Socorro, New Mexico (GA87)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 22nd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Lake Minden RV Resort in Nicolaus, California. I’m scheduled to leave here tomorrow morning.

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

 

 

In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

 

 

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

 

 

 

This entry was posted April 21, 2012…

 

 

 

The day before yesterday I arrived in Socorro, New Mexico. Once I was parked and settled in at the Fraternal Order Of Eagles Airee #4017…I decided to go downtown and look around.

 

 

To read about the history of this city, click this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socorro,_New_Mexico

 

 

In the above link you read about the mission that was built. Here’s what the mission looks like today…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is currently going through an extensive interior renovation…

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of small blocks away is a pretty central plaza…

 

 

 

 

 

I took the next photo for Mary who collects photos of benches…

 

 

 

 

 

Across the street from the plaza, the Capital Bar has been there since 1896…

 

 

 

 

 

I took the below photo of the bartender at the Capital Bar for Mary…because if she were here with me she would have taken his picture…

 

 

 

 

 

To read about the history of the Capital Bar, click this link…
http://www.socorro-nm.com/CapitolBar.htm

 

 

 

 

 

The interior of the Capital Bar…

 

 

 

 

 

The plaza as seen from the opposite end…

 

 

 

 

 

A tiled history of the Old Socorro Plaza…

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby Spanish-style building…

 

 

 

 

 

A Socorro historical marker…

 

 

 

 

 

A few blocks away the Hammel Museum, which used to be a brewery, was closed when I stopped by…

 

 

To read about the history of the Hammel Brewery, click this link…
http://www.socorrohistory.org/

 

 

To see the other 19 photos that I took, click this link…
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOOhwyJ8AuTdysNq-n1B_lt4UQVtXku3DDNsi-e

 

 

It was really fun and interesting to visit this community that was here 22 years before the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. Visiting really old places is another of my favorite things to do as a full-time RVer!

 

 

This morning I’ll continue drifting north towards Albuquerque which I plan to enter tomorrow (Sunday) morning when hopefully traffic will be very light.

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW…!!!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/fight-for-a-free-press/

 

 

 

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

 Yesterday was sunny and 88 degrees. Forecast for today is partly sunny and 77 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2017

Harlingen, Texas – Day 10

Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.

The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.

A few days ago I drove the Bronco the about 12 miles to San Benito, Texas, to visit the Museums of San Benito…three museums in one building. Yesterday I reviewed the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Today’s topic is the San Benito Museum.

Here’s what their brochure has to say about the museum…

Step back in time and see how San Benito came to be.

From the natural formation of the resaca (an old course of the Rio Grande River) where Indians and Spanish land grant ranches flourished to the arrival of the railroad and diverse ethnic pioneers hungry for cheap and fertile land, a small community grew and prospered.

San Benito grew into a social and commercial center in the tropical Magic Valley of Texas. Pioneers built schools and churches, formed clubs and held dances and even put on a “Hog Waddle.”

Over 100 hundred years have passed since San Benito’ founding and naming by Col. Sam Robertson and his business colleagues. Walk through our small tale in United States history and as the words of a popular song echo, “Reminisce about the days of yore…”

The Museums of San Benito house three different museums. Here’s the link…
http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comMuseums.php

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Here’s the city’s historical link…
http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comHistorySB.php

Here’s a Wikipedia link about San Benito…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Benito,_Texas

Enjoying a wide variety of museums is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Taos, New Mexico – Day 7

The motorhome is currently parked at the Fraternal Order Of Eagles Airee #3849. I expect to be here for a few more days.

I took the Bronco and drove about two miles to the Hacienda de Los Martinez museum. From the museum website…

About the Museum: La Hacienda de los Martinez is one of the few northern New Mexico style, late Spanish Colonial period “Great Houses” remaining in the American Southwest. Built in 1804 by Severino Martin (later changed to Martinez), this fortress-like building with massive adobe walls became an important trade center for the northern boundary of the Spanish Empire. The Hacienda was the final terminus for the Camino Real (the royal road) which connected northern New Mexico to Mexico City.

You may view the entire website by clicking this link…
http://taosmuseums.org/view/hacienda-martinez

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Enjoying interesting historical sites is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

You can read all about the Martinez Hacienda by clicking this Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinez_Hacienda

If you have not checked out my new Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico

The motorhome is still parked at the VFW Post #401 here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Since it was a weekend, we decided to explore downtown Albuquerque. We took the Bronco and parked it on Central Avenue which is also the famous Route 66…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

First off, Mary wanted to see the Kimo Theater which opened in 1927…

The name Kimo is actually a combination of two Tewa Indian words literally translated as “mountain lion”, but more liberally as”King of its Kind“. A recent beautiful restoration was completed in 2000 and it is now on the National Register of Historical Places. You can read all about the Kimo Theater by clicking this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KiMo_Theater

The theater didn’t open until 11:00 AM, so we explored the outside…

Mary wanted to buy some Indian jewelery, so we went one-half block to Skip Maisel’s store….

This place has quite the collection of Native American items. You can read all about this place by clicking this link…
http://skip-maisels.com/

Then back to the Kimo to see the interior…

Then back outside to see some of the murals on the sides of buildings…

To see the other 33 photos that I took, click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/DowntownAlbuquerqueNewMexico

Then, because it was Cinco de Mayo, in the evening we went to the Spanish Heritage Center to see a performance of Nocho de Oro…Night of Gold. In brief, it was a 2.5 hour presentation of the Native American, Spanish and Mexican history of New Mexico in song, music and dance.

To read about the superb performance that we saw, click this link…
http://www.itsatrip.org/events/details/cinco-de-mayo-celebration-noche-de-oro-19309/

With lots of moving by the performers and dim lighting…I decided to take the night off from doing photography and enjoy the performance…which was great!

I did however take a photo of the lobby during intermission…

and a photo of the performers taking their final bows…

and a photo of the cover of the program…

All in all, a full day…and here we go once again…today.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

San Xavier Del Bac Mission, Tucson, Arizona…

Yesterday Mary and I visited this mission located about 9 miles from our current parking location and also about 9 miles from downtown Tucson, Arizona. It is also known as the White Dove of the Desert.

From their brochure…

Some 200,000 visitors come each year from all over the world to view what is widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church’s interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 18th Century space. The church retains its original purpose of ministering to the religious needs of its parishioners.

To read about the mission, you may click this link…

http://PatronatoSanXavier.org

Under terrible photography conditions…harsh sunlight on a bright white structure and dimly lit interiors…we nonetheless ventured forth. Here are some of the photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

To see the other 71 photos that I took, click this link…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/SanXavierDelBacMission

I’ve been in many missions in Mexico and the United States. This mission is likely in the best conditions I’ve seen. That’s because of the major restoration starting in 1989 and finishing in 1997. During our 2.5 hour visit we watched a 25 minute video describing this painstaking renovation process. The mission is the first historic building of its kind to be entirely cared for and preserved by its parishioners. It was indeed a most pleasant visit during which time a number of local families where having their newborn babies baptized.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Fort Barrancas, Pensacola, Florida

Jim says: Barrancas in Spanish means “bluffs” and that’s where this fort is built…on the bluffs overlooking the entrance to Pensacola Bay. The Spanish completed Fort San Carlos de Barrancas and Bateria de San Antonio (the water battery) in 1797. The water battery used to bounce cannon balls off of the waters in the bay and into enemy ships. The water battery makes Fort Barrancas very unique as it is the only one in existence in all of the forts in the United States.

From 1839 to 1844, the U.S. Army with a force of some 60 contracted slaves made improvements to the Spanish water battery and built Fort Barrancas over the ruins of San Carlos de Barrancas. It is said to contain 6 million bricks.

I’ve been to many old forts in my travels and spent and enjoyable 1.5 hours exploring this most unique one.

Here’s a few photos I took…

Enemies attempting to enter Pensacola Bay had to approach from the Gulf of Mexico (bottom of photo).

Three forts protected the bay entrance. This diagram shows the range of their guns and overlapping fields of fire. Fort McRee no longer exists…the remains are underwater.

This model shows Fort Barrancas and the white part is the Water Battery and it faces the entrance to Pensacola Bay.

This view of Fort Barrancas shows the only entrance via a drawbridge. The Gulf of Mexico is to the left of this view.

The entrance to Pensacola Bay as seen from the wall atop Fort Barrancas.

Fort Barrancas as seen from the Water Battery. The Gulf of Mexico is at my back.

To see the other 50 photos I took, click this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/FortBarrancasFL041510

Fort Barrancas is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and is part of the National Park system. Here’s the official government website…
http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-barrancas.htm

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about the Gulf Islands National Seashore…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Islands_National_Seashore

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about Fort Barrancas…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Barrancas

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com