June 16, 2000

Day 3 of 14

Today started early so we could get to the caverns before the Sky Watch party. We had a long drive across Texas, or at least what they call Texas. Naomi has decided that everything east of Abilene is NOT Texas. She was very disappointed that there were no people wearing Cowboy hats, pickup trucks with horns on the hood and gun racks, tumbleweed, ghost towns, oil wells, deserts, long horn cattle and it was way too green, looks much like Alabama. 

I was very tired with only 3 hours sleep, but we had a long talk about the source of oil (Fred, Naomi wants the long definition on where  real oil comes from, please? ). 

We were up early enough to see the sunrise in REAL Texas, and saw some of the huge windmills, tumbleweed and got to the NM border where someone had put a New Beetle sign on the "Welcome Sign". Naomi got out and took pictures of the tumbleweed and then "freed the tumbleweed" from the fence it was hung up in. She has an obsession with freeing things:)  

We got to Carlsbad early and took the Natural entrance/Big Room self-guided w/ audio. It was nice that there were not too many people there, but it was also allot dryer than last year, so the standing water was not as nice. After the caves, we headed for Roswell.

We checked in and then met Jerry from the Roswell Parks & Recreation department. He took us to the Sunken Gardens and showed us where the bench would be placed. It was very nice, I think Katie will get lots of visitors.  Then we went to the Sky Watch party. 

At the party, I was given a plaque for Katie, a scrap book which some of the New Beetle put together with Debbie & family of Texas doing most the work (DejaVW looks awesome!!!)  It was harder than I expected, I had hoped to say a few words, but I was not prepared for the experience emotionally. I think of the New Beetle people as very large family, it was nice seeing many of them again, but the constant thoughts of Katie were trying. Hopefully tomorrow will be more light hearted.  

Then the cars and cars and cars. There must have been close to 200 at the evening event. With some really awesome paint and themes set up. What a great group of people. After the party, I headed back to the hotel and then out to wash the car for the show. I finished washing about 12:15 am, and headed for the room, where I noticed one of the Giant Herbies was missing!!!! I contacted the hotel detective, and alerted the local authorities, but there wasn't a trace and any border crossing :( There was no ransom note, not a sign of violence.  I thought about putting out filers, but around 8 am it finally was returned unharmed. So I will not be pressing charges against the "Free the Herbies" organization.

I was so tired, I just couldn't do the email, so I expected to do it in the morning, but that didn't happen either. It is now after the car show and Bottomless Lake cruise, but that will be covered in today's post later today or tomorrow:)

Texas sunrise	windmills	windmills	me
There be oil	Stuck tumbleweed	"freed" tumbleweed	New Mexico Border
N.M. sign with R2K poster	The first Vapor Blue I have seen.	Naomi, Angelisa, VB & Me at Carlsbad Caverns	Carlsbad Caverns stuff
Indian paintings in Caverns
Reflection Lake
			View from the top of the Caverns
Sunken Gardens (grass to the right is for the bench)	SG Grass in the back is for the bench
			Me standing where the bench goes
Jerry from Roswell Parks & Recreation sitting on the bench	Plaque on the bench	Sky Watch Party pictures......	Must be close to 200 bugs here.