TEXAS COWBOY POETRY GATHERING

We met Marvin & Nancy Kelso from Gaylord, MI while at Big Bend
and reconnected at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering. 

Fred and Jill Moon, friends from Williamsburg, Michigan
                

Dale Burson (Ctr)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qRgCLI0Anw - great guitar player!

I know it's been awhile since I last blogged, and there's so much I want to share with you about what we did between New Orleans, LA and Alpine, TX, but I just have to tell you about what we've experienced over the past few days in Alpine, TX!!  We had heard of the TEXAS COWBOY POETRY GATHERING over the years but "steered" clear of the area while it was happening.  This year friends from home, Jill and Fred Moon (pictured above), happened to mention in an email that they were looking forward to getting out of the Michigan snowbank and flying to West Texas for this Cowboy gathering. We arrived in Big Bend National Park on Jan. 30 and thought somehow we needed to try and "hitch" up with them while they were so close. They said they had done this before and LOVED it and it was a must do. So we stayed at the National Park for three weeks and joined in on the fun. What fun it was and we for sure will attend next year if we're out this way. From the Chuckwagon breakfast with real cowboy coffee to the old and young cowboys and cowgirls singing or reciting poetry, it was so much fun. So if you are ever down here the last weekend in February make sure you join in. 

Cooks start campfires at 4 a.m. to bake Dutch Oven buiscuts. 

Delicious Cowboy coffee!

A favorite: Dan Roberts  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ABpZfhhqc

So many varied interpretations and styles of poetry, great stories and music. So inspiring and entertaining. Here are a few more of my favorites.

Click Here:  KRISTYN HARRIS. Her yodeling was contagious.

Loved Mike Blakely:  MIKE BLAKELY MUSIC
Also Mary Kaye: MARY KAYE


Enjoyed so many great poems. This one is a true story about the Texas Buffalo written and recited by Linda Kirkpatrick.

Mary Ann's Legacy I rode to the edge of the caprock And gazed in the canyon below I thought of a time and a lady And of her life of so long ago. I watched the remains of her legacy Thundering within the canyon wall, While the red-tailed hawk soared peacefully Beckoning with its lonely call. The preservation of the buffalo Was the center of her dream, And because of this honored lady The hunter was not supreme. She had returned in desperation To a Texas she’d once known. Vowing to never leave the canyon And to forever call this land home She saw to the needs of her husband And to the cowhands on the old JA She was wife, mother, sister, doctor And preacher when they’d lost their way. Life in the canyon was lonely Her chickens her closest friends Her undying love for the buffalo Stayed with her until her life’s end Mary Ann Goodnight grieved and watched As progress raised its vicious head And as way was cleared for progress They shot the buffalo dead. During the day she heard the rifles ringing And at night the orphan calves bawl, As these sounds echoed the canyon With their haunting lonely call Her heart pained for the buffalo babies And her feelings she did convey So Charlie went out and roped two for her The ancestors of these today. The rest of the herd was swallowed up As if it had never been As the canyon walls loomed in silence And Mary Ann’s buffalo lived within. Millions once roamed the canyons But now there are only a few But thanks to Mary Ann Goodnight Hers are here for me and you. Mural in downtown Alpine, TX  This mama is letting her babies grow up to be cowboys!

Mary Ann's Legacy
I rode to the edge of the caprock
And gazed in the canyon below
I thought of a time and a lady
And of her life of so long ago.

I watched the remains of her legacy
Thundering within the canyon wall,
While the red-tailed hawk soared peacefully
Beckoning with its lonely call.

The preservation of the buffalo
Was the center of her dream,
And because of this honored lady
The hunter was not supreme.

She had returned in desperation
To a Texas she’d once known.
Vowing to never leave the canyon
And to forever call this land home

She saw to the needs of her husband
And to the cowhands on the old JA
She was wife, mother, sister, doctor
And preacher when they’d lost their way.

Life in the canyon was lonely
Her chickens her closest friends
Her undying love for the buffalo
Stayed with her until her life’s end

Mary Ann Goodnight grieved and watched
As progress raised its vicious head
And as way was cleared for progress
They shot the buffalo dead.

During the day she heard the rifles ringing
And at night the orphan calves bawl,
As these sounds echoed the canyon
With their haunting lonely call

Her heart pained for the buffalo babies
And her feelings she did convey
So Charlie went out and roped two for her
The ancestors of these today.

The rest of the herd was swallowed up
As if it had never been
As the canyon walls loomed in silence
And Mary Ann’s buffalo lived within.

Millions once roamed the canyons
But now there are only a few
But thanks to Mary Ann Goodnight
Hers are here for me and you.

Mural in downtown Alpine, TX 

This mama is letting her babies grow up to be cowboys!

THE BIG EASY

We just spent eight days in New Orleans. Maggie and Brenin took the train down from Michigan meeting us there. It was great sharing this one-of-a-kind city with them. It was equally new for all of us. An interesting place bursting with culture. We stayed in the French Quarter RV Resort. It was the most we've ever spent on camping, but so convenient and only 2 blocks from the French Quarter. The campground is located next to I-10 which was a bit noisy with the constant sound of traffic and sirens. What is really sad is seeing all the homeless people living under those expressways. Maggie and Brenin stayed with us in the motorhome for a few days and then off on their own for awhile. They had several friends here at the same time.

 French Quarter RV Resort (I-10 in background). We had a space next to this building  with showers, laundry room, jacuzzi, pool and workout room.

New Orleans (or N'awlins as pronounced by residents) is known as the birthplace of jazz. The streets of the French Quarter, the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans is bursting with lots of sounds of blues and jazz. We saw everything from street performers to party bar scenes. It was like being in a time warp. Of course we had to experience Bourbon Street at least once to see what Mardi Gras must be like.

First things first - Beignets at Cafe Du Monde .

Then an awful lotta muffuletta!

Jackson Square, named for our Seventh President and hero of the battle of New Orleans.

New Orleans is broken up into many districts. Dick and I caught a streetcar to the end of the line and back to the Garden District and walked Magazine St. all the way back to the French Qtr. I did so much walking I had blisters on my feet.

This house in the Garden District was the main house
in the Benjamin Button movie.

Although New Orleans is rich with energy and culture, it is known for its high crime rate. It has the highest homicide rates in the United States. When we first arrived we felt very uncomfortable, having been warned by many to not walk around at night. The first couple of days we drove our car everywhere which was even more dangerous with all the one way streets and arguing with the GPS (and each other). Then our 70 yr old RV neighbor said there's no problem that she walks alone all the time from the RV park to the French Quarter, returning in the dark. So we went with her to hear music at night. Safety in numbers. Or Dick said we could just outrun her. Maggie and Brenin said they would use taxi service when they were out late. We aren't sure if they always did, but I, being always the concerned parent, refrained from being the "mom".  

Kermit Ruffins was very entertaining.

We enjoyed listening to the music of Luke Winslow-King and Esther Rose.  

A must see since Brenin and Luke went to High School together.

Armstrong Park was beautiful and only a short walk from

the RV park.

Maggie and Brenin at an Armstrong Park exhibit.

Great music everywhere you turned.

St. Louis Cemetary located right next to the RV Park.

Of course we ate lots of good food but the best of all was our last night together. We had relocated to Bayou Signette State Park about 20 minutes from town. We found a Shrimp Market right outside the entrance. Brenin fixed us a great meal - Jambalaya, jumbo shrimp and boudin. 

Didn't get enough of this music in New Orleans! 

After a wonderful week together we dropped Maggie and Brenin at the airport and, once we knew they were in the air, began heading west along the Gulf through Cajun country on the 180-mile long Creole Scenic Byway. After three ferry rides we are now at Padre Island National Seashore.  It's so nice to hear Dick whistling again. He is out of his element in big cities as you will read on his blog: DICK'S BLOG - LOOKING AT LIFE THRU ONE EYE

Pelican and dolphin watching as we rode the ferry.
Funny Face is hiding under the couch.

TO WARMER TEMPS!

Farewell Michigan.

Boo likes this traveling lifestyle. 

I promised Dick we could leave as soon after Christmas, weather and road conditions permitting. On the 26th we started the dreaded job of loading the motorhome in the snow and cold and winterized and locked up the house. We stayed in the motorhome that night and headed south at daybreak on the 27th. The first night out we stayed at the Kokomo, IN Walmart and then the next day on to the Bowling Green, KY Camping World where we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary with pizza and a movie in the motorhome. If we were still home we would have gone out to eat at a nice restaurant, but just being together heading for Florida was celebration enough. The highways were busy with other migrating Snowbirds heading south after the holidays. By the third night we made it to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, our favorite state park in the Florida Panhandle. Dick has been singing Zac Brown’s song “I’ve got my toes in the water, my ass in the sand, not a care in the world, a beer in my hand. Life is good today.” The last part of the song he has right but I still haven’t seen his toes and ass anywhere near the water. It’s not THAT warm down here. It’s averaged mid-50‘s most of the time. A whole lot better than the freezing temperatures in Michigan and having to shovel snow. Today we are soaking up the sun in the 60's our last day at St. Joseph S.P. before beginning our trip west to New Orleans. Dick left for the day to hike along the beach in training for his long distance hike on the AZT. I'm enjoying some alone time. Life is good.

Walkway across from our motorhome to the beach

A great camping spot

The only time Funny Face has any peace.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year   2013

It’s that time of year when Gaila ties me to a chair and makes me write a year-end holiday letter. Last winter I was looking out of the motorhome across a beautiful white sand beach to the distant Gulf horizon. This year I'm still in Michigan tucked up next to the wood stove, as close as I can get without scorching my posterior, looking out across a beautiful white field of snow to the distant Meijer construction site. Gaila says I have to stay up here until after Christmas every other year, so I don’t forget how to start the snow blower. My escape plan is to leave December 26 weather and roads permitting!!

Yes, I said Mejier construction site. Gaila has always wanted to move to a little town where she can walk to everything, and I have always said, “Be patient, a town will move to you.”  It looks as though our future is going to be very bright. I think there are going to be about a million parking lot light posts just over the hill from us. When the Department of Motor Vehicles someday takes our licenses away we can simply ripoff a shopping cart and wheel each other back and forth to the Meijer Superstore. I think we should be gone 9 months like we did this year, then we'll miss a good part of the construction noise going on over the hill. 
Over the past year we explored Florida as far south as the Everglades, then worked our way back to the panhandle and west to California for our niece's June wedding. In our travels, besides visiting family, we made a lot of new friends and met up with many of our friends from home. We hope to do the same this year. We have our favorite little hideouts in many remote natural areas. You'll know where you can find us by following Gaila's blog. I'm gearing up to hike the 800 mile Arizona Trail in April. During part of that time Gaila will be near her parents and then part of the time she'll be my support team like she did when I did the CDT hike.

Maggie (you may know her as Magnolia blossom, Magpie, Magdalena or Magda) is still wild and crazy (Gaila says she has many of my traits). She works at our local Oryana Food Co-op and her fiance', Brenin, continues to do his CSA farming (Community Share Agriculture). They are meeting Gaila and I in New Orleans in January before we head west.

 Annual Animal Update: We still have a granddog, Morgan. Now we also have a grandcat, Poncho. Not to be outdone by her daughter, Gaila got a kitten to give Funny Face some companionship. Unfortunately, she didn’t consult Funny Face before the decision. Funny Face is an old curmudgeon cat, who after a couple months is still slapping the heck out of this playful, constantly attacking kitten. Every morning we get to watch the Ali/Fraser fight all over again. The kitten dances like a butterfly and Funny Face stings like a bee. I demanded that a new cat be declawed, but Gaila doesn’t agree with that procedure. She says it’s like cutting someone’s fingers off at the first knuckle. She didn’t have a second thought of cutting his balls off though. She just happened to find a rescue kitten that someone had already cut all his fingers off at the first knuckle. They are so much more entertaining without claws. Through the evolutionary process their little brains still think they can stick like Velcro to whatever they leap on. After a few horrific climbing accidents they temper their exuberance. Gaila doesn't seem to find this funny.

I will probably never get any more phone calls from my daughter. I became her full-time mechanic after giving her our old Saturn. I would only hear from her when something major went wrong with the car. I think I may have been fired because she just gave us the old Saturn back. It might have been warranty issues. The window was taped shut, the clutch was burned out, I found the spoiler planted on their property next to the Brussels sprouts and the gas/trunk release latches were frozen in the lock position. Brenin’s dad gave them a newer vehicle. I will miss our daughter/mechanic relationship, but who knows, we may get back together again someday. I’ve replaced the clutch and window motor. I washed the cold dark earth off the spoiler and glued it back on the car. I doused the trunk/gas latches with WD40 and put the windshield wiper on right-side up. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I know the drill. Khalil Gibran said, "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." I just quiver every time I hear that. We have the most wonderful daughter, and the Saturn is still running after 200,000 miles. Life is good!

--Keep Smilin’, Dick (and Gaila)

GLACIER IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR.

  Experiencing Glacier National Park was a wonderful way to end our nine month adventure.

PICTURES ARE WORTH THOUSANDS OF WORDS!




We are traveling across Hwy 2 from Montana to Michigan. It's time to get home and mow the lawn.

Janice Henshaw, who we met in FL in December, met up with us in Glacier for two weeks. Here is her blog which is fun to read.  THE WOMAN RVER - Around the Next Bend

ENJOYING GLACIER

Joel and Cameron at Avalanche Lake

I'm sitting here at our favorite campground in Glacier National Park. All of Glacier is spectacular, but this place is special. We've been asked to keep it a secret but someone is spreading the word because this time it was packed with campers and unless you arrived early you wouldn't get a space. I've always loved the magnificent views here and the smell of spruce is addicting. 
My brother, Joel, and his son, Cameron, drove from California to camp with us for a week on the west side of the park. Joel traveled here with us in 1978 when he was fifteen years old and loved it so much he's always wanted to return. Now he was sharing it with his son. My parents visited with them for a couple days then began their trip to Michigan. They'd been traveling with us for three weeks.

1978 when Joel traveled with us to Glacier. This was taken on a hike to

Sperry Chalet. (We're the couple next to the ranger in case you didn't know and Joel is kneeling)

Visiting Polebridge for some baked goods before going to Bowman Lake.

Dick and Cameron went on a three day hike. They saw lots of wildlife but the
most exciting was a grizzly swimming about 70 yards away.

Joel hiking on the Highline trail to the Garden Wall. My favorite trail in the park.

Beautiful Bowman Lake

Dick enjoying his favorite place on earth! 

A beautiful view outside our door.

We got our dog fix by offering a few times to watch Allie while her parents did some long day hikes.Can't believe we didn't take a picture of Dick and Nancy too. 

We meet so many people in our travels and always hope to meet some again along the way.

Renee and Jacques from Tucson, AZ. were in the campsite next to ours.  They were a load of fun.

Eva and James from Englewood, FL. are walking 1,000 miles of Montana's CDT. They found out the Bob Marshall Wilderness is on fire so they have to change their plans.

We are heading for Many Glacier tomorrow for awhile before heading home. If all goes as planned we'll be pulling into our driveway mid-August. My parents camped in our driveway  when they arrived in Michigan and my mom said our grass is up to her hips.

WAGONS HO!

My parents continued traveling north with us all the way to Glacier National Park. From Durango, CO we visited Dinosaur National Monument.  QUARRY TOUR  After taking the tour of the quarry we all agreed it was too hot to stay at the campground so we headed to a higher elevation for a night in the very NE corner of Utah along the Flaming Gorge. This National Recreation Area is shared with the state of Wyoming.

Watching the deer and antelope under the blue skies and wide open spaces of Wyoming, I couldn't help but burst out singing, "Home, Home, on the Range." 

We stayed in a quiet campground near historical South Pass City and Atlantic City. Two small frontier towns built in the 1800s as a result of a gold mining boom. The Oregon Trail passed just north of South Pass City and the wagon tracks are still visible today. We stayed here in 1999 when Dick hiked the Continental Divide trail which passes through South Pass City a popular mail drop for the long-distance hikers.

We traveled to Dubois, Wyoming to talk with the Forest Service. Dick was hoping enough years had passed that something had been done to build a trail from Union Pass to Togwotee Pass for CDT hikers. He hoped to hike this new trail.  He talked to a ranger who had been funded all last summer to route a trail through this area, but he said there is no money to build it.  So Dick would have to follow Forest Service roads. He hates road walking so he scratched those plans and we continued on to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

US 26 West of Dubois, WY

We camped near Jackson Lake

So Dick again made plans to do some backpacking along the backside of the Teton Mtn. Range. I was hoping I was finally going to get my alone time. He was told by two different sources that the trail was still under snow in areas and he could lose the trail easily and he would need an ice axe in some areas. He decided against attempting it. So we traveled the park enjoying the beautiful views, animal watching and day hiking. 

This has been an interesting trip from Durango, Colorado to Glacier National Park. We have experienced fires in Colorado, snow in the high country, high winds and hail in Yellowstone, crowds in the National Parks, plus there were postings everywhere warning visitors of the Norovirus that was affecting visitors in both of these parks.  Norovirus News 

Bison, Bison everywhere!

Yellowstone Falls

We camped over the 4th of July at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone.
It was packed with people and the elk with their young enjoyed the town too.

The highlight of our stay in Yellowstone was soaking in the Boiling River. 
The hot and cold water mix along the river's edge and it was the best!!

We are so happy to have reached Glacier National Park. We both love this place. If I hadn't had this beautiful place to look forward to we would have been on our way home by now. Dick will for sure get his hiking fix over the next few weeks and me some much needed alone time. We're both ready!!