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.
I followed Tim this morning until the road was a little smoother and then we hitched the Jeep to the RV and traveled on. It was a lovely morning. Very chilly…but lovely. The sky was streaked with feathery clouds which made the whole desert look softer.
We drove from the Dragoon Mountains across the Sulfur Springs Valley to the Chiricahua Mountains.
Lots of wineries…we actually bought a bottle of Sirah from Pearce!
Chiricahua National Monument is a Sky Island. The Chiricahua Apache Indians lived here from the early 1400’s . When the Spanish arrived in the 1500’s, the Apaches rejected attempts of the newcomers to colonize the native people. The Apaches were nomads, prolific hunters, and fierce warriors. In 1886, the Apaches were badly outnumbered and finally surrendered. The tribe was moved onto reservation land in Oklahoma and New Mexico. The Apaches called this area “the land of standing up rocks.”
Columns, pillars, and balanced rocks!
Mexican Jay.
The Chiricahua Mountains are in the foreground. The Sulfur Springs Valley we crossed this morning from the Dragoon Mountains in the distance.
Cochise Head…can you see him laying on his back looking at the sky? His prominent forehead and long hooked nose…
After completing the 6 mile scenic drive, we decided to take the Pinery Canyon Road, a primitive, unimproved road, and find our lunch spot.
We found our lunch spot at an old abandoned mine…I was too chicken to even put my head in the door…too many creepy things might live in there!
We drove on to Wilcox, Arizona to a nice KOA campground.
Wilcox was recommended by Claudia. This is the wintering home for about 30,000 sandhill cranes. The birds begin to arrive in September. There are several viewing spots. Tim was tired but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to go out and look for the birds.
The Cochise Lake had lots of ducks floating around…ordinarily I would have been happy to look at the ducks but today was about the sandhill cranes!
There were none in the water…but I saw the large birds flying overhead. I probably saw a couple of hundred flying in formation and bugling their unique and crude song!
Sunset back at the campground.
Tim got to watch the final game of the World Series. I got to see the cranes…everybody is happy! It’s supposed to be chilly tonight…in the 30’s…we need to head east and maybe south to find someplace warmer!
We started driving early this morning. It has been a weeks since we were on a major interstate for any length of time and it felt odd to us!
We had heard that Cochise Stronghold was an interesting place to visit. The only campground in the area, was several miles down a dirt road. We made our way very slowly and arrived around noon.
After lunch, we set out to explore the area. Cochise was an Apache Indian Chief from the Chiricahua Clan. Cochise chose this canyon as a place for his people because there is only one way to access the canyon. He was able to guard the entrance with Indians on horseback. They lived here from 1852-1872. During those years, the Apaches were frequently involved in violent struggles with the neighboring settlers. We are in the Dragoon Mountains.
Our second reason for staying in this area was to see
the town of Pearce, Arizona. This is an
abandoned historic ghost town. It was a
mining town. The town was named for
James Pearce who found gold here in 1894.
In the 1940’s the mine was closed.
There is a Pearce Society dedicated to the preservation of the old
town. It was neat to see this
place.
The Pearce Jail.
The Old Store.
The Post Office.
There is an elementary school here and the Miners are
their mascot.
On our way out of Pearce, Tim saw a snake in the road. He circled back and he could see that it was a Mojave rattlesnake. He circled around again so that I could get pictures from the Jeep window. He was coiled and rattling! I know that he can only strike 2/3 of his body length. He was about 3 feet long…and I was COMPLETELY safe Mom!
We took Middlemarch Road, an easy gravel road, up to
Middlemarch Pass. The views were very
pretty.
We took another road to a Soren Pass.
We saw lots of hawks today and lots of deer. The Arizona whitetail deer or Coues are a different variety of whitetail than we have at home. They are much smaller and rarer…though we have seen several every day.
The mine at Soren Pass.
It was getting dark as we returned to our campsite.
We had an easy dinner of rotisserie chicken and salads. It gets dark so early…we can’t even stay up until 9pm!
There was a rock in the sandy trail that I did not see. I must have tread on it just the wrong way. I twisted my ankle and I went down. It took me several minutes to gather myself but I was able to hobble back to my bike and ride back to the RV. I can bear weight…though gingerly! So, I spent most of the day resting and elevating and icing…a forced day of relaxation!
While I rested, I watched this gila woodpecker. It was digging pulp out of the hole in the tree and throwing it out. It reappeared every minute or so and then at last, flew off.
By late afternoon, with Advil and ice and lots of TLC, my ankle was feeling better. We had an appointment at 4WP for new sturdier differential covers. When the Jeep was ready, we drove back toward the campground, stopping at Olive Garden for wine and dinner.
Last night, we got back to the campground at around 9:30. We decided to ride through to see if we could see any nocturnal wildlife. We saw a skunk and a jackrabbit. Tonight after dinner, we rode through again. This time I had my camera ready. We saw 3 jackrabbits but they were too fast and too far away.
We also saw 3 skunks. Trust me…these are all pictures of skunks!
One of the best things about staying at Catalina State Park has been our morning bike rides!
The rest of the day was devoted to getting caught up on laundry, groceries, and other errands.
Tim was able to watch NASCAR this afternoon.
Tonight, we were invited to spend the evening with Lee and Claudia. It was the last time we will see them for awhile. We are so thankful for this new friendship, for time together, for gracious and generous hospitality, for sockeye salmon, BBQ, coffee, wine and conversation! Until we meet again…
Today was a good day!! We met Lee and Claudia at 9 am and drove to the Catalina Highway. We followed their “Little Green Toad!”
The road is a twisting, winding road up to the top of Mount Lemmon. We started at about 2,500 feet of elevation in Tucson. We were in the desert.
We all stopped for lunch at Sawmill Run. We sat on the patio and enjoyed nice salads and sandwiches.
As we ascended we passed through aspen trees, and finally ponderosa pines. We were at almost 10,000 feet. The views were stunning and it was a perfect weather day.
On the way down the mountain, we took the back-road, a gravel road…no 4WD necessary…just a nice country ride!
The very best part of today was that we were able to share something we enjoy with two people whom we have come to love! Lee and Claudia, thanks for a beautiful day!
We stopped to check out the local laundromat for laundry fun tomorrow and we got some BBQ for a quick and easy dinner.
The light was already changing as we got back to the campground, dusty and happy!
We began our day with a nice bike ride in the state park. After breakfast, we went to Biosphere 2. The earth has a geosphere which is the hard surface of our planet. There is a hydrosphere which is the water. There is an atmosphere which is our weather and the air surrounding the earth. Lastly, there is the biosphere…all of the living things on the planet. Biosphere 2 is an elaborate research facility affiliated with the University of Arizona.
The original mission of this facility was to create a simulation of the earth that would be closed, sealed and self-containing. In the early 90’s, in this environment, 8 people lived for 2 years and then a second crew for 7 months. The enclosure supplied its own oxygen, recycled its own water, and the crew was responsible for cultivating their own crops to feed themselves.
The buildings have been used
to recreate some of earth’s biomes.
There is an ocean, a rainforest, a desert, a marsh and a savanna biome. All of the biomes work together to provide oxygen,
light, water, and other things necessary for life. This is an incredibly complex experimental arena. The different biomes can be sealed off from
one another and the temperature, humidity, and even rainfall can be
controlled.
As you can imagine…it is difficult to replicate the earth in a controlled setting!
Research was conducted here
on the effects of increased carbon dioxide on the ocean. The scientists were able to accurately
predict that as acidity levels rose in the sea water, the shellfish and coral would
have a harder time absorbing calcium carbonate from the water. As a consequence, coral grows much
slower.
There is also a lot of work
here being done regarding aquaponics.
This system uses koi. The koi are
fed and their waste and the water is cycled through a bed of lava rock. The nutrients from the fish waste, feed the
plants and the plants and rocks filter the water. The plants wrap their roots around the rock
and take hold. Fruits and vegetables are
produced. In other systems, sustainable,
edible fishes are used. This system uses
far less water than traditional farming.
When you water an open field all the water showered on the crops is
lost. In this closed system, 90% of the
water is retained for re-use. The fruits
and vegetables that are produced are nutritionally comparable to food grown in
soil…but because no soil is used…the vegetables do not taste quite the same.
Other research is being conducted about the use of solar panels to shelter crops. The solar panels improve the efficiency of the growing food. They also allow for the water that would evaporate, to be conserved and to provide moisture for the seedlings. The solar panels also become more effective at harvesting energy because the plants emit a cooling effect. The idea is that if this could be used in large agricultural areas, laborers working in the fields could also be sheltered by the panels from the blistering Arizona sun.
The research possibilities are
endless. The idea though is that the
scientists continue to work to find ways to make the earth’s resources more sustainable.
To make all of this work requires an extensive underground system of controls. The large white barrels are called clouds. They house the water to make the project work.
The most amazing thing was “The Lung.” When the original facility was built, engineers realized that because the system was closed, the heat from the Arizona sun would expand inside. If there was not a method for dealing with this expanding air, the whole place could explode. Similarly, on a cold desert night, the air would contract. All of this air flow had to have a place to go. This giant metal diaphragm was constructed. The rubber ring around the metal plate allows the dome to raise to accommodate high pressure or warm air, and to contract again as the air gets cooler…so amazing!
This is Project LEO. Each of the three enclosures is comprised of basalt hillsides. The research is to determine how water flows through a slope and how rock is broken down to make soil.
A wood scorpion. Tiny…only an inch or so long…and poisonous…enough to sting and hurt!
There were other environmental message as well.
And…some cool mineral samples.
There is so much more to see at this amazing place. If you are in Tucson and you like science stuff…go!
This evening we went to Lee and Claudia’s for a sockeye salmon dinner. Lee and Claudia caught the fish while spending this summer in Alaska. We spent the evening feasting and sharing travel stories.
After yesterday’s ordeal, we did not want to take a Jeep trail! We decided to cycle on the Canada Del Oro Riverfront Bike Trail.
This was a lovely paved, safe place to ride. It was kind of windy. We always prefer to ride into the wind first and use the tailwind on the way back!
This wildlife connection post was erected by a local girl scout troop. I love the messages!
Our lunch spot.
We had a delightful tailwind, we hardly had to pedal! We were enjoying just coasting along and missed our turn…which meant we had to bike back into the headwind to get back on track. No worries…it was good work and a perfect day to be riding!
The highlight of our day was reconnecting with Lee and Claudia! We were invited for wine before dinner. We enjoyed dinner at The Views. We went back to their house for coffee after dinner. It is so nice to spend time with them,we have so much in common!
