On April 24th our wheels were rolling by 9:30 a.m. and we were headed to Lajitas, Texas. Our odometer reading on the coach read 8,341 which means we had traveled 1,836 miles since we left our other home in Florida. In thirty minutes the temperature outside had gone from 67F (19C) to 82F (27C). We were riding free and easy along Interstate - 10 west.
The heat of the day created updrafts of steady wind which blew across the land. It was a common expectation for those who lived there.
We drove through a lazy town called Alpine whose university had a graduate named Dan Blocker. Television and movie buffs...does this man sound familiar? He later became a Hollywood actor and famous for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the American western series Bonanza, along with many other roles in Hollywood movies.
Outside of Alpine, we passed our first border patrol station on Highway FM-170. Another 92 miles south brought us to the doorstep of the Maverick Ranch RV Park in the west Texas border town of Lajitas. It was a beautiful blend of oasis and barren topography nestled in the Chihuahuan Desert. The sun seared at 98F (36C) at 5:30 p.m. and the humidity was only 9% with a hot breeze. The girl from the land of coconut palms, beaches and ocean breezes was a long way from home but loving every minute.
I saw my first roadrunner dart past our campsite. For those who have never seen or heard of a roadrunner...you aren't alone. Native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, this long legged bird is part of the cuckoo family. Although capable of limited flight, this bird runs fast and spends most of its time on the ground eating spiders, snakes, mice, scorpions and lizards. After watching it darting around the hot, dry earth looking for a meal, it was easy for me to believe the fact that a roadrunner can also outrun a human.
During my explorations of the campground, I found bright bursts of color growing from the ground.
Back to my American movie and television series aficionados, you would be interested in knowing that many of these were filmed partly or wholly in Lajitas. These include: part of the movie Spy Kids II (filmed in 2002), part of the movie Barbarosa (with Willie Nelson), part of the episode "The Last Apache" (from the television series Gunsmoke), two Gambler movies (with Kenny Rogers), part of the movie Selena, an aerial view from the movie Terminator 3 and the entire television mini series Streets of Laredo and Dead Man's Walk which became part of the Lonesome Dove television mini series based on the novel by Larry McMurtry.
Another famous thing about Lajitas was its mayor. To be specific, Clay Henry WAS the mayor but his direct descendent Clay Henry III carries on his grandfather's memory. Located next to the Town Hall building lives Clay Henry III....the beer guzzling goat. Yup, a beer drinking goat. People come from all over to stand next to Clay Henry III's pen and feed him beers all day long, like they did to Clay Henry back in the 1970's. We thought Clay Henry III needed a little "salad" to go with the beers others were giving him so we brought along some carrots instead and he gobbled them down.
The next town was Presidio, 50 miles away. Yes, gas prices were a bit higher there at the "last stop" in Lajitas but the alternative was running out of gas in the desert. So, plan accordingly.
The Maverick Ranch RV Park was part of the Lajitas Golf Resort, named 2015 Golfweek's Best courses you could play. The property includes a spa, amphitheater, bakery, boardwalk shops, café, saloon, equestrian center, theater, fitness center, gift shop and general store. This place was a destination unto itself - gorgeous!
I thought this was a clever use of the Crown of Thorns plant stems. We saw it used several times and it made a natural deterrent of animals and people as fencing.
I noticed the lighting and how the sun beamed through the thatched wood rail ceilings. It made very pretty pictures.
We woke up one morning to breakfast al fresco made by my Rick. It was going to be a wonderful day.
This cemetery was unique to me. Maybe it was the delicate, black wrought iron against the harsh dusty ground or the care taken in the tidy, white washed graves inconsistent with the wild, nothingness of the desert. Whatever it was, I liked the feeling of peace it gave me.
Down the road from our campground was an access point to walk up to the famous Rio Grande River (known in Mexico as the Rio Bravo). This natural dividing line between the United States and Mexico wasn't as wide as I thought it would be and the color was an uninviting muddy brown but I still had to put my foot in it.
The earth was so parched in some areas of the desert that it cracked.
The Camino del Rio or River Road (Highway FM-170) between Lajitas and Presidio has been labeled one of the most scenic drives in all of the United States. This 47.7 mile road was a roller coaster of 20 mph turns, steep grades and numerous ups and downs. I do not recommend doing this stretch in a motor home but rather in a car like we did.
At the outskirts of Presidio, we reached Highway US-67 with a left turn taking you to a border crossing point into Mexico and a right turn headed to Marfa, Texas.
Big Bend National Park offered stunning beauty in its rugged isolation. Those who enjoy hoodoos (tall, thin spires of rock) will find them there.
It was hard to believe that such an arid landscape could possibly experience floods...but it does.
This was not a sign I was used to seeing.
Amidst a harsh environment, colors came in all shapes and sizes.
Along the winding Highway FM-170, we had such great vantage points of the Rio Grande.
These were unusual rest stop picnic shelters along Highway FM-170.
Lajitas was a dark sky community and this meant that the star gazing was phenomenal due to lack of light pollution. As the sun set, the air grew cooler so we lit a fire and watched bats fly overhead in the waning light. At 8:28 p.m. the last of the glow faded behind the mountains and the brilliance of the stars overhead twinkled. We were truly happy campers.
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