Places visited:

Texas: Ft. Davis, Alpine, Big Bend, Marfa, Study Butte, Lajitas,
Presidio

Wednesday, May 16, 2001
Davis Mountain State Park Davis Mountain, TX

Today we decided to drive the 75-mile scenic loop out of Fort Davis.
This loop comprises a surprising variety of scenery. It starts out on
Texas 118 heading west toward McDonald Observatory following
cottonwood-lined Limpia Creek. Before reaching the Observatory we
stumbled across a large solar park, a state of the art research
facility exploring the viability of different solar power
technologies. We stopped by and chatted with two gentlemen who worked
at the facility. They explained each of the arrangements to us. One
was a solar powered "water pump". It was using solar power to run a
water pump. This particular experiment was a success since a real
windmill costs in excess of $10,000 to install new where as the solar
power installation was less than $6,000. Solar power was also more
reliable than wind. Another experiment was not so successful. It
consisted of what looked to me to be 10 acres of solar panels. They
worked but the investment vs. the wattage output did not compare to
wind powered generators. They told us about some wind power
generators we would see down the road that generated 20 times more
electricity per dollar invested than the solar panels. Down the road
we spotted twelve of these tall structures that supported modern wind
turbine generators. The towers are 140' tall with blades 65' long.
The twelve turbines supply six megawatts of power. Impressive! The
men we talked with said that they were the wave of the future. Plans
were being made to install these wind turbines all over west Texas.
It sounds like Texas is going to supply the country with electricity
as well as oil. There is sure plenty of wind out here.

At the entrance to McDonald Observatory Texas 118 is at 6,791' and is
the highest paved road in Texas as well as east of the Rockies. We
drove on up to the Observatory and toured the visitor's center then
got back on with the scenic drive.

After leaving the Observatory we started the slow decent toward the
plain below. Off to the northeast we could see the Buckhorn Volcanic
Caldera. For those of you not into geological terminology a caldera
is the remainder of an ancient volcano where the inside collapses.
While at the higher altitudes we could see pinon and ponderosa pine
trees.

After exiting the mountains and firmly in the valley we turned south
on Texas 166. About 15 miles down the road we go right by 7,746'
Sawtooth Mountain. Next we passed Mt. Livermore that peaks at 8,382'.
Then Texas 166 bears east and runs along the Old Overland Trail to
Fort Davis. Along the way we see cattle and herds of pronghorn
antelope grazing near the highway. During a large portion of this
scenic drive we were in open rangeland with cattle roaming across the
road i.e., no fences.

We ate dinner at Black Bear restaurant, part of the Indian Lodge
complex located inside Fort Davis State Park. The best part of Indian
Lodge was getting to walk around in the lobby. Indian Lodge is a
rustic place built in the 1930's by the CCC. There was a large
fireplace on one end with original furniture built in 1933 by CCC
labor. The grandeur of the 18" stonewalls and large wooden beams give
the lobby a western rustic appearance. If you are in the area and eat
at Indian Lodge's Black Bear restaurant make sure that you ease over
and view the lobby.

Today was a good learning experience for us. We saw our first
pronghorn antelope, javelina (peccary) and cactus wren. Additionally,
we are now able to identify the say's phoebe, western kingbird and
canyon or brown towhee. Although neither of us are real "birders" we
do enjoy watching them and identifying them when possible. Every day
we are learning several new birds.

Thursday, May 17, 2001
Davis Mountain State Park Davis Mountain, TX

What a day! We got up early to join a group that was banding birds in
the state park. They were a really nice group. Several of the
leaders were elderly locals that were eager to share local knowledge
with the group. After the banding broke up and the temperature
started to rise we got in the Saturn and headed toward Alpine, Texas
22 miles south of Fort Davis. Along the way we stopped by to tour the
Chihuahuan Desert Research Facility. The Chihuahuan Desert is located
mostly in Mexico but stretches north into Texas from the Pecos River
on the east into southern New Mexico and a small piece of southeastern
Arizona on the west. The entire Texas Big Ben region is part of the
desert. It is the highest and wettest desert in North America with
over half above 4,000 feet elevation. There is one plant of the desert
that is an indicator plat. If it is present you are in the Chihuahuan
Desert. That plant is a type of agave (century plant) called
lecheguilla. According to information at the research facility,
deserts have less than 10 inches of rain annually. Most of this area
gets between 10 and 15 inches per year even in the drought years.
There appears to be a discrepancy. When I ask about the apparent
discrepancy clerks at the counter just go da, good question, I never
thought of that, no one has ever ask that before. I can't understand
how hoards of people going through an interpretative center can read
one display explaining one thing: That a desert is a place getting
less than 10 inches of rain annually. Then two displays down reading
about the official rainfall received in each city in the desert, with
most cities getting between 10 and 15 inches per year and not question
it. Oh well! I guess the area is part of the Chihuahuan Desert
because that indicator plant is present despite the rainfall
discrepancy. For those of you that may be interested Chihuahua is the
Mexican (state?) that most of the Chihuahuan desert is located in.

While at the research facility we were treated to a self guided tour
of the facility where they were growing several hundred different
types of cactus and other desert plants. Each of these plants has
beautiful flowers.

As we continued our journey to Alpine we crossed over a volcanic
mountain that gave us spectacular views as we ascended into the
alluvial plain just outside of Alpine. It got up to 100 degrees
today. That is hot, but in the dry air it is like 85 back along the
Gulf Coast. If you can get in the shade you can be relatively
comfortable.

In Alpine we toured the Museum of the Big Bend. This Museum displays
a great collection of memorabilia, photographs, and rocks of the area.
If passing through Alpine this museum is a must see.

We had read it before but one particular display finally brought home
the dates Spanish explorers were in the area. One particular Spanish
explorer was ship wrecked on a Texas Barrier Island and spent eight
years working his way over land to get to the Spanish settlement he
knew about in Mexico. The thing that finally sunk in with me was that
he did this around 1550. That is 300 years before Anglos started
settling eastern Texas in the 1850's. The Wild West with stagecoaches
and pony express stuff was the 1880's. That Spanish explorer was some
kind of dude to be wandering around out here for 8 years and he
obviously lived to tell about it. I tip my hat to him.

When the desert sun starts to bear down on you it does not take but a
short time to start realizing that the big funny hat you see on
Mexicans ain't so funny any more. Instead of looking funny it begins
to look like a neat necessity. Where can we get one? Can we get one
big enough to shade our entire body?

Between Alpine and Fort Davis is a large pull out or picnic area
situated in the shade of hundred year old cottonwood trees. This is a
perfect boondocking place. A large fifth wheel was already set up
under the cottonwoods when we returned to Fort Davis. The pasture
area adjacent to the picnic area is noted for deer and turkey viewing.
So if you decide to stop by this place be sure and look for them out
your living room window.

When we got back to the motorhome there was a note from some friends
we had met in the park several days earlier. They were going to see
the mystery lights at Marfa tonight and would be by to get us at 8:30.
We were pooped from getting up so early to join the bird banding but
did not want to miss experiencing the Marfa Mystery lights with this
group. We quickly got ready and headed out with the six of them.
They were all Baptist from a small Texas town between Dallas and the
Louisiana border that were in the same Sunday School Class. It is
amazing how much fun a group of people can have looking for mystery
lights that never did appear. We were not the only ones out in a
viewing area in the middle of NO WHERE looking out to the south toward
Mexico where supposedly unexplained lights would dance around. There
were at least a hundred others. The best part of the night came when
an eastbound train out of Marfa headed our way. Although the track
runs down the north side of highway 90 we had all arrived after dark
and did not know where the tracks were. As the train got closer it
appeared that is was going to run right through the viewing area.
While trying not to appear too concerned people started shuffling
their feet to see if they could feel the railroad tracks. Joyce was
the one who finally blurted out "does anyone feel the tracks"? Around
11:00 it got so cold we gave up on the Marfa Mystery lights and headed
home. It was so hot at 8:30 when we left to view the mystery lights
that the women had packed cold drinks in coolers. As we left the
viewing area everyone was talking about stopping in Marfa for hot
coffee or hot chocolate. The temperature in the desert changes
drastically after the sun goes down.

Friday, May 18, 2001
Davis Mountain State Park Davis Mountain, TX

We slept late this morning and decided to take the day off to rest and
recuperate from having too much fun. It reminds me of the country
song "There's no such thing as too much fun". I used to agree with
him but there comes a time when a body needs to slow down. Today was
that day.

In keeping with our venturesome spirit we are trying new foods every
chance we get. We purchased some quince preserves the other day.
Having never heard of a quince before it was time to look it up in the
dictionary. Before you laugh, do you know what a quince is? Have you
ever heard of it? Anyway, Webster says it is: "the fruit of a central
Asian tree (Cydonia oblonga) of the rose family that resembles a
hard-fleshed yellow apple and is used especially in preserves, also a
tree that bears quinces". Now you know. In our opinion the fruit on
the label looks like a pear and the preserves taste a bit like pear
preserves.

Mike spent several more hours working on the distribution list
problem. About half of the people on the distribution list are
receiving it the others are not. The problem is within my software
and how it is handling addresses. I am becoming a computer geek. At
least as of today I know which addresses are NOT getting the
travelogue. I tried a fix putting all of the "problem addresses" into
another distribution list and modified it then sent travelogue # 7 to
them. I had already sent it to everyone but now know that these did
not receive it. Saturday we will make a trip into town and see if we
can bum a modem connection. I have been using the Chamber of Commerce
but they will be closed on Saturday. There is a private RV-Park in
town that advertises modem connection in the office. That is where I
will start begging. We met a man in town for the "Texas Star Party"
that was staying at that park. He liked it because of the modem
connection, laundry, and location since it was in downtown Fort Davis.
He could easily walk to everything in town.

Saturday, May 19, 2001
Davis Mountain State Park Davis Mountain, TX

This was another relaxing day for us. We went into Fort Davis to
piddle. Joyce spent several hours visiting all of the little shops.
Mike sent e-mail. I have been having such a terrible time with my
distribution list not sending the travelogue to about a third of the
addresses on the list. At first I could not tell who was getting it
and who was not. Finally, I realized who was getting it and who was
not. I made another distribution list yesterday that contained all of
the addresses that had not been receiving the travelogue. This
morning I was sending travelogue #7 to those that had not received it
when I sent it the first time. I did not get an error message this
time. Halleluiah!!!! At last! When the new distribution list
appeared to work properly I went back to the Saturn and copied
travelogues #4, #5 & #6 to the new distribution list. Then it was
time to return to the modem hookup and actually send them. With that
accomplished it was time to join Joyce in "looking" at stuff in shops.
Where is my good friend Less when I need him?

Let me take this opportunity to give a plug for my modem connection.
The Butterfield Inn and gift shop will let you use their phone line to
download e-mail. They have a good gift shop and a nice motel. They
also have homemade fudge. I can't say enough good things about this
establishment. They are wonderful.

Friday and Saturday were also utilized to read up on what to see and
do in and around Big Bend National Park where we are headed Monday
morning. Having familiarized ourselves with what we wanted to see and
do we turned our attention again to the book on Texas Roadside
Geology. We even purchased another Roadside Geology of Big Bend
National Park book that has a color picture and identifies the mile
marker of each geological phenomenon they are explaining. How we wish
that we had two good friends with us Barbara Reynolds and Suzie
Kisner. They are/were both excellent dedicated middle school science
teachers. Without them along we are relying on the Roadside Geology
books to interpret what we are seeing.

How many of you remember studying the three main classes of rocks?
They are the igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. Igneous rocks are
solidified from molten material or magma. Metamorphic rock forms from
pre-existing rock by changes in temperature or pressure. Sedimentary
rocks are consolidated layers of sediment. In the Hill Country we
mostly saw sedimentary limestone formed when the area was a shallow
ocean. Fossilized seashells are evident throughout this limestone.
In the Davis Mountains we are seeing where ancient volcanoes erupted
with a layer of ash on top of the sedimentary limestone followed by
hot magma flowing over the ash. When the hot magma flowed over
existing rocks the heat caused changes in the existing rock creating a
small layer of metamorphic rocks.

Another neat thing we are seeing is where volcanoes "punched through"
the sedimentary limestone covering the area creating "intrusive rock"
(igneous rock emplaced into other, pre-existing rock). The igneous
rock (formed from molten magma) is harder than the sedimentary
limestone thus erosion wears away the limestone exposing the igneous
rocks on mountaintops.

Why didn't I study this hard in school? Actually, I did study in the
science classes it was the English classes I slept through.

Sunday, May 20, 2001
Davis Mountain State Park Davis Mountain, TX

This was another day of sleeping late, reading and going to church
with friends. Last night we wandered over and spent several hours
fellowshipping with the friends we had viewed the Marfa Mystery Lights
with. It seems that all of us had located the Baptist church in Fort
Davis and were intending to attend the 11:00 worship service. We
laughed that with this many visitors we will outnumber the
congregation.

Worship Service at the First Baptist Church of Fort Davis, Texas was
great. We sat with our friends. For the most part it was a normal
Baptist worship experience with the exception of the female Minister
of Music. I am not so sure about these conservatives letting a female
be Minister of anything. Possibly they are bending. They did not
have a choir whereas most Baptist Churches have at least a few in the
choir loft. I did notice that the crusty old ranchers were singing
like songbirds. That made up for not having a choir. Today was
Senior recognition day for the ONE and only senior graduating from
high school. He was from the town of Marfa 21 miles south of Fort
Davis. Life in small town, small church America is so different that
big city, big church life. First Baptist Church of Pensacola where we
are members will have 35 to 40 seniors recognized on senior
recognition day. Their total Sunday School attendance was 60 today.
Some times our Sunday School class has 60 in attendance. We are so
different yet so much the same, we all love the Lord. The pastor was
excellent. His sermon was from 1 Samuel 23: 1-14. It had to do with
whether we ask the Lords guidance before we make decisions. David
did. Why don't we? Good question. Especially when we sing the song
"Wherever He Leads, I'll Go". How are we going to know which way he
wants us to go if we are not asking? The preacher was powerful.

The congregation was warm. Many greeted us. It was a truly wonderful
experience.

After church we joined our friends for lunch at The Hotel Limpia
Dining Room. It was an outstanding dinner and the price was right.
For those of you not familiar with the area the Hotel Limpia is the
"highfalutin" hotel in town, though there ain't much "highfalutin"
about it.

We spent the rest of Sunday reading and telephoning parents and
children. The only place in Fort Davis our cell phone would work was
on the scenic overlook located inside the State Park. The scenic
overlook towers above Fort Davis and the State Park and is a
switchback riddled steep drive from our motorhome. We keep making
this journey to the top in order to get one then the other.

Monday, May 21, 2001
Big Bend motor inn & RV-Park Study Butte, TX

We headed south on Texas 118 to Study Butte today. While on the way
out we are spotted by our new friends (all 6 of them in the big Pick
up truck). They come over to say by and wish us a good time. They
were headed to Alpine for a morning outing. We stopped off at the
Chamber of Commerce to download e-mail. It was at this time Mike
realized the inverter (the electrical contraption that converts 12v
battery power to 110 volts) was not working. It had been working up
until just a few minutes ago because I had just used my back up camera
as we left the State Park and I watch it on the TV, which runs on 110
volts. We reset every circuit breaker we could find both in the
motorhome and on the inverter box all to no avail. We go ahead and
download e-mail then head south to Alpine on our way to Study Butte.
Troubleshooting electrical or any other problem is something that time
will work with you on. I was thinking that I would think of something
by the time we arrived in Alpine if not the cell phone would work and
I would call Safari technical support and see what they recommend.

We stopped at the True Value Hardware store on the way into Alpine to
get a hummingbird feeder and some cable fittings I needed to repair
our auto-stop. While there our friends (all 6 of them in the big
Pick up truck) drive up to see if we need help. Isn't it a small
world? Aren't friends wonderful? Something tells me we will see them
again somewhere in our travels.

After we filled up with diesel and propane Joyce went grocery shopping
while I called Safari technical support. Before Joyce got in the
front door Safari had told what the problem was. The inverter plugs
into a 110-volt outlet located in the compartment. The outlet is a
GFI outlet (Ground Fault Indicator or Interrupter). The red button in
the center of a GFI outlet pops out like a circuit breaker if it
senses a grounding problem and interrupts power to the outlet. For
some reason it had popped and was easily reset with a push of that
little red button. Things were going good for us this morning despite
offering a challenge or two. I had been looking for a good hardware
store for over a week and we had found one and fixed our small
mechanical problem.

Before we head we filled up on propane. We only needed 12 gallons.
This was a pleasant surprise since we have been gone for 50 days. The
80 miles from Alpine to Study Butte winds through grassland and brushy
desert. It is accented by a succession of volcanic mountains. Then
you descend into the mining towns of Study Butte and Terlingua.

Someone has purchased the town of Lajitas. This same someone has torn
up the old RV-park and is constructing a new one. We had been warned
of this and followed several people's advice to use the Big Bend Motor
Inn in Study Butte as our RV-Park. We are happy with it since it
comes with full hookup complete with 50amp service and cable TV.
After settling in we got in the Saturn and headed into the National
Park. Several friends have told us not to miss eating at the
Lodge/restaurant in Chisos Basin inside the park and watching the
sunset. The basin area provides glorious views of the sunset
spreading across the desert through a "window" in the surrounding
mountains. It is that break or window in the mountains that makes the
breathtaking view of the sunset that we were able to enjoy while
eating supper at the Lodge. We feel so blessed to have friends that
would tell us to experience this. It was a 45-minute ride back and we
did not arrive until 10:00.

Tuesday, May 22, 2001
Big Bend motor inn & RV-Park Study Butte, TX

We slept late, downloaded e-mail and made phone calls before heading
out on scenic highway (Texas 170) to Presidio through Big Bend Ranch
State Park. Texas Farm Road 170 is also called The River Road and El
Camino Del Rio depending on who is speaking. National Geographic has
proclaimed this stretch of the Texas FM-170 to be one of the most
scenic highways in the United States. Many friends have told us not
to miss this drive. Today was our day to do it.

We started in Study Butte pronounced "Stewdy Butte". This small town
is located a short distance from the west entrance of Big Bend
National Park. Approximately 4-miles down the road is the ghost town
of Terlingua. It was the hub of a huge mercury mining area. Even
though it is referred to as a ghost town some of the buildings are
still occupied. Fifteen miles down the road is the Barton Warnock
Environmental Education Center. This is a museum and desert garden
operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The museum and
its displays were magnificent. We spent over two hours reading the
displays and viewing a super video of the area. Their bookstore is
the finest we have seen in the area. Barton Warnock is a MUST SEE
when visiting the Big Bend.

Barton Warnock is on the outskirts of Lajitas. Lajitas never has been
a "real" town, in that individuals always have owned it. Lajitas has
just changed hands again. The permanent population is approximately
150 most of whom are involved in the tourism industry. We visited the
landmark Lajitas Trading Post a business in continuous operation since
the early 1800's. It stocks general merchandise and still serves
people from both sides of the Rio Grande. The Trading Post is famous
for one of its residents, Clay Henry, Jr., who happens to be a
beer-drinking goat and the post's unofficial mayor. We viewed Clay
Henry, Jr., and took his picture. I contemplated purchasing a beer
for him then decided I was too cheap. A picture and story were good
enough.

A quarter mile west of the Trading Post is a sign pointing to a
parking area down by the river. We parked the Saturn there and walked
to the river where a nice young man in a rowboat ferried us across the
river. Once on the other side we had to walk several blocks up the
gravel road to the SMALL town of Paso Lajitas, Chihuahua, Mexico. Yes
we crossed the border between the two border towns like everyone else.
We were heading across the river to eat lunch at the Dos Amigos. We
had been told by locals to get #19. We were also told that if no one
was in the restaurant that we should go next door where the cook
lives. When we got there we walked through the restaurant asking if
anyone was there. No answer! After a bit we went next door and got
the cook. We were not disappointed. Number 19 turned out to be the
Platillo Mexicano (I think it is Spanish for a lot of everything) that
turned out to be 2-enchiladas, 1 flauta, 1 taco, 1 tostada, 1 chile
relleno, 1 frijolesy arroz, a bowl of salsa and a bowl of HOT green
pureed chile peppers. Joyce ordered three tacos then proceeded to eat
half of my plate. I am not going to tell you what this cost because
it was sinful. Outside the restaurant was a fenced area with several
ostriches. Goats were running free and in fenced areas. We were in
Mexico. What an experience. No one spoke any English. After eating
we headed back to the rowboat and our ride back to the United States.
The boat ride cost one dollar each for the round trip.

After eating we continued the trip to Presidio. Dramatic contrast is
the predominant feature of the River Road. As you would suspect the
road follows the sinuous Rio Grande to Presidio as it passes through
colorful erosional features of limestone and volcanic rock. At times
it follows the lush green floodplain then just as quickly it ascends
to the top of canyons where the Rio Grande squeezes through narrow
vertical walls. The entire drive is through the Chihuahuan desert and
is studded with creosote bush, mesquite, ocotillo and myriad of
cactus. Each bend in the road presents another awesome vista. One
canyon climb was up a 15% grade then down another 15% grade on the
other side. Signs warn everyone about this grade. RV's are advised
not to try it. Crosses placed all along the road stand as mute
testimony to those who tried and shouldn't have. A steady succession
of cliffs, canyons and arroyos create exciting western vistas at every
turn. Ever so often you get a glimpse of an old abandoned adobe
structure and wonder about its past occupants.

Wednesday, May 23, 2001
Big Bend motor inn & RV-Park Study Butte, TX

If you are not familiar with the Big Bend you can to to this website:

http://www.virtualbigbend.com/new/window_basin.html

It should give you a good idea of what to expect from Big Bend NP.

Everything we have read says to take the scenic drive to Santa Elina
Canyon in the early morning light. The Santa Elina Canyon drive is
deep inside Big Bend National Park. The Rio Grand River has cut 1,500
feet through sheer rock creating Santa Elina Canyon. One side of the
canyon is in the United States (Big Bend National Park, Texas) the
other is in Mexico. In places the Rio Grande is compressed down to
only 30 feet in width. We hiked the 1.7-mile trail back to the
canyon. It was good exercise since the trail started at the river
then ascended for about 600 feet before returning to the river again.
At the end of the trail we were far enough back into the canyon where
direct sunlight had a hard time penetrating. Only when the sun is
high in the sky can it shine down on the river between the canyon
walls.

We saw two coyotes today. Both were loping down the road about 6
hours apart. We still have not heard them at night.

Joyce and I think that the drive to Santa Elina Canyon is much more
scenic than the River Road Drive from Study Butte to Presidio.

We also drove down to Rio Grande Village and checked out the
campground area. It looks to be a nice enough place for birders in
the spring. Other than birding and hiking I am not sure what one
would do to occupy there time for very long. Joyce did not want to
cross over into Mexico at Boquillas to eat supper so we headed back to
the motorhome in Study Butte.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix