Advertisement
Published: January 20th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Tuesday, January 16, and a Ranger visits each of the five campers in our park. The message is: Chisos is closed and the only road going up out of Cottonwood is in bad condition. The winter storm is expected to continue all day and into tomorrow. So, we hunker down and are using the generator, with the ranger’s blessings. We managed to stay still for at least 3 hours, before venturing out for a walk in the mud and rain to the Ranger’s Center and the tiny shop about a mile away. It is hard to imagine that the road out of Cottonwood is not passably. We have not radio stations, no cell reception and no newspapers.
Wednesday, January 17, it has rained most of the night. The temps are in he low 40’s, so after breakfast we decide to go up the 23 mile drive to the main road, then 13 miles out of Big Bend. As we started I noticed the outside temp registering 42 degrees, we began what was to be a “white knuckle” scary drive. The roads conditions just kept getting worse… rain to slush, slush to ice, then to snow covered ice with sleet falling.
Closed Canyon
This is the slot canyon we hiked too We watched the outside temp click down to 26 degrees, the winding canyon road has steep drop-offs and it is obvious no one else has been on the road before us. There were very few pull-off so the decision to turn back and travel downhill was not inviting. Bob did a great job driving and the Big Bothan cooperated so we are safe and sound…Amen!
Big Bend Motor Inn and RV Campground in Study Butte, TX, is home for a few days. The good news is ……we safe and have diesel, propane, and now have electric, water, even cable. The bad news is…. another winter storm is coming and the only way out is north to Alpine, which is a higher elevation and expecting more snow.sleet, and ice. So..o..o I think we will stay put and wait it out. Texas doesn’t know what to do with snow; the schools close and the roads eventually melt.
January 18, 2077, Thursday, AM; after listening to the weather forecast we vacillate and then decide to stay here in Study Butte. The weather today is in the low 40’s, but tonight should plunge to freezing with precipitation. We do want to get
out today, so the option seems to be west and south. We plan a day trip to Big Bend Ranch State Park, then on to Presidio and into Mexico at Ojinaga, stretch our legs and see something different. So the trip is a little over 50 miles each way through the State Park with nice scenery. Big Bend NP is 800,000 acres of public land, and Big Bend SP is 300,000 acres of public land, a lot of hikes hidden in these lands. At Presidio we found a safe place to park the Bothan and a taxi to take us into Ojinaga. For $8. we are driven across the bridge and into the town plaza. We successfully navigate the ATM in Spanish, and look for a nice restaurant to eat and practice more Spanish. Then came time to browse and explore, however, in Mexico most businesses close for Siesta from 1PM to 3 or 4PM We walked around the Plaza and took some photos then found our way back to the “taxi people” . On our way “home” we stopped at Closed Canyon for a walk in this narrow slot canyon.
January 19, 2007, Thursday, it is a cloudy
day with drizzle temps in the high 30’s (above freezing). Getting punchy, Bob visited the beer store to get a mix of Mexican beers, to do a taste test. He needs to be informed to make the right choice
Advertisement
Tot: 0.08s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 13; qc: 31; dbt: 0.0385s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb