FT. SMITH JAILBIRD

Aloha from Tucumcari. Last week at this time, we were in Arkansas. We visited the historical part of Ft. Smith with friends Johnny and Georgia

Then on to Elk City, Oklahoma. Through the Texas panhandle, and on to Tucumcari. The weather has been very agreeable, and the roads good for the most part. Some construction, and Ohlahoma City was without doubt, the worst peice of I-40 from California to Nashville. We are doing well and Ross is hanging in there, Hope all is well with you. We miss you all, and look forward to seeing you again. God Bless......

JUDGE PARKER (the HANGING JUDGE) GALLOWS

These are the gallows where "Hanging Judge Parker" issued swift and sure punishment. On two occasions, he hung 6 gang members at the same time. Being fitted for nooses are Diane and Georgia.

FT. SMITH BORDER, U.S.A. AND INDIAN TERRITORY

Fort Smith was famous as the border between the US (Arkansas) and the Indian Territory. The 19th century saw plenty of opportunity for raw crime. There was conflict between the Osage and Cheyenne indians, bankrobbers, and a host of other criminals trying to escape into the Oklahoma territory. Indian tribes from the Southeast were being herded to Oklahoma Territory (the Trail of Tears), so unrest in this area was substantial.

TUCUMCARI MT.

This is the Too damn scarey (Tucumcari)monument. It just kind of hangs there, staring down at the desert plain. We decided to spend the weekend and investigate this Route 66 town memorialized in the song of the same title. It looks like it was abandoned in the 50's. 7 out of 10 of the commercial buildings have been abandoned, 2 of the 10 are closed, and 1 is sort of open. Much of the old Route 66 is in similar condition. I am surprised that some large corporation hasn't bought the place, and revived it. I think it would draw a lot of business.

WE FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS, AND HERE WE ARE

One thing this town does have, is murals. Beautiful murals painted on old walls. Tucumcari is located almost halfway between Lithuania and Egypt. There is a decent truck stop, a couple of open restaurants, half a dozen motels, which may or may not be open. They pretty much look the same. This picture is only about 1/10 of the overall mural.

RV MEMORIAL

The signs and the ancient camper, pretty much typify the rest of the town.

TUCUMCARI TRUMP HOTEL.......NOT!

In spite of the condition, I love these old semi-ghost towns. If you have a warped imagination, as I do, it is fun to picture the activity of these places in their haydays. This old building is a composite of building materials; adobe, rock, brick, and iron. It is also an amalgamation of architecural styles.

50'S DESOTO PARKED IN MOTEL WITH MUCHO VACANCY

Nice old car. This is one of those "maybe open, maybe not" Motels of the 50's. I can verify there are a ton of vacancies.

A GHOST FROM THE PAST

Another vision of days gone by............

MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY OVERSTATED

Diane, getting her kicks on Route 66

WHAT'S DOWN with the BREHMS, 25, SEPT. 011

LOCAL IRISH PUB

Hey y'all, greetings from Ozark. Everything's just dandy here. The weather is perfect, and the scenery spectacular, so much that we have decided to hang here for another week. Met up with friends Johnny and Geargia again. Last night we all went to the Rivertown BBQ in town, then on to a free 3 hour Bluegrass concert in the local park. 3 great bands. Tomorrow, it's in to Ft. Smith to visit Judge Parker (the hangin judge) court, house etc.

POST FAMILIE WINERY

A couple of days ago, we took a little drive East through some small towns. We stopped at the "Post Familie" winery in Altus for some tasting and buying. Good stuff! The folks at the winery recommended the Irish pub in the previous photo, for lunch. Having been in a few pubs in Ireland, I was impressed with the authentic fare and the atmosphere..

THE "BIG HOUSE", OZARK JAIL

This old jail house is built of local limestone, and is fairly representitive of many of the buildings in the two or three blocks of downtown Ozark. City population is 3500.

TOWN OF OZARK in the DISTANCE

This picture was taken from a couple miles away. You can see the bridge over the Arkansas River between the tree limbs. Campers delight...

BRIDGE OVER the ARKANSAS RIVER at OZARK

Just a close up of the previous picture.

The bridge is covered with lights, and at night makes quite a spectacle over the river.

ARCH-ARC LOCKS & DAM at OZARK

If you look to the right of the dam and locks, you can see where we are camped. I drove around and over the bridge in the previous picture and climbed the hill to take this pic.

Hope everyone of you had a wonderful summer. Time for fall, I know because the Chargers will be playing this afternoon, and we'll be watching. Hope they do better than last week.

RIVER FOG

This looked much better in person, but I had to try. This is fog laying on top of a mirror still river at 8:00 am.

It almost looks like cotton balls. Wierd! But so is everything first thing in the morning.