Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

El Paso, TX

Paul and I were lucky to be able to get reservations at Hueco Tanks State Park.  Essentially, admission to the entire park is by advance reservation only, and is limited to 70 people at any given time.  Even so, we were only able to get reservations for a guided tour, and were not able to do a self guided one.
Hueco Tanks,which basically means Hollows/Tanks, is named for the basins that are hollowed out of the rocks, which fill  with rain water, and  have been used as a source of water by people for thousands of years.
The reason for the severe limit on the number of people allowed into the park is to control access to the pictographs on the rocks.  There are hundreds of rock paintings, some of which are 2000 years old.  Unfortunately, some of them have been ruined by graffiti already.  A lot of the pictures are of masks, some are of animals, and some are of people dancing. There used to be a stage coach stop in this area years ago, and there is a huge boulder that has the passenger list for one trip engraved in the stone.  Apparently that was done so that any friends or family following behind would know that those are the people who made it this far, since so many people died along the way.
Our tour was 3 hours of climbing in and around the rocks and caves looking at the ancient paintings.  Its amazing that they are still there and haven't faded completely away. Most of them  are in small caves and never get rained on, and are always in the shade. After our outing we headed to Paul's parents for dinner.
We have spent the last couple of days doing some hiking at Franklin State Park, and eating.  Paul helped his dad pull out a couple of small trees in the yard, and I have been doing some research on Arizona, our next stop on our trip. We have cooked dinner a couple of times for his parents,and they have cooked a few times for us.  In general we have just been hanging out and relaxing.
Yesterday Jess flew out from Indiana.  She's only here for 3 days, but still it feels great to have her here. It also helps knowing that in another 3 weeks she'll be flying out at the end of the semester to meet up with us in San Diego for a few weeks.
She  had called from Chicago, between flights, from a stranger's cell phone, to let me know that her phone broke and she can't turn it on.  When she got here at 10:30 pm, Paul looked at it and sure enough, it's toast.  We immediately started researching options for her.
So this morning was the hunt for a new phone.  I think Jess almost jumped out of her skin when we agreed  that maybe she could get an iphone, if her current phone was not under warranty.  We were planning on getting her an itouch for Christmas anyway,and its the same price, so really it makes sense to get her the iphone.  We spent about 2 hours at the AT&T store and in the end, she got the iphone, and has been glued to it ever since.  We went shopping at the outlet stores this afternoon and didn't buy ANYthing, so I think the "new phone distraction" actually saved me some money.
Paul picked up our truck finally from the dealership.  The fix for the air conditioning was very expensive, but we don't feel like we have much choice.  Since it's a known issue for this truck, Paul is hoping that Ford will help with the cost of it.
Tomorrow we head to his parents for Thanksgiving.....

El Paso, TX

We left Big Bend behind and hit the road for El Paso Texas on Wednesday. It was a long but uneventful drive, and we arrived mid afternoon. Paul’s parents had invited us to a dinner that was being given for the members of the El Paso Community Foundation and their families. It was great that we were able to get there in time to attend with them. We met several people who are on various committees with Tom and Gerry, Paul’s parents. The amount of energy and dedication that they all have is awe inspiring. Rather than spending their retirement growing “old”, they stay active, giving back to the community financially, but more importantly, with their time and energy.
From the Assistance League, to The Community Foundation, with other foundations and committees in between, Tom and Gerry dedicate a large portion of their time working to better the lives of others. It really makes me feel like I (like most people) don’t do enough. One of the things I would like to do while on the road is to work for Habitat For Humanity. I’ll have to check into doing that.

Yesterday we took our truck in to get the oil changed and get the air conditioning fixed. They still have the truck today, and lucky for us we were able to borrow a car so we can get around easier. We did a bunch of errands and bought 2 more batteries for the Everest, which will make it easier to spend a night or two without electricity.
We’ve had a relaxing time hanging out with Paul’s parents. After hiking so much, it feels nice to slow down a little bit. Jess flies in next Tuesday night for the Holidays and has informed me that we are going to see the newest Twilight movie. First I have to finish the first Twilight book!
Tomorrow we head to Hueco Tanks State Park for the day to take a tour of the pictographs.

Big Bend National Park, TX

What a difference a day makes, weather wise, at least.…Two days ago, we drove 45 miles, across the park, to hike for a couple of miles in the desert, and then go to some hot springs. By the time we got to Boquillos Canyon to hike, it was in the mid 80s and the sun was beating down on us, with not a cloud in the sky. As we walked into the canyon, there were walking sticks and small pieces of artwork, set up on some rocks. There was a list of prices for each item, and a bucket to put money in. We came across several of these “piles” as we walked to the canyon. Looking across the Rio Grande, we could see the Mexicans hanging out on the other side. They cross the river when no one is looking and leave their goods for people to buy. As we got closer to our goal, we heard someone singing! A Mexican man was serenading us as we walked. Again, we came across a bucket with a note asking for donations for the singing.


Long before we got back to the truck, we knew it was not the day for hot springs. We were way too hot to contemplate getting into hot water.

We headed back home for the day.

I guess its always a good idea to make plans set in jello….the next day we had planned on hiking to Emery Peak, the highest point in Big Bend National Park, but when we got the trailhead, it was only 35 degrees out! There was no way we were dressed for that kind of cold, so we drove instead to the hot springs that we had skipped yesterday. It was actually pretty awesome. The water from the spring comes out at about 105 degrees, and the “pool” is big enough for a dozen people. It actually pipes into the ruins of a building that used to be there, that butts right up to the Rio Grande river. If it was warm out, you could go from the hot springs right into the river to cool off. Since it was cool out, we just hung out in the hot springs, and chatted with a couple from Maine who come down here every year for 5 months. We stayed for about two hours, ate lunch, and then decided we were waterlogged enough for one day.

On the way home we hiked The Grapevine Hill Trail, which was at the end of a 6 mile dirt road in the desert. There were unusual rock formations at the end of this trail, which made it a worthwhile way to spend an hour or so.

After dinner we called it a day, because we wanted to get up at 1 am to see if we could see the meteor shower. I hate to say that it was a waste of time getting up in the middle of the night, but it kind of was….we each saw one meteor in the hour we sat outside. Visibility certainly wasn’t the issue, since there is hardly any light pollution here and there were a gazillion stars. The meteors just weren’t there to see! Sadly disappointed we went back and got a few more hours sleep.

So, today was a day that I was really proud of myself. We drove to headquarters to catch the Pinnacles Trail, which leads to Emery Peak, the highest elevation in the park at about 7800 ft. After sleeping in a little too late due to our midnight excursion, we got to the trailhead at 11:30, a little late to start that kind of hike, but we figured we’d go as far as we could. We hiked up 4.5 miles, with an elevation gain of 2700 ft. and made it all the way to the top of Emery Peak. We had lunch along the way, and kept a sharp eye out for wildlife (we did see several deer along the way- no mountain lions though). We knew if we weren’t far enough along at 2:30, we wouldn’t make it to the peak, since we lose daylight at 6 pm. Pushing hard, we did it, for a total hike of 9 miles/ 6 hours.

On the way home we fueled up, in preparation for leaving tomorrow for El Paso.

At the store/gas station, there was a pile of clothes on a bench. Paul asked the cashier what the clothes were there for and she said that its just one of the ways that the townspeople help each other out. Anyone who has clothes they don’t want bring them to the bench and leave them there, and anyone who needs them just takes them. Really neat. There are definitely some differences between this type of small town and the places we are used to. The other day we stopped at a store that sells plants and stones, and there was a sign posted out front that said “be back at 1:30- if you want a plant, leave the money in the bucket.” The day before that we went to the liquor store and there was a sign on the door that said “see cashier at general store”, so the woman at the store next door told us to just wait two seconds while she called the guy and told him he had a customer. Sure enough, a few minutes later he showed up.

Big Bend National Park, TX

There is no shortage of hiking trails in Big Bend National Park. We spent a good portion of a day hiking a 5 mile trail called “the Window”. Within minutes of starting out we saw a Road Runner, and several deer. We met up with a couple who were on their way back who had seen, and actually gotten pictures of, a bear. She said he was about 15 feet away, looked up and saw them, and slowly meandered off. We looked really hard, but never saw him. Too bad. The view from the “window” was unique, since you can only see out through a square area that does look like a window. From there we went partway up a different trail and although not “unique”, the view was Fabulous! We ate lunch up there, then headed back, chatting with several groups along the way.

Back at the Visitors Center, while eating ice cream, we saw a herd of a very different kind of animal that lives in the park. They are called Javelinas. They look like very strange pigs but are not pigs at all. They are pretty aggressive, apparently, and can’t be domesticated.

Later that day, I wanted to test out the settings on my camera to see if I could capture the night sky, so after dark, Paul and I drove out past town, pulled over, and waited for our eyes to adjust to the dark. The sky was perfectly clear and the Milky Way was clear as day. Its been a long time since I have seen that many stars in the sky. As a bonus, the temperature  was still in the low 60s, so it wasn’t cold, either. I tried every combination of settings I could think of, and still couldn’t get a good picture. I’ll try again, but it was really disappointing. Paul patiently waited while I took pictures, but then he heard noises in the bushes and we both decided it was time to leave. There are definitely Cougars in the park, as well as coyotes. Every night I can hear the coyotes howling.

Our agenda for yesterday was to drive the scenic road that circles around part of the park. We started off by skating down a 13 mile stretch of dirt road. Looking behind the truck as we drove reminded me of the old westerns, where the truck kicks up a huge cloud of dust that leaves a trail behind the truck. That’s what we looked like. We could tell when a car came towards us by their cloud of dust. There were several stops for us to make along the way and the first one was the Santa Elena Canyon. The Rio Grande flows through this canyon, and the walls are over 1000 feet high. It was about a 1.5 mile hike into the canyon. Once inside, it was very peaceful and quiet. We explored for quite a while before coming back out. There was a lot of mud along the river, with animal tracks in it, so we spent some time trying to figure out what animals made the tracks.

We stopped at several historic buildings along the road, one of which was an old ranch, and one was a store, back in the early 1900s. It was really clear that back then, this area had what they call an “invisible border”. People from both countries moved back and forth pretty freely and no one paid much attention to the comings and goings. Very often, Mexicans would set up homes on land that belonged to someone else. Usually the rancher whose land it was didn’t mind, since it was more security for him and a source of labor when he needed it. There was a sense of cooperation.

Looking at all the “canyon” hikes there are to do here, I thought it would be a case of seen one, seen ‘em all, but the ones we have been to all have unique characteristics. Santa Elena Canyon has the Rio Grande running through it, Tuff Canyon is a canyon created from volcanic action, so there is a magma layer and a “tuff” layer. Tuff is essentially (white) volcanic ash that has hardened. When the volcano spewed, the ash settled over the magma and hardened. Once hardened, it’s very dense and acts like glue. What was cool at Tuff Canyon, was the rocks that were magma (red/brown) in the center, surrounded by white tuff. Pretty much looked like a rock within a rock. That canyon is mostly white due to the tuff, and is very narrow, because the density of the tuff kept the water from eroding the rock too much.

Burro Mesa Pour off is also a canyon, but it’s a box canyon. We hiked a mile or so into that canyon, and obviously came to a dead end, since it’s a box canyon. I was glad we didn’t run into a bear in THAT canyon.



Today we decided that we could handle another decent sized hike, so we got up a little early and headed out to the Lost Mine Trail (4.8 miles-6850 ft/1200ft elevation gain). This is the trail that has had the most bear and mountain lion sightings, but we weren’t lucky enough to see any. The views from the top were incredible, as usual, and we were done with the hike by lunch time. There were about 25 other people on the trail at the same time, some of whom were a little loud, so I was getting a little annoyed. We had decided last night that we would leave the afternoon free to just hang out and recuperate from all the activity. Unfortunately, Paul had to spend the afternoon trying to diagnose why the air conditioning in the truck isn’t working. He doesn’t have the tools to check it out, so we’ll have to bring it in for service in El Paso. Its due for another oil change anyway, so we’ll combine the two.

Tonight Paul is making Enchiladas and Margaritas.....yum!

Big Bend National Park, Texas

          Once again we have reached a destination that has me reaching for my camera every 2 seconds.  We only got here today and I already love this place.  Its HUGE-now I know what is meant by "VAST".  We drove for miles and miles and saw nothing but mountains, canyons, and desert, and once in a while we caught a glimpse of the Rio Grande. This isn't my first time seeing the Rio Grande, so I wasn't surprised when I saw it.  I was, the first time, though.  I had always heard stories of the Mexicans coming over the border by way of the river, as if it was a miraculous feat that they got across it.  Well, we can't take our dinghy on the river because it isn't deep enough.  There are some places that its only about 4 feet wide and a foot or so deep.  Most of the river tours are not running right now because the water level is so low.

     It took us two days of driving to get here from San Antonio.   We elected to use the smaller highway and stay off the main interstate.  Paul really finds it more relaxing, and its definately more scenic that way.  We spent a night in the town of Marathon, which is a very small town, with one gas station. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains though.

       Having been here for a day, I can see why people say to get all supplies before coming.  The only food store in the town we are staying in, Study-Butte (pronounced Stoody beut), is a convenience store that just sells eggs, milk etc.  The nearest "real" grocery store is over 80 miles away.  This town, which is typical of all the towns around here, has about 15 buildings total.   Since the reviews of all the campgrounds in the area were mixed, we hadn't booked one, figuring we'd check them out in person.  We ended up choosing the one that is closest to the park, because it  has wi-fi and we have cell phone service. Its also next door to one of the very few gas stations around that sell diesel fuel. So we are all settled in.

     We took off this afternoon to scope out the area.  Earlier in the day we had spoken to a ranger, who gave us ideas on hikes that would be appropriate for us, other activities we might be interested in, and he also mentioned that we could take Rte 90 when we leave to go to El Paso, since its such a scenic route, instead of the main interstate. That is, as long as our truck can handle a 2 mile stretch of road with a  15% grade , first going up, then going down, about 15 miles out of town.

    Along the way this afternoon we drove to the ghost town of Terlingua.  The town was a mining town- they mined mercury there until the mine closed in the 1940s.  The population of the town, such as it was, abandoned the town soon after. We kept driving down rte 90, and came across an old movie set.  There are the remains of about 5 buildings there which were used in several movies including "Streets of Laredo"(1995) "Journeyman" (2000) "My Maria" music video (1995) and "the Gambler V".  We checked out the town of Lajita, which is almost as small as Study-Butte. It was a beautiful afternoon for a drive so we kept going, admiring the scenery around us. 

I have never been on a road that felt as much like a roller coaster as this road did. There were hairpin turns, huge hills, huge hills WITH hairpin turns, and many times that it looked like we'd go right off the edge. All with a speed limit of 35-50 mph. After driving for a bit we decided to check out the stretch of road with the15% grade. Oh man. We knew before we even got there that there is no way we'd take the Everest this way. Guess its the interstate for us.
Tomorrow- hiking, maybe?

San Antonio, TX

After looking at the list of potential outings, we elected to go to Fort Sam Houston, which is a modern, active military base.  I have never actually been on a military base, that I can remember. Fort Sam Houston headquarters the Army's medical department and medical command, among other things.  There are two museums there- one is a medical museum, and the other houses the history of the base, along with some other information, such as the history of the army uniforms and the meaning of the "chevrons" or insignias (ie. Sargeant Stripes) and all the changes that they have been through over the years.  The stripes used to be a dull color, then years ago changed to a shiny gold color, but in Vietnam, it was determined that they were too bright and the soldiers had to have new ones made locally that were not as bright.There was a display that showed all the potential medals and ribbons that can be awarded, and where on the uniform each one would be placed. Not sure why I found that fascinating, but I did. The medical museum had army helicopters, jeeps and trains outside in the courtyard in addition to the information inside the building. I found it enlightening to see the military and warfare from  a different perspective.

After spending the day there, we rested up for a bit, hemmed and hawed about whether we really felt like going out again (it was 6 pm) and finally did go back downtown to walk the riverwalk at night. It has a whole different feel to it, and will be even more neat when the Christmas lights are turned on. We ate at another Mexican restaurant, strolled around for a bit, then called it a night.

Sunday we spent relaxing, food shopping etc. We had things we had intended to do but really when we got up, we felt like just having a lazy day.

We are really lazy this week- today we just did some cleaning, then spent the afternoon doing errands and lazing by the pool. It is one of the only days the weather has actually been warm enough to do that! We did try to work out, but their idea of a fitness center was pretty laughable.

Tomorrow we leave for a two day drive to Big Bend National Park. We keep hearing about how remote it is, “bring food” “there are no services anywhere near there”. Yikes. We finally talked to someone today who just came from there- they said there is diesel fuel in the towns surrounding the park, and that was our only real concern, so I feel better. We can buy food before we get there. We certainly won’t starve to death anyway….

I was very excited to find out that the Leonid meteor shower will take place while we are in Big Bend, one of the most remote, least light-polluted areas in the country! Apparently there will be thousands of meteors per hour, the morning of November 18th. We will definitely get up for that one! I’ll practice taking pictures of the sky before that night, so I get a better idea of what settings to use. I did get good pictures of the lunar eclipse last year, so I should be able to do it. Apparently the Milky Way is completely visible as well. I am starting to look forward to stargazing!

ahhhh, San Antonio, TX

Two days later we arrived in San Antonio. We spent the night along the way, in Beaumont Texas. Keystone (the manufacturer of our 5th wheel) called us to ask how things were going, and make sure we were ok, which was nice. No one is convinced that the 5th wheel is really 100% ok, because it’s still flexing, but it isn’t as bad as it was- at least, so far. Paul isn’t too worried safety-wise, but if it continues to flex, then Keystone wants us to bring it in to another dealer, probably in El Paso. If it doesn’t get worse, then we can wait it out and see what happens. We arrived in San Antonio with no issues, and it was 83 degrees outside! Yay! What a beautiful day! We sat outside with brochures and made some decisions about what we want to see while we are here. There are some things that are obvious, like the Alamo, but we’re here for 5 days so we have time to do other things as well. We started off by doing some of the obvious today- we went to the Alamo. I must say I was a little apprehensive, since all I have ever heard is how out of place it is in the middle of the city, and that it isn’t worth seeing….Well, it didn’t cost anything, so that right there makes it worth it! There was more to it than I thought. There are several buildings still standing, and the courtyard is still there. I think it was one of those “expectations” situations. I expected that it wouldn’t be that good, so it exceeded my expectations very nicely. I don’t think you can grow up in this country and not know the words “remember the Alamo”, but today I learned a lot more about what made it so special, and what role it played in history. Its amazing that those 200 men were willing to take a stand and fight so hard for what they believed in, against such odds. Of course, they were hoping for reinforcements, but they did have an opportunity to get out, and chose not to take it. After the Alamo we walked down the Riverwalk, and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant, sitting outside so we could people watch and enjoy the sunshine. We’ll go back to the Riverwalk again at night to see how different it looks. Probably tomorrow night, since there is a Latin Music Festival near there all day tomorrow, so we can check that out at the same time. Our final tourist event of the day was the Tower of the America’s. It’s a tower that was built in the 1960s for the Worlds Fair that took place in San Antonio. You can take an elevator to the top, where there is an observation tower, and a lounge. I think most big cities have their version of the Tower of the Americas. This one was ok- we could actually see our truck where it was parked a few streets away. There was a 4D movie about Texas that we saw as well. An amusement park type ride, but it was fun. We specifically didn’t make plans for the evening because the RV park we are at serves dinner on Friday nights. For $3.50 per person you get Lasagna, salad, garlic bread, a drink, and dessert. More importantly, it’s a way to meet other people who are staying in the park, so we wanted to go. We met and shared stories with a nice couple from Canada who are on their way to South Padre Island for the winter. We also met today, another couple who are fulltimers- they are on the opposite trajectory from us- headed from West to East, and will spend the winter in Alabama. Really nice people- too bad we met them the night before they are leaving, but we did exchange information. We’ll see what we decide to do tomorrow!

New Orleans/Hammond, LA

There were thousands of people walking the streets of the French Quarter on Halloween. I am sure there were parties galore as well, but it seemed like the main idea was to walk up and down the streets, to see and to be seen. Most people were in costume, although we weren't, much to Paul's disappointment. Anyone who knows him knows he LOVES to dress up for halloween. We saw two parades, one of which just kept winding around the streets. There was another one later, nearer to midnight, that was a wedding celebration. At the very last minute we accomplished one of my goals in New Orleans. We found Cafe Du Monde, THE place to get beignets, which are a doughnut, unique to New Orleans. They were very good, similar to Navajo fry bread or fried dough. We also ate dinner at Bubba Gumps, because it sounded like fun. The food was great, which kind of surprised us. The people of New Orleans definately discuss things in terms of "pre Katrina" and "Post Katrina". We didn't see that much of the city outside the French Quarter, which essentially sustained very little damage from the hurricane because its on high ground. The most damaged part, the ninth ward, is where some of the poorest live, which is the part that is below sea level. We drove by parts of it, and it still looks like about every 3rd or 4 th house is abandoned or destroyed and has not been fixed. We have heard that people would love to come back, but can't afford to get back here. The last two days have been pretty stressful. Last week we noticed several problems with the trailer, and we made an appointment for Monday, at a dealership in Hammond, LA, to get them fixed. A couple of the problems were minor and easily taken care of, but two were more serious. We had an issue with water coming in, onto the carpet, when we drove in the rain. Luckily no major damage, and they were able to find the cause and fix it. The other problem is the one that has kept us here . The outside fibreglass, where the front panel meets the side panel, has shifted, breaking the caulking seal that keeps the water out. They thought they had it fixed yesterday by pulling off the outer skin and putting more screws in, to hold everything in place. We didn't make it out of the parking lot before the seal gave way again. There shouldn't be any flexing, especially enough to keep breaking the caulking. There is a possibility that the interior frame is broken, causing everything to shift. Tomorrow they will open it up again and put longer screws in. If it doesn't work, we will have to head to Goshen Indiana to the factory and have them look at it. We would rather do that now, while we are reasonably close, rather than later, when we are in Texas or California. Hopefully the new screws will do the trick- Paul thinks they might. Meantime, the RV dealer has a great setup- sort of a mini campground, with 4 spots that including electric, for new customer orientations. They have let us spend the last two nights here, so they have access to the Everest first thing in the morning, and we don't have to drive anywhere. On the plus side, it saves us a little money on campgrounds! One way or another we should be back on the road to somewhere tomorrow.