Southwest 2020 Part 2

 

Still camped at Amastad National recreation area I decide
to go check out some of the other campsites on the lake.

 

 

 

 

While Debi plots our next move

 

 

While camped here I got to do something special.
My buddy Gene invited me to drive his total electric care he pulls behind his A class Motorhome.
I loved that thing. Chevy bolt.

 

 

 

Took a day ride in the area on the Royal Enfield and found some nice riding.

 

 

 

I've got a friend that loves windmills---can't wait to send him the picture of this thing.

 

 

 

Back at camp looks like Didi has built a campfire...........we had one most nites and some mornings.
You couldn't put a fire on the ground here, but Gene had a grill that we used and it worked well.
I used my Milwaukee electric chainsaw to cut up some wood that was laying around.

A Short Video

 

 

 

 

 

Another Short Video

 

 

 

I guess we had been camped at Amistad for a couple of weeks and finally moved on West and
leave our lovely $3 a nite campsite---we hated to go.
Drove to Marathon Texas to make an assault on the Big Bend area and boondocked camped
in Marathon across the street from the beautiful historic Gauge motel. Drove around town a bit
and found this really unusual house.

 

 

We camped in Terlinqua, Texas where we would be for a few days and finally caught up to
our good friends Hank and Brigette. They sold their home and live in their A class motorhome.
They've been traveling for 2 years and we caught up with them here and went for a hike.
This was awesome---I thought I'd been here but was mistaken.

 

 

 

The normal way to do this hike was under water. The small creek that
you had to cross is normally dry---but the rio grand was unusually deep.
It couldn't be crossed unless you wanted to wade in 3 feet of water
and step in deep mud. Some hearty souls had found another way to
access the canyon---you can see them here. That narrow trail was extremely
dangerous and I knew I couldn't do it. Some young gal carrying a newborn
almost fell off the cliff.

 

 

 

 

 

But we still got to see a pretty good view of the canyon.
The rio grande goes thru here---Mexico is on the left side.
The flooded creek you can see to the right---and you can see trail on the other side.
The rio grand is coming at the camera and turns right sharply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So---on the way back (we were in Hanks car) we did this hike.
I feel like you could never see what all there is too see in Big Bend.

 

 

 

 

 

Water falls from way up there---must be something to see during a rare rain.

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the ghost town of Terlingua we went to the old historic Starlite Theatre for dinner.
There were some great musicians playing right beside our table.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile back at camp the next day-----my Royal Enfield awaits me.

 

 

 

I rode for 30 miles or so on what I think was the old Maverick road which goes to Santa Elena
canyon-------a different way than we did in the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Already I could see Santa Elena canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back on the pavement I stopped at many pretty pull offs.

 

 

That wall way back there is in Mexico. And Mexico paid for it-----------hah.,,, hah....!!!!

 

 

 

 

Real close to Santa Elena Canyon is Cottonwood Camground.
To me the best campground in the park----I've never camped there tho.
For pavement travelers it's a dead end road down to here.
You can't reserve a site here and they don't allow generators.
Just a very piecefull place to camp. Just show up and hope there is a site available.

 

 

 

 

 

Those peaks are called "Mule Ears".
Hank and Brigitte are going to hike there later.
Don't know if we'll join them or not.

 

 

The Chiso Mountains.

A Short Video Part 4

 

 

 

 

 

The next day----I had become friends with other riders in the camground and they invited me along.
They rode my kind of terrain and my pace and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Mark was our leader----------super nice relaxed kind of guy.
His wife rode also on a Honda 250L and certainly was a very good rider.

 

 

All kind of bikes on the ride---we'd be heading to the Terlingua ranch for lunch.
But how we got there was awesome.

 

 

We were riding on Terlinqua Ranch property which is technically private property------if you do
something stupid out here you will be prosecuted for trespassing. Behave yourself and it's fine.
Don't get off the main roads and don't be stupid.
Unfortunately stupid people don't know there stupid----------cause there too stupid.

 

 

Kind of hard to see the cool dam at this lake.
The only water I've seen out here---cool place on the Terlingua Ranch.
Might have been called Amidst lake ??????

 

 

 

 

 

We had lunch at the Ranch everybody ate except me.
Debi had a big dinner for us and Hank at Brigitte when I got back.

 

 

You'll never see me eating dust like this.
Gets you all dirty, clogs up your air filter and just plain isn't fun.

 

 

 

 

My favorite part was thru here...........not on the ranch.
You could barely make out the dirt road in the ground.

 

 

 

I rode my Honda 250 rally today.

 

 

 

We had to beat it down the highway a bit to get back before dark.
Not to shabby of a ride.

Short Video Part 5

 

 

 

 

 

Since we've been camping here near Terlinqua I've been wanting to take Debi
Up into the Chiso's mountains and show her the campground up there and eat
at the lodge up there............so we fire up the 411c.c. Himalayan.....will that
little thing haul us both up that mountain ??????

 

 

 

 

There are many things to see and do up this dead end road.
I think the biggest draw is hiking to the Window---that gap you see in the background.

 

 

 

It's a 3 mile hike roundtrip to here and it's not easy walking for older people like us
and we didn't feel up to it.

 

 

 

 

 

We took an easier one mile hike from the lodge where we park our bike down to the campground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the lodge me and Debi had a great lunch--we were hungry and thirsty after the
hike. The view from out the window here is awesome.

 

 

 

The Himalayan would be much happier going down the mountain I'm sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day I went riding with Mark and his buddies into the National Park,
most of the miles were spent on the "river road" which hugs the rio grande river most of the way.

 

 

 

This hut is a US historical landmark----the guy that live here raised his whole family here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is the rio grande river.

 

 

 

 

It was here everybody except me hiked up to a mine where I think they mined mercury.
I didn't go--------I had crashed pretty hard earlier and was pinned under my bike for
a bit. I felt OK.............but not for hiking in boots.

 

 

 

We all watched in amazement as one of our riders approached this horse.
He eventually got right up to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had no choice but to ride 40 miles of pavement to get back to camp before dark.
This was a very long day in the saddle.

A Video of This Ride

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at camp my foot got a lot, lot worse.............I could barely walk on it.
Kind of thought it was broke. Nobody out here is going to fix it and so I could continue.
To make a long story short----we left camp the next day and headed North.
We were going that way anyway---but at some point I told Debi we would have to make a decision
to go West------------or go home. I was feeling pretty bad.
Got to Marfa and boondocked camp. This is where everybody watches the lights in the sky
every night----------the lights that nobody can explain ???????
We think we saw some................I dunno..........???
Later down the road we camped at Davis mountains state park for 2 days trying to let my foot heal.

 

 

I can't believe how quick my foot was healing up. So we continue on our trip as planned.
But...........our motorhome needed an oil change badly. We drove into Van Horn Texas
and this nice Mexican fellow crawled under my motorhome..........changed the oil and filter.
While under there he hollered.......oh shit !!! And took a picture of a wire under there that had
broke away from it's mounting and had gotten on the exhaust and burnt it badly. He finally
figured out it was just one big wire from the battery to the generator. Holy crap if that had been
a whole bunch of wires we would have been trouble. He got it all repaired in no time.
He didn't have any oil so I had bought it at Napa. I ask how much I owed him and he said $20.
I said................HELL NO. !!!!!!!
and gave him $40.

Now try to get someone to do this in your town-----------I don't think so.

 

 

 

Heading North we see the Guadalupe mtns. El Capitan is up there. The highest Mtn. in Texas.

 

 

The went West and boondock camped at this rest area for FREEEEEEEE !!!!!!
Just East of El Paso.

 

 

 

The highest house in all of Texas was in our view here.

 

 

 

I lost another year of my life driving thru El Paso----but made it alive and headed further
West to Columbus, New Mexico where we would camp at Poncho Villa state park.
On the way we got very close to the border and saw border wall construction.
You can see the old low wall in the middle--why the gap I don't know ????

 

 

Poncho Villa state park is my favorite campground in the whole world.

 

 

 

It is so beautiful here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of desert plants.
The smaller water tower in the distance served the steam train that use to come thru here.

 

 

I don't know the names of many desert plants.
But this one I'm sure is the "Himalayan".

 

 

 

Cozy and comfy here.

 

 

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