Thursday, April 29th

Yesterday we walk from the junction of highways 380 and 70 to marker 295, a distance of 10 miles. We are on highway 70 now, with a new set of mile markers. The highway follows the Hondo River and is a study in contrast. On my left is the arid desert, with prickly pear cactus and shrub growth. And on my right, in the river valley, are green trees, green pastures, cattle, horses, etc.

There are many guard rails and concrete barriers that we walk behind for safety. For the most part, the walking is easy and much, much safer. We passed through the communities of Hondo, Tinnie, Picacho and finally Riverside, our stopping point. We startled a wild turkey on the way.

Today, we walked another 8 miles, to marker 303. Within a few minutes of starting our walk, we saw what we thought was a dog on the shoulder of the road, but thinking it can't be a dog, maybe a coyote or fox. It was too big to be a fox, so I thought it was a coyote. Arriving at the spot, we saw this cute dog looking down on us from the rocks above. We thought it very strange until we spotted the deer carcass on the shoulder. The dog was patiently waiting until we walked by to enjoy his deer dinner.

On we walked and said goodbye to the Hondo River. It continues its flow to the southeast where it flows into the Pecos River, while the highway takes a slight turn to the northeast.

Did I mention the wind? It has been windy ever since we started walking back in San Antonio. But today was exceptional. After walking 5 miles and climbing a steep hill, the wind really picked up. We walked another 3 miles and threw in the towel. Too windy ! Winds were 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph.

In the last two days, I have found a Oklahoma license plate, two New Mexico license plates and a No Hunting/Fishing sign. Stay tuned .....

Monday, April 26th

We took Ruth to Alamogordo today for her orthopedic appointment. The doctor didn't do much. He said they were not going to put a cast on her arm because of the location of the break. Ruth is to keep her arm in a sling and start physical therapy in 2 weeks.

When we got back from Alamogordo, we sprung John from his cell, I mean hospital room. John is happy to be out of the hospital and so is everyone else.

Tuesday, April 27th

We drove out to marker 104 this morning and started walking. After a few hours, we came to the junction of highways 380 and 70, our stopping point. This is also the confluence  of the Rio Ruidoso and Rio Bonito, to form the Rio Hondo. Previously I had labeled the Rio Bonito the Rio Hondo.

This afternoon, we moved the RVs to the Trailer Village RV Park in Roswell NM. Roswell is 3000 ft lower than Capitan and warmer. No more cold mornings.

At the RV park, we met a young couple from Denmark who have been traveling the US for the last 10 months. They have seen some of the west and are on their way to Dallas. Stay tuned ......

Saturday, April 24th 

Starting at marker 91, we walked 8 miles today to marker 99.

With the Hondo River on our left and surrounded by the Lincoln National Forest, we set out for historic Lincoln, 7 miles away.

Originally called Las Placitas del Rio Bonito by the Spanish who settled here in the 1850's, it later became Lincoln when Lincoln County was created. The community consists of dozens of old and restored building. Lincoln is also famous for the Lincoln Co. War, one of the largest shoot-outs in the old West with 22 people being killed. One of the participants of the war was William H Bonney, also know as Billy the Kid. 

Sunday, April 25th

Starting at 99, we only walked 5 miles today. Spooked a herd of deer and they circled around and crossed the road right in front of Carol. Jolie Blonde went crazy. Luckily she was in the car.

We stopped at 5 miles because that's when we got word that Ruth had a broken arm. She fell this morning leaving the 5th wheel, on her way to see John. I happened to be outside and she told me that she had fallen, she said it hurt, but was going on to Ruidoso. 

So, tomorrow we drive to Ruidoso to pick up Ruth's X-rays, then continue on to Alamogordo to the orthopeadic doctors office as there is not one in Ruidoso. Then, back to Ruidoso to pick up John who we think is being released tomorrow. Maybe we should have gone to church. Stay tuned .......

Thursday, April 22nd

Yesterday, we walked from marker 82 through Capitan and on to marker 87. Except for walking through Capitan and stopping at the laundromat to watch Carol doing the laundry, it was uneventful.

Capitan is the home of the Smokey Bear Historical Park. In 1950, a badly burned Black bear cub was rescued from a forest fire at Capitan Gap in the Capitan Mtns. Later he became Smokey Bear, the mascot of the US Forest Service and spokesman, or is that spokesbear for fighting forest fires. Upon Smokeys death in 1976, his remains were returned to Capitan and he is buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park.

  

Today, starting at marker 87, we walked another 4 miles to 91. It was a bit chilly today as I had to put on my long pants. And the wind picked up a little. Very beautiful country, rolling hills with mountains in the background. We should be entering Lincoln by Saturday. Billy the Kid country. I found a New Mexico license plate today and a golf ball yesterday.

 

I received an email from a high school friend, she read about our trials and tribulation and remarked,

"Good God, why don't you guys just go out for dinner and a movie"

 

John is improving. He will probably get out of the hospital tomorrow, Saturday or even as late as Monday.

He will not be walking for a while.  Stay tuned ......

Tuesday, April 20th

Today we walked from the desert to the mountains. Starting at intersection of Highways 380 and 37, we walked to mile marker 82. A distance of 8 miles, uphill! But, the landscape sure beats the desert. We are in pinyon pines and rolling hills. Tomorrow, we walk through Capitan.

 

John is doing better. His appetite has returned some. Tomorrow they will perform a procedure to drain his hematoma.  Stay tuned ......

Monday, April 19th

Yesterday we attended the Nogal Presbyterian Church in Nogal, NM. It is about 10 miles for Carrazozo, Carrazozo having no Presbyterian Church. The members of the Nogal church are especially friendly and if we lived here, would probably go to this church.

 

Sunday afternoon we finally left Carrizozo behind and moved the RVs up to Capitan. We be in the mountains! Ruth drove the 5th wheel, way to go Ruth! We are at thePinyon Pines RV Park. The sign as you drive in says, "Come in, pick a spot, hook-up and we'll settle up when you leave" They're not kidding, you don't pay until you leave. We will probably be here for a week.

 

Monday morning Ruth, Carol and I walked from marker 70 to the intersection of Highways 380 and 37. About 3 and a half miles.  We had to quit at that point so we would have time to take John to his doctors appointment in Ruidoso.

 

The doctor decided to admit John back into the hospital. I think this  is good news rather than bad. John is so weak and frail, he needs to be in the hosp at this point. Keep John in your prayers.

 

Today I found a do-rag and Ruth found a golf ball. And we recorded our first official and certified road-kill. If think it was a coyote. Stay tuned.....

Saturday, April 17th

Chalk up another 8 miles, 4 this morning and 4 in the afternoon. This morning, when we woke up, I didn't think we would be walking at all. It was very dark, raining and cold. But after a while, it stopped raining and the sun came out, so Ruth took me to marker 62 and I started walking east. I passed through Carrizozo at mile 65. We are "east of Carrrizozo" which is a victory in my mind.

 

We started walking east from San Antonio, NM on June 2, 2008 headed for Carrizozo, NM, 64 miles away. 684 days later, we made it. Of course, actual walking days were 9, for an average of approximately 7 miles a day.

 

This afternoon, Ruth walked with me for 2 and a half miles as Carol wasn't feeling too good. We are now at marker 70 and Capitan is 15 miles away, Billy the Kid and Smokey the Bear Country. If John feels better and if it doesn't rain, we may move to Capitan tomorrow. John said he was feeling a smidgen better today and actually got up and walked around outside a bit.

 

Today I found a knife and a spoon (to go with the fork I found yesterday), a toy gun, a fishing bobber and a New Mexico license plate. Stay tuned ...

Friday, April 16th

Put us down for another 8 miles today. We did 4 miles in the morning and 4 miles in the afternoon. Carol and Ruth, locally known as the 2nd string, are fast becoming the varsity players. Look out, John!

We walked to mile marker 62 today and tomorrow will walk through downtown Carrizozo tomorrow.  We expect the streets to be lined with people.

This afternoon, we walked through the "Valley of the Fires", the lava field that I wrote about earlier. About half way through, a van stopped and a women and two young men about high school age got out and crossed the highway to talk to us. She was a teacher and her two students and they were geo-caching and wanted to know if that's what we were doing. We said no and told her about our walk and all the trials and tribulations along the way. She said that she lived in Lincoln, which is east of Capitan, and we were more than welcome to park in her lot when we passed through. I need to keep a small notebook and pen with me so I can write all this down instead of relying on memory.

John was feeling better this morning, but I'm not sure he felt so good this afternoon.

We found a quarter and a fork today, which brings our grand total of money to $1.08. That includes 2 cents that Carol found in the laundry room. Stay tuned ........

Thursday, April 15th

This morning, Carol, Ruth and I went out to mile marker 50 and walked 4 miles, 2 miles for Carol and 2 miles for Ruth.

Carol found 2 dimes, a stocking cap. Ruth found a quarter and a yellow plastic bucket and I found 13 cents. Also saw 8 deer.

A rancher pulled over and asked if we needed any help. We said no, that we were just walking and had someone to pick us up. He said OK, " it's a long way to anywhere out here" We couldn't agree more.

We went to Ruidoso again this afternoon as John had a doctors appointment. Dr. Reed told John and Ruth to take it a day at a time as John's recovery may be slow.

Ruth gets a extra pat on the back as she walked up the steepest hill yet !  Stay tuned ........

Wednesday, April 14th

This morning we took John to the hospital in Ruidoso for a CAT scan. The results were that John has a hematoma, a blood clot that the body will absorb over time. John will get better and thanks for all your prayers.

This afternoon, the Coast to Coast Walk made history. Due to the fact that John can't walk right now and also that we are so far behind schedule, it was proposed that Ruth and Carol walk for John by proxy. Motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

So, we are back on the road! Starting at mile marker 47, Ruth walked a mile and a half, then Carol took over and walked a mile and a half. Way to go girls!! WOO HOO. Ruth found a screwdriver and Carol found a plastic storage container. Stay tuned ...

Tuesday, April 13th

Yesterday morning, John was feeling better, so since I was going to the post office, John decided to walk with me. He did fine, but I think he got a little tired coming back. That afternoon, we went to the Valley of the Fires Recreational Area, just 3 miles west of Carrizozo. We went into the visitor center and there was Johnson Stearns, a fellow we had met at the Presbyterian Church in Nogal. There were two other men in the center and Johnson couldn't wait to tell them about our walk. I'm not sure if they thought we were brave or stupid. The Valley of the Fires is a lava flow that originated only 1500 to 1000 years ago, which makes it a relatively recent flow. By this time, John wasn't feeling too good, so we went back to the RV park. Before we leave, I would like to walk the nature trail as it takes you into the lava flow itself.

Today, John had a routine doctors appointment in Ruidoso. While he and Ruth were at the doctors office, Carol and I went to the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero, NM just outside of Ruidoso. The inn is owned by the Mescalero Apache Indians and is situated on an indian reservation. The view is stunning with Mt. Sierra Blanka in the background. See photos. And, they have everything there, skiing, hunting and fishing, golf, horseback riding, etc. This place would put anything on the Las Vegas strip to shame. Too bad I can't afford it.

Upon returning to Carrizozo, Ruth got a call from the doctor. John's lab results were not good. He either has a hematoma or an abscess. He is scheduled for a CAT scan tomorrow. Please keep John and Ruth in your prayers. Stay tuned .......

Sunday, April 11, 2010

John did get out of the hospital on Friday after all. He is back "home" in Carrizozo. John is glad to out of the hospital, but he is on pain pills and antibiotics and doesn't feel like doing much of anything. The walk can wait while John heals up.

This morning Ruth, Carol and I attended the Nogal Presbyterian Church. Nogal is a small community about 10 miles from Carrizozo. The church was built in 1885 and originally was a school. In 1953 it was converted into a church. It was a very friendly church as everyone there, about 25, greeted us upon arrival.

After the service, one of the members, Johnson Stead, told us about the Valley of the Fires State Park, which is only a few miles west of Carrizozo. Johnson was a native of Carrizozo and a volunteer at the state park.

Also, after the service we met Rev. E.W. "Bo" Lewis. At one time, Rev. Lewis pastored a church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and knew Rhodes Stipp, our former pastor in Hot Springs.

On Tuesday, we are all going back to Ruidoso as John has a doctors appointment in the afternoon.

Let me take this opportunity to say that John and I are walking to raise money to fund a house for a deserving family in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Send your gift or whatever you can afford to Garland Co HFH, PO Box 171, Hot Springs, AR 71902. Please write "Coast to Coast" in the memo section of your check.

Donations to Habitat are tax detectable.

Stay tuned for more adventures of Charlie Brown and Ziggy ........

Thursday, April 8th

John is feeling much better, although he needs to get his strength back. The doctor is going to release him tomorrow. While in Lincoln Co Regional Hospital, John has received the best of medical care, from Dr. Reed and the entire nursing staff and especially nurse Kristie and nurse Kristi.

The plan now is to let John rest before we even try to walk again. I think in a week, he may be able to walk a little. So, now we are going to play tourist again. We may go back to Ruidoso, visit Capitan and Alamogordo, etc. May catch up on reading and laundry.

News flash ! Dr. Reed did not like John's pathology report and John's release from the hospital is not a sure thing. We will know more in the morning.

On the way home, Carol and I saw multiple herds of deer. We knew they we here, we just hadn't seen any. Got some good photos that we will post tomorrow. Stay tuned ......

Tuesday, April 6th

After attending the Easter morning service the First Baptist Church in Carrizozo, Carol and I had lunch at John and Ruth's "house". Then, we were off to Tucson to pick up our repaired Malibu. When we left, John was complaining about some stomach cramps, and was going to lay down. We told John that we hoped he felt better and left. We arrived in Tucson about 7 pm and checked into a motel. The next day, Monday, April 5th, we retrieved our Malibu, returned the rent car and even had time to buy a door latch that had broken on the motorhome. Once we got on I-10 and headed back to Carrizozo, Carol called Ruth to see how John was. Ruth informed us that John had gotten worse and she took him to the clinic inCarrizozo that morning. There was only a physicians assistant there and he said that he was reasonably sure that John was having problems with his appendix and sent them to the Lincoln Co. Medical Center in Ruidoso, NM, about 40 miles away. The doctor at the hospital confirmed what the PA said and an emergency appendectomy was performed on John early in the afternoon. Carol and I arrived at the hospital around 4 or 5 in the afternoon and John was sitting up in bed. All things considered, he looked OK. The doctor is not going to release John until Thursday morning at the earliest. Ruth and Carol are going back up to Ruidoso this morning and I will go back up as soon as I tie up some loose ends.

The walk is still on, only delayed, again. We don't walk very much, but we have some interesting stories to tell. Stay tuned ......

Saturday, April 3rd

We didn't walk yesterday, took the day off. John, Ruth and Carol went to Socorro to shop and I stayed "home" to tend to various chores. That afternoon, we went to the San Antonio General Store to see Mrs. Denmark, but she wasn't there. Got all dressed up for nothing.

This morning we went to the Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945. We went to ground zero and took us good photos. Going early was a good choice, as busload after busload were arriving as we left. The site is only open 2 days a year. First Saturday in April and first Saturday in November. We just happened to be here at the right time.

We returned to the Bird Watcher RV Park for the last time, said our good-byes to Bill and made ready to move the RVs to Carrizozo. After setting up the RVs at the Sands Motel and RV Park, Ruth took us out and we walked 6 miles. We are having an early Easter dinner tonight, as Carol and I are driving to Tuscon tomorrow after church to pick up the repaired Malibu. I found an 8 inch pliers and a fork in the road, we took it. Stay tuned .......

Thursday, April 1st

Carol took us out to marker 28 this morning. Wind gusts were up to 40mph. It came across us from south to north, but as the road turns, it was hitting us more in our face. After we had walked 5 miles, Carol drove us back to the RV park. We drove through a minor dust storm. Visibility was limited, at times, to about a half mile. I'm sure the locals have seen much worse, but I had not.

We have been walking in the "Jordana del Muerto", which translates into "journey of the dead man". It was a south to north route traveled by early Spanish travelers. It is noted for it's complete lack of water.

Yesterday I wrote that Bingham consisted of one building, Bingham Rock Shop. I got the number and the name wrong, it is Blanchard Rock Shop and there are two buildings. The rock shop was having a sale on Trinitite.This is the glass that was formed at "Ground Zero" during the world's first atomic bomb blast. (more about the Trinity Site later) The other building was a house that had two signs out front, "Carrizozo Cider for sale" and "closed". They probably don't sell much cider.

Ruth fixed us some delicious potato soup and banana pudding or lunch. Yum-O!

Back out this afternoon, we walked another 4 miles. The wind almost won the first mile. Toughest mile yet, but we kept walking. We are starting to go uphill and the terrain is changing from desert cactus to scrub Cedar trees. We are on the Chupadera Mesa and will be there until we go beyond Carrizozo. John had found a box of cable ties this morning and this afternoon, he found even a bigger box. I found a pair of blue jeans and a kids hooded sweatshirt. Nine miles today. Stay tuned....