abernathyadventures2008

And the Adventure Continues

2011-01-28T20:36:00.002-06:00

Marla, Steve, Connor, Kylie, Charleigh Hewitt and I all finished the last one hundred miles from Thomas to Frederick last June!! We went lots slower this time, but had just as much fun!!! Riding in the parade to honor Bud and Temple's ride in the NYC parade with Teddy Roosevelt was a thrilling experience!!
Then it was off to UCross, Wyoming with Donna!! What a great week we had....can't say enough great things about all the Fund for Teachers staff and the Apache Corp. people. Loved it!!

An Big Day in Frederick!

2010-04-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is a big day in Frederick, Oklahoma! There will be a recreation of Bud and Temple Abernathy leaving for their historic trip to New York City to meet their friend President Theodore Roosevelt! April marks the 100th anniversary of this amazing accomplishment. Please keep in mind that Bud and Temple were 10 and 6 years old in 1910! There are many events planned for Saturday, April 10, 2010. “Theodore Roosevelt” will attend the day’s events and will be there for the “wolf hunt” reenactment that evening!

I went horseback riding last night! What a relaxing event. Thanks Marla and Steve for being such great friends and putting up with such an inexperienced rider! We rode close to the Cimarron River, and the Hewitt’s dogs came along for the outing. The scared up two deer! What a beautiful sight as they scampered across the field with their white tails bobbing! And yes, for those of you who are wondering, I can walk today! It has been a while since the last horseback ride, but I had a great horse to ride. “Chunk” is a beautiful paint, and she is easy to ride. But I am a little like Temple on his first ride. I need a ladder to saddle up! Maybe I will get better as we practice!

Check back soon! I will have lots of news from Frederick!

No Joke!

2010-04-01T08:41:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that two young boys were able to accomplish all the things that Bud and Temple Abernathy did. Although today is April Fool's Day, the boys' accomplishments are no joke! They continue to amaze and inspire me!

What Would You Take With You

2010-03-31T15:58:00.002-05:00

In today's reading, the boys traveled across the Texas Panhandle. They travele through places like Esteline, Turkey, Quitaque (Kitty-Quay), and Silverton. They said it was very hot and dusty. Temple drank gyp water and suffered for it! Bud tried to cure him with some castor oil! There wasn't very much room in those saddlebags to carry supplies from home. That brings us to today's question. If you were going on a trip like this, what would you put in your backpack? Thing about it and let us know!

Would Your Parents Let You Go?

2010-03-25T21:52:00.004-05:00

Today we read the part of the story where Bud and Temple get permission to go to Santa Fe, NM on an adventure. Their plans will take them from SW Oklahoma to Roswell, New Mexico on to Santa Fe, and then home. Remember that the boys were 5 and 9 years old when they asked permission to do this. They wanted to have their own adventures because they were tired of hearing about their dad’s adventures. Their dad was none other than Jack “Catch ‘em Alive” Abernathy, U. S. Marshall to Oklahoma and friend to President Theodore Roosevelt.

Some students thought their parents might let them have an adventure like this. I don’t agree. I think the students were just guilty of wishful thinking! Each of us longs to have adventure, and this story speaks to that part in each person who hears this story.
The question of the day: Do you think you would let your child have an adventure like this? Why or why not?

Remember to check us out on facebook! The Abernathy Challenge

Started Reading Bud and Me today

2010-03-23T16:22:00.003-05:00

The students and I have begun the discussion about Bud and Temple Abernathy for the 2009-2010 school year! Last week we had some discussions about some of the interesting people that set the stage....Jack "Catch 'em Alive" Abernathy, Quanah Parker, and Burk Burnett just to name a few! We talked about Theodore Roosevelt and his quote, "...far better it is to dare mighty things...."
Will you share with us the "mighty things" you would like to accomplish or have accomplished in your life!
We "dare" you to dream big!

Please remember if you are a student to include your first name only....If you include your last name, I cannot publish your post if you are a student! :)

Facebook Group

2010-01-02T16:34:00.001-06:00

I made a facebook group called The Abernathy Challenge....join and see what is coming soon!

New Adventures Coming Soon!

2009-12-10T16:13:00.002-06:00

Look for information about new adventures coming soon. Christmas break is going to give us time to plan. There will be some projects for school age students and teachers! This story never gets old. Donna and I have talked to a couple more groups this fall about the boys. I told them to imagine how excited I was then, since I am still so excited now!
LOL

Quick Update!

2009-09-14T14:27:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a while since we checked in with everyone.....It has been a busy time since our last post! I was fortunate to meet Raymond Plank in May at the OU Education Banquet! What a great man….He humored me and signed our book, Bud and Me!
Then, another blessing arrived in May! Donna and I were named the Oklahoma Raymond Plank Award winners. Thanks again to all of the people at the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and the Tulsa Community Foundation who have provided wonderful opportunities for us and the students we teach.
In June we headed for Frederick and the Crossroads Ranch Reunion. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. Later in the month, more people were interested in hearing our story. We were privileged to speak to audiences at the Tulsa Historical Society and the OSU Emeriti. It is so fun to tell people about Bud and Temple.
At the beginning of September, we set up a table to showcase our Fellowship at the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence annual meeting! I think I am just as excited today as I was when we were traveling. Stay tuned for more adventures….

Remembering the Ride

2009-04-23T17:21:00.002-05:00

Thanks Matt! "Remembering the Ride" is super! So glad you finished the project.... it made Donna cry today! WOW! You are very talented---and what great material we gave you to work with....however, you need to remember that I am still the mother, and I should get to veto pictures I don't like! LOL!
Hopefully, I will figure out how to put a link on here and everyone can watch the video!
Will post again if Matt gets an award.

I just have to say again, Bud and Temple were just amazing kids....the students talk about them like they are real!! We had such fun following their path....

Molly and Donna Show

2009-03-23T11:20:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention that the "KUSH Girls" have the Molly and Donna show every mornig from 7:00--10:00 AM....tune in to find out the latest in the area.... Thanks again for having us on your show!

1600 KUSH

2009-03-23T09:31:00.005-05:00

The excitement continues! Over spring break several interesting events happened regarding our fellowship. I (Melody) spoke to the Cushing Lions on Tuesday, March 17. Kym Skinner asked me last fall if I would be willing to speak when she was in charge of the program. Of course she didn't have to twist my arm very hard for me to agree. What a lovely gracious group of people. I shared the story of Bud and Temple, and then I showed them a slide show of our trip. I tried to explain a little of what we tried to accomplish along our journey--research; getting fingerprinted; taking Atlantic Ocean water to the Pacific etc! I appreciated what a great audience they were. Afterwards, Molly Payne from KUSH radio in Cushing, asked me if I would ever consider coming on her show to talk about the Abernathy Boys! Obviously, she doesn't know how much I love them! LOL I asked her if Donna could come along, and she said that would be super! Luckily, Donna didn't have plans for Wednesday, and she was willing to get up early and drive over!
What another unexpected blessing! Meeting Molly and her friend Angie was another opportunity we had to share Bud and Temple with people who loved the story and genuinely seemed to share our excitement about the impact this story makes on the lives of children!
They let us talk over an hour!! Yes, I felt like I was in heaven getting the chance to talk about two of my favorite boys, and Donna even managed to get a few words into the conversation!!
Sitting in the radio station while we were being interviewd was a new experience for us! The last radio interview we had with a Frederick station was completed over the phone---fun, but seeing the inside of the station was a new learning experience for us. Donna says, "It was almost like being on our trip again, and having those unexpected encounters with fascinating people who liked hearing about the boys and then hearing their stories!" It felt like Molly and Angie were old friends we just hadn't ever met yet....
When I told Mr. Vollmer about our spring break experience, he said, "The next thing I know, you all will be on the Today show!"
That would be great! I would love to tell America the story of Bud and Temple and great qualities they possess, and how children of today relate to these little boys from long ago.
Sunday night I recieved an email from Megan Carter. She is going to undertake a "long ride". She is going to ride the perimeter of Oklahoma which is 1200+ miles. CuChullaine O'Reilly, Founder of the Long Riders Guild, had given her my email. I am so thankful for the connection we made with him. I know we are not officially longriders, but we now have a tiny glimpse of what they do......
I am anxious to connect with Megan and hear her story and let our students compare her journey to Bud and Temples.

More soon.....
Melody

More Speaking Opportunities

2009-02-08T21:01:00.002-06:00

I've had the great opportunity to speak about our trip to the POE ladies in Cushing lately. Rep. Lee Denney asked me to be her guest and share our story with her friends. I had a wonderful time, and it was amazing how much I could share in such a short amount of time. I appreciate Mr. Vollmer watching my students so I could have this opportunity to share.
On President's Day evening, Donna and I have been asked to relate our adventures with the Oilton Chamber of Commerece!
Also, the Tulsa Historical Society asked us to speak later this summer. Stay tuned for more details.

The Trail of Two Teachers

2008-12-09T11:44:00.002-06:00

The fun continues! Thank you Mrs. Allen for writing the great article about us that was published in the Oklahoma Humanities Magazine! Thank you to Carla Walker and staff for printing such a fabulous story about the boys and us! We both feel honored to appear in this great state publication! Donna and I were so excited to see the finished product! Mr. Vollmer showed our staff the magazine during our last staff meeting. It is wonderful having others join in our excitement...Thank you teachers for being excited for us. We are anxiously awaiting our copies!! Last Friday, before Donna and I had even seen the magazine, we received an email from Robert Klemme of Enid. His son took the picture for the cover of the magazine, and he took the time to look up our email address. He was the man responsible for placing all of the Chisholm Trail markers. He sounds like a fascinating man....it reminded me of what made our trip so fascinating....meeting people and hearing their stories! Thank you Robert Klemme for sharing your story with us!

New Abernathy Videos

2008-11-10T09:27:00.001-06:00

Check out these videos made by teachers at our school.
http://celebrateoklahoma.ning.com/video/video/show?id=688012%3AVideo%3A6359
http://celebrateoklahoma.ning.com/video/video/show?id=688012%3AVideo%3A6362

November Update

2008-11-07T10:21:00.002-06:00

Wow, it has been such a busy year....my class finished reading Bud and Me....and loved it of course......we are working on several projects....An ABC book and a documentary project that Mrs. Smith is going to help us with....can't wait to finish that.... Last week, Donna and I went to a Fund For Teachers meeting....it was so exciting to hear about all of the other trips....Every time I get to talk about the trip, I get so excited all over again! We had such a great time. I know there were some other great trips, but I have to say that ours was the best!!! I wouldn't have traded my trip with anyone elses....
I think that my family is going to scream if I say "I've been there!" one more time when we are watching tv....just last night Gary England was talking about the 46" of snow in Deadwood SD and I said my new favorite phrase....it reminded me of how much fun we had that day...We ate crab legs at an all you can eat dinner! I know we definitely ate our share! The gun fight and museum were really a fun experience.... What a beautiful part of the world!
Donna and I are eagerly waiting for the Oklahoma Hummanities magazine to come out this month! Mrs. Allen wrote a fabulous article about the boys and our trip! Thanks again Mrs. Allen.

September

2008-09-29T12:00:00.002-05:00

Well, we have submitted our final Fund For Teachers reports! Yeah! I know that you all are all surprised that we made the deadline with just a few hours left! We are so thankful for all the attention that we are receiving about the trip! Mrs. Linda Allen, former Spanish teacher at Yale High School, has written a great article about our trip that will be published in the Oklahoma Humanities November edition. We look forward to sharing this article with our friends and students...
More soon

Melody and Donna

Catching Up

2008-07-20T22:29:00.002-05:00

This is a short blog to catch up, and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post a blog for each day that is missing....tonight's hotel doesn't have wireless in the room and last night it was pretty late when we got settled...don't remember the excuses for the other nights....
Thursday we went to Donner Pass....quite a powerful experience to go through the museum and walk around the trails....couldn't help but express the irony of the fact that while walking down the trail to where the Donner Party lived out the winter of 1846 in solitude you can hear all of the cars and trucks zooming down the highway at 75 miles per hour....after we left there we headed to San Francisco....I couldn't talk Donna into walking across the Golden Gate Bridge...but it was still wonderful to drive across and view the Pacific Ocean to the west...we checked in the hotel and caught the bus for Fisherman's Wharf....we took the scenic route for a couple of blocks...and then headed the right direction....of course it had been in the high 90s when we came across California, but by the late afternoon and early evening the breeze that was blowing across the water was down right cold...so of course we had to buy a hoodie....I overheard one shopkeeper saying that they sell more coats in July than any other time, because everyone comes to San Fran thinking that it is summer....LOL...Friday morning we dumped our Coney Island water in the Pacific Ocean....and gathered a sample of Pacific ocean water....then we were off to the John Muir woods to see the Coastal Redwoods...these are not the giant Sequoia trees, but they were giant to us!!!! It was so peaceful and beautiful....it made me think of Eden and what that might have been like....We drove into the valley to spend the night....the traffic was terrible....so glad that I was able to visit...and would love to visit again.....BUT...I would not want to live there and have to put up with that kind of traffic all of the time....Saturday we drove and drove and drove...but it was worth it...we reached the Grand Canyon in time for Donna to see it before dark....it rained earlier in the day and was still cloudy...however she was so impressed....more details later....We stayed Saturday night in Flagstaff....We didn't get up quite as early as we thought we might, but that was ok...we had a great morning driving and walking through the "Terrified Forrest" as Donna called the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert......what another grand case of God showing off!!! How beautiful.....we continued to drive across NM....I had some really great Green Chile Blue Corn Enchiladas ..... Yum....don't think that Donna was so impressed with her fajitas....we called it quits at Santa Rosa for the night...hopefully we will arrive in Amarillo tomorrow.....I left out lots of details...
Thanks for reading....we miss everyone....we will be home soon.....Matt will be home Friday....Gordon will be home the 30th....hope Mike has enjoyed the peace and quiet! LOL

Nevada

2008-07-17T09:31:00.004-05:00

Melody here—Tuesday and Wednesday we drove across Wyoming, Utah and Nevada----lots of rocks and sagebrush….We went through the Flaming Gorge National Park area early Tuesday….then headed into Utah….of course when we arrived at the Great Salt Lake, Donna had to taste some of the water…I don’t think she really believed that it would be salt water…but guess what it is salty….The Great Salt Lake is not a very beautiful piece of water….and the area we walked on was extremely stinky…Donna says that she wishes there could be a camera to capture the smell of things…except I don’t think anyone would want to smell this….we stepped over lots of carcasses of birds…pretty yucky…one of the interesting things about the Lake is the way the salt dries on the sand and it crunches under your feet---like stepping on a beach of corn flakes….then you will reach another part and if you step it will be very wet underneath your feet….so we traveled on….after leaving the lake area…the salt desert stretches for miles and miles and miles…we stopped at one rest area where you could walk out on the salt flat…it was probably over 2 feet thick…it looked like a sheet of ice….there was a man wind sailing on the salt…we were able to take some interesting pictures of him…he even let Donna go for a spin….I think my favorite part of Tuesday and Wednesday were seeing the mountains that were tall enough to still have snow remaining on the tops…we saw some peaks that were over 10,000 feet tall…..the really bad thing about the last couple of days has been the haze…it hasn’t been clear enough to see things until we are really close up….We did stop a little early on Wednesday ---we reached Reno…found a place with an outside pool and actually did a little swimming….nice to relax a little before heading into San Francisco…

Cheyenne

2008-07-16T10:11:00.002-05:00

Melody here...Monday morning we set out to meet with Bruce Salzburg, the Attorney General of Wyoming....we wanted to do that because Bud and Temple met with his counter part, Mr. Preston. Mr. Salzburg was very generous with his time...thank you so much! It is such a small world...he went to kindergarten in Stillwater, Oklahoma!! He even remembered his street address and phone # from then.....When we told him what the boys had done while in Cheyenne, he said we should eat lunch at The Plains, IT IS STILL THERE! Although the boys couldn't eat or sleep inside, the newly opened Plains Hotel hosted a luncheon for the boys and Mr. Preston (and others) on the sidewalk outside of the hotel..... We were excited to hear about that! We headed to the library for confirmation about the boys trip....they sent us to the State Archives...they were very helpful...we found two newspaper articles...one from September 20, 1911 and one from September 21, 1911...we also were able to copy two photos of the Plains Hotel in March of 1911.....What a great find.....then we were off to eat lunch...we stopped at the Newspaper Office and visited with Kevin....although he was too busy to eat lunch with us...he said that he would pass our information along to the Education reporter Becky...Tonya was one of the secretaries at the newspaper...she was so friendly and energetic...we offered to take her to lunch also, but she had to stay and work....thanks Tonya..... The Plains Hotel is such a grand old hotel...very beautiful and ornate... we arrived in time to eat their lunch buffet and it was absolutely super!!! The brownies we had for dessert were so rich and gooey...We are so glad we decided to eat there.... it was a fantastic choice for us...... we asked to talk to the manager so we could pass along the story of the boys eating on the sidewalk....we talked to Connie....she listened so wonderfully to our story!! She even shared a postcard book about the Plains with us! Thank you so much.....I was disappointed that we didn't know about the Plains in advance or we could have stayed the night there! Oh well, maybe nextg time..... We headed out about 2:15....we felt pretty excited about the day...We left two books in Cheyenne...one at the public library and one with Mr. Salzburg.....It was super to be back on track of Bud and Temple.....Thanks again for reading....we are having a super time, but look forward to being home soon..... We drove until Green River and spent the night...also managed to get a little laundry done....this is the first time we have had decent wireless....tried to load some pictures yesterday...but they were so slow

Sunday at Mt. Rushmore

2008-07-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

Donna: It’s Sunday and we headed toward Mt. Rushmore. Another destination not on the route of Bud and Temple, but we just had to see it while we were this close. Quite a few times yesterday people would make comments pretty close to, “You just walk up, see the faces, that’s all, then you leave. Nothing too great.” How wrong can they get? I am thinking they started walking around on their own and had no idea what they were seeing. Ranger Jason announced he was getting ready to give a walking tour. I was interested in having a guided tour because I heard him say he would explain why these four men were the ones chosen for the monument. I got a lot more than I had planned on. Way cool! We learned about how the idea was developed. How the men were chosen. About the work entailed in carving the monument. Ranger Jason even had some interesting facts to share about all four presidents. Then we were lucky enough to have him a little later to show us some of the tools used by the workers as well as a more detailed description of their job description. It seems every job was specializing. I was very surprised when learning that not one person was killed on the job.
We were driving toward Ft. Laramie when we were able to see the unfinished Crazy Horse monument. It will be even bigger than Mt. Rushmore. One fellow traveler who had visited Crazy Horse said that the face of one president on Mt. Rushmore would be the same height as the hair on Crazy Horse. I do plan to go back someday. We then headed to Ft. Laramie. I think about half the structures were ruins from the old fort. They had glass doors with locks so you couldn’t really get too close to the rooms that had a lot of artifacts in them. We’re planning on staying in Cheyenne, Wyoming tonight and look forward to meeting the attorney general and doing some more newspaper research tomorrow.

Melody here…Gutzon Borglum…another man who had a passion….but is not a name that is recognized in the households across America---but I hope to do my part to change that fact for the students of Yale…Borglum is the sculptor who had the vision to create the President’s faces on the side of Mt. Rushmore….A native of South Dakota wanted Borglum to carve the legends of the old west into the hills of South Dakota…but Borglum convinced him to carve the Presidents instead….he was a first generation American and had a deep love of his country…. What a great visionary…. Standing in front of the carved faces was another opportunity to marvel at the talent and vision of people across America….what talent to take the side of the mountain and turn it into the likeness of four of the greatest Presidents of our nation….It was amazing to hear that the men had to climb over 700 stairs to get to the top of the mountain….then they were able to clock in!!
Listening to the ranger talk about why these men were chosen, reinforced my desire to teach our students about these and other great men and their inspiring character traits….
Mt. Rushmore was my favorite part of today….we traveled through the open country of Wyoming…it is beautiful…stopped at Fort Laramie…lots of history….the Bedlam house is the oldest standing building in Wyoming (1848 or 9) –then headed to Cheyenne….
Another full day of seeing beautiful flora and fauna…I am amazed at all the deer and antelope we see….
Hope you are having a great day Matt……Everyone, thanks for reading….we hope that you all enjoy the little snippets we put on here….Look forward to being home and sharing all of the stories in person….consider yourself warned!!!!

Saturday--July 12

2008-07-14T09:42:00.001-05:00

Donna: Saturday the 12th of July. Our first order of business was to stop at the 1800 Town. Not just a description. It really is the name of the town. We ate breakfast in an old train car. Original carpet, paint and tile. Pancakes, biscuits and gravy. Yum! I met some fellow travelers. Would you believe they were from Oklahoma? One was from OKC. A couple from Oilton. Then…one couple lives less than a mile from me! They even know some of my neighbors! We continued on and entered the Badlands National Park. A great geological sight. Various colors, sizes and shapes. At one point we actually got to climb around on some of the rocks. Did you ever notice it’s much easier to climb up than it is to come back down? The rocks we were climbing on seemed more like compacted dirt. I couldn’t imagine any serious rock climbing as I wouldn’t trust it to hold my weight. At many points (and we did stop at many) you could see off into the vast horizon. It was a sight to see in the middle of the afternoon. I think it would be absolutely gorgeous to see at sunrise or sunset. This was not on the path of Bud and Temple. I am sure they would have been amazed. I can’t imagine travel through the Badlands being easy for horseback riders.
We then decided to head to Deadwood. A stopping point for the night before heading for Mt. Rushmore the next morning. For a small town, it had lots of people. Lots of families and lots of motorcyclists. We were able to witness a gunfight in the middle of the street. Then, a little later, the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok took place in the #10 Saloon Museum. I got to personally meet Jack McCall, the man who shot Wild Bill! Melody was able to get Jack and Wild Bill’s autograph. Guess what! We met another Oklahoman from Bartlesville!
Melody here. I think my favorite part of Saturday was seeing another one of God’s beautiful creations. The Badlands almost looked like sand sculptures of giant proportions that have been weathered and eroded and neglected over time. If you look at them long enough you start to see many different shapes and images in the rocks. Another way to describe the Badlands is sand art on an enormous scale with all of the different colors. I think my favorite part of the badlands was the area where the stone and paleosols (are you impressed Mike? ) were yellow and pink along with the other colors, but the yellow and pink were very vivid, making a vibrant picture against the gray and brown rocky surroundings—like a giant paintbrush had been dripped across the rocks…. The brochure at the badlands says you can make the loop in 50 minutes. Yeah, right!
I enjoyed talking to Wild Bill Hickok and Jack McCall in Deadwood. It’s a pretty interesting little town with a lot of “wild” history. Tomorrow it is on to Mt. Rushmore!!

Please forgive us....

2008-07-13T23:19:00.003-05:00

We have a correction to make---the Community Restaurant we enjoyed so much was in Cortland, NY--not Geneva---I would like to thank the person that emailed us to let us know we had gotten it wrong....please forgive us....we are a little bleary from all the time in the car...but we do remember the great food......

Driving Driving Driving (Friday)

2008-07-12T23:22:00.001-05:00

Driving, Driving, Driving, keep that car a driving….Rawhide! 17 hours of driving. Sounds boring, right? Wrong. We got to see some sights. We even stopped to see the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth Minnesota. We left Michigan, into Indiana….. We crossed into central time zone…. on to Illinois for the toll roads and the Chicago traffic. ARRGG!!! That felt like 16 hours of the driving…… All the way across Wisconsin….then Minnesota…. and into South Dakota…… After a couple of false starts, we were to find the best treat we had had in a long time. ….The Siding 36 Motel….. What a respite for weary travelers! It was the best place we have stayed the whole trip, except maybe our NYC hotel. The motel had been completely remodeled in 2008 giving it a feeling more like a home than a hotel. I definitely felt rested upon rising in the a.m. …almost as good as staying at the Kliewers…they even had cool lamps…I think that is what made me this of her house…that and the cool colors on the walls…. This would be the perfect place for my guys to stay and go pheasant hunting! We hear that is really popular around that area….
Donna: It’s a good thing Melody’s driving! We got an early start, hoping to make up time and get miles out of our way to get started on our next stop. I started the morning by promptly falling asleep. Hee! The only pit stop allowance we gave ourselves was the Jolly Green Giant. 60 feet tall! We also met Jonathan and Zach. We now know that the state of Iowa will have access to “Bud and Me”. I agree with Melody about how wonderful the Siding 36 Motel was. It’s off the road a bit. A hidden treasure! My original thought when we were trying to find it was that it would be another “Bates Motel” adventure. It was a far cry from that!
Melody: I think my favorite part of the day was giving the book to the two boys and the owner of the Siding 36 motel. It is such a joy to see the excitement in people’s eyes when they are told the story of Bud and Temple. At first, the look is of skepticism, but turns to amazement and joy as we continue telling the story. We did not even realize what a treat our rooms would be when we told the owners we would leave a copy for them in the morning, but I am so thankful that we did. Rhonda assured me she would read the story and then share it with her grandchildren. How fun to know that many other people have the chance to be impacted by this story of courage and integrity! And although today takes us out of Bud and Temple’s path, I think it is pretty important to see Mt. Rushmore and the tribute in stone to four great men, two of whom the boys admired greatly.

Niagara Falls

2008-07-12T22:58:00.001-05:00

Thursday we awoke with fresh legs ready to seek out Niagara Falls and all its beauty. What an exhilarating experience that has to be experienced in person to reap the full benefit of the Falls’ magnificence! Pictures and words do not capture the feelings experienced while standing in the Falls’ presence. The first thing we did was ride the Maid of the Mist boat, which actually brings you within 30 feet of the Horseshoes Falls on the Canada side. You might wonder why it is called “Maid of the Mist”. There is a mist that rises from the water after it plunges the hundreds of feet to the rocks below. Also there is an Indian legend that we need to look up about the history of that name. We thought we looked pretty fetching in our pretty blue raincoats they gave us to wear! Yes, we needed them, because the mist is pretty heavy. Abraham Lincoln said he wondered where all the water came from and when Donna saw the quote she said she thought the same thing. Donna was also amazed by all of the seagulls and as you view our pictures you will notice that she is pretty enthralled by birds we see along the way. The ride on the Maid of the Mist lasted 30 minutes, but is a very powerful 30 minutes of being so close to the falls. The view from the observation tower is wonderful as you are leaving. Just when you think it couldn’t get any better, we headed to the next exciting part called Cave of the Wind. The Cave of the Wind was behind the Bridal Veil waterfall. When you are viewing Niagara Falls the Bridal Veil looks pretty delicate (and small) compared to the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls when, in reality, if Bridal Veil Falls stood alone, it would be a very tremendous Falls in its own right. Guests can no longer go to the cave because of a rock slide, but you can climb to the Hurricane Deck and let the water and wind of the Bridal Veil Falls tumble and pound over you. Cave of the Wind not only provides you a slicker, this one yellow, but they also provide you flip flops because if you walk to the Hurricane Deck, you cannot leave without being entirely soaked. Definitely an adrenaline rush! Super fun! What an amazing experience….Prior to Niagara Falls almost everything we set out to see had been man-made, and we have viewed some super, tremendous, wonderful things that definitely amaze and astonish you, but nothing has been like this. It is like God showing off. “What you can do…I do better.” I am so thankful for the blessing to see this wonderful creation! I definitely would like to take my family back. We rode the trolley around and saw the Niagara River and the rapids…….. heard the story of the 63 year old teacher that survived the ride over the falls in a barrel in the year 1901. All too soon it was time for us to go……..away we drove to Pennsylvania with blinders on, saying “no, we can’t stop! We are already behind”, ……..barely getting a glimpse of Lake Erie, but Donna did manage one picture. Then on to Indiana …and a slight detour up into Coldwater, Michigan. Again, not bad for one day…Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan. Whew!! Lots of fun….
Donna’s Additions: Our time at Niagara Falls. What an incredible experience! I can’t believe we were actually able to get so close to the falls! We got so close in the Maid of the mist that I found myself thinking about stories such as the Titanic… When we got really close, the falls came down around you on three sides (probably why they call it Horseshoe Falls, huh?) This made the water we were riding in pretty choppy. I found myself wondering what would happen if the boat lost power. Would we get sucked into the falls or pushed away or just spin in circles forever? The mist caused by the falls made me think of an avalanche of snow. All you could see was white. Several times when we were able to get really close, it seemed like the falls should rush towards us, but they have their own path to take. You can’t imagine how many seagulls were flying around and perching on the hillside. It said that one winter they counted 40,000.00 of them. That doesn’t even include some of the other birds there! Cave of the Winds was really exciting also. The Hurricane Deck was the best. The falls were actually coming down on us! I was sure I would have been able to wring my eyelashes out! I figured this was a good thing to do. It would keep me away from the river by the rapids that led to the falls so I could touch it. Would you believe fate gave me the opportunity to get next to the river anyway and stick my hand in? I promised a friend that I would not try any white water rafting, but I didn’t say anything about feeling the water. Of course, it was in a safe place, a little nook. Something everybody needs to experience. The whole experience gave us such a rush. We were still feeling it long after we left the falls! But, just for the record, I don’t plan on trying to ride over the falls in a barrel on my 63rd birthday!
Melody says, before we went to Maid of the Mist or Cave of the Wind we just stood and watched the rainbow over the falls. I don’t think I’ve seen a more beautiful sight breathtaking sight that seems to engage all of senses….the roar of the falls…the shimmering rainbow in the fine white mist floating down to coat arms and other exposed skin…. Super powerful! We were thankful we arrived early enough in the morning to catch the right angle for the sun to catch the rainbow. As I stood there, rode the boat, and climbed the stairs to the cave of the winds, I tried to imagine I was 6 and 10 years old from landlocked Oklahoma and tried to think how Bud and Temple would have felt when they viewed this sight. I have seen pictures, movies and other water falls in person and yet I cannot find adequate words to express the magnificence…and although they do not say much about it in their book, I have to think Bud and Temple were pretty astonished and amazed by the beauty of God’s creation here, as well as I am.

Tuesday and Wednesday

2008-07-12T22:46:00.001-05:00

Tuesday was a pretty amazing day that we did three loads of laundry and were on the road by noon after such a long night! What fun we had in NYC…it just went by too fast…. We headed up from Maryland to PA and NY. Although we didn’t stop there, ( because it was out of the way) we gathered some information about the community of Jim Thorpe PA…. Pretty amazing that a community would change its name to someone who hadn’t visited the town. We think there is a story there…..We pressed pretty hard, but did manage to take several pictures of rocks just for Mike. J We finally stopped for dinner in a little community called Geneva,NY and ate at the Community Restaurant. .. a definite thumbs up…It was a Greek restaurant that opened in the 1920s… current owners are only the second family to run the business. Wonderful food in a charming atmosphere! Then we pressed on . …. We did see one of the Finger Lakes in the “twilight”. We ended up staying south of Rochester NY and decided to get a better view of Lake Ontario the next morning…..Good to stop for the night….

Wow! We had a real breakfast of sausage, eggs, waffles… Wednesday morning we headed toward Niagara Falls with the best intentions of viewing the falls and heading on. However, we were distracted…..Imagine that!!! We drove along the coastline of Lake Ontario for about 75 miles. It was so picturesque….. If you didn’t know better you would think it was the ocean because of the vastness. Once again it was a hazy day and you couldn’t see for far….seems that we have had lots of those…We traveled along…stopping to take pictures and prowl around…. we came to Old Fort Niagara and made a pit stop. (not a quick one!) Donna says…..What a great place to visit. The Fort has a long history of participation in many wars. (was the British outpost in the Revolutionary war) There were very few places we were not allowed to go and very few things we could not touch. How’s that for exciting? We also got to see people in period costumes. The cook was preparing cabbage soup in the fireplace. She showed us what the bread would look like, as well as the peas and salt pork. We also learned this is where the nursery rhyme “Peas porridge hot…” came from--- the protest of the bad military food…LOL We also learned about the origin of Humpty dumpty. It seems many of our nursery rhymes have political backgrounds. There were also some games to learn the soldiers played. We were also shown the different parts of the musket and got to hear one fired. (similar to the ones used during Black Powder Deer Season) Oh, how I wish we could have taken a picture of the sound. (very loud---even though we were expecting it! Ha) We spent a lot longer there than was anticipated, but it was well worth the time. After leaving Fort Niagara we headed to Niagara Falls. We didn’t actually view the falls on Wednesday, but did visit the state park and received our tickets. We toured the visitor center, learning about the history of the falls. We were tired and needed to get a room as well as get a bite to eat. We would get a fresh start on Thursday. Our busy and hectic time in Washington, D.C. and New York must have eventually caught up to us.
Thanks for reading.....Miss you Mike, Matt and Gordon....

Sagamore Hill

2008-07-10T23:01:00.001-05:00

Monday, July 7---Sagamore Hill---Teddy Roosevelt’s home…the first Summer White House! Another treat was in store for us today….we rode the Long Island Rail Road out to Oyster Bay!! We had a brisk 14 block walk with tons of people on the sidewalk—selling everything…After much discussion with the train people, we decided that Oyster Bay stop would be the best stop for us…glad we didn’t listen to the first ticket agent…we would still be walking! LOL…It was a long ride out to Oyster Bay…over an hour…much different than the other subway rides we had taken to this point…also, at times the train really seemed to creep along…finally we made it to Oyster Bay….again unlike the other places we had been, this place was not well marked, so after some directions from the guys who worked for the train, we found the town hall---that was about 3 blocks—the nice security guard told us Sagamore Hill was about a mile or mile and ½ down the road…very helpful and friendly…he said that there was a taxi service we could use or we could walk…well, since we’re so great at walking after our days in DC and NYC we thought…”what’s a mile and a half” -- maybe we will get a taxi on the way back…Oyster Bay is a wonderfully preserved town of historic homes and businesses…a pleasant surprise waited about 8 blocks into our walk…the Oyster Bay Public Library…so we decided to stop—thinking that the home wouldn’t be much further---they have a great collection of Teddy Roosevelt articles in the TR room, and we were even allowed upstairs to view the TR book collection…what a great treat…thank you very much! We didn’t stay long because our goal was Sagamore Hill—this is where Teddy went after the “Parade” of 1910 was over….his home….Well, let me tell you that Sagamore Hill is not 1 and ½ miles from the town hall….it is about 4 miles….we were hot and sweaty, not to mention stinky and kind of (really) cranky, when we arrived! But our spirits were soon lifted by the staff of Sagamore Hill—first Thomas, in the gift shop, arranged our tour, and when we told him why we were so interested in getting to Sagamore Hill, and the drama of getting there (he is the one who said it was really 4 miles), he said he thought that the curator of the museum would like to talk to us---so we were off to see Amy—she was thrilled to hear the story of Bud and Temple! And we were thrilled because someone from the east new and believed the story of the wolf hunt! Amy gave us water and even volunteered to drive us into town so that we wouldn’t have to walk the four miles again! How sweet…we so appreciate your time and willingness to talk to us. Thank you for letting us interrupt your day! Richard gave us the tour of the home—what a splendid job you did of entertaining and informing us during the tour…We will be taking you up on your offer of receiving items for classroom use! Mr. and Mrs. John Reilly from Connecticut heard our story about our “hike” and volunteered to let us share their cab back into town! (Actually it ended up being their treat!) Thank you so much…I enjoyed meeting both of you and hearing stories about your teaching experiences, Mrs. Reilly…I hope that you enjoy your sailing and have a safe journey to Block Island later this summer…maybe you will run into Gordon!
It was hard to believe that our time in NYC was over….a final train ride..a quick bite to eat….a 14 block walk to the hotel to pick up the luggage….an 8 block walk to the bus station (and one last trip to the souvenir shop) and a four hour bus ride….and we were back in DC….then a 4 (giant) block walk to the Union Station to get the car….and more map reading to navigate DC and out of the city…. Not bad for one day!!!

Statue of Liberty

2008-07-10T22:24:00.001-05:00

Sunday, July 6---we awoke after some much needed rest and “hailed” a taxi and away we sped (pun intended--)for Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty….we thought we were getting a pretty early start, but there was already a huge line of people, or a crowd, as Donna calls them, lined up to take the ferry across to Liberty Island! We had to wait for a couple of ferries to make their way, but it didn’t take too long…the crew “encouraged” rapid movements to get as many people as possible on the ferry at a time…and let’s just say that they were the closest we came to seeing a really rude person! Another crewman assured one of the young people waiting in line that it was all part of the rhetoric! LOL But, on a serious note, I wonder how the immigrants of the early part of America felt as they boarded and disembarked on the ships sailing to our country…were the seamen friendly to them? Finally, it was our turn to board, and we set out in a pretty brisk pace for the island…unlike the leisurely cruise to Mt. Vernon….CROWDS, CROWDS, CROWDS…part of it due to the 4th weekend, but I am thinking that it is always busy!! I have seen the Statue of Liberty hundreds of times in movies and in pictures, but gazing up in person was definitely worth all of the security measures we had to go through to get the up-close and personal view….after the normal security to board the boat, there was additional security if you wanted to climb to the observation deck in the base….part of the security involved blowing air all over your body while you were in a booth…very strange..it almost tickled…while we were waiting to enter this part of security Donna spied some other ladies with Fund For Teachers bags!! We caught up with them on the ferry ride from Ellis Island. Rachel and her friends from the Houston, Texas area were very friendly…hope you are learning a lot at your conference in Connecticut…Back to Lady Liberty….while I knew intellectually how tall the statue was going to be, it was even more imposing than I imagined…a great experience that every American should have a least once in his life..an up close view of Lady Liberty (climbing the 157 stairs up to the base and the 157 stairs down---completely worth it!)
You might think that was the end of our day, but we were only halfway finished…we caught the subway for Coney Island to pickup our Atlantic Ocean water to carry to the Pacific....we were a lot more comfortable buying our Metro card than just a week earlier in DC…we were old hat at it now!!! We ate a hot dog at the Nathan’s Hot Dogs, where the World Champion Eating Hot Dog Contest is held every July 4th…don’t think we will be victorious because we just had one each! But they were great with the sauerkraut on top! After that we strolled the boardwalk and collected some water. As we made our way to the subway, we were able to talk to several mounted patrolmen in the area…they were great…surprised we had ridded 80 miles…I don’t think Little John would do very good at that job…there were lots of noises from the boardwalk…one of the horses was pretty skittish as we talked to the patrolman…he said that he is always on horseback, but usually not in Coney Island…After a quick stop at the hotel, we went to do a little window shopping…I loved going into M&M world…we even had the test to see what color of M&M was best for us…mine was light purple and Donna’s was maroon….After shopping we called it a night!

Emails lost in Cyberspace

2008-07-09T15:37:00.002-05:00

We have sent lots of people emails that may be floating around in cyberspace.....Sorry if that is you....Matt...have sent you an email almost everyday....sorry if you haven't received them....We are in Niagara Falls today...will update the rest of the NYC trip and Niagara tonight.....Spent this am (july 9) traveling the banks of Lake Ontario and touring Old Fort Niagara! Super fun...we are looking at lots of cool rock formations.....Mike should be proud of us...we are even documenting where we find them or take pictures of them...Donna especially liked Fort Niagara...she got to touch stuff there!!!!
More later.....thinking and praying for all who are at Falls Creek this week!

NYC--we survived

2008-07-08T09:28:00.002-05:00

Melody again---
we survived NYC without getting lost! When we arrived at the Port Authority Bus Station we headed north to our hotel--it was just 6 blocks...and they know how to do blocks in NYC...it wasn't the 1 mile blocks like in Washington DC! LOL...we stored our luggage at our hotel, and then we were off...we walked around time square---really pretty mesmerized by all of the lights and attractions....if we were overwhelmed by Washington---you can imagine the feeling in NYC--the buildings were MUCH TALLER---and there were so many more people....i thought all of the people trying to sell the bus tours and broadway tickets were very annoying...they didn't want to take no for an answer---everywhere you looked there was something to buy----and yes, we did buy some of the 6 for $10 T-shirts-- it was very hazy and cloudy--when we arrived at the Empire State Building--the wait was over an hour and because of the clouds they said zero visibility...we decided the $40 dollars that we would have to spend to see nothing would not be worth it! so we headed back toward the theater where we would watch the Phantom of the Opera......it started raining...I am the gifted one in the group and bought a rain poncho---donna said she didn't need one....because it wasn't raining very hard....Well, by the time we walked all the way back, I think she was soaking...we tried to eat at a couple of different places along the way, but didn't have much luck because the lines were so long...but right across from the Majestic theater was a place called John's Pizza ("No Slices" is what it said on their shirts). There was a small wait there, but the hostess thought we would be out in time --- I am so glad we ate there....super pizza --it was made in a brick oven---hand made dough--fresh toppings---super!
The Majestic Theater lives up to the name...it is a grand old theater with very ornate draperies and columns everywhere...a super place for the production! I loved it...I know that Kalli Kliewer would have loved to have been there...I can't say enough good about it...was just a super experience...when it was over and we finally waded through all of the people exiting, we once again traveled several blocks to the hotel....this time to check in! We were exhausted...we had gotten up at 4 o'clock...navigated downtown DC--parked the car---hiked to the bus station--made the four hour bus ride to NYC---walked around and were "whelmed" as Mike says, eaten a real NY pizza, watched a Broadway show...and survived all of the street hawkers...not bad for two country girls huh!! So we were asleep pretty early that night....it was great to rest and get a good nights sleep! More soon...thanks for reading...will try to publish more tonight or tomorrow...

DC --last days

2008-07-08T08:54:00.002-05:00

This is Melody--I know that I have lots of catching up to do--- I absolutely loved Washington and NYC--I am ready for some "wide open spaces" or as donna says "Green Acres is the Place to Be" I feel very blessed that I was able to go see many of the places that you see and hear about... I know that I have seen most of the places on TV, but there isn't anything like seeing these things in person. Unlike Donna, I wasn't disappointed in the White House tour...I thought it was fabulous to see all of the rooms they are willing to share with the public...Gov. Frank Keating was super...if I already mentioned our visit with him, I will say it again....he so graciously spent an hour visiting with us, when I know he had other (shall we say more important) things to do....Spending the fourth of july day at Mt. Vernon and seeing the laying of the wreath ceremony at George Washington's grave was very poignant ... I think i captured a pretty good picture of a boy scout laying a carnation on the grave after the ceremony...the view of the Potomoc River is serene and beautiful...Donna assures me that she could wake up to coffee and this view any day... We had birthday cake there...and soldiers and other people in colonial attire were all over the grounds...the new museum that the Reynold's foundation built was wonderful...thanks Gov. Keating for letting us know it was worth the time to go through...Sailing to Mt. Vernon on the "Spirit of Mt. Vernon" was quiet the experience in itself....we met a Kindergarten teacher from California...I talked her ear off all the way there! Imagine that! We did see the helicopter that was carrying President Bush and the other helicopters guarding him while we were cruising...we ate a super meal at the Marina Cantina...I had a soft-shell crab dish that was out of this world....so good....unfortunately if was raining when we headed back on the metro---we did not want to get to the mall with all of the people and be drenched for the fireworks...so we just stayed at the hotel...We could look out over the balcony and see some of the fireworks though... not getting to see the fireworks was one thing that has been disappointing on the trip...but hey, I spent the 4th of July at Mt. Vernon..... not everyone can say that...

July 5th and catching up!

2008-07-05T17:52:00.002-05:00

We've left D.C. for a couple days. What a great experience. Very interesting. Every American should find the time to visit. Just don't do it if I plan to visit it again. There were SO MANY people! We got to visit several of the Smithsonian museums. At the Museum of Natural history we got to go to the research place. That's the first time I've been allowed entry in a place that has double locked doors to get into. I was surprised at the American Art Museum there was no Norman Rockwell. How American can you get?
WE WENT TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND FOUND LOTS OF ARTICLES ABOUT THE BOYS VISITING! There were three newspapers in D.C. when they visited. Can't wait to share with our students some of the comments that were made. Hee Hee!
We also visited Arlington Cemetery and got to see the changing of the guards. It sends a chill down your spine. If you get a chance, look up information about the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Knowing about being one of the guards and the commitment they've made will make even more of a difference if you witness the changing of the guards.
We toured the capital, which I think I already mentioned. We got a tour of the white house. It was mainly just the entry area. I was kind of disappointed I didn't get to see more, like the kitchen or something. Security was pretty high just about everywhere we went. Between that and the crowds, it kind of took some of the essence away. That really applies to visiting Mount Vernon. That's the kind of historical setting you can feel something for. It was hard with about 10 million people around. Think it was because we visited on the 4th of July!?
That's not half our time in D.C., but I think Melody's already covered most of it. I don't think you all want to hear it echoed.
Now that we have the D.C. Metro system figured out, we parked the car for the weekend and caught a Greyhound bus to New York City. We got up at 4:00 to make it in time. We made it with 20 minutes to spare. We've already walked many, many blocks, but at least they aren't all uphill like it was in D.C. The streets are on more of a grid here, too, so it's not as confusing. The blocks are the same size, too. In D.C. a block could have been a normal block or the equivalent of everybody else's 3 or 4 blocks. The streets here are even more crowded! We browsed a while on our way to the Empire State Building. We went inside, but didn't go to the top. WAY crowded. Our Broadway show started at 2:00 and we didn't want to be late. It started to rain. Melody purchased one of those thin rain ponchos you can get at the ballgames. I didn't think it would get to be any more than a mist, so I thought I'd brave it. Guess who's still trying to dry from the inside out? We saw Phantom of the Opera. Super! I went to watch a show several months ago with my sister in OKC and it was terrific. I think I might be getting hooked onto something new. Raise your hand if you want to be a "show buddy" when I get back to Oklahoma. It's about 5:30 now. The current plan is to rest up because we had a late night last night (waiting to see if any fireworks appeared on the horizon) and a way too early morning. An early night means an early morning! Of course, I don't think we've had one day yet go exactly as originally planned. Isn't it great!?
By the way, if anybody sees any of our students, light a fire under them and have them get on the blog. I really want to hear from them!!!!!

Washington DC Day 1 and 2

2008-07-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it DC....we have figured out the "Metro" (subway, train system) with lots of practice and patience of some friendly Metro workers in Silver Springs Station! Thanks so much....Tuesday was the first day in town...we walked around for a little while...you will notice their is a theme for the the days in Washington...walking...walking...walking...then we took the trolley around DC for about 3 and 1/2 hours...we saw lots of the monuments, embassy row, and the national cathedral...It is such an amazing place....it is overwhelming and so much information ... the city is enormous....very breathtaking...then we went to Sen. Inhofe's office for our tour of the Capitol...we had the best guide...Thanks so much..The art work and the craftmanship of the Capitol is unbelievable...more stuff to put on our list to study....Then we were off to Arlington National Cemetary...we were able to see the changing of the guard...what a moving experience to watch...I did get some good video of the change...it is a powerful experience to observe.... then we were back on the Metro and our 6 block walk home...we stopped for a bite to eat on the way to the room ... it was great...roasted chicken...but I think that we would have eaten anything....it was a great day....but long and we were very tired...But ready for the big day on Wed...
We were very early to our meeting with Gov. Keating...glad because I thought it was in one spot and it was in another...but we were just about 3 blocks off...101 NW is different than 101 NE...go figure...glad it wasn't the 900 block...LOL Gov. Keating is a super guy...we visited with him for about one hour...Nancy and every other person we encountered in his office was friendly and gracious to the two teachers from Oklahoma...He told us a great story about one of the books he is working on about Standing Bear...I am anxious to do some reading about this man and read his book when it comes out! Thanks again Gov. Keating for your time...Then we were off for more walking....we went to 3 different Smithsonian Museums today, but we had the best treat of all at the Museum of Natural History! Thank you Linda Gordon for taking us to look at the archived Teddy Roosevelt speciems...We were able to view a Rhino in the museum but most of the other items sent from his African safari are in storage...We appreciate your time and effort so much --- this was another great experience for us. I appreciate Linda Reid from Oklahoma for the contact information...What great blessings Donna and I have had while we are on this trip...We talked to a young from Louisiana who is working for the SI as an intern while we were riding the shuttle to the storage facility--we were able to share Bud and Temple's story with her and hear about her research on fish...another great story....we finished looking at the Museum of Natural History and then headed back .... I got an email from Matt today that said he got a "little" lost! but he had made it back....I understand that feeling....Please remember to pray for him...He is having a great time....as are we...we are off to the white house tomorrow--then to the library to look up Bud and Temple...the 4th we are taking a boat ride to Mt. Vernon...can't wait...Thanks again Gov. Keating...and Linda at SI..... It has been two great days!!!!!!

Frederick MD Library

2008-06-30T12:24:00.001-05:00

It is early Monday afternoon and we just found more information documenting the boys' trip!!!!! Another article with lots of new information. They had a great time while they were in Maryland.... more soon

Saturday and Sunday!

2008-06-30T12:22:00.001-05:00

It will be Monday before we get this posted, and it feels like forever since I have had a chance to post…won’t repeat what Donna said about our day in Dayton on Friday, but it was absolutely fabulous….Meeting Ernie and being on the receiving end of his generosity and love of history was just a great experience…..I wish he and Karen well as they continue being the keepers of the “Wright House”. Thanks again….Saturday morning we headed to the Dayton Library….didn’t know if it would be productive or not, and to be honest I was really pretty discouraged about not finding any documentation of the boys’ journey to Santa Fe…well, I was on my last roll of microfilm when I screeched to Donna, “There are our boys!” Well, in the excitement of the moment, I moved the film really quickly, and I had to look for them….It was beyond words what a blessing it was to find the picture and then subsequent articles…Since I had a date for their time in Dayton, I looked at the other two papers and found other articles and another picture….It told where the boys stayed in Dayton, and the Local History Librarian was so helpful….I am sorry that I don’t have her name—but forgive me because I am typing this at the laundry and it is 11:00…anyway, she was very helpful in showing us how to access the library’s online archives…there is a post card of the hotel….Well, needless to say we were pretty pumped to travel on…..Away we flew over the hills of eastern Ohio—through picturesque---stopping in a couple of beautiful old towns---Zanesville and Cambridge---didn’t get any pictures to speak of in Cambridge because it was a monsoon while we were there….we did give a copy of the book to the local police….Sgt. Hill said he would give it to the local library for us….Yes, we braved the rain to stop and give the book….Wheeling, WV was the next place---although we didn’t see a comet there, like the boys—we did see a beautiful rainbow! J After stopping for a bite to eat, we started looking for a place to stay, and ended the day in Morgantown, WV….. It was a super fabulous day…..Thank you Lord for all of the blessings!
Sunday we had a late start, but headed for Frederick, MD…we had several scenic stops along the way….our first big stop was in Cumberland, MD….we toured the canal district and where Gen. George Washington had his headquarters near there right before the French and Indian War….This was a great area…we are both in love with all of the old homes and buildings….we traveled on and saw some very interesting geology, so we stopped and crossed the interstate at a run during a small break in traffic to get a better picture….we were also able to find small pieces of shale that had broken off of the outcrop…little did we know that there was an amazing pass through the mountain just ahead…so we stopped again…..there was a great bridge over the interstate just for Donna….I don’t think she liked it anymore than the suspension bridge we crossed in Wheeling on Saturday…But the view was worth it….There were many different layers of rock that even I could see and tell where the lifts and differences were….eventually we made it to Antietam National Park…..it is such a beautiful place to have been the home of the deadliest day of fighting in the Civil War….We spent several hours there…..but one afternoon is not enough time…just when I thought we might be locked in the cemetery….we made it to our car and headed on to Frederick…..and no, I haven’t learned that the little lines mean “curvy and slow”….but it was a nice view….But I do think if I tell Donna to “look” one more time, she might scream….because I usually say this just after I have asked her to look up something on the map or a travel guide…..Oh, well….it usually is worth looking at….. Okay, I am pretty giddy…the laundry is finished and it is a quarter to midnight…hopefully we will find our way back to the hotel…. Did the guy say right right left….or left left right???? I guess if you are reading this all is well….

This is Donna. Just going to add a few comments.
Melody did get excited and zipped past her spot on the microfiche. The good part is, she didn’t try to break this one like the one in New Mexico!
The suspension bridge and, not mentioned before lookout tower at Antietam, were great…..if you’re looking at them from the ground!
We try not to eat at chain restaurants, but we did eat at Bob Evans. That was o.k. because neither of us had eaten there before. NOW it is a chain restaurant. Right?
When driving through really heavy rain, we have decided that part of our journey has been a voyage.

Dayton Ohio

2008-06-28T10:31:00.015-05:00

Donna again. Remember back when I made the comment that the best things seemed to come to us as a result of things not going according to plan? It's still happening!
First thing this morning we met with the Dayton Chief of Police Richard Biehl. Chief Biehl took over his position this year. We asked what his favorite part of the job was and he said it was building the relationships between the people. When comparing the difference between his job and the job of a police chief in 1910, he described how times were much more complex now. People, crimes, weapons, issues, etc. Pretty much the same things that would limit the possibility of 6 and 10 year old boys of traveling across the country alone on horseback, don't you think? We told the story of Bud and Temple. Chief Biehl was more than happy to have us fingerprinted. It was a surprise to me when no ink pad was put in front of us. It was all done on the computer. How is that for showing differences in the change of technology! Detective Hudson (great guy with super sense of humor!) took the time to explain everything as we were printed. He even showed us how quickly people could be brought up on the database. He said we were doing the prints for fun, but Melody and I have no doubt he and Sargeant Wilhite ran our prints when they got the chance!
We took the back way to the parking lot on the way out. Don't know why we didn't head straight to the coroner's office, another chance to compare technology from 100 years ago. This is one of those times where original plans were replaced by a chance event. We were behind the police station and saw a Ch. 7 news van. When we went to check it out, we found they were there to interview a sargeant about recent homicides. We got to witness the interview first-hand. It was Jill, the Ch. 7 reporter, who said she would offer our story at the station when she returned. We didn't have much luck at the Dayton newspaper as they were too busy and had no reporters to spare. That's o.k. because that makes us famous like the Wright brothers. In 1903 the Dayton newspaper declined a story about the flight, pretty much because the flight had been measured by minutes instead of hours. The woman who worked at the front desk was very friendly and helpful in guiding us to the library where we could, hopefully, find records of articles of the boys when they were in Dayton.
We found our way to the Wright Brothers Museum, as well as their bicycle shop across the street. There were a few interactive exhibits (you know how I like to push buttons and such. Much more fun than reading "Do not touch" signs!) We were told about how the houses in the area were either being fixed up, if they were from the time. If not, they were asked to make sure the style fit with the time of the Wright Brothers. The Wright brothers' home was bought by Henry Ford and moved to Greenfield, Michigan. There is a replica front porch on the lot where the original house stood. Across the street is a house that had been made to look exactly like the house the Wright brothers grew up in. We rang the doorbell and waited. When nobody appeared, we started taking pictures. That's when Ernie walked into our lives.
We told Ernie why we were there. He was very welcoming, rather than booting us off his property. Ernie is a self-appointed Wright brothers ambassador. He and his wife Karen have basically dedicated their home to the memory of the Wright brothers. You should see the incredible art they have in their home which has been done by local artists. Ernie volunteered to try and help us get into the Delphi plant, which is where the original Wright factory is. They wouldn't even hear of it, not even let us take any pictures, even from a distance! I didn't take it personal. I figured if Ernie couldn't get us in, nobody was getting in! After inviting us into their home, Ernie took us to meet the mayor of Dayton, Rhine McLin. He just popped in on her, just like she was his next-door neighbor. I've made the comment, "Where is Teddy Roosevelt when you need him?" I think Teddy would have appreciated Mayor McLin's willingness to be available to talk to people. Throughout our conversation, it became obvious that she really cares about the City of Dayton and the people that live here. There's a definite soft spot for the children. If you ever visit Dayton, there's some terrific people to meet, as well as great art. Check out the trash cans beautified by children participating in the Parks and Rec programs. Also, the statues placed about town. They remind me of Norman Rockwell's paintings. They'll make you do a doubletake.
We found one person in Dayton that deserves the "Mr. Wolf award". But, meeting Chief Biehl, Sargeant Wilhite, Detective Hudson, Ernie, Karen and Mayor McLin far outweighed the impact of "Mr. Wolf".

Few notes to add for Wednesday and Thursday

2008-06-28T10:13:00.004-05:00

Hi everybody! It's Donna. Melody does so super at recording events of the day! I'm just going to add a few comments, rather than repeat.
One of the things we noticed and enjoyed about driving through Kentucky are the fences. All wooden. I understand the barbed fences would be too dangerous for the horses. I can appreciate that as well as the aesthetic value. We were informed by the people we were originally eavesdropping on that the sights we see along the highways do not represent 100% of the Kentucky population. There are many "behind the scenes" farms. People making a living with their farms, but not necessarily the "millionaire farms" so obvious to travelers.
I do have to repeat what a terrific experience the Kentucky Horse Park was. My favorite part was the show of the different breeds, including the information, costumes and performances of each. We got to meet all of them, riders and horses. Rocky is big, and there were still 1 or 2 that were the same size if not bigger!
We wanted to find one of the fire departments in Cincinnati and were fortunate enough to drive straight to one. We met Willie Jones there. This station was one of two special units. Special because they deal with special cases such as hazmet, bombs, etc. Willie was very generous with his time and explained everything when questioned. It was Willie's night to cook. Close to dinner time, many of the other firemen started showing up. Go figure! I hope the people of Cincinnati know what a great group of people they have at the fire department!

Days 4 and 5 --- Kentucky and Cincinnati.....

2008-06-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

Melody here…..we have traveled over lots of ground…it is Friday morning when we post this….Wednesday we went from the Mammoth Cave area of Kentucky to Lexington….not very many miles, but we were able to see and do lots of things….We started the morning at Big Mike’s Rock shop…we bought a little piece of Kentucky Dolomite….saw many things that Mike would like…. Lots of beautiful mineral and rock specimens…..we got off the interstate and took the scenic 31E highway…were able to see some things besides a tunnel of trees… We stopped at a roadside produce stand that was situated on a local farm site….Can you tell, we weren’t making very good time, but we were having a good time….Next, we stopped at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace…very beautiful and peaceful place….The young man, Scott, that was at the symbolic cabin was very helpful with a wifi connection…his suggestion of the Cozy Café was a big success for us….We arrived there after the dinner rush, so we had a chance to talk to the owner, Gayle. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed our conversation….we were off again…Stopping at the Lincoln boyhood home at Knob Creek…Lincoln says that his first memories are of being there… The ranger was a very helpful and friendly guy….The area there has been returned to how it was in that time….the meadow is clear with a few crops growing to represent what would have been there in the Lincoln years….2009 will be the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth…lots of preparations for the big occasion….The ranger says that the Lincoln’s lost the farm at Sinking Springs because of a legal dispute (which were common in the early Kentucky days) which may have been the reason that Abe wanted to become a lawyer. Thought that was an interesting idea…. We were off again….we went to Daniel Boone’s grave in Frankfort. From the cemetery you could look across the hill and see the state capitol….There was a little rain as we left…it would be fun to do some other exploring here……We headed toward Lexington…saw some absolutely breathtaking Kentucky horse farms…we took some amazing pictures…..we were even able to take some pictures—hopefully we will post some soon…. After we were finished eating dinner, we were eavesdropping on a conversation, and I heard ….Mt. Scott, Mt. Sheridan, Lawton, 6666 Ranch, Waggoner Ranch…..and I just had to interrupt and ask if they were from Oklahoma…..two of the men were from Oklahoma…one was from Snyder originally and knew about the boys…..what a small world…the Kentuckian suggested very strongly that we visit the Kentucky Horse Park…..And so that is how we started our Thursday….I am so thankful that we took his suggestion….The Show of Breeds was spectacular….the finale was a Friezen…..we so wished that Marla could have been with us to see all the fancy footwork that those horses do!!! We want to find some videos to share with the students… only important to me, but we saw a Welsh horse with a rider in historic Welsh costume….remember to pray for Matt as he is gone….We saw a farrier---very informative about all of the types of shoes………even a hardy plastic shoe that will last as long as a steel shoe…Thanks for all of the info…Then we went to the International Horse Museum….so much information about horses…Job 39:19 mentions horses and the quote is at the beginning of the museum….. .so glad that we decided to go through the park…wished that the Kliewer family could have been there with us to see all of them….it started storming just as we were wanting to leave…we sat and waited out the rain before heading to the car….then we were off for Ohio….and back on track to the boys adventures…We stopped at the Cincinnati Fire Station….Willie Jones was a great person to visit with…..he patiently answered our questions and let us look at the trucks and even let us go into the dining area and talk to the others as he was cooking dinner….They were absolutely wonderful…I think that we piqued their curiosity about the history of the Cincinnati Fire Department….It is the first paid fire department in the country….we drove around downtown and looked at the outside of the fire museum, which had been a fire station in earlier days… Then it was off to Dayton…we are ready for our appointment Friday AM…Thanks for reading……

We Are In Kentucky!

2008-06-25T12:11:00.001-05:00

Chisholm hope you are having a HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY!!! Melody here…It has been a fun couple of days…we sure do miss our tech guy! Hope he is having a great time. If you would like the blog link to his summer adventure, email me at Abernathy_08@yahoo.com ---please remember to say a prayer for him. I keep thinking of Joshua 1:9…..
Donna and I finally took off on Monday morning…after several stops we finally made it out of Oklahoma in the afternoon—We are going a little out of the way because of the flooding in Missouri…we are going to go down I-40 and then up to Cincinnati and back on track…We camped at Village Creek State Park on the east side of Arkansas…it was a really beautiful place…Steve H. we found the trees that are missing in western Oklahoma…LOL one thing of note, we did see a really nice ford f-150 pickup driving down I-40—friendly people….
We woke up early and headed east on I-40….we took a little time to view the Mississippi River when we crossed at Memphis…..unless you are standing beside it, it is really hard to imagine how fast it moves or how large it is…. Donna says when you get closer you start thinking about the people of the past and their experiences on it…the coast guard was zipping around quickly, but what a different experience going down the river on a barge or raft like in times past must have been…..We drove and drove through Tennessee (more trees!) –we stopped at the Casey Jones train museum in Jackson,Tennessee..if you are interested in folklore and trains, it is a super place to stop… the curator, Ben, was a great man to talk to..he enjoyed hearing about our trip…and late Tuesday afternoon, we arrived in Kentucky!! This is a new state for me! Yeah! I have been to all the states around it, but never here. We stopped near Mammoth National Park and are staying at Jellystone Campgrounds…this is a great place to camp! We saw another friendly policeman a few miles before the campgrounds! More soon….thanks for reading….
Hope VBS is going well… and hope the assistant harbor master is having fun!

Hey, everybody! It’s Donna now. We’ve headed out for the second part of the journey. We got a little late start and decided to take an alternate route because of the floods. We will be able to hook up with our original route in Cincinnati, which is most likely going to be tomorrow night.
One of the first places, obviously unplanned, was a stop at Toad Suck Ferry, Lock and Dam. No vocabulary liberties allowed here. It’s exactly what it says! It was built in 1820. Local legend has that it was named after a saloon on the other side of the river. At the same site was a tree. Sound exciting? It really was interesting. An oak and pecan tree had grown together as one. Believe it! We’ve got pictures.
The first night we stayed at the Village Creek State Park. Yes, we started in a tent and are still pursuing that course for another night or two. As odd as it may sound, we had a horsefly that kept running along and bumping into the car while we were trying to find a site. I thought I lost him in the showers, but he eventually caught up with me again. At least it never bit. Now, the mosquitoes were another story. They were big, juicy and plentiful! I was really happy they didn’t try to share the loaded baked potatoes we had for dinner! We left our cooler of beverages on the picnic table, not thinking that it would attract guests. Wrong! Drivers of Ford F150 and police officers are not the only friendly people we’ve run into. When the cooler hit the ground, I thought somebody was shooting a gun. Of course, I’ve never heard one shot in real life, so what was I thinking? It was obvious by the glowing eyes in the dark it was a raccoon. Wasn’t it?
By the way, Melody and I can get the tent set up now at record speed.
Today, Tuesday, we stopped at the Casey Jones Museum and Home. According to the short video we watched, it seems Casey received a few citations in his time at the railroad. Isn’t this something like a speeding ticket? Ben at the museum said his wife’s great grandfather rode with Chisholm on what became known as the Chisholm Trail. We got a good surprise when we visited a visitor’s center in Tennessee. They had quite a few artifacts/memorabilia about the area. Tonight we camp out at Jellystone Park in Kentucky.
Don’t forget to let us hear from you!

2008-06-18T12:44:00.001-05:00

2008-06-16T17:43:00.001-05:00

2008-06-16T16:33:00.001-05:00

Santa Fe to Home (Saturday)

2008-06-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

Saturday was a long day!! We left Santa Fe in the mid-morning and headed toward Las Vegas NM…..It was an absolutely breathtaking drive…I don’t think I have ever been on this highway before, so you know that we had to stop several times….We went to Pecos National Park…you can tour the remains of a Pueblo Indian village….was a spectacular place to stop…just off of the beaten path…..Donna especially appreciated the signs that were posted around that said….Rattlesnakes in the area!!!! This little pit-stop took more than an hour, but it was worth it…We also had to stop at Glorietta Conference Center…I had never been there, and I wanted to see where Roxanne will be spending some time next month….looks like a super place to spend some quality time with God…..made me think of Falls Creek….will be sad that I won’t be going this summer, but am so thankful for the opportunity that God is allowing me to have! Finally we arrived in Las Vegas….they have a beautiful old square…We ate more green and red chile food!!! It was good! We saw some very interesting people in the park…think it was going to be a wedding…. Wished we could have stayed and watched…. The Rough Rider museum had some great artifacts…lots about Teddy Roosevelt….glad we stopped there---Here is a little piece of advice……curvy lines on the map mean SLOW DRIVING….but it also means great scenery……. One time we stopped to take a picture—donna got out and I said to Matt…” I hope she doesn’t fall down the side of the mountain….and he replied…there is a guard rail…..But, I had to point out that she was on the other side of the guard rail!!!” But I think she got a great picture….
Alas, we reached Tucumcari, NM and I-40……here we could make a little time…..We did stop at the “Cadillac ranch” on the interstate so Donna could see the buried Cadillacs….Matt begged to stop at the 72 ounce steak place, but I declined on account of the time….As it was, we rolled into Yale about 2:00….
What a great adventure we have had…and it is only just starting….
I will try to update again later this week, but we will start the trip again on Sunday…lots to do before then…
It is nice to be home and go to church……More soon…..

Santa Fe to home

2008-06-16T12:22:00.001-05:00

It’s the last day of this part of our journey. We head home today. We’ll fine tune some kinks and be back on the road again in about a week.
We started our day by heading to Las Vegas, New Mexico. Teddy Roosevelt was a roughrider and continued lasting friendships with other Roughriders. Las Vegas has a Roughrider museum. We saw many interesting artifacts from the times, as well as a lot of photos and information on Teddy. Obviously the museum wasn’t there when Bud and Temple rode through, but it was interesting to check out more about their friend Teddy. The curator would make a great addition to the community of 1909 Portales.
We also visited the Pueblo historic site in Pecos. Seeing things like this really makes one wonder what life was like for the people who lived there. I could have done without constant reminders of the possibility of meeting up with a rattler. Made me appreciate the hot day as I am sure they found cooler places to chill out. The outside temperature reached a max of 105 degrees at one point.
We also drove through the beautiful mesas east of Las Vegas. Driving on the edge of the high cliffs was a little disconcerting. I found myself leaning toward the other side of the car to help make sure we didn’t topple over!

2008-06-14T10:56:00.004-05:00

We left a message with Governor Richardson's office yesterday about meeting with him, but haven't heard back. So, we decided to start the day by just popping into the capital. As luck would have it (it was Friday the 13th), the governor is in Europe. We did meet Connie Weston, who took the time to show us around his office. She has worked with several governors and told some stories about their philosophies of how their office should be set up and where they needed to be sitting when meeting with people. We left a book in her care and I have no doubt it will be read before it is passed on! The capitol building does not have a metal detector allowing entrance. Jake, you would have no problem gaining entrance here, no matter what type of boots you were wearing! We walked around and took lots of pictures. They have some great art. If ever in Santa Fe, you just have to check out the buffalo. You could look at it a hundred times and still see something new. From people we met, I do believe that is the highlight of everybody's visit to the capital. While looking for the hallway that contained portraits of all the governors who have served, we met Kate Nelson, who work's in the Lieutenant Governor's office. We were shown her office. She was out of town also. Like Connie, Kate was very friendly and hospitable, introducing us to several other members of the office. She is from Kansas, which is very close to my old stomping grounds. Thinking about the vast lands around us during our travels and wondering what it must have seemed like to Bud and Temple, it doesn't seem the saying "It's a small world" would apply. How many times did Temple ask, "Are we almost there?" This is where new technology comes into play. We met a woman from Washington who compared the climates of the two states. She eagerly awaits the time when she returns to the rainy state of Washington. We ran into a woman from Connecticut, a writer from the east coast, an artist whose father lives in Lawton, a woman whose sister lives in Perkins, OK. Bud and Temple had to have met many people along the way. I wonder how many of them were somehow connected to their hometown, or were perhaps from faraway places the boys had only heard about, but never visited. We also went to check out the archives. We still have not found any newspaper articles or, in this case, letters to or from Governor Curry which documents the boys' travels. We haven't given up though!

Roswell and Santa Fe

2008-06-14T10:11:00.003-05:00

Thursday and Friday were super busy....we got lots accomplished and yet have so many more questions....We went to the newspaper in Roswell, the Chamber of Commerce, the public library where we left a book, the UFO museum, and the Historical Museum of SE NM! The highlight of my stay in Roswell was getting to talk to a man named Morgan Nelson....he was an elderly gentleman who happened to come into the museum--bringing his great-grandson Ben....He had an apple orchard before the "big freeze" in 1938...he told us lots of stories about the early days of Roswell. He had an interesting career---farmer, military, and legislator.....he was so informative and interesting...we were able to record lots of what he said...Thank you, Mr. Nelson....unfortunately we had to leave, but we needed to arrive in Santa Fe! So away we went...we stopped at Wal-Mart for some food before heading across the desert...they had a picture of a UFO on the side of the store...of course we took our picture there...but inside I asked the clerk if she gets tired of the UFO stuff, and she said, YES! I thought that people might.... It is 200 miles between Roswell and Santa Fe....there are two places that look like they have people...Vaughn and Clines Corner...and Clines Corner is just a truck stop!!! So not much to look at except the desert....Matt and I did see some pronghorn.... They are interesting creatures...I didn't get to take a picture because they were too far away....
We arrived in Santa Fe around 6:30 local time...there was enough daylight left to go explore around the plaza.....there is so much beauty, history, and art in Santa Fe that even if you were a local, I don't think you would ever see it all..... The plaza is the old part of Santa Fe...lots of one way streets and little tiny shops....all of the buildings are adobe...just beautiful..Matt managed go capture some pictures of one of the church buildings in the plaza just as the sun is setting...The sun casts such a beautiful golden glow on the buildings....
Friday morning we went to the state capitol....Unfortunately, Gov. Richardson is traveling around Europe. However, Connie Weston was super to us. I don't know her exact title, but she showed us around Gov. Richardson's office and talked about her career of working for different governors. You could tell she enjoyed her job very much! Thank you for taking your time to talk with us. We also met Kate Nelson in the Lt. Gov. office. Thanks so much for all the information and conversation....The people in this office gave us recommendations for food! We ended up eating at the Plaza Restaurant.........I don't think I have had this good of Mexican food since Bobo's!!! I had the flat blue corn enchiladas with green chile..........Wow! They were fantastic...The reason we settled on this restaurant is that it has been a restaurant in the same location since 1905....we don't know if the boys would have gone there, but they could have! We saw lots of exquisite pieces of art that local vendors sell just sitting around the plaza...what an interesting site....the artists are all friendly and enjoy talking about their crafts. We met one lady who creates wind chimes out of glass and horseshoes or antlers....BEAUTIFUL.... We also went to the Loretto Chapel to see the miraculous staircase that was built in the 1800s....The chapel and the staircase are absolutely breathtaking....if you ever go to Santa Fe you must see it... We also saw the world's largest turquoise nugget....191 pounds...super to see....
After lunch we went to the state archives...we didn't find anything about the boys, but we did find a few articles of interest about Teddy Roosevelt and just things about the mansion....Although we were disappointed, it was still a great day...The archivists and assistants were super friendly and helpful...I am sure we will pose more questions to them at a later time....We headed back to the hotel to do a little laundry and then we went exploring...We went out by the Museum Hill and although the museums were closed they had some enormous sculptures outside....also the flora of the area was beautiful and we took lots of pictures..... The cool evening air of the desert is absolutely wonderful...nice and crisp after a warm day.... Donna wanted to get some ice cream before we headed to the hotel....she had spied a baskin robbins earlier.... One of the workers was so friendly....she was originally from Washington State...she misses the rain...says she will go to college out there.... She is proof of what we are doing...every person has a story, if you will just listen...
We are headed to Las Vegas NM today....then Amarillo...will be home soon...Thanks everyone for reading the blog!!! We are having a great time...

2008-06-13T20:06:00.001-05:00

2008-06-12T23:27:00.007-05:00

Hi everybody! Guess I'm playing catchup again. We've been to several places since I last blogged. We stopped in Estelline, the first stop the boys made so long ago. It was a quiet little town. I wonder just how much it has really changed since Bud and Temple were there. We stopped at the post office. It had more cars than any place else. That would be two cars. We really enjoyed talking with Gayle and Eleena. We left a book with them to pass on to Mack, the local historian. We hope to get in touch with him soon to see if he can help us with finding out more about Estelline and see if he has knowledge of any records or stories of the boys visiting Estelline. Our new friends gave us directions to get down to the Red River.
When I think of a river, I think of a moving body of water. Not so in this case. The river was dry here. The patterns caused by salt and previous movement of water was fascinating. I was actually walking on the bed of the river. Didn't get wet, but still managed to find mud. The only thing that kept it from being 100% enjoyable was remembering stories from people in Frederick talking about quicksand incidents. Luckily we never experienced this stuff first hand. From prints in the dirt I figure deer had no problem with quicksand either.
We then moved on to Turkey. We made our way to the Bob Wills Museum, which was in a building that also housed the library and senior citizen center. Our initial attempt was for the library, but it was closed. We entrusted our Bud and Me book to the museum where they said it would be passed on to the library for the citizens of Turkey to enjoy. While there, Bob Wills' daughter walked in the door and we got to meet her. How's that for timing? On our way out of town, we stopped to take a picture of the Bob Wills memorial. Across the street was a garage where we were greeted by Israel. He showed us around. We saw two buildings that had been made out of oil cans. One of the buildings was a house that Bob Wills had lived in at one time. Israel insisted we had to visit the hotel which has been around since 1909. Of course we headed over, wondering if Bud and Temple had been there. As it turned out, it was dated 1929. It was gorgeous and had a lot of antiques. To add to all the "coincidences" we have experienced, the owner knew a man in Quitaque whose mother was the first woman to become a member of the American Motorcyle Association. She would demo Indian Motorcycles! This is one of those times when answers lead to a lot more questions.
On we went to Quitaque. There we almost missed meeting Larry Henderson, the man who's mother I just mentioned. If she could, he thinks she'd still be riding. I am hoping he gets in touch with her about some of her pictures and hopefully those will come with stories. We then went to the Caprock Cafe. Out of curiosity I starting talking to some local gentlemen, asking if they knew what Quitaque meant. One said it means "horse manure". The other two argued and said it means "End of the Trail". The end of the trail comes from the times when people travelled in a covered wagon. When they reached Caprock, it was too difficult to take the wagons further, therefore they settled in Quitaque, the end of the trail. The horse manure comes from a story about Indians that left a false trail of horse manure to cover their escape in another direction. In Quitaque we took a book to the librarian. Her grandson was also there. They were very happy to receive the book. If my guess is right, I think he planned on digging into the book rather quickly. Several people encouraged us to go to Caprock Canyons State Park. Majestic. The lake has to be man-made because everything was so dry. It was scary on some parts of the road that seemed to go straight down. It was a good promotion for wearing a seatbelt!
By time we got to Silverton, just about everything seemed closed. We went to the Baptist church. We got there right before the 6:30 services. We left the book with Ms. Reed and her son to give to the library. Ms. Reed has a sister that lives in Perkins. We talked to a man outside a convenience store. After hearing our story, he talked about a group of men who had come through a couple years ago, riding horses to Wyoming. They stayed in Silverton for several days before the weather let them continue. We think it may have been the Longriders.
Our goal was to reach Roswell by the end of the day. It was late when we arrived. Roswell is known as the UFO capital of the world. We enjoyed a lot of laughs. From a long distance we could see a LOT of blinking lights. What were we to think?
We began our day visiting the Roswell Daily Record to look at microfiche to hopefully find articles of Bud and Temple's stay, but came up empty. We then went to the library to give them a book. At the Chamber of Commerce we were given several pamphlets on the historical society and museum. We also got into a discussion about Peruvian Paso competitions where they have the riders hold a glass of champagne and ride their horses across planks. They are scored by who has the most champagne left in their glass. We stopped in the UFO museum. The recorded radio announcement was one of my favorite parts. We wanted to visit the Archive Museum, but it wasn't open on Thursdays. We continued toward the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico. One of my favorite exhibits was theHall of Music. All things were organized by decades. It was really fascinating. The highlight of the day was meeting Mr. Morgan. He was able to tell a LOT about the history of Roswell. He was in the legislature. He was able to tell us about several of the governors who had held office. I wonder what the population was when Bud and Temple went on their journey. How many people did they meet? What kind of people did they meet? What did they learn? One of my favorite things on this journey is the people we meet. We need to listen more to the older generations. They have a lot of stories to tell!

Across the Texas Panhandle

2008-06-12T07:48:00.006-05:00

First I have to say thank you all so much for reading our blog and keeping up with what we are doing....knowing that people are reading what we say means so much to us....Yesterday was such an eventful day! We saw so many places and talked to so many interesting people! oh yes, and it was so hot.....it was about 111 degrees in the Texas panhandle on Wednesday.....I am going to try to go in an order of what we saw, but I am going to say that the Caprock Canyons State Park is so beautiful....if you have seen it, would you leave us a message on the blog.....I thought it was breathe-takingly beautiful!! Some of the pictures we took are great and the others just don't do it justice!
Our first stop was at Esteline, Texas. There are no buildings left from the time Bud and Temple went through....but we did hear the story of the old hotel where they stayed...It was torn down in the 1940s...so it has been gone a long time....The lady that owned the place had it torn down, and then she moved an old barrack from Childress Air Base out and made it into two houses....our new friends at the Esteline Post Office were so nice....thanks Gayle and Aleen for taking a copy of the book to give to your local "historian"...and for the directions to the river....we had great fun looking around the Red River even though it was almost completely dry...we saw deer tracks across the bed and lots of different types of plants...lots of salt ceder and a cane looking plant that was absolutely beautiful....you could see the salt that was sitting on top of the sand and it made beautiful white patterns....all of the places weren't completely dry....we managed to get enough red mud on us that we took it with us the rest of the day....It was amazing to think about the boys taking all day to get from Esteline to Turkey....we say lots of the whitish looking rocks that we assumed to be gypsum....it was so hot on Wednesday that we understood why Temple wanted to drink so much water.....
Turkey, Tx was such a treat for us! It is the home of the Bob Wills Museum....it is in the same building as the city library...since the library was closed when we went by, we were in store for a great treat.....Loreen, at the museum, was willing to take the copy of Bud and Me---she was very friendly to us and even put on some great Bob Wills music for us to listen to as we strolled around... I really thought his music was great...I think I must get a CD...We were able to talk to Bob's daughter, Cindi....what a joy it was to talk to her...she is an artist -- the work she showed us was super! She even posed for a picture with us.....Thanks very much...We thought we were headed out of town, but at the west end of town, there is a monument to Bob...so we stopped to take a picture....A man named Israel came out of the place of business there and told us we should go to the Hotel Turkey....I am so glad he told us that, and I am so glad that we went....Although the building would not have been there when Bud and Temple rode through, it was a neat place with a neat story...Mark and his mom, the new owners, loved our story, and told us about a man over in Quitaque (the sign outside of town gives the pronunciation Kitty-Quay) . His mother was the first woman that was a member of the American Motorcycle Association, and she rode an Indian---which is the same motorcycle the boys rode to NYC in 1913! We were very fortunate...we were able to track him down....but our first stop was the local paper....although she was working to get the paper out and was on a strict deadline she talked to us and told us where the library is located....so we went down there and donated our book...Janice Clark...she reminds me of you! Thank you Arlene for receiving the book...the picture of us and your grandson was great...we will send it to the newspaper.....keep up the good work.... So then we were off to find Larry Henderson and hear the story of his mother and the Indian Motorcycle....we stopped at the grocery story and talked to Albert Castillo....he said that we just missed Larry...we were disappointed, but stayed and talked a minute with them in the store...we bought some ice, and just as we were putting it into the car, Albert tells us that he sees Larry across the street....I just love small towns...Albert hollers at him, and Larry comes over and entertains us with a few stories of his mom during her days of riding motorcycles! We walked across the street to see the headgear that he keeps on his bike that belonged to her...We got some great pictures...Thanks Larry
By this time, we were really pretty hungry...we ate at a little place east of the grocery...the Caprock Cafe...it was really good food....There were three local men that we were able to tell our story to....One of the men had been a teacher and administrator for many years...Donna said she wouldn't hold the administrator part against him.... LOL They assured us that we needed to take the time to go to the Caprock Canyon state park.... They were right.... The park is so beautiful...if would be great to come back to this area and spend several days prowling around the park...I do think the passengers were a little nervous when we went down some of the steep hills.... It was 111 degrees when we were out in this area though, so we did spend most of the time in the car..... It was getting late, but away we went to Silverton...I was really excited to see the old jail in Silverton, because it was built in the late 1800s...that meant that Bud and Temple would have seen it when they went through Silverton....since all of the buildings were closed, we drove by the 1st Baptist church-- it was about 6:20...I asked some people what time church started and they said 6:30, so I knew that we would have time to give a book if they were willing....it is the best story...Tracy Hill you will love this... The lady, Ruth Reed, said I know where Falls Creek is, (that was the shirt I was wearing) because my sister-in-law goes there...her sister is from Perkins!!! isn't that hilarious...I told her that we were so close to Perkins....Her son, Tyler, signed our book.... He said he would because his friend, JJ, wasn't really from Silverton....I hope they will read the book before they give it to the library.... They looked like they would enjoy reading it! Thank you for letting us give you the book! I wished we could have stayed for the service, but we went a long way before stopping for the night! In Clovis, NM Donna said that she had a craving for ice cream...we pulled into the McDonalds but they only had vanilla cones, so we decided to try our luck a different place...just then we spied a police officer pulling through the parking lot across the street...he stopped and his partner got out to go inside...but he stayed...so we cruised over there and asked for directions to somewhere else to get ice cream...he mentioned several places, but the one that stuck in our minds was Dairy Queen...it had been a long time since any of us had eaten there.....It was really great...I had a dipped cone, Donna had a Peanut Butter Parfait, and Matt had some Oreo dessert....it revived us enough to head toward Roswell.... I am thankful that we are here during the first part of the journey....Matt and Donna had me howling with stories and jokes about Aliens and UFO's....I must admit the town of Kenna does seem a little odd...we only saw the signs...but no evidence of the people..... (I am sure the town is just off the highway, but they had fun with the stories) Near Kenna there are a group of towers with blinking red lights...we watched them for many miles...we said that those were the glowing eyes of the wolves like the boys saw between Portales and Roswell......
Finally, we arrived in Roswell....Matt said...Look mom, there is a UFO...... and I said very funny...but he was right...there is a big UFO painted on the Wal-Mart---too funny----
We will look around here for a little while, and then head to Santa Fe today....
Oh yes Mike, we took some pictures of swallows for you....and yes, they are perfectly safe!
Gordon--we taught Donna how to take a "trip"---Brother Mich do you know how to do that? and Matt says that he has learned lots of new games at Base Camp...I think we will be in for a treat today....
More later.....

2008-06-10T23:07:00.004-05:00

Every day has held some adventure and excitement in some form or another. Duplicating Bud and Temple, we didn't "ride" on Sunday. It was a laid-back day. We visited with Grandmother and Papa. Grandmother does grandmothers proud the world over. We've eaten more in a day than I usually eat! I'd forgotten people were supposed to eat three meals a day. The food has been delicious. Don't tell anybody, but the healthy food has not sent me into shock. Maybe because it was so good or it could be attributed to the good company. Grandmother has taken really good care of us. Most attempts to help out have met with some resistance, but we've tried our best to do so. Grandmother and Papa are Melody's grandparents, but maybe, if I'm really good, they'll adopt me! I think Grandmother's already forgiven me for the grounds in the coffee.

On Monday we went to the Chisholm Trail Museum in Duncan. We were greeted at the door with a poster of Bud and Temple and the book "Bud and Me". Is this a sign or what? After letting the woman in the gift shop know what we were up to, she enthusiastically called the director over and told him what we were doing. We were given a tour of the museum and allowed to wander around for a while. My favorite was the interactive movie of the trail drive. They had it set up to where you felt you were part of the drive. You could actually feel the high winds, the rain falling, and even smell the coffee from the chuckwagon, not to mention feel the vibrations from the pounding of the hooves during a stampede. While touring the museum we ran across a fun part, getting to push a lot of buttons and hearing about different aspects, from the roles on the drive (I became a veteran trail boss!), to the chuckwagon, telling ages of cattle by horns and teeth. There was a statue of a steer. Wouldn't you know, there was a sign that said not to climb on it! Not far away a saddle was set up. I asked Melody if she thought it was set up for people to try. She said probably not. I then inquired what the reason for the stepstool was and she said maybe it was set up for kids to try. By this time I was beginning to mount. She said "or maybe Donna." It didn't stop her from taking pictures. It might be funny, but they may be intended for blackmail as well. They even had a rope for ropin'. Luckily, Steve had given me an introduction into this about a week ago. So I had to try it. They had a sign saying we couldn't climb the steer. There wasn't one saying we couldn't rope it! Why would they put it so close to the saddle and rope if ropin' wasn't part of the plan? I tried and missed, but it was LOUD! I coiled the rope and hopped down. It was time to move on. After the museum, we went to find a bite to eat. We're hoping to eat at local places, not chains, in the hope of finding a story. We finally came across Jay's Drive-In. We could smell the grease before we walked in the door. I really got excited! The owner, Glen, was the only person there at that time, so we got a chance to talk with him. His family had had the place for 32 years, but he thought it had been in existence since the 1950s. No frills, but good food. Glen's main interest in history is WWII. His father fought in that war. An interesting comment he made was that the world had been having wars since the time of ancient civilizations. He figured there would always be a war somewhere at some time. It's just the way things are. About the time wer were leaving, people were starting to arrive. We had hit Jay's during odd hours. If you are ever in Duncan, make sure to stop there. There aren't any huge signs to point out where it is, so keep your eyes pealed. It gives you that nostalgic feeling, not to mention good cheeseburgers and fries. On our way home we drove through Medicine Park. Most everything was built with cobblestones. Hopefully everything will be put back to its former glory. One thing of interest was the art some people displayed. One yard had a totem pole. Animals made out of car parts was another example. A very quaint looking place. We had another bridge experience. This time I had the problem with it. Melody planned to drive across what looked to be an old wooden bridge. I wouldn't have walked across it! She reassured me it would hold 5,000 pounds. And this wasn't even the oldest bridge there!

Today, Tuesday, June 10th, we had to make another adjustment. We had our calendar days mixed up. Matt is still in Texas, so we won't be heading toward Santa Fe until tomorrow. Never fear! There's still lots to do. First thing we did was to go to the Apache Museum. Not many things to touch and couldn't take pictures. You know by know how I like to touch things. The museum had a lot of neat things in it. I wondered how young students would enjoy it. If you're ever in the situation where you find yourself thinking, "This is just a lot of old stuff", then try to place yourself at the time these items were invented. Somebody once looked at this "old stuff" and thought, "Wow! I've got the newest and the best now!" And the clothes? They were the top of the fashion industry at one time.
A little later we arrived at the library and gave them a "Bud and Me" book. They were very pleased. Speaking of old things earlier, the library actually has a card catalog! I had to open the drawers to see if it was real. Here I am, touching things again. The librarian is still in the process of getting all the cards in. She says it will come in handy if they ever lose power. Yep! You can't beat the old card catalogs!
Melody took a picture of the park which is located where the Levite's store used to be. Remember, we're thinking this is where the boys got their blanket. It's sad to see where so many buildings have been torn down or are in disrepair. It makes you wonder what stories are disappearing with them. Speaking of stories, I was thinking today that many answers lead to even more questions.
We met Mike in Chandler. He was our Superman and had the computer up and running and delivered it to us, together with Mexican food for dinner. Thank you again, Mike, for everything! On our way back to Apache, we stopped in Arcadia to see the round barn. It was built over 100 years ago. It was built round to help withstand the winds, and are there ever some strong winds in this area, even on a beautiful day. We also stopped at Pops. Fuel, Food and Fizz. Oodles of different kinds of soda pop. The pictures seem out of place with all our other pictures, because it has more of a futuristic look.
The biggest highlight of the day! We got to meet Henry Park, grandson of Quannah Parker! He had lots of stories to tell and had us laughing often. It surprised us to find out he didn't know Quannah was his grandfather until he was studying Oklahoma history in third grade. He never met his grandfather since Quannah died in 1911 and Henry was born in 1930. He asked his mother if Quannah was his grandfather, this according to his teacher, and she nonchalantly said yes and kept working on whatever she was working on. He talked about his grandfather joining the white man's world. He had seven wives and was told that since he was living in the white man's world now, he could only keep one wife and would have to tell the others to leave. He looked at them and said, "You tell them." That was the end of that story. Wise man, don't you think? Henry also talked about his father going to the white man schools and such things as being punished for speaking in his native language. It's sad to see some of the Native American heritage being lost. Henry showed us some pictures. Before we arrived at his home, I was a little nervous. But, Henry Parker is just good people. It reminds me of what the gentleman at the capital told us about meeting the governor. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like you. Yes, Henry Parker is good people, and I am extremely happy to have met him. We didn't want to overstay our welcome, then realized we had already been there for an hour and a half. Time had flown. I could listen to his stories all day. Oral history is something I try to teach my students about. Too many times I hear people comment about wishing they had listened more to the stories of their grandparents and asked more questions. Many times this comes when it is too late to remedy the situation.

Listen close, for there are many stories to be told!

Mike is the Hero!

2008-06-10T22:05:00.003-05:00

Today is Tuesday....Thank you Mike for getting the computer fixed and meeting us tonight! You are the best. Thanks for supper in Chandler It was good to see you.... ...we made a couple of pit stops on the way back to Apache...We stopped in Arcadia (because the boys went there on their way to NYC--they saw a magician there! )to look at the old Round Barn...it is really beautiful...surprised that someone could make something that wonderful in the 1890s out here on the prairie...we were in for another treat because we stopped at the Pops station...Donna said that it looks like a space age fuel station. We each got a bottle of "pop" -- me strawberry in honor of Temple who had Strawberry pop on the Santa Fe trip, and Donna had the Round Barn Root Beer...We even bought a bottle of creme soda for Matt for tomorrow.... I thought that he would be here today...but imagine that I looked at the paper wrong! We will head out for Santa Fe in the morning....We have had a great couple of days!
On Monday we went to the Chisholm Trail museum in Duncan! If you haven't been there, you should go! As soon as we walked in the door, we saw our "friends" Bud and Temple...they have a little display about them all of the time, but throughout the year, they have students come to the museum and they give an in-depth program about the boys, complete with a replica of the Brush...They have a workbook they put together that they shared with us! Thank you so much for visiting with us! They even took our picture for their website...they were so excited about our trip....It was wonderful to be guests in your museum..thanks for the coins! We were lucky enough to receive a Chisholm Trail Museum Coin...a rare find these days, as they are almost all gone...Thanks again.
The movie about the Chisholm Trail was out of this world...you could actually feel the wind and rain at times, and then smell the coffee...What a super fun experience...I know all of you reading this would enjoy your time there....
We stayed several hours there, and then we found a little spot called Jay's Drive Inn---Glenn said he had run the place for 32 years! He enjoyed hearing our story, and he told us a little bit about his life and love of history...All in all it was a fun experience!
When we got back to Grandmother's we did a little research on the computer--
Today was a jam packed day....We went to the Apache Museum first thing....Wow! Aunt Mary, you have done a great job of acquiring pieces over the years....I know that it has been a labor of love for you.....Thanks Lena for giving us the tour...After that, we prowled around Woodwards, and Donna found a Cowboy Christmas ornament....very cute...Then we had lots of really good fried food....at Kay Cee's! I know that fried green beans don't sound very good....but they are the best! Thanks for introducing us to them, Molly..... Then we went to the Apache Library to donate a book to them...Stanley Wright came over from the Apache News and took the picture...you looked beautiful Aunt Mary...Thanks for making the introduction to Kelly for us...Then we were off to Eric's Indian Store...what a fascinating place....Eric talked to us for quite a while about the bow he was making....It is a great story...stop by if you get a chance...Donna bought a beautiful Pendelton covered photo album....
then we were off to see Henry Parker!
He is Quannah Parker's grandson....Thank you so much Henry! He shared stories and artifacts about his family....we talked to him for over an hour! I could have listened to him talk all day long.... He told us that many of the things that you read about Quannah are not necessarily true...and 50 percent is made up! We shared with him what the Abernathy's had to say about his Grandpa....they thought he was their dad's friend so surely he was their friend as well...I think that was true..... He shared a story about how he learned Quannah was his grandpa....what an interesting tale...Quannah had passed away many years before Henry was born, so he did not know him personally. Thanks again Henry...what a highlight to our trip...we are so thankful you were willing to talk to us. I didn't do our visit with Henry justice...if was fascinating to listen to him talk...he has lots to say....hope those that are around him on a daily basis are listening...and Henry, hope that your fishing is successful tomorrow....
Thanks Grandmother and Papa for letting us use your car to run around......and letting us crash at your house.... we have enjoyed being here...... :)
Hopefully, we will be in New Mexico tomorrow..... I think that Matt has had a great time preparing for his Wales trip!

2008-06-08T22:15:00.004-05:00

Hey everybody! Hope everything is going as good for you as it is for Melody and me. I forgot to share one incident from Friday night, so thought I'd start with that now. On our way to the motel on Friday we saw what appeared to be a rodeo taking place. We checked into the motel, donned our boots, and went exploring. It turned out to be a high school rodeo. Interesting to watch. I'm glad Rocky doesn't buck like those bulls were! The rest of the story? On our way to the car we had to take the long way, which still ended us at a gate. A locked gate about six or seven feet tall. On our way to becoming regular cowgirls, we did the only logical thing. We climbed over!
Now, let's get back with the really good stuff. Wow! Can you believe June 7th finally arrived? I thought it would never get here. The Crossroads Ranch reunion. It was such an incredible day! I know I will temporarily forget to include some things in this entry. Don't worry. I'll remember as we go along. I wish I had a photographic memory so I can remember all the names, towns, who's who, etc.
First thing this morning we headed out to the Walkers. They were generous enough to board the horses for Marla and Steve. As it turned out, they also boarded the horses for the mule team and the Cosby boys. The horses were going to get a bath for the big day when we arrived. We met the mule drivers from Palo Pinto, Texas. I got to sit in the wagon. All this time hearing about them and I was envisioning wooden seats and a very uncomfortable ride. Instead, I saw they had used some newer technology also. The driver's setas were actually seats out of cars. Pretty clever if you ask me! Still, it would have been a pretty rugged journey. Rex and Jean were great to visit with. Rex looked like he belonged on the set of Bonanza. I also got to meet Wendell and Evelyn Brown. Wendell is a great nephew of Jack Abernathy. By the end of the day I was thinking a copy of the family tree would have come in handy.
Marla said I needed to start coming to the ropings and keep riding. She said I have a natural balance on a horse, or something to that effect. I asked her if it was really a natural sense of self-preservation. She said it was probably some of that, too. At lunch I was it was most likely a weird thing, but when I looked down at my dirt and horse slobber shirt and dirt up my jeans appearance, all it did was add an extra bounch to my step and put a big grin on my face. She said it was another sign I wasn't really a greenhorn anymore since it made me happy to have horse poop on my boots!
Many people have made the comment that Bud and Temple would not have been able to take the same journeys had they tried in the year 2008. The times have changed, as well s the fact they didn't have a mother to say "no". I looked around at some of the smaller kids that would have been about Temple's age. If I had a son that age who approached me with a request to ride, unsupervised, on the trail Bud and Temple took, I would have said no in no uncertain terms and pointed him in a less dangerous direction. Of course, I have to admit those little friends rode their horses much better that I do. In an article in the Lawton Constitution, Mr. Bear wrote an article that described reasons why it could not be done in this day and age. A really nice angle for an article. It was well written. Humorous and, unfortunately, so true. Also, the way it was written, I had to wonder if he had met Marilyn, Temple's granddaughter. While reading the article, I could almost hear the words coming straight from Marilyn. I got to meet Marilyn and her daughter, Lyn. More people I am so happy to have met. I asked Lyn about any adventures other Abernathys might have had. I know there must be some, because I had already met her mother. In all respect, I do have to say she is quite a character. Lyn wholeheartedly agreed. She said she had heard a lot of stories from her mother, and she is sure there are plenty her mother hasn't shared. Also, it seems Marilyn has done some writing. Unfortunately she hasn't tried to get any of it published. I hope she gets around to it some day. I'm sure the reading would be a great experience.
We tried to make both dedications. We missed both. We did make the ranch in time. I have to stop and applaud Ray and Virginia Walker and their family. They own the land where the Abernathys once had their ranch. It was very generous of them to open their home to so many people. If you ever meet them, I don't think you would be surprised. They're great people.
We met so many people. A lot more knew of us than we did them. Everybody in Frederick made us feel very welcome. Melody made the comment one time that so many people want a one word answer to the question, "What are you doing?" So it's a little difficult to answer when we have a whole story to tell. It was super today, though, because everybody got to talk to their heart's content about those adventurous Abernathy boys.
We got to ride with many others today to move some cattle. Rocky was being a little toot from the moment I prepared to mount. Steve took him aside and "gave him a little talkin' to." I wondered if he was acting like he was (Rocky...hee hee) because there were so many horses around. Then again, that didn't really make sense because he's such a little socialite. Remember, in the beginning he got the nickname "Gabby" because he talked to every horse we met. We decided perhaps he was just showing off. Melody and I agreed that, as inexperienced cattle drivers, we would lag behind. Every once in a while we could yell "Get along little dogies" in the hope that people would think we were actually helping. So now we get back to Rocky wanting to be a little toot. It was only moments before we were at the very front. This would seem okay for a while, at least until cattle appeared. Then my plan was to backpeddle the best I could. Brad, Marla and Steve's son, came running up behind us on Cherokee one time. It got Rocky to dancing around pretty good. Steve yelled out to me to just kick him. I kicked and pulled on the reins at the same time. Rocky, bless his heart, would probably become mentally deranged if he had to put up with me much longer. At this point, he just kind of stomped his feet and shook his head. Then we sort of got back on track for a while. We didn't have another "major" event until closer to the end of the drive. I actually got some of the cattle to move along. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with the zillion horses coming in behind me! Konner rode beside me most of the time. Grandma tried to stay nearby. Konner was pretty enthusiastic about rounding up the herd. He did a great job! It was close to the end when some of the cattle took a detour through some brush. It was exciting watching the real cowboys race after them. Man, were they fast! Next thing you know, the entire herd decided to go the same way. Guess who stood between the cattle and the shortcut. You guessed it. Me and Rocky. Did he appreciate this experience? Absolutely not. I tried to turn him in another direction, but he didn't want those critters behind him either. That was the second time I had to try to keep up with Rocky's fancy footwork. We did arrive in one piece. After relating the drive to Marla, she put it into perspective with a grin on her face, "You didn't want it to be boring, did you?"

Crossroads Ranch at Last!

2008-06-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

I got up early on Saturday...you know that is quite a thing for me to do...it was almost like the feeling you have at Christmas....the big day finally arrived...Donna and I would actually go to the Crossroads Ranch, home of Bud, Temple, and Jack! And not just go there, but ride horses around the ranch and have the opportunity to talk to Marilyn, Temple's daughter..... But there was much excitement before then.... When I got up early, I logged on to the computer and started typing, and all of a sudden the computer just went black!!! and yes, this is the brand new computer...just 8 or 9 days old.....I was so upset....it seemed to ruin the whole drive from Vernon to Frederick...I did have a little fun as I pointed out the RED RIVER---reminding Donna that we had been in Texas the night before... We arrived at the Walker home in time to see the Mule Wagon heading out to the Crossroads ranch....They tried to distract me from the business of the computer, but I must confess I was very upset...finally, we were on our way into Frederick to take some pictures of the horses and us at the courthouse with the beautiful sculpture of Bud and Temple, and yes, Mike, they are just about my size! Sharon was there and a couple of people from the Frederick newspaper....very funny when they ask us to "move over just a bit" for the picture while we are on our horses, just doesn't know how inexperienced we are! We managed to look pretty good, and I think all the people there captured some pretty good pictures.... We were getting pretty hungry so we headed south and went to the Mexican Restaturant, Los Arcos,--great food by the way! As soon as we finished, the rest of the Hewitt bunch rolled into town. While Steve and Marla waited for them to eat, Donna, Matt and I headed east of Frederick to the new historical marker marking the spot Jack caught the wolf with Teddy Roosevelt looking on. Before we made it out of town, I spotted a red convertible mustang, and thought " how fun...oh that looks like my mom's car, oh, that is my mom and dad!" The went with us to the historical marker and then on to the one that marks the Crossroads Ranch. It was nice to see them and have them be a small part of our trip.... At the ranch, they stayed long enough to see that I really was on the horse! I know they aren't the only people who can't believe it. It was really good to see Mike when we pulled up to the historical marker east of Frederick...although he has Harold, the cat, at home, I think he misses us too! Thank you very much for coming and being a part of this day, Mike....I appreciate the effort it took for you to get to Frederick and glad you were there to share this experience with me! What a fun day it was! The Crossroads Ranch is 4 miles off of the highway, and the Walker's had placed fun signs welcoming the guests along the way...they were done in the style of the old Burma Shave adds...really a fun way to get the day started!
I don't even know how to begin to describe the feelings I had as we drove into the ranch.....lots of questions were rolling around my mind, like where was the house, and what was their favorite part of the ranch, did any of these trees grow along the river when the boys were alive, and does it look the same, or different now???? Just by looking around, you understood why Sam Bass was such a great horse on the Red River--he had grown up along this part of a fork of the Red River--he knew his way around the river bottom...It was very peaceful...and just a feeling of amazement about the Walker family for their generosity in welcoming family and strangers alike onto their property, so that this piece of Oklahoma and American history can be remembered and celebrated! Thank you so much Ray and Virginia! Mrs. Kent Walker was riding beside me for a little stretch of the cattle drive, and it was so heart-warming to hear her talk to her young son, age 4 or 5, about the reason they let all of the people come out to their ranch to celebrate the great adventures of Bud and Temple, and to let others know what great boys they were. What a super family! Thank you for the hospitality. I was riding CC during the cattle drive....I will say that he is a great horse, but not as smooth as Patriota and Little John...we got along great though....except for the times the mule wagon came by.....he hated the wagon and wanted to move himself far from it...I must confess that during the cattle drive, I had to concentrate on riding so much that I didn't think about Bud and Temple too much... LOL But I did think that being a cowboy in search of lost calves would be a very lonely occupation...lots of long days and nights away from others... When we were almost finished with the cattle drive, the mule wagon went around us again, and I spied Marilyn! It was very good to see her, and it gave me an instant energy boost. She was so wonderful to talk to....definitely not a reserved person....I can tell she is as adventurous as her Dad....we were able to pose for a great picture with her and Representative Don Armes!! Later in the day we were able to sit and visit and let Matt roll the video camera while she talked about her dad! An unexpected treat was to meet Temple's granddaughter Lynn---what a sweet friendly lady....she had wonderful stories about the love her grandpa (Temple) had for his wife...what a super legacy to leave for your family....She also shared that going to Uncle Bud's house meant that they spent a lot of time in the library, because he had lots and lots of books in his house. Thank you so much Marilyn and Lynn for being so open and sharing your stories with me! Another highlight was getting to sit in the BRUSH ! Thank you so much for that privilege..... All I can say about that is it was "so cool" to sit in the same model that Bud and Temple drove from NY.....you know they had so much fun..... The one in Frederick is in mint condition...a beautiful red just like the boys' car.....The entertainment and dinner were outstanding! Leaving was extremely difficult, but I am already looking forward to next year and seeing my new friends once again! We will be calling you Ray to check in and tell you what is going on......Saturday night we stayed in Apache--Matt crawled in at grandmother's but we stayed at the Countryside Inn....we ate a quick bite at Sonic for breakfast...and then went to G and P's so Matt could get started on his trip to Dallas....Reading the Lawton Constitution on Sunday was a great treat! There was so much coverage of the Crossroads Ranch Reunion and our trip! Thanks so much Zeke! We loved talking to you.... The rest of the day Donna and I took it pretty easy...I even took a little nap...we visited Aunt Barbara, Gage, Julie and Justin! It was really nice sitting outside and getting a breeze at your house.....
More storms in northern Oklahoma.....glad we aren't in a tent out in the weather! More soon....

Other People's Stories

2008-06-07T01:16:00.002-05:00

Here is a poem written by a man we met while in Cache, Oklahoma. Thank You Jerry for letting us post your poem it is wonderful.

The Angels
By Jerry Harwood for Herbert Woesner

The Angels came to visit today
They carried the soul away
Of a gentle man away.
Into the Heavens so far above
He flew there with them
On the wings of God’s love

A soft-spoken man
With a heart of gold,
Who’s time had come
He had simply grown old.

He is at peace far from here and
In our memory
He will always be near.

We shouldn’t be sad and he
Wouldn’t want us to cry,
For he will be with us always
As the years go by.

Just a quick note

2008-06-07T00:35:00.009-05:00

Just a quick note about yesterday. We came to the conclusion that the horses got new shoes, Melody got new shoes, and I got new shoes. I'd like to say we're all looking snazzy, but the heat does show by the end of the day! Something new today...I tried a Mint Mocha Chip Frappucino at Starbucks. I finally ventured away from Folgers. My sense of adventure is climbing. I am always hoping to meet new, interesting people. Today we met Rose at the Bianco Italian restaurant. She and her husband, who has now passed away, opened the restaurant 56 years ago. She was born in Naples, Italy, and moved to the U.S. when just a baby. She lived in Amsterdam, up-state New York, until she and her husband moved to Lawton, OK. Developers are trying to get her to close down, but she is hanging tight. You go, girl! The food was absolutely wonderful. We returned to Melody's grandparents to spend the night. It was storming outside. I had lost my journal yesterday and finally found it after the storm. It was on the ground and survived the storm. For all of you who know me well, I have a shocker for you. I ate THREE helpings of fruit!
Today we went to the Visitors' Center at the Wichita Mountains. We took pictures of bison along the road. They didn't particularly enjoy being photographed. They aimed their backsides whenever possible. Think they were trying to make a point? We also visited Prairie Dog Town. The sign said not to feed them people food, but one of them found a cracker on the ground and started to chow down. Cute. I wasn't going to be the one to try to take it away! Again on the road we went to see the heart-shaped rock. We found it right away. We had to find a path to stand next to it. I thought I was lost, but standing right next to it, I couldn't tell it was the right rock from my viewpoint. We did see flowers that seemed to grow out of the rocks. The only thing I could think of that would explain it was we had learned that lichen is a combination of algae and fungi that eventually turns the rock to soil. I don't know how long is takes, but I'm thinking that process allowed the little flowers to grow. We were supposed to get samples of some rocks. I was game to grab whatever was nearby, but was informed that there are certain places you can't just help yourself, so we had to wait.
We finally made our way to Frederick.First thing we saw was the Brush. Boy, was it shiny! We also got to see the exhibit in the barn of the Abernathy boys. Jack, head of the historical society, gave us a tour of a house from the 1920s. One thing we want to do is to compare technology of now with the time the boys went on their adventure. This just gave us an opportunity just to compare everyday technology of the home.
We met the boys who had ridden from Blanchard. We had followed their progress in the newspapers and were really excited to meet them in person. We toured the house together and later toured the Crawford Collection. If ever in Frederick, one needs to see this. Animals from all over. We learned that some hunting is not necessarily just for sport. There is a conservation aspect to it also. Bill Crawford could explain this better. The whole collection is amazing. The really hard part was the "DO NOT TOUCH" signs. Logically, this made a lot of sense, but, really, where else will I ever get to feel the fur of a polar bear? I have to admit there was a struggle going on inside me. Parts of me regrets not copping a feel, but another part feels good for doing the right thing! I finally got to meet Sharon Bennett. She is the person we talked with over the phone for the radio interview, but I had never met her in person. One more person to add to my list of people I am happy I met along our journey. I know she has put in a lot of time on tomorrow's events and I'm sure everything will go great! We learned the Cosby boys wrote to President Bush three times about riding horses with him on his ranch. Apparently,they have received no response, Melody and I sent separate letters to George and his wife. Where is Teddy Roosevelt when you need him? Sure, the present's busy, but one would think he could at least manage a "my man will call your man" scenario...you know, at least a form letter. I figure it would be great if someone had a number to the white house to call and say, "Hey, come meet three groups of people, ordinary people doing extraordinary things."
Yeah! Marla and Steve arrived with the horses. Rocky and Patriota were two of the six brought down.Rocky is still huge and as beautiful as ever! I hope I get to ride him tomorrow! I can't wait!
I looked at the stars tonight. They aren't as bright as the nights we camped out.

Thursday and Friday

2008-06-06T23:22:00.003-05:00

It was so nice waking up Thursday morning at the Swandarosa and the cool breeze rustling in the trees....We slept a little later than the beginning of the trip...what a treat... We made our way to Grandmother and Papa's house. Hot bacon, eggs, and toast were a real treat to us....Donna had a new experience---orange marmalade--and she liked it! I returned the key to the Swandarosa, mailed some letters, and set up a time to give the book to the Apache Library while Matt and Donna stayed at G & P's. Of course Grandmother had a great lunch for us....ham, potato salad, cantaloupe, and watermelon...Thanks...after lunch we headed to Lawton to get some new shoes for Donna and the car....it took a while so we sat at Starbucks and used the wifi...It was probably about 5:00 before we left, and then we had to go to Atwoods. We drove out to the Visitor Center in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, but it closed at 6:00...so after a few minutes of looking around we decided to put it on our list for Friday....We decided to go back to Cache and try to take a picture of Quannah Parker's house.... Well, we were in for a treat...we met some nice people sitting on the porch of the Trading Post...Jerry and Mickey from Lawton....they introduced us to Wayne, who gave us a tour of the Star House, Quannah's Home. This house was once a part of an amusement park called Eagle Park in Cache. I remember going to the amusement park when I was a kid.... The best part of seeing the house to me was the fact they have an original dining table in the house. They have a list of people that were guests at the table. It includes many of the people that are connected to the Abernathy story....Charles Goodnight and Burk Burnett are two examples....Thanks for the tour Wayne! A storm seemed to be approaching, but from the radar it didn't look like it would hit just yet, and since we were starving, we decided to grab a bite to eat in Lawton. Since we are trying to get to know locals in the places we visit, I suggested we eat at Bianco's.....This restaurant has been in Lawton since 1952.....they introduced pizza to Lawton......What a wonderful meal we had.....the garlic dressing is so delicious. We were able to visit with the owner....Rose Bianco....she told us several stories about her family and how she ended up in Lawton....How lucky Lawton is to have such a great lady.....So after getting absolutely stuffed, we headed north to Apache to spend the night with Grandmother....We knew that it was storming to the north, but we thought we would make it there before the storm hit....but I was wrong....when we were about 9 miles south (porter hill) the wind and the rain hit....Matt says that it is the 3rd hardest rain that he has ever seen....the wind was blowing so hard the rain looked like it was falling in horizontal sheets instead of falling vertically......I had been talking to Mike when it hit, but I quickly hung up so I could put two hands on the wheel....finally we arrived at G & P's and made a mad dash for the door....their large pecan tree provided quite a bit of protection from the driving rain.....I was very thankful Apache did not receive the hail that many other parts of the state received---Thomas had a horrible hail storm--I am thankful the Kliewer's are okay despite losing many windows in their home.
Thanks G and P for providing a place for us to rest Thursday night......
I slept in a little of Friday morning...8:00 Am....We had a light breakfast...more fruit for Donna...she says her body is going into shock! We made a pitstop at Mom and Dads before leaving Apache....it was fun to show off the pictures and see what they are doing with their decorations--good to see the giant rock again....At last though, we headed to Frederick...We did stop at the visitor center again... learned lots of things, and picked up the DVD of the wolf hunt....
After leaving we saw buffalo and lots of prairie dogs.....I think we were able to take lots of good pictures of the buffalo, but I haven't looked at them yet..I am thankful that Matt insisted we stop at the heart shaped rock...it really is worth the small hike...hope the pics turn out.. and get uploaded soon..we stopped at Joe and Linda Chebatah's house in Indiahoma.....thanks for the hospitality....Outside of Synder we saw some foals and colts...of course we stopped and took some picks...But at last, we arrived in Frederick...We went to the courthouse to see the statue of Bud and Temple...but we were distracted by the shiny red car over at the museum! And yes, they had the Brush out polishing it and making it shine for tomorrow......The Bud and Me display is so well done....the map and pictures are definitely first class! We met Virginia Walker there. We were in for another treat--the Crawford Collection! Bill Crawford and Ray Walker gave us a personal tour! I told him that when we see the Smithsonian we can say they don't have anything better than the Crawford Collection. It is a tremendous collection of big game from around the world....thank you so much for sharing it with us....We were able to go with the Cosby boys...these boys rode from Blanchard to Frederick with their dad...Way to go guys....We took Ray Walker up on his offer to house the horses at his place...thank you so much...it will make tomorrow easier logistically.... Sharon Bennett loading us up with all the things we need for the rest of our trip...Thanks Frederick Chamber and Tillman Historical Society..you have helped us so much with our trip, and we appreciate all you have done.....We met many other people today..we are double checking names and will give more of a report tomorrow after the big day...am really looking forward to meeting all of the people at the dinner....glad that the Hewitts arrived safely with the horses...was fantastic to see Rocky and Patriota again....will go see Little John when I get home...

Eating at Bianco's

2008-06-06T21:41:00.004-05:00

When we ate at Bianco's with Rose Bianco thank you so much for yourkindness
and willingness to talk to us.

My attempt to catch up!

2008-06-05T15:42:00.007-05:00

Here I am again, trying to catch up on my blogging! If this was a classroom assignment, I'd be losing at least 10%! We've had quite a few hits on the blog. We would love to hear from people, so don't be afraid to leave your comments.

I guess I need to back up to Tuesday. The horses were going home. How sad. They definitely needed to go home, rest and get back to par again. We can't begrudge them that, but I really do miss them. I still get sad thinking about seeing them go. Matt hasn't shown the goodbye pictures he took of me and Rocky. They think I'll start crying! Paul is so lucky to have Rocky and I am so appreciative he let me ride him on this journey! It's my understanding Rocky will be one of the horses Marla and Steve bring back with them. I can't wait! I have a lot of respect and admiration for the Hewitts and am glad I've gotten to know them. I hope to someday have more knowledge of horses than I do now. Of course, that wouldn't take much at this point. Perhaps also I might be able to ride as well as Marla does. I haven't seen Steve ride yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Maybe I'll understand some of his advice when I see it with my own eyes.

We decided to camp out for the night. We stayed at Crowder Lake. Matt and Chisholm were planning on fishing. When we stopped at a produce stand I informed Chisholm I was not planning on a vegetarian meal that night. Just a little hint! Unfortunately, when they were returning from fishing, he informed Aunt Melody that it would definitely be a vegetarian night. We cheated. When Melody and Matt returned from Chisholm's game, they brought back hotdogs to cook over the fire. I hung around the campground while they went to the game. It gave me time to write in my journal, check in with family and friends, and attempt to walk the interpretive trail. The journal and check in were successful. Unfortunately, the trail lacked any excitement. They didn't have any more maps, so I'm sure I would have understood better what I was supposed to be looking for had I had one.

Melody and I attempted to put up the tent by ourselves. We did a good job, but the winds were way strong! One of the pins for the poles was broken, so it was even easier for the wind to take charge. There were several times I had to go tackle it and secure it to the ground again. By night time, the three bodies sleeping in it helped out. It was a very clear night and the stars were so bright. They never look so bright in the city. What a vision to fall asleep to!

On Wednesday I awoke to another beautiful day. Before we left on our adventure, I had made about a dozen bags of trail mix. I was informed on how delicious these were. When I woke up it was evident a critter had gotten into a bag of our food. I know..we should have known better. The trail mix was gone! They didn't like the spicey stuff or the fruit. We had bacon and toast sandwiches made over the campfire.
One thing on our list was to drive to Roosevelt to visit the senior citizen center in the hopes of finding out more about the history of Roosevelt. The center was closed due to harvesting time. We did finally come upon Larry Phillips, interrupting him in the middle of welding. He informed us the best person to talk to was a former teacher, whom we would most likely find at the convenience store. That was how we met Wanda Jackson. What an AWESOME lady! She enthusiastically welcomed us. She had heard about us from someone in Frederick and had already written a story about us on her email newspaper, as well as doing an article in the Kiowa Democrat. She shared a lot of information about when she taught, the library (which she runs), her email newspaper, and many other things. She introduced us to just about every person who walked in the door. It kind of reminded me of the old general stores where people would hang out in the rocking chairs outside the door and visit with their neighbors. I wish we would have had more time to visit with her. She's exactly the kind of person I was hoping we would meet on this journey.
We then drove to Mount Scott. From the top you could see a long ways away. Melody asked if the height bothered me. No. It was more the looking and pointing at places of interest instead of unblinkingly watching the winding road ahead of her! It was nice to reach the top! We spent some time climbing over and around the rocks. What fun!
Just as we got into the car, the AC at the perfect temp, Melody gets her phone message that Sharon Bennett from Frederick wants her to call about doing an interview for the Frederick radio station. Sounds fun, hunh? The rest of the story....Melody decides the AC will be too loud for an interview over the phone. Oh, yes, and the windows cannot be rolled down because the wind would be too loud. It was a new experience to be on the radio. We didn't get to hear it, but I'm sure it went well. Back to the car...I think by time the interview was over, anyone of us could have won a wet t-shirt contest! There was a moment there when I wondered if anybody nearby was capable of CPR!
We got to visit Fort Sill. The main thing we did was check out the artillery. It didn't matter that I don't know much about that kind of stuff. Each one had a descriptionof what it was and where it came from. At one point, I started thinking about the fact I was standing just a few feet away from weapons that had actually been used in war. It was a really creepy feeling. Alas, I did not meet any soldiers.
We stayed the night at a cabin on the Swandarosa. It's owned by Melody's cousins. It's a one-room cabin that comes with all the necessities...cots, woodburning stove, lantern, and doors and windows that opened to let in a wonderful breeze. I loved it! Outside was beautiful with lots of trees and the creek nearby. It felt like a place a person could escape to and hopefully not be found until they wanted to be. Thanks again, Kent, for sharing it with us!

Semper Gumby

2008-06-05T15:01:00.002-05:00

Today is Thursday, June 5, 2008....it has been a little bit since I have had a chance to catch up on the blog. Tuesday when the horses went home it seemed to take the wind out of our sails a little, but we have so much to look forward to that we just continued on the adventure. So after having the "best chicken strips in the world" at the Terrier Express in Thomas, Chisholm, Matthew, Donna, and I headed toward Crowder Lake...we made a couple of stops in Weatherford. One was at the produce stand, where I had a hard time parking....I missed being on the horse, where you could just go where you wanted to go...they said that I couldn't just make a U turn in the middle of the street and park anywhere I wanted....I think the horse would have been better....and when I went to the ballgame later that night I DID jump the curb so I could find a parking spot.... LOL... After arriving at Crowder Lake Matt and Chisholm went down to fish and Donna and I set up the tent...it is a good thing that Donna knows what she is doing! I know the wind always blows in Western Oklahoma, but it has been blowing fiercely the last few days. In the mid afternoon after having no luck, the fishermen decided to stop. We had a peanut butter and Doritos sandwich....all the other people seemed to think this was a normal combination except me....but they assured me that it was great....Finally, we headed back to Thomas so Chisholm could get ready for his game. I assured Donna we would come back to get her!!! And it was only $6 dollars a night to camp! What a bargain.....
The game was great even though Thomas got beat....Chisholm is the 3rd baseman and he stretched way out to catch a ball that was hit toward 3rd base making the 3rd out....man on man you should have seen the grin....Matt was able to get a super picture.... As we were sitting there in the stands, I kept looking around for someone to give a copy of the book to. I asked Matt if he saw anyone who looked like a teacher in the stands....he looked and looked and finally he said I think that lady sitting on the top row in pink is a teacher....well, I agreed...so away I went.....She had been a teacher in her younger years, and she wondered if it was a compliment that she looked like a teacher....I assured her it was! She told me the lady (Gina Kardokus) in front of her was currently a Kindergarten teacher in Weatherford....So I explained our story and Gina whole heartedly agreed with me that it would be hard to find a kindergartner alive today that would have been capable of what Temple did.
After the game Matt and I picked up stuff for hot dogs and we had a nice little snack before hitting the tent for a good nights sleep.
What a great surprise that Crowder Lake had showers!!! Whoohoo....
Wednesday morning we had a nice breakfast of bacon and toast roasted over the fire... We went through Cordell, Hobart (to pick up video discs--long story) and then we finally arrived in Roosevelt...We were hoping to talk to someone at the senior citizen center, but in was closed for harvest season we were to soon learn. At the welding shop in town we saw a little activity, and so we stopped, hoping someone could point us in the right direction. Well, we definitely stopped at the right place! Larry Phillips pointed us toward Roosevelt's "official" historian....retired teacher Wanda Jackson..she was hanging out at her "research" place....the convenience store. When we walked in, she waved and said come on in....I know who you are.....Well, we were a little surprised and donna even thought that maybe Larry had called ahead to warn her....BUT SHE KNEW ALL ABOUT US.... she had visited our blog already and had even written an article for the Kiowas Democrat and the Roosevelt: A to Z....WOW unsolicited press! She was a wonderful source of information...I think if she were a couple of "weeks" younger, she would want to go with us. Matt says that if we would have asked she would have jumped in the car..... I think our spirits were lifted so much after meeting with Wanda. I could have talked to her for a very long time. I feel we have a new friend. I look forward to reading her internet newspaper in the weeks to come!
Then, we headed to one of my favorite spots in the whole world....The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge! It was new to Donna and I was able to show her all of my favorite spots....Thanks dad for meeting us at Meers and treating us to dinner. It was nice to see Billy Iams again....Donna and Matt each had a Meersburger... The rest of us were "dainty" eaters and just had regular burgers.....
I think the highlight of the day was when we were sitting on top of Mt. Scott and after we had climbed around and Matt took some awesome pictures, we checked and we had cell service! All three of us were busy checking voice mail when Sharon Bennett for the Frederick Chamber called to see if we could do an interview for the radio....So we put the phone on speaker and had a great interview while we had this spectacular view of Lawton and Ft. Sill from atop Mt. Scott....But the funniest part was since the phone was on speaker I thought the air-conditioner made to much noise so I turned the car off..............I think we sweated off 5 pounds. We spent the night at the "Swandarosa" which is east of Apache....We didn't have to drag the tent out since they have a picturesque little cabin that had beds! We pulled in when it was almost dark, but Matt was able to find the dominoes--so we had a little gave before bed.... All in all, it was a very good day.....
Thanks Brother Mich for the reminder to always be flexible!
Hey Gordon and Mike....Love you and see you soon.
Melody

Pictures

2008-06-05T14:10:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures for more check out our links to the left. Don't forget to sign in our guestbook

http://users3.smartgb.com/g/g.php?a=s&i=g35-26982-47

Donna and Melody on top of Mount Scott in the Wichita Mountains

Talking to Wanda Jackson at the Gas Station in Roosevelt, Oklahoma

Monday June 2nd

2008-06-05T13:52:00.002-05:00

I’d like to start by letting everybody know, obviously, I’m not managing to get this put down in the blog on the day is actually occurs. Several factors are included in this…dead tired at the end of the day, wi-fi accessibility, etc. I hope to get better at it. So, back to my entry for Monday!
It started out as a beautiful day. Horses and people alike seemed ready to go. I rode Patriota. Melody rode Little John and Marla rode Rocky. I gave Rocky lots of lovin’ before we started as I didn’t want him to think I didn’t love him because I wasn’t riding him. The arrangement worked well since we made better time than when Rocky and I teamed up. It was different riding Patriota because I was actually able to squeeze my legs around him. Patriota did try to do things his way a few times, but all in all, we worked well together. We met some more four-legged friends along the way. What a beautiful sight. It was apparent they all wanted to join us on our trip. Who wouldn’t?
Melody made a comment today referring to us as greenhorns. Marla said she lost that title when she got up to ride Rocky after Patriota had gone down the day before. They said I had lost the title after getting back up to finish the last leg of the journey the day I got sick. Still, I don’ think either of us is ready to compete yet! We didn’t eat heavy today, just snacked when we stopped to water the horses and let them graze. This happened about every five miles.
Some of our funniest stories today involve bridges. I thought Melody was nervous of the bridges just because she was riding Little John Little John is definitely a naturalist with little toleration of man-made objects. He shied one time when a double wide passed with lots of plastic flapping. If Melody had not reined him in time, he would have bolted. We weren’t even on a bridge yet. When we came to the first bridge that was causing some concern, we were making plans that Marla would ride across and come back for horses. She asked what I wanted to do and I told her I was going to ride. I didn’t realize at the time that this sounded like a challenge. We had just finished finalizing our plans to make it across the bridge…I would hold onto Melody’s horse while she walked across and Marla would come back, ride Melody’s horse across and I would ride across. Suddenly, Melody calls out, “If we’re going, now’s the time to do it!” And off she went! She lost her straw hat, but it was worth it to feel the victory of successfully crossing the bridge. She decided she didn’t need to backtrack on the bridge to get the hat back. I began to understand better her concerns over bridges when we came upon the last planned rest stop of our journey. It’s a bridge over the North Canadian River. We found out it was 6/10 of a mile long. That may not seem that far to most people, but on horseback…well…it was 6/10 of a mile. Originally we had planned to load the horses and remount on the other side. God sent us angels, though. The bridge was having some work done on it. Matt went to ask if they could assist us in getting across the bridge. The funniest question to me was when the guy asked, “How many horses?” Perhaps he feared a stampede before the day was over! He got on the radio and got the guy at the other end to help slow down traffic for us. All set, we took off. We didn’t run, but with my experience, it felt like we were flying. Any time I took a chance to sneak a glimpse to the side, it was pretty scary. That was a long way down! Matt followed behind. He said we were only going about 4 miles per hour. That’s really fast on a horse, isn’t it? At one time Patriota actually started to run. I could barely tell she was under me she was so smooth. Because of the speed I instinctively pulled on the reins. I felt some regret, but later I was glad we hadn’t run all the way. Angels indeed! We did made it across”! Marla started singing “We are the Champions…” She has a song for Everything. I think it was about a mile later that Patriota went down. I’ve never met a man that’s as much a gentleman as Patriota. He made sure not to roll. He just sat down. I jumped away. I was physically fine, but my heart cried out for Patriota. I wanted him to be o.k. so bad. He sat and grazed until we got him up. The vet said the nip on his back was the problem. The blanket and saddle were hitting a nerve. Bless Patriota’s big heart. He went on and on until he just couldn’t take anymore. Makes me feel guilty for all the moving around in the saddle because I was feeling a big saddle sore at the time. Patriota was finished for the journey. A vacation well deserved. Marla and Melody finished the last leg on Rocky and Little John. I still felt like crying for Patriota. My plan was to finish the trip pestering Matt to teach me about the technology we would be using for the rest of the journey. We stayed at Melody’s sister’s house. What a wonderful family! While Mary and I stayed to clean up after a delicious dinner of Mexican casserole, beans and cornbread, the others went riding. Melody wanted to ride with her nephew, Chisholm. He got to ride Rocky. He told me how big Rocky was. He couldn’t even bend his legs. More bad knews, though. Little John began limping. He had been travelling shower than usual, so perhaps he and Patriota were travelling more with the strength of big hearts than with their physical strength today. All the horses are going home tomorrow for a much needed rest. Matt, Melody and I will visit extra places we weren’t sure we had time for before we show up in Frederick. Marla and Steve will bring the horses down on Friday for the Crossroads reunion Saturday. They said they would bring Rocky and that Patriota should be well enough by then. Little John will have to stay home. He won’t be ridden for at least 45 days. I guess this could be likened to the East to West coast voyage of the Abernathy boys. They had 60 days to make their journey, but knew they would not make it. Regardless, they felt the need to finish what they had started. We plan to finish our trip at a later date. Donna

2008-06-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

If there is a modern day Bud or Temple, one of the first kids that I think of would have to be Chisholm Kliewer. I know that he would love to go on a great adventure. I was glad to give him a book on Monday!
If anyone would like to know how long the Fay bridge is, it is 6 tenths of a mile long. I was riding Little John, Marla was on Rocky, and Patriota was good to go, so Donna was on him as we left Watonga. Since we knew where the vet clinic is in Watonga, and it is on the west side of town, we started our day from there. It is not at the very edge of town, so you know that made me a little nervous…the open road or field is my favorite, and civilization is a little (a lot) scary for me on the horse…but we left….another beautiful morning…Little John had a little more spirit than yesterday when I was riding him, and all of the business/oil field things made me nervous. Also, on that stretch of highway 33 there many semis, and not just the Wheeler Brother wheat trucks we have been seeing for a couple of days. At last we were out of town, and I relaxed a little, but what was ahead but a pretty big bridge. Well, for two days I have done pretty well because there hasn’t been a lot of traffic, and very few semis. This morning however was completely different--- the highway was pretty busy. I know Marla wanted to slap me and say get over it because I kept saying I don’t think I can cross that bridge, I don’t think I will cross that bridge on the horse…. I was too afraid that Little John would see a “booger” and I would be way to close to the traffic. So the wonderful wrangler that Marla is, she didn’t slap me, but instead said she would just pony Little John across, and I could walk across! What a friend…. So eventually we find our way to the east side of the bridge. Marla asks Donna “Do you want to walk across to?” and Donna replies “I can just ride across!” Well, at that point the west bound lane was clear for at least a ½ mile or more so I said, “if we are going, we better go!” and away we went….Although I do not wear spurs like Marla does, I did the best imitation I could with my boots and Little John and I flew across that bridge…me with one hand on the reins, and the usual white knuckle grip on the saddle horn…We had gotten about halfway across the bridge when a four-door type car zoomed past at about 70 miles an hour in the outside lane….Little John found a new speed…one I hadn’t felt before….SUPER FAST….and I felt myself lift out of the saddle…because of the swiftness of the ride and the wind whipping around, I realized my cheapy straw hat was lifting off my head…Remember earlier what I said about one hand on the reins and the other as a white knuckled grip on the saddle horn…well, what hand could I use to reach the hat to keep it on? So of course I made the decision to just let the hat fly off… I thought it was a wise choice---me? Or the hat? No contest right…. Because of the elevated speed and the wind the hat had no chance… So the other “eventful” moment was when we had turned southwest on HWY 33 toward Thomas, and we had gone about a mile past our second stop of the day…that was the place that Steve had all of the horse blankets drying on the fence looking like a tack peddler!! Anyway, the truck had gone ahead, and Matt had been by when we saw a truck go buy with a couple of flags attached…they were just flapping in the wind, and it startled Little John, but he did pretty well. I must have been in la la land because it was a truck for a wide load…I guess I thought it was wheat equipment (combines and trucks) BUT I WAS WRONG --- it was a double wide trailer zipping down the highway at about 75 miles per hour….the first part opened to the side of the road were we were riding…Remember when I said the two small flags whipping in the wind scared Little John. Well, just imagine how he reacted when the double wide wrapped in plastic that was flapping in the 25 mph wind……. He wanted to bolt!!!!!! Marla said she was so proud of me because I think I have a little self preservation…..I think I actually turned loose of the saddle horn (shocking!) so I could rein him in….we had gone from 2 miles an hour to 125 mph in 1 second!!! Okay, so I exaggerate, but he was moving fast….I didn’t end up in the highway or on the barbed wire fence—or the ground!! I was heading Steve Winterbottom’s advice---Don’t fall off!!! If you were trying to follow this blog down the map, I know I went out of order….Sorry---just wrote what came to mind first….
But sad news was just after the Fay Bridge…..about 1 mile after the bridge, Patriota collapsed again….He has a sore place on his back that was pressing on a nerve…He will be okay…. We walked a little after that, and Steve came to get us at the Weatherford turn….We were thankful to make it to Thomas. Thanks Justin for talking to the Thomas Newspaper….. Kendra was very accommodating to wait for Chisholm to come to town to take the picture. Sorry we disappointed Mary by not riding by the Wheeler Brothers so could see us…..
What hospitality we were given by the Kliewer family! Thank you Aunt Mary, Uncle Justin, Chisholm, Darcey, Bailey, and Kalli! Thanks for coming out to see us Travis Wolf….hope you enjoy your new home in Thomas….good luck at pharmacy school….Chisholm loved the horses, and after a super dinner, I should say feast, of Mexican food, we headed up to the school farm to let Chisholm ride Rocky while I rode Little John…… Chisholm loved the horses so much, and definitely was able to ride Rocky better than Donna and I did! He wanted to ride to Custer with us on Tuesday. Aunt Mary (his mom) said no way to that! After I dismounted ever so gracefully ( just kidding) and Chisholm was still riding, I noticed that Little John sure seemed to limp on his right front leg… Although he will be okay, we had to make a very hard decision. The horse ride had to be over for a few days. This part of the trip had to come to an end…. The Hewitts headed east on 33 Tuesday morning with a very heartbroken Donna and Melody in Thomas….. Flexibility is necessary on a journey, and we are continuing on the next few days on a similar path, but just a little faster.. We will camp out, and spend a little longer in the Wichita Mountains and Frederick than we had planned…. The Hewitts will bring some horses back to us on Friday so we will have them on Saturday….. I know they were as sad as we are….. I know Marla wanted to ride as much as I did……
BUT WE RODE 80 MILES IN 3 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can’t forget that….We are proud of our accomplishments.
I will never forget these days…………………they were super! And Mary helped me remember, New York City is going to be great also! Our trip has just begun….even though the horseback riding was cut short a few days….our journey has just begun…………………………………
Melody

DAY 2 AND STILL GOING

2008-06-02T15:22:00.003-05:00

Melody... Oh, what a beautiful morning is what Marla sang as we left the Kingfisher Rodeo Arena! We left about 6:45 ish or 7:00 ish….It was so beautiful! The west side of Kingfisher is lined with trees and the wheat fields were visible between the trees. It was overcast and cool as we headed out…..Patriota and Little John were ready to go, and we were in “the zone”…I was going along great and it was so much fun to just be out in the early morning…We saw 3 deer off in an alfalfa field. The first 6 miles went by in 1 hour and 20 minutes….Whew! We thought that we would be in Watonga by noon……..But a terrible thing happened. We had gone another 2 ½ miles when all of a sudden Patriota stopped, and he just buckled and went all the way to the ground. I was flabbergasted! Shocked, scared, petrified, nervous, upset, worried are all words that come to mind. I was so afraid that something was really wrong with Patriota, and so I was so thankful when he got right up. So of course Marla called Steve right away and he came back….we started walking down the road to meet them. Patriota did not want to drink, which was very disturbing. But, he would eat some grass. Marla thought that he was probably dehydrated…..and after a great man, David Wilczek, from Loyal, stopped to see if we were ok. He gave us some numbers for the vet in Watonga. He even brought a syringe back out to us when we needed to give Patriota a shot before he got to the vet…THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thanks seems so inadequate for your kindness. So that brought me to riding Rocky!!! I had a hard time doing that! So at the next stop, Marla and I switched horses, and I rode Little John…..and we got along famously! We only had to cross one “scary” bridge…. I know he has to be tired. He has gone the whole way…..The rest of the time was a lot slower than the first 8 miles….BUT, WE MADE IT! Marla says that she was really proud of me that I got back on a horse after Patriota fell…..Oh yes, Marla was right….the vet says that he was dehydrated…He is doing lots better….We think he might be ready to go tomorrow….We will see….Thank you very much to the Vet in Watonga….Justin

Donna... I slept in until 8:00 this morning. After so much sun and not feeling well, we thought it best if I took a day off. I felt like a failure to begin with, but as the day wore on, I realized I was learning about a lot of things. You know the old saying, "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Patriota went down today after becoming fatigued. Melody started riding Rocky while Patriota finished taking the day off with me. She had already gotten used to riding Patriota, so it made her a little nervous to be riding Rocky. New horse, as well as one so BIG! Later she switched horses with Marla. I wondered how it would feel to ride Rocky after Marla "got him into shape." O.k. I know everyone is anxious to know what I learned today. I did get to go with Steve to the vet. It was interesting watching the whole check-over procedure. He felt his gums for wetness and color. He pinched his skin to check for elasticity. He even pinched his eyelids! I learned that even if a horse doesn't act lame it doesn't mean he's not feeling poorly. Patriota had a lot of twitching. She was given a muscle relaxer injection and some kind of oral stuff. I'll find out what the names are again. Horses have two sets of teeth. The front ones I understand do the ripping and the oodles of back ones do the grinding. They have something called floating, which I believe means they grind the back teeth down if they have become too pointy to chew. Horses give you a clue this needs to be done when they keep dropping their food. Another thing I learned is it is a very serious matter if a horse stops pooping. This requires a quick trip to the vet or it could be fatal. There is also a rub you can use on horses that also helps people with sore muscles. I understand it smells like fish and you can actually taste it after it has been rubbed down. Back to Patriota, we were advised to get some electrolytes and salt. He seemed to be back to his normal self by the end of the day. Yesterday we were talking about how surprised we were that only one person stopped to check on us at the side of the rode. Something you might expect in the city, not the country. Today we were reassured about our faith in people. When Patriota was fatigued, we realized we had no syringe to administer the muscle relaxer. One couple that had stopped earlier drove back to where we were and brought a syringe. Then when we went to see the vet, he agreed to meet us on his day off and he didn't charge a dime. He told the story of a man last summer knocking at his door. It was storming outside and the man asked if he had a place he and his horse could stay. The vet informed him he had a place for his horse. The man replied, "What's good enough for my horse is good enough for me", and proceeded to break open the hay and sleep with his horse. He was from Perkins and was heading to a ranching job in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I was reminded again today that it takes longer to get to places on horseback than a car. It only took a few minutes to drive ahead to the next stopping point. I immediately started watching for the riders. It was about 45 minutes later that they showed up. I also know I missed seeing all the little things you notice on horseback. When Melody dismounted, I noticed her shirt was missing a few buttons. This as a result of sliding off her horse. She asked if this was why cowboys wore snaps on their shirts. Before anyone could answer, she said, "Oh, wait, cowboys know how to get off a horse!" Marla said she didn't think Melody would get back on a horse again after Patriota buckled. She was really happy when Melody got right back on a horse. Melody has good reason to be proud of herself. Another interesting observation about riding horses. The trip takes a little longer and you have plenty of time to talk. We started laughing when Melody asked Marla at the end of the day, "Did I tell you about when I was five years old..." Patriota looks to be feeling more like himself. We all arrived in one piece. All in all, it's been another successful day! Can't wait for tomorrow!

The Best Part Is

2008-05-31T21:09:00.002-05:00

Melody says Yes! We actually made it to Kingfisher. Although our time of arrival was not very accurate we arrived safely! It started as a very cool day, and rapidly became very hot! Patriota is the best...he just keeps trucking along...the scenery is so beautiful...so much wheat along the way that is turning a breathtaking golden color! There are so many Centennial Farms between Guthrie and Kingfisher...it is amazing that they have been in one family for at least 100 years..Marla took lots of pictures of the wildflowers as we went along...thanks matt for finding a cheapo camera...
At one point I actually rode at least 1/2 of a mile by myself when donna and marla looked for the cell phone Marla dropped!
And for that time there was a donkey that brayed and ran the fence line trying to intimidate Patriota, but he would not be intimidated...he just showed off and walked/loped really fast and kicked his feet in his wonderful gaited walk!!
Hey Gordon and Mike...hope you are enjoying the cool air conditioning... Super fun to see the Bunch family...thanks for coming all the way to see us and hanging out until we arrived...Christine Reed from the Kingfisher Times and Free Press was so super to talk to! Thank you for meeting with us to hear our story and for arranging for Emelia Turner ( what great comments and how cool that you have an Apache connection) to meet with us so we could give a copy of the story to the Kingfisher students....
Jim Savage thanks for hooking us up with the rodeo arena...that is a lifesaver.....also a shout out to Eric Gilbert for helping the PR man (aka Matt) get his tire fixed so he could roll again...and he even did it after hours...thanks so much...
When we arrived in Kingfisher we saw a young man named Nick Horton....he knew all about the Abernathy story because he is from Tipton...thanks for taking your time to come out and talk to us! (uncle justin was his ag teacher!)
What a super day...I can still walk...but we will see about tomorrow....Watonga and Roman Nose--here we come....

Hey, everybody! Yes, as Melody has already let you know, we are alive and well in Kingfisher The journey would have been a lot shorter, and we would have been less sore, if we had traveled by car, but ohhhh, the beautiful land that would have been ignored or barely gotten a glimpse of. Horseback is the way to go if you really want to take in your surroundings. Speaking of horses, Rocky and I are getting along fabulously. He has a lot of patience with me. I still haven't gotten the hang of riding at any kind of speed without hanging on for dear life, therefore, he is putting up with me learning how to rein him in...quickly! He doesn't really like to lead, so it's usually one of the other horses that gets him in the mood to pick up the pace. Melody and I were supposed to keep heading towards our destination when Marla needed to go back and find her cell phone that dropped out. Rocky had other ideas and wanted to stay with Little John. He got his way. After all, he does way several pounds more than I do! He's a BIG horse! We found the phone were Marla suspected it had fallen out, but still came close to it being stomped on.
It's a great feeling to accomplish our first day of travelling. We're tired. Slightly sore and wobbly. And I have a sunburn to show I wasn't thinking very brightly about taking care of myself. I'll be covered up tomorrow and drinking plenty of water. We have five days to go. We plan on making it all the way! We've met a few people today and hope to meet many more on our journey. Most people have been friendly. And the majority of motorists have been courteous.
Don't forget to keep in touch with us! Got to go. Sleep is calling our name!

Tomorow Is The Big Day

2008-05-30T22:08:00.002-05:00

Wow!! Tomorrow we are leaving from Guthrie at 7:30 We will be staying the night in Kingfisher. I will tell more when we arrive.

Happy Trails

NEWS CHANNEL 4 INTERVIEW

2008-05-30T21:43:00.003-05:00

Today Donna and I had the privilege of being interviewed by News Channel 4 reporter Galen Culver. He asked us many questions and seemed to know a little about the Abernathy brothers himself. The interview aired tonight during the 6:30 news program, on the"Is This a Great State, or What?" portion of the show. If you didn't have the chance to see the news tonight you can watch it online at http://www.kfor.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2543695&h1=Two%20teachers%20from%20Yale%20duplicate%20the%20Aberthany%27s%20first%20ride%20in%20%26quot%3BIs%20This%20a%20...&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=167533&LaunchPageAdTag=Search Results&activePane=info&playerVersion=9&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.kfor.com/Global/SearchResults.asp%3Fvendor%3Dwss%26qu%3Dabernathy&rnd=84614075 Results&activePane=info&playerVersion=9&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.kfor.com/Global/SearchResults.asp%3Fvendor%3Dwss%26qu%3Dabernathy&rnd=84614075 Thanks Galen and News Channel 4!!!!

10 Miles and Still Standing!

2008-05-25T20:59:00.002-05:00

Saturday, Patriota, (the Peruvian I will ride to Frederick) and I had the chance to ride for 10 miles!!! Donna rode Rocky, whom she has nicknamed Gabby, because he likes to talk to everything that comes along in his path. A perfect pair I think.... Also, Gordon went along with us! I think he did a great job for someone who had never ridden a horse. I think he is a "little" sore today! Of course Marla was with us on Little John. And believe it or not, I made it up to the 3rd floor of the Baptist church twice on Sunday......
It was so much fun to ride. We saw such an abundance of wildflowers. I am thankful they will be in bloom during our ride. It is so hard to believe that we will be finished with our second day of riding a week from now. It is getting much closer.....May 31st is the big day....we will leave Guthrie around 7:00 AM .....
I have lots of riding to do between now and then.

More soon.....

Thanks Lee Denney!

2008-05-20T20:15:00.002-05:00

Today was a fabulous day! It has just been crazy trying to get ready to go on our trip, but oh so fun! Today, Donna and I took six students to OKC to the Capitol. After a few misadventures with our transportation, we were on our way! Thanks Mr. Roy, you are the hero of the day. We appreciate you driving the bus for us.
Last night, I drove to OKC to my Great Aunt Elizabeth's house to pick up our Mo' Betta shirts! They are so beautiful! Thank you Nancy. We almost look like real cowgirls. Thanks Grandmother and Papa for delivering them to the City.
So, a little after eight o'clock we headed south. Jake, Juanita, Shane, JR, Brooke, and Jon were the students that represented our school. Our appointment with the Governor was scheduled for 10:15. Thank you Lee Denney and Zach for making our meeting happen. It was a privilege to present Gov. Henry with the Abernathy coins and postcard that was beautifully matted and framed. This was provided by the Frederick Chamber of Commerce. The students signed on the back, and we included the "infamous" quote we have lived by all year--- "....far better it is to dare mighty things.... by Teddy R. They also sent a T-Shirt with the boys' picture on it...
Gov. Henry was not familiar with the story, but we feel he was intriqued by the boys. He asked a couple of questions about them.....the students are hoping that he will do some investigating and learn about these two Oklahoma wonders.
It was a lot of fun watching the students while we waited for the Gov. to arrive. The room was pretty empty when we first got there, but slowly others began to trickle into the empty seats. Pretty soon a couple dozen Pages came in, and although the Blue Room is enourmous, the area was feeling a little bit crowded.
Jake leaned up to me and said, "Do we have to talk to him in front of all these people? And I replied..."No!" Which technically wasn't a lie, because I knew a couple of them would probably be gone before we talked....but mainly I was just trying to put him at ease. I think he was already feeling a little uncomfortable because he had great issues getting through the metal detector when we first arrived....Which is another story for another day.
Well, in another minute or two, without cracking a smile, Jake declared, " I'd rather talk to him than wear something like that!" Well, he was talking about the bright pink square dancing costumes on the people sitting across the room from us!
Lt. Gov. Askins heard us talking to one of the security people, who told the students that Gov. Henry was just like them. He advised, "Don't be nervous. He puts his pants on just like you, one leg at a time." I did not get to hear the man's name, but I was so thankful that he told our students that because we talked a lot about this same attitude when we were reading about Bud and Temple. The famous and important people they met, were after all, just people. And ordinary people can and should interact with a variety of people everyday. Lt. Gov. Askins thought that we might be from Frederick when she saw the boys' picture. So, I had the opportunity to talk to her for a few minutes which was a super experience. And then when I was busy talking to her, Gov. Henry arrived. We was very gracious to the students and listened to our story! He evened signed my copy of Bud and Me . After posing for our pictures, we trudged up to the fourth floor to see Rep. Denney. As always it was a delight to see her. She is so great with the students and interacts with them so well. We posed for more pictures! You know, it is my favorite thing to do. Rep. Denney suggested we go down to the third floor to see Rep. Don Armes of Dist. 63. He is the Rep. of Tillman Co. and some of Comanche County. To our surprise, he was there and we had a great visit. He was thrilled that our students were studying the boys from his district. We were surprised to find a statue of Bud and Temple in his office---it is just like the one in the courthouse yard of Tillman Co--only smaller! I think he was surprised that I knew Dr. Gardner, the sculptor. He signed my book and the students noticed his copy of Bud and Me on his shelf.
It was great visiting with Rep. Armes. All of the students were impressed with his powerful handshake!!
Rep. Armes says he will see us at the Crossroads Ranch Reunion. I know that I look forward to talking with him again. However, I warned him that I might not be as cheerful then as I was today, after our long ride! LOL

After looking around the Capitol a little longer, we headed north. We stopped at Cracker Barrel, and the kids had a great time playing the games and shopping while we waited on our food. The host was a friendly guy, and we talked to him about our morning adventures. His question, like so many other people's is, 'where are you going?' Well, people want a one word answer, and we have a story! He told us that he thinks this should be in the paper, and we told him to keep an eye out for information about the trip.
May 31 is getting closer and closer......

Thank you again Sharon at the Frederick Chamber of Commerce! You did a fabulous job on the gift for the Governor! See you soon.

P.S. I think that Temple and Bud would have laughed if they could have seen Jake as he was "going" down the "stairs"---or maybe they would have joined him. :)

Meeting with Molly

2008-05-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

Donna and I hurriedly left school Monday, May 5 to travel to Norman to meet Oklahoma author and publisher, Molly Levite Griffis. What a fun time we both had meeting her. What a gracious and charming lady. When I was reading the book about the Abernathy boys to my students, the thought occured to me that Temple might have bought his expensive Indian blanket in the town of Apache, because he bought it shortly after turning north from Lawton. So, I was talking to my Grandmother about the possibility that Temple would have purchased the blanket in Apache at the Levite's store. Well, Grandmother said "I just happen to have Molly Levite Griffis email". This started a wave of correspondence via email that has been "remarkable". Molly is the granddaughter of the original owner of the Levite store, and her publishing company became known as Levite of Apache. Until I emailed her, I didn't know that she had published "The Remarkable Ride of the Abernathy Boys" by Robert Jackson in the late 1980s. She was a wealth of help and encouragement to me as I continued to study this story with my students. She even told me of a movie that was being made about the boys! She so graciously let me "drop" her name to obtain a ticket to the premire! How amazing! Even though she knew my family, she hadn't ever met me! So in early November, I stepped out of my ordinary life and attended the premire of "The Grand Ride of the Abernathy Boys" produced by Shawnee Brittan and Joanna Champlin. While I was there, I received another wonderful surprise! After the movie, people were encouraged to stay and chat, and I was able to meet Temple's daughter, Marilyn. She was so warm and friendly while I rambled on to her about how much my students and I were touched and inspired by the boys' story. Thanks again Molly for making that happen for me!
Our Monday night visit with Molly went entirely to quickly. Donna and I are eagerly awaiting the next opportunity we will have to visit with this wonderful storyteller. Thank you for all of the information and books you allowed us to borrow for our research!
There is another interesting thread that is woven in here. Earlier this school year, I received the best birthday present ever. My Dad bought me a print of the old Levite store and had it framed with a frame that one of my grandpa's had made! It hangs proudly in my classroom! My students and I love it! Thanks again Dad! Thanks again, Molly.....oh, and I will be taking another riding lesson tomorrow....This time with Mrs. Hewitt and and the horse I will be riding to Frederick.
I better go so I can rest up! I will report back soon!

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

2008-05-04T14:52:00.002-05:00

There are quite a few people that are helping us get ready for our trip that we need to say thank you to.
First of all, I had my first lesson from Jake. Thanks so much for being a good sport about all of this. I think you would do a much better job of riding than I will!! Your horse was very well behaved, and oh wait, I didn't even fall off.....But getting up on the horse was a whole different matter! I have promised Matthew lots of stuff if that video doesn't make it to this blog!! But hopefully, there will be a little video of me riding, just not of the struggle to get on the horse!
Next we need to say thanks to all the people who have donated meals and clothing for our trip!
Thanks--
*Chick-Fil-A Stillwater
*IHOP-Stillwater
*Red Lobster--Stillwater
*Applebee's--Stillwater
*Stetson--(hats)
*Mo' Betta-- Apache (shirts)
*Goody's --Stillwater----lots of cool OSU gear to wear!
*Frederick Chamber of Commerce--Abernathy Coins

Lots of people are excited about our trip! Everyone is amazed that 2 little boys could accomplish so much! Thanks again for listening to our story.

Spend the Money!

2008-04-29T21:22:00.002-05:00

Spend all of the money. Spend ALL of the money! SPEND ALL OF THE MONEY! How exciting to hear those words.....I don't think the smile left my face all evening. It was a fabulous experience to visit with the other Fund for Teachers Fellows! It is so wonderful to hear the fantastic things going on in classrooms around Oklahoma! But, the best part was when I received my part of the money!!! It is really unbelievable that I received this grant. I am so thankful they liked my proposal!! Even a day later, when I think about the check, all I can do is smile!
Thank you so much Fund for Teachers....But thanks most of all to all of you who listen to me about the Abernathy boys and my trip...Thank you for being excited for me! More soon.....lots more planning.....It is just a month away... :)

Guthrie to Frederick

2008-04-26T21:53:00.002-05:00

Jack made the boys ride from their temporary home in Guthrie (he was stationed there as a US Marshall) to Crossroads Ranch because he thought it would discourage the boys from wanting to go on to Santa Fe. But, boy was he wrong.
We are going to have a great adventure as we try to duplicate this first part of the trip on horseback! Thanks Marla for volunteering to be our guide and riding partner as we attempt this ride.
Tuesday will be my first riding lesson in many years! Thanks Jake for volunteering to give us some riding lessons. I am sure that it will be fun for you to be the teacher instead of the student! And, I won't hold it against you when you laugh at me! Just remember I need some encouragement also, because it has been a long time since I have been on a horse---more years than I care to admit in writing!

Plans, Plans, Plans

2008-04-24T15:56:00.002-05:00

So many exciting things are happening as we get ready for our trip! We have contacted lots of people who seem excited to meet with us along the way. Hopefully Bill Richardson, the Gov. of NM, will be in his office the day we arrive in Santa Fe. His office likes our story and says he would be able to meet with us if he is available! Also, Bruce Salzburg, the Attorney General of Wyoming, is intriqued with the boys' story as well! We look forward to meeting with him. We are busy, busy, busy contacting people about our trip and getting ideas of where to stay and what to do when we are in different cities. Monday, April 28, we will go to the awards ceremony to pick up our check from Fund for Teachers!!!
Thanks to Lee Denney, she is trying to set up a meeting between us and Gov. Henry! Thanks Molly Levite Griffis for all your encouragement! Kids and teachers check out Molly's website www.mollygriffis.com . She has great stuff about the Abernathys and all of her own books...It is worth the time to explore around!
Sharon is my new friend in Frederick! Thanks for all the information and help that you have given us! We look forward to June 7..... I will post the Frederick website later!!
Better run for now....making more plans.........
Melody

Getting Ready To Go

2008-04-22T16:06:00.000-05:00

Here is our project overview that will give you a little history of the Abernathy Brothers if you are not familiar with their story. 99 years ago two boys from rural southwest OK, convinced their dad, US Marshall, Jack “Catch ‘em Alive Abernathy, they should be allowed to ride their horses from their home in Tipton, OK to Santa Fe, NM and back. The boys were tired of “hearing” about adventures and wanted to create their own. They studied maps, created itineraries and schemed to convince their dad they were ready for adventure. Jack relented and the boys went on their first adventure in 1909. Louis, or Bud as his brother called him, was 9 years old, and Temple was 5. They traveled over 1000 miles alone on horseback.
Later adventures include a 1910 horseback ride to NYC to see their friend Teddy Roosevelt when he returned from an African Safari. After riding in a ticker-tape parade with Teddy Roosevelt, the boys bought a car and drove home. They were 10 and 6.
The next great adventure was in 1911. They would win $10,000 if they could ride their horses from NYC to San Francisco in 60 days. It took 62. They persevered with integrity, overcoming many life-threatening obstacles and heartaches, including the death of their precious horse, Sam Bass, who traveled with them faithfully on all adventures.
Coming from a rural background our students were immediately captivated with the book, Bud and Me: The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys, written by Temple Abernathy’s wife. No other book sparked the desire to learn like this one.
When first reading this book, one student came to mind. As a fifth grader, he was the most reluctant readers we ever taught. In planning to use this book as a read aloud, he was one of the students we endeavored to reach most. While all students benefited from this book, the true measure of the success was when he said, “This is the best book I have ever read”. We agreed!
This story resonates with students. Bud and Temple grew up when cars, motorcycles, and airplanes had just been invented. Our students are interested in all the new “gadgets” and technology of today. Deep inside each student is a desire to have adventure.
Students will not physically travel, but we will bring the adventure to them and local community members through activities, correspondence, and blogging.
We want to experience our own “adventure”. Following Bud and Temple’s footsteps will allow us to see major historical and cultural landmarks across the US we have only read or heard about. We want to compare and contrast cities, country and technology to what it was 99 years ago. We want to discover the impact these young boys made on the history of the communities and people they encountered, and we want to know the rest of the story.
We studied maps, read and reread their books, created itineraries, and dreamed! We would like to receive the Funds for Teacher Fellowship for $10,000 to recreate the boy’s adventures so we can capitalize on our students’ genuine interest in this topic. It lends itself to an interdisciplinary study of reading, writing, math, speaking, geography, history, and technology.
Can this 21st century adventure based on a 20th century one, inspire our students to seek their own adventures now and in the future? We hope to find out.
This is part of what we submitted to Fund for Teachers to receive our grant.....and Wow! We really got the Fund For Teacher grant! Donna and I are busy planning our trip right now. The fun has just begun. We are excited to meet with all the friends and family in Frederick at the Crossroads Ranch in June.....
Here is our tentative agenda....ride horses from Guthrie OK to Frederick in time to meet with all the Abernathys in Frederick on June 7....from there we will set out to Santa Fe, NM
After dropping Matt at the DFW Airport on June 22, we will set out for the biggest part of our journey....
Check back soon for updates----and hopefully podcast to hear about our journey..........