Category: Life and Living

January 13, 2019. Fort Concho

Posted on by Pete Schloss

We continue to be challenged by the temperatures. Overnight was barely above freezing and today the high was in the mid-40’s. It’s really too cold to enjoy a campfire and a long hike wasn’t appealing. TripAdvisor touted the virtues of Fort Concho located in the heart of San Angelo, just a 15 minute drive.

Fort Concho was one of a series of US frontier military installations established after the Civil War to protect settlements, travel, and trade routes. This fort dates to 1867 and was located on the banks of the Concho River. At it’s zenith it covered 1,600 acres and billeted between 400 and 500 infantry and cavalry troops. The headquarters, barracks, and support buildings were constructed of native limestone. In spite of the Fort being decommissioned in 1889, it remained in sufficient repair to be a subject for restoration later in the 20th Century. It is in remarkable condition today and for only a couple of dollars provides a nice afternoon diversion.

The enlisted men’s barracks now serve as the main office, a museum, enlisted men’s quarters exhibit, and an artillery display facility. The collection includes two fully operational cannon and a fully operational 1862 Gatling Gun. The clerk on duty told us that she had the thrilling opportunity to rapid fire 10 rounds from the gun.

The piece on display at Fort Concho is of the original 1862 design. It was capable of firing over 200 rounds per minute. The inventor envisioned the weapon as a means of forcing peace by putting the power to stop an army into the hands of just a few men. Perhaps Richard Gatling failed to consider that both sides of a conflict might possess such a weapon. In one sense he was correct, automatic weapons completely changed the face of war, magnifying the potential for carnage as witnessed in the Spanish American War and the First World War.

The exhibits that we enjoyed included examples of the officers living quarters…

A telephone museum (not really related to the Fort’s history)…

The base school…

The base infirmary…

A monument to the 5 soldiers who had been stationed at Fort Concho and were Medal of Honor recipients…

The artillery display…

…and enlisted men’s barrack display.

As a bonus we were able to make friends with three of the Fort’s mules in residence.

It was an afternoon well and pleasantly spent.

We have occasionally fielded questions about why Winter camping. For us, aside from the weather it is a decidedly different experience from Summer camping. There is a challenge that I especially embrace. A daily shower is a luxury rather than a necessity. Clothes stay “fresh” longer. Our Casita becomes a closer experience and demands more cooperation from each of us. It is cozy in a way that feels almost like we are inhabitants of a space capsule. Best of all, the parks are wide open and the natural features are not depreciated by thronging crowds. We have camped in every season, each year, since we retired in 2015. I don’t have a favorite season, just a favorite camping partner.

Peace Everyone. Pete

January 12, 2019. Escape South!

Posted on by Pete Schloss

The weather home in Kansas City has turned nasty, and the tendrils of the Winter blow extended to us in Caprock Canyon. No snow, but with predicted lows in the 20’s we elected to head south. It was a good call. About 175 miles took us to Sweetwater Texas where the skies cleared and the thermometer suddenly added 10 degrees to the mercury. Winds gusted to 35 mph throughout the day, but our good fortune held as they pushed us from the rear, giving us great gas mileage.

Most of our 260 mile drive was on Texas Route 70, a well paved two lane country road that often featured a 75 mph speed limit! There wasn’t much traffic and there weren’t many towns of consequence. In fact, for 175 miles there were no Walmarts, no fast food, and damn few gas stations.

Driving days do not usually provide much opportunity for a “travelogue”. However I made the conscious decision to stop and take pictures of anything “interesting” that we might encounter. I missed the opportunity to take pictures of a few abandoned homesteads that seemed icons to the dustbowl days. Same with the sentinel like Aeromotor windmills that once dotted the Great Plains States. These ubiquitous inventions of necessity pumped water into cattle troughs where no electric service existed. A few that we passed were still in use, a testament to their ageless reliability. At times we could see huge electric wind generators juxtaposed in the distance, the 21st Century replacements for the 19th Century Aeromotors.

Now for the experiences preserved by images:

There was Galvan’s Cafe in Turkey, Texas. This was the second time that we have eaten here and for good reason. The food was plentiful, hot, tasty, and cheap. My eye was drawn to a wall of pictures. Icons of the 1950-60’s television Westerns. Just to mention those with autographs: There was Dan Blocker of Bonanza, Clint Eastwood and Eric Fleming of Rawhide, Steve McQueen of Wanted Dead of Alive, James Arness of Gunsmoke, and Clayton Moore of The Lone Ranger.

Literally in the middle of nowhere (which describes much of Texas 70) is the Midland Drive -In Theater. It’s faded marquis declares, “Between Turkey and Quitaque… New York and LA”. It also displays “Closed for Winter”, but which Winter remains a mystery.

We came upon a series of Historical Markers, the reading of which left somber overtones of past glories and tragedies.

We drove through the center of Dickens (pop. 286), seat of Dickens County (pop. 2,444). The town and county were founded in 1891 and named after J. Dickens who died at the Battle of the Alamo. The County Courthouse and Jail were both built in 1892 and remain in use. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is a $25 fine for anyone talking to inmates through the barred windows of the jail!

We passed by the City Park in Spur, Texas…

Cotton fields and bales were evident as far as the eye could see…

And passed a number of the Quanah Parker Trail Arrows which mark sites where the Comanche Indians and their last Chief, Quanah Parker, lived, traveled, and fought. The artist, Charles A. Smith created this network of 22-foot-tall steel arrows in tribute to the Comanches. There are over 70 of these arrows found in 52 counties. Quanah Parker died in 1911, and the sculptor Smith passed away March 3, 2018, 3 years after the great-granddaughter of the Chief adopted Smith into the Comanche’s family. Smith was given the name “Paaka-Hani-Eta”, meaning “Arrow Maker”.

We arrived just before closing at San Angelo State Park, made camp and immediately drove 7 miles to the Zero One Alehouse where I enjoyed excellent craft beer, a stunning Chief’s victory over the Colts, and the company of my Wife. Life is good!

Peace Everyone! Pete

January 11, 2019. Ancient Hands

Posted on by Pete Schloss

The weather favored us today. Although the temperatures dipped, the rain skirted us to the north. Temps are predicted to fall while the winds are increasing. They have conspired to encourage us to move further south in the morning. Whether we will continue south in Texas or head south west is up in the air right now. Current predictions are for more moderate conditions next week. We don’t mind playing this by ear as we are accustomed to planning on the fly.

Donning an extra layer made for good hiking… the scenery made for great hiking! Cap Rock Canyon is part of the Palo Duro canyon complex, 120 miles long and up to 20 miles wide it is the second largest canyon in the United States after the Grand Canyon.

Towering red buttes surrounded us and conjured up images reminiscent of the Egyptian monuments of Luxor. The near dry creek washes made for near level paths. There was evidence of Bison everywhere (big poop!) that demanded attention to one’s steps.

The red rock canyon cuts were laced everywhere with veins of gypsum. Gypsum is best known as the principal material in the wallboard of most homes built today. Less well known is that it is also a main component in most toothpastes and many cosmetics!

This region has been continuously inhabited and hunted by humans for upward to 15,000 years. The first people known to call this home were of the Folsom Tradition. Hunter-gatherers who were quick to adapt to the changing environment, they were a resourceful and inventive people. As we hiked it was easy for me to imagine the first peoples who claimed these canyons as their own.

It has long been a dream of mine to find an ancient flint tool that has lain undisturbed since it left the hand of its creator. I imagine my touch creating a direct link bridging thousands of years to the hand of another person. It hasn’t happened yet and it might never happen, but If it did happen upon Federal or State lands I would be legally bound to return the artifact to its original resting place. Nevertheless, I would contemplate how we each shared a moment of our lives in that place. How we might each appreciate the skill and “technology” invested in the creation of that simple tool.

Technology. It seems a strange word to apply to the fashioning of a stone into a useful implement. Yet the techniques that improved these tools advanced much as our electronics improve with each iteration. It is just that the leaps of ancient technologies advanced a millennia at a time rather than from week to week.

Millions of years ago a pre-human grasped a rock and at the same time mentally grasped that the power of his fist was thus magnified. Many thousands of years later an insight resulted in the fashioning of the rock to better fit the hand… an edge was found to lessen the effort for its use… a handle was lashed that further extended the power of the rock and had the additional benefit of distancing the user from the prey or adversary. Nearing the time of the Folsom people the handle had already grown long enough to make an effective throwing implement and a monumental improvement then followed in the form of the atlatl, a device that extended the throwing arm to release the spear with great force and effect. Social “technologies” concurrently developed that improved hunting strategies. Of course what followed was the bow and arrow, gunpowder, cannon… technology accelerating to the creation of civilization destroying capabilities.

It is easy to underestimate the impact of the early simple advances in the creation of tools. However, each of those technological leaps improved the odds that the strange creatures who had neither fangs nor claws might survive to avoid extinction.

Will the technologies that we have harnessed remain our salvation or instead be the agent our demise? If I ever find that ancient tool and then return it to its resting place, the person who next discovers it may know the answer.

Peace Everyone. Pete

January 9, 2019. “Know Yourself”

Posted on by Pete Schloss

We are continuing our journey southwest through Oklahoma with plans to overnight at Great Plains State Park. A weather event is predicted for Friday, rain to the south, a snowy mix to the north. We are choosing rain. (The pictures interspersed below are from our drive through Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and our camp this evening.)

During long drives my mind wanders like a rat in a maze. But where a rat seeks its reward at one destination, I find rewarding thoughts at each turn… even at the dead ends. At one such “end” I recalled a phrase from ancient history, “Know Yourself”. It was attributed to Socrates who was said to admonish his students nearly 2,500 years ago to seek to know themselves before seeking knowledge of other things. The maxim actually predates Socrates and is found as one of 147 Delphic aphorisms (kind of an expanded 10 Commandments). There are also equivalents found in Egyptian temple hieroglyphics.

Know Yourself… There is what I know, a product of education and life experiences. The “physical me” is pretty straightforward. A genetic role of the dice where my parents were each a die largely determined many of my obvious and hidden physical characteristics. Except for the intervention of fate (as in an accident or outside agency) my life expectancy is even influenced by my genes. But what about WHO I am, the personality that is me.

We are products of natural selection (recent events in China may herald a change is coming). However, it may be instructive to examine what can be accomplished through “intentional selection”, as in the controlled breeding of animals. Selection can focus not only on physical characteristics but also behavioral ones. Great Danes are big and tall, Dachshunds are small and short. Similarly, Dobermans and Rottweilers stand at one end of a behavioral spectrum while Labradors and Cocker Spaniels inhabit the other.

What behavioral and personality characteristics within each of us may have a genetically influenced predisposition? I seem driven to travel. I derive deep satisfaction in bringing people together. I am a ponderously slow reader with abysmal spelling skills. These are just 3 of the traits that I have made a directed self examination.

If there is a “travel gene” I probably inherited it. My mother’s parents were immigrants from Lebanon, leaving everything known and familiar for adventure and the speculation of opportunity in America. My father’s parent were Germans from Russia, part of two mass migrations. The first occurred in the early 1800’s where hundreds of German families moved to the Ukraine at the invitation of Catherine the Great, and then again in the early 20th Century to America seeking escape from the oppression of the Bolshevik Revolution. Most of my ancestors remained in Lebanon, Germany, and the Ukraine. Not my grandparents. My mother and father each left their homes and families in pursuit of higher education, meeting at the University of Wisconsin and establishing their home in Illinois, far from their West Virginia and North Dakota roots. When I was offered my first job out of college the placement options were St. Louis and Kansas City. I chose Kansas City solely because I had never been there before. Genetic predisposition?

I have always tested well, except in spelling. I hated spelling bees because I would always be the last person chosen for a team… for good reason. No amount of tutoring seemed to help. Spellcheck and a wife who “spells for me” have been my salvation. I have to occasionally force my memory to recall the directions that b, d, z, and s face. I learned to read at a very early age, hearing the words as if spoken in my mind. I still read that way for pleasure, but not when reading was required in my professional work. Learned behavior? Genetic? Perhaps a combination.

Finally is there a social gene. A dear friend brought this to my attention saying that the “social gene” was strong in me. This caused me to reflect upon my past… childhood, gathering neighborhood children for group play… College, starting the Undergraduate Administration of Justice Association… Our return from the 2013 Camino, founding the Kansas City chapter of The American Pilgrims on the Camino… 2015, starting the Kansas City Metro Casita Owners group. And of course the delight in sharing our travels and “seeing” you cross-talk with one another in the comments to my posts. Genetic? Socrates would likely have castigated me for focusing on the irrelevant. What is important is that we can all be part of a larger family when we embrace what binds us rather than what divides us.

Peace Everyone! Pete

PS. We are in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma, among the oldest mountains in North America. Driving through the National Wildlife refuge we were surprised to see that the campground was open and fully functional! We continued on to Oklahoma’s Great Plains State Park with intentions to proceed tomorrow to northern Texas and then on to El Paso. We are the parks sole occupants… except for the coyotes.

PPS. If you would like to read the remaining 146 Delphic Maxims, here they are. #66 is especially profound! (from Wikipedia):

1 Follow God (Επου θεω)

2 Obey the law (Νομω πειθου)

3 Worship the Gods (Θεους σεβου)

4 Respect your parents (Γονεις αιδου)

5 Be overcome by justice (Ηττω υπο δικαιου)

6 Know what you have learned (Γνωθι μαθων)

7 Perceive what you have heard (Ακουσας νοει)

8 Be/Know Yourself (Σαυτον ισθι)

9 Intend to get married (Γαμειν μελλε)

10 Know your opportunity (Καιρον γνωθι)

11 Think as a mortal (Φρονει θνητα)

12 “If you are a stranger act like one” or “When you are a stranger be aware” (Ξepsilon;νος ων ισθι)

13 Honor the hearth/Hestia (Εστιαν τιμα)

14 Control yourself (Αρχε σεαυτου)

15 Help your friends (Φιλοις βοηθει)

16 Control anger (Θυμου κρατει)

17 Exercise prudence (Φρονησιν ασκει)

18 Honor providence (Προνοιαν τιμα)

19 Do not use an oath (Ορκω μη χρω)

20 Love friendship (Φιλιαν αγαπα)

21 Cling to discipline (Παιδειας αντεχου)

22 Pursue honor (Δοξαν διωκε)

23 Long for wisdom (Σοφιαν ζηλου)

24 Speak well of the beautiful good (sometimes translated as “Praise the Good” but “kalon” is primarily “beautiful” but a Greek synonym for good – so it’s a nuanced translation) (Καλον ευ λεγε)

25 Find fault with no one (Ψεγε μηδενα)

26 Praise those having arête.  (Επαινει αρετην)

27 Practice what is just (Πραττε δικαια)

28 Be kind to friends (Θιλοις ευνοει)

29 Watch out for your enemies (Εχθρους αμυνου)

30 Exercise nobility of character (Ευγενειαν ασκει)

31 Shun evil (Κακιας απεχου)

32 Be impartial (Κοινος γινου)

33 Guard what is yours (Ιδια φυλαττε)

34 Shun what belongs to others (Αλλοτριων απεχου)

35 Listen to everyone (Ακουε παντα)

36 Be (religiously) silent (Ευφημος ιοθι)

37 Do a favor for a friend (Φιλω χαριζου)

38 Nothing to excess (Μηδεν αγαν)

39 Use time sparingly (Χρονου φειδου)

40 Foresee the future (Ορα το μελλον)

41 Despise insolence (Υβριν μισει)

42 Have respect for suppliants (Ικετας αιδου)

43 Be accommodating in everything (Παςιν αρμοζου)

44 Educate your sons (Υιους παιδευε)

45 Give what you have (Εχων χαριζου)

46 Fear deceit (Δολον φοβου)

47 Speak well of everyone (Ευλογει παντας)

48 Be a seeker of wisdom (Φιλοσοφος γινου)

49 Choose what is divine (Οσια κρινε)

50 Act when you know (Γνους πραττε)

51 Shun murder (Φονου απεχου)

52 Pray for things possible (Ευχου δυνατα)

53 Consult the wise (Σοφοις χρω)

54 Test the character (Ηθος δοκιμαζε)

55 Give back what you have received (Λαβων αποδος)

56 Down-look no one (Υφορω μηδενα)

57 Use your skill (Τεχνη χρω)

58 Do what you mean to do (Ο μελλεις, δος)

59 Honor a benefaction (Ευεργεςιας τιμα)

60 Be jealous of no one (Φθονει μηδενι)

61 Be on your guard (Φυλακη προσεχε)

62 Praise hope (Ελπιδα αινει)

63 Despise a slanderer (Διαβολην μισει)

64 Gain possessions justly (Δικαιως κτω)

65 Honor good men (Αγαθους τιμα)

66 Know the judge (Κριτην γνωθι)

67 Master wedding-feasts (Γαμους κρατει)

68 Recognize fortune (Τυχην νομιζε)

69 Flee a pledge (Εγγυην φευγε)

70 Speak plainly (Αμλως διαλεγου)

71 Associate with your peers (Ομοιοις χρω)

72 Govern your expenses (Δαπανων αρχου)

73 Be happy with what you have (Κτωμενος ηδου)

74 Rever a sense of shame (Αισχυνην σεβου)

75 Fulfill a favor (Χαριν εκτελει)

76 Pray for happiness (Ευτυχιαν ευχου)

77 Be fond of fortune (Τυχην στεργε)

78 Observe what you have heard (Ακουων ορα)

79 Work for what you can own (Εργαζου κτητα)

80 Despise strife (Εριν μισει)

81 Detest disgrace (Ονειδς εχθαιρε)

82 Restrain the tongue (Γλωτταν ισχε)

83 Keep yourself from insolence (Υβριν αμυνου)

84 Make just judgements (Κρινε δικαια)

85 Use what you have (Χρω χρημασιν)

86 Judge incorruptibly (Αδωροδοκητος δικαζε)

87 Accuse one who is present (Αιτιω παροντα)

88 Tell when you know (Λεγε ειδως)

89 Do not depend on strength (Βιας μη εχου)

90 Live without sorrow (Αλυπως βιου)

91 Live together meekly (Ομιλει πραως)

92 Finish the race without shrinking back (Περας επιτελει μη αποδειλιων))

93 Deal kindly with everyone (Φιλοφρονει πασιν)

94 Do not curse your sons (Υιοις μη καταρω)

95 Rule your wife (Γυναικος αρχε)

96 Benefit yourself (Σεαυτον ευ ποιει)

97 Be courteous (Ευπροσηγορος γινου)

98 Give a timely response (Αποκρινου εν καιρω)

99 Struggle with glory (Πονει μετ ευκλειας)

100 Act without repenting (Πραττε αμετανοητως)

101 Regret falling short of the mark (or goal) (Αμαρτανων μετανοει)

102 Control the eye (Οφθαλμοθ κρατει)

103 Give a timely counsel (Βουλευου χρονω)

104 Act quickly (Πραττε συντομως)

105 Guard friendship (Φιλιαν φυλαττε)

106 Be grateful (Ευγνωμων γινου)

107 Pursue harmony (Ομονοιαν διωκε)

108 Keep deeply the top secret (Αρρητον κρυπτε)

109 Fear ruling (Το κρατουν φοβου)

110 Pursue what is profitable (Το συμφερον θηρω)

111 Accept due measure (Καιρον προσδεχου)

112 Do away with enmities (Εχθρας διαλυε)

113 Accept old age (Γηρας προσδεχου)

114 Do not boast in might (Επι ρωμη μη καυχω)

115 Exercise (religious) silence (Ευφημιαν ασκει)

116 Flee enmity (Απεχθειαν φευγε)

117 Acquire wealth justly (Πλουτει δικιως)

118 Do not abandon honor (Δοξαν μη λειπε)

119 Despise evil (Κακιαν μισει)

120 Venture into danger prudently (Κινδυνευε φρονιμως)

121 Do not tire of learning (Μανθανων μη καμνε)

122 Do not stop to be thrifty (Φειδομενος μη λειπε)

123 Admire oracles (Χρησμους θαυμαζε)

124 Love whom you rear (Ους τρεφεις αγαπα)

125 Do not oppose someone absent (Αποντι μη μαχου)

126 Respect the elder (Πρεσβυτερον αιδου)

127 Teach a youngster (Νεωτερον διδασκε)

128 Do not trust wealth (Πλουτω απιστει)

129 Respect yourself (Σεαυτον αιδου)

130 Do not begin to be insolent (Μη αρχε υβριζειν)

131 Crown your ancestors (Προγονους στεφανου)

132 Die for your country (Θνησκε υπερ πατριδος)

133 Do not be discontented by life (Τω βιω μη αχθου)

134 Do not make fun of the dead (Επι νεκρω μη γελα)

135 Share the load of the unfortunate (Ατυχουντι συναχθου)

136 Gratify without harming (Χαριζου αβλαβως)

137 Greave for no one (Μη επι παντι λυπου)

138 Beget rom noble routes (Εξ ευγενων γεννα)

139 Make promises to no one (Επαγγελου μηδενι)

140 Do not wrong the dead (Φθιμενους μη αδικει)

141 Be well off as a mortal (Ευ πασχε ως θνητος)

142 Do not trust fortune (Τυχη μη πιστευε)

143 As a child be well-behaved (Παις ων κοσμιος ισθι)

144 as a youth – self-disciplined (ηβων εγκρατης)

145 as of middle-age – just (μεσος δικαιος)

146 as an old man – sensible (πρεσβυτης ευλογος)

147 on reaching the end – without sorrow (τελευτων αλυπος

January 8, 2019. On the Road (Again!)

Posted on by Pete Schloss

After a home stay in Kansas City of 3 months we have our Casita, “Rigel” again in tow. This has been the longest uninterrupted period at home since our retirements in May of 2015. Even Christine was itching to get back to traveling. In 2018 we were gone over 23 weeks, including a 13 week stretch overseas. 2017 included a 12 week journey to Alaska and the Yukon. It is likely that future trips will not be quite so long as we have found them to be taxing on us and the “little people” who desperately miss their grandma.

Our morning departure was not without incident. When I pressed the start button on our SUV instead of the throaty roar of a powerful V6, all I got was a series of anemic clicks. Dead battery. In the 45 minutes that followed I bought a replacement battery at Costco, installed it and all was again right with the world. The incident annoyed me but Christine saw it differently. “Boy was that a piece of good luck! It could have died while we were traveling!” Of course, she was right.

Our time spent at home was used well. Time with the kids, time at the gym… yard work, reading, Thanksgiving, the annual family birthday dinner (a private room at Pierpont’s in Kansas City’s Union Station). I dedicated many days to assembling and editing my posts from our 13 weeks abroad into a coffee table book. 202 glossy pages that are about 40% photographs and 60% narrative. The hard bound book was printed by a firm in the Netherlands, and the final product exceeding every possible expectation that I held. Copies were given as gifts to each of our children, Christine’s father, and my mother who never fails to read and comment upon my “Thoughts”.

Christmas morning was spent with our children (and grands) after which our daughters and their 7 little ones flew to Europe for 12 days in England and France (part of which they each spent with their French host families with whom they lived for a year as high school exchange students). The daughters and their children (with the exception of 1 year old Lennon) speak fluent French. Of course there was New Year’s Eve (see previous post!).

Oh yes, there was one more “event”. We drove to Breckenridge Colorado and shared time with our dear friend Kris Ashton who we first met walking across Spain in 2013. On October 5th, Christine’s 64th birthday, we bought 3 acres near Alma Colorado, 25 minutes south of Breckenridge. We have since been working on designing the vacation home which we hope to build in 2020.

It’s cold here where we are overnighting in Oklahoma at Grand Lake of the Cherokees. We are heading southwest through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and then back to Kansas City. A “wintery mix” is predicted for this region on Friday and we would like to not experience it. Our original plan had been to frequent the wonderful National Parks, Monuments, National Forests, COE and BLM sites we encounter along the way. Unfortunately, Washington has other ideas. I will leave it at that in keeping with my efforts to not politicize these posts.

Peace Everyone. Pete