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May 2006 Newsletter Part 2
Howdy folks...
I just got in, having put in 10 days in Arizona with VisionQuest (www.vq.com) and had a great time working with those kids. I got a group of young men ready for a Fiesta Mayo parade in the nearby town of Elfrida and WOW, did Tevin, Rodrigo, Harry and Luis do a great job! They were certainly the hit of the event. These kids are so often the focus of people's attention, but in a negative way. This kind of attention may very likely be the first time they've been singled out for something positive and part of what we try to instill in them is to give back to the community. At the end of the parade one of the boys, Rodrigo, gave a young girl a ride on one of the camels. I think he got as much out of it as she did. Big thanks to the Rockin' B Ranch for puttin' me up and puttin' up with me on this trip. In June I hope to take a group of girls out riding and camping for an overnight trip.
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May has been busy with preparations for the Sesquicentennial Camel Drive. Organizers Gil Hernandez, Jim Hale and I have really been working hard to make sure things go smoothly.
Calls and emails continue daily to ensure that all authorities involved in the 200 miles or so are aware that we’re coming through. We’ve gotten a little pre-trek press already, in the Waco Tribune-Herald as well as in a number of papers along our route and that just seems to add to the daily duties we’ve taken on. Nevertheless, we know that once this thing is complete, we’ll all be very proud of what we’ve accomplished.
Some more contributions have come in and we must acknowledge our benefactors:
Flashing lights from the Highland Company, Houston, Texas. These are required by the Texas Department of Transportation on our "follow" vehicles and have been graciously provided by this international land survey company of great renown.
Loads of SmartShield Sun Screen Lotion and After Sun Repair from SmartShield Sunscreens of Dallas, Texas (www.smartshield.com). Jim and Harl Asaff, owners, are former trekkers with me in the Big Bend area of Texas and this thoughtful contribution is greatly appreciated.
$225 from Pat M. of Alexandria, Virginia
$100 from Joann M. of Houston, Texas and Aberdeen, Scotland
$100 from Tammy T. of Bronte, Texas
$100 from Carolyn C. of Rockport, Texas
Tammy and Carolyn will be joining us for a couple of days at the beginning of the Drive and we are certainly looking forward to meeting this intrepid mother/daughter team. Maybe they thought they were signing up for "The Amazing Race"?!
All told, the monetary contributions total $1300. As I’ve said before, this money will not go toward any kitschy souvenirs. It truly is going to "fuel" the endeavor- diesel, hay and food for participants is where these folks’ generous gifts will go. Again, I must say how deeply honored I am in your faith in this most historic event. I hope that we do not let you down.
Though the beginning this Saturday at Indianola and the conclusion at Camp Verde on June 3 will be incredible, there are plenty of points in between where we also hope to have an impact on people. Along the way, we’ll be stopping and visiting with school children at O’Connor Elementary/Habitat For Learning in Victoria, Texas on Monday, May 22 and in Louise, Texas at their K-12 campus on the 23rd. As we head out of Victoria County, children from the Elementary School in the small community of Nursery, Texas will be seeing us off. On Thursday, May 25, the caravan will be visiting the Cuero, Texas Rotary Club. Sunday, May 28, we’ll be at the Nixon FFA barn for the public to come visit and the 31st, we’re tentatively planning to be in front of the historic Alamo in downtown San Antonio, moving to San Pedro Springs Park that afternoon. I’m sure that many more memorable moments will come up as we move the Drive from town to town.
With so much preparation, there are still a couple of loose ends to tie up. Does anyone out there in email land know of a private landowner who might allow our little ol’ caravan to camp near San Antonio on May 31st? Thanks in advance for any assistance!
Don’t forget, you can follow every step of the Sesquicentennial Camel Drive on our web site: www.texascamelcorps.com. It’s our intention to update images and journal entries daily so that everyone at home can feel like they’re truly a part of the event. We also want to try an answer as many inquiries from the trail as possible. We sure hope to see some of you along the route and look forward to your emails. Thanks as always for your interest in my camels.
Doug
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