High Island and Winnie to El Paso, Texas

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High Island and Winnie to El Paso, Texas

April 18 to 24th Starting mileage at 23085.

Lots of wildflowers blooming now along side of the roadways and in the median. Mostly, in oranges and yellows. Real pretty white prickly poppy was also seen. Sadly, it is too late for the blue bonnets, but winecups and many cactus are blooming. Sure perks up the grey desert land, especially, a low growing cactus that is bright, bright fuchsia. Unfortunately, many, many plants in mile after mile of driving were dead or dying--- due to the drought, we think.

We drove straight through Houston and its ‘burbs and then continued our drive west on Interstate 10 and spent the night at Palmetto State Park near Ottine. Nice tree shaded campground built in the 30’s by the CCC, so had many rock structures that they built. Turned off north at Sequin onto highway 46 before we got to San Antonio in order to drive through the Hill Country---what a surprise to see so many, many McMansions, after McRanches, after McMansions all along the route. Where do people get the money to build these huge places?? And why do they need that much space???

We spent the night at Guadalupe State Park after getting the oil changed at a Wal-mart in New Braunsfels . Full hook-ups cost $38--the most expensive we have had to paid. Texas requires you to pay a daily use fee as well as the camping fee---here the use fee was $7.00 each.

In the morning, we wandered down to look at the Guadalupe River. The park warns that the camp spots are on the bluff as there is a fear of flash flooding here. Watched a turkey hot-foot it across the road as we left the park. Continued to skirt San Antonio on highway 46 and then picked up Interstate 10 again. This area north of San Antonio is where many Germans settled prior to Texas becoming a state. We had wandered some of this same area when we drove to Texas two years ago specifically to see the blue bonnets in bloom.

After a very long driving day, we arrived at Fort Stockton and pulled into the Hilltop RV Park. All hook-ups for $25 per night. Very clean but, spaces out in the open---almost parking lot look. Prior to pulling in for the night, we noticed a road sign stating the turn off to Big Bend National Park was just ahead. We were surprised that it was just directly south roughly a hundred miles away. We had originally planned to drive to El Paso along the border of Mexico and stop at several parks along the way including Big Bend. However, the temperatures along the border were already very high and so we abandoned that plan. After checking the temps in El Paso and comparing them to the temps in Big Bend, we decided to not by-pass this opportunity to see this park.

Fort Stockton, as you might deduce, was an old military fort situated on the stagecoach route/road. They have developed the town to attract the tourists driving down Interstate 10, including the world’s largest roadrunner. Also, some of the historic and old, old adobe buildings have been preserved in the old part of town that was built away from the old fort, and in the morning after getting gas at what has to be one of the last full-service gas stations, we drove around following a numbered driving tour.

Headed due south on highway 385 through dry, dry range land. At the tiny wide spot in the road town of Marathon, we looked for a shady spot to have lunch. The “city” map showed the location of a city park a few miles away, so down a tiny road we went. The park was situated on some springs and there were many trees around with picnic tables under them. Very nice little park for the tiny size of the community, with the best part being we could pull under one of the trees and keep Rosie in the shade.

While eating lunch, as always, I was checking out what might be flying around since there was obviously a pool of water in this huge desert for birds and other living things. I spotted a bright red flash going from tree to tree. It didn’t take me long to find the little bird perched on a branch and ID it as a vermilion flycatcher. After lunch, we sat outside on a picnic table and watched several pair flying around. What gorgeous little birds they are!

Drove on to Big Bend and turned toward the Rio Grande River to the Rio Grande Village Campground we knew had electrical hook-ups. We need the electric current to run the air conditioner all night, although it did finally cool off enough to run just the fan with the windows open through the night. This is a privately operated RV place that parked you on the hot pavement and charged $33 per night. The real nice Park-run campground had trees, but no hook-ups and would have cost with our senior Federal pass $7 per night.

In the morning, we drove around the public campground and got out and looked at the River. How easy it is to cross this shallow, sandy, fairly narrow significant body of water. On a sandbar were a small flock of avocets. I don’t know if this was a spot just to migrate through or, they stayed year round but, it seemed a funny spot for some shore birds to be. There was also a very elusive road runner; our first and perhaps only sighting.

We drove east of the campground to an overlook of Rio Grande River and the village of Boquillas del Carmen on the Mexican side up on the high banks. Prior to 2002, the US had several crossings spots from Big Bend National Park into Mexico, which they have now closed and this was one of them. While we watched, a man on horseback, obviously a Mexican National, came up from the river below us, and climbed up to the parking area where we were parked. Signs all through the park warned that it was illegal to purchase crafts from the people from this village with stiff fines and prison as a result. There was a very small display of crafts up against a rock and he stopped to look it over as we hastened back inside Rosie.

We proceeded to drive back to the Visitors center to check out the possibility of climbing up into the Chisos Mountains to their lodge and a campground. The Chisos campground is at over 4000 feet and the mountains are supposed to be covered with Douglas fir and other trees with bear, mule, and white tailed deer, plus cougars living there. We figured to spend the night camping there because everyone told us to expect the higher elevation to make it cool enough to stand.

The park brochure had stressed that no trailers were to be pulled up the mountain nor motor homes longer than 24 feet should attempt the climb as there were switchback curves and a grade of 15%. So, anyway, we checked with the Park Ranger to make sure we could drive up the road ok. What a laugh!!! I think I counted only 4 true switchbacks and never saw what I would call a steep grade. The road is narrow and maybe they need the warning to keep the big rigs out. When we got to the “forest” it wasn’t as we expected at all. The scattered trees were about 20-30 feet in height and offered little shade. The campground was out on a paved parking area in the full sun and the temperatures were not that cool.

So, we pulled into the parking area for the lodge and went in and had hamburgers for lunch while looking down through what they call the “window” to the valley below. It reminded Valerie and I of a place we were at in Spain that had the same “look” down through a gap in the mountains to a valley below---we missed the olive groves below and the monastery that was perched on the left side.

Since we were not camping here, and a loop road we had thought to drive in the park had been washed out and closed, we looked at the map and decided that we could drive up highway 118 to another Texas State Park that was located almost on Interstate 10, to spend the night. The drive had some interesting views and was more scenic, I believe, than the road from Fort Stockton. It went through the town of Alpine that surprisingly had a large college campus in it. We stopped for gas and some ice cream, and then drove through Fort Davis, a real stereotypical western town with false fronts.

One bothersome note, was that we were following an old codger in a sedan driving very slow when a loose heifer being herded by a pick-up along the side of the road ran out from in front of the pick-up into the road and was hit by the sedan. I am pretty sure, that even though the animal got up, it was going to have to be destroyed. It looked like it had broken its leg.

Made it to Balmorhea State Park and settled in for the night. This park is located on another set of desert springs that form a small wet land. Long ago there were many of these oasis-like places throughout the desert. Got back on Interstate 10 and drove straight to El Paso---smoggy and hot. Spent the first night at the Roadrunner RV park and then said, no way, and checked into a motel!

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