WEST TEXAS AT IT'S BEST... who said it's nothing but miles and miles of miles and miles

Well how did your night go? I slept like a log. I hear the generator kicking right along, so Ima gonna assume you got a pot of coffee brewing. I cant see color until after Two cups of coffee.

Looks like we got about 10-15 neighbors over here at this parking spot. If you will turn on that vent fan, I will get out some Bacon and eggs and see how many of them we can get woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking :-)

OK we have a small change of plans today. I am going to turn east over at Sierra Blanca and show you a place I owned back in the 80"s and take you over to meet one of my old friends, Mayor May.. It aint like we have kept in real close touch since back in the late 80's. reckon the only time I have seen her since '87 was about '97 or 98. but I'll get to that story a tad later.

well ,ya got a full tummy and ready to roll?  When we pull up on that infernal interstate we will be at mile Marker 307. Something about a mile down the road I want to show you.. No you cant see it from here, you will just have to wait, but it will be worth the wait.

Blackie is warmed up and chomping at the bits to go, and so am I.  We are coming up on it now so ya better watch close ,it will be the only time you get to see it this trip. There she is Mile marker 308 :-)))... You may be walking in circles for a week or two after me pulling your leg like that.

 There is a lot to see out here but it is just so darn far away. I think those mountains are just gorgeous. They never look the same, some days they will have a purple hue to them, some days brown. With the light and clouds and mother Nature offering you a world of beauty if you just get your eyes off of that car/ truck right in front of you.

Were coming up on Bakersfield, pretty much of a ghost town. It was another one of those  boom and bust Texas oil towns.  I think a few people are still around but I suspect less than 30.

 Old cable tool rig. These were use to "bring in the well" or to drill shallow wells.

We are coming up on the flat land around Ft. Stockton. This was once prime farm land, see all those abandon irritation motors and pumps scattered all around. Well most of them are motors are from the 50's and a good many of them belong to my relatives, they Farmed and still Ranch around here. All those motors ran on Natural gas. The Gas company came in and raised the price of the gas and put the farmers right out of business. My great uncle and aunt died 30-40 years ago but I have a load of cousins that live here. I would stop and say hello but what would we talk about.... that snicker was totally unnecessary but I'll let it go this time. 

Pecos county court house, a little upgrade from judge Roy Beans court house.

We are going to be coming to what is known as the "split" here in about an hour. That is where  I-20 splits off I-10 and heads East and ends up in Florance SC. Just past the split about 25-30 miles is a Little place called Plateau. There is a really nice truck stop there now but back in the 70's it wasn't the nicest place in the world. you could get anything there from a common cold to leprosy. They kept 3-4 tigers in a cage out front. Dont know all the story but the people who ran it moved about 60 miles west ,just past Sierra Blanca. But that story is getting away past where we are.  From Plateau to Sierra Blanca is " Smokey territory" I think Culbertson County and Hudspeth County have a war going to see who can collect the most money from tickets.

That  My friend is the big employer around here a Talc mine out here in the middle of nowhere.

http://video.mining.com/videos/1314c0/talc_mining_and_geology.aspx

How is that for a surprise? and there is another surprise  hiding over there. Ole Smokey that I told you about and you can bet your Granddad's pocket knife there will be at least two more between here and Van Horn.

We will be up at Sierra Blanca shortly and it has it's own notoriety.Just west of town is a huge Border Patrol check point, right at the top of the hill. At the bottom of the hill, and I do mean HILL, is the Tiger truck stop I told you about.Just around the bend from the check point going east is where Ole smokey sets trying to get those folks that were slowed down by the hill and the check station and trying to make up a little time. Going west Ole smokey sets down just before the 99 mile marker to get those folks taking advantage of that good down hill run.  You say how do I know all that, well Bud it's one of those been there done that things and I have the receipts for the fines paid, all three of them.That ole hill used to really tire me out ,just grinding along back before we had these ole big engines .

This is where I would stop for some coffee and pie. Sure hate to see it in this shape, I have a lot of good memories from there.Turned out that several years latter the guy who owned it ,bought a place right next to me in New Mexico. small world huh. 

Time to make that detour I told you about  this morning. We are going to go East on Hudspeth County road 1111

Back in the 80's I owned a half section(320) acres about 16 miles out here ahd about 3 miles south. There was deer and antelope all over the place.

 

 I sold it in '91 when the county made a deal to spread New York's sewer all over the county.

http://www.txpeer.org/toxictour/merco.html

About 10 more miles to Cornudas and the home of Mayor May's famous Jackrabbit burger.

In '85-'86-'87  My co driver and I parked our rig just about where that one is parked every Saturday about 5 P.M.  and had a meal with a BIG piece of pie and sweet tea. Mayor May owed the town. A cafe,  gas station and Tow service. Her tow service got a ton of business from the Border patrol  station just about 8-10 miles away and her cafe got a ton of business from Truckers.

 

The Mayor made a super hamburger, chili burger and just general all around good food. She treated Truck Drivers like Kings. I walked in one Saturday and there were people at 3-4 tables.I said " Mayor I'll just have my regular Jackrabbit cheese burger with green chili"

A young man about 8-10 slid his plate back and said "is that Jackrabbit, I wont eat it" we had a heck of a time convincing him it wasn't Jackrabbit but he ate it, I told him as he and his family went out the door that we just called it Jackrabbit ,that it was really Coyote. His answer was "No way".

What do you think Bud was it worth the detour? My coconut pie was just to good to describe. I think after that meal my eyes are going to need a rest and your ears are sagging pretty bad, they may be scabbed over by morning. 250 or 300 miles is enough for today , How about we just call it good for today and get some real rest. Mayor opens at 7 A.M. and we'll get a real breakfast.

Tomorrow: more trucking west

I plan on having a great day, I hope you will join me

Rojo with Bud riding along.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN.. FINIALLY

TX,Nm, 12-2003.. just out of Austin Texas

Good Morning, glad to see you are going to ride along. I filled Blackie  with Diesel on the way back from the gun club, at Wal-mart, for .99 a gallon. It was .87  two weeks ago , should have done it then. We are set to go for a while. I have 300 gallons of fuel on board, I get a tad over 8 miles to the gallon and we have about 1500 miles to go. I will stop at the Flying J. at Anthony, TX right on the N.M. border and top it off because I am not going to by any of that high dollar California fuel. 

Yesterday, Remember I told you I would talk your ears off and if you see me just setting there staring off into space, I am Ok I am just listing to tires and engine and thinking. 

Coffee is in the thermos and the pop is in the cooler. Shout if you need to pee, we are going truckin.

Long before Willie Nelson sung about " ON THE ROAD AGAIN", I was doing it. And when Willie and I were just Little kids I was dreaming of it. My Grandparents lived at 311 Williams street in Marlin, Texas. Williams street was Texas highway 6 back in those days. All day and all night "6 wheelers", as they were called then. Actually they were 18 wheelers back then but the "6 wheeler name had just hung on from when they really did have 6 wheels. Trucks would  be rolling up and down the street. Northbound from Houston and points south and southbound from FT. worth and points north.

My grandparent's place was right at the edge of a hill. The southbound  trucks would be picking up speed going down the hill and the northbound trucks would be grabbing gears coming up the hill. I laid in bed at night when we visited and listened.
The windows all open because we didn't have air condition back in those days. I listened to the tires sing and the drivers grabbing gears. My mind would just follow them along and wonder where they were coming from and where they were going. I wondered what they were hauling and except I could smell the cattle trailers as they went by.You could tell by the sound of the tires if they were loaded or empty.

Maybe that was the beginning of my wonder lust or maybe I was born with it. Maybe I had driven a freight wagon or stagecoach in another life or maybe just a Cowboy Drifter. I don't reckon it is important how I got it, what was important is that for my soul to ever be at peace I had to follow it, and follow it I have.

Well I reckon I outta tell you about our trip plan. We are going to turn west, off this danged ole interstate, up here at Georgetown,TX in a mile or two onto Texas HWY 29 and run it over until it dead ends into U.S 83 then we turn north for 2-3 or 4 miles until we get to Menard.. I usually take short cut in Menard but since you never been there we will go through town,it is a neat little town. We are going to turn west on U.S. 190 and run it plumb to that dang annoying I-10.  I dislike the Interstates with a passion. My best dream ever was seeing  4 of the biggest caterpillars in the world starting at one end of every interstate in America and 4 starting at the other end on the opposite side headed for the coast or Canadian or Mexican border , ripping those suckers out. I reckon a fellow can dream cant he?

When we hit I-10 we just follow it until we get to Beaumont,CA and then we take CA 60 west toward LA. When we get to CA 91 we go  west toward the Beach Cities and then take the Yorba linda Blvd. exit. didn't take long to say it but It will take a while to drive it.

Here is Liberty Hill, the first of the Little towns you need to take an hour or two and visit some day. My Niece, Deanna went to school right over there. It was a lot smaller school then.

This is lake  Buchanan on the Colorado river  but not the same Colorado river that is in NV,AZ,CA. When I cross the Dam here going West I always loosen my belt 2-3 notches,you will see why in about 12-15 miles.

Sure been a pretty drive here along the river and here we are in Llano,TX home of COOPERS Bar-B-Que,the best in the world. You remember that ole Hank Snow song "I BEEN EVERYWHERE"?, Well I have eaten BBQ everywhere and this is the best. You order by the pound, point to what you want in the pit and they cut it for you..Beef, Pork, Chicken, Sausage, Ribs and armadillo. That one got your attention didnt it?.Just joking about the armadillo.

Go on in and have a look see at what they have, while I bump my tires and check the hub temperatures. I already know what I am going to have, one of those huge pork chops. Now if you want sauce on your BBQ they will give it to you, but real BBQ don't have sauce on it,and don't need it

 They have all fixins and don't forget to try the Texas sweet Tea, and the blackberry cobbler OMG. When We get ready to roll I will get a chicken, pork chop and a couple pounds of mixed meats for Jeanie and a big ole container of cobbler.http://www.coopersbbq.com/tour.asp

Lots of pretty country to see between here and the big road, I hope you enjoy it. I just shake my head in disbelief when I hear folks say there aint nothing to see here, just miles and miles of miles. I reckon some folks just don't appreciate  Mother natures handy work. Maybe if it aint a tourist trap it aint the real thing.

 Along about dusk you have to be awful careful because this ole road will be crawling with wildlife. Only a couple of hundred miles to the big road and not near as many Deer over there. 

 Lots of mighty pretty old court houses down through here I hope you will come back and visit them. I really like the one at Mason We just aint got time to stop this time cause I am headed to see my Darlin, Plus I want to show you something over at Iraan, TX that will blow your hat in the Pecos river. 

Did I mention that on two separate occasions I have traveled  this 84 miles of U.S. 190 from Eldorado  to Iraan and did not see one single vehicle, in the day time no less. Now thats my kinda travling.

Well, we made it, this is Irran and I am going to introduce you to the most disgusting burrito in the world. Just as Cooper's was the best BBQ that you can wrap a lip around this is the worst burrito. This little convenience store up her on the right has the worse burrito  in the world, and I am buying. I bet it has been in that warmer with the heat light on it for at least 6 weeks. Dont try to eat it, use it to bump the tires with to make sure they are all still up to pressure. We will just leave it in a trash can somewhere. Buzzards wont even eat it.

Now that you see I am as serious as a heart attract about that burrito, here is what I want to show you about Iraan,Tex. The first thing is it is pronounced Ira-Ann. Named for Ira and Ann Yates who owned a ranch here. Oil was discovered on the ranch and the oil boom was on. 

I know ,what is so spectacular about an oil field in Texas. Well it is a combination of all the rest of the things that this little town of 1280 people have accomplished and then a surprise just happened. That is the part that is gonna blow your hat in the Pecos river.

V.T. Hamlin, the publisher of the local news paper conceived the Idea for the Cave man right here in Irann. I grew up reading Alley Oop in the  comic section of the news paper, and you can still find him in the Yahoo comic section.

Ok now here is the part that I really think is worthy of  recognition and says a lot about the people of this little Town.

 

New technology and old technology working hand in hand, to the benefit of the people. I have my doubts that you will find anyone in Iraan homeless or with out a job if they want one. Give that a try in LA or Chicago or most other places and see if you can get the people to agree on something that will benefit them all. Ima thinking NOT.

Ok, up here in about 25-30 miles just before we get to that dang rat race on the Interstate ,is a big ole flat pull out where truckers nap a bit.  Ima gonna stop and take me a siesta for several hours right here in the sleeper of Blackie. you are welcome to make yourself at home back in the box. Fridge is stocked, if you can hold a bite after cooper's. Water is hot if you want a shower, and the bed is made up, so just knock yourself out.Generator will start right up if you want to make coffee. It wont bother me I am use to hearing those reefer units run on trucks all night.

I plan on having a great day ,I hope you will join me 

Rojo

I Burned the Trojan horse to the ground

For a computer Dinosaur this is a miracle. I went in to the HTML( I have no I-DEE what that means)line by line until I found that sucker and set his tail on fire the rest quickly followed. I will be back with my regular post I had scheduled for yesterday some time today. I had made a few changes that I had not saved( now that was dummer dirt) so have to fix that and then we will be rolling again.

Between the DR. appointments, physical therapy and this Trojan horse I am one tired puppy.

Here's to you Horse.

I am going to hit the sack and plan to have a good nights sleep, I hope you do too.... Ima thinking I better not end my sigh off with the usual " I hope you will join Me" thingy LOL

Rojo

Lost post

Looks like Blogger lost my post that was scheduled for 3 thirty something this morning. We have DR appoints for Jeanie a 10:45 and @:15 so it may be a Tad late today.So just check out this beautiful pole dancer until i get this all straighten out. 

I plan on having a good day, i hope you will join me 

Rojo

HANGING CABINETS..... OR THE C & M FACTOR AGAIN

 Yesterday we had Two stopping places. One with me on the way to Ft.worth to a shoot and the second picking up the truck on Thanksgiving Eve.  After the shoot in Ft. worth I came back to Austin, to the Capitol City Gun Club and did a shoot there. I left my trailer and tents set up because that is where I planned to stay until I left for Christmas in California, which at this point was less than a month away.

I took  Blackie back to my x- Brother in law, Richard's, place and we resumed work on putting the cabinets in.On weekends I worked shoots at the Gun  Club, it was really nice just to drive up open the doors and be open again.

 

Remember the C & M factor?. For those of you who don't, That is the Clinton &  McCain factor = the best laid plains yad yad yad.

See that one cabinet in the corner that hangs lower than the rest.That is a perfect example of the C & M factor. The two cabinets on the left were custom made by Richard and I, out of the cabinets we took out. The one that is lower than the rest is the factory bought cabinet . O well as I said before I am not a stickler for uniformity.

  

  

Cabinets over the stove.

On Thanksgiving Eve Richard was going to be driving right past the truck lot where The future Jeanie's bottle was setting. I rode with him and drove the truck back to the shop,  that was going to stretched the frame and move the box to the new truck. The job was scheduled to be completed no later than Jan 15,2004.

I had also installed new lights.

 

Smoke detector, TV satellite receiver, propane leak detector and carbon monoxide detector

 

 a Fan-Tastic  vent fan and Heat lights above the shower.

 

Working on a computer desk for Jeanie. Notice the high speed duct tape and 2x2s holding stuff together as I work this one out piece by piece. The notch on the right is for her wheelchair control knob, as done with her 1500 miles away.The desk sets over a Furnace that would be hooked to floor ducts and the entire cabinet enclosed.

 

A tad of tweaking, cleaning, packing up the shop and its off to CALI -FORN-I-A. for Jeanie to try out all this stuff we had done long distance.

Tomorrow: while I am on the road tomorrow I will fill you in on on some stuff I skipped over. Come ride along and I will put the petal to the metal, we will ride and glide  and I'll talk ya ears off.I love setting behind that big ole steering wheel and listening to those tires sing and that engine purr.Music to my ears!!!

I plan on having a great day, I hope you will join me

Rojo

GAINING ON IT.

Now it was time to start with those pesky cabinets. The plan on my yellow lap top was to have cabinets all the way around the box, attached to the ceiling and outside wall.

As you can see from these pics, the cabinets, installed by the previous owner, were all different designs, heights and sizes.

 

That bothered me a lot. Not that I am one  that insist on  uniformity but in this case, I couldn't walk under the the cabinets without getting knots the size of a pineapple on my head. The previous owner of Blackine could just  about  walk under my arm  if I held it straight out. low cabinets were not a problem for him.

With the help of  my X- Brother in law,  the best Brother in law I ever had, we removed the cabinets. We cut the bigger cabinets to the same height as the shorter ones so we ending up getting 2 for one on several cabinets. With the help of knee braces,glue and drywall screws I only had to buy one cabinet to fill the walls.

Time was getting a tad on the short side. I had started this project in mid February and here it was late October, in fact almost November.I had just come from a Major shoot at National Gun club in San Antonio and stopped just north of Austin at My X- Brother in Law's place to do the cabinet work before going to FT Worth to a Shoot.By the time we had gotten the cabinets out ,cut and rebuilt I didn't have time to reinstall them before I needed to high tail it to Ft. Worth for the next shoot. We stacked them in his shop and I was on the way. Thanks Richard .

I had been constantly on the look out for the Right truck to transfer the box to once I was done on the inside. I watched all the truck lots from San Antonio to D/FW and had not seen anything that I wanted to stop and look at. As I came up on another lot that usually never had over 4-5 trucks on it in, Alvarado, TX  I got goose bumps THERE IT WAS, a Volvo condo. I was running about 70 or so and couldn't just lock it up. I went to the next exit and  turned around.I was so excited and when I got parked and walked across the street every step was Just a little faster. 

Dang it, nobody on the lot. I opened the hood and there was a Big cam 400 Cummins with Jake brake. I was guessing that the transmission was a 13 or 15 speed since it had been a road truck.The tires weren't that great but that didn't matter because they were 24.5's and I was going to change them to 22.5's. I called the number listed at the truck lot and got an answering machine. I left a message  that said, "you have my truck on your lot and I have come to pick it up".

D.J. called me back that night and we discussed the truck. It had less than 50,000 miles on a out of frame overhaul, rebuilt 13 speed transmission and new clutch when the motor was put back in. It was road ready and It was a done Deal. I picked it up on the day before thanksgiving 2003 exactly one year to the day since I had met Jeanie at the airport.

 

The future "Jeanie's Bottle"

 Tomorrow: Hanging cabinets

I plan to have a great day,I hope you will join me

Rojo

OUT WITH THE OLD... IN WITH THE NEW

 

Good by old friends, you have served me well.

BUT.....

You are just a tad to low for this 6'4" guy and tiny Little sink and cook top you are right in the middle of where the passage way to the control room is going to be.

  

Pantry ole bud, the gun club needs you so you will have a good home.All the rest of you cabinets can count on a major change in your life style.

 

I am tired of you guys just hanging around at all different heights.You are going to have to shape up or ship out. I will get to you guys after I get done with the front.

It is time for the bathroom walls to come down and the toilet to be turned

  

Looks like everything is working just like my yellow lap top said it would. Time to build the wall between the toilet and fridge compartment. Above the fridge will be pantry and below will be the power center with the converter and distribution center for both 12 and 110 volt.  I hate to waste good wood so I used the 2x4s and ply wood from the bathroom wall to make this.

 

  Now  I can turn the toilet and put the tile board on the shower and toilet walls.

This is being to look like I thought it would, and considering I am living in it and working on it things are not coming together to bad.

 

 Electrical panels below fridge

While I am on a roll I will frame up the passageway to the front of the truck( control room) and after I run all of the 12 volt  and 110 circuits that will go in the ceiling I can cover it with plywood and white tile board just like the bathroom.The passage way wont be cut until the box is set on the yet to be found truck.

 

Next it was time to move the hot water heater and plumb it in. Once that was done I could continue with the tile board across the front and curb side where the kitchen stove will set.

  

Frame up the cabinet top to the height that fits a guy 6'4"so that I am not bent over doing dishes or cooking.

 

Set in the new kitchen stove. A few day ago when I received the Sugar Doll award from Donna 

http://2takinga5th.blogspot.com/

one of the things I was suppose to do was tell the Blog readers 10 things about me. Number 6. was

  "I never cooked a meal in my life until Jeanie and I got together in 2004" and here is the proof. This is my stove in the Winnie that I gave to the Homeless guy in Waco.

 

Things are different now. Jeanie loves good food and not just good food she likes it to be pretty too.

 

I can do that now

Tomorrow: Gaining on it

I plan to have a great day, I hope you will join me.

Rojo

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