Shot Down in a Blaze of Glory.....

It was pouring down rain...I mean a real gusher of rain.  John and Eli were suppose to hop on the Spyder and ride it to Capitan, Lincoln and then into Odessa, but plans changed when they were both wet in 5 minutes. Eli got into the car with Lizzy and me, and John got grumpy..real fast. After I pointed out the fact that he knew it was going to rain and didn't pack accordingly....he hunkered down. The rain didn't last long.

1st stop was the home of  Smokey The Bear in Capitan, NM.  I'd been here before, but loved seeing it through the kids eyes. I mean, who doesn't love Smokey The Bear?

 Smokey's final resting place Inside the beautiful Smokey The Bear Historical Park

The sun was out...John dried out and we headed up the road just a few miles to Lincoln County, NM. This is the sight of the historical Lincoln County Wars where Billy The Kid was part of the problem or solution depending on which history you want to believe. Anyway...always fun to learn more about the American West and a folk lore legend...

Old Lincoln County Courthouse.  It's been restored and is full of many interesting facts which include a time line of events.

Not far from home, now....I can smell the dirt.  After lunch in Carlsbad...we rolled the back roads into Seminole, hit Andrews - where John stopped at Cpl. Rays for coffee and we pushed on to Odessa, TX The end of our journey...an epic trip, for sure.