Mustang Island, Texas

We have decided to stay here for another couple of weeks since the weather is perfect and it's fun to be by such a nice beach!  As mentioned before, you can drive your vehicle on the beaches here, so it would follow that they also grade them with a grader! 

Above:  Grader at work

People also camp on the beach with their RVs and in tents for free.  It's definitely a different lifestyle down here.  It's about at the same latitude as the lower end of the Baja Peninsula, so that would explain the warm, humid, tropical temperatures and palm trees, which are so reminiscent of Mexico, it's no wonder this is our favourite spot of the trip and where we will be returning again next winter. 

Above:  Lone tent on the beach near Port Aransas, TX

The temperature hardly fluctuates from day to night, with about 20 to 25 degrees C. daytime (that's above zero, BTW, ha ha) to around 17 degrees C. at night.  Always balmy with a nice sea breeze blowing, it's positively delicious!

Lots of migratory birds in this area, including flocks of whooping cranes, brown pelicans, pink spoonbills, herons of many colours, ibises, etc.  Mustang Island is apparently home to coyotes, wild rabbits, and diamond back rattlesnakes that inhabit the dunes, although we've yet to see any.

Above/Below:  These beautiful cobalt-blue anemones have been washing up on the beach the last few days of rough surf

There is a white public works truck that regularly cruises up and down the beach with "Turtle Monitor" written on the side.  I need to research this to find out if/when sea turtles arrive on the beaches here to lay eggs!

However, the cats are finding the full-timing in the fiver to be somewhat exhausting!

Above:  Norris using D&G sunglasses as a pillow (good thing they're knock-offs!)

Nat has developed a huge following of admirers here in the park.  He was legend after our first walk on the beach with him, and during the first week here people came out from their RVs to meet him and talk about him.  There are people who save treats for him now, and when we have him tied outside our RV, people congregate in groups to see him, take photos of him, and generally gush over him.  He is a true star and is taking it all in stride.  He looks very moth-eaten right now due to most of his coat parting company with him because of the warm, humid environment.  Apparently he still looks gorgeous to those who have not seen him in his full glory of a winter coat!

There will not be many blog entries until we leave to go north because the WiFi here is very pathetic, plus who has time to spend on the computer when living in such a gorgeous location!  Beachcombing has become the new pastime, with many different and colourful varieties of shells already collected, and the crown jewel of them all, the baby sand dollar I found a couple of days ago!  Pix to follow...

Above:  Just another day in paradise -- beachcombing is ever fascinating!

Above:  Nearing the end of another perfect day on Mustang Island -- Wish you were here!

Mustang Island, Texas

We left Kerrville yesterday and headed over to Mustang Island, and are currently camping on the Gulf of Mexico.  It's much warmer and more humid here (see the weather widget on the right-hand side bar of this blog for current weather conditions wherever we are), and the beach has a very fine white sand.  There are a lot more shells on the beach than in Oregon, and most are not broken because there is no heavy surf here.  There are lots of charter outfits over here that will take you fishing for blue marlin, sailfish, red fish, snapper, tuna, or trout. 

This is Texas, and you can drive on the beaches here, so there are a lot of vehicles all along the shores with people sitting out in lawn chairs enjoying the day, or some have fishing poles attached to their pickup tailgates and they are fishing right from shore that way. 

I asked a guy who was walking up from shore with a 5-gallon plastic bucket, and he had some shrimp that he'd caught.  He was going down to a big jetty to the north of here to fish for sheephead fish.  He said they look like a sheep and have teeth.  We'll have to go down to the jetty later to see if he caught one and get a photo if he did. 

Above:  On the way to Corpus Christi from San Antonio

Kerrville, Texas

We are staying in the 2010 Best RV Park in Texas, located right on the Guadalupe River.  Its location is what has given it this rating, I'm sure, because it is situated on acres of giant old oak and pecan trees and lawn that stretch for at least a quarter-mile along the river, with the RV sites and buildings located on the bench above, which is separated by a rolling grassy knoll (not the famous Texas grassy knoll) and it's an easy stroll down to the water.  They have some nice old tree swings hanging here and there which are great for relaxing in and watching the wide, shallow river pass by.  It must look absolutely spectacular in the spring and summer when all the leaves are out in full force on the trees.  The opposite side of the river has the same type of vegetation and is undeveloped, so this tranquil spot with birds singing and squirrels scurrying is truly a gem in the hill country of Texas.

And boy, do we KNOW we're in Texas!   How so, you ask?  Two words for you (by Reservoir Dogs' standards):  The fabulous Texas barbecue!  We went to a BBQ joint the first night we got here, Saturday, just a shack on the highway with a couple of huge smokers that look like big old iron cylinders with chimneys on them, and a couple of gigantic square tanks full of what they soak the ribs and meat in before they smoke them.  The smokers were going full tilt when we got there, and the local cat was curled up underneath one enjoying the warmth on a chilly night here (it was 10 degrees C.)

There is no describing the ribs, brisket, and pulled pork that we had, nor could you do justice to the potato salad, coleslaw, pinto beans, or sweet tea (a Texas specialty).  This place was kind of cafeteria-style, in that you ordered your meat (by the pound -- $12.00), had it dished out onto a plate by a friendly lady with a great Texas drawl, then went around and added your side dishes, drinks, and desserts (home made sweet custard pie and pecan pie beyond description).

The eating area is through another door.  It's furnished with tables that each have a part-loaf of sliced bread in plastic bags, just like you'd buy at the supermarket.  The walls are decorated with various heads of dead animals, mostly deer, although there was a wild boar as well.  They are closed Sundays and Mondays.  We are going back Tuesday.

Fort Stockton, Texas



Four hours southeast of Roswell, New Mexico, we stopped for the night before going on to Kerrville, Texas.  The oil wells started about two hours south of Roswell, and the ground kicks up a fine white powder that coats the workboots and jeans of the guys working the rigs. 

I immediately noticed that most motorcycle riders are wearing helmets in this state, but some aren't, so not sure if there is no helmet law (like New Mexico and Arizona) or if they are just doing their own thing.  I also noticed a lot of cowboy hats and boots, and men who held the door open for the fairer sex, even if they were more than 10 feet away from entering the building.  And "y'all" is officially used here in every type of verbal exchange possible, with "y'all come back now," being the standard goodbye phrase used in eating establishments.

The area itself is at the tail end of the Pecos Plains, which I found to be getting really redundant after the first hour of travel.  It does have a lot of plateaus all around, and the lady at the RV park told me it's the only place around there that does.  The RV park also had that nice white dusty ground, which makes it impossible not to track white footprints on any smooth surface.  It was a good thing we were only staying overnight because it wasn't really a very attractive place to us.

Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell is located about 200 miles from any major center and is a bit off the beaten track.  We came up from Las Cruces through Lincoln County, stomping grounds of Billy the Kid in the late 1880's.  Here's a good website on the battles and gunfights of the Lincoln Wars:  http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/gunfights.html.

We drove through the Mescalero Apache reservation in the high country, past Ruidoso, reaching a summit of 7,600 feet before dropping down into the beautiful Pecos Valley, past San Patricio and into Roswell, located on the northeastern fringe of the Chihuahua Desert. 

The Roswell Artesian Basin is responsible for making this area the dairy capital of the state, and the park we're staying in is surrounded by hayfields, dairy farms, and pecan orchards. 

Above:  McDonald's alien marketing strategy

Above:  Funeral Home in Roswell where alien bodies were allegedly taken after crash

Anyhoo, check out the PhotoRama page for a possible alien encounter ...

Dark Rider

 Above:  A view of the wash looking south

On our last morning in Benson we took the two big dogs for their usual run up through the wash in the desert to the north of where we were staying.  This is an area that is dry right now but becomes a raging river during flash floods.  It twists and turns and has banks anywhere from 6 to 15 or so feet high, and varies from about 40 to 75 feet or so in width.  It is full of stunted trees and underbrush.

 Above:  A view of the wash looking north

On our way back down we were approaching a corner.  Our 165-pound Ovcharka dog was leading the way when a shadow appeared on the ground just ahead of him, indicating someone was coming around the bend.  He stopped in his tracks and was intently watching to see what was coming.  We yelled to the dog to stay so we could leash him, and grabbed the German Shepherd and put on her leash. 

When I looked up, there was a tall handsome man on a tall Mammoth Jack mule (these things are almost as big as a draft horse).  The man was wearing a blood-red shirt, a black cowboy hat, black jeans, black boots, and black gloves.  He was holding a large black pit bull on a chain, who was barking and jumping around beside him.  The mule was dancing around, the dogs were all barking, and the rider was trying to keep his dog untangled from the mule.

As he maneuvered past us in the wash, he commented with a laugh, "I think everyone here is new to this."

When he got about 20 feet past us, he turned back and yelled something that I couldn't hear because my faithful companion began barking at him again.  He then repeated it, saying, "Y'all didn't see a black knife up this way, did you?"  To which I replied, "No, sir, we didn't see any knives."

Then I remembered the iPhone in my hand and yelled, "Can I take a picture of you?"

He laughed and said sure, and turned his mule to the side and I snapped the photo.  When I looked at it later, it gave me a start because his face was all distorted, like some kind of a horrible mask.  Yet I was talking to him before I snapped the photo, and he had put nothing on his face.  Then the words from the song Red Right Hand came into my mind and I was totally freaked out.  Take a look at the photos below, but before you do, click on the play button on the video below to hear Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performing Red Right Hand while viewing photos to get the full effect:

Click above play button to start the video and listen to the song while checking out photos below:

Above:  "On a gathering storm comes
a tall handsome man
In a dusty black coat with

a red right hand ..."

Above:  Enlarged to see face
That's either a gun or a knife on his belt (Arizona has open-carry firearms laws)

Holy Javelina!

Javelina, pronounced "havalina"

Exercising the dogs up in the wash across from the RV park today.  The wash is a dried up large creek bed that becomes a raging river when the rains hit.  The banks are over 6 feet high in some places and are pretty much straight up.  That's where a small pig suddenly ran across the wash in front of us and clambered expertly up the bank and into the brush. As we passed by the spot, we could see it standing in the brush looking at us rather surprisedly.  It had huge bristles all over it, especially on the top of its head.  It was a little smaller than my potbelly pigs were.  They are remotely related to the domestic pig of today, and have migrated from South America through Mexico and are now living wild in Arizona.

 Above:  in the wash

So now the dogs have three things they like to watch out for when we go out for walks:  desert cottontail rabbits, Gamble's quail, and now the javelinas! 

 We're probably going to head out Wednesday morning, over to Las Cruces, New Mexico, then up to Roswell.  Some people from Albuquerque parked their bus beside us last night, very friendly folk, who gave us lots of info on stuff around their state that would be nice to see, places to probably stay away from right now due to extreme weather conditions, and the name of a casino that has the best buffet in the state.