You are Going to Laugh

Monday, January 9.  Fort Stockton, Texas

Some Snowbirds we turned out to be.  We are in Fort Stockton, Texas.  It snowed last night and this morning.  It is heavy wet snow and snow melted but the temperature only got to 34F today.

We spent a couple of days in San Antonio and saw a couple of the missions there. They were established in the early 1700s. They were of course to spread the Catholic faith (and Spanish culture) to the Indians  The Spaniards established missions in the San Antonio area to thwart the western movement of the French from Louisiana.  The Indians of the region (Coahuiltecans) had been nomadic but between the nomadic tribes from the north pressing into their areas and the diseases introduced by the Europeans, they were relatively willing recruits for the Franciscans.  They were provided with food and refuge at the missions.  The men were instructed in the use of European arms so that they could assist in the defence of the missions.  Later they were included in armed patrols in Spanish Texas that pursued Apache and Commanche Indians.

One of the missions we saw had been refurbished.  The U.S. department in charge of State Parks planned to restore the remaining missions but the Catholic Church claimed the mission lands back after the first restoration was underway.  The government was not inclined to continue its work when they no longer controlled the missions so no additional restorations have occurred because the Catholic church does not have the money.  It is rather a shame because the first restoration is quite remarkable.

The trip from San Antonio to Fort Stockton ran through some really dry and desolate land.  I know there has been a drought here and it is winter so maybe that is part of the reason it looks the way it does.

January 10 Las Cruces, New Mexico

Most of the snow melted in Fort Stockton before we left this morning. The roads were clear and dry. We ran through more desolate, dry country. We saw and drove through some low mountains which seemed to create windy conditions.

There were a lot of mesas on the road to Las Cruces.  some were very broad and some were narrow at the top.  One was so narrow that it looked like a pyramid from a distance.

We will look around the area tomorrow.