Canyon climber!

Dried up mud by Rio Grande

Gaila and Dick in canyon overlooking Rio Grande

Wednesday, February-27-13 – Boquillas Canyon Trail

It was really windy again last night and my trailer was shaking. At one point my arm went out, and it connected with Baloo’s head, he was sitting right beside my bed staring at me so I guess he wasn’t too happy about the wind either.

This afternoon we drove out to the Boquillas Canyon  to hike the trail. It’s a mile and a quarter round trip and first climbs over a steep little hill and then there is a great view of the Rio Grande.  On our way down we saw mortar holes in the rocks below which were made by American Indians. I stood there and imagined them singing and talking as they ground the grain and looked out over the river.

 As we walked further we could hear singing and soon we could see the famous Victor (he’s on YouTube) sitting on the other side of the river. Once US dollars were deposited in the glass jar, his assistant Jesus who was on our side of the river asked us what song we would like to hear and would we like to buy any of the displayed items that included walking sticks and the decorated copper wire figures  - tarantulas, etc.  Victor sang out with amazing volume, the song I am not sure of as it was in Spanish. We carried on walking along the river as it wound through the canyon, at one point seeing a brown sand dune that had been formed by down-canyon winds. It was my kind of walk, easy, and interesting.

Tonight Gaila made us delicious chicken vegetable rice soup with corn bread (she is a great cook!) and we played Monopoly again.  I said goodbye to Dick as he is heading out tomorrow morning early to begin his hike on the Outer Mountain Loop. I picked up his pack, groaning as I lifted it -most of it-2 inches off the ground, it felt like it weighed about 50 pounds but Dick laughed and said it’s only around 35 pounds.  I wished him luck and briefly imagined his two day hike of 30 miles (it’s labelled strenuous in the hiking trail book) hiking up and down steep hills with a big heavy pack, a tiny tent, skinny mattress on rocky ground, no pillow, dehydrated food, no ice cream, and all alone out there in the dark. And no hot shower at the end of the day! There’s a zillion bugs out there, spiders, snakes, mountain lions,  bears, and rocks that reach out and try to turn your ankle….I must  put that adventure on to my “must do” list and remember to try it – in my next lifetime.

A cold start and a soak in the Hotsprings

 Rio Grande Village Campground, Texas

I turned the heater on this morning at 7:00am and nothing happened. I looked at the thermometer and it was 49’ Fahrenheit inside my trailer. With faint hope I turned on the burner to boil water for my coffee but no propane flowed. I sat and thought about jumping back under the covers but now that I was up, I was looking forward to a cup of coffee. That translates to – if I didn’t get a cup of coffee within the next 10 minutes I would start throwing things. Perhaps this is a mild addiction to caffeine.

I threw on my clothes and jacket over my pajamas and went outside, opened up the cover on my pick up and thrashed through things until I had cleared a space to the spare propane tank.  I replaced it and then went inside and turned up the heat. Nothing. Nada. I tried moving the lever back and forth a few times. Not even a click. I turned on the stove element and was overjoyed to see it light. Coffee, at least.

 It was only 29’ F. outside and I wondered about going across the path and knocking on my friends’ door to ask if I could share their warmth. I thought that given how early it still was it may be a sure way to get deleted from the friendship list so I sat and hugged myself for a few minutes wishing that I understood the basic science behind propane furnaces. Then I got annoyed again and pushed the thermometer lever back and forth with frustration. There was a sudden whoosh, and the fan started. Happiness as I watched the thermometer click up.

After warming up I took Baloo outside, the sun had streaked the clouds with pink and golden streaks, and although still chilly, I felt suddenly happy to be up and outside. Our plans for the day included a driving to the hot springs so I put on my bathing suit  over my legs and as I was pulling it up I reached up to unzip my jacket that I had put on earlier over my pajamas. The zipper was stuck. I pulled, and yanked, and nothing worked. I decided to pull it over my head but the zipper clawed into the side of my head and as it tightened around my head, I thought it might get stuck and then I would be even in a bigger mess. I sat down and took a few breaths and thought the next best step was to walk over to Gaila and Dick’s and face the embarrassment. Oh how they laughed! Pliers were used and much tugging ensued with the end result being that I got out a pair of scissors and cut my way out. My favourite jacket!

The hot springs were marvelous! The road in was brutal, narrow and grossly uneven, washboard deep enough to rip off any low hanging parts. After parking there is a short walk in with beautiful rock nettles, petroglyphs, and pictographs, and a multitude of sparrow’s nests built along the cliff wall. The hot springs surrounded by a rock wall are about 105’F, about 2 feet deep, and they felt marvelous. We heard stories about their healing powers from other soakers and I was hoping the bruises and bumps on my sway bar foot were going to disappear after a good soaking. The Rio Grande ran right by the spring and I stepped over the one foot wall and waded out over the sandy bottom to cool off. There was a tent pitched on the other side, probably belonging to the Mexican who snuck over the border to sell painted walking sticks and beaded creatures.

Dick was the star of the afternoon making it much more exciting by keeling over in a faint. Luckily Gaila and I were close enough to grab him before he completed his swan dive. At first I thought he was joking being the funny man that he is, but it turned out to be real. After he came around we decided that we had had enough fun in the springs and we wandered off to find a picnic table so that we could have lunch. I don’t know how he did it but Dick greeted and made jokes with everyone we passed. You just can’t keep a good man down!

Gaila made a delicious Jambalaya for dinner followed by chocolate, peppermint tea, and Monopoly. And they let me win a game. A day to remember!

Irrigation system at Cottonwood CG
Don't set up your tent in low spots!

The desert

Abandoned farm house

Owl at Cottonwood Campground, Big Bend National Park

Owls need their sleep too!

Hi !

Rio Grande Village CG, Big Bend National Park, Texas

Feb 25, 2013 – Rio Grande Village Campground, Texas

The weather report had said it was going to be very windy overnight and as I lay there in bed feeling my trailer getting buffeted by the strong gusts, I thought yes, they were spot on with this forecast. Every time the wind slowed down, I was able to drift off to sleep, but then it would wake me again as the trailer rocked on its jacks.  I could feel dust in my nose so I got up and left the windows open only a crack and that helped cut down on the noise of the wind too.

Although a bit bleary eyed, I was all packed up and ready to move by 9:00am. I was moving with Gaila and Dick to the Rio Grande Village where we hoped to get out of the wind. The weather forecast had stated that there was a high wind warning until 6:00pm so I was careful setting out, driving around 35mph in case I encountered a big gust. At the Homer Wilson Ranch Trailhead I walked with Gaila and Dick to a big metal storage locker where Dick put in extra water for his hike. He was planning on tackling the 3 day Outer Mountain Loop/Dodson Trail once the weather calmed down.

We drove together to the Rio Grande Campground and I enjoyed the feeling of security that came with traveling with someone else. Gaila picked out some good campsites for us while we filled up with water and emptied our tanks. After setting up we biked to the store for a coffee and sat in the laundry room to check on our emails and the weather. It was still below freezing in towns along my route west. Marathon, Texas, had snow flurries. I was glad that I had turned tail and headed south to Big Bend.

Later in the afternoon we strolled along the .75mile Rio Grande Nature Trail that meanders over a small area of wetlands that they have expanded into a small pond with a bridge where we saw turtles, ducks, and minnow fish. Next the trail went up to a high promontory that provides panoramic views along the Rio Grande and into Mexico. We could see the small village of Boquillas in the state of Coahuila,  and a donkey tied up to a tree near the river. There were painted walking sticks, pink quartz rocks, and bead toys set out in various places along the path right up to the top with notes in broken English asking for sales and/or donations to help Mexican families. The people who make these items illegally cross the border (the Rio Grande) during the night and climb up the hill to check on their glass money jars and to replenish supplies. There was no money in any of the jars and I was sorry I didn’t have anything to leave. Heading back to the campground we saw a road runner that paused by the path after having a dip in the pond.

Gaila and Dick asked me to dinner that night, we had delicious chicken with couscous and vegetables, followed by my favourite dessert, chocolate. After that we played Monopoly cards and chatted. Gaila and I took Baloo for an evening walk around the campground, the stars and full moon illuminated our path. It was another great day at Big Bend National Park.