Odessa - Check

Our travel plans included every state in the union except Alaska, Hawai'i, and Texas. We weren't trying to avoid Alaska or Hawai'i because we didn't like them - we just thought that they were more out of reach. But we were trying to avoid Texas at all costs.

Unfortunately, the most practical way to get to Louisiana from the southwest was to pass through Texas.

A beautiful trainer at Island Fitness, and friend, Cynthia is from Odessa, Texas, so we emailed her with one question: "What the heck is there to do in Odessa?"

Here is her response:

In Odessa, most people:

1. Drive through as fast as possible...or
2. Stop and drink so much that they don't remember they were there!

But for you guys, here's my list:

1. Take lots of pictures, because nobody will believe you when you tell them how ugly it was...too bad you can't capture the smell with a camera. ;-)


Cynthia was right about the smell. West Texas has a constant odor, but it served as the perfect foyer to the oil-lined Mississippi River in Baton Rouge.


I must say that Odessa is prettier than a lot of towns we've seen since we've crossed the Texas state line. There are definitely two distinct parts - like most cities. The west side is pretty run-down while the east side is bustling with numerous box stores.


2. Go to Rosa's Cafe and eat. Order a #8 combo and a #16....you'll love it and not spend much dough. I started eating here when it was just a hot grill in a tiny building, so you sweat while you ate. Here's their site.


We went to Rosa's Cafe and did just as Cynthia told us. We are incredibly stuffed!
Rosa seems to be doing well for herself - and her customers are loyal. Despite the variety of chain restaurants surrounding her (including a Chili's, Whataburger, and a few others), Rosa's Cafe was packed and the other parking lots were only half full. While we were there, we watched an endless line of customers at the drive-thru and inside the restaurant.

3. Odessa has an obsession with jackrabbits. There are statues everywhere - it's so ridiculous. You should definitely get a pic with one. The "world's largest" is on N. Sam Houston Avenue. Year built: 1962; Material: fiberglass; Height: 6 feet; Cost: $2,300.



We searched and searched for this hare, and finally found him tucked behind a few trees.

Tom Taylor, former director of the Texas Highway Department Travel and Information Division, suggested that Odessa erect a monument to the plethora of jackrabbits in the area.

It was at this hare that we heard thunder for the first time - in a really long time. Thankfully, the weather stayed nice for us to continue exploring Odessa.

4. You can see where both President Bush's and lady Bush got their start. Their home has been moved next to the Presidential Museum. Check it out here.

No offense to Bush supporters, but we skipped #4. George Bush is probably one of the main reasons we wanted to avoid Texas in the first place. We'd hate to be tarred and feathered for our opinions.

5. Odessa is into replica's. There is a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Anne Hathaway's house here.

6. And a Stonehenge replica here.


While I've never been to the original, Richie has. He says the one in England is a bit larger.


7. If you're coming in from the direction of our meteor crater, it is the third largest in the nation. IF I remember right, it's a big hole filled with weeds ;-) It's fun to say you've been there.


Cynthia was right, the meteor is a big hole in the ground covered with weeds. We arrived at 4pm - or at least our car clock said 4pm. The sign on the museum door posted hours from 9am to 5pm. Yes, we finally discovered we had crossed a time zone. Fortunately, we spent some time walking around and through the crater.


8. And, if you're driving in and passing through a town called Monahans (very close to Odessa) you GOTTA go here. It's my FAVORITE!! You can rent discs and slide down the dunes. Way fun!

Monahans was just west of Odessa. Thankfully, we had witnessed "sledding" on the dunes at White Sands National Monument.

9. And if you've ever seen Friday Night Lights, the movie or NBC series, it was written about my hometown high school. The stadium that holds nearly 20,000 from Friday Night Lights is in the movie starring Billy Bob Thornton. Check it out here.


This is a HUGE stadium just on the outskirts of town - in the middle of nowhere. You can't miss it! This is as close as we could get to the stadium because it was fenced off (with barbed wire at the top, mind you).

10. And last but not least, my mom :-) If you need a guide, or a place to stay, or want to meet an authentic, big haired Texas Mama, her name is Peggy. (And yes, like "King of the Hill" my dad's name is Hank), her number is (I took the number out. I figured Peggy didn't want it plastered on a public blog.) I'll tell her you're coming. And please, no matter what the people say is "fun," RIDING A PUMP JACK IS DANGEROUS! Don't do it!!! And ignore the Poison Gas signs - they're everywhere.

We made good timing going into Odessa, so we called Peggy and Hank to say hello. We ended up leaving them a message - thanking them for their offer to stay with them - and that we adore their daughter.

I had no idea what a pump jack was, much less anything about pump jack riding. Well, pump jacks are those large bobbing hammer-looking things splattered across west Texas, and they are drilling for oil. I have no doubt that it contributes to the unusual odor of west Texas. If you want to read more about pump jacks, click here.


Pump jack riding is when a person (or people) climb onto the arm the drill and ride it. I assume it is similar to being on a seesaw, but more intense. Read about a teenager who went pump jack riding and lost an arm.

Atomic Bomb, White Sands, and Bats - Oh My!

Our next stop heading south was Los Alamos to visit the Bradbury Science Museum. We learned all we could about the history of the Atomic Bomb - including the pleas from the engineers to never, ever use it.


We also interacted with displays on the human genome, accelerators, and lasers - all which are currently researched at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The best part about the museum was seeing all age groups watching videos and working with all the hands-on activities. There were 2 groups of school children from the local Boys & Girls Club - most of them speaking Spanish - and an adorable older couple playing a trivia game on the computer.

Check out their website here.

We camped at Bandelier National Monument, passing through the heavily guarded National Laboratory.

It was south on the open, but pleasant, Highway 285. We picnicked at Valley of Fires State Park (managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management) and hiked the 1-mile Malpais Nature Trail.


According to the park plaques, the Valley of Fires is one of the youngest lava flows in the United States. The flow is 4-6 miles wide, 160 feet thick, and covers 125 square miles. It seems to go on forever. The pressure ridges, lava caves, and lava tubes make the most impressive formations. The wildlife is plentiful, too. We spotted this lizard enjoying the sun. Notice how his back feet are perched up - attempting to get some relief from the HOT surface.


We arrived early at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, so we decided to set up our house and walk around the campground. State parks are generally divided into a tent area and RV area. We were the only fools sleeping in a tent, so the tent area was all ours. Most of the time this is a blessing, but sometimes we feel vulnerable out here all by ourselves.

The heat was intense, so all RVers were inside. We walked along the asphalt road and spotted Bella, an itty-bitty beagle, enjoying dusk at the foot of her RV. She ran to us and immediately rolled on her back so we could pet her belly. Her owner heard us playing and he came out to visit. He reminded us a lot of Andy - the guy we met while backpacking in Point Reyes (California). He was the classic RVer - holding a can of Budweiser and wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and baseball cap. He lives at state parks for the maximum number of days allowed (usually 14 days), travels to a nearby one for 6 or 7 days, then returns. He has been at Oliver Lee for almost 6 weeks. And he loves his Bella.

Our next stop: White Sands National Monument
"Like No Place Else on Earth" is the slogan splashed across the entrance to the interpretive center -
and they are right!


This is the world's largest gypsum dune field - covering over 275 square miles of desert (only 115 square miles of gypsum is in the national monument). It is also surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range. The park occasionally closes when the military is conducting missile tests. Thankfully, we were in the clear for the day.


We drove The Dunes Drive, an 8-mile road through the dunes, stopping to hike the 1-mile Dune Life Nature Trail. This gave us the opportunity to walk on the sand and see the vegetation and animals that thrive in this environment.


We also walked over a gypsum crystal bed - which crunched and crunched and crunched.


So what makes the sand white? Gypsum.

What is gypsum? Gypsum is a dehydrated form of calcium sulphate.
The park brochure says gypsum is rarely found as sand because it is soluble in water. Rain and snow in the San Andres and Sacramento mountain ranges dissolve gypsum from the rocks and carry it into the Tularosa Basin. Rivers would usually carry dissolved gypsum to the sea, but no river drains the basin.

Only the top few inches of the gypsum dunes are made of loose sand. Rainwater falling on the dunes dissolves some of the gypsum and cements the sand grains together, creating a crude form of plaster of Paris. This makes the white sand dunes easy to walk on.


What is gypsum used for? Most people recognize gypsum as sheet rock (wall board), but it is also used in fertilizers and other soil conditioners. I forgot where I read it, but the average American home contains about 7 metric tons of gypsum (That is 15,432.2 pounds!!!!). If you've ever broken a bone - it was probably wrapped in gypsum - a.k.a. plaster of Paris.


The gypsum from the national monument is protected, so it will never be used for production purposes unless legislation is passed. We saw hundreds of children "sledding" on the soft white dunes.

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That night we drove to Carlsbad Caverns National Park to watch the much-anticipated bat flight from Bat Cave. I know many of you will be disappointed, but we arrived at dusk with no time to view the caves. We hope to return one day to view some (if not all) of the 113 caves of Carlsbad.


We walked down the trail to the amphitheater - greeted by warning signs of weak knees and exhaustion. The amphitheater seats about 150-200 visitors - and it was packed on our visit.

There were hundreds of swallows and bugs swarming the entrance to Bat Cave. Everyone sat quietly as the ranger shared the discovery of Carlsbad by an adventurous 16-year old named Jim White, the guano (bat poop) business, and facts about the bats - all while intermittently reminding visitors about the no camera or film rule, and that anyone caught photographing or filming will be given a ticket. The park is strict on their rules as any electronic buzz or quiet click can strongly effect the bats and their travel out of the cave. Photography and film requests must be made 2 weeks prior to the visit.



The ranger told us to listen carefully for the distinctive click over the loud speakers. She said once we hear that click, everyone must be seated as quietly as possible. The bats would appear about 2-5 minutes after the click because they are traveling about 1/4 mile from inside the cave.

We expected to see the bats exit in one large batch, but tonight, they only trickled. The ranger said it is hit or miss... sometimes the bats swarm out in one large group and other nights they trickle.
Either way - it was a magnificent, natural event.


Bat Facts:

• 7 types of bats roost in Carlsbad Caverns, but most prevalent is the Mexican bat (also called Brazilian free-tail bats).
• The bats live at Carlsbad from April to October, flying south to Mexico for the winter.
• Baby bats (known as pups) are born at Carlsbad in June, with the female having one offspring.
• The pups are born naked. The hair usually appears by their first flight.
• In July or August, the pups take their first flight from the cave.

Earthships

We woke up early to drive to Taos. We seriously contemplated buying an Earthship called The Hut, and we were meeting John - a real estate agent specializing in Earthships. Check out his website here.

This would be an investment property while we are away for the next 2 years, but could eventually be a home upon our return.

Unfortunately, the asking price was out of the question. The Hut has been listed for over 2 years (an unmotivated seller), and it appears to have been seriously neglected in the maintenance department. But what else should you expect from a place that has served as a rental property for the last 8 years?!?!?


After crunching numbers, it was just too risky of an investment for us. Darn.

We did have a wonderful morning with John who kindly took his time in showing us The Hut and chatted about the wonderfulness that is Taos.


We reserved two nights at an Earthship called The Studio. It was exactly that - an example of a studio apartment.


So what is so appealing about an Earthship?

• Completely off-grid living... so there are no electricity or water bills.
• Recycle materials! The house is built of tires, aluminum cans, and glass bottles.
• A more efficient home than modern houses.
• And it looks cool (and stays cool at an average of 70 degrees year round).

To learn more about Earthships and Michael Reynolds ingenious architecture, click here.


We experienced a beautiful rainstorm our first night in the Earthship. The sky gradually turned a dark blue and the rain pounded the windows of the Earthship.


Our second night, Richie spotted this weather balloon floating above Taos.


We spent a third night in Taos at my former boss' house. Thank you Buster for sharing your home! It was a a calming environment to do laundry and work on the blog.

Santa Fe

We were anxious to ride our bikes again, so before heading to Santa Fe, we road the Paseo del Bosque Trail in Albuquerque. It was a nice 35-mile (round trip) ride - and the longest we've ever biked.


The next day, we drove up a winding road to the top of the Sandia Crest mountain in Cibola National Forest. Elevation: 10,678 feet. We had mixed feelings about the antenna farm, but appreciated the views of Albuquerque.



Then it was a calm north drive on the Turquoise Trail where we landed in Santa Fe just in time to visit the farmer's market at The Railyard. It was quite a treat. There were young men drumming on oil barrels and women doing traditional African dances in the nearby performance studio. We picked up some local crafts and yummy vegetables, and met a vendor named Tim. He is a former tattoo artist who switched from skin to canvas. He was a very friendly guy and a delight to talk to.


The weather quickly changed from warm and sunny to cool and rainy, so we drove to Hyde Memorial State Park to set up camp for the night.

This is what happens on a rainy afternoon spent inside of our tent with permanent marker. I got a little creative and felt the need to decorate a bit.


We arrived at The Plaza in downtown Santa Fe early to view the cathedrals and window shop.

Statue of Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680)
First Indian of North America to be Promoted a Saint

The west portion (photographed) of this building is apparently "The Oldest House" in Santa Fe.


San Miguel Church, circa 1610

The plaque in front of the church reads:

Under the auspices of Fray Alonso de Benavides, OFM, this church was built by Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico in the early 1600's. The original adobe walls remain under the stucco exterior. The Church's roof was burned and destroyed during the Pueblo Indian rebellion of 1680. After resettling Santa Fe, General Diego de Vargas had a new roof constructed in 1694. Repairs continued until 1710. A three-tiered tower was erected about 1830. In 1887 a single-facade tower was built and the massive stone buttresses were added for support. In 1955 archaeological investigations were conducted in and around the Church. Restoration of the beautiful altar backdrop was done that same year.

The Cathedral Church of St. Francis of Assisi was established, and the first church built, on this site in 1610. The present church was built in 1886.

La Conquistadora
(Our Lady of Peace)
This is the longest venerated Madonna in the U.S.

Our walk under the overhang of the Palace of Governors was interesting. There were about 75 Native American vendors selling their goods on the sidewalk. It was odd to walk past them... they were sitting on chairs or on the ground. It was uncomfortable for us to be standing and walking past them - almost like we were at a higher level than they were. Most visitors looked at the goods for sale. I tried to look at the person selling the items, but they seemed uncomfortable with eye contact. And while the vendors were selling their products, many didn't seem very happy to be there.


The Palace of Governors is the only capitol in the U.S. that has housed the governments of four different nations: Spain, New Mexico, The Confederacy, and the United State of America. In 2010, Santa Fe will be celebrating 400 years of culture. Read more about the celebration here.


The state capital building, also known as "The Roundhouse," was intriguing. It is the only round state capital in the United States, and when viewed from the air, the structure and grounds form the Zia Sun, which is the symbol on the New Mexico state flag.


It was a Sunday, so we were not able to tour the interior, but the grounds were just enough for us... we found some wonderful pieces of art.

Earth Mother by Estella Loretto

The two images below are of a large sculpture dedicated to the Native American tribes destroyed in the United States. We counted at least 100.



Overall, we really like Santa Fe. It is a community focused on the arts - and education, which makes for an attractive place. It is an incredibly expensive place to live, with the median household price ranging from $350,000 to $5 million.