Beginning on November 1, which is the date of my mother’s first letter from her Hawaii trip 84 years ago, I am serializing day by day, the book, Cecilia King’s Extraordinary Senior Trip, which you can obtain from Amazon in either Kindle or paperback.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming nine-months in Hawaii 1940-41.

El Paso, Sunday, November 3, 1940
Sunday night—

Had a perfectly wonderful day today!  I got to the caverns just in time for coffee before the tour. Margaret (Uncle Arthur’s office girl) went with us. We walked over seven miles of slippery paths and steps – saw some marvelous formations (Mammoth couldn’t compare with it). Then at noon we wound into the huge lunch room (concrete floors, white tables & benches, indirect lighting). Had lunches all fixed on trays – cheese & ham sandwiches, orange, potato chips & sweet roll & choice of drinks – After walking another several miles after lunch my knees were playing the proverbial Yankee Doodle – so IU took the elevator (Reserved for the old & feeble) back up to the surface & left the walking friends to their fate of trudging back to daylight on foot. The temperature was 55o & humidity 85 – so the New Mexico sun was really welcome to my damp clothes, cold toes and conscientious nose when I crawled out of the elevator. (My dictionary needs to be here instead of in the trunk). The drive up there was beautiful – cactus, coyotes, jack rabbits, eagles & cattle. We saw 6,000 head of cattle going up – and coming back saw about 12 of them that had given up the ship or gotten too short winded & dropped off in the ditch by the roadside to stop living. Tonite we went over to Juarez for dinner at one of the Mexican cafes & while the Mexican band clattered and pounded in the bar next door I struggled with a 24” black bass – sprinkled with salt & lime juice – delicious! We also had crackers & a bowl full of spread made from ground avocados, garlic, etc. Another woman (whose name is a lost one) & Mrs. Simmons had dinner with us. Mrs. Simmons husband manages a million & a quarter acre ranch for Hearst in Mexico & she is staying across the border until the election revolutions are over in Mexico.

I’m really looking forward to bed tonite – I have orders to sleep late & then have breakfast served in bed – guess Uncle Arthur thought I was quite a sissy because I was so exhausted after the caverns tour that the minute I got in the car I fell asleep & slept nearly all the way home.

Tomorrow morning Margaret is going to take me over to see the market place & Old Mission in Juarez. I’m going to put my nose I my handbook & see if I can possibly sneak in a little “Christmas night” – its about half the U.S. price there – maybe I’ll charge up to my 23rd birthday or something.

I’m getting quite attached to Texas by now – all I need is to be able to call a 2 x 4 pond a gigantic lake & a little greasewood bush a mighty tree & get a little cold so I can talk through my nose -- & I’d practically be a cowhand.

Mrs. S. just brought me in a sack of apples – and Sissie, a vase of chrysanthemums (from an 8 acre field of them near here.)

Oh yes – we bought the White’s City News with our names printed among the other 450 visitors (at Carlsbad) – van Americans that we be—And the Empire State Building could be put in one of the rooms of the cave – and 150 feet still lower than lowest “field” park is another entire unexplored cave  --- and my feet still hurt.

Goodnight – Cecilia

Figure 15 - Carlsbad Caverns Receipt