Taos . New Mexico . USA . Thursday . 18 August 2011

Taos . New Mexico . USA . Thursday . 18 August 2011

USA – Late Summer of 2011

The Southwest, through the South and our Federal Capital

A Travel Summary

Good morning Friends and Family –

Traveling through the Southwest, the South and our Nation’s Capital.

An Itinerary and Travel Notes follows:

All is well.

With regards,

Nick

William L. Palmer . Valdese . North Carolina . USA

and a R 80 G/S (1986 BMW)

ITINERARY

Day 01 Asheville, North Carolina

0 miles 03 June 2010 (349,863 miles – beginning trip odometer reading)

Day 16 Northwest Angle of Minnesota – Lake of the Woods

2,922 miles 18 June 2011 (352,785 miles)

Day 32 Anchorage, Alaska

6,504 miles 04 July 2011 (356,367 miles)

Day 49 Charles Marion Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana

9,863 miles 21 July 2011 (359,726 miles)

Day 52 Lake Isa, Our Two-Ocean Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

10,449 miles 24 July 2011 (360,312 miles)

Day 63 Furnace Creek (-190 feet elevation at 130 F), Death Valley NP, Calif

12,642 miles 04 August 2011 (362,505 miles)

Day 68 Flagstaff, a Gateway to the Grand Canyon, Arizona

13,584 miles 09 August 2011 (363,447 miles)

Day 75 Palamas, Mexico of “Pancho Villa” Fame

14,257 miles 16 August 2011 (364,120 miles)

Day 78 Adrian, MidPoint on Historic US “Route 66”, Texas

14,929 miles 19 August 2011 (364,727 miles)

Day 83 San Felipe, Texas, Stephen F. Austin (Father of Texas) State Park

15,722 miles 24 August 2011 (365,585 miles)

Day 98 Valdese, North Carolina

17,247 miles 08 September 2011 (367,110 miles)

Day 117 Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

18,242 miles 27 September 2011 (368,105 miles)

TRAVEL NOTES

Arizona

Flagstaff; Red Canyon and Sedona, Phoenix: Visited Jerry and Diana Braudrick [E-5 Special Forces Engineer, 18C2S, A Team-104, January 1965 at Camp Aro, on the Laotian boarder and April 1965 A-104 relocated to Camp Ha Thanh, eastern I Corps, RVN, January 1965 – December 1965]; Received a phone call from CSM Harold Eddins – completed an Mount Whitney summit climb with his granddaughter, Avery Riescher, age 14 and friends, Wednesday, 10 August at 1230 hours; Phoenix - Visited with Al and Julie Jesse – Tour the World - Luggage for the Long Distance Rider, “Made in Arizona, USA”; Tucson: Visited with Joe and Rylee Ryan: [ E-5 Joseph J Ryan, 11B4P, Sqd Ldr, 2nd Plt, A Co, 3rd Bn Abn, 503rd Inf, (LZ UPLIFT) 173rd Airborne Brigade, RVN 18 March 1970 – 07 January 1971 and E-4 Thomas Evert (Tommy) Whaples, 11B2P, M-60, 2nd Plt, A Co, 3rd Bn Abn, 503rd Inf, (LZ UPLIFT) 173rd Airborne Brigade, RVN, October 1970 – 15 May 1971 ]; Tubac; The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Sabino Canyon; Fort Huachuca and The Calvary Museum (the Buffalo Soldier);

Fort Huachuca was established to counter the Chiricahua Indian threat and to secure the border with Mexico. On 03 March 1877, Captain Samuel M Whitside, accompanied by two companies of the 6th Cavalry, chose a site at the base of the Huachuca Mountains that offered sheltering hills and a perennial stream and was re-designated a fort in 1882

In 1886, General Nelson A. Miles chose Fort Huachuca as his headquarters and as a staging area for his operations against Geronimo. After the surrender of Geronimo in 1889, the Apache threat was essentially extinguished, but the army continued to operate Fort Huachuca because of its strategic border position. In 1913, the fort became the base for the "Buffalo Soldiers", the 10th Cavalry Regiment, which was composed of African Americans. It served this purpose for twenty years. In 1933, the 25th Infantry Regiment replaced the 10th Cavalry at Fort Huachuca.

Tombstone; roadway to Bisbee blocked by lighting storm. Later in the day near New Mexico, the desert floor was covered with several inches of rain water.

New Mexico

Deming: Columbus with its Railroad Museum (well done) and the Pancho Villa State Park (very well done) – a fine overview of the 09 March 1916 attack by the Villistas, Pancho Villa’s bandits, on the Village of Columbus and the military camp for the 13th Calvary.

Battle of Columbus – 09 March 1916

09 March 1916, on the orders of Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa, (Colonel) Francisco Beltrán, Colonel) Candelario Cervantes, and (General) Nicolás Fernández, (General) Pablo López and others led five hundred men in an attack against Columbus, New Mexico, which was garrisoned by a detachment of the U.S. 13th Cavalry Regiment. Villa's army burned a part of the town and killed eight soldiers and 10 residents before retreating back into Mexico - approximately two hundred Villistas were killed.

United States President Woodrow Wilson responded to the Columbus raid by sending 10,000 troops under Brigadier General John J. Pershing a week later to Mexico to pursue Villa. This was known as the Punitive Mexican Expedition or Pancho Villa Expedition. The expedition returned 05 February 1917 after failing to find Villa, who had successfully evaded the US Expedition.

Mexico

Province of Chihuahua

Palomas, the border community to Columbus, New Mexico, colorfully painted in greens and pinks with a number of pharmacies and eye clinics. It seems to be a popular shopping location for Americans to come and park on the US side and then walk over and make their purchases at a considerable savings. Palomas is directly at the border site where as Columbus, NM, is three miles north of the international border.

USA

New Mexico

Deming; Hatch – Farmers arriving in pick-up trucks with their harvest of red and green Chiles for market in sizable burlap sacks; Truth or Consequences; Albuquerque (122 F); New Mexico’s state capital - Santa Fe & its annual “Indian Market”; Taos - its Plaza, Kit Carson and Eske’s microbrewer (founded in 1986) with Tacos Green Chile Beer on tap; Las Vegas, NM; Santa Rosa; Tucumcari (114 F).

1 - The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, is a yearly festival of hot air balloons that takes place early October. The balloon fiesta is a nine day event, and has more than 700 balloons - the largest hot air balloon festival in the world.

2 - Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA over two days on the weekend after the third Thursday in August and draws an estimated 100,000 people to the city from around the world. The Market was first held in 1922 as the Indian Fair and was sponsored by the Museum of New Mexico. In 1936, the New Mexico Association on Indian Affairs now sponsors the event.

It showcases work from over 1,100 of the top Native American (American Indian) artists from various tribes across the country. It is the oldest and largest juried Native American art showcase in the world.

Artists display their work in booths around the Santa Fe Plaza and in order to participate, all artists must provide proof of enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, and their work must meet strict quality and authentic materials standards.

3 - Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934 and is the county seat of Taos County. The English name Taos derives from the native Taos language meaning "place of red willows".

a -U.S. territory and statehood: Mexico ceded the region to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 after the Mexican-American War. New Mexico was a territory of the United States beginning 1850 and became a state in 1912.

b -Taos Plaza is one of the few places in the country where the American flag may properly be displayed continuously (both day and night). This derives from the time of the American Civil War, when Confederate sympathizers attempted to remove the flag. The Union officer, Kit Carson, discourage later such activity by having guards surround the plaza and fly the flag 24 hours a day.

c - Taos Art Colony: Beginning in 1899, artists began to settle in Taos. Six formed the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. In time, the Taos art colony developed. Many paintings were made of local scenes, especially of Taos Pueblo and activities there, as the artists often modeled Native Americans from the pueblo in their paintings. Some of the artists' studios have been preserved and may be viewed by visitors to Taos.

Las Vegas, NM; Santa Rosa; Tucumcari (114 F) on I-40

Texas

Central Standard Time; Adrian, sets on the western side of the Texas Panhandle, and is the MidPoint for travelers travelling Route 66;

U.S. Route 66 is colloquially known as the "Main Street of America" or the "Mother Road". One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on 11 November 1926. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in America, ran from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angles at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles.

U.S. Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System on 27 June 1985. Portions of the road have been designated a National Scenic Byway with the name "Historic Route 66".

Vega; Hereford; Littlefield; Lubbock; Post; Snyder; Sweetwater; Coleman (121 F at 5:10 PM); Lampasas (509 miles) and breakfast at The County Seat Restaurant with Terry Tuggle – Chief Executive Officer Fort Hood National Bank and Jim Yeonopolis - Past President and a Red Marker of MACV Tm-162, RVN; Texas’s state capital in Austin; New Braunfels – Visited with Kevin, Sylvia, and Enzo Reeves & Marcia [ E-9 John Kevin Reeves, MACM (SW), US Navy Retired], visited “Gruene”; Fayetteville – Visited with Parks and Ina Tilly at the Tilly Ranch (Motorcycle Maintenance – spark plugs replaced), San Filipe – Steven F Austin (Father of Texas) Historical Park, Chappell Hill – Bevers Kitchen, Round Top – Round Top Festival Institute & their Family Library converted from Buckholts’ 1920’s abandon Hope Lutheran Church;

Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836),is known as the Father of Texas, In 1825 he led the first successful colonization of the region *present day eastern Texas) by bringing 300 families from the United States, and in

Texas history, known as the Old Three Hundred. He later obtained permission to settle an additional 900 families between 1825 and 1829. Austin organized small, informal armed groups to protect the colonists, which evolved into the Texas Rangers.

In December 1836, Austin caught a severe cold; his condition worsened. Doctors were called in, but could not help him and died of pneumonia at noon on December 27, 1836. His last words were "The independence of Texas is recognized! Don't you see it in the papers?" Upon hearing of Austin's death, Sam Houston, the President of Texas, ordered an official statement proclaiming: "The Father of Texas is no more; the First Pioneer of the Wilderness has departed."

Houston – Visited with Steve and Nguyet Sherman [1LT, S-5, C 2, 5th Special Forces Group (Abn), 1542, Pleiku, RVN. 1967-1968]; Lexington.

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia

Louisiana: Alexandria - Visited with Robert Lee (Bob and Kathy) Noe [ E-7 (later to receive a direct commission) CCN MACV SOG, 11F4S, Da Nang, RVN, 1969 – 1970]; Krotz Springs serving “Cajun’s best Boudin and Cracklins”; Baton Rouge; I-12. Mississippi: Gulfport; Biloxi – Keesler AFB (PSA test). Alabama: Biloxi; Jackson; Grove Hill – visited with Dwight (“Hop”) and Virginia Harrigan at Orange Hill Farm; Montgomery – Gunther AFB - Motorcycle Maintenance – oil changed, filter cleaned, valves adjusted – Static display of a AC-47B - “Puff, the Magic Dragon”/“Spooky”,

The Douglas AC-47B “Spooky” (also known earlier as "Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.

The AC-47 was a United States Air Force C-47 Skytrain (the military version of the DC-3) that had been modified by mounting three 7.62mm General Electric miniguns to fire through two rear window openings and the side cargo door, all on the left (pilot's) side of the aircraft.

The aircraft was vulnerable to ground fire due to the age of its airframe. Further gunship designs, the AC-119G “Shadow” & AC-119K “Stinger” and the AC-130H “Spectre”, were developed based on newer cargo airframes.

[At Gunther AFB, Montgomery, Alabama, a Tablet honoring A1C John L. Levitow, an AC-47 loadmaster with the 3rd SOS ,who received the Medal of Honor for saving his aircraft, Spooky 71, from destruction on 24 February 1969 during a fire support mission at Long Binh. His Tablet is located beside a well maintain AC-47B (“Puff, the Magic Dragon” and later re-named “Spooky”) depicting the markings of a 1969 Vietnam era AC-47.

The plane was struck by an 82mm mortar round that inflicted 3,500 shrapnel holes, wounding Levitow 40 times, but he used his body to jettison an armed magnesium flare, which ignited shortly after Levitow ejected it from the aircraft, allowing the AC-47 to return to base.

John L. Levitow is the only Air Force enlisted man to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War, died 08 November at his home in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. He was 55. His family said the cause was cancer.]

Attended Alabama’s Department of Archives and History presentation of - Eugene Allen Smith's Alabama: How a Geologist Shaped the State: Tropical Storm “Lee” from the Gulf to make land-fall in Louisiana – bring much anticipated rain for the ‘Deep South”. Georgia: Fort Benning – The National Infantry Museum, The Company Street, 34 and 250 ft towers;

The National Infantry Museum is a museum located at Fort Benning, the Home of the Infantry. The museum honors the history of infantry forces in the United States Army.

The museum is 190,000 square feet in size and cost $107 million to build. The first two exhibits to open in March 2009 were The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor and The Ranger Hall of Honor with the remaining exhibits being available during the official opening on June 19, 2009. The museum's signature exhibit is called, "The

Last 100 Yards" and contains scenes from eight wars in US infantry history and features life like figures cast from actual soldiers.

The private, non-profit National Infantry Foundation developed and operates the facility. The exhibits and artifacts are under the control of the US Army Director of the Infantry Museum.

Americus – A hair cut at Kellette’s’, Technology One and visited Phil and Myra Hardy; Atlanta – missed having a cup of coffee with Bill Luesing;

North Carolina and Virginia

Temperatures are now starting to moderate !

Asheville – [Motorcycle Maintenance: Ivan Messino of Motorrad changed the drive train oils and made electrical corrections], Black Diamond, Lunch at “Books & Breadboard – a novel idea”, Black Dome Mountain Sports; Valdese – picked up accumulated postal mail, Hair cut at East End Barber Shop, visited the “Waldensian Heritage Wines” / Bill Bright; Morganton – coffee at “Coffee Grind – coffeehouse” and book binding at Staples; “Hickory Tap Room” with Bob and Tommie Walker and a “Hickory Stick”; Benjamin Ray of BRIPS; Charlotte – visited with Jack and Diane Farris [LTG Jack B. Farris, USA Retired], Janet and Brandon Pue’s fine event and the Carolina Panthers vs Green Bay’s football game with my brother, Yates; Lunch with Raine Remsburg at “George’s Grecian Corner” in Winston Salem; Chapel Hill – visited Phil and Mary Ruth Coleman and Jordon Adair & his senior English class at Durham Academy to be followed by a lunch with Donnie Cobb, Surry Roberts, Billy Kuntz of Raleigh – Donnie’s treat, James Heinrick of Fonville Morisey; Due to the four cuts in Highway # 12 on the Outer Banks from the Saturday, 28 August 2011, North Carolina landfall of Hurricane Irene, the policy of “Only Residence of the Outer Banks can use the State Ferries”, was unable to visit John and Liza Benson at Salvo;

Into Virginia Hwy # 29 – (Memorial to the 29th Infantry Division) in a saturating 2 inch rain, visited Tom and Marie Moore & Bill and Biz Lineweaver [T-4 James Willard Lineweaver, Communications Sergeant, Anti-tank Company, 393 Infantry Regiment, US 99th Infantry Division, WW II] in Warrenton, Va,

Washington, DC and Maryland

Rode this morning in right rain by what maybe the world’s finest appointed and distinctively laid out national capital, a city that was purposely designed to be a

nation’s capital, Washington, District of Columbus.

Washington, District of Columbia: On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution. The federal district is therefore not a part of any U.S. state. It was formed from land along the Potomac River donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was returned by Congress in 1846.

A new capital city named after George Washington was founded in 1791 to the east of the preexisting port of Georgetown. The City of Washington, Georgetown, and the remaining unincorporated area within the District were consolidated under a single government in 1871, which formed Washington, D.C., as it exists today.

Maryland – Lunch with Michael and Jadane Payne in Parole (Annapolis) seeing Scott again and visiting with Larry; Then on to Aberdeen Proving Ground (US Army) – lodging at Swan Creek Inn, “Top of the Boy” at the Porter House on an Arm of the Chesapeake Bay – salt water.

US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is its oldest active proving ground, established on October 20, 1917, six months after the U.S. entered World War I. Its location allowed design and testing of ordnance materiel The first gun was tested, and fired there on January 2, 1918. At the peak of World War II, APG had billeting space for 2,348 officers and 24,189 enlisted personnel.

Nick - William Lea Palmer . Valdese . North Carolina . USA Mailed . Aberdeen. Maryland . 27 September 2011