We were still traveling with Jim and Sonja who are also into WEIRD places. In fact Sonja has a book of weird places. (Cool!! I ordered the book!)
We are driving through Roswell, New Mexico and that means a stop at the UFO Museum. We are definitely talking weird!
This was on a fence. The first clue that we were in the land of WEIRD.
We had a bit of difficulty finding the UFO Museum (What else could we expect here?) and ended up at the Roswell Museum of Art.
It seems our GPS doesn’t really like New Mexico very much. No matter what we put in to the GPS, it took us on on various rabbit trails and always said that wherever we were wanting to go, it was on the opposite side of the street from what it actually was.
Jim and Sonja did a bit better and actually found the right museum, called us and we finally got to the right place.
Well the neighborhood looks right…
Same with the front of the building.
Inside is where WEIRD came alive…
Yup!! Those are for sure aliens…all of them.
Up close and personal gets even weirder…
…Oh, now that’s just way too weird!!!
Anyway, for true believers, there were articles about when the crash of the spaceship happened in 1947 and those who saw the "not human" victims and it’s "lone survivor" of the crashed space ship.
There were also claims that the military threatened to kill anyone who had first hand knowledge of the crash or had seen the alien bodies and told anyone what they knew. Hmmm! Weird has just gone to a much higher level.
So what really happened here? Well, I don't know but you can decide for yourself.
So what really happened here? Well, I don't know but you can decide for yourself.
After a dinner of Chinese food which Sonja (she told us at dinner that her Chinese mother used to run a Chinese restaurant) pronounce as “Acceptable,” we told Jim and Sonja goodbye as they are going to be heading back toward Bend and then on to Hawaii.
We are continuing on our trip toward the Southeast. We had a great trip with them and will miss their company.
Today we arrived at an RV park in Fort Stockton, Texas. We jumped in the Jeep and took off for Fort Davis an hour or so away. There is a lot of history there.
The road to Fort Davis was surprising. There were mountains. I didn't know West Texas had mountains.
Also, it was amazingly green! This really surprised us as all we have seen for the last few days has been dry and brown. Apparently they get rain here that the rest of this area does not. The scenery was really a treat and totally unexpected.
Then we arrived at the Fort Davis National Historic Site.
This was an old fort that operated from 1854 to 1891. It was a key post in the defense system of West Texas. Fort Davis played a major role in the history of the Southwest. Troops stationed at this post protected emigrants, freighters, mail coaches, and travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road.
The fort was established on the eastern side of the Davis Mountains, in a box canyon near Limpia Creek, where wood, water, and grass were plentiful. The foundations of this earlier fort can still be seen today.
The fort was named after Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War. The troops stationed here spent much of their time pursuing Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches who attacked travelers and mail stations. With the outbreak of the Civil War and Texas’s secession from the Union, the federal government evacuated Fort Davis.
The fort was occupied by Confederate troops from spring 1861 to summer of 1862 when Union forces again took possession. They quickly abandon the post and Fort Davis lay deserted for the next five years. The fort was reoccupied in June 1867.
The building of a new post began immediately. By the end of 1869, several new buildings had been erected and construction continued through the 1880’s. By then Fort Davis had become a major installation with over 100 structures and quarters for over 400 soldiers.
In 1866 Congress passed an act to increase the size of the Army. It stipulated that of the new regiments created, two Calvary and four infantry units “shall be composed of colored men.”
Some historians think Indians named these troops, “Buffalo Soldiers.” Actually they called them this because they compared their hair to buffalo hair in addition to finding them worthy adversaries. Buffalo Soldiers were very active at Fort Davis although they experienced a tremendous amount of racial prejudice.
There were a lot of old buildings at Fort Davis. Several which were restored and many others that were waiting their turn for restoration.
Some areas are in the process of restoration, other areas are just ruins.
This is the hospital which is partially restored. Bottom line here, is that you didn’t want to get sick during this point in time. Your chances of surviving here were slim. Nothing was known about the spread of germs or infection. There was no sterilization or hand washing or other cleanliness factors.
These are the surgeons tools in the operating room. Note the saw with the crutches in the corner. Personally, as a person in need of a knee replacement, this was a scary picture. I was just glad I wasn’t born a hundred years ago.
We enjoyed our trip back in time at Fort Davis and appreciated the fact that we weren't alive way back then.
We drove back to Fort Stockton and did a quick drive-around. I found probably the world’s largest Roadrunner on a busy corner.
Enough is enough. Time to go back to the motorhome and have dinner.
Tomorrow we arrive in Boerne, (pronounced “Burney”) Texas (just north of San Antonio) and will spend a week with good friends, Bill and Teri Smith.
As we travel it’s important to us to feel connected to you. The only way we know if you are following our blog is to hear from you via e-mail or comments posted to the blog. We so appreciate hearing from you and knowing that you are traveling with us.
Stay tuned for new adventures…hopefully not like Roswell…
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