Well - now we can check the Roswell UFO Museum off of our list. It was nice but I've read so much about the 1947 event that not a lot was new to me - other than some affidavits that I hadn't seen before. The exhibits are primarily framed items on the wall and my back and neck started hurting after awhile. They'll be building a new museum in the future. I hope they get enough money to put in some nice benches and AV exhibits for geezers.
As we prepare to depart, Chuck has difficulty keeping our generator running. All of our electrical appliances run off of the generator when we're not hooked up. We don't really need it when we're on the move so we depart for Albuquerque. We've experienced high, dusty winds ever since we hit El Paso. We just saw a program on the "dust bowl" problems of the 30's and now get a small taste of how it must have been. Hellacious winds buffet the RV and hamper our progress. A police car flies past us, lights flashing - and we finally see it again down the road where a trailer has tipped over in the wind.
We've heard a whistling sound in the past; now all of a sudden, it seems much, much shriller. I attribute this solely to the high winds (as my Dad used to say, "you girls drive your cars until the wheels fall off.") Chuck, however, hones in on the problem. The right side of the windshield is starting to separate from the frame of the RV and there is an open slit at least 1/4" wide. WHAT! How could this possibly happen? We tape it up but I'm on pins and needles for the rest of the trip thinking it's going to pop out. Each side of the windshield costs about $1,000. We have insurance for glass but a question lingers in the back of my mind - can you get sucked out of a moving vehicle?
The drive into Albuqerque was beautiful and I have a much better appreciation for this area than I had when I flew in to see Bill and Laureen in the past. The "box" formed by the surrounding mountains offers a unique environment for ballonists and the famous Albuqerque Balloon Festival. We park for the night and make appointments for our needed repairs. According to the glass replacement specialist, it is quite common for RV windows to become unseated. Uh huh....okay, that makes me feel better, but how can the generator be presenting problems when we've had it inspected and maintained it? The expert's opinion? The wires were chewed by rodents. RODENTS! What in the world do we need to do to prevent that from happening again? Just call me Lucy!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
May 7, 2010
Per Ray and Hannelore Heizer, "don't know if you have ever watched Lucy and Desi's wonderful movie, "The Long, Long Trailer," from the early 1950's, but this latest tale of yours is a near-perfect reproduction of an early scene in that movie....rent and watch it ASAP! ...be sure to have kleenex handy as you will laugh tears...;-)" GREAT ....can't wait :-P
Actually, we might be able to go one better. Our next stop was Lackland AFB but that's a whole other story for another day...or maybe not.
After Lackland, we headed towards El Paso. As we drove, Chuck started getting sporadic "check engine" lights. The Cummings Diesel folks found that the stainless steel covering on the high pressure oil hose had ruptured, spraying oil onto two separate air coolers - one for the air conditioning and transmission and the other for the engine. How the heck? It's all a long story but the bottom line is that we left 9 days later and $4,800.00 poorer. I filled much of the down time with a great page turner, "The 19th Wife," by David Ebershoff. This modern-day murder mystery was interspersed with historical information about the Mormon Church and Ann Eliza (Mrs. Brigham) Young.who became famous for her eventual campaign against polygamy. Marilyn - this might be a good book for your book club.
I also did a little antiquing and loved the SaddleBlanket (http://www.saddleblanket.com/). The owner is a bit of a character and was onsite. There is a sign outside the store advising visitors that well-behaved dogs are welcome at all times. Outside is a large trailer and sodded dog runs which serve as a showcase for abandoned dogs. Pamphlets announce that each Saturday one can shop and adopt. You gotta love someone who runs their business this way. I told Nicky that we need to have a dog party at the house when I'm home.
We finally headed towards White Sands Missile Range - where Chuck served a couple of years in the late 60's. The surrounding mountains are impressive - and provide a beautiful view from the front of the RV. Absolutely no crises here and we enjoyed an evening stroll/tour on the white dunes of White Sands Monument. This is the world's largest gypsum deposit, easily seen from space. There is a road into the park which then turns to a plowed gypsum road. It looks like snow and the kids bring their saucers to slide on. Interestingly, they purposefully did not pave a large part of the road because of the shifting dunes. The road, picnic tables and portable toilets all have to be moved periodically to stay ahead of the dunes.
I drove over to Holloman Air Force Base to see if I could find any records about balloons which were sent up or retrieved in 1947. After looking in vain for the Freedom of Information office, I drive back to the "Welcome Center" where I ask the slug behind the desk whether there is a map of the base. "Absolutely not," she responds, "we don't want anyone to know where everything is." I do understand the need for security but we've obtained basic maps at many bases (and I really think they ought to change the name of the center.) The FOIA people, on the other hand, were very friendly but inform me that one must request records online or by mail. They don't even have a form I can fill out or a computer they can consult for me. Right.
Chuck's been following a case in the East where the individuals claim to have been picked up in their car by a UFO and subsequently dropped. Interestingly, there is no damage to the exterior of the car - except to the bottom - and a broken windshield caused by the deployment of the air bags. We're hoping that the individuals involved will choose to undergo hypno-regression.
We're finally in Roswell, NM and will tell you about that in the next post.
Vicki and Chuck
Actually, we might be able to go one better. Our next stop was Lackland AFB but that's a whole other story for another day...or maybe not.
After Lackland, we headed towards El Paso. As we drove, Chuck started getting sporadic "check engine" lights. The Cummings Diesel folks found that the stainless steel covering on the high pressure oil hose had ruptured, spraying oil onto two separate air coolers - one for the air conditioning and transmission and the other for the engine. How the heck? It's all a long story but the bottom line is that we left 9 days later and $4,800.00 poorer. I filled much of the down time with a great page turner, "The 19th Wife," by David Ebershoff. This modern-day murder mystery was interspersed with historical information about the Mormon Church and Ann Eliza (Mrs. Brigham) Young.who became famous for her eventual campaign against polygamy. Marilyn - this might be a good book for your book club.
I also did a little antiquing and loved the SaddleBlanket (http://www.saddleblanket.com/). The owner is a bit of a character and was onsite. There is a sign outside the store advising visitors that well-behaved dogs are welcome at all times. Outside is a large trailer and sodded dog runs which serve as a showcase for abandoned dogs. Pamphlets announce that each Saturday one can shop and adopt. You gotta love someone who runs their business this way. I told Nicky that we need to have a dog party at the house when I'm home.
We finally headed towards White Sands Missile Range - where Chuck served a couple of years in the late 60's. The surrounding mountains are impressive - and provide a beautiful view from the front of the RV. Absolutely no crises here and we enjoyed an evening stroll/tour on the white dunes of White Sands Monument. This is the world's largest gypsum deposit, easily seen from space. There is a road into the park which then turns to a plowed gypsum road. It looks like snow and the kids bring their saucers to slide on. Interestingly, they purposefully did not pave a large part of the road because of the shifting dunes. The road, picnic tables and portable toilets all have to be moved periodically to stay ahead of the dunes.
I drove over to Holloman Air Force Base to see if I could find any records about balloons which were sent up or retrieved in 1947. After looking in vain for the Freedom of Information office, I drive back to the "Welcome Center" where I ask the slug behind the desk whether there is a map of the base. "Absolutely not," she responds, "we don't want anyone to know where everything is." I do understand the need for security but we've obtained basic maps at many bases (and I really think they ought to change the name of the center.) The FOIA people, on the other hand, were very friendly but inform me that one must request records online or by mail. They don't even have a form I can fill out or a computer they can consult for me. Right.
Chuck's been following a case in the East where the individuals claim to have been picked up in their car by a UFO and subsequently dropped. Interestingly, there is no damage to the exterior of the car - except to the bottom - and a broken windshield caused by the deployment of the air bags. We're hoping that the individuals involved will choose to undergo hypno-regression.
We're finally in Roswell, NM and will tell you about that in the next post.
Vicki and Chuck
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