a closer look at Galveston

 

Staying at Galveston's most historic hotel, we were able to scratch beneath the surface of the town and learn some of its rich history. In the basement of the Hotel Galvez is a small local history museum, and across the street along the seawall is a memorial to the once famous Balinese Room Pier. Beyond that I realized that a person could probably spend a week here just researching the history and photographing historic buildings.

Hotel Galvez

 

One good thing about not taking the train for a year: I was able to apply my Amtrak points for a night at the Hotel Galvez, by far the most beautiful and historic hotel in Galveston, TX and also of our trip. Skies were overcast, but in a good way. It was also the best swimming pool of the trip. Plus there was a very good in-house restaurant so no need to drive around looking for one.

Wakey Wakey's Coffee

 

A slight detour took us to this quirky coffee house in Angleton, TX. Can't remember which came first: reaching the Gulf Coast or taking the last sips of our takeout coffee drinks. 

New Braunfels, TX

 

Due to rain and lots of driving, we did not venture out and explore New Braunfels, TX. The Courtyard by Marriott we stayed at however met all of our needs. In fact, everything beyond the front door was quite pleasant: a "Bistro" that served good food, a leafy lawn looking out on the Guadaloupe River, a small but cozy room, and - perhaps best of all - a complimentary copy of USA Today that could be enjoyed with a complimentary cup of coffee.

the grackle that jumped up on the car

 

After the dust storm, we proceeded with the plan to have lunch at the rest area. This noisy great-tailed grackle made himself known and when I tried to get his photo, jumped onto the car. That was a plus as it allowed me to capture his great tail in perfect profile.

the dust storm

 

Dust storms are a fact of life in the Southwest. We saw plenty of them while driving through Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. What was new was being in a dust storm. We stopped at a rest area in west Texas to have lunch, and out of nowhere a whirlwind of dust permeated the entire area. In a matter of seconds dust was in the car and in my hair. Even shutting the car door was a challenge, and the act of doing so brought in as much dust as it shut out. The storm lasted about a minute, after which things went back to normal.

Mesilla, NM

Mesilla, NM - the historic neighbor of Las Cruces - was a delightful discovery. The town square felt more like Mexico than the US, and fittingly is home to La Posta de Mesilla - one of the oldest Mexican restaurants this side of the border. We had dinner in the sprawling 1840s adobe. Most of the buildings in the area are adobe, looking as though a piece of Santa Fe broke off and landed in the south of the state. The following morning we had excellent coffee and breakfast at The Bean Cafe.

Chiricahua, part 4

The "grottoes" were a sort of natural enclosure where boulders had piled up. Some young men were there with a guitar, testing out the acoustics.

Chiricahua, part 3

 

The Echo Canyon loop is said to be a gem of a hike. We only had time for a shortened version to the "grottoes" and back, which still had a lot to offer. Really we just had a taste of Chiricahua National Monument and if I went back I would explore it more intensively. The vista from Massai Point, which we were only half a mile away from, would probably be my first stop.

Chiricahua, part 2

As you go deeper into Chiricahua National Monument, you start to see interesting rock formations along the road - also known as hoodoos - some of which can send the imagination spinning. Not surprisingly some of the formations have names, such as "Sea Captain" and "Punch and Judy".

Chiricahua National Monument

Located in remote southeastern Arizona, we had heard good things about Chiricahua National Monument. The whole region used to be the home of Apache warriors Geronimo and Cochise. The monument seemed to have at least two distinct parts - the first, less dramatic part at the entrance being the remnants of the old Faraway Ranch.