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Today's story:
Greetings and Happy Holidays from Rockport, Texas
This blog is the last in a series of four about Cyndy Keesler’s and my six-week trip through the
Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.
In all, we visited and/or hiked in five national parks, six national monuments, one national forest, one national preserve, one Navajo tribal park, three state parks, and one scenic backcountry area.
When the radio quiz show of that name celebrated its 10th anniversary in March 1950, the show’s promotional team put out an invitation to any city in the US to change its name to what is commonly abbreviated “TorC.”
The city council here took the bait and changed its name from Hot Springs and, thus, was rewarded with the honor of being the site of the show’s anniversary broadcast.
Ralph Edwards, the host of Truth or Consequences, visited TorC during the first week of May for the next 50 years when the town celebrates its annual Fiesta with a parade, beauty contest, and dance in the park.
Cyndy and I "camped" for two nights at
Riverbend Hot Springs where we enjoyed several hours luxuriating in delightful mineral spa baths in which the water temperatures ranged from 101 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
Riverbend is on the western bank of the Rio Grande. While soaking in any of its eight pools, we looked at and across the river with the Caballo Mountains in the background.
On our first night there, I heard wild horses and coyotes on the east side of the river.
November 24 and 25: We pulled our trailer 830 miles in two days from Truth or Consequences to
Goose Island State Park near Rockport, Texas, descending from an elevation of 4,400 feet to barely above sea level.
Of course, the picturesque Hill Country of western Texas took us up and down in the process.
We stayed at Goose Island, camped on the shore of Aransas Bay, which is dotted with commercial fishing boats, until December 1 when we moved to Majestic Oak RV Park in Rockport; we have a reservation there until April 1.
Cyndy will likely visit members of her family at a time to be determined.
In early January, I’m going on an extended spiritual retreat at
Diamond Mountain Retreat Center in eastern Arizona. No/limited internet. No/limited connections with the outside world.
I am truly looking forward to this opportunity to journey within, to explore and rediscover myself and my purpose for the next phase of my life.
Thus, in various delightful ways, the journey continues. I’ll let you know when I return.
In the meantime, I thank you sincerely for being interested in my work and my words.
I also request that you take a look at the series of eBooks that I published this past summer.
Journey … People, Places, & Ponderings is a comprehensive and fascinating report of my travels over the past 40 years.
The stories are about people and places and are also rich with insights about life, culture, and spirituality. If you've enjoyed reading my recent blogs, you will be even more excited about these blog compilations.
They are available through Amazon.
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