On Route 66 from Albuquerque NM to El Reno OK

Well here we are from the road again! Let me introduce you to my traveling companions. This is my older brother, Peter Quimby and my Australian shepherd, Annie. Peter is a professional historian, and Annie is a professional herding dog. Peter and I traveled Route 66 in 1963. So our stop in Tucumcari, New Mexico was our return to a place we'd passed through several times as children.



This was the view down old 66 on in Tucumcari on Sunday morning. The interstate now runs past this part of town, and a lot of the buildings are vacant. We talked about the old buildings that remain from the past - old gas stations from the 40's, Motels from the 50's and the old garages that fixed cars and put them back on the road in years gone by. It was a lot like driving through a museum of American travel in the 20th century.



So much of the old Route 66 was designed to lure travelers off the road to remote places. The more exotic the promise of Indian jewelry, or pecan logs at Stuckey's - the better! We've seen a few abandodned Whiting Brothers gas stations and travel marts. The modern interstate and the
national frnachises have changed the face of these places.






We thought this store front for La Cita Mexican food was so cool we stopped for lunch.



There were only we two and another couple dining - but the food was really good! Local New Mexican style. We ordered combo plates. The order came with spanish rice (sopa seca) and refried beans, a tamale, a beef taco, a cheese enchilada and a chile relleno. All freshly made.
Mine was covered in red chile sauce. Peter ordered green sauce. Our oder came with six fresh hot sopapillas and honey. Sooooooo goooood!



We stopped to change drivers at an old garage in Clinton, Texas. So I photgraphed the local color...


We stopped for gas in Shamrock Texas and photgraphed some more local color. Wanna buy a used car from Freddie Baker?



Just behind Freddie Baker's was a junk yard full of classic American car hulks. A car enthusiasts dream junk yard. Ford Edsels are pretty rare these days - here's a whole row of them!



More from Freddie's Inventory. Only driven on Sunday by a little old lady...and we can take your trade-in, paid for or not!

We're keeping on a pretty fast pace and stopping as opportunity knocks. It's interesting to see what America really looks like during this time of political turmoil and change. A lot of economic stress to be sure. But we're traveling through places that have never been rich. These are mostly farm and ranch towns with franchise businesses to serve travelers. It seems to me that the biggest casualties in this economy are the small towns and local businesses...and they seem to have been struggling for a long time.

But all the same, the people seem ready to work hard, be helpful and friendly and take whatever comes along.

Tomorrow, we're planning to cross the Mississippi and stop in Memphis, Tennessee.

Good night from the Motel 6 in El Reno Oklahoma.

Day Two - We Turn Left at Albuquerque

Saturday, May 2

We started off this morning from Scottsdale Arizona. My brother in law, Tom Frazier and I, checked that all systems were go for the road.

Then we were off and running toward Albuquerque. North from Scottsdale to Flagstaff, Winslow, Gallup and into New Mexico. We detoured onto the old Route 66 at sunset for the run to town. We had planned to go all the way to Tucumcari but we just couldn't push that far today. We did have some fun though...

We Stopped around mid-day on the Yavapai Apache Reservation to visit the ancient cliff dwellings.












Then we detoured off the I-40 to Winslow on the old Route 66...


We're stopped in Moriarty New Mexico. It's late. I'm pooped. We have another long day tomorrow.

Day One From The Road

CLICK HEAR Podcast 02

May 1, 2009

My brother, Peter and Annie the Australian Shepherd and I boarded the Big Yellow Truck, a 1965 GMC pickup truck to start our drive From Santa Barbara, CA to PEI, Canada. We thought we'd start by taking a picture of the truck on Stearns Wharf, then off we went down the 101.

We headed south toward LA and then east toward the Mojave Desert. It was cloudy most of the day but it was really warm. And the further east we went the warmer and dryer it got. By the time we got into the desert it was in the 90's. The truck has no air conditioning (but it does have floor vents you open with a massive metal lever). The Big Yellow Truck ran perfectly and gave us no major trouble...though the flaky gas gauge is a problem. Seems she wants to tell us that she's full all the time. Ayers Repairs in Santa Barbara got the truck ready for the trip...more on that later.

The video clip below was taken from the truck as we drove through the huge wind farms outside of Palm Springs. The image gives you a sense of scale. These suckers are huge. (We were listening to the Cowboy Junkies)



The bottom picture is a quick snapshot of a diner at a truckstop. Really just a freeway exit with a gas station and services for trucks in the middle of the desert. But a pretty typical bit of southwestern scenery. We arrived in Scottsdale AZ tonight. Tomorrow we're on the way to Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Earth Day With Film Maker Patrick Gregston

PODCAST: Proof or Propaganda

Just a quick note or two as I prepare for my trip home to PEI and the farm.

Wednesday, April 22, was Earth day and so I was pleased to have an opportunity to produce a special podcast to help my friend, Patrick Gregston, promote his documentary film,
Proof or Propaganda.

Patrick was funded to make a film about the current science and policy on the subject of global warming. In talking yesterday, Patrick made the interesting point that our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been conducting detailed global research on climate for many years, but the science that we have paid for is often left out of the public discussion on climate change.

So what are the facts? What are our choices?

Take 5 minutes to listen to the podcast and then follow the link to the website to order a DVD.
If you want to be an informed participant in THE public policy debate of this generation, you need to see this film.

Farm Podcasting - Under Contsruction

This is a test of the new feedburner based podcast link to the Dunn Creek Farm Blog...

And the widget below will let you subscribe to the feed or select a page. You can also copy it to your blog or website!

UPDATE: 4/15/09

I've just added a short bit of audio called "Under Construction" to the podcast link.

I have to admit this whole thing is a lot of fun! I've been producing audio tracks for a long time but I finally have an efficient way to produce my ideas and share them with you! It's only going to get better!

I'm also pleased to announce that my new weekly podcast series from Prince Edward Island is going to be picked up by and included each week in The Homecast Show - a daily podcast program produced in Los Angeles. More linkage and info soon.

To my friends in PEI - I'll see you soon!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Saving a Tree - And a Recipe for Growth

For the past few years my apricot tree in Santa Barbara has been struggling against an attack from the vile oak root fungus. Oak root is a soil borne fungus that attacks the tree from the the ground up and the inside out. It spreads under the bark layer and eventually girdles the tree - preventing the tree from taking up water and nutrients - which kills it.

For the past couple of years we've experimented with worm composting of kitchen waste and we also compost yard waste. I've been applying lots of compost to the soil around the apricot and I even applied worm tea directly onto the bark at the trunk. Worms break down organic material into tiny particles that are easy for plants to absorb. And you can, um, smell the biological activity.

There's theory (and anecdotal evidence) that applying active fungus and bacterial agents can help a tree fight disease. Fairview Gardens in Goleta actually applied a soil/manure paste to their avocado tree trunks in attempt to strengthen the health of their trees.

The idea is that certain live elements in soil produce natural anti-biotics that fight infections. (penicillin comes from naturally occurring anti-biotic fungus). And whether or not I produced the results by applying pro-biotics, the tree has not died and is in fact re-growing bark to cover the area of infection and lost tissue.

To strengthen the roots and help the tree fight back, I pruned the tree back, cut all the dead wood out and thinned this years apricot crop by more than half.

Then I gave the tree a serious booster shot of nutrition. I found a useful organic fertilizer recipe in the June/July 2006 issue of Mother Earth News. I mixed and applied the fertilizer, then covered it with about a 1 inch layer of finished yard compost - just a few inches back from the trunk and out to the drip line. I watered it down and now hope that I've given the tree a quick hit of nitrogen along with a slow release of nutrients, trace minerals and organic material, combined with the living mulch of native plants that cover the ground under the tree.

Follow the link to Mother Earth News for the fertilizer recipe and the directions for use.

BTW - you'll find that buying the ingredients in small quantities by the box at your local garden center is REALLY EXPENSIVE! If you're serious about greening up your yard and garden either find an online supplier who will ship in bulk bags or visit a garden/farm center that sells in bulk.

In Santa Barbara/Goleta that is Island Seed and Feed. Buying measured quantities from the bulk bins cost less than half what it cost to buy small packaged quantities at another nursery nearby. Plus they had additional cool stuff to mix in like phosphate rock, green sand, blood meal and gypsum! (One other tip - for fast green-up and to energize the soil quickly, I substituted 1 part blood meal in exchange for one part seed meal.)

Happy fertilizing!

Hay - Is It Spring Yet?

I'm Superman in the winter. As I browse seed catalogs, I'm certain I can do anything.

More trees to plant? No problem.

A gazillion new varieties of things "we just have to try"? It'll be fun!

That's the trap we fall into each year as our love for small farming and life on the island overwhelms time, space and common sense.

It's a lot like the whispers Susan and I trade as we solemnly promise not to go overboard on Christmas spending each year.

Each spring, as soon as the ground warms up and the earth is ready, it's as if a starting gun has been fired. We're off in a cloud of hopeful ambition. Each year our ability to produce is limited by how fast we're able to prepare the ground, plant the seeds and tend to the needs of man and machine.

When spring comes, there will be days on end that start early and end late. There will be days when a person can scarcely notice any difference from before and after except for aching muscles and a nagging feeling that not enough was done. Each year, we stack a little more on the plate, even after we've promised ourselves, "we'll cut back a bit next year." Somehow, we never do and we always manage.

Some of the ideas we're considering this year include suggestions from chefs and requests from friends to try this or that. We'll be trying some new techniques with mesclun greens - a very popular but labor intensive product. And this morning I was looking into artichokes. They like cool, coastal conditions and are a major cash crop in northern California. Probably not too popular on PEI...but if we steam up a couple, serve them with melted butter and a pot of PEI mussels at the shore next summer, we'll have a few new fans for this wonderful treat.

We also have a practical need to get serious about our hay crop. I can easily put away enough mowed timothy and clover (with assorted weeds) to feed our horses for a few weeks. But I need to grow enough good quality hay to bale and feed over the winter. I'd like to lower the cost of their winter boarding by sending the horses to board with their own feed. Or if not, I'd like to have enough good quality certified organic hay to sell. I've even started looking at hay prices in the drought stricken south west. Hmmmmm. Wonder how much it costs to ship a ton of hay?

We'll see. Meantime don't let the red "S" on my chest fool you. It doesn't really stand for Superman. It stands for Spring.