2018 11 02 - 11 12 Waco, Senora and Terlinqua.

Mayborn Natural Science Museum, Waco, Texas - 2 November 2018

Following up on our last piece where we had gone to the Mammoth National Monument. The original members of the nursery herd of females and juveniles have been removed and transported to this Museum for further research.   

Along with other specimens of other animals. This is the skull of Blue Whale, the largest baleen whale.

Underneath my feet are casts of the mammoth bones found and removed from the outside dry river bed.  

Some plains native tribes built these layers grass tepees.

A mammoth skull and tusks. 

Caverns of Sonora RV Park, Sonora, Texas - 5 November 2018

This is a very strange combination of tourist attraction, the Caverns of Sonora, and an RV park which seems to have been established so cavern customers could stay right next to the Caverns. Interesting idea but this is so far out of the way in the middle of Texas that only a couple groups visited each day. 

We were visited each day by a fairly large group of deer. They would come through camp several times a day, sometimes leaping over the fencing or finding a whole to walk through. We had over a dozen, including five bucks and several yearlings. The camp owners had installed a hanging corn sheller and some mornings they would drop corn on the ground which really brought the entire herd running. It was very noisy so the deer could hear it very very far away. 

Besides the deer, they also had a few peacocks roaming around. 

Such great weather for sitting outside with the dogs. Dakota was very excited each time the deer would show up. 

Sonora to Terlingua, Texas - 6 November 2018

Bob drove the first leg until we stopped at the Lyndon B. Johnson Park for a break and lunch. Since we were driving over a total of four hours and we had received our Certificates from the RV Driving School, I figured it was time to give this a whirl. Not much to this hauling around a 40 foot, 16000+ pound house on wheels. Anyone driven through Texas? Long, long stretches of roads, 2 and 4 lanes, with nothing on either side except barbed wire fences, scrub and a whole lot of dirt (not soil). 

Every so often there is a hill, just to break up the monotony.  A fun fact about our fancy truck is that it tells you how many more miles are available for the amount of fuel remaining in the tank. I am cruising down the road and notice the miles to go is about 5 miles less than the remaining fuel. Assuming we didn't drive up any hills, it's all good. 

Oh, look. A hill we have to drive which will take more fuel. A year ago we went through this scenario while driving in New Mexico. Did not leave me with a good feeling then and still doesn't. Now we just have to hope we can make it to the next town. Once again, good luck is with us. 

Big Bend RV Resort, Terlingua, Texas - 6 November 2018

Just outside the Beg Bend National Park on the Rio Grande River. It's a combination of Motel, RV park, restaurant and food store. Going through the normal set-up procedures when the bedroom slide stops half-in and half-out. No amount of coaching will get it to move and then the motor shuts off. This is not a good feeling but fortunately we can access the bedroom and the bathroom even though it's a squeeze down the hall. 

When Bob came in he sat on the couch and opened the shade only to find himself staring straight out through a broken window. While driving we thought a passing dump truck may have thrown a rock. But it was quite a shock. 

Bob did a nice job wrapping the screen and a piece of cardboard to block the opening. We still have the problem that out in the boondocks of southwestern Texas, there are no RV dealers or service companies that can do this repair until we arrive in Tucson, Arizona a few days before Thanksgiving.  

After such a stressful day with these problems and no solutions in sight, we decided on drinks and dinner at La Kiva, a local restaurant built underground. Quirky place made even more so by the Dia de Los Muertos decorations. 

Morning in Terlingua.

Afternoon in Terlingua.

Big Bend National Park, Texas - 8 November 2018

In the Parks roads end at the Rio Grande, the boundary between the US and Mexico. The Chisos Mountains erupt from the vast desert floor. 

As we passed through the Entrance Gate we noticed a sign advising drivers to watch for tarantulas crossing the roadway. Sure enough, we noticed this one just starting to cross as we approached. We did our civic duty by helping this one to the other side of the road.  

We are heading to the River. Our best choice for today is the Santa Elena Canyon, which is only half a canyon on the US side, on the northern side. Its south canyon wall towers above Mexico.

When we reached the parking area, the next species became readily apparent. Walking Sticks, like these two, were on the walls, walkways and hanging off many of the plants. Down by the river, the desert gave way to a more lush, oasis of green. 

Santa Elena Canyon between US on the right and Mexico on the left. The Rio Grande is being fed by the Terlingua Creek on the right.  

The Rio Grande is milky looking water loaded with silt that scours the sides of the canyons and can be heard on the sides of the canoes and kayaks that ply it. 

9 November 2018 Returning to Big Bend, this time to the east side of the park, the mountains in the distance are capped with clouds.  

Back to Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park, Texas - 11 Nov 2018

Carrying my shoes and wading the Terlingua Creek to get to the path along the US side of the canyon. The water was cool and milky but hardly any current to make it hazardous. The challenging part is that tall bank behind me which has to be climbed. The silty mud is very slippery when wet so there is a pole with a rope tied to it. But how does that help if you can't reach the rope?

Bob has a stowaway from the other side. 

Most will think this is a Prickly Pear Cactus but look closely because there are no pricklies. This is called a Blind Prickly Pear. 

There was a short section of path of rough 1-2 inch gravel but this is more to my liking. Soft sand, shady and cool. 

A couple of outcrops into the river but even with that advantage I could not see through the canyon. 

This area of Texas was underwater millions of years ago when a sea bisected the continent. The river eroding the canyon walls plus the shifting and falling stone exposes interesting fossils. 

Still embedded in a fallen rock some of these actually resemble vertebrae.

Just beyond this protrusion is the end of the pathway. The stone wall face reached the river bank and eliminated any further trail.

And wading back across the Terlingua Creek.

Canyon Campground Trail, Hot Springs and Fossil Site - 12 November 2018

No matter how short this tunnel is, there is no getting our house through it. Good thing we didn't want to camp here. Nothing over 20 feet. 

At the back of the campground is a short trail that heads over a wet, boggy area. Lucky for us they have constructed a very nice raised walkway. We were not hunting this Wilson's Snipe when Bob saw him move after I had walked past.  

Chilly and very windy today. Hiking boots, thick socks, multiple shirts, winter coat, scarf and hat (hold on to it). We stopped at the Boquillas Canyon Trail. There is a Port of Entry for crossing into Mexico on our side but crossing the river is in row boats or canoes. Plus proper documentation is required.

Not sure if these are legitimate but we can see a canoe and several guys across the river. Or wading is also allowed but not recommended if the river level is high. The only way to get to Boquillas Del Carmen is by horse, mule or burro. Passports are not required for river trips, but stepping onto the Mexican bank, then returning to the US side constitutes an illegal border crossing. 

Is that a palm tree? A former resort was built near a natural hot springs along the river. Also found along the path to the hot springs were petroglyphs on the rock walls. The springs are constant at 105 degrees but frequently is submerged by rising river waters. By the time we had walked back to the truck there were at least 10 people who were interested in joining the 6 folks already soaking. 

A single lane road barely was wide enough for the truck to pass through without scraping something on the protruding rocks. Glad we don't have a dually. 

One thing we never got to do was stargazing. Even if the skies were clear during the day as the sun started to set behind the mountains the clouds would roll in and block out everything.  

It was getting colder but we had not been to the fossil exhibit. This is an outdoor exhibit with the winds gusting. No mammoths here. These are dinosaur fossils (or casts). One interesting fact is that large vehicles were not permitted to drive off road to the dig sites. The picture behind me shows the removal of a leg bone by being dragged in a canoe by a pair of horses. The distant Chisos Mountains are remnants of volcanoes. Dinosaur remains are brought to the surface by the rivers and streams.  

2018 10 24 - 11 02 South Central & South West Texas (San Antonio and Waco)

Apologies for the lateness of this blog update. Phone service and wi-fi have been really bad lately. 

River Walk, San Antonio, Texas - Friday, 26 October 2018

From our campground we had direct access to the River Walk bike path in San Antonio. We stowed our hats in our backpacks and wore our helmets while we biked along for a couple miles.  

Some portions have paths on both sides of the river. There are several artist areas outside of downtown with galleries, shops and breweries. We didn't realize until too late that we could not ride the entire path into downtown and ended up having a choice of walking our bikes on the path or transferring to the streets and riding. We did both. Automobile traffic wasn't nearly as scary as all the scooter traffic which came flying along crossing streets willy-nilly with little regard to courtesy or rules of the road. 

Dia de las Muertas (Day of the Dead) masks and family tents honoring deceased relatives lined some streets.

Every shop and restaurant had decorations for Halloween too. 

The famous riverboats of San Antonio plying the waters while the captains spin tales of history and traditions.
Pictured is the famous theater with the stage on one side and the seats on the other. The Stage was decorated for the celebration. 

Walking the main scenic portion of San Antonio River Walk with its colorful umbrellas for patio dining. We walked on one side then crossed over to walk the other side so we could see some of the historical spots, i.e. the spring that fed into the river and several historical buildings. 

A local mariachi band plays for restaurant customers. I don't know enough Spanish to translate but it was still enjoyable to listen to the lively music. 

Driving School, San Antonio, Texas - Tuesday, 30 October 2018

Duane was an Over-the-Road trucker for 25 years and also has personal experience driving his own RV rig. He only needed to reiterate some driving safety tips for Bob since he has been doing it for over a year. Most of our time on Monday and Tuesday were spent with me driving since I had never done it. Duane was comfortable with my highway driving skills which aren't much different with the trailer as without it. Once we cleared the city, he took us around different turning conditions (always swing wide and watch your rear end). The last portion of Monday and majority of Tuesday was backing practice. The straight line backing for over 50 feet was a challenge to keep everything in line and not let the back end of the trailer swing in any direction. The 90 and 45 degree backing to simulate getting into a parking site was a real grind. And I do mean a real grind. Hard over to the left, hard over to the right, back and forth, pull forward to straighten, do it all over again. Pushing 40 feet and over 16,000 pounds takes a lot of slow maneuvering and patience. At last, we had completed our instructions and received our Certificates.

San Antonio Missions, San Antonio, Texas, Wednesday, 31 October 2018

While we could have taken our bikes in the opposite direction from downtown ans traversed to each Mission, it was a warm day so we drove. There are five missions in the area, all connected by the Mission Road. We had already seen Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly called the Alamo. Late 1690s and early 1700s were periods of building to establish a New Spain within the northern tribes in Texas. Mission San Juan Capistrano (not the Capistrano in California noted for the returning cliff swallows) we established in 1731 in fertile farmland and pastures making it a regional supplier of produce. 

Santa Maria de Guadalupe statute outside the chapel. 

An interesting addition to he mission wall below the bell tower. 

The chapel is set lengthwise to the mission bell tower. A simple design which allows the chapel walls to be integrated into the compound walls. 

Even today, native families continue to use this mission chapel for services and it is staffed by on-site Franciscans since 1967.

Three Spanish Colonial-period statues that sat at this altar were stolen in 2000. The statues are constructed of carved wood that had been painted and are considered priceless due to their religious and historical significance. They have not been recovered. 

As we were driving past a small, private airport to the next Mission, we saw about 5 of these Scissors-tail Flycatchers (also known as the Texas bird-of-paradise) sitting on the barbed-wire top fencing. As they flew away, we saw the under-wing to be a beautiful salmon-pink color. Quite extraordinary. 

San Francisco de la Espada. It was the Spanish policy that missionaries make community life like a Spanish village. To develop a solid economy, they taught mission Indians vocations; weaving, blacksmith skills, carpentry, masonry and stone-cutting, in addition to farming and ranching. Espada was the only mission to make bricks which can still be seen in the topmost bell housing. This mission chapel also has a current resident Franciscan priest who continues to tend his flock, many families having solid roots back to the original native Indians converted into that Spanish village life.

Some say the broken arch over the Mission Espada doorway is a builder's mistake, but many parishioners find beauty in the unexpected inversion of the standard Spanish style lines. 

Simple furnishings for a local community with a rich history. 

The Espada aqueduct, the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the US, as it crosses Piedras creek. The Espada dam, completed in 1745, still diverts water into the aqueduct which was used to bring water to the fields outside the mission walls to growing crops. 

The main ditch continues to carry water to the mission and its former farm land and is still used by the residents living on the neighboring lands. 

Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aquayo, the best known of the Texas missions.It was a model mission organization and a major social center. It has the largest compound and massive stone walls for defense. 

The chapel (left) has major restoration work done after the collapse of the bell tower and the chapel dome. On the right is the unrestored living quarters for the missionaries, a two level set of rooms faced with open, covered archways for cooling breezeways. The courtyard in front is designated for use exclusively for the missionaries.  

Our very animated tour guide explaining the use of the open archway system. 

This is the largest of all the San Antonio missions and, as with all but the Alamo, continues to provide services to the local decedents of the original mission residents.  

The legendary Rose Window was originally used by the priests to preach to unconverted natives who were not allowed to participate in the services inside the church. The sermons were used as an inducement for them to convert and accept the changes to Spanish village life. 

The small domes behind the Rose Window cover the side door walkway for the priests to access their living quarters. 

The front of the church. Originally constructed in 1786 from local limestone. The church facade features from the top: a cross, representing Jesus Christ, St. Joseph (San Jose) holding the infant Jesus, St. Dominic and St. Fransic, Our Lady of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary), and St. Joachim and St. Anne holding the infant Mary.

This is a representation of the original facade decoration. 

A lovely hibiscus still flowering in the warm days of San Antonio.

Waco, Texas - Friday, 2 November 2018

Driving back towards Waco we finally got our microwave replaced and only had to pay for shipping. Our decision to brave the awful driving conditions through Austin (keeping it weird) was to visit this little known National Monument. Only open since 2015, this paleontological site represents the nation's only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths. Visitors can view "in situ" fossils including female mammoths, a bull mammoth, and a camel that lived approximately 67,000 years ago. 

The herd found in a dried river bed was made up of only females and juveniles. Males are driven out of the herd similarly to elephants when they reach maturity at about 12 years. The herd is matriarchal lead and includes several generations. This herd was trapped by rising water and buried in mud. 

The massive male mammoth (inside the protective building) is actually found in soil tested to be thousands of years younger than the females and juveniles found outside the covered area (where we are standing inside).

The tusks are 11 feet long.

This is just a representation of what scientists believe the male looked like since they have no idea what the soft tissues really were. He stood approximately 20 feet tall and weigh over 20,000 pounds. The woolly mammoth would only have reached up to his eye. 

Artist's conception of the nursery herd.

The remains of a prehistoric camel which roamed with the nursery herd. It provided good vision to see predators from afar and in return, it received protection from the herd. 

Compare the standard human with an accompanying femur bone to the mammoth femur (replica).