Cimarron, Bataan Marathon and San Juan River

[Bruce Day]

Long trip to New Mexico and friends have asked me to post photos. No Parkers here, but some may be interested. The post is in three sections:
1. Cimarron and the old St James hotel and a little biking in the area.
2. White Sand Missile Test Range Army Post and the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon.
3. Trout fishing the San Juan River.

First , old Cimarron. I stay at the St James, where 26 men were shot and carried out. Its the crossroads of the old west and little changed. The Earps, Clay Allison, Doc Holiday, all the famous and some infamous stayed there. Philmont Scout Res is 5 miles away and I biked a round trip of 44 miles in the mountains to Kit Carson's old hacienda at Rayado. This is all ranching country, 20,000 acre spreads, lots of elk and about 6500 feet high in town.
There is a wall painting of a member of Los Hermanos Penitentes , I understand this old practice of carrying heavy crosses, sometimes on their knees, still goes on in some of the isolated mountain villages at Easter, some of which are 400 years old.

The St James has long been rumored to be haunted and ghost hunters regularly hold meetings there. There was a group of women there when I stayed, and the ladies stayed up till 4 am and said they heard strange sounds. However, I do know that the wine was flowing and I suspect that may have had something to do with it.

Viewers will see the name of Elfego Baca and if they are of a certain age, may remember the Disney Zorro series. Although the real Zorro character was Californian, Disney's writers liked the name Elfego Baca and lifted it for their television Zorro character as his name except when he put on the mask and cape. I suspect if the tough old Socorro sheriff had lived long enough to know that he would have rode to Disney studios packing his six shooter.

[Bruce Day]

The purpose of the trip was to do the marathon. Doc Dick Dow came out from SoCal in his van and joined me. Dick's real father was a Lt under Patton and was killed in a tank in France in WWII. His stepfather was a Bataan Death March survivor and finished a military career after his return. He survived the 60 mile march where the Japanese bayoneted stragglers and those who fell from sickness or dehydration. He then survived being torpedoed and sunk twice in a POW ship to Japan, and survived captivity where 10,000 men died. We wore t shirts with his fathers name.

So many of the Bataan force was from New Mexico and Texas and so they do this marathon march yearly. 3800 people, mostly military, many carrying heavy packs, many female soldiers, many wounded warriors. Tough tough conditions, sand blowing dust 35 mph winds, uphill, deep sand, 26 miles. Dick had his son and several friends fly out from Sacramento, one is a young former Army capt disabled from an RPG blast.

Met several people on the march including another young Army West Pointer major who had crashed a helicopter and crushed both femors, replaced by titanium. He has to prove to the Army he is capable so he did the march with a heavy pack. Others were walking on one or two artificial legs, or blinded and hanging on to a buddy's pack. So when you see this , you don't whine.

There is a photo of an 83 year old who has done marathons in every state. We had people from 47 states and 8 foreign countries. Big contingent of German troops.

Several elderly survivors were in attendance. We were honored to meet them. Great for me to be back among the military. The march was difficult but we made it every step of the way, and then were sore for the next couple days. Dick is 68, I'm 66 and we said that day that we wouldn't do it again, but then we started talking about next year.

So here are photos from the White Sands Missile Range and the march. The first few are of the post museum. Much of the early missile and atomic weaponry was developed there. There is an original V2 rocket and test missiles of display.

[Bruce Day]

Then after White Sands up to the San Juan, one of the nations premier fisheries. Technical fishing, midge nymphs, size 22 and 24, 6x tippet, long leaders. We did fine. lots of fish and we met one of the best known western fly fishermen, Rick Takahashi, who helped us learn the river, gave us flies and instructed us, all gratis. We both bought his book on western midges which was for sale in the local fly shop, and promised to send him plenty of bird feathers come hunting season.

Big river, lots of water, some big fish, though most we caught were 10 to 20 inches.

Then after several days on the river, we returned home, Dick west through the Navajo Res, me east through the Apache res which was deep in snow. Had snow all the way back through Kansas and still snowing now.

The San Juan is one of the best and we hit it off season, 21 degrees in the morning, but little or no pressure, and plenty of fish.

[C grade]

Thank you Bruce
David

[Double Lab]

Thanks Bruce. Great narrative and wonderful pictures. My thanks to all who have served, past and present. Gotta feel for poor Mr. Shook in room 6. Not killed by Earp, Masterson or some other notable figure of that period but by a Mr. "Prairie Dog Payne". What a great moniker.

[John Havard]

Bruce, thanks for taking us along. The photos of the St. James were really cool. Who had been killed in your room?

I'm proud of you and the thousands of others who endure the annual Bataan Marathon in honor of our finest.

[David Weber]

Like so many others I take my freedom for granted. Thanks for knocking some sense into me and for the great pictures.

[Bruce Day]

Dave, and anybody else that wants to go, next year in March. 26.2 miles and then trout fishing. Put it on your calendar. We old guys will be struggling to keep up with the young studs and studettes.

Dick's son is a Placer County CA deputy sheriff and after he did the Bataan Memorial Marathon ( running all the way and leaving us waaaay behind) he had this tatoo'ed on his ankle as a memorial to his grandfather.

[Robert Delk]

Bruce, I believe you are mistaken about the Disney connection with Baca. The series was called the " The 9 Lives of Elfago Baca" and didn't have anything to do with Zorro as I recall.Robert Loggia played Baca and I am a fan of his to this day.

[Jeff Christie]

Great presentation and an even better personal honor to the victims and survivors of the Bataan Death March. My mother's room mate in nurses training was captured while serving in Manilla and imprisoned at Santo Thomas prison in the PI. Thanks for sharing it.