Sunday, August 9, 2015
Abby:Day 16 8/4/15
In the morning we all got up and headed over to the drug store, with a lot of time on hand, to eat breakfast. It was faster than the last time but not the fastest it could be. Then we headed on the road to the little town of Fort Stockton to see the world's largest roadrunner. Then we took the tour of the town,or part of it. Then the long drive to the Stonehenge. On the way we stopped at Ozona to get a cache, use the bathroom, and fill the tank up with gas. Headed back on the road I found out how much I used to love drawing. Then I hear a couple of bumps underneath the car and look up to see something tumbling out from underneath our car. We pulled to the side of the road and called Triple A (AAA). While we were on the phone we got out and headed towards the trees for shade. It turned out something was hanging out from underneath the car. The car also wouldn't start. Once the tow guy arrived he attached the car, we got in, and we took it into town. After a lot of wandering on town roads and phone calls, we dropped off the car at a parking lot and unloaded it. Another person would pick it up later. Once we were all crammed in the car we headed to Dairy Queen to eat dinner and cool off. Then the long-ish drive to Aunt Stacy's house and San Antonio. Well I might write more soon about the Marfa lights, but I might not. So that's it!(sort of). ; P
Friday, August 7, 2015
Stacy: Day 16 (August 4, 2015) - The End is Nigh
So, you may be wondering why these last updates have come so much later after our trip ended. Well, let me regail you with the tale!
The dar started out like the others in Ft. Davis: a smidge later, and with a non-rushed feeling. We met mom and dad for a nice breakfast before going our separate ways.
Mom and dad had some things to see near Del Rio, and we wanted the more direct I-10 route home, taking a short drive through a historic section of a little town I can't remember the name of (we saw Paisano Pete!), and later stopping at America's Stonehenge just a bit north of San Antonio.
But, it is Sonora, Texas, that will forever be rembered in our hearts. This town, known for its caves, has a Dairy Queen and three mechanics.
You see, we were driving (rather, Kim was driving, which was probably for the better since she has logged many, many more hours behind the wheel than I) down I-10, just 3.7 miles outside Sonora; 165 miles from San Antonio; 69 miles from San Angelo. Lovely countryside, you see; a nice grassy slightly depressed median to our left; an 18 wheeler to our right; a white pickup truck behind us.
We see an unusual...something in the road ahead. With no options to safely avoid this large, shiny metal and black rubber item, Kim runs over it (straddled it between the tires).
I have never before heard the likes of such noises eminate from my car. The tires didn't leave the ground, but the item hit my undercarriage, bounced around a couple-two-tree times, and flew out from under the left, back driver's side.
Then, kur-THUNK. [all happening in split seconds]
I notice the car quiets, and slows, but wasn't sure why at that time.
Abby exclaimed, "Something just flew off your car!!!"
Kim had complete control of the car's steering.
"I think we should pull over," I said nervously and urgently.
After the 18 wheeler passed us, she (while carefully and gently braking) moved over into the right lane, and then the right shoulder.
The car came to a halt. It was quiet. We looked at each other, and she turned the key in the ignition (which was still in the "on" and running position).
She put the hazards on at some point, but the tried to start the car from the off position. No sound.
We had electricity (we could open the windows, and the hazards could be heard rhythmically blinking), but nothing else happened.
I got out to assess the damage/problem. I checked the passenger side tires: intact. I was thoroughly confused. It wasn't a tire? I walked around to the trunk and got down on the pavement. I saw this:
Hold the story::: After continuing on our way home, after the accident, we saw some unfurled, holding signs--we are 100% certain that is what was on the road in front of us; what we hit. We also saw these sign tripods everywhere during our travels. Little did we know they were so curious about us to get all up in our business. ::: Back to story
Finally, the tow truck called us, and arrived in no time. We got in. He started hooking my car up. A traffic official (I don't think he was a police officer or State Trooper) comes up behind us and puts on his lights. Finally, traffic moves over to the left lane!
The tow truck driver had some difficulty getting my car up because of the thing dragging--it got caught on the lip of the car platform. The officer pulled out his baton and lifted it up as the driver continued using the wench.
They came back and informed us that the object was my gas tank. My just-filled gas tank. I had seen some liquid dripping in the middle undercarriage, in between the front tires, but neither Kim nor I smelled gas. Doesn't mean it wasn't gas, though! It was too hot when I looked under my car, and I didn't stick around sniffing things.
I knew it was something like the gas tank! It wasn't the right shape to be the muffler, but I couldn't think of any other part of my car that was that large (other than the engine block, and I knew it wasn't that!)
I began to think I needed to call my insurance company since it was a more... difficult problem than what AAA covers.
We drove my car to the closest mechanic, who takes one look at it and says, "I'm not comfortable making that kind of repair."
Insurance agrees it needs to go to the nearest Honda dealer--in San Angelo, 69 miles away. [Now you know why I had all the mileage!]
Mom and dad arrive. We clear everything we can out of my car. If it's totaled, (age: 11 years; mileage: about 64,600), I'll never see it again. We left (all unopened): a 6 pk of Ozarka 20 fl oz water bottles, 1 gallon distilled water, 2 gallons antifreeze, 1 roll paper towels. I was going to return the antifreeze if we didn't use it. I wish there had been room to take it home with me... :o(
With my car in another tower's possession, bags at all of our feet (except dad's since he was driving!), the rear window fully obstructed, we pile into dad's Honda CRV to get something to eat at Dairy Queen. Piled out; ate; piled back in. Drove to San Antonio rather uneventfully (Praise the Lord!). I got home about 10:30pm. We did NOT stop to see America's Stonehenge. :o(
Thus, our adventure came to a close. With a BANG! We're all home safely.
But, what of my car?
As of this writing, the appraiser has seen the vehicle, but I don't yet know of its fate...
Even with all the "excitement" towards the end, the trip was great. We were only rained out of an event once (yes, we had a couple near-misses), and we may have had some slight body problems (hives, knees, allergies), but in the end we had each other. And some great stories to tell...!
The dar started out like the others in Ft. Davis: a smidge later, and with a non-rushed feeling. We met mom and dad for a nice breakfast before going our separate ways.
Mom and dad had some things to see near Del Rio, and we wanted the more direct I-10 route home, taking a short drive through a historic section of a little town I can't remember the name of (we saw Paisano Pete!), and later stopping at America's Stonehenge just a bit north of San Antonio.
But, it is Sonora, Texas, that will forever be rembered in our hearts. This town, known for its caves, has a Dairy Queen and three mechanics.
You see, we were driving (rather, Kim was driving, which was probably for the better since she has logged many, many more hours behind the wheel than I) down I-10, just 3.7 miles outside Sonora; 165 miles from San Antonio; 69 miles from San Angelo. Lovely countryside, you see; a nice grassy slightly depressed median to our left; an 18 wheeler to our right; a white pickup truck behind us.
We see an unusual...something in the road ahead. With no options to safely avoid this large, shiny metal and black rubber item, Kim runs over it (straddled it between the tires).
I have never before heard the likes of such noises eminate from my car. The tires didn't leave the ground, but the item hit my undercarriage, bounced around a couple-two-tree times, and flew out from under the left, back driver's side.
Then, kur-THUNK. [all happening in split seconds]
I notice the car quiets, and slows, but wasn't sure why at that time.
Abby exclaimed, "Something just flew off your car!!!"
Kim had complete control of the car's steering.
"I think we should pull over," I said nervously and urgently.
After the 18 wheeler passed us, she (while carefully and gently braking) moved over into the right lane, and then the right shoulder.
The car came to a halt. It was quiet. We looked at each other, and she turned the key in the ignition (which was still in the "on" and running position).
She put the hazards on at some point, but the tried to start the car from the off position. No sound.
We had electricity (we could open the windows, and the hazards could be heard rhythmically blinking), but nothing else happened.
I got out to assess the damage/problem. I checked the passenger side tires: intact. I was thoroughly confused. It wasn't a tire? I walked around to the trunk and got down on the pavement. I saw this:
I calmly walked back to my door, crawled into my seat funny/sideways, and told Kim I needed her to get out to look at it, as a second opinion--it looked like a piece was actually off of my car.
She got her AAA info out, and called for a help. We grabbed our hats, sunglasses, and water bottles, exited the vehicle from the passenger's side [LOTS of trucks were passing us on the interstate to our left!], and crossed the car-less access road to the only shade within 1000 feet on either side [it happened to be literally on the other side of the access road from my car]. There was a driveway to some "ranch" to our right in this photo.
We waited for about an hour for the tow truck. After the first 30 minutes, people traveling along the access road stopped to ask if we needed help. ["No thanks. AAA tow truck is en-route!"] We got a hold of mom and dad, and asked them to turn North to get us. Funny thing: they had just passed the sign for Sonora!
We watched, unblinking, as an unmarked, white pickup truck (not the one behind us when we ran over the object) with two guys in it drove past us along the shoulder. They had to move into traffic to pass my car. Their eyes were on us as they passed us...
What, exactly, did we run over? A temporary-road-sign stand/tripod, all folded up, like it fell of the bed of a road maintenance truck. It looked a lot like this (on the left and right, not in the center--though, there was no sign attached at the time of the accident):
Finally, the tow truck called us, and arrived in no time. We got in. He started hooking my car up. A traffic official (I don't think he was a police officer or State Trooper) comes up behind us and puts on his lights. Finally, traffic moves over to the left lane!
The tow truck driver had some difficulty getting my car up because of the thing dragging--it got caught on the lip of the car platform. The officer pulled out his baton and lifted it up as the driver continued using the wench.
They came back and informed us that the object was my gas tank. My just-filled gas tank. I had seen some liquid dripping in the middle undercarriage, in between the front tires, but neither Kim nor I smelled gas. Doesn't mean it wasn't gas, though! It was too hot when I looked under my car, and I didn't stick around sniffing things.
I knew it was something like the gas tank! It wasn't the right shape to be the muffler, but I couldn't think of any other part of my car that was that large (other than the engine block, and I knew it wasn't that!)
I began to think I needed to call my insurance company since it was a more... difficult problem than what AAA covers.
We drove my car to the closest mechanic, who takes one look at it and says, "I'm not comfortable making that kind of repair."
Insurance agrees it needs to go to the nearest Honda dealer--in San Angelo, 69 miles away. [Now you know why I had all the mileage!]
Mom and dad arrive. We clear everything we can out of my car. If it's totaled, (age: 11 years; mileage: about 64,600), I'll never see it again. We left (all unopened): a 6 pk of Ozarka 20 fl oz water bottles, 1 gallon distilled water, 2 gallons antifreeze, 1 roll paper towels. I was going to return the antifreeze if we didn't use it. I wish there had been room to take it home with me... :o(
With my car in another tower's possession, bags at all of our feet (except dad's since he was driving!), the rear window fully obstructed, we pile into dad's Honda CRV to get something to eat at Dairy Queen. Piled out; ate; piled back in. Drove to San Antonio rather uneventfully (Praise the Lord!). I got home about 10:30pm. We did NOT stop to see America's Stonehenge. :o(
Thus, our adventure came to a close. With a BANG! We're all home safely.
But, what of my car?
As of this writing, the appraiser has seen the vehicle, but I don't yet know of its fate...
The last time I saw my car...
Even with all the "excitement" towards the end, the trip was great. We were only rained out of an event once (yes, we had a couple near-misses), and we may have had some slight body problems (hives, knees, allergies), but in the end we had each other. And some great stories to tell...!
Stacy: Day 15 (August 3, 2015) - Another Nuclear Day!
I'm noticing a trend, here, with days not being jam-packed with my dad along for the ride... :o) I could use the break from walking 3 miles a day, though.
We started our day up at the McDonald Observatory again.
"But, the sun is out!" I hear you proclaim. "If the full moon washed out a lot of the night sky before, what do you possibly think you'll see with the sun out?" There-in lies the answer.
We learned about the star closest to the Earth: our sun. It was an hour-long lecture by an animated guy who dumbed down the science enough for the kids and lay folk so we could understand it. He was great. My eyes did glaze over from time to time, but it was still neat to learn about the nuclear process our sun (and all the other stars) go through.
At the end of the hour, he brought up the live image from the solar telescope, but clouds obscured our view! As a consolation, he brought up some websites with various real-time satellite images of the sun. They were still neat.
Then, he led us to the shuttle.
3... 2... 1... LIFT OFF!
... .... to the highest highway in Texas, leading to the two largest telescopes on this observatory's grounds.
We were taken inside the domes, where we learned about each telescope. He even gave us a demonstration of how the domes and telescopes move! [All while the domes were closed--it's daylight and those are some expensive pieces of equipment!]
Well, I must correct myself--the second telescope we saw (with the hexagon-mirrors atop the teal/light blue struts) wasn't actually demonstrated for us.
We just lucked out that they were doing maintenance on it, and they needed to move it! You see, this telescope isn't meant to be as easily mobile like the others )even the smaller domes we saw two nights before). This huge telescope is to remain mostly stationary.
However, due to its many mirrors, it needs to be synced each night before use. Afterwards, it can be moved into whatever position necessary, with each mirror talking to each other and adjusting should one of them slip slightly out of position. How does this telescope move?
Well, there are these donut-like bladders made out of heavy duty rubber located under the lowest supportive struts. They are filled with compressed air over a two-minute span, where they expand, lifting the heavy telescope off of the ground just enough. Then, huge robotic arms gently shift/rotate the telescope into the needed position. Once moved, the air is let out of the bladders, and the telescope gently settles to the floor for the night. It was neat to see it in action!
Once we were done viewing that telescope, the tour was over, but a storm had been brewing! And, as we were close to 7000 feet into the air, we waited (for a few minutes) for the lightning to abate. The guide drove us back down the mountain, where we decided to eat lunch in the nice, little cafeteria in the visitors center of the observatory.
Next up, stuff on my mom's to-see list. We were all just along for the ride.
Prada Marfa (an art exhibit, not a store)
We started our day up at the McDonald Observatory again.
"But, the sun is out!" I hear you proclaim. "If the full moon washed out a lot of the night sky before, what do you possibly think you'll see with the sun out?" There-in lies the answer.
We learned about the star closest to the Earth: our sun. It was an hour-long lecture by an animated guy who dumbed down the science enough for the kids and lay folk so we could understand it. He was great. My eyes did glaze over from time to time, but it was still neat to learn about the nuclear process our sun (and all the other stars) go through.
At the end of the hour, he brought up the live image from the solar telescope, but clouds obscured our view! As a consolation, he brought up some websites with various real-time satellite images of the sun. They were still neat.
Then, he led us to the shuttle.
3... 2... 1... LIFT OFF!
... .... to the highest highway in Texas, leading to the two largest telescopes on this observatory's grounds.
We were taken inside the domes, where we learned about each telescope. He even gave us a demonstration of how the domes and telescopes move! [All while the domes were closed--it's daylight and those are some expensive pieces of equipment!]
Smaller telescope (107" mirror, I believe)
Larger telescope, with many smaller, hexagonal mirrors
Rain on the dome outside of the large telescope
Well, I must correct myself--the second telescope we saw (with the hexagon-mirrors atop the teal/light blue struts) wasn't actually demonstrated for us.
We just lucked out that they were doing maintenance on it, and they needed to move it! You see, this telescope isn't meant to be as easily mobile like the others )even the smaller domes we saw two nights before). This huge telescope is to remain mostly stationary.
However, due to its many mirrors, it needs to be synced each night before use. Afterwards, it can be moved into whatever position necessary, with each mirror talking to each other and adjusting should one of them slip slightly out of position. How does this telescope move?
Well, there are these donut-like bladders made out of heavy duty rubber located under the lowest supportive struts. They are filled with compressed air over a two-minute span, where they expand, lifting the heavy telescope off of the ground just enough. Then, huge robotic arms gently shift/rotate the telescope into the needed position. Once moved, the air is let out of the bladders, and the telescope gently settles to the floor for the night. It was neat to see it in action!
Once we were done viewing that telescope, the tour was over, but a storm had been brewing! And, as we were close to 7000 feet into the air, we waited (for a few minutes) for the lightning to abate. The guide drove us back down the mountain, where we decided to eat lunch in the nice, little cafeteria in the visitors center of the observatory.
Next up, stuff on my mom's to-see list. We were all just along for the ride.
Prada Marfa (an art exhibit, not a store)
Kim Photobombed!!
Border patrol blimp (we randomly came across this... it was probably docked due to the storm)
See it? It's all white, and in the center, above the green.
Hotel Paisano--Kim has photos--a long time ago, many stars apparently stayed here while filming the movie "Giant."
Then, back to Ft. Davis for an ice cream dinner and some more relaxing!
Tomorrow, our adventures will come to a close.
~FIN
Stacy: Day 14 (August 2, 2015)
Ah, today was much more leisurely than the past 14! We went to Mass at the local church, where we witnessed the Confirmation of a lovely young lady, in an historical church! What a privilege.
After changing into our sight-seeing clothes, we visited the (also) historic Fort Davis National Park. Yes, yes, we all got our National Parks Passports stamped, and then we talked to a nice guy for a long time. He was dressed in a U.S. Army soldier's uniform because of some special events they had going on that day.
Dad asked lots of questions, and we learned that, while General Custer definitely made some tactical errors at his "last stand," his demise was most likely due to the fact that the U.S. Government had given "repeaters" to the Native Americans. You see, "repeaters" are rifles which had a magazine that could hold 8 rounds.
Custer's troops had the usual single-shot rifles of that era. Even though repeaters were requested for the U.S. Army soldiers (throughout the country) many times, the government refused to give them any. It can be likened to the scenario of today: gangs have automatic guns, while the police have non-automatic guns. You can see how automatic guns can easily overpower non-automatic guns...
Custer was most likely made a scapegoat after his slaughter. Because, who better than to pin a huge failure on than someone who is already dead?
With modern day ballistic forensics [remember: even old guns make a unique signature on the bullet when fired], we can literally follow the Native American warriors from spot to spot, where he stopped to unload his 8 rounds into the U.S. soldiers before moving on as he reloaded.
It's a good thing we were in the barracks as the guy talked. I fell asleep!
Just kidding! I found their conversation fascinating!
Just a note: the guy was simply telling us all of this--Ft. Davis was not the location of "Custer's Last Stand" (which was in Montana). The mission of Ft. Davis, and the Buffalo Soldiers stationed there, was to bring peace to the area: the road from San Antonio to the Ft. Davis area. They kept travelers safe from both bandits and Native American raids.
We left Ft. Davis at lunch time, and headed back to our motel for some down time. Then, we left for dinner, and the Marfa Lights!
Now, for those of you who know me, I'm quite open minded (but still healthily skeptical) when it comes to strange phenomena. Apparently we had a marvelous night of active Marfa Lights. I definitely saw them, but cannot understand why no one has yet been able to figure them out. My mom and sister took lots of shots, and Kim included some in her day 14 blog. I'll see if I can obtain more for ya'll, after the trip, and will try to post them.
The lights are quite fascinating: there is no highway in the spot the lights appear (but newcomers often mistake lights from the highway near the viewing area as the Marfa Lights). The lights have been recorded as being seen in the 1800s, and Native Americans in the area (at that time, or earlier) have witnessed them, too.
They can appear in various temperatures of white, as well as red and blue. I'm not sure if I saw any red ones because there was a tower with a steadily blinking red light in that area, but closer to us than the majority of the lights. I did not see any blue lights (unless the really white lights are being considered as "blue").
I did did see white lights in two different temperature colors: the brilliant, clean white (like LEDs) and the slightly orangey (like incandescent bulbs). Both colors are typically found for car and house light bulbs. HOWEVER. None of these lights really moved. They would just appear. They would appear in the same general area (in several different places, sometimes in pairs or clusters, sometimes alone).
Some would just be there--BAM!--all bright and right there for a while (ten or so seconds? I never stopped to time them). Others would either appear faintly, and then suddenly become brighter, or appear brightly and then suddenly become fainter. Some would appear faintly, and then just disappear.
Again, they were not really moving (my arms were shaking while holding the binoculars), or their movements were minuscule and indistinguishable through my normal body shaking (breathing steadily or tired arms). I noticed no blinking pattern (the lights were steady while visible), except for the general area of their appearance in front of-but never above-the mountain range off in the distance. Two lights did consistently appear near the peak (but not on the peak-top) of one of the lower mountains.
I never witnessed two different temperature colors merge/un merge from each other, but they would still be relatively close together.
I have an uneducated, half-formed theory, but if real scientists can't figure it out, why would I? All in all, since the moon rose much later than the past few nights, we had a brilliant night sky to look at!
After changing into our sight-seeing clothes, we visited the (also) historic Fort Davis National Park. Yes, yes, we all got our National Parks Passports stamped, and then we talked to a nice guy for a long time. He was dressed in a U.S. Army soldier's uniform because of some special events they had going on that day.
Dad asked lots of questions, and we learned that, while General Custer definitely made some tactical errors at his "last stand," his demise was most likely due to the fact that the U.S. Government had given "repeaters" to the Native Americans. You see, "repeaters" are rifles which had a magazine that could hold 8 rounds.
Custer's troops had the usual single-shot rifles of that era. Even though repeaters were requested for the U.S. Army soldiers (throughout the country) many times, the government refused to give them any. It can be likened to the scenario of today: gangs have automatic guns, while the police have non-automatic guns. You can see how automatic guns can easily overpower non-automatic guns...
Custer was most likely made a scapegoat after his slaughter. Because, who better than to pin a huge failure on than someone who is already dead?
With modern day ballistic forensics [remember: even old guns make a unique signature on the bullet when fired], we can literally follow the Native American warriors from spot to spot, where he stopped to unload his 8 rounds into the U.S. soldiers before moving on as he reloaded.
It's a good thing we were in the barracks as the guy talked. I fell asleep!
Just kidding! I found their conversation fascinating!
Just a note: the guy was simply telling us all of this--Ft. Davis was not the location of "Custer's Last Stand" (which was in Montana). The mission of Ft. Davis, and the Buffalo Soldiers stationed there, was to bring peace to the area: the road from San Antonio to the Ft. Davis area. They kept travelers safe from both bandits and Native American raids.
We left Ft. Davis at lunch time, and headed back to our motel for some down time. Then, we left for dinner, and the Marfa Lights!
Now, for those of you who know me, I'm quite open minded (but still healthily skeptical) when it comes to strange phenomena. Apparently we had a marvelous night of active Marfa Lights. I definitely saw them, but cannot understand why no one has yet been able to figure them out. My mom and sister took lots of shots, and Kim included some in her day 14 blog. I'll see if I can obtain more for ya'll, after the trip, and will try to post them.
The lights are quite fascinating: there is no highway in the spot the lights appear (but newcomers often mistake lights from the highway near the viewing area as the Marfa Lights). The lights have been recorded as being seen in the 1800s, and Native Americans in the area (at that time, or earlier) have witnessed them, too.
They can appear in various temperatures of white, as well as red and blue. I'm not sure if I saw any red ones because there was a tower with a steadily blinking red light in that area, but closer to us than the majority of the lights. I did not see any blue lights (unless the really white lights are being considered as "blue").
I did did see white lights in two different temperature colors: the brilliant, clean white (like LEDs) and the slightly orangey (like incandescent bulbs). Both colors are typically found for car and house light bulbs. HOWEVER. None of these lights really moved. They would just appear. They would appear in the same general area (in several different places, sometimes in pairs or clusters, sometimes alone).
Some would just be there--BAM!--all bright and right there for a while (ten or so seconds? I never stopped to time them). Others would either appear faintly, and then suddenly become brighter, or appear brightly and then suddenly become fainter. Some would appear faintly, and then just disappear.
Again, they were not really moving (my arms were shaking while holding the binoculars), or their movements were minuscule and indistinguishable through my normal body shaking (breathing steadily or tired arms). I noticed no blinking pattern (the lights were steady while visible), except for the general area of their appearance in front of-but never above-the mountain range off in the distance. Two lights did consistently appear near the peak (but not on the peak-top) of one of the lower mountains.
I never witnessed two different temperature colors merge/un merge from each other, but they would still be relatively close together.
I have an uneducated, half-formed theory, but if real scientists can't figure it out, why would I? All in all, since the moon rose much later than the past few nights, we had a brilliant night sky to look at!
Stacy: Day 13 (August 1, 2015)
Today we once again started the day bright and early--we had a scheduled, guided tour of Carlsbad Caverns' Kings Palace chambers. Oh, what a beautiful (and chilly!) place!! Apparently, I'd visited the caverns before, but my mother wisely left her 3-year-old at the kennel. 30 years later, I saw no evidence of this "daycare" they spoke of; only a kennel.
Heck, at that age (and yes, to this day), if you gave me a nice piece of carpeted floor-real estate to sleep on, I was happy! Place a carpet remnant at the bottom of a cage, and I wouldn't have known the difference.
I kid, I kid.........
Our bad luck-of sorts-was still following us. Albeit, it was mostly someone else's bad luck this time. In the Caverns, the Ranger had just let us in the gate at the very beginning of the Kin'gs Palace tour area. We had all filed in, and were waiting down a ramp for her to shut the gate and return to the front of the line (where we were). A group of about 6 kids (under 10) were leading us, and then there was a family of three: parents and their young adult son. That family was standing at the curve, mostly blocked by railings and a fallen boulder, but there was about a two-foot gap between the two over the continuing path below.
Kim and I were facing each other, Abby next in line, behind us. The guy, his back to us, teetered backwards, but caught himself.
Kim and I looked at each other. We'd had an odd soul on our hike the night before--he did some quick, spastic-like dance moves while we were stopped looking at the full moon.
Even though this guy seemed to have caught his balance, split seconds later, he lunged forward. At this point, I didn't think anything was wrong because in the corner of my eye he was upright and unmoving.
His mom spoke loudly, "He's having a seizure."
I turned my head in response to her tone. This time she shouted, "He's having a seizure!"
The mom began to collapse under the weight of her son, and then the dad realized what was happening. He reached out, at about the same time I did, to catch his son. As they roughly guided him down, I started to feel in my hands and back up to give them room to Manuela.
"Watch his head!" His mom shouted at the dad, and my hands shot back out to help, but fell short because my legs had failed to also move (still have a bum knee, remember). Luckily, his head didn't hit too hard, and his upper body was partially on his mom.
At this point, only a handful of seconds had passed. The shouts were just trickling back to the Ranger who was closing the gate. My mind was shouting at me, "Roll him on his side. Roll him on his side!!" But, I didn't move because his parents were supposed to be more familiar with his situation, right?? While they were definitely alarmed [the mother , off balance, hadn't gone over the edge with her son], they did not seem panicked anymore. Thus, my hesitation to roll the guy over.
Gurgles and grunts eminated from his mouth. His body convulsed.
"I'm a nurse!" Rang out from somewhere closely behind us. People quickly parted for her, and I relaxed.
"Let the professionals take over," I thought.
Now I know what "it happened so fast" feels like. This couldn't have taken more than 30 seconds to occur--a minute at most. I remember it all so clearly, too. The human brain truly is a wonder!
The nurse tried to get the guy on his side, but either they couldn't, or it seemed like he was coming out of the seizure. The Ranger made her way halfway down to hear us, and after getting basics (age, sex, and what he needed-"Oxygen!"), ran to the nearby emergency telephone to get EMS.
There was no mention of what condition the guy had, but his mom was relieved that this episode was much shorter than usual. He is normally unconscious for a couple of hours--sleeping it off. "He probably got too excited," she said calmly as she wiped his mouth clear. The nurse kept talking soothingly to him.
He lay still, now, and while his breathing had become regular, it was still labored.
I'm sure it was within 5 minutes, total, an EMS guy came down and took over from the nurse. We moved down the path a bit more to give them more room. He could now respond yes or no to questions. After ensuring the EMS guy was ok, and that the second EMS was on his way, she guided us down the path and continued our tour.
You could feel the unease of us all at first, but it melted away as we delved deeper into the bowels of the earth. We'd left the improving young man in capable hands, and it was now time to enjoy the wonders of the King's Palace, where all I could think about (in an excited, yet creeped out sort of way) was the plot of the movie, "The Descent" (2005).
Oh, what a beautiful landscape those caverns have! Absolutely breathtaking! Especially in the pitch blackness, when she turned out the lights for a few minutes. ;o)
After the caverns, we drove back through the mountains--reminiscent of the Colorado area with it s pine trees and lush greenery. Only, literally after we passed through the last high mountain, it was back to the New Mexico/West Texas scrubby brush and more arid ground. There was no subtle transition zone. It was, "Bam!" Out of mountains, back to desert.
We stopped by the Guadalupe National Park and walked around a short trail for about an hour. We also did a Geo Cache.
Then, we drove to Ft. Davis, Tx, where we met up with my parents! We sort-of had dinner (a story for another day), and then we rushed to the McDonald Observatory so we didn't miss our scheduled Twilight Lecture and Full Moon Star Party.
It was amazing seeing Saturn in one of their large, domed telescopes [note: NOT one of their main research telescopes]. But, I've seen Saturn (and Jupiter) more clearly through my dad's [much less expensive] telescopes!!! That was shocking to discover, for sure!
The bright moon did wash out the night sky, but it was still a night to remember. I haven't been star gazing with my daddy since Jupiter was hit with those meteors (in 2009?).
~FIN
Heck, at that age (and yes, to this day), if you gave me a nice piece of carpeted floor-real estate to sleep on, I was happy! Place a carpet remnant at the bottom of a cage, and I wouldn't have known the difference.
I kid, I kid.........
Our bad luck-of sorts-was still following us. Albeit, it was mostly someone else's bad luck this time. In the Caverns, the Ranger had just let us in the gate at the very beginning of the Kin'gs Palace tour area. We had all filed in, and were waiting down a ramp for her to shut the gate and return to the front of the line (where we were). A group of about 6 kids (under 10) were leading us, and then there was a family of three: parents and their young adult son. That family was standing at the curve, mostly blocked by railings and a fallen boulder, but there was about a two-foot gap between the two over the continuing path below.
Kim and I were facing each other, Abby next in line, behind us. The guy, his back to us, teetered backwards, but caught himself.
Kim and I looked at each other. We'd had an odd soul on our hike the night before--he did some quick, spastic-like dance moves while we were stopped looking at the full moon.
Even though this guy seemed to have caught his balance, split seconds later, he lunged forward. At this point, I didn't think anything was wrong because in the corner of my eye he was upright and unmoving.
His mom spoke loudly, "He's having a seizure."
I turned my head in response to her tone. This time she shouted, "He's having a seizure!"
The mom began to collapse under the weight of her son, and then the dad realized what was happening. He reached out, at about the same time I did, to catch his son. As they roughly guided him down, I started to feel in my hands and back up to give them room to Manuela.
"Watch his head!" His mom shouted at the dad, and my hands shot back out to help, but fell short because my legs had failed to also move (still have a bum knee, remember). Luckily, his head didn't hit too hard, and his upper body was partially on his mom.
At this point, only a handful of seconds had passed. The shouts were just trickling back to the Ranger who was closing the gate. My mind was shouting at me, "Roll him on his side. Roll him on his side!!" But, I didn't move because his parents were supposed to be more familiar with his situation, right?? While they were definitely alarmed [the mother , off balance, hadn't gone over the edge with her son], they did not seem panicked anymore. Thus, my hesitation to roll the guy over.
Gurgles and grunts eminated from his mouth. His body convulsed.
"I'm a nurse!" Rang out from somewhere closely behind us. People quickly parted for her, and I relaxed.
"Let the professionals take over," I thought.
Now I know what "it happened so fast" feels like. This couldn't have taken more than 30 seconds to occur--a minute at most. I remember it all so clearly, too. The human brain truly is a wonder!
The nurse tried to get the guy on his side, but either they couldn't, or it seemed like he was coming out of the seizure. The Ranger made her way halfway down to hear us, and after getting basics (age, sex, and what he needed-"Oxygen!"), ran to the nearby emergency telephone to get EMS.
There was no mention of what condition the guy had, but his mom was relieved that this episode was much shorter than usual. He is normally unconscious for a couple of hours--sleeping it off. "He probably got too excited," she said calmly as she wiped his mouth clear. The nurse kept talking soothingly to him.
He lay still, now, and while his breathing had become regular, it was still labored.
I'm sure it was within 5 minutes, total, an EMS guy came down and took over from the nurse. We moved down the path a bit more to give them more room. He could now respond yes or no to questions. After ensuring the EMS guy was ok, and that the second EMS was on his way, she guided us down the path and continued our tour.
You could feel the unease of us all at first, but it melted away as we delved deeper into the bowels of the earth. We'd left the improving young man in capable hands, and it was now time to enjoy the wonders of the King's Palace, where all I could think about (in an excited, yet creeped out sort of way) was the plot of the movie, "The Descent" (2005).
Oh, what a beautiful landscape those caverns have! Absolutely breathtaking! Especially in the pitch blackness, when she turned out the lights for a few minutes. ;o)
After the caverns, we drove back through the mountains--reminiscent of the Colorado area with it s pine trees and lush greenery. Only, literally after we passed through the last high mountain, it was back to the New Mexico/West Texas scrubby brush and more arid ground. There was no subtle transition zone. It was, "Bam!" Out of mountains, back to desert.
We stopped by the Guadalupe National Park and walked around a short trail for about an hour. We also did a Geo Cache.
El Capitan, sheer cliff face just left of center
Then, we drove to Ft. Davis, Tx, where we met up with my parents! We sort-of had dinner (a story for another day), and then we rushed to the McDonald Observatory so we didn't miss our scheduled Twilight Lecture and Full Moon Star Party.
It was amazing seeing Saturn in one of their large, domed telescopes [note: NOT one of their main research telescopes]. But, I've seen Saturn (and Jupiter) more clearly through my dad's [much less expensive] telescopes!!! That was shocking to discover, for sure!
The bright moon did wash out the night sky, but it was still a night to remember. I haven't been star gazing with my daddy since Jupiter was hit with those meteors (in 2009?).
~FIN
Stacy: Day 12 (July 31, 2015) - Too Close of an Encounter
Today we went back to White Sands to spend some sunny hours with the dunes. I prefer them at night--mostly because by 10:30am, they were getting hot! But, oh, they are beautiful at any time of day. We got there around 9am, and were pretty much the only visitors to the park. It was lovely to walk barefoot around in the quiet, on the not-yet-hot sands.
Then, it was back in the car for some more driving. We made a quick stop to see Billy the Kid in Lincoln, NM, and grab a quick Geo Cache. Once again (for the 4th time?), we passed the mountains. The next real stop? Roswell, NM! The UFO capitol of the world.
We walked through the UFO museum, where they had exhibits displaying the evidence of a governmental cover-up and alien encounter. They had some far-out things and evidence (like an eyes-only, Top Secret, 1 of 1 report directly for the President stating that the weather balloon explanation was only a cover story given to the Press.
We made some new friends!
Anyway, surprisingly, Roswell itself is mostly a normal city. There are some businesses that play up Roswell's reputation and have large blow=up aliens outside, but for the most part, all the alien museums and gift shops cover two blocks of downtown's main street.
After finishing up with our obligatory Roswell-touristy things, we were once again on our way. We had a hard time limit in which to make it to Carlsbad Caverns to see the bats! I've seen the bats emerge in Austin, Texas, before, but the landscape of Carlsbad made it a better experience by far.
They gave us a briefing thirty minutes prior to their exit, educating about bats in general. It was mostly stuff for the younger crowd, but there were definitely some things I didn't know. Like: the largest bat (Wolf Bat) has a 6 foot wingspan! And, that bat mommies give birth while hanging from their arms, and catch the baby with their tiny tails. Also, (when born) their babies are about 1/4 of the momma's weight.
But, the most exciting thing today was the hike immediately after the bats. Two Rangers guided us to the Juniper Ridge Trail, where we hiked for almost two hours (I think), with only the moon as our flashlight.
"How is this any different than the hike you went on last night?" You ask. Well, besides being at different National Parks, tonight we actually had a mostly cloudless sky!
So, we traipsed along under the beautiful full moon, looking and listening to the nature around us. The Rangers stopped us at several points to educate us about things along the way, but I think-besides the last stop-it was all to disguise the breaks so we could catch our breath.
Before making our way back, the Rangers brought out some powerful binoculars and a tripod, from which they allowed us to view the full moon. I'd never noticed it before, but when magnified like that, I could see a fly's head: big, compound eyes staring blankly at me, hairy mandible wiggling at me in a form of communication completely lost on me.
One thing I learned from the Rangers on the hike: some Native American tribes don't see a Man on the Moon, like we do; they see a rabbit. The Japanese see a rabbit, as do I. I was never able to see "the Man on the Moon" until a handful of years ago.
The hike back down the trail was easy and uneventful. We made our way to the hotel, where we dreamt of bats; deep, dark caves; and the Moon in all its full-glory.
~FIN
Then, it was back in the car for some more driving. We made a quick stop to see Billy the Kid in Lincoln, NM, and grab a quick Geo Cache. Once again (for the 4th time?), we passed the mountains. The next real stop? Roswell, NM! The UFO capitol of the world.
We walked through the UFO museum, where they had exhibits displaying the evidence of a governmental cover-up and alien encounter. They had some far-out things and evidence (like an eyes-only, Top Secret, 1 of 1 report directly for the President stating that the weather balloon explanation was only a cover story given to the Press.
We made some new friends!
Anyway, surprisingly, Roswell itself is mostly a normal city. There are some businesses that play up Roswell's reputation and have large blow=up aliens outside, but for the most part, all the alien museums and gift shops cover two blocks of downtown's main street.
After finishing up with our obligatory Roswell-touristy things, we were once again on our way. We had a hard time limit in which to make it to Carlsbad Caverns to see the bats! I've seen the bats emerge in Austin, Texas, before, but the landscape of Carlsbad made it a better experience by far.
They gave us a briefing thirty minutes prior to their exit, educating about bats in general. It was mostly stuff for the younger crowd, but there were definitely some things I didn't know. Like: the largest bat (Wolf Bat) has a 6 foot wingspan! And, that bat mommies give birth while hanging from their arms, and catch the baby with their tiny tails. Also, (when born) their babies are about 1/4 of the momma's weight.
But, the most exciting thing today was the hike immediately after the bats. Two Rangers guided us to the Juniper Ridge Trail, where we hiked for almost two hours (I think), with only the moon as our flashlight.
"How is this any different than the hike you went on last night?" You ask. Well, besides being at different National Parks, tonight we actually had a mostly cloudless sky!
So, we traipsed along under the beautiful full moon, looking and listening to the nature around us. The Rangers stopped us at several points to educate us about things along the way, but I think-besides the last stop-it was all to disguise the breaks so we could catch our breath.
Before making our way back, the Rangers brought out some powerful binoculars and a tripod, from which they allowed us to view the full moon. I'd never noticed it before, but when magnified like that, I could see a fly's head: big, compound eyes staring blankly at me, hairy mandible wiggling at me in a form of communication completely lost on me.
One thing I learned from the Rangers on the hike: some Native American tribes don't see a Man on the Moon, like we do; they see a rabbit. The Japanese see a rabbit, as do I. I was never able to see "the Man on the Moon" until a handful of years ago.
The hike back down the trail was easy and uneventful. We made our way to the hotel, where we dreamt of bats; deep, dark caves; and the Moon in all its full-glory.
~FIN
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Abby:Day 15
Today we got breakast at the market. Then we went to McDonald Observatory for theSolar Viewing, which was awesome! We got to see 2 huge telescopes upclose and learned about the sun and dark energy and dark matter. Then,in the rain, we drove back to the Visitor Center to get lunch. Then we went to Marfa to see Prada(I'm not sure if I spelled right) and see a hotel that movies stars stayed at. Then we headed back to Fort Davis to eat ice cream for dinner at the caboose ice cream shop. We went back to the hotel to relax and swim in the pool(until thunder messed it up). We were going to watch a movie,but we couldn't get it to play. So I just ate my dinner,which was partially frozen because the fridge was on 7, and went to bed. Write more soon!
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