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The three months (minus 3 weeks at home) we have spent on the Gulf of Mexico have been most enjoyable. Now the batteries have been recharged it's time to gain some altitude and do some hiking. So Big Bend, Davis Mountains and Guadaloupe Mountains here we come. Need some exercise to prepare us for our Curling Bonspiel at Waltham Curling Club, Illinois at the beginning of March.
Port Isabel to Laredo
Since we had arranged to have the RV serviced in Harlingen at 9.00 a.m. we were up early. We restocked our fridge & freezer whilst the service was being done. In the next couple of weeks large Supermarkets would be thin on the ground. We intended to stop at San Ignacio but the RV park we had chosen had either closed down or moved? In any case we missed it and drove a further 30 miles to Laredo (a very busy city) where RV sites are few and far between.
After a drive round a RV & Mobile Home Park (looked rough) we settled on Lake Casa Blanca International State Park on the outskirts of Laredo (no hookups). Since we didn't arrive until after 5.00p.m. it was a take away pizza and early to bed. This State Park is really attractive but the nearby airport, railway line and city bypass used by trucks could cause problems for light sleepers. Resisted the temptation to revisit the extremely busy (but not too attractive) Laredo in spite of the classic western film "The Streets Of Laredo". This seems yet another city along the Rio Grande to benefit from the trade agreement with Mexico.
Interesting election poster seen at roadside: "Lets restore law & order - John Bowles for sheriff." Made us wonder what the city was like before the election?
Laredo to Del Rio
The continuous rain during the night stopped in time for us to hook up and start our journey to Del Rio. The first few busy miles were on I-35 and we were happy to turn off on US 83 another of those quiet quiet highways. The journey took us away from the Rio Grande initially before US 90 returned us to the Mexican border on the north side of Del Rio at Amistad National Recreation Area. It was warm and sunny when we arrived at this Passport America site for 2 nights (bargain price). After unhooking we visited the National Parks office to obtain local information. Drove into Amistad NRA and walked around part of the lake which was formed by damming the Rio Grande. A good wildlife area where the Black Tailed Jackrabbit's look as big as a small deer (that's our story anyway?) Apparently these beasts? can reach speeds up to 35 mph, leap as much as 20 feet and every 3rd or 4th leap bounds high into the air to view its pursuing enemy. Down by the lakeshore we spotted what we believe were 
Muskrats, one of which we were close enough to video as it fed & played in the lake. Quite a variety of small birds, that wouldn't stay still long enough for us to identify, and some deer.
After a good nights sleep we woke to a bright sunny but cool morning. Drove into the northern end of Amistad NRA and were lucky enough to spot a flock of 30-40 wild turkey's and hordes of Eastern & Western Bluebirds (really, really Blue!)
On the way to Seminole Canyon SP we had to pass through one of the many Border check points along the Rio Grande. We were asked if we were US citizens and when we replied in the negative, we were asked to produce our passports. We told the officer that our passports were in the RV. He informed us we should carry them (and Visa) at all times and that we could be arrested for not producing them. We were told to continue our journey but it was a good reminder that we are visitors to the USA. It is easy to forget this as we travel around this huge continent which has little or no language/cultural differences. At Seminole Canyon SP we arrived too late to take the guided tour down into the canyon but did a four mile hike to the top of the canyon instead. Spotted quite a few birds we had seen before and a deer ran across the road in front of us.
Del Rio to Terlingua (Big Bend National Park)
Back to US 90 (quiet, quiet) for fifty miles before stopping at Langtry to visit the "Judge Roy Bean historical site". When the railway was spreading west there was "No law west of the Pecos" To remedy, this Roy Bean, a saloon keeper with a shady past was appointed as the judge. He was a great fan of Lily Langtry and named his saloon "The Jersey Lily" in her honour. He also claimed to have named the town Langtry in her honour but this is disputed. He corresponded with Lily Langtry to entice her to visit but by the time she did so he had passed away. His saloon was a unique example of frontier law! It offered the complete service - Judge Roy Bean would sell you liquor and then when you got into a gunfight over a Saloon Gal and shot your rival the Judge would have you arrested and sentence you in he morning. You didn't need to leave the building! There is no record of Judge Roy Bean sentencing anyone to hang, but he banished a few accused from the town without money or horse. Due to the remoteness of Langtry at that time (still fairly remote today) and the desert like conditions this was as close to a death sentence as you could get.
The further north/west we travelled the more hills/mountains we started to see. Approaching Big Bend NP a Javelina (wild pig) crossed the road in front of us. We stopped at the NP headquarters to obtain hiking information in the park and surrounds.
Lost Mine Trail
A 5.3 mile hike advertised as having good views most of the way. For our first hike at any significant elevation for about four months we chose a fairly short hike that could offer lots of good views. We were not disappointed as views accompanied us most of the way. We visited another of those restaurants? with panoramic views at the 6850 ft. summit where we scoffed our prepackaged sandwiches fruit and chocolate, well it is hungry work all this hiking at altitude.
Chisos Mountains, South Rim
On the way into Big Bend NP for our intended hike we realised that we had left the map in the RV - should we return or should we buy another one at the Headquarters. After much discussion, during which time we passed the park entrance gate (Wullie driving), we decided to proceed into the park and buy another one. We made our way to Park HQ purchased a new map and headed back towards Chisos trailhead. As we reached the turnoff a Park Ranger came up behind us complete with siren & flashing lights. He switched on his speaker system and told us to pull off the road and remain in the vehicle, but roll down the window. When we came to a standstill we were approached by the Ranger (Rank of Colonel) who advised us that we had run a RED light at the entrance gate, and this was an offence. Wullie immediately apologised and explained that we had been so busy discussing our map problem that we hadn't even seen the light. We admitted that was no excuse and again apologised profusely. Our immediate admittance that we were in the wrong and the fact that we were tourists allowed us to escape with a warning after production of driving license and a promise to stop the next time even if the office was unmanned like this morning. We did not have a copy of the insurance in the truck (naughty) but were told to carry on and enjoy our hike. Feeling very thankful for the way most Americans treat guests in their country we drove to the trailhead. The drive to the trailhead in the Chisos Basin is in itself very scenic.
This is a 12.5 mile relatively strenuous hike which climbs from the Basin at 5400 ft. into the Chisos mountains (7400 ft.) . Most of the early ascent is completed amongst trees with occasional views. The views from the South Rim are well worth waiting for and provide yet another of those restaurants with panoramic views. The South East rim was closed to hikers because it is a Peregrine Falcon nesting area and they were due in the area soon. The return trip was through Boot canyon which provides a ready water supply for wildlife. We were quite happy to leave the canyon behind as there are mountain Lions in the Chisos and this looked like their sort of terrain. The descent back to the Basin was in some ways worse than the ascent. The weather throughout was warm & sunny and all our food & liquid was consumed without too much trouble. A quite enjoyable hike with the best views at the furthest away point. The views from the Southeast Rim are reputedly worth seeing and this would add another 2 miles to the hike.
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Woke to a cloudy but warm morning and as we had been ascending for two days we decided to take a drive to Big Bend Ranch State Park. Called into the park office and were told if we wanted to picnic by the Rio Grande we should stop at The Tee Pees rest area, which is also good for bird watching. We took their advise - what an unusual picnic area. We stopped at the office for about 30 minutes adding more birds to our already extensive list. During the day we spotted: Black Tailed Gnatcatcher, Black-chinned Sparrow, White-crowned sparrow, House finch (very colourful) and House sparrow.
Rio Grande Village (Inside the NP)
We were staying outside the NP at the western end and were contemplating moving into the RV park at Rio Grande village at the eastern boundary. Drove through the park (careful to stop at the entrance gate, although we couldn't see a red light) to Rio Grande village but didn't like the Full Hookups site, the no facilities site was much nicer. Final conclusion was that there wasn't enough points of interest to justify a move. It became quite windy and as we arrived back at our RV park it was a dust bowl. We had left the windows open and the bedroom and toilet were covered in sand/dust. The folk opposite us had left their awning out and it got ripped off the side of their RV - an expensive day out for them. It would have been a beautiful sunset but again the gusty winds caused a mighty dust storm which obliterated the sun making it very dark until the dust settled. Out first real DUST STORM.
Santa Elena Canyon
A bright & sunny, but somewhat cooler day was ideal for the very scenic drive to Santa Elena Canyon. We completed the 1 mile hike into this beautiful canyon with high rock walls dividing Mexico from America. This very short but enjoyable hike took us ages as we stopped to talk with quite a few people who were also enjoying the scenery and sunshine. A most beautiful Rock Wren sang us a sweet song and posed nicely for a picture. Some rafters floated down the river through the canyon enjoying the scenery.
FM 170 - "El Camino Del. Rio" Scenic Highway (The River Road)
This is a very scenic highway which winds it way through the mountains alongside the Rio Grande to Presidio (round trip 140 miles). 
On route we called into Contrabondo, a movie set location where films like "The Streets of Laredo" were made, stopped to look into the canyon and the Rio Grande from the Big Hill, visited Lajitas Resort and admired the roadside wildflowers such as Big Bend Bluebonnets and Rock Nettle. Presidio is a small town with a border crossing to Mexico. Stopped at a State Park on the way home for our picnic lunch. There were quite a few birds around including a Roadrunner and a Curved Billed Thrasher. We had a few spots of rain on the way home - the first since our arrival in the Big bend area. A worker in a state park told us that the temperatures in the Summer are in the 100 - 120 range but drop to the 90's at night?
Big Bend NP to Prude Ranch (Fort Davis)
The weather was not all that clear for our 140 mile drive to Prude Ranch, in the Davis Mountains which was unfortunate as the road was fairly scenic. Unknown to us Prude Ranch was hosting a Blue Grass festival and the RV park was expected to be full so we were pleased we arrived early.
McDonald Observatory/Davis Mountains Scenic Drive
The McDonald Observatory, situated atop Mt Locke, dominates the skyline in the Davis mountains and is one of the major astronomical research facilities in the world. We took the guided tour of the facilities which are rented out to visiting astronomers as well as students at the University of Texas. Star Parties are held three evenings a week at sunset, when stars & planets can be observed through the telescope situated at the visitor center. Since guided tours are hard work we stopped at a picnic spot for lunch which we shared with Tufted Titmouse, Grey Breasted Jays and Nuthatches. We continued around the 74 mile scenic loop the highlights being Sawtooth mountain, Mount Livermore, Point of Rocks and finally the historic town of Fort Davis.
At a Church Camp in Skillman Grove we took a photo of an interesting sign.
Fort Davis State Park
A short hike (2 miles) to a hilltop in Fort Davis State Park on a nice clear but cool day gave us lovely views. The RV park in the State Park is very attractively situated and we will use it the next time we visit this area. The Interpretive centre has a bird viewing area which gave close-up views of lots of birds and good photo opportunities. Chatted to the warden who is a Snowbird, bird enthusiast and fount of knowledge. We watched some of his video film of birds he had taken during his travels. By coincidence we met and chatted with a visiting astronomer (and wife) who were renting time on the telescope at the McDonald Observatory.
Bluegrass Festival
The Bluegrass festival took place on Friday & Saturday. Friday evening was a "jam session" where anyone could join in with the music. there were two shows on the Saturday, afternoon & evening. We went along to the evening show which comprised three bands all of whom were very good. This was our first experience of home grown Bluegrass
which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Fort Davis - Jeff Davis County
The population of Jeff Davis County is 2500. The county has been dry since prohibition. The Limpia Hotel in Fort Davis is the only licensed premises in the county by virtue of having a private club (Sutter's). Visitors can pay $4 for a weeks membership allowing them to buy a drink, or locals can buy an annual membership. There are few supermarkets that sell wine and beer in Jeff Davis county but few people show any interest in changing this very old law. We discovered this when we tried to order a drink in the hotel restaurant. This would have meant an expensive beer but on reflection a bottle of wine would have complimented an excellent meal.
Fort Davis to Carlsbad
An easy quiet journey on a clear sunny day. The Guadalupe mountains were very clear and beautiful. Visited the NP office for information on hiking opportunities in the park.
Windmill RV Park - Carlsbad New Mexico
Booked in this spacious RV park for a month as we intend to leave the RV here while we drive to Illinois for our Curling Bonspeil. There are two National Parks in the area, Guadalupe Mountains & Carlsbad Caverns. The city itself is surprisingly attractive, with the Pecos river flowing through and public parks alongside it. A further attraction in town is something you don't see very often in the USA anymore - a Drive-In Movie Theater! We are keen to visit this attraction but Wullie is worried we may be ejected due to overindulgence in NECKING?
We spent the next day & a half doing exciting things like shopping, laundry, packing for colder climes and truck washing.
Our trip to Illinois
Day one - Carlsbad to Hereford Texas (The Panhandle)
Departed Carlsbad at 9.00 a.m. in brilliant sunshine which continued throughout the day. Between Carlsbad & Roswell NM saw lots of oil donkeys extracting oil, herds of sheep (unusual in western USA), massive aircraft landing & taking off from one of the longest runways in the USA and a book exchange shop called "Turn the Page". Visited Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge 80 miles into our trip at temperature in the 80's. Highlights included a whole flock of snow geese estimated to be 1800 and a Belted Kingfisher. Crossing Eastern New Mexico into the Texas Panhandle was very quiet and flat. Stopped for the night in Hereford, Texas.
Hereford got it's name in 1898 when G.R.Jowel bought a herd of Hereford cattle here. The locals thought the cattle were so beautiful they called the city Hereford when it was incorporated into Deaf Smith County in 1908. The county was named after a famous Texan Scout who we presume was deaf? but if anybody told us we didn't hear that?. This area of Texas is full of
cattle feeding areas where literally thousands of cows are feeding on hills of silage. As you can imagine this causes a noticeable aroma. We have never seen so many cows in our life, in fact Wullie reckons it would take John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Clint Eastwood, Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Gabby Hayes and a cast of thousands to move this prime beef to the railhead. (some locals tried to tell us it was all done in refrigerated trucks nowadays? - he must think we Scots are stupid?). For our evening meal we just had to call into the BBQ restaurant next door for a large steak.
Day two - Hereford Texas to Henryetta Oklahoma
Left Hereford in fog with the temperature in the mid 30's (won't see 80 again for a while). Had breakfast in "Is this the way to Amarillo" heading toward the Oklahoma Panhandle. Visited another of these peculiar Texas Rest Areas where the toilet doesn't have a door- passed and Wullie crossed his legs until reaching a Gas station. At Groom Texas is the largest cross (no not in the world) in the western hemisphere. Passed Shamrock Texas which would you believe has a motel called the Irish Inn. (We later saw an advert in the Chicago Tribune inviting you to spend St. Patricks day in Shamrock & Dublin Texas) Just after passing a sign advising you not to pick up hitchhikers as there is a prison nearby saw a prison gang working on the highway. Passed a Semi (Juggernaut) with a Satellite TV dish attached to the back of the cab? On nearing Oklahoma city the sun started to shine and by the time we arrive at Henryetta its 47 degrees. A take away pizza for dinner is spoiled as we watch the Portland Trailblazers losing to Utah on the TV.
Henryetta OK to Branson Missouri
We woke to heavy rain, thunder & lightening and very poor visibility. The temperature did not get above 37 degrees all day.
We had intended to visit another National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma but the visibility was so bad there didn't seem much point. The Interstate heading for Arkansas was so busy that we decided to take the quiet, rural route. Only touched on the Northwest corner of Arkansas but it seemed quite interesting with rolling hills (Bill & Hilary had apparently flitted to Washington DC so we couldn't meet up!) Crossed the border into Missouri in an area known as the Ozarks - a popular holiday destination. The idea was to visit Branson a town dedicated to entertainment with scores of theatres. Unfortunately on arrival the rain was so heavy we couldn't walk down the "Strip". Booked into "The Inn Of The Ozarks" for two nights. At this time of year only 10 or so theatres are open but we obtained tickets to see the Dutton Family show which was most entertaining. After the show visited the hotel lounge/bar where there was dancing to a live band - a late night for us!
The following morning the rain had stopped and although severe thunderstorms were predicted, being optimistic Scots we convinced ourselves we could get up & down the strip before the weather arrived? Well we got up to the far end at which point the heavens opened and not a taxi to be seen as it was the off-season. We got completely soaked on the way back to the hotel by the heaviest rain we have encountered in the USA, but at least we got tickets for a show that evening. When we got back to the hotel all the TV channels were issuing a tornado warning for our area - thunderstorms bring tornadoes and we were out in a big thunder & lightening storm. Due to the weather we had to drive to dinner and the show. Dinner at Landry's Seafood House was very good (slightly overpriced, but most restaurants in Branson seem to be) and the show, the proceeds of which go to charity was top class. Each year they bring back entertainers who used to work in Branson and add in some who still work there to come up with a Great Great evening of entertainment.
Branson to Rolla, Missouri
The thunderstorms are all gone, its a bright, sunny, cold day so we visited the lake area of the Ozarks on the outskirts of Branson. We had intended to make St. Louis but time passed so quickly we only made it as far as Rolla. The Interstate between Branson & Rolla was the busiest we have been on this trip, it was also had rather a rough surface so we were pleased for the stop.
Rolla to Springfield, Illinois via St. Louis
A bright clear and sunny day so it's St. Louis (Gateway to the West - start of the Lewis & Clark expedition) here we come. 
Parked down on the banks of the Mississippi river near to the International Peace Arch. We took the trip to the top of the Arch - a well worth while venture if you don't mind tight spaces as you are seated in a small cage like car with five seats. When you arrive at the top you get wonderful views of the city, the river and far into Illinois. The Western history museum at the visitor center below the Arch is excellent and well worth a visit on it's own. Had a short walk around a small part of downtown before returning to the truck and making for Springfield Illinois where we stayed for the night.
Springfield to Waltham Township, Illinois
Springfield is the State capital of Illinois and has historical connections with Abe Lincoln (State Motto - Land of Lincoln). We intended to take a tour around the historic part of Springfield but the weather was so cold and snowing that we only got as far as the historic station before making our way to the highway on route for Waltham.
Arrived at "Lady Wilson's" in the early afternoon where we renewed acquaintance with warm, wonderful people. The rest of our team (the BOSS & his wife) were delayed by 3 hours but more importantly the airline lost there luggage, which caused them some anxiety as their Curling gear was in their suitcases.
Next Month - Did we win the curling competition?. Watch this space!!
Miles travelled this month: 3,193
Accumulative miles: 44,035
Interesting Hyperlinks:
Amistad National Recreational Area
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