September 11th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues! It’s all about Remembering ….

Today is 9/11. I wrote this a few years back, but still very true, especially now that 20-years have passed, since that fateful day and with so many 9/11 responders getting sick and dying from the remnants of the towers.

On 9/11/01, everyone can tell you where they were and what they were doing when the planes hit the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and when the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. I can still remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday. It is a day we will always remember and we will “Never Forget” … What each of us remembers is different … What I remember is watching the planes crash and the towers crumble. I remember knowing I had to grab my gear and head there, leading soldiers. I remember the fear and pride I saw in those soldiers eyes as they were alerted to support an attack in our State. They all were willing to leave the safety of their homes, the security of their families and placed their faith in us as a cohesive unit. I remember they were willing to rush into harms way, not away from it. Each knowing that we could make a difference, as individuals and as a group, when we got there. I remember driving down to New York City in a convoy and seeing streets lined with American flags, see people standing on overpasses waving flags and cheering. I remember the pride in our nation everyone felt and the help they lent to each other with no strings attached. This tragedy brought us together as a nation, we saw the very best of America and Americans ... Neighbors helping neighbors, individual tenacity, group strength, patriotism, and courage.

There are days I look around now and wonder where that kindness to our fellow Americans has gone. I pray that we do not need another attack on American soil to bring that kindness and humanity back. “Rainbow, Never Forget”

Departed Turner Inn & RV Park in Mountainair NM on Route 60. More two lane adventures!

Willard is an agricultural community in the southern Estancia Basin. The Laguna del Perro and Salina Lake salt flats and lagoons, a source of salt for centuries, are located just east of Willard. Railroad promoter Willard Samuel Hopewell founded the town when the railroad arrived on the scene in the early 1900's, and named it for his son, Willard Samuel Jr. Until the decline of farming in the 1940's, Willard grew as a rail shipping point for ranchers and Pinto bean farmers. At one time Willard boasted four banks and six mercantile stores. In addition to some recent growth in the dairy industry, Willard has also received an economic shot in the arm in the wind-power arena. In 2009 the High Lonesome Wind Ranch began operations, with 40 three-bladed wind turbines which produce 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve about 25,000 homes.

We had two oversize loads pass us. They looked like 16 foot single wide homes. They definitely were not new, but it’s a great road to take them on, because there are not many overhead wires!

Today must be the day for oversize loads, here are two more. These are not houses, but rather large tubes. Charlie & I thought they might be bases for wind turbines, but they seem too big of a diameter for that! These loads made me think of a friend of ours, Brandon Vartigan, hauls oversize loads, but normally he is hauling bigger things than this!

For centuries, the Pueblo people of the Southwest, including the Zuni, Acoma, Laguna, Hopi and Taos pueblos, have made annual pilgrimages to Salt Lakes to harvest salt, for both culinary and ceremonial purposes. Ancient roadways radiate out from the lakes to the various pueblos and ancient pueblo sites.

The name Encino, which means “oak” in Spanish, was derived from the scrubby trees that once covered the central plains of New Mexico. As is so often the case, Encino’s location can be traced back to a spring, long a well-known stop for thirsty travelers. Prior to 1900, something like a fort was built nearby to accommodate the dusty and weary for an evening or two. Bonnie Salas was the first to homestead the land that would become Encino and, at that time, the few people in the area were mostly raising sheep or cattle on a fairly large scale. In 1905, the railroad announced plans to establish a depot in Encino and people took notice. This was another common story out on the plains, and one that usually ended similarly, as we’ll see. The Encino Enterprise gave the newspaper trade another shot in the 1920’s and managed to hold on for about a decade. In 1965, Encino’s railroad depot closed and few small towns could weather that blow unscathed. The high school closed in 1982.

Yeso, New Mexico was a small town on US Route 60 we passed through, after US 285 split off. This big town had a post office, two houses and old stone buildings that are in bad shape, really bad shape. How do towns this size rate a US Post Office?

Fort Sumner New Mexico is a semi-sleepy town along Route 60. There were two murals that I photographed, but there are more related to Billy the Kid. Yes, he is buried near here and there is a museum here dedicated to him!

At the Billy the Kid Museum, history comes to life! The usual list of dates and places is replaced with actual artifacts of the Wild West. History is about people; who they were, how they lived, and in some cases, how they died. The best-known figure is Billy the Kid. Our other displays include the military cavalry sword of John Chisum, more than 150 firearms of varying ages, and antique automobiles ranging from 1941 fire trucks, Model Ts, and Model As to 1956 classic cars. At the Billy The Kid Museum in Fort Sumner New Mexico, they firmly believe that he was in fact shot and Killed by Pat Garrett on July 14 1881 in the Maxwell House which was located 1/4 west of Billy the Kid’s grave site.

We passed the Melrose Air Force Range. MAFR was established in 1952 as a bombing range with 10,000 acres. It expanded to 60,000 acres in 1985. Many are afraid of the harm that consistent bombing can do to the land. Independent research found that the Air Force works diligently to preserve the land and encourage the growth of native flora and fauna. The animals thrive more on the range than on private land because there is plenty of food with minimal harassment and disturbances. The Air Force also does controlled burns to remove invasive species and allow the natural flora to thrive. MAFR has come a long way over the years toward preserving the species that call the range home. What started off as a collection of over-grazed cattle ranches is now a thriving environmental preserve where many vulnerable species such as the lesser prairie chicken, golden eagles and burrowing owls are making a comeback.

Cannon Air Force Base can trace its roots back to the late 1920s when Portair Field, a civilian passenger facility, was built on the site. Portair Field was a terminal for early commercial transcontinental journeying. Portair Field was renamed Clovis Municipal Airport in the 1930s. The war years saw the introduction of heavy bomber training to the “Llano Estacado.” It is a Spanish term for Staked Plain, referring to a region that includes portions of eastern New Mexico and northwest Texas. In September 1942, Clovis Municipal Airport became Clovis Army Air Field. Flying operations nearly came to an end with postwar demobilization, aside from the rare refueling of transient aircraft. Clovis Army Air Field had “closed its doors” by May 1947, as the base went on the inactive list. Although it remained in the hands of Air Training Command until late July 1951, when it was obtained by Tactical Air Command. At that time, an Air National Guard unit, the 140th Fighter-Bomber Wing, was activated, mobilized to active duty and stationed there. Cannon Air Force Base was named in honor of the former commander of the Tactical Air Command, Gen. John K. Cannon. In February 1959, the base entered into a relationship with the 27th Fighter Wing that continues to this day, albeit with the new mission of special operations. When the base transitioned from Air Combat Command to Air Force Special Operations Command in October 2007, the 27th Fighter Wing was re-designated the 27th Special Operations Wing.

In 1906, Santa Fe Railway engineers were ordered to locate a town-site in the newly developing ranch and farm land of Eastern New Mexico. They looked upon an unending sea of waving prairie grass reaching to the horizon in every direction and chose the site that would one day be called Clovis. For the time being, however, it was known as Riley’s Switch. The Santa Fe Railroad began its first transcontinental traffic through the open prairie land, and in 1907 the town-site formally known as Clovis, New Mexico was founded. At the time, no one could have known that almost 100 years later, the stretch of farm grazing land would become a booming city. So how did the Riley’s Switch become Clovis? One myth is that Clovis’ name derived from “Clovis Culture,” the oldest known culture in the United States, which was discovered in 1929 just south of town at what is now the Blackwater Draw archaeological site. However, the “Clovis Culture” received its name after the city it was closest to, not the other way around. Clovis really got its name from the daughter of a railroad official, who was studying the first Christian king, King Clovis of the Franks who ruled in Europe in the 5th century. The name caught on, and was officially incorporated in May 1909.

There was this great set of murals along Route 60 in Clovis. But I could not find any information on them, which makes me sad. 

We crossed from New Mexico into Texas! The Longhorn State! Don't mess with Texas! Everything's bigger in Texas!

We arrived in the town of Muleshoe, Texas. I just love the name of this town! I was incorporated in 1926. It had been founded just 13 years earlier, when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway laid tracks across the agrarian expanse of Bailey County. Named after the nearby Muleshoe ranch. The ranch was founded in 1877 by Civil War veteran Henry Black. Henry Black began using the Muleshoe brand in Fannin County in 1856 and registered it on November 12, 1860. The town became the county seat and quickly entered a period of expansion. By 1930, it had grown to nearly 800 residents. It topped 1,300 just ten years later. By 1960, Muleshoe had tripled in size to a population of 3,871. When the town reached more than 5,000 people in 1970, it boasted 200 businesses, two hospitals, two banks, a library, a newspaper and a radio station.

We visited the National Mule Memorial. Back in 1965, more than 700 contributors from the US and abroad helped organized the National Mule Memorial Association. The memorial sculptor was Kevin Wolf and was done by Fiberglass Menagerie, Alpine, California. The model for the memorial was “Old Pete” an 18 year old, 1,100 pound mule belonging to Dave Anders of Muleshoe. Some 10,000 people jammed the town of Muleshoe, Texas during a 4th of July celebration this year to pay tribute to a generally unappreciated, oft-reviled, and unsung American hero — the mule. 

Old Pete, newly emerged from his mold, stands with the mule’s characteristic far-away look in his eyes. The huge crowd stood on rooftops, hung onto railroad cars, and climbed to vantage points on grain elevators. Many a sober-faced, tractor-owning farmer’s eyes were nostalgic with memories of plowing behind a span of mules in the days of his boyhood. There was a parade featuring the Rolling Plains Mule Team from Spearman, Texas, ten covered wagons drawn by mules, and an assortment of 75 mules led or ridden. Any way you looked at it, it was Mule Day in Muleshoe!

We are staying at Ray & Donna West Free RV Park. Yes, it is free, but they accept donations! It is operated by the Muleshoe Heritage Foundation and the City. We had a very level site on gravel with a picnic table, water, electric and sewer. There were four public broadcast over the air channels on the TV. 

We used our free time there to explore and do laundry at Muleshoe Team Laundromat. It was a great facility, which had just been renovated. We even met the owner!

It was a great day of travel and a great day in Muleshoe with my love! #TwoLaneAdventures