Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Washita/Aunt's ranch/Roswell

Sunday was a beautiful day, and I had several stops. One was to Braums for ice cream and a burger. Again with the memories, I remember my grandpa taking me to Braum's when we would visit. We didn't talk much, but I cherish those memories anyway. I saw a grandpa with his granddaughter in Braum's, and they weren't talking much, but hopefully it's all good. OK enough of that.

Next, I went to Washita Battlefield National Monument. It was on the map and sounded interesting, so I went. It is near a small town named Cheyenne in the Black Kettle National Grassland. Black Kettle was a peace chief of a southern Cheyenne tribe that was massacred by George Custer in 1868, in a pre-dawn attack that killed women, children, and many ponies. They purposely killed ponies to destroy their culture and make it difficult to escape. The museum at the monument has an exhibit called "Clash of Cultures." Indeed. Two very different cultures come into contact with each other so there will be inevitable clashes. However, I'm very sympathetic to the American Indian viewpoint. Some, like Black Kettle, were trying to make treaties to preserve their way of life and allow the white man to settle; but others understandably did not want their culture destroyed. I'm pretty sure if invaders entered the United States many Americans would fight back. I don' t know how things could have gone differently, unless European settlers decided the land was not so important that they needed to murder people. Many of the visitors at the monument had written their reactions to what they learned, and most were angry about the massacre and wondered how to end cycles of violence that consistently repeat themselves throughout human history. We can look back and say that was awful, but we continue to engage in these cycles with different players and cultures. I don't have an answer! But, I'm really glad I visited the monument.

Next I went to my Aunt Nola's ranch! This was really fun and we had a great visit. There were many friendly dogs, donkeys, and even a miniature horse to visit! Also my cousin's bird Gulliver who seems to have been around forever is staying with my aunt. The ranch was very beautiful. It would be wonderful to wake up to wide open spaces like that every morning. Of course, I could never be a rancher, so that is not going to happen.

Monday I drove to Roswell, partly on Route 66. It was kind of dreary, but a nice drive overall. Roswell is an odd town. I remember thinking that last time I visited, and it held up this time. The art museum had mostly modern art I did not understand, although had a nice exhibit on Robert Goddard the rocket scientist.

Roswell has a serious traffic problem. As I drove past the International UFO Museum looking for a parking space, all the power went off in downtown Roswell--stop lights included. Because of the nightmarish traffic, this was an unpleasant situation. I turned around, found my hotel, checked in, then walked to the museum since the rain had stopped. The museum is mostly newspaper articles and affidavits about the Roswell UFO incident of 1947. I find it fascinating. The museum was crowded. I wonder how many people believe it or just find it an amusing place to stop on a trip?

I ate at a place several said was the locals' favorite called Peppers Bar and Grill. The burrito was pretty good, and all of Roswell was in it so it was a bit chaotic.

Heading to White Sands and Silver City today! Weather looks MUCH better today.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I hope you enjoy my little country town of Silver City. If you're here for a few days, you may want to be sure to check out The Gila Cliff Dwellings, The City of Rocks, Downtown has a bunch of nice galleries. Want a good meal? Jalesco's on Bullard St is good as is Diane's on Bullard. For the more budget conscience, Nancy's Cafe on Bullard St has GREAT New Mexican food! If you have any questions, I'd be glad to point you in the right direction. Linda Ferrara at Coldwell Banker 1-800-456-3132 - -they'll give you my cell #.

Friday night at the Silco Theatre is a folk singer named Erica Wheeler.

Enjoy!! Linda@silvercity-realestate.com

Anne said...

Thanks for the tips, Jalesco's was great last night! I'm heading to the Gila Cliff Dwellings today, I think.