There has....

...been a change in plans,
I ain't goin' to Dallas yet,
so I'm on my way to El Paso,
way down on the border with Mexico.

But today I'm in the town of Post,
the seat of Garza County at most,
it had a beginning of dreams,
Mr. Post had imagination it seems.

He plans to develop a place,
Utopian live a slow pace,
but that never happenedd but something else did,
let's not keep the history hid.

He's the man who came from New York,
cattle ranching became his big squawk,
he had acres and acres of land, that's how,
the little ol' Llano Ranch had the wests most famous cow.

But C W Post wasn't done,
he came up with Grape Nuts and won,
prizes for his inventions,
none of which involved any weapons.

He was famous and rich and shined,
and the town bears his name at this time,
It's quite a story I found,
Wikipedia won this round.

Next stop? Midland.

There ain't....

..no Elvis in Memphis, Texas and there never was,
this is a small county seat, that has a common cause;
saving the best stuff for the future times to come;
this old place thinks the war is won.

There are fifty miles of brick paved street,
it's so great to and fun to drive, really quite a treat.
So I guess I'll spend the night;
then get out when it's daylight.

There ain't no hotels here anymore,
so in that old Ford is where I'll snore.
But in the morning with blue in the sky,
there is a store, breakfast to buy.

Then I'll ramble right along old US two eighty-seven,
headed for Dallas which I heard was like heaven.
I doubt that heaven is like Dallas at all,
but I can see the Cowboys lose the ball.

We'll see.

Where to begin....

...was what I wondered,
to tell Bill about Jeff I pondered;
he was bound to find out, if he hadn't already,
how was I going to keep things steady.

We were out wandering around Plainview,
oh, it's a mighty fine place, the best of a few;
they have lots of nice things that you can buy,
you could really go broke, with nary a try.

But right in the middle, as you might say,
Jeff came along at the wrong time of day.
He took Bill and I by complete surprise;
I wished he would go back, just close his eyes.

Well Bill was excited, that could be the word,
he was upset and he screamed to be heard.
He used expletives - them are four letter words,
I almost blushed at what I heard.

He said I've had enough of this whole ghost stuff,
and I tried to explain but he walked off in a huff.
He he wasn't at all surprised, in a way;
that I'd show up to curse him some fine day.

He was abundantly clear and expressed it by voice,
Get the heck out of here, that's your only choice.
I'm not one to mangle the language the most-
but I'm not playing host to a host of a ghost!

What next?

Ya' know....

...when you're getting to Plainview, the sign is there to see,
Welcome Friend to Plainview Texas you'll be proud to be
associated with us friend! So I guess I'm welcome;
at least according to the sign, but I know that it's not home.

Now I got to start asking for and looking for my friend,
I forgot his address, his numbers around the bend;
will I ever find him, you guess is as good as mine;
I just point this old Ford, it finds things all the time.

Oh boy! Here's the house, I remember now,
it's the one beside the road painted like a cow!
I don't know why Bill took a notion;
I think I'd have painted it, to look more like an ocean!

So we pull in the drive way to 11 Holstein Place,
knock on the door and right into ol' Billies face.
We shake hands and he asks me in, he beckons with a smile,
I never thought you'd get here, figgered you miss me by a mile.

Well, I'm going to spend the day here in the Texas sun,
finding ol' Bill's a battle, that's finally been won.
Oh, we'll remember things that we used to do,
when I did this thing or that, or really was it you?

It's nice seeing a friend (he don't know 'bout Jeff)

I look...

...and I see through my rear window,
as we drive and leave Amarillo;
it's a great place, oh, the time we could spend,
in Amarillo, but what happens then?

We are back on the road, it's Interstate Twenty-seven,
but I can assure you it don't go to heaven.
It's true I can prove it, look at the map,
why this thing just goes to Lubbock and back.

But I ain't goin' that far, no sir, not me,
it's the great town of Plainview, that I want to see,
that's where my friend, from my younger days,
that I want to see 'fore he's dead in the grave.

His name is Bill or William for short,
or do I have that wrong? maybe I aught,
to give it more thought, yah, think it through,
nah! There must by better things to do.

The point is I'm going to visit Bill too,
least that's what I think, or do I visit you?
Now I'm all mixed up, my minds in a muck,
HEY, watch out, didn't you see that big truck.

Oh well, guess it's time for a rest,
'cause that's what Jeff just said would be best.
I'll see Bill in the morning, or is it you,
danged if I know, but it's one of the two.

Happy trails.

Going...

...through Ogg, Texas don't take much time,
and even if I lived there, it wouldn't be mine;
it's owned by the railroad, a tiny little place,
hardly ever noticed, in this fast lane kind of pace.

Ogg has a school, by the name of Ralph,
ain't that cool, a name unto itself.
Really it was named for a man who had a ranch,
he was the first guy there, so it's a name of chance.

But on to Amarillo, my last stop on sixty-six,
then I go even further out into the sticks,
not. I'll spend at least a day here, it's mighty nice;
heck they even had my favorite, Coca-Cola on ice!

There's a line of antique stores one mile long,
but there ain't nothin' you can buy there, even for a song.
So I'll sit and listen to some more from Bob Wills,
man that guy could give a dead man, a bad case of chills.

So ya'll just stay tuned in the for very latest news,
and I'll just continue to spout my pointed views,
it's been a good ride so far, and there's no need to doubt,
ol' Tehachapi Petes got the whole thing figgered out!

Keep on truckin'

Finding....

...a place to stay isn't always easy,
so, I just hung my hat outdoors, it's always breezy.
There ain't no sense in knockin' on doors,
or lookin' for buildings with more than two floors.

I look forward to tomorrow,
it will be time to go,
to that new favorite place I found;
the Midpoint Cafe is home ground.

Have 'nother piece of pie too,
"thanks a bunch, don't mind if I do,"
ugly crust is a misnomer, it ain't ugly at all,
it's just got bubbles in the crust, don't cause nothin' to fall.

Soon we'll pack up the old Ford,
make sure every body is on board.
Check the gas, lights and we go,
soon it's Amarillo, hello.

Headed south....

You can hear....

....the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville Tennessee,
it's the home of country music on that we all agree;
but when you cross that ol' Red River hoss,
that don't mean a thing;
'cause when you're down in Texas, Bob Wills is still the king.

Yee Haw! Ain't that the truth, I love Bob Wills,
got his CD right here, gives me the chills.
Well now I'm in Adrian Texas and I got my eye,
on the Midpoint Cafe and some "ugly crust pie"!

Pie is one of my favorite food groups,
it's a whole lot hell of a better one than soups.
I like 'em all for raisin to cherry,
umm, coconut cream and blueberry.

Well, we got to find us a place to stay,
lots of the old motels is closed now, so they say,
it's just a small place the ol' Texas place in the sticks,
but it's the midpoint 'tween Chicago and LA, on old sixty-six.

Think I'll hang around here for 'nother day,
I kind of like it, so what do you say,
more pie tomorrow, now that's the thing,
bet it could even make ol' Meatloaf sing.

Hang in there partner!

On the...

...road again, just ain't for Willie Nelson,
'sides that, you know, I'm mighty handsome.
We are on the road, that goes who knows where,
guess I better check that map, really, I do care.

Yep! That's the place that we want to be,
see that sign? It really says, "Welcome to Tucumcari".
I don't know much about this place, I guess that's alright.
Anyhow, I feel to good, to go and pick a fight.

They got a farmers market, each and every day,
and lots of places you can go, and places I can stay.
It's the gem of the mother road, you know, sixty-six,
else there'd be no reason to be out here in the sticks.

But, I think, maybe tomorrow I will start,
out in the early morning, that's Jeffs hard part.
we'll get in to Texas, just before dark,
we'll be in a hurry to find a place to park.

Oh, the things you think you see, out in the desert sands,
I thought that I found water, but it was only my hands;
Keep a water bottle handy, when you chance to go;
out here in this high desert place of New Mexico.

Next stop Texas (it's almost as big as my lies)

Finally...

...we got going east,
dad burned interstate is a beast,
I'd druther ride 'nother road,
there's more to see and the pace is slowed.

We ended up, tonight, in a really nice place,
on the old Pecos River, with a couple of lakes,
it's Santa Rosa, still in New Mexico,
but that was a far as we could go.

They still have a Drive In on Route 66,
and a Cherry Dump cake, it's not from a mix;
They got lakes, one's called Blue Hole,
I ain't goin' in, the waters too cold.

That old ghostly Jeff, came along for the ride,
but he gives advise, I don't want, darn his hide;
'course you can't really git rid of a ghost;
If'n I could he would be toast!

Well maybe to tomorrow, we see;
get back on the road to Tucumcari,
that's just the name of 'nother place,
oh, what the heck, onward we race.

It's been a good ride (so far)

A Note

Notice the boxes at the end of each "post", you can tell me how you do/don't like what's going on. 'K?

Have...

...you ever been lost in New Mexico?
well, me neither 'til now, you know.
getting mixed up on these highways and such,
hope that soon I can change my luck.

I got on the Interstate to be headed east,
at least that what I thought, 'til I got on the beast.
There are so many turns, and cloverleafs,
now am I headed North? Or still going East?

Dog gone these dad blasted things,
sometimes I wish that I'd grown wings,
I think I'm stuck here, with no place to go.
Oh well, I'll try it again. Tomorrow.

Getting there the slow way.

On, great scot...

what have I done,
where in the world have I come,
this is one huge city here,
Albuquerque we are here!

I need to git someplace less fancy,
this isn't good, I'm gettin' antsy;
please somebody help;
I'm afraid I'll lose my scalp.

Get back on the road fast,
this city visit cannot last.
I never saw so many cars,
there's more of them than there are stars.

I sure do miss my country home,
and here I am, out here all alone.
'Course I've got Jeff, the resident ghost,
and my Ford, which I like the most.

Guess I'll be headed east fast,
me in this place will never last.
Gas up the old '48 Ford,
push the pedal to the board.

Headed east!

From Vila De Cubero....

...as I tried to flee,
the old Ford wouldn't go, and so it came to be,
I was stuck here, without help, there was no place to go,
might as well be at home here in this old Pueblo.

The old stone motel doesn't have a roof,
and this is a ghost town, if you needed proof.
I wonder if at my next meal I'll have a guest,
another ghost or someone, or is there only Jeff.

I need to be leaving here, I'm working on the motor,
and then I stop and ask myself, what the hell's a rotor.
It's part of the distributor, I now understand,
but how can I get one, stuck out here in this land.

Now, you won't believe this, but it's really true,
Jeff came to visit, the part was there out of the blue.
How he does that I don't know,
but that means that I am free right now, and that I can go.

See you tomorrow. (Jeff may ride along)

Well, here....

....I am, in Vile De Cubero, New Mexico,
it's a very small place for you to go,
it was once busy, but lifes passed it by,
there was just me an' one other guy.

I set up camp in an old stone motel,
boy did that other guy have stories to tell.
This town is deserted, nobodies left,
Well, right now there's me and Jeff.

I didn't eat much, my rations are slack,
need to go to a bank and reline my pack.
But I got enuff' and offer to share,
with the other guy, but he don't care.

He tole me was born right here,
but I got the "willies" when he tole me the year,
I have never believed in ghosts,
but this time, I guess, I was the host.

Jeepers, it was so creepy,
after that I wan't even sleepy
Holy old scare crow, and jibberty jack,
I got out of there, and I ain't goin' back.

Eastward bound!

Going east...

....I came to my next stop,
they got stuff here'd make your eyes pop
I'll tell you about this place that I know,
it's called Grants, New Mexico.

Well it's quite a place, and it's no too big,
just the kind of town that I dig.
It's on the Continental Divide,
boy my and Meatloaf could ride.

You could ride from West to East,
in a matter of minutes, and you could feast,
on good country food, have your favorite dish.
It's a heck of a lot better than that Maine fish.

They got a volcano that's extinct,
least that's what I think,
and then there's an ice cave that really nice.
in an old lava tube, the floors all ice.

You know I can't write all this fluff,
if there was no research and stuff.
Grants, NM is right on the web,
or, you could Google it instead.

Well tomorrow I'm headed east,
or, that's what I'm plannin' at least.
Head the ol' Ford in the right direction,
all ready to go, ready for action!

East on US66.

You aren't going to believe this!....

in fact, it's true,

Tehachapi was used to just barbeque.

But who in met in Gallup, well you'll be surprised.

In fact you won't believe your own eyes.

Here it is in his own words!

When I got to Gallup it was food on my mind,

so went to see what I could find.

Up the street came a fella like I never seen,

wearing an oilskin, it had been painted green.

So I said howdy, and how do you do,

he said cowpoke I been lookin' for you.

I just opened up the best place to eat,

you ain't seen nothin' like it, it can't be beat.

He told he just come here from some place called Maine,

that's what he told me, that was his claim.

Said he'd been a fisherman up there,

and now he had some he was willin' to share.

He said he had a "bistro", what the heck is that,

well sir, Mr. Man, it's where I hang my hat;

it's a 'nother name for cafe, now don't you start to squawk,

it's a real thing I learned it in New Yawk!

Well, when he said fish I was thinkin' of trout,

to me that was what fish was about.

I asked him what kind of fish that he had,

he sputterin' on 'bout haddock and shad.

Then he told me that I should try,

somein' called lobstah, he had a tear in his eye,

told me that people in Maine, all ate lobstah,

well...that was his claim.

I ain't never seed nothin' called that,

he said he could boil one in no time flat.

Boiled fish I asked, now ain't that strange,

he already had a big pot on the range. (as in stove, not as in open)

He had water boilin', steam in a cloud,

boy oh boy, that fella was proud.

Then he brought out a big red bug,

and I told him, he should clean his rug.

No this is lobstar, it's Maine's prize fish!

And I told him he wasn't puttin' it in my dish!

Then I asked him how he got here,

and why was he usin' words like 'deah'

He said that's we way that we talk up thayah,

then he started sayin' things like 'ayuh'

oh, good godfrey that fella was strange,

I ain't never seen nothin' like it, while ridin' the range.

And then he told me that that thing was cooked,

it can't be I said, see how red it looked,

no he said when they're raw they're green,

dadburn strangest thing I ever seen.

He told me he'd come here he heard that they be,

things from outer space he wanted to see,

Can you believe it, man he was weird,

I was startin' to get some scared.

Then he put that thing on a stick,

eat like a hot dog that was the trick.

I still havn't put the thing down,

I ain't gonna eat it, I'm leavin' town.

Jeepers...........

...we're off and running, trying not to be late,
it always pays off big time, be the first one out the gate.
Up sixty-six we continue, we'll take time to look,
at a town in Arizona, it's name is Holbrook.

Was it named for Hal? Of that we can't be certain,
probably not, 'cause he was born after they pulled the curtain,
on this town, oh there are ghosts, and that's a fact,
watch your head lest they attack!

But this goat of mine, well she does guard duty too,
come up to me, being mean, and see what she and do.
She's a valuable critters, it good to have around,
just in case the other guy, got a dog from the pound.

We won't stay here very long, think the place is haunted,
because we get the feeling, that here we are not wanted.
Just take time to buy some gas, and fill the water bottle,
and we're off and running, going full throttle.

See you again tomorrow, when we can share our fate,
up airhead's the state line we're leaving the fair state.
Going to drive New Mexico, Richardson's the Gov',
I'm sure we'll have adventure, oh this you're going to love!

More tomorrow on the continuing saga of goats out west!

By golly...

...I think Flagstaff is ahead,
be glad to get there, it's like I'm half dead.
And that goat, you know, the one in the sack,
she keeps sayin' she wants to go back!

Now I can't imagine her hitchin' a ride,
and she certainly wouldn't make a bride;
so I can't let her keep acting like that,
and then the damned goat-ate my hat!

Well anyway, as I was sayin',
we're now in Flagstaff, hmmm, where am I stayin'?
Well, the goats gone and done it, bleated out loud;
couldn't get a hotel room, no goats allowed.

So we went down to a big city park,
pitched a tent before it got dark;
then came a cop and a ranger,
said "you can't camp here, you're a stranger".

Well, I said, don't look no stranger than you,
then I had to run, there was me, but they was two!
Dag nab it! Well I guess it's the Ford in a pinch,
Gol durn goat's caused us all to wince.

Well, goodnight I'm sleepy, ready to dream,
of wonderful parts of the USA unseen,
me and that goat, what an odd team,
but by golly, we try (that's try) to stay clean.

'bye, for now
(just a note: everytime I write about a goat, I get an ad for sweetlix.com, a nutritional supplement for goats, what a laugh)

Onward...

...ever onward, this road is really long,
I don't know if I can remember the words to the song,
but it involves this road and a show on TV,
one thing is for certain, it did not star me.

The goat is getting restless, it needs to be outside,
but letting her go out now, would endanger her hide.
And so on we go, not much time to rest,
getting to Flagstaff, is getting to be a test.

The old Ford it rumbles, growls and grinds gears,
of course I guess it's because I've had it all these years.
So on we go through the sands and scenery passes by,
we'll get you all to Flagstaff in the bye and bye.

Bye!

Well...

..I wish you could see,
the grin on my face, oh gee.
The ain't nothin' wrong with that car,
it was just out of gas, now we'll go far.

Heading on out with Flagstaff in sight,
my oh my, you hang on tight.
We're going to follow historic route 66,
boy don't that remind me of ol' Tom Mix. (he was a cowboy movie star)

You know, I've been thinking, dangerous I know,
'bout maybe gettin' a goat, to go! (no fries with that please)
I could use the milk and companies not bad,
Now I got to see if a goat can be had.

Old Larry could tell you 'bout the time,
it happened to him while ridin' in 1959!
He was hitchin' a ride out in Colorado one day,
and he got a ride with a fella, who went on to say,

you'll have to sit in the back,
up here I got a goat in a sack,
and sure enough, as he peeked over to see.
There was that goat, gee there he be.

So you see there's some history here,
ridin' around with a relation to deer;
no doubt about it, it'll be a fun ride,
come on, hop in, go for a ride.

Getting out....

..Kingman, wasn't going easy,
somein' a breakfast made me mighty queasy.
Could have been the eggs or ham,
maybe it was the rutabega jam. (boy there's a yuk)

And that damned ol' Ford,
cussed thing say's it bored. (this is not the same as "My Mother the Car")
First there was trouble, it didn't want to start,
then came the ol' out of gas part.

It ain't the way I wanted it,
that old Fords hissy fit.
I'll get out my trusty bat,
bet it will start we she sees that!

Nope! Dagnab it all,
the darned ol' thing just wants to stall,
don't really know what else to do,
maybe tomorrow I'll tell you.

Headed east....

...towards Kingman, it's in Arizona,
peaceful riding out here I'm a loner.
It will be nice to see some new places,
as well as meeting many new faces.

Hope this old Ford will keep on the run,
'Cause it get's real hot out here in the sun.
This ol' dad-blasted car,
just hope it gets me that far.

It's right up ahead! I can see it!
Kingman's right there! I made it!
Holy ol' cow would you look at that!
I'm gonna get me a real cowboy hat.

You know I still have a long ways to travel,
looking toward Flagstaff, hope my plans don't unravel.
But right now I'm happy to be,
writing to you, while being me.

Join me tomorrow, as I continue,
driving the range, seeking new venue.
Riding along in the hot sun,
Boy I sure know how to have fun.

Everything is.......

...ready, get in the car,
ready to roll, going so far,
out on Interstate 40 we start,
I hope this is the easy part.

I didn't get far but I was ready to go,
then a cop said I was going to slow,
you see there's a limit so you don't draw a crowd,
forty-five is the slowest that you're allowed.

Maybe I should try other roads,
somethin' that don't have no speed limit loads,
or maybe I'll try to really drive faster,
is this whole trip going to be a disaster?

I guess...

...it's time to go,
the old Ford runs, says Roscoe.
I headed way back east,
going to see Ralphie the beast.

He lives in Texas, Plainview in fact,
I sure hope his house ain't no shack.
But before I get there, it's a long ways to go,
got to go through Arizona and New Mexico.

It will take weeks, for all I know,
one thing's for sure, I know where to go.
Probably I ought to buy gas,
maybe a sandwich and a car wash pass.

I really don't know how to prepare,
or how to act, if I ever get there.
I've got air in the tires,
and a couple of spares.

Well, I'll say see ya later to old Meatloaf,
I can't take him along, the great big oaf.
But I wish that I could, maybe there's a way,
cut a hole in the roof, and take out the ash tray.

I'm thinking about it, a lot of the time,
or should this trip be only mine.
Stay tuned for the latest tale of the trip,
probably need a land yacht, or even a ship.

There ain't....

....no tellin' how long it could take,
get this old car runnin', now that take's the cake.
One thing after another, or so it seems,
this doggone thing won't run on dreams.

Well Roscoe says the muffler is bad,
down at the junk yard there's no to be had.
We got one on finally, now it ain't busted,
but poor ol' me, well, I'm exhausted. (pun intended)

Now he tells me the carburetor broke,
somethin' 'bout a thing called a float.
I told him that this was a car,
it won't go in water, I won't drive it that far.

Roscoe told me it helps the car pass gas,
and I told him he was a pain in the ass.
He said wait a minute, it ain't what you think,
you don't have to work, and it don't stink.

Gee, I can't tell you how glad I am,
finally got the thing going, and I'm on the lam.
I'll tell you about my plans for a trip,
next time I write, boy it'll be a pip.

Meatloaf...

....that's the name of my hoss,
don't want to go, well I'll show him who's boss.
I've been thinkin' 'bout taking a trip, so I went out to the barn,
took out my old car, I'll show that ol' hoss I don't give a darn.

The cars my old sweetheart it's a '48 Ford,
it old but it gets there, out on the road with the horde.
It runs pretty good, well it did,
you see, since I got Meatloaf, well I kept her hid.

But the motors still pretty, and the heads are both flat,
it ain't never exploded or nothin' like that.
I'll go ask old Roscoe if he can help fix her,
he can on most anything, even your mixer.

He says I could start with points and plugs,

It'll be a good start to work out the bugs.
Well I done plugs before, so that was first,

that other thing, well it sounded worse.

Well points go under the distributor cap,

can be too hard can it? just doin' that.

So I went to get some, boy they ain't nothin' pretty,

looks like a prayin' mantis designed by committee.

I need...

...to tell you 'bout my doggone hoss,
he tries to tell me that's he's the boss.
The dad blasted varmint don't want to please.
He's worse than a hound dog with lots of fleas!

I wanted to ride out on one moonlit night,
when that ol' critter put up a fight.
He shook off his bridle and spit out his bit,
he ain't goin' at night, he pitched a fit.

There ain't nothin' that I can do,
guess I'll just go hang up another hoss shoe.
I'll put over the door, the one on the barn,
and just keep wishin' that hoss'll give a darn!

maybe more tomorrow.

It's Monday...

....whatever that means, not much in the grand scheme of things,
but each new week comes in with a bang, and it always brings,
stuff to do, places to go - so get ready, get set and go.
Time to move it, but, I'm oh so slow.

This old cowboy gets pretty tired,
even doing nothing gets me mired,
in some unknown place,
I need to get back in the race.

So today I'll work building fences,
or plumbing with my monkey wrenches,
or maybe there's fish in the brook,
which means that I'll sharpen the hook.

But you know how it is,
when the pop out of fizz,
when it gets real flat and all,
that's me! I'm no rolling ball.

Sit in a rocker and watch, which is my way,
to see cars going by on the highway;
sometimes I see red, white and blue,
they all remind me of you.

You ain't....

...seen nothin', until you see the view,
from Tehachapi at sunset, I have a time or two.
You see here in the high desert nothings in the way,
you can see until forever, just look and you will say,
what a wonderful and super place you have here,
it's a fine place pure and simple, and I hold it dear.
I love the spring and summer, winter can be a chore;
but do I still love it? Well, yeah, sure!

Not much happens here, in our daily grind,
let me tell you about it. No never mind!
You just take my word, it's a simple life,
just never down and dirty, no sign of any strife.
That's the way life is in Tehachapi,
why don't you come and visit, it will be fine with me.

follow along, more to follow (tomorrow)

Howdy neighbor....

...it's nice to see you, please drop right in,
well let me see now, hmmm, where to begin.
Oh that's right, talking of this place where I call home.
It's Tehachapi that I like, and I like to live alone.

That's the way I like it, it's the very best,
it's better than living with them and all the rest.
I can go and wander, even in the night,
come and go as I please, no reason to fight.

I like it here very much it's a wonderful town,
There ain't no uptown here, and not much of a down.
But that's the way I like it, peaceful and calm.
Never want to do anybody, any harm.

Out on this great high desert, you can see the stars at night,
I've heard that they keep shining, even when it's light.
and of course the sun heats up the day, it's gets really hot.
But I love my high desert, hot or cold or not.