The Final Push

 "I'm goin' home to the place where I belong." - Chris Daughtry 🎵

Leaving Texas and family behind, we drove to Louisiana where we spent one night, then on to the Florida Panhandle and Falling Waters State Park for two nights. Along the way we cruised over a bridge spanning Louisiana's Atchalafaya Basin and its accompanying river. We cruised and cruised, and it occurred to me we had been cruising on this bridge seemingly forever. It turns out that at 18.2 miles this is the 3rd longest bridge in the US, and 2nd longest on the interstate highway system. I don't care to know which bridges are longer.

Our last evening campfire.

What will we miss the most once we return to Ocala? Our top things:

• Togetherness 24/7 in our "tiny house on wheels." We truly enjoy being alone together.
• The camping lifestyle - being out in nature, leaving behind city life, meeting new people, seeing new places.
• Adventures that get the adrenaline going (narrow trails with drop-offs, a rattlesnake warning us to get off his bridge, seeing a bear, deer jumping in front of the truck, storms)
• God's great big beautiful creation - stars, the Milky Way, mountains, lakes, canyons, draws, washes, run-offs, gullies, dips, pour-offs, arroyos...

What will we NOT miss?

• Desert, sand, rocks and scrub (although the pay-off is low humidity and gorgeous night skies).
• Storms
• Flat tires - three on the trailer (all due to valve stem issues), and one on the truck due to a nail.

What were the hardest parts about being gone for 13 weeks?

• Being away from friends and family was difficult. We missed seeing our St. Augustine grandchildren, two daughters, neighbors on Trooper walks, my Bible Study prayer partners, bookclub buds, the other woodworker in the neighborhood, and Trooper's doggo dudes. It helped that the California Kids joined us twice on the journey, allowing some fun time with them and Coen. And we worked in visits with my cousin, Linda, Dave's family in Texas, my family in Colorado, and a week with Kristi.
• It was very hard being away during son-in-law Nick's health crisis. At least we could pray.
• Planning every destination, each stop to get us there, and preparing for as many contingencies as possible. Flexibility was key when things didn't work as expected. Wildfires, government shutdown, etc. 
• Being gone. Coming home.

San Antonio and Sugar Land

Remember The Family! 

There's nothing like Texans taking you to see Texas attractions. They know interesting must-do activities, which exit to take, where to park, shortcuts through town, and the best places to eat. And so it was that Dave's sister, Sally, and her husband, Bob, were our hosts for our time together in San Antonio and Sugar Land, TX. We are so appreciative of their help planning. AND chauffeuring. AND cooking filet mignon for dinner. AND taking us boating. AND getting kolaches for breakfast. AND, AND, AND! What a wonderful 5 days together!

I had the good fortune to attend an AP Computer Science workshop in San Antonio in 2018. My sisters worked it out so we could be together for that week, and we saw a lot of wonderful historic sites (after workshop hours, of course). However, Dave was not along for that trip, and I wanted him to see The Alamo, among other famous locations. 

Our camping spot was on the south side of Canyon Lake, TX, about an hour north of "Alamo City." Sally and Bob joined us there for 3 nights of camping, with day trips around the area. Our first day's outing was to the Alamo, River Walk, and the Briscoe Western Museum.

The arches, window, and curved top of The Alamo Church are not original.
The horizontal molding was the actual cornice.
The rest was added later.

A common comment upon seeing The Alamo is, "It's smaller than I thought it would be." Yes, the church itself, where the women and children hid out during the 1836 battle against Santa Anna and his Mexican army, is a small-ish building, with several rooms inside. However, the grounds surrounding the mission complex in the 1800s included the Long Barracks building, a low barracks, corrals, ammunition storage, and more. 

Today the area preserves the church and Long Barracks building. The rest of the original 5-acre mission area was torn down or built over as downtown San Antonio grew. Also present today is the Ralston Family Collections Center - a museum with artifacts from the Alamo's 300+ year history as a mission. This museum includes the Phil Collins Collection of hundreds of artifacts he donated from the Battle of the Alamo. Phil also narrates the battle for a lighted diorama display, indicating important locations around the fortified complex. As the 200-year anniversary of the battle approaches, there is a lot of construction around the church. A visitor center opens in 2027, and a bicentennial monument is in the works. We enjoyed seeing all of these on a guided tour of the grounds. I think the guided tour is the way to go when visiting The Alamo, and ours included an augmented reality display in the Long Barracks. 

For an area "smaller than I thought it would be" we worked up an appetite, so we headed to the River Walk for lunch. An oasis in downtown San Antonio, the cool, shady area provided a chance to enjoy some Texas barbecue while we planned our visit to the Briscoe Western Museum. 

The San Antonio River Walk

The museum was also within walking distance, following the River around several bends, past the amphitheater, and back up to street level. Have you ever wondered why there are so many different types of spurs? Would you like to see striking black and white photographs depicting ranch life? What about a bronze statue that transitions from the importance of bison to cattle? Need to see another diorama of the Battle of the Alamo? Or portraits of three of the most famous men who gave their lives for Texans' freedom - David Crockett, James Bowie, and William B. Travis? All this and more awaits you at the Briscoe. If you ever get to San Antonio, don't miss it!

Another adventure with Sally and Bob was located between San Antonio and our campground. Natural Bridge Caverns is the largest cavern in the state of Texas. We  enjoyed the Discovery Tour (a different tour takes you to a separate part of the cavern) and some of the geologic features of the cave. Very pretty stalactites, stalagmites, columns, ribbons, curtains, and even cave bacon! 

The Chandelier

Again, "walking up" an appetite meant going to the little town of Gruene (pronounced Green) to enjoy some German cuisine. Gruene is particularly famous for preserving 19th century Texas culture and buildings, particularly Gruene Hall, the oldest continuously-operating Texas dance hall. Apparently a lot of famous musicians have played there. The wooden floor plus lots of dancing boots must be quite a thing to see - er, hear. However, all of Gruene was experiencing a power outage when we arrived. Since we are flexible, we headed to nearby New Braunsfel for that authentic German food. The Alpine House did not disappoint. 

That night we returned to the south shore of Canyon Lake and prepared for a cold front that was bringing some rain later that night. Dave put canvas chairs in the truck, took down a folding table, and I brought in the awning just in case it got windy. 

Zzzzzzzz💥⚡️💨 Suddenly we woke up to a howling wind shaking the camper! The trailer was violently rocking and shuddering, buffeted by a crazy gale! I was afraid the camper would be blown off its stabilizer "feet" and Dave said he never prayed so hard for our safety. It seemed to last for about 20 minutes, but we were so scared we don't know how long it pounded us. Once the rain began it stopped blowing so hard and I was able to fall back asleep.

The next morning as I prepared to walk Trooper, we noticed a tiny trailer had arrived in the night and parked in the campsite next to ours. Someone's aqua Croc shoe was in our site. A tent had blown across the campground, bent poles and nylon lying in a heap.

A lady exited the little camper and told us they sheltered in the concrete block restroom building because a tornado was spotted on the north side of the lake. When they opened their camper door to run for the shelter, the wind blew it so hard it bent the hinges. Brand new camper. First time using it. (Last time using it?)  By the way, her daughter's other aqua Croc was never found, and another pair of her shoes ended up in someone else's campsite. Quite a wild ride, but everyone in our camping loop was unscathed. 

It was time to head to Sugar Land, Sally and Bob's home town. But Dave and I couldn't resist a quick side trip to Round Top, TX, a quaint antique-y spot with friendly people and good burgers. I found a few stocking stuffers for the upcoming holidays, but rain kept us from exploring all the shops.

Sugar Land was the home of Imperial Sugar, and the old refinery still stands. Bob gave us the grand boat tour of the lake they live on, and we enjoyed the various architectural styles of the homes in the area. Dave and Bob watched part of the Texas A&M football game - the first TV we've seen in 12 weeks. AND Dave caught a fish! 

Sorry, Dave, you have to throw it back.

 
Almost time to head for Ocala, a 2-day drive from Sugar Land, with a stop over in Louisiana. Thank you, Sally and Bob, for a real bed, real shower, real toilet, and really great steaks for dinner. 

Big Bend National Park

 More desert? Dave needs to see some trees!

After leaving New Mexico we headed for Ft. Davis, TX. Although this area had a few trees along creeks and streams (which were dry) it was still a rocky, sandy, cactus-y terrain. With sand spurs which were tough for Trooper. We were staying in the Davis Mountains; these were showing lots of ocher volcanic rock rather than gray granite and light sandstone, but it was nice to see hills rather than flat desert.

The view from the highest point in Davis Mountains State Park in Texas.
Patches of volcanic rock reminded us of Craters of the Moon in Idaho.

From Ft. Davis we entered Big Bend National Park. Big Bend was another partially-open park. There was no one at the entrance station, no rangers, and no open visitor center. We planned for 3 hikes: Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off (there's another one of those words!), Tuff Canyon, and Santa Elena Canyon, all of which were unrestricted.

The Lower Burro Mesa trail followed a dry stream bed through a canyon with high red rock sides. For about a mile the stream bed was lined with loose, small pebbles, making the trek feel like walking through sand. Some areas were slow going.

 Along the hike we met a couple from Montrose, CO. They told us about the fire damage at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Most of the park, the entire campground area, and all the trees were burned. Only the visitor center was spared, thanks to firefighters starting back fires around it. This was one park we cancelled before we left in August due to the wildfire.

The entrance to the Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off canyon area

The 100 foot-high pour-off would see pounding water coming over the top during monsoon season.
Check out the small pebbles along the stream bed. 

Our second hike was to the overlooks at Tuff Canyon; there was no access to the canyon itself. Tuff has nothing to do with Gen Z slang, or the 1980s-90s rock band. It is a type of igneous rock formed from volcanic ash. The color of this rock was lighter gray and yellow, and was quite different from the other volcanic rock at Big Bend.

A panoramic view of a portion of Big Bend National Park.
Tuff Canyon is the whitish area in the lower left of the photo.

Like so many other canyons in the desert, this one's rock sides were eroded by water.
FYI: Mount St. Helens is another area with tuff rocks.
In reality, they are all tough when you have to walk on them.

Our final hike has become one of my favorites on the trip. Santa Elena Canyon was a delightful combination of climbing, trekking, edging, and wading through both dry and wet areas, high and low spots, uphill and downhill, sunny and shady zones, and another chance meeting with the couple from Colorado.

Santa Elena Canyon can be seen in the distance.

Santa Elena Canyon was formed by the Terlingua Fault, with the Rio Grande River running through it. In the photos above and below, the left side of the canyon is in Mexico, the right side belongs to the USA. 

The entrance to the canyon. Hidden by the foliaged foreground is the Rio Grande.
Notice the 3 "steps" of the canyon wall on the US side. 
The trail was along the lower step.

After parking, we followed a path to the Rio Grande River. Girls were sunbathing, a lady was wading across in thigh-deep water, and a young boy was playing in the sand. Typical day at the river, except there was another country on the other side. 

A look at the muddy Rio Grande and Mexico at the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon.
The river comes out of the canyon and rounds this corner, heading south along Mexico.

It might help you "picture" the area if I give you the trailhead sign showing the layout of the land. In the photo below, the Rio Grande comes down the canyon from west to east, then turns and runs south along Mexico. Coming into the Rio Grande from the north is Terlingua Creek, which borders the US side at the eastern end of the canyon. Terlingua Creek does not go into the canyon. Hopefully this pic gives you an idea of the area we hiked.  

The black line is the driveway and parking area. 
The white line is the trail.

 To access the trail we turned right (staying on the U.S. side) and walked along the Terlingua Creek, which soon turned to dry, cracked ground. We climbed up the embankment about 15 feet and walked along the edge back the direction from which we had come. Foliage was growing here, and required us to walk crabwise to get through. It seemed like a long way down as we scooted by the vegetation, and I sure didn't want to fall! Good thing I had on my new shoes! (Oh, and the left shoe began to squeak only one week after I paid dearly for these babies.) 

The path up began just beyond the people in the photo.
The embankment we followed can be seen where the green bushes on the left stick up above the dry creek bed.

Once we got back to the canyon entrance, we rounded the corner to head down the canyon. We encountered a series of switchbacks to take us up the canyon wall about 80 feet. At last we were hiking along the Rio Grande! 

Looking east from the top of the switchbacks toward the parking lot.
You can see the Rio Grande turn south.

Hiking west into the canyon.

I love the reflection of the canyon in the river.

A look up the canyon wall from the trail. 

Remember the 3 "steps" from the photo above?

We are looking up to the top of step 2.

We can't see step 1, the top of the canyon.

Eventually the trail along the canyon descended to river level. We walked through bamboo and tall grasses. Trees grew out of the caked mud, indicating there were times the water was much higher. 

Deep in the canyon, but the sun still illuminated the US wall.

At river level the thick foliage and height of the Mexican wall shaded the trail.

Sometimes I let Dave take the lead so I can get him in a photo.

Crazy that these plants can grow in such dry soil.

"Deep roots" is Dave's answer.

Wading in the Rio Grande.
Some people splashed over to Mexico and touched the wall.

I wonder what's around the bend?

After I dried off my feet, it was time to go back to the parking lot. Mr. Colorado came around a bend in the trail. When he saw us he quipped, "I don't know many people in Texas, but I know you!" When we hit the switchbacks, we saw his wife in the shade. She didn't look very well, perhaps some heat exhaustion. But she had plenty of water and wanted to wait for her husband. So off we went, back down to the embankment and then down to the dry Terlingua Creek. We weren't alone as we walked; cows were grazing in the dry grass.

Driving back to Ft. Davis we had a rare race with a bighorn sheep. He crossed the in front of us, then ran alongside the truck for awhile. Dave was thrilled to get to see one that close.

Early the next morning I braved the Texas wind to see the Orionid meteor shower. I enjoyed watching Orion's stars with stripes of meteors streaking by. The meteors are caused by Earth passing through Halley's Comet's debris. The next time we come to Ft. Davis, we will visit the nearby McDonald Observatory for one of their Star Parties.

Next up: Meeting up with Dave's sister and her husband to remember the Alamo in San Antonio.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

National Parks: Some Open, Some Closed, Some Somewhere In-between

I left you scratching your head trying to figure out the difference between a wash and a draw. I now have two more to add to the list: run and arroyo. Yep, always learning something new, that's me.

Have you been watching the night sky this month? This is an amazing, perhaps unparalleled time for my generation for stargazing. Two comets, SWAN and Lemmon, should be visible tonight, maybe with the naked eye, probably with binoculars, depending on your area's light pollution. Dave and I have been looking each evening after sunset, and I go out in the morning before sunrise, hoping to get a glimpse of Lemmon. Also, Orion is the source of a meteor shower. Yesterday that shower was more of a drizzle as I sat outside, bundled up against the West Texas wind.  But overall we have been blessed with "shooting stars," satellites, planets, constellations, and the Milky Way. 

Where have we camped with this minimal light interference for these fun and beautiful night sky events? North of Carlsbad, NM at Brantley Lake State Park. As you can see, there is nothing around. Nothing. Great for stargazing!

 

The terrain is a bit ugly, but the night sky is glorious.
Mesquite, sagebrush, creosote bushes, and yucca are the mainstays of the desert flora.

The trails were all very rocky.
Trooper's pads have toughened up.

Christmas Cholla (a cactus)

Prickly Pear

Mesquite

Smooth Sotol.
As smooth as sawgrass!

Good thing we weren't fishing.

While staying at Brantley Lake we headed south about 60 miles to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The park's visitor center was open, thanks to the Western National Parks Association, the concessionaire for several parks. We were able to take a short, informative nature walk (well, it would have been more informative, but we already knew what sagebrush, prickly pear, mesquite, and yucca look like). Only a few areas in the park were open; we were so appreciative to the WNPA staff for stepping up. 

One open area was the hike to Smith Springs, about halfway up one of the mountains. We were trekking uphill in the desert, and were sweaty when we arrived at the springs. This little bit of heaven had a pool of water which overflowed down a small waterfall into a draw (wash, run, arroyo, creek, etc.) and was shaded by cottonwood and mesquite trees. A stone slab created a bench, and was cool to the backside while we rested and drank our water. I'll let photos document our hike.

We begin our hike.
Notice the Smooth Sotol on the right.

And the rocks.

Still going up.
Still very rocky.
Still getting pricked by smooth sotol.

We will cross several draws and end up somewhere below the smooth overhang.
We didn't know this, of course, from our (disad)vantage point.

Nearing the top. We thought.
There was a draw to our right. The path followed it for quite a way.

Almost there!

The shade was a real blessing by this time.

Pretty pool of water. 

No drinking from unknown water sources, 

 but it was refreshingly cool on my hands and wrists.

 

Small waterfalls also made a refreshing sound.
It was worth the 1.5 hour hike. Uphill. Over rocks.

Long way back. We have to descend almost all the way to the valley.

The parking area is near the base of the pyramid mound.
How do you like the drop-off on the left? One missed step...
Glad I had on my NEW SHOES!

In the Guadalupe Mountains is Guadalupe Peak.
It is the highest point in Texas.

The most photographed mountain in Guadalupe NP is El Capitan. It reminds me of El Cap in Yosemite NP.

We survived the hike. We are still married. We are still smiling.

Unfortunately, Carlsbad Caverns NP in New Mexico was closed. We will have to return someday and tour the caves and stay for the evening Bat Program, during which you view thousands of bats exiting their daytime cave sleeping quarters to begin their nocturnal hunt for delicious morsels. And at dawn you can view them all returning for a well-earned snooze.

 P.S. Last night we saw the Lemmon comet! So incredible, so awesome! We will try tonight to see SWAN. Give it a try! Look north-northwest. Follow a path made by the last 2 stars of the Big Dipper's handle toward 2 bright stars. Use binoculars to see the fuzzy blur with a tail!

This and That

 Just what you always wanted to know

As we journey across these wonderful United States I make notes about the interesting, funny, weird, or just downright cool. Some end up in a blog, but some are just sitting in my Notes on my phone. Time to look back at some of these crazy items.

1. As we crossed the midwest, we were definitely in Lutheran country. Most towns had a half dozen or so Lutheran churches. Bigfork Montana's First Baptist Church was the first Baptist church we had seen in a long time.
2. Today we were traveling on a road named for somebody-or-other, and then the name Relief Route. I asked Dave, "What's up with the name Relief Route?" He pointed to a truck entering the highway, and said, "That's what's up." See photo below.
3. "Nana's Bakery" was in a bowling alley. I wonder if they have spare pastries.
4. A roadsign: "Jolly Dump Town."  What is jolly? The dump or the town? Neither?
5. On a church marquee: "Jesus is like Olive Garden. Bread sticks. Unlimited."
6. At our Black Hills campground I met a lady who was out for her morning run. I had Trooper with me, and she stopped and remarked how she had just "put down" her last Golden. She said she had to downsize now that she RVs full time. She replaced that last Golden with 4 chihuahuas. Ugh! She soon returned to the spot where we chatted, saying there was a moose in the road, and she couldn't get by. Ha! Serves her right for ditching the Golden and getting those 4 chihuahuas. 
7. Did you know Wall Drug seats 530 people? "We Welcome Buses!" No kidding. But they still give free ice water and $.05 coffee. 
8. We passed through Sturgis, SD and didn't see a single motorcycle on the road.
9. Dave remarked that driving twisty-turny Highway 49 in Montana is "bushwacking with the camper."
10. Seen in Idaho: an irrigated field against the backdrop of non-irrigated land. Wet Lives Matter.
11. We have seen, and even visited, a number of museums. Here's one we missed: Laramie, Wyoming's Prison Museum. Apparently it held Butch Cassidy in the late 1800s.
12. On the way to Durango a deer crossed the road in front of us and jumped a 6-foot privacy fence like it wasn't there.
13. On the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad we discovered that train whistles actually mean more than, "Comin' through!" The various patterns actually communicate messages, similar to the balloon crew's whistles at Balloon Fiesta. "Long, Long, Short, Long" means the train is approaching a crossing. Next time you're stopped by an oncoming train, listen to the whistle pattern.
14. A solar farm in Navajo's Monument Valley is the first tribal built, owned, and operated solar facility.  
15. Remember the Grand Canyon North Rim, where fallen trees melted the asphalt? The fire melted guardrails along the road.
16. We have stayed in 3 deserts on this trip: Great Basin (in AZ); Sonoran (also in AZ); and Chihuahuan (NM and TX). Oh, no! Not more Chihuahuas!
17. We discovered that Sedona, AZ has a building code regarding colors of buildings, homes, and signs. The idea is to make the structures blend into the surroundings. It was quite effective. I call it "Apply before applying" (you have to apply to use any paint color, and it must be approved by the "color police" before you apply the paint). No yellow is allowed. (Sorry, Davey, I know it's your favorite color.) So... the McDonald's restaurant chose to use a turquoise color for the Golden Arches. 

Here are photos for some of the above items.

Number 2 😉

Number 9

Number 10

Number 17

Speaking of Micky D's, here is some food for thought. It seems everywhere we travel there are gravity-induced waterways down mountains, across valleys, and under roadways. We noticed there are a variety of words to describe them. Here are a few we have collected along the way.

• River
• Creek
• Draw
• Wash
• Canyon
• Ravine
• Valley
• Gully
• Gulch
• Coulior
• Coulee
• Dip
• Bed
• Channel

Do you know the difference between each of these? Are they merely regional terms for the same thing? Or are these accurate geographic terms with distinct meanings? Many of these are accompanied by a warning sign, "Do not cross if water is present." Have fun figuring out which is what, and know that on today's hike we crossed no less than four of these suckers. 

 (There will be a quiz.) 

 

White Sands National Park

 Closures May Cramp My Camp

We camped the last two nights at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park in Alamogordo, NM. A desert park situated at the base of the Sacramento Mountains, it had a pretty view of the valley below and the mountains immediately behind us. From here we could see the famed White Sands, Holloman Air Force Base, and a lot rocks, cacti, loose sand, and signs warning of rattlesnakes. Won't it be good to get back to Florida where rattlesnakes exist, but not signs on every trail post warning about them? My heart aches to see an alligator warning for a change.

Camping right at the base of the Sacramento Mountains.

The view across the valley to the San Andres Mts.

In spite of DOGE layoffs and the government shutdown, we have not been greatly impacted by National Park closures. (Grand Canyon North Rim was partially open, as was Saguaro NP.) It was the same at White Sands NP. Two trails were still open, and these were trails we wanted to hike anyway. The Dunes Nature Trail had a number of interpretive signs, as did the Playa Trail.

The Dunes supported more plant and animal life than I expected...

...and some former life.
But we learned at Theodore Roosevelt NP that the dead supports the living.
Roadrunners hide in and under the dead trees.

White Sands NP has one particularly interesting alert on its website. The park might be closed because of WHAT?? 

Boom, baby!

White Sands NP is surrounded on 3 sides by White Sands Missile Range, with Holloman AFB on the fourth side. A National Park at an active missile range? Must be a government operation...

If you saw the movie Oppenheimer you might recall Trinity Site, where, in 1945, the first atomic bomb was tested. Trinity Site was part of the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range, later renamed White Sands Missile Range. So they put a National Park where a radioactive bomb was exploded. Can you say residual radiation? Definitely a government operation!

Next stop: Carlsbad, NM, where Carlsbad Caverns NP is closed for now, but we're hoping for an act of Congress, or a divine miracle, that it will open. If not, we will visit Sitting Bull Falls, about an hour away from our campground. Waterfalls in the desert? This I have to see.

P.S. Thanks, Kyle, for telling Dad I needed to go shoe shopping. The new shoes prevented slippage on the sandy trails at our campground and White Sands NP! Boom, baby!