The adventure started early from Phoenix with a flight into Chicago O'Hare airport.  A three hour plus flight left me time to catch up on sleep and to write.  I was awake for the arrival into Chicago and witnessed the city sparkling in the 44 degree sunny and clear morning air.  The plane flew around the city and out over Lake Michigan where I could see the white caps clearly from the plane windows.  I then entered the busiest airport in the country where I found that my next flight into New York was delayed.  I spent a few hours in the airport trying to get used to the heated air and its stifling feeling.  I ate a slice of Chicago style pizza with sausage and pepperoni.  The sausage was spicy and quite good.  During the wait, I was called on the intercom to go to the desk where they wanted to change my seat so that two people could sit together on my upcoming flight.  This put me into first class without the cost.  Once boarded I was asked if I wanted a drink before we took off.  Leaving Chicago, we flew over Wrigley Stadium giving me a great view of it.   As a first class passenger, I was catered to.  I was offered several food and drink items throughout the hour and a half flight to Newburgh, New York.  The sun sets quickly in the air and it was dark before I realized it.  Flying into Newburgh in the dark, I was able to pick out the Hudson River right before landing at Stewart Airport.

A tour around the Hudson River valley offered me views of several smaller, home-town type communities.  One was Cold Spring, NY where Chuck showed me the house he lived in as a boy.  Some leaves in golden brilliance were still on the trees.  People were out and about walking in peace around this cozy neighborhood.  There were several craft and antique stores that were inviting, but we were on the whirlwind tour of New York so did not stop for much shopping.  This was a beautiful, dreamy little town that had a viewing pier out over the Hudson River that gave views of West Point and a grand view up the Hudson River.  Cold Spring was so named because George Washington took a drink from the spring and said it was cold!  It is also an old railroading town that has taken time to refurbish and renovate its historic buildings to become an artist's haven prideful of some residents such as Pete Seeger, Aaron Copland and Don McLean.  The trains still run through the city offering trips into Manhattan several times a day.  The remainder of the 68 daily trains speed by at 115 miles an hour past the depot restaurant where we ate brunch.

Leaving Cold Spring, we ventured around other Hudson valley communities where the prevalent display was the American Flag.  Bear Mountain toll bridge had a gigantic flag hanging from the center point.  Almost every community had the flag displayed in a town square or public place in the center of town.  Many residences hosted the flag as well. There's a privilege and honor of living in this time where patriotism is so strong.  We must see that as a gift.  Then we saw West Point and there were flags and military personnel everywhere.  For those who've never been to this area, it really reminds me of east Texas with its rolling hills, pine trees, and the fall leaves crushing beneath your feet, but with the exception of much colder weather.  The day turned into an overcast and chilling to the bone day where the clouds lingered in front of the many hills along the Hudson River.  Before leaving our tour, I did get to see a ship sailing up the Hudson and that was an awesome site.

We scouted out the Newburgh area and met up with some of Chuck's family from Newburgh and some that had driven up from New Jersey.  George Washington actually had his headquarters in Newburgh and we went to see those historic buildings in downtown Newburgh.  We had a late lunch at Torches restaurant right on the Hudson River where we watched barges glide slowly up the river.  We had a great view of the seagulls fishing for dinner themselves.

The big day started in the fifties and reached the upper sixties to make it an unusually warm day for this time of year.  The "big day" was the day we visited Manhattan.  We drove from Newburgh into New Jersey and then to Staten Island where we left the car.  We rode the Staten Island Ferry across to Manhattan which was about as close as one can get to the Statue of Liberty these days.   It was moving to see the Lady, as that has always been one of my dreams, but it was sad to see her surrounded and in need of protection by gun boats also.   But she reminded me of the struggle and the prize we received for fighting for our freedom and our liberties.

We walked the majority of the time only taking a cab from lower Manhattan into mid Manhattan and then from Times Square back to the Ferry that night.  So our first stop after getting off the ferry was to see Ground Zero where the once towering World Trade Center stood.   We could get within about two blocks of the site.  There were tons of people there and you could tell which ones were coming back from viewing the site.  Their faces were very somber and serious.  Chuck and I stood in awe once there, unbelieving the devastation, but understanding now why rescuers could not go in and check for more bodies.  The mass of steel and debris was so intense that entry into the middle of the buildings was impossible.   There was an eerie silence in the area; there was minimal conversation as what really could be said while looking upon such a site.  There was the occasional sound of debris being removed as from a mass of wire coat hangers twisted together.  Then the dump trucks would slowly ride out of Ground Zero and get sprayed with water.  They would then drive through the streets right past all the people standing in silence.  That was one of the most difficult things to watch:  trucks full of steel and bone being driven away to another location for sorting.

Where I had thought I would be most moved to tears upon seeing Ground Zero or The Statue of Liberty, it was the many memorials set up around Ground Zero that brought tears to my eyes.  Letters from all over the world, from all ages, all races, all religions oblivious to the "who" and the "what belief" had actually been victimized in New York a few months prior that gripped hold on the walls and buildings around the area were what released the most emotion.  There was one specific letter from a first grader in Japan wanting to let the people of New York know that she wanted to be their friend that was especially moving for both Chuck and I.   Her lack of grammar and spelling did not hold back her very heartfelt thought.  If only all people of the world could see life through her eyes and just make friends with all their fellow humans, I think that would be the greatest gift that we could give back to God.

Many photos at many angles of Ground Zero took us along Broadway where evidence of New Yorkers getting on with their lives was at play.  We saw many state and federal buildings, the Woolworth building with its very ornate upper floors, pigeons molesting passerby's that had bread crumbs, parks and lots of people out on this busy day.  Some were tourists.  Some were law enforcement which gave us a safe feeling as well as a strange one in that three months ago in this very spot, there would not have been such an influence of law enforcement.  But the city goes on.  There were still people in a hurry.  There were still horns honking and people yelling out of their car windows at people blocking their way.  There were still those funny accents, as my mother puts it.  Sometimes, one of those native New Yorkers would be talking to us and I realized I was only picking up about fifty percent of what they were saying.  Fortunately, I had a translator in Chuck to decipher the code!

We stopped for a snack at a typical New York delicatessen for Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches served with pickles and cole slaw.  The pickles were some of the best I've ever had, just the right amount of dill and vinegar.   After a rest, we started walking toward China Town.  It was filled with an energy unlike any other in Manhattan.  There were street vendors right at the edge of the sidewalks by the streets.  The jade and gold toned statues were very shiny and appealing.  There were animals of all sorts represented on the tables to bring about good fortune or for whatever reason you were seeking charms.   The shops along the way also had their tables out trying to divert the shoppers from the sidewalk vendors.  Yes, there were dead animals hanging from the shop windows too.   After the energy of China Town, Little Italy was very calm.  There were lots of sidewalk cafes where people were hanging out, but the energy was more subdued.  Then on to Greenwich Village which was one of the places I really wanted to visit.  It did not have the energy of China Town, but was more prominent than Little Italy with its "out there" attitude of painted murals on the buildings reaching up three or more stories.  We walked through the NYU area and stopped at a coffee shop for a cappuccino and some carrot cake.  Walking as much as we were required frequent stops for food.

After that break, we caught a taxi up to mid-town where we were dropped off in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral.  This beautiful church made me catch my breath as I got lost in its magnitude and glory.  We walked around its entirety.  We visited its gift shop across the street.  Then we ventured inside its ornate shell to find a brilliant peace radiating from its walls and extremely high ceilings.  There were altars in many of the enclaves that surrounded the inner sanctuary - each one dedicated to a different person or event.  The most populated and the one that had the most candles was the one for the victims of the September 11 disaster.  The line to light a candle at this altar must have included at least 150 people.

After leaving Ground Zero, Chuck remarked that he really needed to see something cheerful to remind him of the spirit of New York.  So our next stop was Rockefeller Center where the holiday spirit was in full swing as the sun settled softly on this city.  The official Christmas Tree was up.  There were lights in all the trees along the area.  American Flags were on poles every five feet or so along major walkways.  The glittery "ideal" of this city was alive and the people were finding solace in the heart of this area.  There was a hum of people talking and feeling the spirit of the season.  Santa's were out asking for donations.  Children were ice skating on the famous rink we've all seen on television.  We saw a street vendor that was selling Knishes which is one of the things I was told that I had to try to get the "New York Experience".  This is a Jewish treat that is basically fried mashed potatoes.  It was good, but would have been better with something inside.  No one told me I was supposed to put mustard inside of it!  Street musicians were sharing their renditions of holiday classics in exchange for a hot meal.  One beggar got my attention to give him some change.  He said he was collecting for the Negro Pizza Fund; that yesterday he had collected for the Negro Chicken Fund and it had been very successful.  His humor and originality gave me a laugh and prompted me to reward him for his originality.  We saw Radio City, the NBC studios and the CBS studios from the outside.  We were after all, still on the whirlwind tour of New York.  So I had to pick carefully where we lingered.  After enjoying the spirit of Rockefeller Center, we ventured to FAO Schwarz, the biggest and best toy store!  We had to stand in line for about twenty minutes just to get inside.  They had the best selection of stuffed animals which is the reason I wanted to go.  We also walked through the rest of the store.  But I got back to the stuffed animals quickly as I wanted an FAO Schwarz original.  I narrowed the choices down to two:  a white tiger and a floppy eared dog.  I ended up adopting (which is what this store calls it as when you purchase a stuffed animal) "Flappy" the floppy eared dog.

Walking along 5th Avenue, which is the big shopping area, was interesting.  Besides the bustle of holiday shoppers, you could hear the rattle of the subway.  That was a very unusual sound.  In fact, that is probably one of the major things that sets where I've lived apart from this area is being used to that sound and all the other sounds associated with this big island city.  The rest of the evening in The Big Apple included shopping at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop, stopping in a few souvenir shops, eating at an oyster bar and witnessing the energy of Times Square on a party night.  The energy came close to that of China Town and I can see where the adrenaline would really rush through your veins on New Year's Eve in Times Square.

Chuck then hailed a taxi and we started our roller coaster ride back down to lower Manhattan to catch the Ferry.  Our first taxi driver was tame compared to this one.  The honking, the switching of lanes, the making of your own lane...it was all quite an adventure.  I was thankful that there was Plexiglas with advertisements in front of me so that I could not see what was coming, only what was whizzing by me on the sides.  During the whizzing, I caught a glimpse of the Empire State Building lighted in its Red, White and Blue crown.  It was beautiful, but I could not get a photo of it.  A short time later, the cab driver took a back street and found trash bins sitting on the right side of the street, so he hopped the cab up on the left sidewalk to get by and to avoid slowing down.  At that point, you just have to let go of the fear of riding in a New York cab.  And that is why I believe New Yorkers are so tough, they endure these cabs everyday.

Once on the Ferry heading back to Staten Island, you could see the flood lights highlighting the work at Ground Zero.  It was very surreal to have a darkened city with only buildings lit up and then to see the empty space at Ground Zero fully flooded with light.  The Lady all lit up at night drew your attention away to stare at her awe and to remember why we will prevail after such a tragedy - because we are free.

All in all, my birthday present was indeed one I'll remember a long time.  Chuck asked me if I had a different opinion of New Yorkers now that I had visited them in their native area. I have to say that I did hear many "Thank You's" and "You're Welcomes" while walking around Manhattan and the customer service people were all very courteous instead of rude like I had theorized they would be.  But I did not enjoy that much physical proximity.  All tables in restaurants were very close not allowing for any privacy of conversation or dining pleasure.  It was an interesting adventure to visit New York, but I'm glad to be back west now where I can enjoy the vastness of the desert.  I thank Chuck for an excellent trip, excellent companionship and a chance to pay my respects to September 11th's victims.
 
 

My best friend, Terri and I left Dallas Friday evening bound for adventures or for a chance to get away from the big city pressures. We got a lot of both. Our destination was "Amarillo By Morning". Between Amarillo and Clines' Corners, I enjoyed a nice nap. We shopped at the big truck stop there. This is the biggest souvenir trap in all of New Mexico.

Santa Fe was mainly just a stop for gas. I am reluctant to do much in Santa Fe. I've been there three times before and have gotten lost all three times in the same area of town. We had hoped to make it to Nambe Pueblo camping grounds that evening. But of course, having been in Santa Fe previously, we had not gotten the most most direct route to that area and had problems finding the right road in the dark. We saw a lot of the area, although we did not camp that night.

We drove on to Espanola. Espanola must mean "Stranger Beware" in Spanish. The hotels were full. The campsites were closed. The cops were of no help. The people were rude. The only room left in town was overpriced and the clerk was reluctant to give it to us because it was next to the bar. A band was playing until 1:00am and they thought it would disturb us too much. Not having any place to sleep would disturb us even more. We did get the overpriced room thanks to Terri's persuasive powers.

The next morning we hightailed it out of Espanola and headed for Taos. On the way we were attracted by a shop on the side of the highway. We stopped and were quite intrigued by a little shop called Ruben's Fruit Stand. We were escorted around and were shown all the highlights. The simple, yet beautiful place housed Kiva ladders, decorated turtle shells pepper wreaths, antlers, baskets, fur purses, and driftwood sculptures. I purchased a decorated turtle shell.

On to Taos where I purchased, as gifts, New Mexico wine and fudge from the Rocky Mountain  Chocolate Factory.  We had a lunch of New Mexico's version of Mexican food...really hot stuff!  Many of the shops overprice their merchandise, but the townspeople are really friendly.  The view of the mountains is magnificent, even from the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Leaving Taos, we had to make a decision on what direction to go.  We had previously been wandering northward.  We chose east to Cimmaron.  The mountains were a little steeper than those encountered previously.  The drive was beautiful through two lane roads lines by pines, firs and aspens.  The air cooled down and the mountains greeted us with calm anticipation.

We met the people of Cimmaron and were quite impressed:  friendly, helpful, and very outgoing.  We were directed to a private camping ground where we chose a spot next to a stream.  Tall trees housed a family of twenty-six wild turkeys.  By morning, they had left us many feathers as gifts.  This camping spot was to be the most restful camping spot for the whole trip.

After a night in Cimmaron, we were quite hesitant to leave.  We started towards Tres Piedras, but kept stopping along the way to sit by the stream.  Finally, Terri said, "Let's go to Trinidad, Colorado.  I don't have a strong need to go to Tres Piedras."  So we took off for colorado.

Northward bound we headed through Raton:  the last of civilization.  Everyone stopped here for gas, fast food, and cash from the ATM.  We opted for the first two, but foolishly bypassed the third.

Once in Trinidad, we realized there was a lack of ATM's.  In fact, there was only one offering three choices:  $20, $40 or $100 withdrawals.  "We don't take checks or credit cards.  We have only one ATM, and you must hunt for that.  So don't leave home without cash!"

At the visitor center in Trinidad, the workers were astonished that anyone would go camping.  They kept talking about how there had been bear sightings.  When they finally realized that we were serious about camping, they changed their tune to, "Oh, it's beautiful this time of year and the bears will leave you alone.  Here is the list of rules in dealing with bears in this area.  Good luck!:

The first category of bear rules is don't do anything to attract them.  Apparently they can't tell the difference between a female bear and a female human.  So don't go camping if it's that time of the month for you.  Don't wear perfume, deodorant, brush your teeth, moisturize any part of your body or use soap at any time of the month.  After you have sufficiently repelled the bear and everyone else, it's on to the second category of bear rules.

Bears like food!  If they smell food, they'll try to eat it.  Don't smell like food (but don't smell like soap either).  You must have food preparation clothes and non-food preparation clothes, and the two kinds of clothes cannot touch at any time during the camping experience.  All food and food-touched objects must be locked away in the car during the night.

Thirdly, if approached by a bear, don't run, don't look them in the eyes, do fight back because they supposedly are as scared as you are.  (Yes, it's your smell that scares them).

We followed the category one rules.  Category two had us going to the local Wal-Mart for some non-food preparation clothes.  We also huffed and puffed until we had everything stuffed into the cab of the truck.  The next morning we woke to find that we had left the tortillas by the fire the night before.

Having survived the night of bears, we took the scenic tour of the Highway of Legends.  It was a beautiful drive, but not much of a legend.  One town, La Veta had a special charm.  It's worth a visit if you're in the area.  We stopped at Monument Lake for  a very serene and peaceful picnic lunch.  This mood was broken when we tried to exit the picnic area.  We had to "baja" the truck up a 40 degree angle of dirt road.  Yee Haw!  After the Highway of Little Legend, we continued on through the southern part of Colorado, then down through the north central part of New Mexico.  Driving through the rain and wind made this part of the trip adventurous.

When we realized we were getting close to Espanola once again, we veered to the west to avoid it.  Our next goal was Jemez Springs.  To reach Jemez Springs, one must travel through Los Alamos.  We traveled through, around, and over Los Alamos.  You could say we were trapped.  It was dark; there weren't any people out and all parking lots were security controlled.  Even in an attempt to backtrack, we were still unable to reach the desired highway.  The place had an eerie feeling and we encountered a deer that slowly walked across the road, unaffected by us.  Advice:  Never exit the freeway between Espanola and Jemez Springs.

Conclusion:  Los Alamos is another Bermuda TRiangle and we were trapped there for an unknown amount of time before our accidental escape.

After escaping Los Alamos without any visible scars, we continued our late night, hair-raising experience on an incline of hairpin turns on a never-ending road to Jemez Falls Campground.  Finally reaching the desired campground, we were too exhausted to cook dinner.  So we went to sleep.  Rainstorms kept us adventuring during the night.

We were abruptly awakened the next morning by the most ferocious of wild beasts---screaming children!!  One child creamed non-stop for fifteen minutes, "Leave me alone" just for entertainment.  The parental unit was oblivious to the noise or either he had earplugs in like we finally had to resort to.

We begrudgingly began our day, dreading our long drive across the New Mexico desert and West Texas.  Our goal today was Palo Duro Canyon.  I had experienced this place as a child, almost getting trapped there by flash floods.  I was less then eager to experience that again.

Once again, we reached our destination after dark and had to cook and pitch tent by flashlight.  It rained some during the night which made me uneasy.  The next morning we were abruptly awoken again!!  This time someone was screaming, "Need more Jesus" for about five minutes.  While trying to decide whether it was a spiritual or physical experience for him, he broke into gospel singing as loud as he could.  That's when Terri said, "Religious fanatics should stay in separate camping areas."

The trip was enjoyable.  The scenery was magnificent.  The rest and relaxation were very needed.  The mountains always bring me peace.

My destination was Memphis, TN, but my friends decided a nine hour trip from Dallas wasn't enough for me.  We drove another hour into Mississippi.  Our destination was Sams Town Casino.  It was a small town in itself, housing a hotel, large casino, restaurants and several concert halls.

Our first stop was a concert hall to hear Ray Charles.  I often wonder if musicians grow stale after playing for so many years, but this was not the case with Ray Charles.  The man's music was just as alive that night as it was years ago.  The audience was quite responsive to his music, swaying and dancing in the aisles.

After the thrill of the concert, we joined the Friday night casino crowd already in full swing.  My first visit to a casino with the exception of a company party casino night, was a unique experience.  We started at the slot machines.  One friend sat down to show me "how it was done".  On the third pull, he made twenty dollars.  He pulled a few more times, and said "this next one will be a big win."  He pulled and won $150.00.

My friends left the casino with $250.00.  I won about $50.00 myself, but put it all back into the machines.  We ate a late dinner at one of the many fine restaurants; it was a home cooking type of place.  After dinner, we tried our hands at a few hands of poker.  After a good win at this and a few blackjack rounds, it was just a short trip back to Memphis.  I highly recommend Sam's Town Casino as a good weekend trip that is well with most people's budget.