Meanest Rattler This Side of the Pecos
Next morning I was up early for a tour of Fort Concho 
with Bob Bluthardt. Although Ft. Concho and
San Angelo were not stops on the Butterfield stage route , they are the closest sites to the actual route. The Butterfield route actually passed just north of San Angelo; unfortunately, there are no highways or towns on that stretch of the old route.
Fort Concho has a great interpretive program , and while I was there, I witnessed part of their school tour . The fort is complete with period furnishings and artifacts so that the visitor can really get a sense of what life was like for the average soldier
on the Texas frontier .
After the tour I continued my journey westward for an overnight stay in the Fort Stockton area—again, not on the actual route. And like in the olden days,the RV parks in this area don't seem to have the amenities that this kind of modern operation need, i.e. reliable wi fi. I'm right there with Ormsby!
On the way however, I was able to find Horsehead Crossing . This was the spot where the stagecoach passed over the Pecos River and it was not easy to get to. My path led me about 6 miles down a dusty dirt road where few except a handful of locals probably ever go. Judging from the shell casings littering the area it must be a pretty popular spot for target practice. The river is not as large as the legend that preceded it, but it's still quite beautiful. The old marker is still there—minus a few chinks missing from said target practice.
On my way out, I ran into (almost quite literally!) a rattlesnake , my first live one. (The couple I've seen before were on the losing end of a run-in with the modern highway). This one was in the middle of the road and deploying one of his defense tactics—playing dead or acting like a stick. Not wanting to run him over, I got out and tried throwing things at him to get him to move along. Nothing seemed to work. He was determined to remain a stick and to be quite honest I was starting to get the hee-bee gee-bees from being so close to such an intimidating and dangerous creature. So I proceeded to move the RV around him.
Once the RV advanced toward him, he curled back raising the front half of his body off the ground then headed in the direction from whence he came. It was a very cool run in with Mother Nature, but good riddance all the same.
P.S.: Don't worry Ms. Decker's class and Lowell Elementary! The mail is safe from rattlesnakes and is proceeding on track to San Francisco !
Comments
Casey,
My name is Dominick Bova I work for Wells Fargo in Arizona Phoenix location. I am also a captain for The 10th U.S. cavalry of Arizona. A Buffalo Soldier living history group. We teach the history of the Buffalo Soldiers through visual presentation as well as verbal open forum discussion, I am sure you know the Buffalo Soldiers were a very, important part of the westward expansion and have a connection with Wells Fargo and the Butterfeild stage line as they safe guarded the stages through the far western areas of the U.S. Every year we ride in the Butterfeild stage days parade in Gila Bend, Arizona.
2 years ago the group I ride with rode from the dragoon mountains (Cochises stronghold)I unfortunately did not make the ride but they camped not to far from a stage stop that to this day is still standing and there are artifacts still around the site as well as 3 confederate soldier graves. It amazes me that there are still artifacts around but the site is respected by the few that visit and no one defaces or steals anything. The site and graves are maintained by the daughters of the confedracy. Just a little bit of interesting stuff I thought you might be intersted in knowing. If you would like to see who the buffalo soldiers were, If your not familiar with them there is a lot of history on our website at: www.freewebs.com/9thand10thcav feel free to let me know what you think
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Posted by: Dominick | October 3, 2008 08:31 AM
Wow, an encounter with a rattle snake! I personally am fascinated with snakes. Back home in India, in the university campus, I used to chase them to wherever they were going.
I saw the video as well and I think you're doing such a great job on this trip. Looking forward to meeting you!
Pawan
Posted by: Pawan | October 5, 2008 06:21 PM
Dominick thanks for the comments and great information. It must be really great to be a part of such an historic group. The Buffalo Soldier's are an often unappreciated part of American History and it's great that you have helped to keep their stories alive. Unfortunately, I ran into some RV troubles while in Arizona and had to limit my visits in the state, although I did get to see a few amazing places.
Pawan - the run in with the snake was really cool. Can't wait until you can see all of the videos. I've recorded some amazing places. Thanks again for the comments. Keep reading and watching. See you on the road!
Posted by: casey a.k.a. Ormsby II | October 6, 2008 10:53 PM