When we got up today, it was still grey and cloudy
with wind speeds about 17mph. Biking in
the wind is not that fun so we decided to take a long walk.
We walked along the marina. There was a yacht for sale for $350,000.00…not
our cup of tea but it was a pretty boat and it will make an amazing adventure
for someone out there!
We saw several schools of these fish. Not sure what they are but they were hanging
around the boats.
At Isla Blanca Park we walked the perimeter.
Some beach wildflowers still bright and blooming in
November!
As we headed back the sun began to shine through!
Julio and his crew washed Big Baby today. After all that time in the dusty desert, she really
needed a good soapy bath!
Even the wheels and tires are shining!
We went to the Food Truck Festival at the Convention Center this afternoon. We chose beef brisket BBQ sandwiches for our lunch. We took our food to the beach. It was still windy so we sat near the Jeep in our jeans and sweatshirts! The warmth from the sun felt glorious and made us sleepy.
November Days Of Thanksgiving Day#9: We are grateful for blue skies and warm temperatures!!
During the night, the wind began to wail. It battered the RV until morning and then did not let up all day. Winds were 26 mph. There was supposed to be rain and we had a little.
We spent the morning doing laundry, changing, sheets, cleaning the bathroom, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…
The mobile RV repair guy came and they have to order a
new thermostat. It just means a few more
days at the beach!
We took a Jeep ride this afternoon. We ventured to the sound side. It smelled marshy and organic, the sky was leaden, and the wind was stiff.
White pelican mingling with the brown pelicans. The white pelicans come here to overwinter.
Such a pretty shore birds!
The ocean was roiling and rough. The tide was high so we didn’t travel far
down the beach.
We had fun watching the windsurfers. They were racing across the water. It looks like it requires a lot of upper body
strength. The surfers were certainly
enjoying the brisk breeze!
Blowing sand!
We napped and read this afternoon. I used Duolingo to work on my Spanish lessons.
This evening we went to dinner at Senor Donkey. We needed to get out for a while. We had Mexican seafood and to go with it, I had a Mango Chamoy Margarita. Chamoy is a combination of fruit, in this case tamarind, and chilies. It was sweet and sour and spicy and left my mouth feeling tingly!
The Christmas decorations and the donkey with the Santa hat made me feel anxious…it’s only the beginning of November!
The churning water at the campground pier.
November Days of Thanksgiving Day #8: We are thankful for hookups and heat and TV.
We began our day with a bike
ride. We started at Isla Blanca County
Park.
This statue pays tribute to
the fisherman who went through this pass and never returned.
The beach.
We went to the visitor center to find out what is happening in town this weekend.
Tim was ready to head back to the RV but I felt good and wanted to keep riding. I found a small shop and stopped in to check if they had new flip flops for Tim. I got back on my bike and turned around to go to the campground. When I was almost to our site, I realized that I had dropped my wallet. The short story is that someone turned it into the police…so I am very grateful to have it back!!! Thank you Officer Garcia!
I ended up riding for a lot longer than I had planned. I felt like a baked potato when I returned. We turned on the air conditioner and it didn’t work! We got an appointment for a mobile repair guy tomorrow morning. Then, we found a long line of ants streaming across the bathroom floor. We drove to ACE Hardware to get ant bait, spray, and powder.
The causeway over the sound.
We found Los Tortugo’s Seafood market. We got Super Jumbo shrimp.
We packed the grill and the cooler in the car and went to the beach. Yes it is and NO, WE didn’t!
We drove 24 miles on the beach all the way to the channel between South Padre and North Padre.
We drove to the sound side.
We chose our dinner spot.
Salad and Super Jumbo shrimp.
Some shore birds.
This heron came to sit on the hill behind us and he stayed for the sunset!
November Days of Thanksgiving
Day #7: We are grateful for the honest
person who turned in my wallet…we are also grateful that we are able to see the
good things in every day!
We followed Route 83, the Texas Tropical Trail. We started to see palm trees along the road. We passed through border towns and bigger cities. Most of the day we were right across the Rio Grande from Mexico.
There were several tethered surveillance blimps, lots of Border Patrol vehicles and lots of police presence. There was also lots of traffic and lots of red lights. Today’s drive was harder for Tim…stop and go all morning. We merged onto Route 100 and over the causeway onto South Padre Island. It was so nice to see Laguna Madre Bay with it’s sparkling green water. The sight of pelicans made me feel giddy! I LOVE the beach and I was excited to be here!
We rested after lunch and then took a drive on the beach!
We walked from our campsite to Pier 19 for dinner. We watched the sunset and the dolphins play.
I had yummy mango coladas.
We shared seafood appetizers. The mussels and clams with chorizo and the coconut shrimp were delicious. The Oyster Rockies were fabulous!
What a nice way to begin our stay here!
November Days of Thanksgiving Day 6: We are grateful for the beach and the warm sunshine!!!
It was already warm this morning. It was cloudier than we are accustomed to and
Tim noticed dew as we packed to leave.
The first part of our journey
today took us through oilfields and all the services necessary for the oil
industry.
As we neared Laredo, we saw
lots of trucks. Laredo is the largest
inland port on the US/Mexico border. This
is a direct route for trucks to bring supplies in from Mexico and to take products
into Mexico. There are 4 international
bridges and one railway bridge across the border. The town is at an altitude of 438 feet. The population of the city of Laredo is about
250,000 people. The entire economy is
based on international trade. It is a
gritty, working city, not a tourist town.
This is “The Gateway City.”
As we left Laredo behind, traveling
on 83, hugging the border, we saw more farmland. We saw deer and javelina.
By noon we had arrived at Falcon State Park. We were exhausted! I worked on the blog until almost midnight last night and we were up and out early today. The view from our campsite.
A cardinal on site…we haven’t see a cardinal for months!
We napped and then took a ride in the area. I put my feet in Falcon Lake.
I took pictures of this osprey. He had a fish in his talons.
This is the Falcon International Reservoir.
The Falcon Dam stores water from the Rio Grande. It is an earth embankment dam that has been here since 1954. Both Mexico and the US have power plants that utilize the energy from this dam. We were hoping to visit the dam but you needed to cross through customs in order to do so…so we elected not to.
We did find an opening to the river.
Another osprey on the prowl.
Javelina in the campground…mom and babies…aren’t they odd looking?
Happy hour with a hefty Gigi pour…thanks Tim!
We made grilled tuna Caesar salad
for dinner and it was pleasant enough to eat outside.
We plan to drive to the gulf coast
tomorrow.
Hasta Manana!
November Days of Thanksgiving Day #5: We are thankful for our family and friends. Old friends and the friends we have made along the way. We appreciate those who support us and encourage us and welcome us! We are also grateful to those you who check on us when we haven’t posted for awhile!
We were sad to leave Big Bend this morning. I really enjoyed our time there. We still have not see all there is to see…so it’s possible that we will return one day! The scenery is breathtaking. The proximity to the border and the opportunity to cross was an amazing experience. We saw lots of wildlife too.
Today we traveled 50 miles just to get through the park. Then we headed east on 90. The ride today was very pretty.
Lunch spot.
Pecos River.
Amistad Reservoir.
We stopped this afternoon in the town of Del Rio to gather supplies.
We decided to drive on…there wasn’t much to see in Del Rio and it was only 4. The next town with campgrounds was a little more than 1 1/2 hours away. As we traveled those last miles, the sun began to set. We saw lots of javelina, some deer, some pronghorns, lots of hawks, and a beautiful owl.
We saw lots and lots of dead skunks…maybe 50! I figure that the coyote and other scavengers probably come to clean up all of the other roadkill…but none of the other animals will eat the skunks…I may have made that up…but it makes sense! Some of our ride today smelled like skunk!
Pepe La Pew
We were stopped at a border control station this afternoon and again this evening. These stations are placed sporadically along the border. There are a lot of sensors and cameras scanning and inspecting vehicles as they pass through. The officers walked around the RV with a dog. They asked if we were US citizens and then allowed us to continue on our way.
We got settled into the campground and ate a quick dinner. The rest of the evening was spent catching up on the blog. We have to have internet to load pictures and we had none all weekend.
November Days of Thanksgiving Day #4: We are so grateful for our current gypsy, wandering, vagabond lifestyle. We feel so lucky to be able to travel and enjoy this time together…we know we won’t always be able to do this…
Rio Grande Village RV Park Big
Bend National Park Big Bend, Texas
Early this morning, Tim took
a solo bike ride to the river. On his way
he saw a coyote along the edge of the trees.
On his way back he saw a bobcat.
When he got back to the RV, I
was ready to ride too! We saw a group of
young people who were getting ready to canoe down the river through the
Boquillas Canyon.
We drove the Jeep to Boquillas Crossing. There we went through Border Control and down the path to the river.
Around 10, we took a rowboat across the Rio Grande River into Mexico.
Once there, we took a burro ride up the hill into the town of Boqilllas. Eduardo was our guide and our burros were Milo and Desante.
Boquillas is a small, simple
place. There are 250 people that live
there. They have a school where the elementary
aged children (all 28 of them) go in the morning. In the afternoon 7 high school kids
attend. They also have a small
preschool. Until 5 years ago, the
village had no electricity. They now
rely on solar energy for power.
There is a village water
reclamation system and some families have wells. This town relies on the tourist
industry. The women embroider cloths and
aprons to sell. They also produce beaded
wire sculptures of cactus, roadrunners, and scorpions. The children run to you with bracelets and
beer coozies, asking you to buy from them.
It was hard to say no to the kids.
When we were here last winter it was during the government shutdown. The government and the crossing were both closed for 42 days. Winter is the peak season for these people to earn money ferrying tourists across the river to shop and dine. The villagers were forced to row across the river to sell their crafts on the American side. They also devised a floating restaurant because both Mexicans and Americans can be in the river just not on one side or the other. The ingenuity of the people allowed them to make some money during this difficult time. These people have no other way to earn a living….no place to raise livestock…no place to grow crops. People from the American side of the river came to bring clothing and shoes for the children. Hardship for these humble people is not being able to feed their families.
We had lunch in the Boquillas
Restaurant. Eduardo and Tim drank beer
together. We had a choice of enchiladas,
tacos, or tamales. We both chose the tamales. We enjoyed sitting on the patio and watching
the people go by.
There are people we know who
would never make this trip…but I know…that I will always remember this experience!
We rode our bikes again this
evening as the sun was going down. We
saw some javelina and Tim saw another coyote.
We went for a drive in the Jeep after dark to look for nocturnal critters. We saw a small light colored rattlesnake, two tarantulas, and a jackrabbit.
November Days of Thanksgiving
Day #3: We are very thankful for our
parents. For their love and guidance as
we grew. For teaching us how to work
hard and for supporting us as we reached to achieve our goals. We love you mom!
Rio Grande Village RV Park Big
Bend National Park Big Bend, Texas
We took the River Road East into the backcountry of Big Bend National Park. Big Bend is 800,000 acres. This was another chance to really see the park. This route took us across 50 miles of gravel road. There were a couple of areas where we could drive down to the Rio Grande.
A hawk in flight.
The topography was constantly
changing.
The Mariscal Mine harvested
quicksilver until the 1940’s.
What a beautiful ride.
When we emerged we took the
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. This road
passed through the Chisos Mountains. The
views were dramatic. It was my turn to drive. I saw two tarantulas crossing the road.
I liked this interesting sign at the visitor center. “Only the curvature of the earth prevents us from seeing a maximum of 242 miles.” On a day with good visibility, it is possible to see 112-136 miles. A day with average visibility you can see 56-69 miles. On a day when the air pollution and haze is greatest, the visibility is only 34-40 miles.
This evening we grilled bison
burgers and then took our bikes out.
We rode down to the nature
trail and the beavers came out!
We saw two cottontails as we
returned to the campground. What a great
day!
November Days of Thanksgiving Day #2: Tim and I are thankful for our strong partnership. We have always worked as a team. Without our solid relationship none of the other
good stuff would be possible.
Rio Grande Village RV Park Big
Bend National Park Big Bend, Texas
It was a crisp fall
morning. We headed south on 90 toward
Big Bend National Park. NO interstate
today…no traffic…just a peaceful easy ride in a fairly remote portion of southern
Texas…a great day to ENJOY THE RIDE in the desert surrounded by mesas and
mountain peaks.
Our breakfast stop this morning
was at an art installation in Valentine called Prada Marfa. This is a false store front that has actual
Prada merchandise displayed inside. The
door does not open. What does this art installation
actually say? Is it a testament to
commercialism? It certainly makes you
think…it was completely out of place on this remote stretch of desert highway.
These are love locks. Couples come here to this chain-link fence, (surrounding
the Prada exhibit), with their padlocks to pledge everlasting and eternal love
and devotion…they attach the padlock to the fence and throw away the key!
Some tumbleweed.
We had a great wildlife
viewing day. We saw several small groups
of pronghorn in the distance. Then we saw
a herd of about 20 pronghorn antelopes along the road. Tim saw a tarantula crossing. We also saw lots of hawks. In the park later today, we saw an unknown mammal…maybe
a coati or a ringtail or maybe something we have never seen before!!!
We have passed a lot of Tethered Aerostat Radar Systems. These monitoring units are operated by the US
Customs and Border Protection Service.
The helium filled balloons or blimps perform “low level ground surveillance.”
They rise up to 15,000 feet and are tethered
by a single cable. They are meant to
help curtail drug smuggling and other illegal activities along the border
between Mexico and the United States.
Our scenery today.
The town of Marfa is a community of artists with lots
of galleries and art installations. But
the town of Marfa is also well known for the Marfa Mystery Lights. These lights are unexplained red, white, or
blue lights that occur along the horizon in a very isolated part of the desert
that is difficult to access. Visitors
from around the world come to witness these lights. Is this paranormal activity or perhaps the
reflection of light from passing cars or from scattered campfires???
We passed through the town of Alpine which was an
interesting composition of western/tourist/working town.
At last, we were on 118. This is a road that we have not traveled
before. We were flanked by the Santiago
Mountains.
Kokernot Mesa.
We last visited Big Bend in January of 2019. This was during the government shutdown. There were several things we missed doing…and
it is a beautiful park. We came here the
first time because Tim’s brother, Jeff, said that this was one of his favorite
places.
Once we were settled, we went to explore. Our first trail was the Rio Grande Nature
Trail. Mexican beavers live in river
banks. They have created a pond here.
We climbed the hillside for an awesome view.
We walked to the river.
We saw this heron fishing.
A turtle.
The Rio Grande River with Mexico just cross the water.
We stopped at the visitor center. There was a photographer there taking
pictures for a new park brochure. He
asked Tim to pose in front of this mural with his cowboy hat.
The Boquilla Canyon Overlook.
Mexican trinkets for sale.
We also walked a short distance on the Boquilla Canyon
Trail.
We saw this group of 8 canoes loaded with camping
gear. They were headed down the river
into the Boquilla Canyon.
Tim was able to stand very close to this roadrunner. Maybe she was guarding young…but she didn’t
move even as Tim got closer.
We drove to another river overlook and walked to the
river’s edge.
We saw a band of 10 Javelina.
We enjoyed our dinner of grilled tilapia outside this
evening. It was wonderfully mild. We watched the sliver of moon rise and the
stars began to pop out. Bats flew
overhead.
November Days of Thanks Day 1: First and foremost we are so very grateful
for our two sons, our grandsons and Andrea and Allison…you all have our
hearts<3
We spent ALL DAY on 10 East…356 miles…on 10E. 10E across the remainder of Arizona, into New Mexico and then south into Texas. We are driven to outrace the cold weather. Last night it was 31 degrees in Wilcox.
Tim thought this was a pretty drive. He really likes open, big country. We passed a bunch of nut orchards. We saw a lot of long trains. The biggest thing about this long stretch of road is the opportunity to experience a dust storm. There are all kinds of bright yellow signs with warnings and instructions. In a dust storm:
Stay buckled
Feet off brakes
Turn off lights
Pull over
Dust storms may exist
Zero visibility possible
Use extreme caution
It was really windy. There was a lot of standing water. The puddles probably kept us from having those dust storms.
We settled in Van Horn. Our sense of time is soooo confused. We crossed into New Mexico and lost an hour. Arizona doesn’t celebrate daylight savings time and so New Mexico was an hour ahead. Then, a short time later we crossed into the Central Time Zone and lost another hour.
The campground here has a free weather station.
I walked to the fishing pond. Wait…where am I??? Alligators???
Sure enough there was an alligator…
I remember being a little girl. I loved standing inside a weeping willow tree.
