Camping on the Rio

After an uneventful, eventful summer the Fox and I have escaped in the Casita to Creed, CO. We joined Marilyn and Carl on a short trip to try our hand at kayaking the Rio Grande and exploring the area. Early in the summer I decided it would be a good idea to buy an inflatable kayak. Inflatable because it is lighter and easier for me to carry (or so I thought). Only weighs 32lbs and I figured I could easily carry that down to the water. Oh no, no way Jose! I guess I keep forgetting my ageing body. Damn! The trials of getting old. Not to be foiled I rigged up my pull golf cart to carry the load. My old duffel bag bolted to the cart works just fine to tote the kayak and its accessories.



My friend, Janey, and I tested the equipment on the little Wahatoya Lake across from my house. Everything worked great and we paddled along taking in the beautiful valley we call home. All was fine until I tried to push the kayak onto the landing (with Janey pulling). My sandal caught in the mud throwing me off balance and I fell into the water (only 6" deep) and managed to break my arm. (:-( That was the great event that preceded the uneventful summer). No more golf or kayaking. Fortunately, I only have three more weeks in the cast. I did decide that the arm was strong enough to go camping and kayaking. Stay tuned tomorrow.

We were going to leave this am at 10 and I was up at 5:30 to be sure I would be ready. Getting the Casita ready is now down to a science since I've done it so many times. Had the furnace fixed so all was set to go. I pulled up in front of Marilyn's exactly at 10. Carl still had a few things to do so I went to the gas station to check the air in the tires and get gas. Then back to Marilyn's. Carl was still doing some things so we finally left at a little after 11. This was a 2 hr. trip down 160 over the pass and on to Alamosa, Del Norte and South Fork. We pulled into a very nice campground right on the river. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything hooked up and the rug out, chairs, table and awning. I am getting soooooo good. An hour an a half later Carl still wasn't hooked up. Unfortunately, the hitch fell off of its stand and his trailer sank down on its front knees kinda like a big circus elephant. I had to stifle my snickering. Carl had the hitch bar on top of what looks like an orange traffic cone then whoops! Luckily the neighbor, a big hunk dressed in a "I'm a stud pressed hiking shirt" with an Aussie like hat with leather straps under his chin just happened to have a very large jack. Presto, chango, all fixed. Then Carl had to drain the trailer of bleach water and refill her. Too bad, the cold water faucet in the kitchen wouldn't work, must be plugged saith poor Carl. Marilyn had to borrow two pills for her migraine. A trying day for the Shunks. I played ball with Foxy down by the river and tried not to look in their direction.
Tomorrow, Marilyn and I plan to kayak up and down the river then go into Creed to shop (:-). Until then. . . . .

Naco

Unfortunately, I came down with some kind of stomach icky for three days. I am better now and have played golf a couple of times. For you golfers, this is a sweet little course. They have names for each of the holes and the only one I can remember off-hand is "rattlesnake". Rattlesnake is the 5th longest hole in the US, a 6 par. Not good for one's ego when you consider a boggie is a bloomin 7! Yukie! Oh, it comes by its name honestly, crawling with real rattlesnakes.

The club house is very nice with a restaurant that serves great food. Everyone is very nice and I sure could come back next year. Several of us from LaVeta are playing golf, bridge and taking short trips to see the sights. Lots of fun. I put up my awning and laid down my new blue/white patio rug then the rain came. Took down the awning. Today is bright and promises to be sunny. Deb, Larry and I will either play golf or go to Sierra Vista, depending on the wind speed.

The coyotes here are fabulous. Probably because they are so close, but they really sing to us. I just love it. Every evening and early morning dawn I get the seranade. Oh, life is so good. Lots of beautiful birds but I don't know much about them. There is a hummingbird sanctuary near by that I plan to visit.

We are hoping that the desert will burst forth in bloom with the splash of rain we had. Such a beautiful place if you like the desert. Also, it is kind of a thrill to look out my window into Mexico. In fact, the border patrol picked up 500 lbs of maryj two days ago at the border crossing in Naco. Whew! That was close.

This RV park is full of $350 rigs that are absolutely hugely obscene. I refer to the Casita as "The Rose Among Thorns". Some of these folks are from Canada and have been coming down here for years. I can see the attraction.

Time now for breakfast and Foxy's long walk. Just got the word, Tee time at 10:40, yeah!

Where Are The Keys??

The Fox and I blew into Naco yesterday around 3pm after a long hot drive from Deming, NM. Saw lots of desert along the way and considered stopping at one of many state parks but decided to push onward.
Larry was johnny-on -the -spot to help park the Casita and getting set up. Once again I am facing the ever more frequently occurrence of missing keys. This time I couldn't find the pad lock keys to unlock the hitch from the car ***&^%$. Looked high, low, up, down and in between. No luck! So, until we find a bolt cutter I am without a car. No problemo, plenty of friends around to help me out with transportation.

First thing was a birthday party for Ginny. We had lots of pie and ice cream. Later, it was on to Bisbee for dinner and a couple of hours to catch up on the news of friends and La Vetians. This morning the brave hit the golf course in the face of sand and wind and I washed clothes, put away the winter clothes and got out the summer garb. Lots of wind as a cold front moves in. You can count on it with me. . . everywhere I go comes the cold. No Escape.
Tonight we are going out for ribs then dancing?? Well, you never know.

Foxy has met most of the other canines and renewing old acquaintances. I am a bit worn and feel the old migraine coming on. Thank goodness for drugs! Speaking of which, a few of us are walking across the border and stock up tomorrow.

Almost time for dinner.

New Mexico

We left Ft Davis, TX the day before yesterday and what a gorgeous drive out of the mountains. I guess I am just enamored with the desert beauty, could hardly keep my eyes on the road. After leaving the mountains it was a straight shot across level desert into El Paso. The last time I was there was 1971. Wow, have things changed. The city seemed huge to me, dusty, all highways and traffic. We plowed through to Anthony, a small town on the TX/NM border. Why Anthony?? Well, my toilet wouldn't flush and needed a new valve (flusher to most of us). I parked at the Great American Gravel Flats RV Park adjacent to Camping World and waited for Monday. What a horrible place to stay. This is a new park with absolutely no trees, bushes or even grass. . . just gravel for what seemed miles, interspersed with electric boxes, dumps and water faucets. . . hundreds of them. The old gal who runs the place gave me a 5 min lecture on picking up dog poop. I wanted to pop her in the chops! She kept saying "It's not me, it's the owner."

There were several signs located around the park showing the EXITS; however, when I left in the am there were no longer any signs, only orange cones blocking every (did I say every) street. Oh, did I also say that there were about 10 rigs and around 500 parking spaces?

Woops, let me back up a bit. When the repair guy asked me for the keys to the Casita to fix the T I couldn't find them. UGH. So back to Gravel Flats to see if I dropped them there. After a search of car, purse and ground I gave up. They used a pass key to gain access. At least I thought they did. When the repair guy showed me the working T I said that I would have to have a pass key made before I left. He looked at me quizzically and said why, here are the keys (he was holding them). I couldn't believe it. He said he found them on the door handle of the passenger side of the car (on the outside!). Well, whadaya know.

The next 2 hrs we drove on to Deming where we are parked in the LOW RV Ranch. Something to do with Loners, singles (legally single, guess they had trouble with the other kind@#$%??)/. So I stayed and joined them for happy hour with my bottle of water then on to the pot luck. Yummy, meatloaf, two vegie hot dishes and a Rum cake I couldn't eat. The company was interesting and pleasant. These are full-time RVrs all in their late 60/70's. One guy said he never knows if he'll be around for the next day. . . he can't even buy green bananas just in case. . . . . . Broke me up!

Fox is looking at me with soulful eyes, please take me out to play. So, I am off to somewhere after a dog walk and shower. Later. . .

Ft. Davis, TX MacDonald Observatory

This is third night in Davis Mountains State Park. Quite lovely here, the mountains range up to allmost 7,000'. Not high compared to Colorado but beautiful all the same. Again, this is high desert, very dry, scrub oak, juniper, pinon, agave, yucca and cactus. The first day we spent looking around Ft Davis. Went into a Thrift shop to benefit the Humane Society and, alas, found just the right coffee pot. A black/decker all plactic that brews 2 cups at a time for only $3.50! Works perfect in the Casita. Then I stopped by a broom shop where the guy makes hand made 1800 brooms. Of course I bought two. Not because I intend to use them but only because they looked good!

Yesterday I spent three hours at the observatory learning about the sun. Also, saw the sun in real time through the telescope, sunflares and sun spots. Very interesting. We then visited the two large telescopes one with a 9' mirror. Very impressive. Last evening I went back for what they call a Star Party. Wow! I saw the moon and venus. The moon was beautiful and I could see the craters quite distinctly. Also saw the Orien Nubula and Star cluster 52. The night sky was heavy with stars. No city lights for many miles and the sky was really dark. The moon was just a sliver with Venus almost right next to it. Stunningly beautiful.

On the way back to the Casita I saw several Javelina. Really ugly little creatures. Fox was ready to chase them when I took him out before bed. One came right in camp and didn't seem to care whether Fox saw him or not. It was 28 this am and is supposed to be 20 in the morning. I am going Van Horn then on to El Paso on Tuesday. It is getting quite cold now. . . almost sundown. Guess I'll take the Fox out one more time.

Alpine, TX

I had quite a break there due to absence of service in the Big Bend area. Spent one night in Marathon getting ready for the trip into Big Bend National Park, TX. Marathon is a small town about 69 miles from the Park Hdqs, Panther Junction. I stayed at a pretty nice RC/Motel combo park. It had been beautiful all day, clear skies and warm. The mesquite trees slowly disappeared the further I traveled from Sonora and the Juniper shriveled to about two feet tall. Clearly, we were entering the desert. The temp read 18 the next morning and my water had frozen. Fortunately, you can't do much to damage these Casitas and all was well; although, it took me quite a while to unhook the hose. Had to use pliers. I just put the two ends of the hose together and stuck it inside the Casita to thaw.

The trip to Big Bend was just lovely. There we were on the Chihuahuan desert. No trees, just huge yucca like plants with gigantic blooms, prickly pear cactus, walking stick cactus, and all manner of vegetation adorned with spikes, needles and burrs. The prickly pear was fascinating because as it dies it turns various shades of purple, orange, red and pink. This past year has been very dry so many cacti have passed on to "higher prickly grounds". I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road.

Just picture these desert plants with a back drop of ragged, jagged spiraling mountains, many of which were volcanoes. You find a mix of jagged red/orange hills next to volcanic ash that has turned into white rock with age. Better than science fiction. When I stopped at a scenic overlook and got out of the car I was hit by the silence, shocking. And, no wind at all. At first glance you get the feeling that nothing could live out here. Wrong, coyotes, javelena, cougar, bear and smaller critters. Simply amazing.

Fox and I stayed at Cottonwood Campground by the Rio Grande River. No hookups and no generators allowed. People are encouraged to camp quietly. The first night we camped under this yellow flowering tree. The fragrance was delicate and just strong enough to leave you with pleasant feeling instead of a headache. That night a group of us watched a big horned owl in one of the tall cottonwoods. I met two gals, Carol and Robin, with two dogs, JJ and Todd. We hit it off and I spent the next 2 days hiking with them. They were camping in a '66 Airstream. . . really nice inside. As it turns out they are from Eureka Spgs, AK where I bought my Casita. They had called on the Casita the day after I bought it. Small world.

Carol is an artist and quite a good one. We showed each other our work and had a grand time talking art. Our first hike was to Saint Elena Canyon. Wow!! The Rio goes right through the canyon with rock walls jutting up 300-4000ft on both sides. It was magnificent with the sun hitting the river and walls. That was a fairly easy hike. The next day we hiked 4 miles to an oasis. Talk about hot and tiring. Of course, all is worth it when you see such spectacular country. The Javelena came into our campground. They are pretty interesting, eat anything and look like pigs, although, they are not related to the pig family. Also got to see two great horned owls mate. What a sight! The owls are huge and I kept my eye on the Fox.

At first, I was a bit cautious about camping so close to the Mexican border; however, the cliffs on the other side were so tall and steep that no one could come over them. I should say, though, border patrol were everywhere so I felt pretty safe. Coming out of Big Bend this morning I was stopped at a border inspection station. The officer just asked me if I was a US citizen and if I had come from the park. Then he wished me well and off I went.

I pulled into Alpine around 2pm. This is not a pretty place. Looks rather shabby and run down. Tomorrow I will look around town, get groceries and check out Marfa 35 miles down the road. It is supposed to be somewhat of an artist community. Today I spent my time doing the laundry and taking a shower. Man did I feel dirty after 4 days in the park with no shower and a lot of dust. Had eggs for supper and a frozen McDonald's hot fudge sundae I bought when I pulled into town. I stuck it in the freezer for a treat after dinner. It is dark and I can feel it cooling off. I sure will sleep well tonight after my household chores. Onward tomorrow. Oh, I should say that I am really enjoying staying in the National and State Parks. Cost me $7 to camp! The US is one beautiful place and I love the stark, expanse of the west. . . astonishingly magnificent.

Caverns of Senora

We are outside of Senora, TX camped in the Caverns RV Park,, beautiful spot. Lots of large mesquite trees and juniper, rocky ground. I say large mesquite because as I leave the Hill Country for dryer parts of Texas the mesquite gets smaller and smaller and it reminds you of scrub oak. This spot is in the middle of nowhere, very quiet and should be very dark tonight. Chance to peruse the universe. . .always a delightful passtime of mine. I think I will take a tour of the caverns tomorrow morning.

This morning I joined some Casita friends and chatted more about life in the EGG. Very nice people. Then I went on to Fredreicksburg and stopped at the Trade market outside of town. Lots and lots of vendors with mostly antiques. I did eat some Texas bar-be-qued brisket and a piece of fudge. Found a little daschie yard decor made out of something rusted. Of course, I had to have it. As it turned out, she was also selling fudge, lucky for me! While I was talking to her she asked me the name of my dog and I told her. She said "well Foxy is one of those names that you can't tell what gender it is, kinda like "Pat". With that we both had a good laugh. I told her that was the funniest thing I had heard all day. Anyone who watched SNL knows why that is funny.

Driving on HWY 10 to Junction and Senora you mostly see rolling hills that tend to get flater as you go west. Flater also = not much water and shorter trees and taller cacti. Really rugged. I had the country 'n western music blaring. . . songs like "singing the blues" and "She got the mine and I got the Shaft" Great songs!!! I continue to develop my Texas twang.

I am going to fix a little dinner and prepare for it to get dark so I can look at the stars and listen to the coyotes. Life is good.