Category: Uncategorized

          It’s a good thing that the weather is so good here in Texas because it’s time to start Travel Season!

          The temps so far have been “Shorts and T-Shirts” weather, except for a few colder nights. So far, and for the foreseeable future, we will not be having a revival of the Great Icemaggedon of 2021 any time soon!

          We decided to get this Season underway with a short jaunt down the coast to Galveston. It helped when Glen Campbell gave us a call and asked us to visit. I called up Willie and we had a nice time singing “On the Road Again.” Willie fondly remembered our last meeting in Durango last year. It turns out that Willie and Glen have done some work together in the past and you may want to listen to “Funny How Time Slips Away”. It’s a pretty little song, it was their last duet together, recorded on Glen’s final album aptly titled, “Adios’”

          Anyway, Galveston is only about two and a half hours away from us, so away we went! We knew nothing about Galveston except that it was on the coast, situated on a barrier island, much the same way Atlantic City is. In fact, they are about the same size.

          Galveston is famous for several things, one of them being the timely debut of  Dan Rather (of CBS News fame). It was the Hurricane of 1960, Carla, which brought him to national attention. He was the news director of KHOU, out of Houston, when the storm was on its way. In fact, Dan was the only member of the news department and got to call his own shots. This was when TV Weather Radar was not in existence. Weather Radar was a fledgling in itself and luckily Dan was keen to new technology. Carla was the first major meteorological event that it was used for to try and  track it. Dan got wind of this and contacted the Meteorologist on duty and asked if he could see it. Permission granted and armed with a clear cellophane film, Dan inscribed a scale rendition of the state of Texas on it showing both the size, proximity, and direction, of the coming storm.

          The rest, as they say, is history. Dan came to national attention and that spring-boarded his career immensely.

          Luckily for us, there were no hurricanes forecasted for while we ventured south. As you can see from these photos, the weather was great! The only problem was that the beaches were so crowded! We stayed at a KOA RV Park about twenty miles south of the downtown area. The place was crazy-clean and nicely quiet!

          Our first day started at the Moody Mansion. The Moody family is one of those patriarchal Texas Families that someone like James Michener would write about in his novel, ‘Texas’ and although the Moody’s are not fiction, I’m sure that I’ve made my point.

The family lived here from 1900 until 1986. It is as opulent as the photos indicate and having just finished binging on Downton Abbey, we had a new-found appreciation for rooms such as the Butler’s Pantry and the upstairs Service Kitchen. The impact of the Moody family on the Galveston area is quite significant, banking, insurance, cotton, medical, and social, are just a few of the areas that they dabbled in. What’s nice to notice is that everyone (their contemporary’s) thought very highly of them.

          When we finished at the Mansion, we drove over to the seaport area where we spent the rest of the day. But first I needed to check in on my Shrimping Boat, the Donnie J. Me and Forrest (with his Jenny) started about the same time. Forrest went on to have a chain of his Bubba Gump restaurant’s.

           I had only one.  😊

          Lunch was had at Katie’s Seafood which, I kid you not, was right next door (as in the NEXT building) to the place where their seafood lands from the boat.

          To say that it was really, really, really good would be an understatement.

          But it was!

          I’ve never had shrimp right off the boat before and there is obviously a difference. It’s like going to Maine and having lobster. I’m sure you get my point. Paula had the ‘Catch of the Day’ which can obviously change from day to day. This day it was Golden Tilefish and I had to stop her from licking the plate.

          We’re going back today for more!

          Lunch (and dessert) finished, we walked over to the Ocean Star Drilling Platform Exhibit and Museum. This is a retired drilling platform that was built in 1969 and was used for about 20 years before settling in at the wharf-side of Galveston.

          What an incredible experience!

          There are three decks of very well thought out exhibits and examples of drilling apparatus and how they are used. All aspects of the drilling operation are covered, the drills, platforms, wellheads, piping, ships, environmental concerns, and the daily on-board life of the operators is explained so well that even the un-initiated person comes away with a clear understanding of the process.

          After leaving the Drilling Platform, we walked over a block to the heart of Galveston’s Historic District, The Strand. Here we found the usual shops and eateries that one may expect in an area like this. They have collectively done a wonderful job of keeping the buildings as true to the originals as possible, right down to the twelve-foot doors and windows at street level.

          This area is also the Cruise Port. Galveston is the fourth-largest port in the States for cruise embarkation. Royal Caribbean and Carnival are the two major lines that use this port.

          Tomorrow looks good so far in the weather department, so we’ll tackle a few more sights before heading back.

          More to follow!

          It’s been a while since my last post so I thought that I would just write a little something, and maybe throw in a few photos.

          In the beginning, I wrote that this blog is not about me.

          It is about our travels and the places we go.

          So….. if we’re not traveling, then there is not too much to write about! This piece will kind of bring you up to date, etc.

          Since we returned from the Great Tomboy Farm Critter Sitting of November, we have been safely ensconced at out Texas Home Base at Danny and Kaitie’s in Brenham. I do have to say the weather has been just this side of awesome.

          Warm days (60’s through the 80’s), not too much rain, and so far , no big scary storms! (which there is a plethora of at any given time down here)

          My biggest issue so far, and has been for a while, is realizing that I don’t have to do anything at any time! While somewhat liberating, it is totally disconcerting for me.

          But I’ll get used to it!

          We have plans for Florida for much of February, a stay at Sugarloaf Key which is just a few miles from Key West, a stay up in Tampa at Paula’s sister’s house, and possibly a visit to rels on the East Coast by Vero Beach.

          After last years “Icemageddon” debacle, we are not assuming anything when it comes to weather and traveling. It takes two days to exit this state and even trying to get to the Southwest, like Arizona, runs us through some high elevations that can get quite wintery. So that means we need to look many days in advance and either stay put or get out of Dodge really quickly!

          Danny is hot and heavy into campaigning for the Justice of the Peace position for Precinct Three in Washington County which is where we reside. This is an actual Judge position, way different than anything we have in New Jersey. The primary is in March and if he wins that, it is an automatic (?) win in November as rural parts of Texas are as Republican as Sussex County is and there are generally not many Democratic candidates. So, we plan on being here for the election to both vote and help out.

      Then, back to traveling!                                                                                    Paula and I would like to extend all of the Warm Wishes of this time of year to everyone who has kept up with us, and this drivel that I write! We truly hope that you enjoy traveling with us and I promise you, we love having you along!

          Until Next Year,

          Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

          Love,

          Paula and Don

We are stuck here in Durango, Colorado.

                    The weather is boring,

                     Bright, bluebird skies during the day and cool, crisp nights.

                    Ho-hum…..

          If it weren’t for Critter Sitting, there would be no excitement.

Except we went on a hike the other day to the Animas Valley Overlook.

          The trail was 23 miles, and the elevation was 18,700 ft.

          That is a slight exaggeration….

          Actually, the trail was 2/3 of a mile and the elevation was 8,700 ft.

          What a difference a slash and extra digit make!

          As you can see from the accompanying photos, it was about as spectacular as it gets. Looking north into the Heart of the San Juan’s towards Ouray and Silverton, you can see the early snows on the peaks above 10,000 ft. Looking the other way (south), Durango lies nestled in its little valley carved out by the Animas River.

          As an added bonus, The Air Force Thunderbirds flew directly over us in a nice tight formation. Needless to say, (since there is no photographic evidence of this) my camera/phone was in my pocket with no chance to retrieve it in time to take a decent photo.

          Oh well, you’ll just have to believe me!

          We had lunch up there on a south-facing bench which was drenched in the very welcome warming sunlight! The temps up there were hovering at about -43 degrees.

          Oops! There it goes again! I mean 43 degrees!

          That is still cold enough with the gale-force winds of 4 mph blowing across the vast plateau below us to make us comfortable in its warmth.

          Our sandwich was prepared by a local bakery named (appropriately) Bread. This establishment is somewhat of a local favorite and its fame has grown to where folks passing through on their way north, stop in to avail themselves of its victuals and of course, baked goods. It is a large place, with plenty of room inside for customers to place their orders, but with Covid still lurking in the backs of their minds, they only allow TWO customers (or two Groups, i.e., families to be inside at any one time). To show you how successful this joint is, that process does not seem to have had an effect on their business. Peeps are willing to wait outside, all queued up, and patiently (?) await their turn to enter.

          Our sandwich was delicious.

          I’ve always held to the thought that it takes three things to ensure a restaurants success.

• Quality of the Food
• Service
• And cost

The establishment can survive with any two of these being great and the third being average. Think of some places you go to.

           Food great, Price Great, Service average.

          See what I mean?

          Mix any of these up and it still works.

          In our case, the place could not have been any more spectacular, the sandwich was awesome, the price was more than fair at about $8.00, and the service (me) was far above what anyone could expect!

          So, we are giving the South-Facing Bench at Animas Valley Overlook  a Five-Star Rating!

           Be sure to book early as there is only one of these benches up there.

          “Meanwhile back at the ranch…”

The Critter’s of Tomboy Farm keep us quite busy twice a day. Their routines revolve around Food! and being let out of their respective Confinements to roam the vast enclosure that helps keep them relatively safe.

          By vast, I mean like, maybe a quarter acre.

          Mind you, not large enough for a herd of Buffalo, but plenty big for two cats, CubScout (the Roamer)and Ling-Ling ( who stays inside all the time) , three goats, Cloe, Munchy, and Nibbles, and eleven chickens, who not only stopped laying (boo) during the colder months but will remain nameless for now.

          We actually had to buy some stupid-store-bought-eggs!

Well, when we’re not really rolling down the Road, there really isn’t that much to write about. Life goes on, like it does with all of you.      The things that keep us in one place for a time are just some of the necessities of life.

          Like Doctor’s Visits.

          We have found that just like those funny Insurance Company commercials, we are becoming our parents (getting older) and our focus needs to change from time to time, which means staying stationary for a spell.

          And this is Ok…. This retirement gig is not that bad. I always wondered if I would become bored at this stage of my life.

          Nope! Not one little bit!

          The ability to do NOTHING is fascinating. In reality, I have yet to experience that state of being, it is, none-the-less, a crazy feeling!

          Most of our Static Time is spent at our Texas Home Base where the weather is warmer, both in the summer (Boo!) and the winter (Yay!)

          We have made some improvements to our little site at the Madison Farm and Trampoline Park Campground. We added the concrete pad which makes leveling   a little nicer. It helps keep things cleaner (No splash-up when it rains) and the leveling process is MUCH smoother. I have it down to where I have painted small Indicator Lines on the concrete so that when I back her in I am automatically lined up with the stairs that I built so that we do not need to use that auto-extending one all the time. This helps us to keep things like that from wearing out.

          Why would they wear out you may ask?

          The answer is simple, and unless you know how, and with what these babies are constructed, you would never even think of it.

          If you feel a Lesson coming on, you are absolutely Correct!

          I’m sure that you all have heard of “Planned Obsolescence”, and this describes the situation somewhat.

          When the folks at Winnebago, Tiffin, Forest River, Jayco, Newmar, or any of the other RV manufacturers sit around their conference  tables to design one of these vehicles, they have many decisions to make and one of them is how long will it last under normal driving/living conditions.

          The key word here is, “Normal”

          None of the Makers of these vehicles manufacture them for “Full-Time Use. That is a fact. Obviously, the better manufacturers, the ones that have a better quality (and price) attached to them make the better candidates for Full-Time Living.

           They know that the average person, or family, buying an RV or Motorhome, will use it several times a year. Most of the time it will sit in the driveway or at a storage facility until the long weekend or vacation rolls around and they take a trip.

          So, they build it accordingly. They would be fools not to.

          That leads me to the next item that we do while we are stationary.

          Maintenance.

          I love this stuff and I’m thinking of asking Winnebago to hire me on as a consultant, because until you actually LIVE in one, it is impossible to get to know it as intimately as we do.

          And uncover some “Design Flaws” that would not rear their ugly little heads if it were being used under “normal” circumstances. As we use the Motorhome and all of its components, we have to keep in mind that they (the components) are designed NOT to be used full-time and treat them accordingly. Not with Kid-Gloves mind you, just  a little more carefully, noting how they perform so that we can keep them in good running order.

          My favorite example of this is the floor of the motorhome. It is constructed by using a foam core sandwich method with marine-grade 5/4” plywood that is very strong and at the same time helps with insulation and road noise abatement.

          Unfortunately, this necessary compromise for the aforementioned reasons, also makes it not as strong as  a solid 5/4” plywood floor.

          How would I know this you may ask?

          Over time I thought that I could feel a “Give” in the floor at a spot that was in the most heavily traveled part of the motorhome, namely right in front of the kitchen sink. This area is being constantly traversed and of course, stood at, while prepping meals and then washing the dishes. It is plenty strong for average use, but full-time?, Now that’s different!

          We did an experiment. I went downstairs into the ”Basement”  and had Paula walk back and forth in the suspected area. We communicated with our phones and as she strolled around, I could see the floor give just a little when it was walked on. Not much, but enough to notice. This would only get worse with time, so a remedy was needed.

          The whole “Upstairs” part of the motorhome sits on a welded framework of structural tubing that is set down, and around the Freightliner bus-type chassis. The spot the was “giving” was in between some of the structural frames.

          Solution.

          Add more support in between the existing framework.

          Mind you, none of this would be necessary if it were being used under “normal” circumstances. Those striding’s back and forth, meal-prep, and dishwashing would only be being done several times a year.

          Not 365!

          So, a few angle-brackets and 2×4’s later, we had a very solid, no-give floor to walk on.

          That was a major “fix-it” issue, but it is a good example of “Design for Use” that was explained earlier and also a good example of things that we look for so that they can be fixed or modified before they become a problem.

          So, between doctor’s visits and maintenance issues (both preventative and immediate) we stay nicely busy. Add in watching the horses and goats  in the corral, and just relaxing, our days stay full, but without the tightly controlled work schedules of the past. We have also been able to help Danny, Paula’s son run for office here in Texas. Their form of government is a little different from New Jersey. He is running for Justice of the Peace, which in fact, is a Judge position in the County, a very nice stepping stone as he has further political ambitions 🙂

         

          Speaking of critters in corrals and the ability to do what we want, when we want, we now find ourselves back in Durango, farm-sitting for Lorelyn and Travis who are taking a well-deserved two-week vacation in Eastern Europe. They needed someone to watch the two cats, three goats, and eleven chickens. It is not a full-time job, but it does require being here in the morning and evening to either let them out or put them to bed. In addition, poor little Ling-Ling (The Fluffy White Cat) was diagnosed with diabetes about a week before our scheduled arrival. This means twice-daily injections of insulin. Thankfully Paula is well versed in this kind of procedure after being a CMA in a doctor’s office for twenty years. The problem is really with Ling-Ling. She is VERY shy and stays hidden most of the time. If you are a stranger staying at the house, you will NEVER see her. Thankfully we’ve been here enough for her to tolerate us and make a gratuitous appearance every now and then. She needs to eat before she can get her injection (which uses a really small needle, so she doesn’t feel it) so the previously always-full food bowl has been replaced with a twice-a-day feeding schedule that allows us to capture her right after her meal and give her the insulin.

          Pfhewf! This is the most stressful part of our stay here.

          Except Goat Feeding Time

          This particular event could qualify for some sort of Olympic Status.  You need to be able to first open the gate that has the three goats on the other side, each one bent on “Escaping”. These four-legged steamrollers are incredibly strong, and we have been bowled over more than once in our attempts to gain entrance to the corral.

          Now add in Food!

          The head-butting, charging, and jumping up to gain access to the “Raised High Above Your Head” can of goat ‘Crack’ is unlike any experience so far. More than once, we’ve found ourselves on the ground as they entwine themselves between your legs in an effort to gain access to said ‘crack’.

          The chickens are a little easier, as they do not bowl us over. They do get very excited when they see a can hopefully filled with ‘scratch’, their favorite treat. They can trip you, as eleven of them get underfoot, but it’s not too bad. The fun part is gathering the elliptical morsels of chicken-ness, namely Farm-Fresh Eggs!

          That is, unless the Magpies, which there is a plethora of around here, get into the coop first and steal/eat them first!

          There is s shotgun on the wall that I am sadistically eying.

          Otherwise, our time here is spent binge-watching ‘24’ and ‘Madam Secretary” and catching up on ‘New Amsterdam’ and ‘The Voice’. The weather is just incredible, bluebird skies, daytime temps in the mid-sixties and night-time lows in the thirties. We did not bring the motorhome as it was far easier to fly up instead of taking the two-day trip by road. Besides, at this time of year up here, the chance for snow is always present and we try to avoid that like the proverbial Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever!

          I had some fun with my Lawyer-Daughter and drew up a Contract for her to sign in order for us to be engaged as “Farm-Sitters”. She wants to hire me at the Tribe now as you can see, it totally absolves us of ANY responsibility whatsoever!

P&D Farm Sitters Ltd.

Main Offices, Brenham, Texas

“Serving the Needs of The Southwest  for about 6 Months or so”

With Other Locations in;

Durango, Hainesville, Chatham, Cambridge, Readfield, Palm Springs, Fredericksburg, Tucson, Santa Fe, and somewhere along a stretch of the god-forsaken Interstate 10 in Texas

Phone – 201-317-6986

Telex – 201-317-6986

Fax – 201-317-6986

International – 01-201-317-6986

Basic Contract Language

The Party of the first part, (Farm Sitters LLC) when engaged by any other entity, (Heretofore known as ‘Party of the Second Part) Shall not be held responsible for anything that may be construed as any modicum of responsibility, examples here, but not limited to the actual responsibilities that may be understood by either party to be examples that, in the normal course of events, would hereby be outlined in this contract, but are not contained within said contract, either by omission, or commission, of applied responsibilities and/or Duties of the Party of the First Part as to rights and privileges of the Party of the Second Part to lay claim against The Party of the first Part either by default of responsibilities normally executed within the usual and expected parameters of basic business practices outlined in,

“The Acme Handbook of Applied Business Practices” by Wyle E. Coyote (Second Edition)

Signed __________________                 Signed ________________

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

          As you can see, we’re having fun here!

          In reality, major trips are not planned until after the Holiday’s and so far, it looks like  February will be spent in various parts of Florida, from the Keys to the Tampa area, and stops in between.

          Hoping you and Yours a truly thankful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. With any amount of luck we’ll bump into some of you over the Holidays!

It’s called The Hill Country around here and it’s a region in south central Texas that boasts quite a few wineries, vineyards, and breweries, and Fredericksburg is the “Capital “of the Region.

          Fredericksburg was settled in the 1800’s by German immigrants and has managed to hold on dearly to its heritage. The entire town is German themed, and this makes is it a favorite destination for just about everyone. With the wineries, regular and German restaurants, and a downtown Main Street that has managed to maintain all of its old-world charm, Fredericksburg seems to be perpetually busy.          Especially now, it’s Oktoberfest time!

          We’ve been through this little town many times before as Rt. 290 runs right through the middle of it. Rt. 290 is the road that we take from our home base in Brenham all the way to the god-forsaken, evil-infested Interstate Route 10. It is also the town that we limped back to in the Texas Icemageddon of 2021 this past winter. We stayed an additional 3 days in the Walmart parking lot until we determined that it might be safe enough to venture out and make it back home.

          So, we definitely have a soft spot in us for Fredericksburg.      Unfortunately, during that wintry hiatus there, we were unable to sample any of its delightful feature’s because half of the town was without power, and if they did have it, the employees were unable to navigate the roads and come into work.

          So, we decided to come back some day.

          That day was perfectly positioned at the end of our Big Bend trip as we needed to travel right through it anyway!

          And it’s Oktoberfest!

          And the weather is still summerlike around here!

          We stayed at a very nice campground, one of the Jellystone Park franchises. Yup, that’s the one, the same as in Yogi and Boo-Boo!

          The place was meticulously clean and there is definitely a family vibe here with some nice activities and outdoor playthings available to use. The pool was sparkling clean, but we did not avail ourselves of that as we were too busy trying German restaurants!

           (And walking the town)

          We decided that the best way to conquer Main Street was to park at one end, walk up as far as we could, then cross and return back down. This tactic was good as almost every shop was interesting enough to poke our heads into and determine if they warranted a full visit or not. Our goal was to be back towards the beginning around lunchtime as we wanted to visit Der Lindenbaum, an authentic German restaurant complete with Helga, our native German accented waitress. This place had a nice Wiener Schnitzel, one of the dishes that Paula wanted to have.

          The other dish she wanted was Rouladen, her favorite.

          The night before, we had located another eatery, Auslander Biergarten,  where we had dinner. Our waiter was not German, but he was a hoot, and we had a ton of fun with him trading stories of all sorts.

          The Main Street has mostly covered sidewalks, which lend to its charm. I can see where these are crucial to this mercantile setting as they provide shade, which if it’s sunny, is somewhat of a necessity in the hotter weather.

          We did not venture out to the wineries as there were way too many to choose from, and Paula wanted to wait for Kaitie, her daughter-in-law, so that she could be there also. I looked to see if there were any dairies around so that I could do some Milk Tastings, but alas, there were none, so I may have to accompany the Winos, so they have a Designated Driver!

Here are some other views of Main Street.

          Back when we were driving through town I noticed a sign that read, WW II National Museum of the Pacific.

          I’m sorry, but I was immediately skeptical of this.

          Why here?

          Was this a ploy of someone’s to capture some tourist trade?

           What could possibly be authentic about a Pacific based museum here in the middle of the Texas desert?

          Be careful Doubting Donny! Don’t make rash judgements!

           Well, it turns out that Fredericksburg is the hometown of Admiral Chester Nimitz of WW II fame. I will not attempt to recite to you all of his attributes, as I could not begin to do them justice. I will tell you this, if you are in any way, a fan of military history and/or great American’s, then look no further and at least do some research and read a bit about him. I promise that you won’t be disappointed!

          As for the museum, drop what you are doing now and book a flight into Austin, let me know when you’re coming, and I will pick you up and drive you to this incredible place. We spent almost four hours there and could have doubled that if we read everything that was there. It truly is a totally complete history of the Pacific Theater of WW II.

          And Admiral Nimitz had a front row seat.

          To show you what kind of person he was, when the Town Fathers wanted to make a museum after the war, he refused to be involved unless it was a museum about all of the men and women that were involved, and it needed to be about their conflicts, not his. He once declined a promotion to Admiral because it would have meant that he would leap-frog over 30 men senior to him.  He thought that this would have not been received well and be a detriment to morale.

          How selfless can one be?

          His men obviously loved him.

          We saved a bit for a return trip, there is an Extension of the Museum called the Battle Zone which was closed for the day by the time that we finished in the main Museum. Along with that and the wineries, we are assured of another fine trip to The Hill Country and Fredericksburg.

          Hope to see you there!

No longer Novatas y Novatos (Rookies) in the Park, our last full day down here was sprinkled with relatively short jaunts from our site.

          The first excursion of the day was to Boquillos Canyon, the second most popular canyon to hike to and just look at, because there was really no way to go down the canyon (except by canoe) like we did in the Santa Elena the day before. One of the reasons that this hike was a good one was its proximity to us. It was only about 5 miles away, not the 56 of yesterday.

          This enabled us to sleep in (Not!) and get a later start.

          We actually left about the same time as yesterday because we had several destinations on our itinerary for this day and a few question marks that we may, or may not, be able to get to.

          One of the question marks was the little town of Boquillos that lay just on the other side of the Rio Grande. This town had its genesis back when there were mining operations in the area that spanned the Border. When the mines eventually shut down and the Park opened, they were able to stay in existence, in part, by the tourists that made the Crossing, aided by enterprising caballeros in small boats that would ferry you across the river….. for a fee.

          This practice still exists today. The US Border Patrol, in cooperation with the National Park Service, maintains a small Port of Entry here. It’s tiny as you may imagine, passports required, and the little town has its share local artisans that make local souvenirs to sell. There is also a small restaurante or two that will give you an authentic small town Mexican food experience.

          The question mark quickly turned into a declaratory statement when we pulled into the road that led to the Port and read the sign,     “Cerrado por culpa de Covid”.

          One did not need my four years of high school Spanish to interpret this when all you need was to read Covid and it became obvious.

          Besides, it was printed in both Spanish and English, but its more fun to write the Spanish one!

          This explained the plethora of trailside venues that the locals maintained in order to capture some of the Tourist Trade that has eluded them since the shutdown. They come across the river and set up small “stores,” complete with very polite signs that ask you to “Pay Here” for whatever you may want to purchase. I only saw one depository that was anchored in any way. Apparently (thankfully) there does not seem to be a problem with folks (on either side) absconding with either the wares or the dineros. There must also be a cooperative agreement amongst the proprietors of these “Shops” because  the price fixing conspiracy was evident, everything was priced the same. This was actually good because you need not worry , thinking that you may be able to “Get it Cheaper” somewhere down the path. Unless of course you just stole it, but as I said, this does not seem to be an issue.

          On our way to the Canyon, after we descended a small ridge, we arrived at the river level and proceeded to the mouth of the canyon. Soon we heard a melodious voice singing en Espanol. Rounding a bend, we came upon the ‘Singing Amigo’. He was an amalgamation of the ‘Singing Bush’ and the ‘Three Amigos’ from the movie of the same name. He was very polite and offered not only to serenade us but also to ferry us across the river if we wanted.

          He did not offer to check our passport’s, nor did he look like he cared. He said something like,

           “We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!”

            Not really!

           But I couldn’t resist the perfect spot to place one of the best lines ever delivered in a movie! We bid him “Adios!” and went on our way knowing that we would have this chance meeting once again on our way back.

          The canyon is, of course, beautiful and in the evening western light would have been magnificent. This is the stuff you learn and put to later use with a later trip. I can see one of these trips being taken during the winter or spring with a few canoe trips into these canyons being somewhat of a certainty.

          On our way back out we did encounter Ricky Martin again. We made a small monetary “Donation” to his cause, well… just because. He was very nice, and we exchanged pleasantries. He asked us if we had any granola bars. We did not, but we did supply him with a small package of Trail Mix for his enjoyment.

          Our next destination was Hot Springs.

          Apparently there is a fissure of sorts that finds it way up from the bowels of the earth and supply’s this area with a small pool of 105-degree water. It’s been happening for a really long time now, way before we (the collective we, as in humans!) came along. But when we  did, we immediately made a Resort out of it! This Resort  flourished during the early part of the last century up ‘til the Park was formed. The remnants of the town and resort are still here, nicely stabilized for all to see.

          It is still a favorite place to go here, even in this heat. One side of the pool is hot, and the other side (the river) is cooler. This may be another reason to visit down here when the weather is a little milder!

          We had our lunch here, taken from our now amply supplied backpacks that could have gotten us to the summit of Everest if needed. Then it was back to Base Camp for more binge watching of 24 during the heat of the day. Our next foray would be after an early dinner because it lay about 30 miles out and was supposed to be the best sunset view in the Park.

          We shall see.

          Our destination for that evening was a place called The Window. It was located in the Basin, which is snuggly nestled inside the surrounding rim of the Chisos Mountains.

          Think volcanic crater, albeit one from way, way, way long ago. This basin is where the Chisos Lodge is. This is the only lodging in the Park and has a restaurant, store, campground, and an amphitheater where the Rangers give talks in the evening. Many of the trails that lead upwards toward the higher terrain start here also. We arrived in time to witness this daily event, and even though the Window only affords a sunset viewed from our vantage point (through the middle of it) twice a year, it was still really nice.

           Unless you venture down the Widow Trail to change your angle of viewing, but we were definitely not prepared for that! But this time it was on purpose! The ‘Trail’ that we were on is actually ‘Wheelchair Accessible’, so we were not worried about “Being Prepared!”

Or, Parque National Grande Curva Dia Dos

Day Two’s weather forecast  at Big Bend N.P. was just as predicted, clear skies, sunny all day, and hot, with a chance of even hotter.

          This is why the recommended time for hiking is early morning with a goal of being off the trail by mid-morning, noon at the absolute latest. Our destination for the day was Santa Elena Canyon Trail, probably the most popular hike in the Park. The Canyon was 56 miles away, so we left early so that we could hike in the recommended time frame.

          But not too early, not because we didn’t want to get up, but because the light in the canyon would not be good until mid-morning. The Canyon runs kind of North/South so that means that the sun needs to be high enough to work its way down the Canyon walls in order to illuminate it nicely.

          Unfortunately, I am a Light-is-Everything snob when it comes to photography, so this makes a lot of our adventures Sun-Angle-Dependent. Most of the time it works out fine, as it did for this hike.          Hopefully you will agree when you see the photos.

          On the flip side, there is no doubting the advantage of hiking down here in the only shade in the Park.

           This shade is provided by Mother Nature only in the canyons and higher hills. Otherwise, the vistas need to be admired in broad daylight which after about 20 minutes becomes an issue. Fortunately, the hiker-gods were being nice that day as you will see.

          The Rio Grande may be Grande in some ways on its almost 1900-mile sojourn from the high mountains of Colorado down thru the deserts of New Mexico but at times it seems like just a small brook running over a pebbled bottom. It is ‘muy facil’ (very easy) to just walk across it. Hence the issues that our Border Patrol faces.

          It is hard to believe that this ‘rambling brook’ could carve out such beautiful canyons in this rugged landscape.

          But it did!

          There are three of these such canyons in the Park and we were fortunate enough to visit two of them. We were a tad more prepared for this hike than the one of the previous night.

          No, that’s wrong.

          We were way more prepared for this hike!

          Two backpacks filled with plenty of water, first-aid kit, sunscreen, more water, snacks, and of course lunch! Even my headlamp made the trip! And of course, our Leki Poles which came in handy when we crossed the “usually dry” Terlingua Creek. They helped us look for the best route across because both the hike and Canyon were on the other side of it.

          When hiking down here,  most of the time you encounter folks that are returning as you are going in. These “veterans” are very helpful if engaged in conversation. Most will impart their knowledge about the best and not-so-good parts laying before you. We then, return the favor by paying it forward on our way out.

          This practice was extremely helpful.

          Example:

          We needed to cross the aforementioned “dry” brook to get to the trail  on the other side. The problem was that unless you were following someone who knew the way, it was easy to go the wrong way as the destination on the other bank was not readily obvious.

          We started out and some folks let us know that “You’re going to have to get wet, no worries, it’s not too deep and your poles will help you look for the best spots to place your feet.”

          OK, good advice.

          We got to the edge and had to decide walk across with, or without, our hiking shoes on. Now these shoes can get wet, no issues there, but that means that the rest of the hike is in wet, squishy footwear. Not optimal. Surveying the situation from our vantage point, it didn’t look too bad. We spied what we thought was the destination on the far bank. We elected to go barefoot. This meant dealing with all of the rocks, etc. walking with feet that are only used to going barefoot around the house. This where the term “Tenderfoot” come in when you first join the Boy Scouts.  This was also the term the Indians called anyone who normally wore shoes as compared to their shoeless way of life, we definitely fell into that category!

          We slowly inched, (ouch!) our way across, shoes slung around our necks. When we got almost to our destination, a Voice from High Above, (no not That one!) yelled out, “Hey! You’re going the wrong way! Look there!” he said pointing. I looked up to a precipice high above the river to see one of the “People Who Had Gone Before Us” gesturing with his arms like C3-PO yelling at the Jawa’s transport, “Over here, over here!”

          It was a good thing that he advised us as we were heading for Mexico and a small beach that actually went nowhere! Reversing our course, we were able to find “The Way” and traverse the very wet “usually dry” brook and clamper up the other side, safely still on US soil, with only our Navigations Skill’s ego slightly damaged.

          Once there, we put our nicely dry footwear back on and proceeded down (up) the trail, up because it immediately gained probably 100 ft of elevation, using a set of very nice switchbacks that gave us the bird’s (hawks, eagle’s, you choose) eye view of where we had been and more importantly, where we did not go. It also afforded us a magnificent vista looking eastward.

          From there, the hike went about as smooth as can be, mostly in the shade, but with the sun creeping over the canyon walls, we could see that the further we went and the longer we stayed, the light would wash the western wall and afford us some beautiful views of the  morning sun-illuminated canyon cliffs

          We were not disappointed.

          When we were almost to the turn-around point, we met a nice young couple. They were perched out on a large rock, overlooking the river. I yelled to them, “Look over here!” and I snapped a few pics of them. “Give me your email” I yelled over. “And I’ll send them to you!” We’ve done this before; In Joshua Tree we saw two climbers scaling a vertical mini version of Yosemite’s El Capitan. I took some great pics of them climbing and then resting at the summit. We found them as they were walking out, and they were thrilled to have some photos of themselves.

          It’s hard to yell down to a random person happening by and ask to have your photo taken, so doing this was a nice way to surprise a stranger.                                                             

          On the return trip, we met our fellow hikers on their way in and gladly conveyed all of the trail factoids that we had learned and passed them on to them.

          When we clambered down to the edge of the “dry creek” and removed our footwear once more, we felt like seasoned pros. Reaching the other side, we advised all of the new soon to be “wet-backs” on the best route across. We ended the morning with our lunch where we shared a picnic table with a group of cyclists that made us feel like our cycling experiences were on tricycles. But they were very nice, (Hi, where ya’ from?) and I just silently drooled over the carbon-fiber frames of their bicycles.

          56 miles later, back in our home, we continued our binge-watching of Season One of ‘24’. We finished Season Two last week (because that was the set we found in storage) and decided that we needed to start from the beginning, so I ordered it and thankfully it came right before we left! This binge thing is way too easy to do when its miserably hot outside and there is no phone or internet service.

          Season Three has already been ordered.

          Big Bend National Park is one of the darkest places in all of North America and attracts sky watchers from all over. I went outside around 4 AM and was treated to a show that is not normally available to us. It is easy to see why astronomer’s like coming here. The photo was taken with just my cell phone.

          We had some decisions to make as we only had one more day here. A furious round of planning ensued as we got ready for the next day. Details to follow!

Or ……. Big Bend National Park, Day One

Anomaly is starting to become one of my favorite words to use while we are on these adventures because more often than not, it fits perfectly as a description of places we’ve been.

          Take our present location for example.

          Big Bend National Park is gigantic in size and has way too few visitors here now. There are several reasons for this. Mostly, the location and the time of year. These kind of go hand-in-hand, with an explanation.

          Get out your road atlases and find Texas. It’s the one with multiple pages to display it. Flip to the one for the southwestern part and find the Rio Grande River and trace it until its course makes a BIG BEND and starts to run in a northerly direction, until it takes another turn and starts to flow southeast again.

          That’s it!

          As I’ve said before, there a whole lot on NOTHING in this part of Texas. One really needs to travel to visit this Park, so remote would be a good middle name for it. There is No One here that is just “dropping in!”

          It is now the beginning of October, and their busy season is just starting. The Park’s busiest month is March. I’ve lamented before about the Hot Texas Summer’s and I’m a gazillion percent positive that their popularity is lower than a lizard’s belly in the summertime. It’s 94 today and forecast to be that and higher for the rest of our stay. It is highly recommended that any and all hiking be done early and that you be off the trails by mid-morning. They’ve had more than their share of heat-related rescues over the years. So, that means that you’d better have a stack of DVDs to watch in the afternoon because there are no services of any kind down here, Netflix is not an option!

          All of the Park’s services, such as the further-flung satellite Ranger Stations and camp stores don’t open until sometime next month and they close down in April, so good luck bringing the kids here over your summer vacation!

          After all this doom and gloom that I’ve cast over the Park, our advice is to get here as soon as you can! The hikes are spectacular, and in a way, the remoteness is refreshing.

           We attempted our first jaunt into the hiking world shortly after dinner on Day One. Sunset is around 7:20, so we figured that we had enough time to safely go and return with time to spare. Unfortunately, we put a little too much stock in the description of the hike. It was just at the end of our RV Campground road, where an old ranch had existed in the early 1900’s, irrigation ditches and displaced “Invasive Species” trees abounding. The Ranger Lady advised that it would be a “short hike” past the Daniel’s Ranch, and “There’s a short climb in the beginning and you don’t have to go the whole 3-mile trail, just go to the overlook, you can’t miss it.”

           Here’s where we learned the relative nature of trail terms.

          A good comparison here would be a ski area. There are no standards for rating ski area trails, one may designate the most difficult trail at your area as a Black Diamond. That means that Bill’s Ski Area can designate his most challenging run as a Black Diamond. Please don’t confuse his Black Diamond with one of Stowe’s trails.

          Not even close.

          The beginning of said Trail was easy……. for about 30 feet.

          Then it went vertical, or so it seemed.

          Once we were on the trail I began to have my doubts. We were woefully un-prepared for any emergency, and many lessons were learned after this. 

           We had no water with us. (It was supposed to be “Short and easy”. It was also in the cooler (?) evening.

          We had no helpful climbing apparatus with us. Mind you, there were no ‘technical’ parts to it so ropes, etc. were not needed at all, but we did possess two sets of “Leki Poles” that my daughter Lorelyn had given us. These look like ski poles but are adjustable, have built-in “shock absorbers,” and have two types of tips on them, one rubber and the other carbide, which seems to have the characteristics of Crazy Glue when it comes to adherence on rocks. These are “Walking Sticks” on steroids. They are most useful on the descent, where you place them on the ground before you to use your arms and the “shock absorbers” to help ease the gravity-fed drop when going back down, especially when you encounter a larger than normal “step.”

          These handy devices were safely ensconced back in the trunk, because the trail was “Easy” according to the Lady.

          We also did not have a headlamp because it was “Short”, and we would be back in plenty of time. Except the descent would be on the dark side of our ‘near-vertical’ hill. My headlamp was even safer than the Leki Poles, he was snuggled in a compartment back in the motorhome.

          Needless to say, our short hike to the overlook was not very successful. We did not, in fact, make it anywhere that even remotely resembled the Ranger’s description and we prudently (finally) elected to do an about-face and get back in the proverbial one-piece.

          Which we did.

           We also vowed to be like Scouts and “Be Prepared” in the future.

We were fortunate enough to actually depart on time, no weather anomaly delays! The morning was just perfect for traveling, good temps and bright blue skies. There was no rush to get going because we could have made this journey in just one day if we had wanted to, but we elected to do an overnight in Fort Stockton, at one of our usual Walmart’s.

          Unfortunately, this route was the same exact one that we were marooned on last winter in the Great Texas Icemageddon Storm of 2021. It is fascinating how past experiences have effects on our lives today. I don’t lean the obvious, big-ticket events of our lives. My example today is this trip in particular. As I said, the weather was just fabulous, we couldn’t have asked for anything better! So, why was this trip (for me) filled with such a feeling of uneasiness?  I finally figured it out and realized that the last time that we had been on this route was when we got stranded, and then when finally rescued, had to drive all the way back in those terrifying conditions. So much so, that when we retraced this route an underlying feeling crept into my feeble brain and sat itself down, right next to the “nice” feelings that I was having presently. My problem was that the “Bad Vibes” feeling was too fat and kept pushing my “Good Feelings” off of the sofa!

          It took that whole day, and it was not until we got past the “Breakdown Ground Zero Point” did I feel any relief!

          If we had done the trip all in one shot, it would have been a long one, 9 plus hours. And it would have gotten us down into Big Bend National Park by around six PM. The problem was that we did not have a reservation for that day. We had one for the next day which was Monday.

          But that was good, that was the plan!

          That left us with plenty of time to travel, no worries, no real timetable. The following days traveling time was in the 3-hour range so that meant that we did not even have to get going the next day too early, because check-in time was 1 PM!

           This left plenty of time for Paula to make some nice Cinnamon-Swirl French Toast for breakfast and for us to sit around and wait for the Road Service Guy to arrive and fix a flat tire.

          Yup, that’s correct.

          Now, a flat tire on one of these rigs is nothing to sneeze at!

          There is no way to carry a spare tire. They are way too large, and there’s definitely nowhere to store it!

          Nor would I want to try and lift it into place!

          That would indicate that I was able to get the lug nuts off!

          As they say down here, a short distance from the Mexican Border, “No way Jose!”

          The guy (Anthony, not Jose’) showed up with his truck and the requisite tools of his trade, namely a giant pneumatic jack and an even larger pneumatic air-gun-lug-nut-remover that would have made the guys in the NASCAR pits jealous.

          Now the back story.

          Remember back to last year when we bought the Life-Boat Honda CR-V to tow behind us?

          Remember the little automatic-brake-jammer-onner system that we got installed?

          Remember that the system also came with a nifty accessory to it that allowed us to monitor the tire pressure from each tire up front in the cockpit, displayed on a tablet?

          Remember how secure I felt, knowing that I would always be protected from a malfunctioning tire by knowing in advance that something was, in fact, wrong with said tires?

          Hah!

          Was I ever wrong!

          Because it was this system, namely the Pressure Detector Sending Unit, that gets screwed onto the end of the valve stem instead of the usual cap, that caused the problem.

          How could that be? (You may ask incredulously)

          Good question!  And I am now in a position for me to supply you with the correct answer.

          The Details.

          I was sitting at our table early that morning when I heard a little ‘POP’ and felt the motorhome move a little bit. Mind you, everything can make this thing move a little bit. At the same time, I heard/felt Paula arise from her nights respite and start moving about. I chalked up the sound and movement to her waking up. End of thinking about it.

          Until…… I went outside to re-attach the Honda and do an all-around inspection before we got underway.

          The first thing that I noticed was that the right rear outside tire had broken its bead and was no longer inflated. Well, that explains that! The question was …… Why?

          I never mind when something goes wrong except for the obvious reasons like its annoying and usually results in a delay.

          What really gets me is…..  Why?

          Why did this happen?

          When you get that answer, you know how to deal with it and are usually able to understand what to do to prevent it from happening again!

          But this was strange one.

          The tires were cold, we had stopped here in our favorite Fort Stockton Walmart the day before at 4 PM. The alleged offense occurred around 7 AM, a full 15 hours after we had stopped driving, when all was good, or at least it appeared so.

          When the suspected perpetrator went “POP” I did notice (thinking back on it) that there was no release of high-pressure air, you know that loud Hissss that can be heard when pressurized air is released. This just added more quandaries to my mystery.

          Anthony was not much help in this matter, although he was more than capable of fixing our tire. Which after re-inflating we were able to check for leaks.

          Nadda, not nary a one!

          Well, that’s good…  but it left me with the more bothering question…. Why?

          I called back home to Charlie at Tire King in Sussex. That was where we bought these tires, barely 10, 000 miles ago. Alas, Charlie was on vacation, but his son Dan got on the phone with me. I relayed our dilemma, reiterating that the tire appeared to be in great shape. He said that sometimes the valve stem can leak just a tiny bit and when the pressure gets too low, it can cause the tire to pop its bead. I explained that we had checked that already, so now the mystery would continue.

          I went back outside and checked the valves again, conferring with Anthony at the same time. He agreed that if a tire lost pressure then it would definitely be able to break the bead. He also agreed that our valve stem was intact.

          We were glad at least, that we did not need to replace the tire. Not only is that expensive, but it seems that there wasn’t any of our size in that region of Texas that day. It would need to be ‘imported’ from lands beyond. I went about re-attaching the valve stem sending units to the rear tire that had been worked on. The first one (inside) was just fine. But when I went put the second one on……..

          Hissssssssss…………very slowly.

          Ah-Ha! It seems that the sending unit had developed a crack in a seam (?) and was letting air escape! I screwed it off and called Anthony over and once again, put it on.

          Same result!

          Anthony concurred (not that at that point did I need a second opinion, but it’s nice to learn something new) so we did not re-attach the offending piece of malfunctioning hardware!

          And…. I took all of his brothers and sisters off of the rest of the tires until I can speak to the Company and get some satisfaction.

          I will now be checking the pressures manually once more.

          Thankfully we were finally able to extricate ourselves from the clutches of Walmart of Fort Stockton and finish the trip down to Big Bend National Park.

          Phewf!!!

           Now we were on roads that were brand new to us! Which, if you are travelers, makes for a somewhat exciting journey. I said that these road(s) were new to us which was true. But don’t think for minute that they are new to anyone else around here. Especially if you are Comanche or Apache. These roads had their genesis as the old trails that were used so long ago.

          By now, (if you are a regular reader of this blog) you have seen countless photos shot through the usually bug-strewn front windshield. These photos are of long, straight, and virtually uninhabited roads that seem to go on forever. Another premise that I have expounded on has to do with the vastness of out here, especially Texas.

          Well, here I go again!

          The road, US 385, leaves Fort Stockton and arrives in the Big Bend area about 150 miles later and is almost as straight as the proverbial (Comanche) arrow. For those of us from the Great State of Taylor Ham and Cheese (on a roll), this is like driving from Sussex County to Beach Haven on LBI, all on one two-lane road with nothing on either side of the road as far as the eyes (with sunglasses) can see!

          Nothing as in lots of nothing.

          Except if you are a desert critter, which then you are a something, but we didn’t even see any somethings the whole 3 hours on the road!     

          So, with our earlier dilemma-delayed exodus from Fort Stockton, we were actually only somewhat late getting into our site at the Rio Grande Village RV Park. We had assumed on arriving early, but you know what assume means….

          Correct!

           It makes a late person out of me,

          And an informed reader out of you!

          I could use many different  adjectives to describe the vastness of this Park, all of which would be for naught, so I will just tell you that it was 50 Miles from the Park Entrance down to our site in the RV Park.        

Need I say more?

          And “village” is a very generous name for this place. It has the Campground and the Store. This is where you check in, get some souvenirs, and more importantly (as it seems around here) also procure your essential’s, as in cold beer!

          It’s a good thing we stocked up on our milk supply before we entered No-Man’s Land down here because I’m not sure that I’d trust how fresh it may be!

          We are off the grid until we get back to Fort Stockton.

          Yes, that is correct. I will not be able to publish this until we return to some kind of civilization. There is no service down here and why should there be? With a lot of nothings around and the somethings not needing modern communication apparatus, it would be waste of resources to install a system.

          If we really needed to get a hold of someone, Mr. Drucker up at the General Store said that we could come in and he’d ring up Gladys and she’d patch a call into wherever we needed.

          It’s quiet down here.

Tomorrow we start a trip to Big Bend National Park which is way down by Mexico and derives it’s name from the big bend in the Rio Grande River that makes up its southern border (with Mexico). We have been here at the THB, (Texas Home Base) for exactly a month now. We did not intend to stay rooted for this long, especially in the Hot-as-Hell, Still Hanging Around, Texas Summer! But there were numerous doctor’s appointments that led to other appointments, that led to a few procedures, you know how it goes! Anyway, we used the time to improve our site here, pictures to follow, and to help out Danny with some campaigning and attend the County Fair. Here’s the rest of it!

Next post will be from somewhere in the Texas Desert. We’ve heard incredible things about Big Bend National Park and will report summarily.

Thanks, for reading!