that the arm injury was a blessing for the rest of us, because as Cindy and I sat in the Jeep waiting for Ann and Fred to return, we spotted a donkey (or ass??) on top of a building a block away that was off the well-traveled highway. When Ann and Fred returned, we decided to investigate.

Donkeys on the roofs of both buildings in Carrizozo. There were also donkeys on the sidewalks. You might also recognize this area from the movie “The Book of Eli” which was filmed along this street, though there were facades added in certain areas.

More donkeys and other sculptures in a hidden alcove.

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