Day 174 - Sat 18 Jan 2020 - Desert Driving and Camping

A day of driving so some road side observations: pecan nut farms, signs for how to deal with a sand storms, tumbleweed, lots and lots of trucks, border control stations checking the trucks (they keep asking us if we are US citizens, despite our Ontario plates on the car...).

Since we are heading towards a mountain pass and the weather is a bit colder than usual we need to be a bit lucky with our overnight stops. We decided not to stop in El Paso since it is a very busy city so we keep driving.

Unfortunately we luck out at the casino just across the state border in New Mexico. Just 15 mins before we arrive they had filled the last spot. Many casinos here have hook-ups for RV's!

So we drive on again. A bit further in New Mexico we finally set up at the campground in the dark. We put the tap on a very slow drip just in case it dips below freezing tonight.

Today: 514km - 6h54m

Total: 21,145km - 415h18m

Day 173 - Fri 17 Jan 2020 - Big Bend National Park day 3

We pack up again and are on our way with many stops today.

First off we view the 'Mule Ears' which really are natural dikes. Millions of years ago magma was trying to find a way up and filled cracks in the soft limestone. Since then, the limestone has eroded away, but the harder solidified magma still stands.

Next stop is the 'Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff'. A pouroff is a seasonal waterfall. Add millions of years to the mix and you get a vertical channel eroded in the rock.

Niels and Lucy have a go a climbing it but it's pretty smooth. Eventually Niels manages to get up quite a bit.

The weather has been closing in over the last few days and our views are pretty limited today...

Whilst this creates some dramatic views, it also means that going up to the top of Chiros Mountain is going to be pointless. The weather is not looking any better for the next few days so unfortunately we're going to have to miss out.

On our way out of the park the landscape changes again. Instead of mountains we see deep and wide valleys in the plateau. This section is called 'The Badlands' and is similar to 'The Badlands' that we saw on a previous trip to Alberta.

We drive to Terlingua, a mining ghost town. In the early 1900's the Mercury mining was very good here, but it did not last very long.

Now, only few people live here but tourism keeps the town going.

After another big drive we make it to our next campground. Niels and Lucy have fun on the saddle swing.

Today: 297km - 5h

Total: 20,630km - 408h24m

Day 172 - Thu 16 Jan 2020 - Big Bend National Park day 2

Straight after breakfast we go to the hot springs. On the walk to the springs we see pictographs (images painted on the rocks) and petroglyphs (images carved into the rocks) from about 3000 years ago.We also see another roadrunner and a red desert cardinal.

A natural springs feeds about 750,000 liters of water at 40 degress Celsius every day. Martijn and Janine even brave a quick dip in the cold river.

After that we take a guided walk with a Park Ranger and learn about the geology of the park. It is one of few places in the world where 2 mountain ranges cross eachother. The Rocky Mountains start here and run North to South, East to West is a range that connects to the Appalachians on the East coast.

We see a whole group of those grinding holes, one is as deep as Niels' arm!

After packing up the trailer we drive to the other end of the park. On the way we do another short desert walk and see many different type of cacti and other desert plants.

We park up on the campground and have time for another walk before dinner. We go to the Santa Elena Canyon. It's a bit of a scramble to get over the Terlingua Creek but the view is rewarding. We see tons of marine fossils in what is now the canyon wall.

Today: 140km - 3h30m

Total: 20,333km - 402h49m

Day 171 - Wed 15 Jan 2020 - Big Bend National Park day 1

From Marathon we head south to Big Bend National Park where the Rio Grande takes a distinct turn on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The scenery is absolutely spectacular. We spot all different kind of rock formations, shapes and colours.

We are very lucky to find the last open spot on the campground. We did not expect it to be this busy here! It's easy to see why though. We're just in time to squeeze in a little walk before dinner. We drive to Boquillas Canyon and walk along the canyon for about an hour there and back. The Rio Grande is quite narrow here and we can easily spot some Mexicans camping out with their donkey on the other side of the river in Mexico. The Rio Grande is like liquid sandpaper and over about 2 million years it carved a gorge nearly 400 meter deep.

On the way we see a roadrunner, a turtle, some very nice crystals in the rocks, and circular holes in the rocks made by many years of grinding ingredients by the natives.

Today: 163km - 3h

Total: 20,193km - 399h19m

Day 170 - Tue 14 Jan 2020 - Mexico and Dark Sky

In the morning we check out the Amistad dam over the Rio Grande. Amistad means friendship in Spanish. It was built jointly by the USA and Mexico in 1963-1968 for $125 million in response to droughts and floodings. The dam is nearly 10 km long and 77 m high. Since half the dam is in Mexico, this also meant we stepped foot in Mexico! From the dam you can spot the bouys in the Rio Grande denoting the border between Mexico and the USA.

We drive along the Rio Grande and make a couple of pit stops for scenery and food. We see lots of prickly pear cacti, some Javelina (wild cute miniature pigs) and cargo trains that go on forever.

As we drive on the towns get smaller and the vistas get bigger.

We make it to Marathon for the night. They are blessed with the highest class of dark sky and there is a local Astronomer holding a session at night with a huge telescope. Even without the telescope we can see more stars than we have ever seen. With it though, we can see: Venus, Orion's nebula belt, the Andromeda galaxy, the Sagittarius belt of our Milky Way and the ultra rare zodiacal light (less common than the northern lights).

Today: 303km - 4h30m

Total: 20,031km - 396h17m

Day 169 - Mon 13 Jan 2020 - Fort Clark, Del Rio

We make an early start today to get to the Ford Dealer at 9am. Turns out the engine light did go out today but we pull in anyway. The technician confirms Martijn reconnected the hose correctly and he clears the fault on the car diagnostic software. Clever car.

Reassured we hit the open road. We follow Highway 90 which has become significantly smaller and rural. The scenery is changing to dry winter-grey prairy with shrubbery and low trees. The size of the ranches is increasing. We spot an Armadillo, roadkill...

It's a pleasurable drive. Just before lunch we drive around Fort Clark, an army garrison built in the late 1800's. Unfortunately the museum is closed for refurbishment.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including exhausts!

After lunch Niels and Martijn visit the Lauglin Heritage Foundation Museum where Jim gives them a private tour. Many hours later their heads are brimming with lots of new facts and anecdotes. The main focus of the museum is about the secret missions of the U2 and SR71 spyplanes. Jim has obtained many official documents which have since been declassified including the photo confirming ballistic missiles in Cube and starting the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Janine found an amazing spot at San Pedro Campground in Amistad National Park. We're about 16km from Mexico and right by the Rio Grande! The sunset is breathtaking again.

Today: 229km - 4h07m

Total: 19,728km - 391h16m

Day 168 - Sun 12 Jan 2020 - Go West

Bit of a chilly morning... there is a thin layer of frost on the picnic table. We would have loved to stay since it was so peaceful and quiet here, but the open road is calling so we say goodbye to 'Sweet Home'.

First we stop off at Ikea, we're desperate for new bed sheets. Then we make a quick trip back to our house sitting address in San Antonio to return their house keys, oops.

We finally make it further West than we have been before! A nice feeling after all that backtracking. On the way we see a couple of oil derricks.

That engine light is still on so we definitely need to visit the Ford dealer tomorrow.

Today: 235km - 3h55m

Total: 19,498km - 387h09m