Today was the end of the trail. It was a short day too, with only 4 1/2 hours on the road. We returned to a cold house; it was deja vu all over again, again. Last January, after returning back from Sally’s mom’s 98th birthday, we were greeted with the same scenario: the radiant floor heating was not working, and the same boiler was still serving up the on-demand hot water.
Today was Cavern Day. The VRBO is a mere 35 miles from the caverns, and we had a 9:30 timed entry pass, so naturally we left ‘home’ at like 8:00 AM. We thought the road might still be icy, but it wasn’t, and our 8:30 arrival at the Visitor Center meant we were in for a 30-minute wait before we could get in the building. I parked facing the south at Sally’s suggestion because it allowed a nice view out over the valley from our elevation in the Guadalupe Mountains. By the time they opened the doors, there were a half-dozen folks waiting with us to get in. We had to check in and show our National Park pass and the reservation ticket.
After wandering the 2 gift shops and a restroom visit, we were ready to ride the elevator down the 750 feet to the Big Room. Our original intention was to walk down the natural entrance, but we couldn’t because it was closed due to the ice remaining at least halfway down. Turns out the ride was kind of worth it, because after finishing walking the mile and a half loop around the inside, we were ready to get back up to the top.
I put the visit on par with the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere; it was worth the money for the experience, but I don’t need to see it again.
When we got off I-10 to head north towards Carlsbad, it was in the town of Fort Stockton, TX. That name was somehow familiar, and I thought I might have been there before. Sally had picked out my photo of the day while she was looking around for gas. The town’s claim to fame was a very large roadrunner statue called Paisano Pete. When I saw it, I was pretty sure it wasn’t for the first time. When I got back in the car, I checked my external memory bank, this here blog, and sure enough, Donna and I spent a night here in 2013 on our way to meet her brothers in Big Bend National Park.
I, of course, can’t be certain that I have seen the statue before, but when I get back home to Fairview, I’ll have a look in a photo album…kids, a photo album is where you store the glossy 3×5 pieces of paper that have an image on them from the developed film…kids, film is not a movie, but a roll of photosensitive…oh, forget it. I’ll check to see if I do have a photo of the roadrunner statue from back then.
World’s Largest Mule Shoe?
I got to check off a Roadside America thing today that I missed back in May of this year, the World’s Largest Mule Shoe. I’m not so sure it is even a mule shoe; it is more of a horizontal McDonald’s logo made of cement with mule shoes imbedded in it. The Roadside America write-up’s location led straight to a mule statue, not the big shoe, which is located at the town’s Heritage Center. The center looked like a very interesting place to visit, but because it’s a short hop (comparatively) from Lubbock to Santa Fe, we were there before they opened.
Quanah Parker Arrow, Muleshoe
Monday Morning Mural
Today was spent running errands, getting new wipers for the GTI, and grocery shopping for the week. Going to the gym to stretch out those stiff “sitting in the car” muscles. And, working around the house, with yard work for her and inside stuff from my “job” jar.
K Falls Morning
Looking West—the Columbia River From the Maryhill Museum
I bailed kind of early and made a stop at a Roadside America attraction, the Maryhill Stonehenge, just down the street from where the car show was before getting on I-84 to head home.
Maryhill Stonehenge