End of the Road Trip #11

End of the Road Trip #11

January 29, Fredericksburg, TX We were greeted at Ryneth ( the name of Ken and Libby’s home in the country) by Tom and Terri Biedermann who had left El Paso on the 28th and drove all night to FBG. They had sister Frances in tow, also. We and Libby and Ken left the next day.

Most of Terri’s family live in the San Antonio area so we celebrated New Year’s Eve and day with her mother, two brothers, sister and nephews.

Tom and Terri prepared the most sumptuous dinner. Tom loves to cook gourmet meals and he really showed himself proud for New Year’s Eve. He prepared an 18 pound crown pork roast with dressing, garlic mashed potatoes, vegetables, sautéed apples and pears. The first course was acorn squash soup, mmmmmmm good. Everything was superb. We ate, played games, watched The League of Grateful Sons and on TV we watched the ball fall in Times Square. A new year has begun.

We stayed in the little log cabin down by the pond. This cabin had been dismantled log by log on a ranch and transported to the Biedermann property and assembled log by log. It is very rustic but does have an indoor bathroom with all the conveniences. Hooray!!!

Libby and I had breakfast with the “walking group” on Wednesday morning. It was so good to reunite with special friends.

Bill and I went to the National Museum of the War in the Pacific where we had been docents. They showed us the expansion plans which will be finished in two years. It will be double the size that it is now. Some day you should visit this important Museum.

It is always hard to leave Fredericksburg. The eleven years we lived there was a significant season in our lives.

On to Conroe, just north of Houston, to visit the Blackwells who had also lived in Fredericksburg for a season. They had a wonderful surprise for us. Their pastor came by and introduced himself, “ Hello, I’m Buddy Burns. I grew up in Ysleta, Texas”. Well, so did I. (Mary) What fun we had reminiscing and remembering all the people and happenings there. He is ten years younger than I but we still knew all the same people and had both graduated from Ysleta High School. Ysleta isn’t even on the map any more but when we were there the population was about 2500. It is now incorporated in El Paso. The Ysleta Mission, touted to be the second oldest mission in the US, second to St. Augustine, FL, is still on the map. Ysleta is an ancient Indian word meaning island. There is a tribe in NM spelled Isleta to which they are related.

Before we leave Texas, we need to tell you that just south of Houston the final decisive battle for Texas Independence was fought at San Jacinto. Santa Ana was finally defeated. He tried to disguise himself by putting on a regular soldier’s uniform but when he passed his men who had been taken prisoner by the Texans, they recognized him and called out, General, general, general..(hen-e-RAL) He was beloved by his troops. Santa Ana signed the surrender document and was deported to Mexico. His popularity grew and he was elected to be President of Mexico. Texas became The Republic of Texas: a country of its own and later became a state of the United States.
The Space Center is in Houston.

Traveled I-10 to Louisiana. Found the last room available for a 100 mile radius of New Orleans because of the College Bowl game between Ohio State and LSU (Louisiana State University). Bill’s family was living in Baton Rouge in 1950. We left Alaska for a vacation and to get our degrees in Education from LSU. LSU won the game.

We have driven east to west in this extensive landscape of God’s creation. We are in awe of its vastness and beauty and order. The Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us with manifold blessings and you our readers are some of those blessings.

Today, January 8, we complete our journey on Bill’s birthday. What a great way to celebrate his 85 years. An added blessing is that Peter, Kelly and Triumph are here. We are blessed to see our children’s children’s children.

I-10 to Mobile, AL I-65 to Montgomery, AL I-85 to Atlanta to I-20…. I-20 to I-95 to I-40 to Raleigh. We will take the 540 loop then up 401 to Rolesville, NC and on to the Barn.

We covered 15 States, 6300 Miles in 11 Weeks. Whew!!! It is good to be home at last.

So Long for now and thanks for traveling with us.

On the Road # 10

On the Road #10


December 25, we departed California at Blythe on I-10, and crossed the Colorado River which is the border between California and Arizona. Not only does the Colorado River water flow with gravity toward Los Angeles but it has recently been diverted east, toward Phoenix and to other arid places. This water has allowed the people of Arizona to become large scale farmers. There are miles of citrus groves, cotton and feed for cattle. This has altered their climate. The desert is more humid now. Just west of Phoenix are three giant nuclear reactors that generate enormous amounts of electricity.
Question…name three other nuclear plants in the US?

We spent Christmas Night in Phoenix and the next morning, December 26, convoyed with our daughter, JoAnn and her two sons, Kris and Bobby.
At Deming, NM we looked South toward the Mexican Border and saw a tethered blimp that the Border Patrol uses to guard our border.

In El Paso we stopped by Mary’s brother, Tom. He and his wife live on the west side of Mt. Franklin with a spectacular view of El Paso and Juarez. His three children, their spouses and their children were all there; seventeen in all. What a delightful beginning to the three day reunion.
. Brother Tom took us all to his garage to see the radio controlled air planes that he builds. His latest is a replica of The Spirit of St Louis which has a twelve foot wing span. Our two grandsons and his grandsons experienced a lot of hanger talk.

December 27 nine cars and vans motored two hours to the loneliest ranch you can imagine. The last thirty eight miles were on a dirt road. We paused at one point to watch a heard of forty Antelope running through the ranch land. The Bob Jones Ranch is 400 square miles. They run about 800 head of cattle. When there is a good snow fall the grass is shoulder high.

At the Cornudas, strong winds were up all day long and it was very cold. We ate in the lea of the mountain and enjoyed the stories told by Bob Jones of the Butterfield Stage and of the Indians who lived there. The Buffalo Soldiers left their mark here as well. Mary’s dad lived here in his early teens and experienced many adventures. There are Indian pictographs and evidence of the Mastodon having roamed there.

We returned to the hotel for a short time and headed for the Indian Hills Ranch at Fabens, TX to have steak at the Cattleman’s Steak House and to celebrate out sixtieth wedding anniversary.
This is the place where we celebrated Mary’s dad’s 100th birthday.
Picture the back drop of a Western movie set; this was where we had our steak.
There were 58 family members gathered. Tom closed the doors and gave Carol and JoAnn the floor. They shared sweet thoughts and memories and then we had fun telling a few things about our sixty years together.
December 28, we all caravanned 80 miles on I-10, which parallels the Rio Grande River, to the Neely Ranch. It was a day of feasting, horse back riding, hiking to the River and looking at the geologic formations that look like ice cream cones. In the late afternoon we had tea time and celebrated another anniversary. Our cousins Raymond and Betsy Whetstone were married 33years ago at the ranch on this same day. We danced the evening away on the black top at the side of the ranch house. David Brown had downloaded just the right music; there was the Virginia Reel, Schottische, Put your Little Foot, Waltz Across Texas, Cotton Eyed Joe and others. Thanks David.

December 29 was the day of departure. Some went to the White Sands in NM. Investigate the geology of White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns NM. The White Sands are not composed of sand. What is it?

We continued on I-10 east to Fredericksburg, TX. At exit 284 there were many, many wind chargers. Can you name other places where these wind chargers are generating electricity?

Love, Gan and Granmary

































On the Road #10


December 25, we departed California at Blythe on I-10, and crossed the Colorado River which is the border between California and Arizona. Not only does the Colorado River water flow with gravity toward Los Angeles but it has recently been diverted east, toward Phoenix and to other arid places. This water has allowed the people of Arizona to become large scale farmers. There are miles of citrus groves, cotton and feed for cattle. This has altered their climate. The desert is more humid now. Just west of Phoenix are three giant nuclear reactors that generate enormous amounts of electricity.
Question…name three other nuclear plants in the US?

We spent Christmas Night in Phoenix and the next morning, December 26, convoyed with our daughter, JoAnn and her two sons, Kris and Bobby.
At Deming, NM we looked South toward the Mexican Border and saw a tethered blimp that the Border Patrol uses to guard our border.

In El Paso we stopped by Mary’s brother, Tom. He and his wife live on the west side of Mt. Franklin with a spectacular view of El Paso and Juarez. His three children, their spouses and their children were all there; seventeen in all. What a delightful beginning to the three day reunion.
. Brother Tom took us all to his garage to see the radio controlled air planes that he builds. His latest is a replica of The Spirit of St Louis which has a twelve foot wing span. Our two grandsons and his grandsons experienced a lot of hanger talk.

December 27 nine cars and vans motored two hours to the loneliest ranch you can imagine. The last thirty eight miles were on a dirt road. We paused at one point to watch a heard of forty Antelope running through the ranch land. The Bob Jones Ranch is 400 square miles. They run about 800 head of cattle. When there is a good snow fall the grass is shoulder high.

At the Cornudas, strong winds were up all day long and it was very cold. We ate in the lea of the mountain and enjoyed the stories told by Bob Jones of the Butterfield Stage and of the Indians who lived there. The Buffalo Soldiers left their mark here as well. Mary’s dad lived here in his early teens and experienced many adventures. There are Indian pictographs and evidence of the Mastodon having roamed there.

We returned to the hotel for a short time and headed for the Indian Hills Ranch at Fabens, TX to have steak at the Cattleman’s Steak House and to celebrate out sixtieth wedding anniversary.
This is the place where we celebrated Mary’s dad’s 100th birthday.
Picture the back drop of a Western movie set; this was where we had our steak.
There were 58 family members gathered. Tom closed the doors and gave Carol and JoAnn the floor. They shared sweet thoughts and memories and then we had fun telling a few things about our sixty years together.
December 28, we all caravanned 80 miles on I-10, which parallels the Rio Grande River, to the Neely Ranch. It was a day of feasting, horse back riding, hiking to the River and looking at the geologic formations that look like ice cream cones. In the late afternoon we had tea time and celebrated another anniversary. Our cousins Raymond and Betsy Whetstone were married 33years ago at the ranch on this same day. We danced the evening away on the black top at the side of the ranch house. David Brown had downloaded just the right music; there was the Virginia Reel, Schottische, Put your Little Foot, Waltz Across Texas, Cotton Eyed Joe and others. Thanks David.

December 29 was the day of departure. Some went to the White Sands in NM. Investigate the geology of White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns NM. The White Sands are not composed of sand. What is it?

We continued on I-10 east to Fredericksburg, TX. At exit 284 there were many, many wind chargers. Can you name other places where these wind chargers are generating electricity?

Love, Gan and Granmary

































On the Road #10


December 25, we departed California at Blythe on I-10, and crossed the Colorado River which is the border between California and Arizona. Not only does the Colorado River water flow with gravity toward Los Angeles but it has recently been diverted east, toward Phoenix and to other arid places. This water has allowed the people of Arizona to become large scale farmers. There are miles of citrus groves, cotton and feed for cattle. This has altered their climate. The desert is more humid now. Just west of Phoenix are three giant nuclear reactors that generate enormous amounts of electricity.
Question…name three other nuclear plants in the US?

We spent Christmas Night in Phoenix and the next morning, December 26, convoyed with our daughter, JoAnn and her two sons, Kris and Bobby.
At Deming, NM we looked South toward the Mexican Border and saw a tethered blimp that the Border Patrol uses to guard our border.

In El Paso we stopped by Mary’s brother, Tom. He and his wife live on the west side of Mt. Franklin with a spectacular view of El Paso and Juarez. His three children, their spouses and their children were all there; seventeen in all. What a delightful beginning to the three day reunion.
. Brother Tom took us all to his garage to see the radio controlled air planes that he builds. His latest is a replica of The Spirit of St Louis which has a twelve foot wing span. Our two grandsons and his grandsons experienced a lot of hanger talk.

December 27 nine cars and vans motored two hours to the loneliest ranch you can imagine. The last thirty eight miles were on a dirt road. We paused at one point to watch a heard of forty Antelope running through the ranch land. The Bob Jones Ranch is 400 square miles. They run about 800 head of cattle. When there is a good snow fall the grass is shoulder high.

At the Cornudas, strong winds were up all day long and it was very cold. We ate in the lea of the mountain and enjoyed the stories told by Bob Jones of the Butterfield Stage and of the Indians who lived there. The Buffalo Soldiers left their mark here as well. Mary’s dad lived here in his early teens and experienced many adventures. There are Indian pictographs and evidence of the Mastodon having roamed there.

We returned to the hotel for a short time and headed for the Indian Hills Ranch at Fabens, TX to have steak at the Cattleman’s Steak House and to celebrate out sixtieth wedding anniversary.
This is the place where we celebrated Mary’s dad’s 100th birthday.
Picture the back drop of a Western movie set; this was where we had our steak.
There were 58 family members gathered. Tom closed the doors and gave Carol and JoAnn the floor. They shared sweet thoughts and memories and then we had fun telling a few things about our sixty years together.
December 28, we all caravanned 80 miles on I-10, which parallels the Rio Grande River, to the Neely Ranch. It was a day of feasting, horse back riding, hiking to the River and looking at the geologic formations that look like ice cream cones. In the late afternoon we had tea time and celebrated another anniversary. Our cousins Raymond and Betsy Whetstone were married 33years ago at the ranch on this same day. We danced the evening away on the black top at the side of the ranch house. David Brown had downloaded just the right music; there was the Virginia Reel, Schottische, Put your Little Foot, Waltz Across Texas, Cotton Eyed Joe and others. Thanks David.

December 29 was the day of departure. Some went to the White Sands in NM. Investigate the geology of White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns NM. The White Sands are not composed of sand. What is it?

We continued on I-10 east to Fredericksburg, TX. At exit 284 there were many, many wind chargers. Can you name other places where these wind chargers are generating electricity?

Love, Gan and Granmary

































On the Road #10


December 25, we departed California at Blythe on I-10, and crossed the Colorado River which is the border between California and Arizona. Not only does the Colorado River water flow with gravity toward Los Angeles but it has recently been diverted east, toward Phoenix and to other arid places. This water has allowed the people of Arizona to become large scale farmers. There are miles of citrus groves, cotton and feed for cattle. This has altered their climate. The desert is more humid now. Just west of Phoenix are three giant nuclear reactors that generate enormous amounts of electricity.
Question…name three other nuclear plants in the US?

We spent Christmas Night in Phoenix and the next morning, December 26, convoyed with our daughter, JoAnn and her two sons, Kris and Bobby.
At Deming, NM we looked South toward the Mexican Border and saw a tethered blimp that the Border Patrol uses to guard our border.

In El Paso we stopped by Mary’s brother, Tom. He and his wife live on the west side of Mt. Franklin with a spectacular view of El Paso and Juarez. His three children, their spouses and their children were all there; seventeen in all. What a delightful beginning to the three day reunion.
. Brother Tom took us all to his garage to see the radio controlled air planes that he builds. His latest is a replica of The Spirit of St Louis which has a twelve foot wing span. Our two grandsons and his grandsons experienced a lot of hanger talk.

December 27 nine cars and vans motored two hours to the loneliest ranch you can imagine. The last thirty eight miles were on a dirt road. We paused at one point to watch a heard of forty Antelope running through the ranch land. The Bob Jones Ranch is 400 square miles. They run about 800 head of cattle. When there is a good snow fall the grass is shoulder high.

At the Cornudas, strong winds were up all day long and it was very cold. We ate in the lea of the mountain and enjoyed the stories told by Bob Jones of the Butterfield Stage and of the Indians who lived there. The Buffalo Soldiers left their mark here as well. Mary’s dad lived here in his early teens and experienced many adventures. There are Indian pictographs and evidence of the Mastodon having roamed there.

We returned to the hotel for a short time and headed for the Indian Hills Ranch at Fabens, TX to have steak at the Cattleman’s Steak House and to celebrate out sixtieth wedding anniversary.
This is the place where we celebrated Mary’s dad’s 100th birthday.
Picture the back drop of a Western movie set; this was where we had our steak.
There were 58 family members gathered. Tom closed the doors and gave Carol and JoAnn the floor. They shared sweet thoughts and memories and then we had fun telling a few things about our sixty years together.
December 28, we all caravanned 80 miles on I-10, which parallels the Rio Grande River, to the Neely Ranch. It was a day of feasting, horse back riding, hiking to the River and looking at the geologic formations that look like ice cream cones. In the late afternoon we had tea time and celebrated another anniversary. Our cousins Raymond and Betsy Whetstone were married 33years ago at the ranch on this same day. We danced the evening away on the black top at the side of the ranch house. David Brown had downloaded just the right music; there was the Virginia Reel, Schottische, Put your Little Foot, Waltz Across Texas, Cotton Eyed Joe and others. Thanks David.

December 29 was the day of departure. Some went to the White Sands in NM. Investigate the geology of White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns NM. The White Sands are not composed of sand. What is it?

We continued on I-10 east to Fredericksburg, TX. At exit 284 there were many, many wind chargers. Can you name other places where these wind chargers are generating electricity?

Love, Gan and Granmary