Miniature towns, Ghost towns, and Historic towns seem to be our current adventure. While still in Albuquerque we drove the Turquoise Trail, a scenic trail with several small towns along the way. One in particular that we highly suggest to visit is Tinker Town Museum, a miniature town. This museum was a dream of Ross Ward and he spent over 40 years building the museum. He started carving miniatures while in the service. Today over 50,000 glass bottled form rambling walls that surround 22 room museum. Each room has it own theme and he carved all the miniatures in each room. As he traveled as a painter with a circus, he also collected assorted memorabilia that is also included in the museum. It is an unbelievable place to see.

Next we drove on to Elephant Butte which is located on Elephant Butte lake, which got its name from a mound in the middle of the lake that looked like an elephant …with some imagination. After setting up went to see Truth or Consequences which got its name from the TV show in 1950. Ralph Edwards MC of the radio show was looking for a town that would change its name to Truth or Consequences. Hot Springs, NM was one of the small towns that sent a letter to the radio show and the rest is history. On the tenth anniversary of the NBC radio show, April 1, 1950, the program was broadcasted from Truth or Consequences, NM. Neither town is very large but unique.

Next on our adventure, we drove over to see the historic town of Hillsboro, 1877. It was a mining town that was prosperous during its time but is now a ghost town with only the general store/café open. Other stores may open on the weekend or may be closed for the year.

Still seeking out historic towns, we drove to historic Chloride, a classic old west town. This town was started in late 1870s when a mule skinner, Henry Pyle, discovered the town was rich in chloride of silver (hence its name). Population grew to 3,000 during its heyday but started its decline in mid-1890s when gold was selected as the monetary standard. Currently the town is made up of 11 retired families. One retired couple bought a lot of the old town buildings and has restored two of them. The Old Monte Christo Saloon and Dance Hall is now a gift shop and gallery. Next door is the museum which was once the general store and post office. After being closed for over 70 years with ever thing still in the store, Don and Donna cleaned, refurbished and restored the store to look much like it did in its time. The antiques in the museum are in amazing shape thanks to this couples love and dedication. One thing we have never seen in our limited antique shopping is an old lawn mower.

From here we drove to Winston, population approximately 40, and stopped in an old general store. This was another interesting town with so many buildings in dilapidated shape but still occupied.

Next stop was Ruidoso, NM. The town reminded us of Colorado with the ski shops, mountains, evergreen trees and quaint shops. But there are many historic towns in the area.

Capitan, NM is known for Smokey Bear. Smokey Bear was an actual bear found (May 4, 1950) badly burnt, clinging to a tree in a forest fire in Lincoln National Forest in Capitan, NM.. The fireman originally named him “hot foot” because his buttocks and feet were so badly burnt, but he was soon to be named Smokey Bear. After he recovered, Smokey was flown to Washington, DC where he lived at the National Zoo. As known, Smokey the Bear became the symbol of forest fire prevention. He was so popular that at one time had to have his own zip code for all the mail he received. He retired at 25 years old which in bear life is 77 and the retirement age for fireman. He died the next year in 1976 and was returned to his birthplace in Capitan.

Now if you are in that area you have to drive over to Roswell and see the UFO Museum. The Roswell incident happened July, 1947. There are a lot of stories as to what happened that day – was it a UFO or weather balloon. One story is a funeral director, Glenn Dennis, who was also on contract for Roswell Army Air Field for ambulance and mortuary service. On that day he received calls from the base inquiring if he had children caskets and various questions about embalming. Later that day he received a call about an airman that was hurt in a motorcycle accident and he responded. When he arrived at the Air Force base there were three ambulances that he tried to see inside. He was escorted off the base and told quite harshly to talk to no one about anything he saw or thought may be happening on base or he and his family would be killed. Also before he was escorted off base, he saw one of the nurses he knew and she was extremely upset. He talked to her later that week secretly and she told him that she happened to be on base and was asked to assist the officers who were examining two mutilated bodies. The things she wrote and saw did not make sense. She later drew pictures of what she saw and gave those to Glenn to keep in safekeeping. She disappeared later that week to overseas assignment and he was informed crashed and killed. The pictures depict what we see today and spacemen. Another story was a photographer was shown some debris on an officers desk, went outside and when he returned the debris was replaced with pieces of a weather balloon. So the question is – was it a UFO or a weather balloon that crashed in July 1947 in Roswell, NM?

One more historic town, Lincoln, NM. Lincoln started as a little Hispanic farming community over 150 years ago. By 1878 it was once of the largest counties in the US. Now the population is approximately 35 people. Back then two competing mercantile stores were vying for economic and political control of the area. Open animosity between two merchants, the Tunstalls and the Murphreys broke out in gunfire. A young cowhand, who was a good shot and quick on the draw, William Bonney (Billy the Kid) sided with the Tunstalls. Before the Lincoln War, Bonney and Pat Garrett were good friends. He was captured later for supposedly killing the sheriff and jailed. Before he was to be hung he escaped, killing two deputies. In the Old Courthouse is the Courtroom, Sheriff office, and a Masonic room.

The Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque is the largest balloon fest in the world. It is the only one that allows spectators to walk amongst the balloons as they are laid out, inflated and lifted off into the air. Words can not adequately describe what we saw and the photos and videos we took do not capture the unbelievable, amazing sights you see on the field. The first part of the week was when they had the accidental death of a 60-year old woman and few others were hurt in separate balloon accidents, which definitely dampened the spirits of the fiesta. They are still investigating these accidents. We attended the last 4 days of the 10-day event. The first day we got up at 4:30 in time to see Dawn Patrol at 5:45 a.m. Dawn Patrol Balloons participate in a pre-dawn show that also helps the pilots determine winds aloft conditions. We only did that the first day. That day and the next 4 mornings we were over to the field by 7 a.m. to see the mass ascensions where hundreds of balloons launch in waves filling the sky overhead. This was an amazing sight and there is no way we could capture all of it on film. Being amongst the balloons being inflated and watching them lift off was so exciting. Then seeing almost 700 balloons up in the sky at once is indescribable. During the days we attended, the special shapes were also a part of the mass ascension. One of the special shapes was the bumble bees that were attached by their hands with Velcro. They would eventually kiss and then separate – amazing! Others were Light House, Energizing Rabbit, Humpty Dumpty (both on the wall and then falling off the wall), Darth Vader, Nightmare House (haunted house), Moo Cow, Wells Fargo Wagon, Tree of Parrots, Orient Express and many many more. This is not to down play the unbelievable colors and patterns of the regular shape balloons.

On two of the days, after the mass ascension, they had the Flying Competition and Prize Grab. This is where the balloon pilots attempt to maneuver their balloons over a designated target and drop color streamers. In addition they would also maneuver their balloons close to a 15 foot pole that had an envelope at the top that contained keys to a Honda Truck, valuable wrist watch or sizeable amount of cash. This was very exciting to watch.

At night we would go back to the field around 6:30 to watch the Special Shape Glowdeo where the special shapes and regular shape balloons would on count light up. Another night it was the Night Magic Glow where the regular shape balloons and some special shape balloons would on count light up. Both nights were amazing to see. And the final event each night would be the amazing fireworks.

We made our reservations back in January. We were parked across from the field and it was exciting to see many of the balloons go over our coach and land in the space behind our group of RVs. We looked forward to this event for several months and we were not disappointed. We will be back and we highly recommend this event to everyone.

Traveled on to Sedalia, MO for the FMCA Rally 9-25-29. Rallies are gatherings of RVers to learn more about their coach and lifestyle, spend money with the vendors, enjoy entertainment, meet new people and see old friends. And that we did!

We did venture out one day to see MKT (Katy) Depot which was built in 1896 and used to house railroad offices and restaurants. The tracks of the old railroad track route have been removed and it is now a walking or biking trail. We also went to visit the Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site, a castle like building we saw up in the hills while traveling on Highway 65. This lodge was constructed in 4 sections on top of 3 natural caves, from 1897 to 1928, using native rock from the estate grounds. It was built for a prominent Sedalia lawyer, John Homer Bothwell. The 12,000 square foot lodge contains 31 room and 5 bathrooms, which was something for that time period. Mr. Bothwell thought if he built over the natural caves he could use the cool air to cool his home. He was wrong as cool air does not rise.

We left Sedalia and traveled on, stopping a few days in Checotah, OK. This town brags about being the hometown of Carrie Underwood, 2005 American Idol. After visiting Checotah, Eufaula and Muskogee, it was time to head on to Oklahoma City. We went to see the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. This gave us the opportunity to look at the period of the cowboys and the pioneers, remembering the western heroes that we idolized as a child, such as Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Audrey, Roy and Dale Rogers, and by far the most impressive being John Wayne. There was a large collection of memorabilia that John Wayne left to the museum for display. A must see for anyone traveling in this area.

Next we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial which is an excellent tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack of April 19, 1995. There are twin gates that frame the moment of destruction. The East Gate shows the time 9:01 and represents the innocence of the city before the attack (9:02). The West Gate shows the time 9:03 the moment when we were changed forever. Between the gates is a shallow pool of water representing the street in front of the Federal Building. The gently flowing water is intended to help soothe the wounds. There is a field of 168 chairs representing those that perished in the attack. The chairs, large size for adults and smaller chairs representing the children are placed in nine rows representing the 9 stories of the building and are placed according to the floor on which those killed worked or were visiting. There is a glass base below each chair with the name of a victim which illuminates at night.

There is a 90 year old Elm tree that survived the attack. A circular concrete overlook is now built around the Survivor Tree so families, friends and visitors can come there to view the memorial.

Next we visited Bricktown and had lunch on the canal. In 1999 a canal was built in what was once the old warehouse and wrecked buildings of Oklahoma City. A lot of those buildings have now been transformed into restaurants. There is also a baseball stadium, theater, convention center and arena sports theater. We believe they are trying to rejuvenate this older section of town.

Next stop was Amarillo, TX. Here we drove thru the Palo Duro Canyon, one the nation’s most magnificent scenic attractions. Although it is not the Grand Canyon, it was a great sight to see. Unfortunately we were too late to see a show at the outdoor Pioneer Amphitheater. And if you in the area of Amarillo, at least 40 miles outside the city limits you will see a sign that says “Free 72 oz. steak”. Well that is unbelievable – 4 l/2 pounds of meat and all the trimmings free if you eat it in one hour. So we had to see – not eat – and we went to The Big Texan Restaurant to see if anyone would try that challenge. Unfortunately no one did while we were there but they said that over 8,000 people have done so since the restaurant opened in 1960.

Next stop – the Balloon Fest in Albuquerque.