July 7:
The morning started off with a detour: my parents and I went to see the Charles Goodnight house and museum. It was the wrong direction for me— directly opposite my drive for today— but it’s closed on Sundays when we drove in from Dallas, and I had plenty of time for the drive to Taos, so I went to see it.
After leaving the JA ranch in his beloved Palo Duro, Goodnight built this house for his wife, Mary. Charles actually preferred sleeping under the stars, and included an outdoor sleeping porch for himself— but he built the house for Molly (as he called her) and it served as headquarters for their ranch. The house was restored to its original condition in 2012.
“Back from the Brink”
Sculpture by Veryl Goodnight, depicting Molly Goodnight with the two rescued calves.
Charles and Molly were both apalled by the “Great Slaughter” in which the native Buffalo were hunted almost to extinction. Molly persuaded Charles to rescue two Buffalo calves which she raised herself and used to start a new herd. The herd he and Molly founded lives on in Caprock Canyon State Park, and supplied the animals when Buffalo were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park.
Charles Goodnight is still considered the founding father of the Texas panhandle, and it’s customary to this day for local ranchers and cowboys to tie bandanas to the fence around his gravesite, in tribute.
From Charles and Molly’s house, my parents headed back for home, while I went in to Taos, NM. Both flat plains and gray, drizzly weather accompanied most of the drive, but after getting into more mountainous areas it started to get more interesting.
Finally, I reached my destination: the SMU campus in Taos, and the annual retreat held by The Writers Path at SMU. This is the SMU campus in Taos:
Fort Burgwin, a pre-Civil-War army fort restored and now housing classrooms.
Inside the fort.
Retreating writers all together in the dining hall.
And getting down to business in a Fort Burgwin classroom.
Program director and all around Writing Guru Suzanne Frank inspires the troops.
I won’t be blogging about my trip for the next few days— I’m going Internet dark as part of the whole “Retreat” concept. The next phase of the Epic July Road Trip will be on the 12th, when I head to Estes Park, CO. See you then!
