The Road Runner

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blog 03-05-19 Road Runner

Watson has been such a wonderful, patient and tolerant dog it was time for a treat for him. Before my 2nd cup of coffee I went out and set up his pen in the "yard" behind the camper. It's not as big because it doesn't have the section along the camper but it sure was good enough. He went around and smelled the perimeter and proceeded to christen it, it will do. The weather was warming up a little, about 52 by now, so I set up my chair for coffee #2. Peace in the house.

After our walk I went to the ranger station near here and talked about options for me. Is this dirt road ok, is this hike very long, is it safe to cross the border, what kind of flowers and cactus are these. Yes, I am thinking about crossing the border here in the park. There is a border crossing staffed by real guards and a Mexican guy will row you across and back for $5.00. Then you have the option of taking a mule, a horse, or a pick-up truck into town for another fee, or you could walk. Once in town there are 2 cantinas for lunch or beer and lots of people selling their wares. One family told me they brought a bunch of money and left it all there, the people are so poor. They kept saying "No Wall". There are 2 sides to every story.

So when it's time to come back, you repeat the process but this time you have to go through customs here on this side. If you don't have a passport, you don't get back in. If you come after the crossing closes, you spend the night in Mexico. I'm still thinking about it.

So today I went a short way down the road to Boquiillas Canyon to see what was there. I stopped so many times to take pictures it took a while to go a few miles. Very different terrain, getting more hilly and rocky so the plants are different. There are so many varieties of cactus that I can spot a new one at every glance. Some are blooming, some budding, some putting out new shoots.

There was an Rio Grande overlook so I stopped and pulled up next to a couple from Wisconsin in a PleasureWay like my old one. They love theirs so we talked camper talk for a while then we went our separate ways. This was my first good view of the river and I thought it would be bigger. Pictures

On a big rock there were trinkets for sale with a jar for the money, hand crafted items from across the river. Picture. As I was standing there 2 men got in a canoe from the Mexican side and paddled across and in 5 minutes they were standing by the rock with the jar. They were very nice, kept saying thank you and I'm wondering if we should call the border patrol. OH, no choice there, there is no cell service. The rangers are constantly saying if you see suspicious activities to report it right away. There is a heavy border patrol presence here in the park as it is in most of southern TX.

I did buy a little road runner figurine made from wire and beads. It's cute.

I went to the trail head for the canyon hike and walked up a ways and heard from people coming down you really can't see the canyon cut unless you are in a canoe, wow dodged that bullet. I'm trying to save my walking for Watson walks because he is not allowed on any of the park trails. Only paved roads for dogs.

On the way home I stopped a few more times then saw something move to my left, it was a road runner. True to their name they don't stand still for more then a second and they run between cover so it was really hard to try to get a picture. I was in the car on the road so I had to watch for traffic and the curvy road and the fast little critter. I got a couple of fleeting shots then he crossed the road and was on my right side. The lighting was better this way but now to adjust the camera for that light. I have included too many pictures of this adventure but it was exciting. The one shot you can see how his feathers have a hint of green. He is very well camouflaged. I felt like Willy Coyote, "Got your ass".

I went back to the house and played with Watson for a while then went to the store and restroom building where they have wifi hoping I could get the blog going. I did! It is strong enough and worked real well.

I sat outside, temp about 58, and talked to my neighbor who had some pictures to show of the ice from yesterday, it was the topic of conversation everywhere.

After dinner I went to a ranger talk in the amphitheater near here and froze to death while learning about the night predators in the park. There are gray fox, cougar, owls, coyotes and raccoons. He talked about their ability to see and hear their prey in the darkness that is very profound here in the park. The stars have been so numerous it's hard to see the constellations. I hope to sit in my reclining chair one night to just star gaze for an hour or so, but it's just been too cold and windy at night. Temp was 39 last night.

I went to bed at 8:30, all this fun is exhausting....

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