October 12 -- A Historic Military Vehicle Convoy Visits Rodeo, New Mexico

But there was, of course, the ubiquitous sunrise happening first, complete with "angel rays" --

I'd initially met Frank Logan during a Lance Owners of America (LOA) get-together at the Yardhouse in Long Beach, when I had my trailer (Discovery 1) at the RV park on Golden Shore Drive. He and his wife Susan had a longer model of Lance travel trailer, but since then he's become involved in historical military vehicle convoys, in particular the McCluskey/Logan Bankhead Convoy, which commemorates the 95th anniversary of a cross-country U.S. Army along the then Bankhead Highway. At the time, the Bankhead Highway, named after Alabama political John Hollis Bankhead, grandfather of Broadway actress Talllulah Bankhead, was one of the few automobile roads crossing the country, starting in Washington, DC and ending up in San Diego, CA, going through mostly southern states. In 1920 the Army wanted to know more about motorized transport and its place in the Army. The route was a total of 3300 miles and ended 116 days later in San Diego. The present convoy, put on by the Military Vehicle Presentation Association, will cover the 3300 miles in 29 days, arriving in San Diego on October 17. On the way to Douglas, AZ to spend the night, it passed through Rodeo, NM, "the most Western town in New Mexico", only about 9 miles east of Portal, the community where I live. So on October 12, Columbus Day, I took my camera with the 17-55 f/2.8 lens, drove the Tundra down to the community park just north of the Rodeo town limits, and waited... 

Rodeo, the American flag, and Portal Peak in the background -- an unbeatable combination for Columbus Day, 2015. And coming down the road -- 

Is the McCluskey/Logan Bankhead Convoy of 2015, comprised of mostly WWII-era vehicles to those recently released from US armed forces inventories. At the head in this photo is a half-track --

 Military transport -- 

Army ambulance --

More Army vehicles -- 

And Jeeps of various eras -- 

And bringing up the rear, a "classic model" rural route UPS truck! The UPS driver and I laughed about his "situation" as he slowly passed by me, waiting for the convoy to pull off the highway in Rodeo -- 

The convoy is parked along Highway 80 and near the Rodeo Tavern and Grill, where an outdoor lunch is being prepared. I have a "connection" in the convoy -- Frank Logan and his wife Susan, who are driving a "recovery vehicle", which assists in case a vehicle breaks down. Said recovery vehicle, towing and flatbed trailer, is a Dodge Cummins diesel -- 

Dennis Boots is the convoy leader. Here he's welcoming the residents of Rodeo and assorted onlookers, including the convoy members --

This gentleman from Lordsburg, New Mexico, is a WWII veteran and reminisces about Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and VJ Day, which he spent in Los Angeles. He later introduced his wife, their having been married 70 years -- 

Here are my friends Frank and Susan Logan, who have been with the convoy since the beginning in Washington, DC. He was kind enough to introduce me to convoy members, and I joined them for the outdoor lunch catered by the Rodeo Tavern -- 

Here's the half-track. Frank said all the tracks were sold to Israel, as these vehicles are more suited to desert warfare -- 

The vehicles in the convoy are kept as original as possible, even down to the color of the lettering; Frank said the reason for the blue lettering on the hood is someone high up decided that the color blue  would be harder to see than white. It was an interesting idea that never caught on -- 

All too soon, the convoy has to leave Rodeo -- it is, after all, on a tight military schedule. The residents of Rodeo and surrounding communities give them a rousing farewell. 

A lot of flag-waving, and waves of goodbye from the convoy members -- 

As one of the speakers at the welcoming ceremony earlier said, "Rodeo hasn't seen this much excitement since Ruth Buzzi came to town!" 

The last of the convoy heads down Highway 80 south to Douglas, and Rodeo resumes its placid, "most Western town in New Mexico" existence 

Rodeo, the American flag, Portal Peak, and the Chiricahuas -- another memorable day in the Boot Heel of New Mexico, neighbor to Portal and the eastern Chiricahuas. It's a slice of America that can put out the welcome wagon as good as the best of them ...

Oh, and before I forget -- a Mr. Coues deer visited Faranuf's back yard yesterday -- 

Alas, though he came near it, he never drank from the water feature. However, a Mrs. Coues came by Faranuf a few hours later and DID drink from it. I'd like to think it's the mom, scouting out as to whether the water feature is back to its "old" design, without the rubber dish and wood over it. And it is, so hopefully she'll bring the 3 "kids" back soon...

For those who'd like to find out more about the 2015 Bankhead Military Convoy and the Facebook Military Vehicle Preservation Association , click on the highlighted brown link in this sentence.

And to track the convoy's progress , click once again on the highlighted brown link in this sentence.