<– Day 35 – Sat. May 16th: The End of Texas | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 37-40 – May 18th-21st: Research  –>

Three of the nine jeeps in Sagauche, Colorado. These are sitting at the edge of town. This is downtown!

Today was supposed to be about doing some family research, but I was in for a surprise!

Today I traveled from Alamosa to Pueblo.

I started the morning with a scraper in my right hand and my left plunged into my pocket. After weeks of warm weather, emerging into 32 degree temperatures shocked my being. With my window partially scraped, I could see just enough to drive myself to the local Campus Cafe, which served some good eggs and hash browns (a Yelp find).

My first stop of the trip was to see a very unique motel called Movie Manor. Run by Best Western, the motel plays movies on two drive-in screens. The speakers are hooked into the motel rooms. I priced it at $89, but figured I was too busy to watch the movies, so I found a cheaper place. Still, I wouldn’t mind returning with Ann sometime. They were playing two recently released movies, Avengers and Mad Max. Not bad!

Following movie manor I expected an uneventful drive to Monarch Pass. Instead, as I was driving through the sleepy town of Saguache (not even sure how to pronounce it) that is nearly small enough to have “Welcome to Saguache” on both sides of the same sign, I spotted a flat fender. As I approached more closely, I spotted a second. Then I spotted a couple more. By this time my foot was on the brake and my hand was on a camera. I had find out why these jeeps were sitting in the Gillette’s Trading Post parking lot in a middle-of-a-nowhere town like Saguache.

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<– Day 36 – Sun. May 17th: Tracking the Ore | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 41-43 – May 22nd-24th: Omaha-Bound –>

On May 18th and May 19th I spent time in Pueblo to do some research. The only semi-interesting photo is this one showing under a sign on Eilers street, named for the Eilers Smelter, aka The Colorado Smelting Company.

The next update with be on May 22nd, which marks the day Ann returns to Colorado and we head to Omaha for her son’s graduation.

<– Day 36 – Sun. May 17th: Tracking the Ore | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 41-43 – May 22nd-24th: Omaha-Bound –>

<– Day 34 – Fri. May 15th: High Plains Drifter | TRIP OVERVIEW | Day 36 – Sun. May 17th: Tracking the Ore –>

Today was my last day in Texas. Both Ann and I feel satisfied that we did enough and went enough places to get a taste of Texas regions. We appreciate Lee, Sam, Brian and Jason for taking time to meet and talk with us. Also, as always, we appreciate everyone’s suggestions!!

Today I drove from Amarillo, Texas, to Alamosa, Colorado.

To bid me a memorable goodbye, Amarillo threw me a thundershower party. There was thunder, lightening and plenty of rain. The worst of it came just as I stepped out of the motel with my arms loaded with stuff for the Jeep. So, I ran for the jeep and unlocked it as quickly as I could, but I still got pretty drenched!! I hopped in the jeep and drove to the covered area by the reception desk and snapped this photo.

Rather than try to photograph the Cadillac Ranch area in the rain, I headed north hoping to escape the storm. The plan actually worked. Within an hour I was cruising along under clear blue skies.

I even got a chance to see one last jeep before leaving Texas:

I wanted to drive to Oklahoma to see Boise City, a place heavily affected by the Dust Storms of the 1930s. The museum wasn’t open when I drove through the city, but I did find this tribute to a bomb dropped by a B-17 during 1943. My wife reminded me that this is why bombs are not armed until ready to drop. There are a surprising number of accidental bomb droppings I’m told, but safety procedures and good luck have kept us safe.

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