December 25th, 2024: We woke up rested and refreshed … and I was glad to see that Holland was feeling much better.
Yesterday's incident had me concerned: we were driving through the Indian Reservation, when Holland was hit with a dizzy spell, slowing down and saying, "I think you're going to have to drive for little bit, Babe." I turned from my landscape gazing, and saw he had a hand on his forehead and was slowly pulling over. That immediately concerned me: Holland is steady and sturdy as an Oak - I've never seen him in a weak moment. Ever. I know some of his medical history; I was concerned. I asked, "What's wrong? What is it?" He said, "I just got hit with dizziness." I said, "Can you breathe? Do I need to call 911?" He assured me that {it} was not that serious, but he needed me to drive for a bit. I said, "Maybe we should turn back towards Yuma, Holland. I'm concerned. You mean more to me than a road trip - I'd like to keep you around so we can annoy the hell out of each other for another 15 or 20 years." He shot me a weak smile, saying, "It's probably the altitude; nothing to be overly concerned about. We're at a halfway point in this trip - it makes more sense to finish the loop." Not so sure, but willing to stay calm for his sake, I changed seats with him; asking him if he'd taken his blood pressure pills - he said he hadn't: so, I gave him a raised eyebrow, prayed for him, and didn't turn the ignition key until he swallowed the pills.
Holland isn't on the same wave-length as I am, when it comes to medication - and until he is … he needs the meds. And I'm no fool: if he needs them, he needs to use them at full strength - and I will ferry him to a medical facility if that is what he needs (I always make it a point to locate the nearest medical facility where ever we are, in case I need to rush him there). Holland, in return, has agreed to honor my personal wishes - I carry those decisions on me always, complete with Holland's witness signature & a legal notary stamp; this was agreed to before I agreed to marry him.
Holland says he's been only using half dose when he does swallow the pills, and he says he needs to eat something when he takes the medication; he hates to eat or drink anything on the road, so he hasn't been doing either - which had me silently counting to 10, while giving him the raised eyebrow stare; the environment surrounding us, is heavy with dusty sand particles … and we are traveling through thin-air elevations.
So, yesterday - before turning the ignition key, I made him promise to take the meds every day, at full strength until if and when he asks for healing, and gets it.
Yes, we are 2 hard-heads: but in this case, I insisted on winning the stand off. I was seriously concerned.
He looked better this morning; and was gamely driving me around Roswell-NM looking for UFO stuff to tickle my fancy ;-)
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Solar Company, in Roswell-NM
Roswell Museum & Art Building-NM
Robert Goddard Statue and Rocket; Roswell-NM:
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/21938
Goddard School Mural; Roswell-NM
PIC: #6a - Cute, festive, Alien Lamp Posts & Alien Donuts; Roswell-NM
Invasion Station is an alien themed gift shop located in Roswell, NM. The owner has family ties to the original incident response team for the crash; (https://www.invasionstation.com/about/)
Currently, on December 2024, Brett Velicovich, former defense official claims states "Government is hiding the truth on mysterious drones": (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5SPFv79RHk)
Rocket Age Flash Gordon 1954–1955 TV serial shows: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3peCx8pAIM&list=PL2gsu7VGzgdZgxGHfD3SXqQIiRbeHubYe)
A bit further down main street, I saw the beautiful green dome of the Courthouse - and Holland pulled over so I could get a pictures of it.
Chaves County Courthouse; Roswell-NM
Directly across the street from the Courthouse, is a striking sculpture of legendary "Cattle King of the Pecos" John Simpson Chisum; and it is the centerpiece of Roswell's downtown public square. John Chisum was a rancher who established a ranching empire in New Mexico in 1873. His trail ran along the Pecos River for 150 miles.
John Chisum was moving to New Mexico around the time the first cattle herds began moving up the Chisholm Trail. He was the earliest drover to go west toward the New Mexico Territory.
John Simpson Chisum:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chisum
John Chisum Monument; Roswell-NM
Revamped vintage relic from the Past - also stationed in the Public Square & few feet from the Chisum Monument.
Roswell Rocket Slide:
(https://www.theroswellrocket.com/)
Kitty-corner from the Public Square, downtown Roswell, is the UFO Museum … so, I walked across the street to see what I could see ;-)
UFO Museum; Roswell-NM:
(https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47182-d270970-Reviews-Roswell_Museum-Roswell_New_Mexico.html & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_Museum)
Mac Brazil's Debris Field Monument-NM
On July 7th, 1947, following a violent electrical storm rancher W.W. “Mac” Brazil and his son Vernon, found debris on his ranch in Lincoln County-NM. The debris included rubber, metal, sticks, and tin foil - which the Brazil's collected, and delivered it to the sheriff of Roswell-NM
The Roswell Incident:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident
The sheriff contacted the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF), who released a statement that the debris was from a flying saucer. However, the military later retracted this statement and said it was actually from a weather balloon.
A 1994 National Security Agency report revealed that the debris was actually part of Project Mogul, a highly classified project that involved launching a 700-foot-long string of balloons, radar reflectors, and sonic equipment from Alamogordo base.
Project Mogul:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mogul
The military's explanation was the simplest and most plausible they could come up with on short notice. Because the project was classified, no one at the RAAF knew it existed.
There are many theories about what really happened, including:
A UFO crash
An egg-shaped craft the size of a Volkswagen Beetle
A cover-up by a secret committee of senior U.S. officials called the “Majestic 12”.
Majestic 12:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majestic_12
The crash site is located about 75 miles away from Roswell and is one of the most sought-after locations in New Mexico.
Candy Shop on the main strip, in downtown Roswell-NM
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Alien presence was everywhere, in Roswell ;-)
Reaching the end of Main Street … and my Sci-fi infatuation with Roswell-NM's background satiated; we continued our holiday loop drive forward :-D
Saint Peter Church - I'm not of the catholic religion, but I do find their buildings appealing; Roswell-NM
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The fenders drew my eye ;-)
We were surprised to see heavy, dense, fog as we were leaving Roswell-NM and aiming towards Carlsbad-NM: it resembled coastal fog. We could also see where a large flash flood had washed through the pastures, leaving large swaths of torn grass and piled debris from devastated buildings.
Foggy morning, leaving Roswell for Carlsbad-NM
Staticky hair & Alien humor ;-)
What a difference 10 mins can make …
Pump jacks for miles; Artesia-NM
Holland pointed to a "medium-sized oil derrick" standing in a field, and said he started working on them at 19 yo, for a couple years - smaller rigs (6 semi's used to move 1) for Texaco, in Oklahoma & Texas; up north in mediums rigs for Exxon & Chevron in Sweet Grass-Montana, Cutbank-Montana … and on very large rigs (state of the art & took 60 semi's to move 1 rig) in Williston-North Dakota & Minot-North Dakota for a Canadian Company named Blocker Drilling. He did these jobs before he started working construction jobs, around 22 yo.
Oil derrick in a field; Lovington-NM
He and his younger brothers were the youngest crew in the fields and they set a record for pulling pipe and making connection - and were oil magazine cover "stars" for a while ;-)
Grain Facility; Lovington-NM
Oil Storage; Lovington-NM
Crude Oil Tanks for train transport; Lovington-NM
Fuel truck going to collect; Lovington-NM
Small Oil Refinery; Lovington-NM
Burning off unusable gases; Lovington-NM
When we crossed the boundary line into Texas, I said to Holland, "I'm an Army Brat - last time I was in TX, was in the summer of 1958 where my parents lived in Army housing … and my mother was 4 mo.'s pregnant with my oldest brother, Mahlon": I was glad to see Texas as an adult.
I am glad to be making this memory with my husband; and I appreciate that he is willing to plan these road trips, and make these memories with me :-)
MADE TX before noon ;-)
Pecos-TX from Roswell-NM; 2h 54m (162 mi) via US Hwy 285 S
8-foot-tall painted cowboy boots in Pecos-TX; this was a new roadway through Texas that Holland has never been on. He has passed by Pecos many times on lifelong jaunts through Texas, but this was his first time making time to drive through Pecos.
Pecos's Boot Trail:
(https://permianproud.com/community/pecos-chamber-of-commerce-adds-some-kick-to-its-boot-trail/)
Later, I asked Holland if he knew the story of Pecos Bill - he said, "no" … so, I laughed and told him "back in the Day, the story was standard school reading when Texas History was taught; it's folklore literature."
Then I told him the story :-D
Pecos Bill is a fictional cowboy in stories set during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona:
{{As a young'un, Pecos Bill was traveling West with his family in their wagon, when a bump sent him flying out, into the desert sand - the wagon continued, unaware that Bill was no longer with them. He was subsequently raised with coyotes; and later as a teen, Bill was adopted by a cowboy & given a horse he named Widowmaker. When Bill was out and about one day, he was attacked by a mountain lion - though Bill lived among men now, still had a wild streak … he grabbed that mountain lion by the nape of it's neck and rode it, bucking and shouting "yahoo!" until that oversized cat was tamed. Another day, Bill was attacked by a huge rattlesnake - this rattlesnake was old and mean: he thought he was king of the desert. When the rattler struck out at Bill's heel, Bill grabbed the snake by the neck; squeezed hard and shook it - he held onto that wildly thrashing rattler until it was subdued, and recognized Bill as Boss. Bill rolled that snake up and carried it back to camp with him. When Bill spotted a run away cow, he tied it's tail and body together in a loop - threw it over the cow's head and caught the cow: he later taught the cowboys how to tie rope in like fashion, and so the lasso was created and used by cowboys ever thereafter. Bill also rode a wild mustang called Backbreaker, that no one else could ride … but that wild ride was nothing compared to cyclone Bill rode! Bill lassoed a cyclone with his rattlesnake lasso - jumped on it's rip-roaring back: the cyclone spun furiously and tried to throw Bill off - as it raced over the desert and into the distance of Arizona, rising high into the air and slamming it's tail end hard into the sun baked surface of the earth below, throwing sandy grit every which way; but Bill hung on until the cyclone had spent all it's furious energy. By that time, the two of them had gorged deep and severe gouges into the earth … and if you ever go to Arizona, you can see that canyon they created during that wild desert ride: it's called The Grand Canyon ;-)}}
Pecos Bill riding and taming a TX Cyclone.
Roy Rodgers & The Sons of The Pioneers - 'The Legend of Pecos Bill': (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-izs5Wi4TUQ)
The Grand Canyon belongs to the State of Arizona.
I admit that the story of Pecos Bill is silly, but it's meant to be: it is akin to Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed, & Paul Bunyan - humorous riddles with Historical points woven into the silliness. Life shouldn't always be serious. Laughter is good for the soul.
Pecos Bill: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecos_Bill)
On the freeway again, we found that there were no public relief stations - lots of "picnic areas" with picnic tables under covered cabanas … but no restrooms. For 100 miles.
Miles and miles of picnic tables under artfully sculpted & painted cabanas. NO restrooms anywhere in sight - just picnic tables. Period.
NO PUBLIC relief stations. Anywhere. But, if you need to stop and eat a sandwich, you can do that in relative comfort.
Rough Roads & Live Wire personality.
Headed towards El Paso-TX
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No expense was wasted on this freeway access … just cut a path thru the brush: we almost missed it because it looked like an unused side road ;-)
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Looks like Pecos Bill's wild ride may have touched down, here ;-)
TX landscape - like AZ & NM - is always shape shifting.
Our hopes of settling down South are quickly evaporating. Too dusty; El Paso-TX
Driving through colorful El Paso, I slipped my Los Lonely Boys CD into the player. We discussed more that our hopes of "sinking roots down South" was not going to be happening - there's just too much dust swirling in the air. Darn it! The hot sunshine feels so good on our skin, and the year'round warmth helps our bones feel good, too … but the continual dust-ups are making our struggling lungs unhappy with painful inflammation. I've waited a lifetime to get here … and now my body is pitching a fit; Holland has lived all over these southern states, but the years of heavy smoking has taken it's toll: so, moving back northward is becoming a new Life's Direction. Holland will be checking possible regions that may work for us.
I-10 El Pasco Route-TX
El Paso-TX:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso,_Texas)
I like the colorful southern freeway jungles; El Paso-TX
The Guardhouse features on the overpass of I-10 passing through El Paso-TX, could be a salute to Fort Bliss, which is located in the center of El Paso and extends north past the Texas state line into New Mexico.
Whatever the reason - they were cute ;-)
Overpass Guardhouses; El Paso-TX
El Paso is really a pretty city - it's bright & cheery … busy, but very, very colorful.
Another interesting freeway feature; El Paso-TX
Turquoise & Pink overpass colors; beautiful freeway driving. El Paso-TX
Lonely Boys Album:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7QwI600mp0&list=PLcopWzBueimzLSQRluwpQc38ONRyZzs5G)
An unsettling new experience, that is becoming weirdly comfortable … Holland's influence on my Life ;-)
We crossed back into New Mexico around 2:30 PM.
Back in New Mexico …
Roadrunner freeway corridor appeal; NM
Passing through Las Cruces-NM, we again caught sight of the massive Roadrunner Sculpture that overlooks the freeway - I didn't take a picture of it, because it was holey - and I assumed it was made of metal; the making of it though, is really unique.
But I still wouldn't have taken a picture of it because it was too massive to frame properly - this internet pic is the best view:
Roadrunner Statue; Las Cruces-NM:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/recycled-roadrunner-statue
Throughout my Christmas Road Trip route, we scouted for places we thought we may be able to settle in, here down South: but the dust in the air is so severe - e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. A perpetual dust cloud hovers over the Southern States; in every direction.
Betsy was covered with a dusty overlay as we moved through the States …
Betsy was coated with sandy dust on the outside of her … as well as inside; the finer dust particles creep in wherever they can enter through the slightest gap :-(
Sandy grit perpetually whipped up.
Driving, walking, standing still: there is continual dust in the air. The wind that blows through has the loose grit constantly whipped up and hanging over or heads. When it gets whipped by sudden wind gusts, like it did here, we can smell it - and taste the grit. It's hot here, we need the air conditioner ON … and that leads to lung burn.
We rented another Motel 6 room (different one - different part of Deming) - with another midget-sized commode (this must be a standard Motel 6 feature); ordered a pick-up-meal from the only food service establishment that was open … and settled in to relax, and turn our thoughts to formulating a new location plan.
Another night in Deming-NM
Christmas Supper; friendly service, good food.
Christmas Day agreement is that we will be looking for somewhere along the Oregon coastline, close to the CA borderline, to set down: we want warmth, but we also need to breathe easy without burning pain. And we should be safe there, too, from the CA wildfire smoke: the ocean breezes should make breathing coastline air relatively easy.
That is the hope, anyway.
(To be continued …)
**12-31-24: Blog Post - CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ROAD TRIP~#PT 2; (cont.); Las Cruces-NM; Christmas Eve 2024: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/12/christmas-holiday-road-trippt-2-cont.html)
