Make New Friends

There are a lot of reasons I’m sad to be leaving the Big Bend area; the stark beauty and perfect weather are two. But, the main thing I’ll miss are the new friends we’ve made. If you visit a place where people are staying for 2 or 3 months, waiting out the winter, you find folks who have developed friendships that span 5 or 10 years because so many return to the same campground (even campsite) year after year. Even though we were “newbies” to the park, we were included and welcomed by Johnnie and Carol (successful artists from New Mexico), Jim and Betty (ranchers from Oklahoma) and John, who with his dog Carly have been on the road, full time, for five years. A few of his goals: looking for the best mountain biking, disc golf (he travels with his own practice basket) and hole-in-the-wall eateries in the lower 48. I don’t know if we will ever meet anyone we share more common interests with than John! We are grateful to have gotten to sit at the “cool lunchroom table “ with this crew. Adios Big Bend! We will definitely be back.

Rio Grande

Big Bend National Park is named for the great curve or bend in the Rio Grande as it winds its way through west Texas. There are 118 miles of river in this area shared by the United States and Mexico. On our recent hike along the Rio Grande, we came across a small tin can weighted with stones and 5 small copper wire/bead sculptures labeled with masking tape price tags. ($6 for scorpions and ocotillo plants) When I asked other park visitors about the art pieces, I found out that the Mexican town of Boquillas, (where many visitors to the park take a row boat ride across the Rio then “rent” a donkey to ride into the small Mexican town for lunch at one of two cafes)....anyway, Boquillas was devastated after the borders closed, following 911, and didn’t reopen until 2013. Copper spools of phone wire coils had been delivered to Boquillas to help advance development of the town but were never used after 9/11. Local artisans now use the copper wire to make these tiny sculptures hoping park visitors will buy/donate and take home as a souvenir of Mexico. I also found it interesting, while asking questions, that along the entire border the Big Bend sector has had the fewest apprehensions of illegal crossers every year for the last 44 years. When you hike in the park and see the beautiful vistas surrounding this incredible river, it’s encouraging to know the unforgiving terrain of this park will hopefully protect it from a “traditional “ border wall. Electronic monitors, underground sensors and camera towers are already in place and seem to be effective.

We finished our hike at a natural Hot Springs and decided it would be nice if all our hikes ended with a soak in 105-degree mineral enriched water!

Star Gazing

Have you ever seen the Milky Way? Remarkably, 99% of people living in Europe or the United States live in light polluted communities that make it impossible to see the Milky Way. Lajitas is a dark sky community. That means the community has agreed to certain rules and regulations to preserve the night sky. Night skies are ranked from Class 1-9. Class 1 is the darkest sky on earth. Class 9 encompasses most inner city skies. At Maverick Ranch RV Park, the rules of the park clearly state that all campers should extinguish outdoor lighting from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am. Mark and I love staying in these communities because you can star gaze from your camper on a clear night. Ironically, on our first night here we were disappointed to observe some campers who weren’t following the rules. We shook our heads in disbelief, saying “what’s wrong with people?” Our fourth night here, we were sound asleep when we heard a knock at the door. It was the park manager pointing out we’d accidentally left our “porch light” on. Mark apologized and sheepishly turned out the light, but thankfully we learned our lesson and will be less judgmental of our neighbors the rest of our stay!

Big Bend Ranch State Park

Since this is our second trip to the Big Bend area, instead of staying in the Study Butte/Terlingua area, we chose to stay in Lajitas because of its close proximity to Big Bend Ranch State Park. The state park is where all the cool mountain biking trails are and the hiking trails here are more dog friendly. The National Park is only about 50 miles away. We decided being able to ride our bikes to trailheads from our campsite was a good trade off for the few extra miles we have to travel to get to the National Park.

The National Park is divided into five major sections because of its size. They are Castolon, Chisos Basin, Panther Junction, Persimmon Gap and Rio Grande Village. When we were here before we explored Castolon and the Chisos Basin. This time we plan to concentrate on day trips to the Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village areas. So much to do; so little time!

Rich & Famous

We all have preferences, but on cross country adventures, Mark and I have discovered being open to new camping experiences leads to a trip full of surprises. What I mean by this; our campground preferences lean toward isolated parks with beautiful natural surroundings and few if any neighbors. Because we wanted to stay in the Big Bend area for two weeks we opted for an RV Park which has none of the above. The wonderful surprise we’ve found, doing something different, is finding ourselves in a “home” setting with neighbors we would never have in our “real” life. This RV Park is not the kind people live in year round, but it is a place “snow birds” come from all over the country. We are very small in this park (just 19 feet) while most of our neighbors have 45 feet, or larger,  motor homes; and these aren’t ordinary motor homes. They are high end touring coaches like the Prevost; a subsidiary company of Volvo. I could say we are camping with the rich but not the famous, but the famous are here too. We met a fellow Airstreamer, and his wife, who are artists with artwork in museums all across the USA. Johnnie Winona Ross is a minimalist painter who also happens to have been a pro mountain bike rider in his younger days.  Did I mention that most everyone goes out of their way to be nice? It’s so cool to be neighbors with people living such different lives....if only for two weeks or so!

West Texas

Yesterday’s travel was my least favorite of the trip. Three hundred miles of interstate driving from Dallas/Fort Worth area through Abilene with views of oil fields, refineries and lots of roadside trash. However, the day ended at our first “gem” of the trip.

We spend a lot of time pre planning a trip, doing research (mostly online) of the areas we will be passing through. But sometimes it is nice having a hard copy resource to leaf through when internet is spotty or you’re just tired of looking at a screen. Our son bought us a “travel book” that has been an amazing resource for us and has never given bad advice on “must sees”. The book continues to bat 1,000 recommending a stop at Monahans Sandhills State Park. These ancient dunes (or Sandhills) are beautiful and the park is just picturesque! We must not be the only ones with the “Off the Beaten Path” book because the park was completely packed with mostly travelers from out of state (or country); we met two nice Canadian couples. We hiked on the dunes, watched the sun set and prepared for tomorrow’s 200 mile push to Big Bend National Park where we will settle for two weeks!

Weather Medly in Texas

From rain, to snow and finally 70° temps today; crazy weather if you decide to try camping in January. Our time at Mineral Wells State Park has been a welcome break from consecutive travel days. However, it’s time to move on. Five nights in one place is the perfect amount of time to get in most of the things we like to do; hike the park’s trails, bike at least once, set up our outdoor space area, put up a clothesline, have a fire, grill a meal and eat locally. The bonus of this Texas park was feeling like we were in the wilderness but actually being just 10 minutes away from the town of Weatherford where resupply was effortless. We are traveling to a more isolated area, so I’ve tried to plan meals at least a couple weeks ahead. That way, hard to get items will be stocked in our truck when we need them. Mark makes wonderful Reuben and Pastrami sandwiches and you’d be surprised how hard it is to find rye bread in some parts of small town America. Romaine lettuce and good bagels are luxury items we stock up on too.

Another noteworthy thing about this park, for me personally. On a morning hike, I heard a splash and couldn’t believe it when I discovered the sound was caused by two otter playing in the reeds. Seeing river otter, in the wild, is a first for me and another perk to camping when crowds are down. I wasn’t quick enough to snap a pic but they did leave their tracks behind!

Storm Evaders

With a 100% chance of rain, high winds and possible hail in the forecast, we decided to drive west until we passed through the cold front bearing down on East Texas and Louisiana. This was our first modification of the trip because we had originally planned to go south but the weather for the week looks bad in that direction. Even though we knew it meant a day of driving in the rain, the forecast calls for clear skies for the week at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, eighty miles west of Dallas. We are ready to settle down in one place for 5 or 6 days, and explore an area, so west seems a better bet. 

Rainy driving days are difficult for a number of reasons. Obviously, the driving is more nerve racking but it’s also difficult to picnic for lunch in a thunderstorm. Because we travel with our dog, we try to picnic at rest areas along the way to give us and her a break from the truck. It probably comes as no surprise that all interstate rest areas are not created equal. From previous travels, we’ve been impressed with Texas and New Mexico’s tile murals in the rest area buildings that usually relate to the history or persona of the state. 

Timing is everything and we arrived at our first Texas state park, of the trip, to a welcomed lull in the thunderstorms and were able to unhitch and set up before the next line of storms hit. Today has been a literal “wash”, but we are cozy inside hoping for clear skies tomorrow.

Louisiana

Leaving Mississippi, with our earliest start time yet, we crossed into Louisiana where we would spend the rest of the day; but it wasn’t a “big” driving day. Even though we have a few trips under our belt, it’s amazing the things we continue to learn about what works best for us. When we first started out, a few years ago, we planned 500-mile driving days to get from one destination to another as quickly as possible. We’ve discovered a big day for us now, is around 250 miles. Mark does all the driving and I’ve earned the nickname, Daisy, because I truly prefer being chauffeured around. I snapped a pic of Mark today, because a friend commented there are rarely photos of him. There is a tiny sliver of him there, but the blog is after all entitled “Travels With Starbaby”.

We’ve also finally started to use a wonderful asset, we hadn’t used before, that makes a travel day less stressful. Because Mark worked as a civilian for the Air Force, for 30 years, we are allowed to use any military base “Family Camp” facility, in any state. Not only do we have access to the campground, but we can also use their state-of-the-art fitness center too. A challenge, on the road, is developing a consistent workout routine, so it’s nice to know we can include a stopover at a base, and do weights, swim or attend a spinning or yoga class; all free of charge. The first Air Force base we’ve stopped at, for this trip, is Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, LA. It’s 9:00 pm, as I’m typing this, and a bugler is playing the 24 notes of “Taps” to begin quiet hours. I can’t imagine a better way to end a day.

Day 3

We packed up in below freezing temps but were rewarded with a bald eagle sighting as we left the park. We were the only campers in the whole park last night and loved the solitude. We drove for almost 100 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway, sometimes with a speed limit of 50 mph, but I didn’t mind because it was so beautiful. We stopped for coffee in Tupelo, Mississippi (birthplace of Elvis Presley) and listened to Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” on Spotify. We stopped for the night at Mississippi’s oldest State Park “Leroy Percy State Park”.  Two things we’ve noticed about Mississippi State parks that we love; disc golf in the park and laundry on site.

The Roaring 20’s in Mississippi

With a new year and decade to be embraced, Mark and I have hit the road again, heading south and then west. This trip should take us as far west as we can go (California), then north to the Oregon coast. From there, we will head East and home, but because we want to take our time, this trip will take at least 5 or 6 months. Day one of travel ended up going as smoothly as possible with perfect weather, travel and a level campsite at the end of the day. Even though we only pushed for 230 miles we spent time in four states; Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. We are at Tishomingo State Park for a couple of nights; a park we passed through, once before, but decided we wanted to revisit. It is a CCC Park which signals it has been considered beautiful and worthy of preservation since the 1930’s when FDR formed the Civilian Conservation Corp, referred to by many as “Roosevelt’s Tree Army”. The CCC put young men to work, planting trees and helping develop state parks, in mostly rural areas, during the depression. Not only did the program provide much needed jobs but also left a beautiful legacy behind. Another  noteworthy thing about this park is that the Natchez Trace Parkway runs directly through the park. The park takes it’s name from the leader of the Chickasaw nation, Chief Tishomingo. So it has been a combination  of beauty, history, hiking and access to three disc golf courses that have caused us to pause here for two days after only traveling 200 plus miles of the 8,000 miles of this journey. My resolution for the new year, (and this trip) is to take things slowly and not lose sight of the fact that some of the best surprises are usually in the most unexpected places.

I love swinging bridges... 

...until they swing!