As far west as we're going, this year.

As I write this I am watching out our dining room window as the setting sun plays its shadow and color tricks on the Chocolate Mountains about a mile away. We're right near the base of the mountains and where you might expect to see sand, dirt, and wasteland there is incredible beauty. Photos of our campground and immediate area to follow in next posting. For today, here are some views along the route from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

In west Texas there is a county named Winkler. The county is named after a Confederate General Clinton Winkler. Only two towns in the entire county. Pretty desolate, except for an abundance of oil wells.

Wink is one of the two towns. It was a very windy day.

New Mexico sky with UFO clouds. Maybe that's what folks saw back in the 1940's.

Did I mention that we had some windy days?

Our traveling gnome helped us keep a watch for rattlesnakes (per the warning signs) at New Mexico Visitors station near Las Cruces.

Typical scenery for Arizona, and New Mexico, etc.

Pat and the guide in the Bird Cage Theater/Saloon/Museum in Tombstone AZ

Pat getting friendly with the local brothel inspector in Tombstone.

Alert stage coach driver and horses waiting for a fare in Tombstone.

If you saw the Curt Russell or Kevin Costner versions of the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone you would know what/where this is.

Gunfight reenactment in Tombstone.

They were really using blanks, so everyone is really OK.

This guy at the bar didn't talk much, but he could really hold his liquor.

Boot Hill Cemetery in Tombstone.

Lots of big sky in Arizona.

Sand dunes at entrance to southern California. Still about 40 miles from our campground.

More notes on the westward road

Who says our dogs don't have fun on the road. Annie and Molly had a great time playing with Pogo the cat (who, by the way, is now on Facebook) at Son Steve's house.

At Lake Benbrook near Fort Worth, Texas.

No idea why this tire blew. I check all tires daily, but this one went off like a cannon shot on I-20 west of Fort Worth.

Fortunately, we got stopped OK and the shoulder is wide along the interstate.

Good Sam Emergency Road Service had us going, with a new tire, in just under two hours.

At the Good Sam, Texas Samboree in Abilene, Texas. Found ourselves becoming acquainted with yet another American sub-culture. These "mature adults" are making up for all the patches and uniforms they may not have had a chance to wear when they were kids. He/She who dies with the most patches wins.

And yes, there was musical entertainment. The Good Sams brought it a Polka Band just for our entertainment on Thursday night. Woo Hoo Hoo!

The trip westward continues. Today, Tuesday, we are in Las Cruces, New Mexico enjoying the sand and sagebrush. Our campground is 100% covered with crushed rock, more like pea gravel, that is raked smooth daily. Annie and Molly are confused because they can't find ANY grass.

Now on a westerly heading...

Since leaving Fort Worth, Texas on October 21 we've been on a westerly heading toward California. Haven't gotten very far as we interrupted our travels to take in the Texas Good Sam Samboree in Abilene. What follows is some of the stuff we have encountered in the last week or two on the road.

In the small town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma is the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum. It's really small-town and rural, and is the only tourist attraction in the area. But it is interesting, and well done.

The day of our visit we found a guest celebrity on hand. The gentleman in the white hat is Don Reynolds, now living in Texas, who played the part of Little Beaver in the last four episodes of the Red Ryder movies filmed in 1949-1952.

Here Don Reynolds is showing Pat some of the actors he worked with while filming the Red Ryder movies.

Did I mention that Gene Autry, Oklahoma is rather rural? This is the crossroads leading to the museum.

Today, October 23, finds us still in Abilene. The Samboree winds up this evening, and since it is raining (and flooding) in the area we are having kind of a down day. Tomorrow we continue westward past Midland/Odessa and on into Winkler County where we will visit the towns of Kermit and Wink as a side trip. It just doesn't get more exciting. Next entry will catch up on Fort Worth to Abilene and the Samboree.

We're heading for California, but it's not a straight line

We're really on our way to California where we will be working all winter, but it's taking us a long time to get there, and there is a lot of detours and change of scenery. Photos cover from northern Illinois to Minnesota and back to Illinois. Pretty soon we'll get serious and set the compass on West and boogy. Until then, here's a catch-up.

Just before leaving northern Illinois we visited an apple orchard just east of Rockford. Angel and her girls were with us.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a sleek delivery truck like this one?

In Saint Paul, we got together with grandsons Dominic and Gregory at Olivia's birthday party.

Angel came from Illinois for Olivia's birthday.

Side trip to Silver Bay where we visited with my sister, Shirley, and b-i-l Vern, who did the honors on the barbecued chickens.

Side trip on the side trip - we traveled the new Forest Highway 11 from Silver Bay to the Iron Range. Nice road, beautiful scenery.

Visited in Rochester with brother Ted and wife Betty, also daughter Amy. Side trip from there was to Lanesboro, passing through Chatfield, above, and Fountain, below where we JUST missed the lutefisk dinner by a mere 24 hours (whew!).

Street scene is scenic Lanesboro.

Pat, Betty and Ted in the Pedal Pushers Cafe.

On to Champaign IL to see sister Kate and her husband, George. Camped at a very pleasant, small campground just two miles north of Champaign on a small private lake.

Our gnome enjoying the view from the dock.

On to Mascoutah to see son, Steve. Next door neighbor girls really like Annie and Molly.

View in Steve's back yard.

Pat and Donna Farrer (former neighbor from Saint Paul) at Eckert's Orchard near Belleville IL.

From here, Mascoutah IL, we'll be moving on to Fort Worth TX and then westward from there.