Week 29 – White Sands to Kerrville

Week 29

Last week wrapped up our time in Utah and drove through Colorado and New Mexico on our way into Texas.  This week we crossed the border into Texas (our home state) , explored west Texas and Big Bend National Park, and decided to go through Kerrville to see family.

Day 199 Mon 10/23

We woke up before sunrise at Raptor Lake right outside the military base where they test missiles, and headed to the White Sands National Monument.  This little gem was definitely worth the drive.  It is a 275 sq mile gypsum sand dunes in the middle of the desert.  Occasionally the road into the park is closed because of military missile testing so we got lucky this morning.  There are several back country campsites that you can hike into and we saw a few people leaving this morning and it was COLD!  It would have been cool to camp out there with Cooper.  We hiked in a mile or so with Cooper to check it out and we were pretty sure he was looking for the ocean!  On our way out of New Mexico we drove past huge pecan orchards and huge dairy farms on I-10 east towards Texas.  We crossed the border into Texas and John immediately let out the biggest Yeehaw!  And, two seconds later we were passed by a Bluebell truck!! Bluebell ice cream literally welcomed us to Texas!!  As we made our way through El Paso we noticed all the colorful houses on the hills and that they were right on top of each other…they looked like Mexico…oh wait that is Juarez Mexico and there is the freaking wall!  What is that smell…smells like burning tires…oh wait that is an oil refinery…there were Whataburger signs everywhere!  It just felt like Texas…Everything is definitely bigger in Texas!  Once we got through El Paso we settled back in to a long long drive ahead.  We went through several border patrol check points along the way and made it to Marfa.  Our camping spot for the night was at the Marfa lights, also known as the Marfa ghost lights, viewing area.  We watched after dark and didn’t see any of the mysterious lights…but settled on the theory that the lights are conquistadors looking for gold…or just teenagers playing pranks on the town for the past 100 years or so…Tonight was the windiest night we have had yet in the RV as a northern blew through overnight.

Day 200 Tues 10/24

This morning we walked around Marfa and hit the road after lunch at Marfa burrito…literally an old Mexican woman’s kitchen but it was delicious!  The town is quirky and artsy but unfortunately nothing is open on a Monday or Tuesday so we did not get to see much.  From Marfa, we drove into Big Bend National Park towards Cottonwood Campground on the Rio Grande River and the Texas US / Mexico Border.  The drive to the campground on the Ross Maxwell scenic drive was beautiful!  John and I had no idea that a place like this existed in Texas and we decided it was just as magical as all the other national parks we had visited so far.  We saw our first roadrunner birds too!  Once we secured a campsite (which was not exactly empty) we made burrito bowls for dinner.  Tonight, we tried cooking rice in the pressure cooker and it had weird instructions, so we improvised a bit but it worked ok in a pinch.

Day 201 Wed 10/25

This morning we drove to the Santa Elena Canyon to hike and it was awesome.  We were able to catch the sunrise at an overlook spot on the way so that was an unexpected plus.  The hike was short and allowed for a bit of adventure crossing the river/creek and bushwhacking a bit, and the views were really cool right up against the canyon walls and on the river that divides the US from Mexico.  This morning we were essentially by ourselves so it was really peaceful too.   After the quick hike, we drove up to the Chisos Basin Campground to get a campsite.  The drive up the mountain was not recommended for RVs over 24 ft but a Ranger thought we could make it up so we decided to try since most of the good views and hikes are out of that area.  Luckily, we made it up ok and found a campsite, but it took forever to get level.  There were not many sites for RVs our size and we had to make the only one we found available work by using extra rocks to level the RV.  This was a really beautiful campground in the basin of the mountains and you are up at above 5000 ft.  We hiked up to the lodge to get Wi-Fi so John could book some additional flights for our Thailand trip, and I blogged.  We chilled on the patio and ate black bean burgers while we waited for sunset and then hiked down to the Window viewpoint trail with Cooper to catch the last bit of color before hiking back down to the campground.

Day 202 Thurs 10/26

Today John went for a hike up to Emory Peak at 7,825 ft while Cooper and I hung out at the RV.  When he finished his hike, we hung out on the lodge patio again while John booked hotels for our Thailand trip.  Tonight, we ate leftover burrito bowls for dinner.  We enjoyed another sunset from our campsite and even ate outside as the temperature and breeze was perfect tonight.

Day 203 Fri 10/27

This morning we woke up in Chisos Basin Campground to crazy strong winds and hazy skies.  We drove down to the Rio Grande Village RV Campground to get a site for tonight.  The entire campground was not open because of a water shortage in the park, so the laundry, showers, and toilets were not available as usual, but RVs were still allowed to hook up to electricity.  It was too windy to explore and hike so we relaxed in the RV for the afternoon and we took advantage of the strong Wi-Fi at the campground store so John could finalize the hotels for our Thailand trip and the blog.  Before dinner we took a walk with Cooper to the Boquillas Border Crossing to see what it was like.  On our way we saw a coyote cross the road and John picked up a rock just in case it got too close.  The border crossing was dead, but we had heard from people yesterday that you cross in a canoe…We snapped a few pics and headed back to camp for dinner, and when we got back, we saw a javelina right behind our camper!  Tonight, we heated up some vegan red chili and zucchini tamales that I bought in Santa Fe.  This was the alternative to buying a 2 lbs bag of organic hatch chilies, and they were tasty.  We watched the Cafeteria Man documentary about the Baltimore schools’ food system overhaul.  It was impressive to see what could happen with a passionate leader and someone who was willing to push through the bureaucratic BS to make necessary changes that benefit the bottom line and the children they serve.

Day 204 Sat 10/28

This morning we drove as the sun was rising to check out the Boquillas Canyon hike.  As we were hiking on the trail we saw canoes across the river/border and trinkets for sell (illegally) along the trail.  It was a bit creepy because you know they were watching their items but you could not see them.   I had read information on the National Parks website about not buying items for sale on trails because it is illegal.  After our short hike, we drove to Del Rio.  All along the way we saw border patrol trucks dragging 3 semi-truck tires with chains to sweep for fresh footprints to track illegal immigrants crossing the border, and we went through several border checkpoints along the way too.  The Border patrol had 4 guys pulled over sitting on side of highway and searching their bags at one point.  There were several groups of bikers on a long journey in the middle of nowhere along the way.  Our stop for tonight was the Walmart in Del Rio.  I went in to grab a few things and was frightened by what I saw only a few short days before Halloween…Christmas decorations on one side of the store, Halloween costumes in the middle, and Thanksgiving decorations on the opposite side of the store…We made vegetarian Chili for dinner and avoided the temptation to splurge on BBQ at Rudy’s next door!  We think it might be a bit tougher to avoid meat in Texas…

Day 205 Sun 10/29

This morning we drove to Kerrville to see my cousin Brian and his wife Leo and kids Bo and Nicole.  I stopped at the local Next Generation Health Foods and Juice Bar for some fresh squeezed juice and a few things.  We hung out for the afternoon and watched the Cowboys play the Redskins while Cooper played in their backyard.  Brian and Bo were impressed by Cooper’s football skills as he could catch the ball in his mouth without popping it.  We went to out for dinner to a local home cooking restaurant called Billy Gene’s near the house and I splurged on fried catfish with okra (something I loved to eat growing up).  Nicole and Bo shined as they each have their own unique personalities and interests as most siblings do.  Bo decided he wanted to live in an RV and travel when he grew up so everyday can feel like Saturday (thanks to John) and Nicole was preparing for a school speech she had written on the importance of smiling.  This started an interesting conversation, as Nicole’s passion for the subject she chose struck a chord with me.  I can’t tell you how many times I have been stopped on the street on my way to work or wherever and someone tells me I should really smile…John tells me on a weekly basis that I am much prettier when I smile…I appreciated getting to spend the evening witnessing the Sunday night routine preparing for the week to come and learning about their schools and interests.  Leo shared that kids in Mexico where she is from seem to grow up so quickly these days and she is appreciating the slower pace in a small town for their kids.  The kids do have quite a bit of homework and of course the useless standardized testing, and we found out Bo only gets 5 minutes of recess…and gym like once a week only…I tell you what I can’t even imagine raising kids or growing up as kids in this crazy world we live in these days.  Every family we have had the pleasure of glimpsing into their world this trip are doing an amazing job despite the challenges!  So many prayers go out for protection of that success!  Tonight we watched the Astros game 5 but did not stay awake for the end.  It was a crazy back and forth late inning win for the Astros, even without our support (we couldn’t stay up till the end)!

We were excited to finally make it to Texas this week and are looking forward to spending more time with family in the Texas Hill country next week on our way to Austin!

This map below indicates our route this week from White Sands National Monument in New Mexico to Kerrville, TX.