Kerrville and nearby

As we continued on through Texas, we enjoyed the many roadside flowers in bloom.

    

We were about 2 weeks late for the famous Texas Bluebonnets, but did spot a few in bloom at a roadside stop.

Having been on the road from Yuma to Texas, my Crazy Quilt block for the month was titled “Twilight in the Desert” and featured the highway running through the desert.  For more on that project, see my craft blog at “Spare Moment Stitching”.

We spent a month in Kerrville at Take It Easy RV with good friend, Donna.

     

Over the years, we’ve made several friends at Take It Easy.  Each Saturday several go together to the nearby restaurant Del Norte’s for breakfast. 

These couples plus one more went with us to Cici’s to celebrate our 33rd anniversary.

One of the highlights of our month was a three day visit from granddaughter, Cassandra.  During her visit, we took a road trip, stopping for several photo sessions on the way.

 

Nearby Ingram has an unusual attraction, a replica of Stonehenge and  another of a statue from Easter Island.

In 1989 Doug Hill tipped on end a massive limestone rock onto Al Shepperd’s field.  After looking at the rock and joking about it for months, Al and Doug decided to build an arch behind the rock to make it more visible to passers by. 

With the arch, Al was reminded of the original Stonehenge in England, and commissioned Doug to design and build a stonehenge.

 

It took 9 months to fashion out of rebar and concrete.  Stonehenge II is not an exact replica, and is not oriented to the sun.  It is about 2/3 the size of the original.

After Stonehenge II was complete, it seemed a logical step to add the Easter Island statuary.  Al had visited the original and thought the statue would be a natural complement to the stone structures.

You never know what you’ll find on a drive in Texas.  Cassandra loved this fence topped with boots that seemed to go on forever.  (She took this photo.)

The road used to have many low water crossings.  After a fatal accident a few years ago, those low water bridges have been replaced with higher structures, but there are still many places for parking and photographing.

     

Many years ago on a drive through this area with friends, we spotted an old stone chimney, obviously all that was left of an old home.  Ron thought he remembered its location, and after a lot of visual searching through the brush, we located it.  The first time, we were able to walk back to the chimney, but now the brush is too thick to attempt reaching it.

    

We retraced our route to Kerrville, and headed for Bandera, Texas’ Cowboy Capital.  Again, there were several stops to enjoy the beautiful stream scenes.

The roadside wildflowers were prolific. 

    

      

The next day, we visited Kerrville’s Riverside Nature Center, a little known attraction.  It is a quiet, natural habitat for birds and butterflies.  Many of the plants were in bloom. 

         

     

Afterwards, we walked along the riverbank.

    

When we arrived in Kerrville in April, the water in the river was so low the dam near the park had just a trickle of water flowing over it.  But it rained several times while we were there, increasing the water in the river dramatically.  This was the scene one evening at sunset. 

A few days later after another hard rain, the water flowed almost over the entire length of the dam, something Donna said she hadn’t seen for years.

That day, I noticed the incline by the dam was covered with white flowers that hadn’t been there the day before.  Mr. Kline, a 90+ year old resident of the park, told me they were “rain flowers”;  following up on his tip, I discovered he was right.  They are Texas Rain Lilies, and often pop up following a rain. 

Following our month in Kerrville, we stopped for an overnight stay at Cedar Breaks, a C.O.E. Park near Georgetown, TX, for another visit with Cassie.

We were there for a week last fall.  The change in the water levels was amazing.  Here are two of the docks,

then……………………………………………………………   and now

    

     

Where there was no water in the inlet at all last fall, the docks are now floating.

The next morning, we hit the road toward Indiana.

      

 

From Layton, UT to Moab

The drive from Layton to Moab was very scenic, and made more so with the changing autumn leaves on the mountain slopes.  Come travel with us as we travel 250 miles of postcard quality scenery on US 191. (Click on Photo for slide show)

Driving on the Coronado Trail

Over 450 years ago, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado took 1400 men on a fantastic trip through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas seeking the fabled Seven Golden Cities of Cibola.  Although he never found his cities, his exploration established much of Spain’s later claim to the huge Southwest.

Today, the official Coronado Trail Scenic Byway runs from Clifton, AZ to Springerville, AZ.

We asked square dance friends, Ron and Kay Henderson, to accompany us as we drove much of the byway’s length, from Clifton, AZ to Alpine, AZ.

 

 

 

 

Ron worked for the Forestry Department for years and is a “walking history tome”.  He gave us a running commentary throughout the drive, adding background to the fabulous scenery.

 

 

 

The town of Clifton (derived from Cliff Town, appropriately) was founded in the 1870’s  The nearby river water was necessary to the copper smelters serving the mines.  Although Clifton remains, most of the original Main Street is boarded up.

Next town northward is Morenci, North America’s leading copper producer.  The mine, which seems to stretch on for miles, boggles the imagination.  In recent years, it has produced more than 1 billion pounds of copper annually.

The trucks working in this mine have tires that are 10 feet in diameter, and the trucks appear too tiny in this photo to discern. 

Beyond Morenci, the road ascends in elevation rapidly.There is a 6,000-foot change of elevation, starting from the topography of the Upper Sonoran Desert to near-alpine meadows high in the White Mountains.The road, in less than 100 miles carries you through changes in climate, soil, moisture and elevation the same as you would see on a road trip from Mexico to Canada!

This is not a road to be traversed swiftly.  The Federal Highway Administration considers this drive to be the curviest road in the nation. There are nearly 450 switchbacks, (many marked at 10 mph) along the route.  Nearly each curve, though, affords a wonderful view.  Here’s a view of the road ahead through the side window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped to take in the view at Blue Vista overlook, perched on the edge of the Mogollon Rim. 

The Rim rises 4,000 feet from the valley below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the midst of the Ponderosa pines and alligator juniper of the high elevations, we stopped for a picnic lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly thereafter, we were amazed to see snow laying alongside the road and in the shade of the forests.  Ron just had to stop and hold the snow.  It’s not often anymore that we see snow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ron Henderson writes many historical papers about the area, particularly about almost forgotten cemeteries.  We stopped at one such cemetery on the way back, almost hidden in the grass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left Silver City at 8 a.m. and arrived back, tired, at 6:30 p.m., but what a drive we had experienced.