Across Texas to Deer Park

Illiki

We were both really hoping to ride across Texas. The problem was that the Google map showed 70 mi stretches between water and legal overnights, paid or unpaid. With the trailers, in the heat, this was too far for us. We had a friend interested in following us in her car, which would have allowed us to drop the trailers and ride as far as we could each day, but it didn't work out. Therefore, we rented a cute and peppy little Chrysler 200, bought a bike rack, and drove to Houston overnight.

It didn't help when we were informed on the last morning that the motel room we rented for a week at the Belmont motel in Roswell was really only for 6 nights! Fortunately, Avis was able to give us the car a day early with no problems. The Avis manager is an extremely courteous and helpful young man.

We drove straight to Deer Park to stay with Sabrina and Illiki Machek. That's the beautiful and talented young Illiki in the photo. (Too bad we didn't snap the photo when she was decked out on Saturday evening. We got the tired-after-school-and-athletic-practice look, and we like it just as well.) Unfortunately, we didn't get photos of their beautiful home, which has been completely updated and was such a pleasure to stay in. Sabrina made us completely comfortable, and Illiki is a hug master. Sabrina has known Cougina for decades, so there were great stories being told.

THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
AGGIE and COUGINA

Touristing at the UFO Museum in Roswell

Recognize the humans?

Our mission in Roswell (besides bathing and recuperating) is to locate extra-terrestrial beings. So, it is natural that our first stop was the UFO Museum and Research Center. I have to tell you that, if you were to go through the place, what skepticism you have about the incident in 1947 would probably be reduced.

Testimony of Sat. night bar patron.

Besides the original newspaper articles on display, there are walls full of  signed affidavits from a half dozen or so witnesses and also children and spouses of witnesses. If you click on the photo at left, it will blow up large enough to read the text.

Nurse's story.

The story that is documented is that the rancher who first saw the crash site, while checking up on his animals, took the stuff to the law enforcement office in town. Military personnel came in and threatened him and others to stick to the weather balloon story on threat of death and/or revocation of their business licenses. There are similar stories about the couple who were in Roswell to dance on a Saturday night, the local undertaker, the nurse (left) and physician who were called in to observe the bodies, the owner of the local radio station, etc.

Metallic foil from crash site.

ET Cowboy.

One kind of material that was described by witnesses was a metallic foil that could be crushed into a ball in your hand, like aluminum foil, but sprung back to its original flat shape when released. There is no photograph of the beings, but there is a signed affidavit describing them from an alleged observer. That's an artist's rendering at right, of an ET that has assimilated into the local culture.

Definitely worth a visit if you come this way, and only $5 per adult.

THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
AGGIE and COUGINA

Through Lincoln to Roswell: Long and Hot!

Lincoln Schoolhouse, courtesy of activerain.com

Lincoln Torreon fort.

We did have a good start on this day, with a long downhill, and even the wind was with us, for only the second time on the journey. We cruised through the beautiful historic city of Lincoln, fantasizing about having a retreat center in this quaint, secluded, gem of a town. Aggie fell in love with the Lincoln Schoolhouse, but couldn't snap or locate a photo to do it justice. It had been remodeled as a wealthy person's retreat, but the character was still there.

Lincoln church.

Eventually, we reached Hondo and the terrain shifted uphill and the wind into our faces.  We encountered the last real monster hill, several miles at a 6-7% grade in the full heat of the sun. Feeling our bodies heating up, we just kept at it until we encountered an open gate. It was for power line maintenance at the Chavez county line. Not too pretty, but it worked just fine.

Room with a view ;)

The next day, we had an easy 18 mi ride into Roswell, mostly all a gentle downhill. We were smelling the barn as the horses do, giving it the last little bit and knowing we could soon shower and collapse on a mattress. 396 miles on the bikes!

THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
AGGIE and COUGINA