Friday, January 2, 2009

On The Road Again

Well, here we go again! Fox and I are camped at Palo Duro RV park just east of Canyon on the road to Palo Duro Canyon. We pulled in at 4pm yesterday and met Deb and Larry. Boy, the Casita sure looks tiny next to their rig. What a nostalgic trip this first day was. Guess the family has traveled this road 100s of times in the past 44 years. I haven't been here since just before Dad died 14 yrs ago. As I left Raton it felt like I was drifting into the past traveling HWY 87 through New Mexico to Clayton. What beautiful vistas! There was Capulin Mt. as it was millions of years ago when it spewed lava over the valley floor. Everywhere are hills of lava rock. Makes me wonder when the last time was it erupted. I'll have to look that up. The town of Capulin may have added one more art gallery but one gas station was boarded up, probably because of the high prices. The other villages like De Moins were almost ghost towns. As I pulled into Clayton it was like a picture out of the old west. . . wind blowing dust and tumbleweeds down the main street. No Hi HO Cafe, in fact, I looked for the building but couldn't find it, probably painted a different color or something.

I turned off 87 and took Boy's Ranch road. WOW, did that take me back in time. Would you believe the Canadain River was actually full of water. I think that is a first. Coming into Amarillo everything had changed so much that I took 3 wrong turns. Finally made it to the RV park where I met Deb and Larry. We all went out to Palo Duro Club. What a trip. I took several pictures that I will upload tonight when I get into Dallas. The place is beautiful, the creek is up, no wind and it was about an hour before sunset. The memories started coming. . .remember when the couple was parked on the bluff in their VW Bug? They got out of the car and put down a blanket to lie on while they watched the stars and the VW started moving and went over the cliff! Scott water skiing on stryafoam boards on the back of Sam's boat. Deb and I kept trying to remember who lived in what house. We walked over the first crossing around the creek to Mom and Dad's house. Boy, was it beautiful, the water calm and the late day sun shinning through the trees. The evergreen tree is now taller than the house! What memories we have to tell! Haley, Scott and Greg, you would have loved to been on the walk with us. Wouldn't it be great if we could someday have a reunion there. Something tothink about.

I need to get dressed and have coffee with Deb and Larry before I take off for Dallas. More tonight and I will post pictures. Let's all remember that there is and always will be a special quality about the family we were and are.