Barbara J. Hamby

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May 2004 Trip

Sunday, May 9, 2004 we left Portland to drive to Houston where a cruise ship would be docking the following Saturday for a “Texaribbean Cruise.” (Norwegian Cruise Lines name for the four-port, seven-day cruise.)

Our first night was spent in Boise. We decided to go to Promontory Point where two railroads met years ago to make cross-country train travel possible. My interest had begun when I was ten and saw a re-creation of that historical event at Treasure Island in San Francisco at the Golden Gate World’s Fair & Exposition. When we arrived at Promontory Point the next day, we discovered that May 10th was the 135th anniversary date of the driving of the Golden Spike, thus a special occasion. A large group of volunteers were re-enacting the whole ceremony. We were told the morning performance attracted a huge crowd, but the afternoon audience filled most of the bleacher seats. Two full-sized locomotives stood facing each other with a gap in the track between them. They are, of course, reproductions of the originals, shiny and new looking, but authentically re-created. Both are operated by steam, either coal-fired or wood-fired. The coal smell was nostalgic. 

I talked to one of the volunteers standing in the hot, dry wind in what looked like a wool uniform. I remarked that he must really enjoy performing and he replied that if he didn’t, he’d be with his family on Lake Powell. We didn’t stay to the bitter end of the many speeches. I was getting sun and wind burned even with sunscreen and a hat, so we watched the driving of the spikes, then left.

Somewhere along about this time, we stopped at a tourist attraction called “Hole N’ the Rock.” The sign was originally painted years ago with a grammatical error and it has been left that way. A very large suite of rooms has been carved and blasted out of rock. A couple lived there while they were completing the work, and before it was totally finished, the husband died. His widow lived out her years there and supported herself by charging tourists for tours. No heat or air conditioning was ever needed because, like caves, the temperature was steady year-around.

A spot called “Four Corners,” where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah touch, was our next visit. We were there just long enough to take several pictures while trying to balance in the strong wind blowing across the platform. Situated on an Indian reservation, there were almost as many concession booths as in the Mexican ports.

Our next adventure was a self-guided tour through the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns. “Awesome” is inadequate to describe that experience. Even though I had to turn back via a “short-cut” route because of my aching feet, I saw many well-lighted areas with stalactites and stalagmites of innumerable varying shapes. Some grew together to form pillars. Al took the entire route and took many pictures. I have previously been to Oregon Caves and to Luray Caverns in Virginia, but I think Carlsbad beats them both. Because of our limited time, we didn’t attempt to see any of the other areas that were available to tour at Carlsbad.

We spent Thursday night in San Antonio and planned to see the Alamo on Friday before we left. Unfortunately, it is located in the middle of the downtown area and, because of early morning traffic, we gave up trying to get there.

We drove through Houston on Friday to Baytown where we stayed Friday night. From Baytown we drove to La Porte to check out the location of the pier and the parking lot where we would leave our car. We were happy to learn the parking area was fenced and locked and guarded by security officers. We had a small refrigerator and microwave, which we carry to use in the motels that don’t furnish them, as well as a lot of food and clothing in the car. When we returned from the cruise, it was all as we left it.

The cabin on the cruise ship (the Norwegian Sea) was small, but comfortable. All the usual services spoiled us. It’s tough to come home and make your own bed, do your own cleaning and cooking, etc. after a week of such luxury. I have learned not to take advantage of all the foods offered so didn’t gain more than a pound or two this time, even though I did eat all the little chocolate pieces left on the pillows. I’m now back to my pre-cruise weight, which is not svelte, as you may note.

As I mentioned previously, the ports were hot, humid and teeming with in-your-face vendors. I walked around briefly in Cozumel, then returned to the ship while Al explored further. In Honduras, we did get to walk through a couple of streets of the little town and take some pictures of houses and children there. In one yard, a woman on hands and knees, rubbed clothes on a washboard in an old metal tub while a small child played nearby. With no sidewalks, the narrow streets are dangerous. Pedestrians definitely do not have the right-of-way.

In Belize, we took a bus to the Mayan ruins. The route took us through most of the port town. A very competent guide furnished information about what we were seeing and answered our questions quite well. Although she mentioned that the many races in Belize get along well together, she also answered a question about barbed wire fences in some parts of town with the admission that they were to keep out “people you don’t like.” The ruins of the pyramids built by the Mayans have been partially restored at this location and are very impressive. Our guide pointed out the differences between these pyramids and the ones in Egypt. The 90+ degree heat and humidity up to 100% at times (rain) weren’t pleasant, but the history lesson was worth the discomfort. While we were walking around the pyramids, we spotted a young crocodile napping on a rock in a marshy area. The Mayan civilization has been of interest to me for a long time. I hope to learn more about it on the web, now that I have seen a bit of its history.

Al went ashore at our last port, Cancun, but I did not. I could see from the ship the huge hotels and expensive homes and buildings and decided I wasn’t up to another tourist trap. He was disappointed in what he saw there, but his curiosity forces him to take advantage of every opportunity to see something new.

After disembarking at Houston, we headed directly for Northern Texas where Al was born and spent most of his early years. His birthplace, Ector, has doubled in population and is now 600 plus. In nearby Bonham, Sam Rayburn’s home has become a museum containing the original furniture and fixtures. For you young folks who are not history buffs, Rayburn served 23+ terms in the House of Representatives and was Speaker of the House for many years. He was a bachelor after an early, short marriage and his sister acted as his hostess in Washington. His parents and sister lived in the house we saw, where he visited as often as possible. His old farm pickup and his sister’s Buick are garaged there, as well as a 1947 Cadillac. The pickup is just one dent after another due to his poor driving. The Cadillac was chauffeured, so not damaged.

The story was that when Mister Sam, as the guide called him, lost his Speakership, he didn’t have a car provided for him and the Democratic Party Chairman offered to buy him one. He refused, saying he never accepted any gifts over $25. The Chairman then collected enough $25.00 checks from registered Democrats to buy the Cadillac to present to him. Many of the canceled checks hang on a wall in the house.

Eisenhower’s birthplace is also nearby, but wasn’t open for tours until 1:00 p.m. Monday and we wanted to get going on Monday morning. Years ago I toured Ike & Mamie’s very simple Gettysburg farmhouse, so it would have been fun to see his birthplace.

On May 26th, we arrived at Mt. Rushmore to find many changes since Al had last been there. I had not seen it before. There is now a multi-story parking garage with an elevator to accommodate large crowds. Actually, you can see the four faces better from some viewpoints on the road than from inside. Of course, there is a fee to go inside. We were pleased to find that other National Parks and Monuments admitted us on our Golden Passport cards. Since the fee at Mt. Rushmore was for parking and not admission, that didn’t apply.

Near Mt. Rushmore is another project under construction that will be a monument to Crazy Horse. Apparently it was started in 1945, but the originator would not accept Federal funds, so the work has proceeded very slowly. The admission charge is fairly high as that is the only source of income for the project. We decided to view it from outside the complex and perhaps come back in a few years when it is more nearly complete.

Another highlight of our trip home from Houston was Little Big Horn, the site of Custer’s Last Stand. We arrived there on May 27th. The cemetery and the battlefield look quiet and peaceful now, but the number of individual graves and the mass grave tell their stories. There are markers on the battlefield where each fatality fell. Al and I had been reading a book about the battle that is written from the Native American point of view. The terrain of the area points out the difficulty of a fight up and down the hills and valleys. Our history, not just in this area, is pretty bloody.

We drove into Yellowstone Park by the North Entrance and wound our way down to Old Faithful. Just as I was climbing out of the car, the geyser erupted. Al got a better picture than I did, but we both missed the first burst of steam. I bought some postcards that give a better idea of what it looks like. A clerk in the gift shop tried to persuade me to stay another 90 minutes when she guaranteed it would go off again. I’ve heard that the eruptions are not that regular and I think she just wanted me to stay there and shop. So, after a few minutes, we traveled out of the park through the West entrance. In Yellowstone, we noticed there were many places where fire damage is still evident and some where replanting and regrowth stand out.

We arrived back home on Saturday, May 29th to be welcomed by weeds and a pile of barkdust to be spread. Luckily, we escaped any viruses this time, although hay fever bugged us most of the trip.

P.S. Unfortunately, none of our interior pictures of Hole N’ The Rock or Carlsbad Caverns turned out. Apparently there was not enough light for our cameras. .I bought a poster of the Big Room at Carlsbad which is hanging in our hall.