Bulking Up

Since we now have a fridge, freezer, and pantry, we can once again buy in bulk! I got to buy the $1.99/lb chicken instead of the $3.43/lb chicken! We also have meat hanging out in the freezer, so if we pull in somewhere without a grocery store, I can still make dinner. It's a glorious thing! Buying smaller, though, has meant that we keep a tighter inventory, and we forget about fewer things, which has also been nice. Even with the few bulk items, we clear out our food fairly quickly. Sigh.

Big Bend

We only spent what amounted to a full day or so at Big Bend, but we got to see and do a lot. We entered near the Persimmon Gap visitor's center, so that was our very first stop within the park, just to see what the ranger thought we should see and do. We had actually entered here the night before, but that's where we found out the campgrounds were full. On our way in that night, though, I saw a peregrine falcon, and we got to see four javalinas crossing the road! No pictures, but it was pretty darn to see them!

Ocotillo

Yucca

After talking with the ranger and getting set up with the Jr. Ranger booklets, we set out for the Santa Elena canyon. We stopped along the way for pictures and hikes. When we went to Panther Junction visitor's center, we learned about a lot of different cacti that we saw all over the park. Ocotillo and prickly pear are all over the park. We liked to see the century plant, which does NOT live to 100, but does take an awful long time to flower, and then dies right after that.

Dinosaur Fossil Exhibit

They asked that all guests not post pictures of the dinosaur exhibit until after January 14th, which is when their grand opening is. But if you're in the area on the 14th or after, check it out. It really was a very cool exhibit. It's an open air exhibit, which works great every day except the day we were there. 30 degrees and howling wind. Cold as can be. But we did love seeing it, just didn't stay long!

Homer Wilson Ranch

We took the short hike out to the Homer Wilson Ranch. The structure is still in really great shape, and it was a very pleasant walk. It was down in a valley, so the wind was not as fierce. By the time we headed back to the car, our winter coats felt ridiculous to us. But then at the car, we all wanted them back on!

Mule Ears

We stopped just to see Mule Ears. Bill tried to line me up just so, and G followed suit on my camera. I look like I'm sporting devil's horns!

Bill at the Rio Grande

Hike to the Canyon

The hike to the canyon took us through trees and on sandy soil. It was a fun hike, but we did have a few falls. The incline was a bit steep, so Bill and I felt that in our knees and hips. Oish. We got to walk right alongside the river, and not a one of us fell in. Not for lack of trying. It was a great hike with a lot of great pictures. Check this hike out, it's just really cool. And the canyon wall to the far left? That's Mexico. I breathed Mexican air, even if I didn't feel Mexican soil.

Sun Almost Gone

Sunset

Taking pictures at sunset is always a bit tricky. The Chisos mountains are so pretty with the setting sun, it was challenging to find exactly which area would be best for a picture. It was definitely worth driving through the park at night in order to see this! On our way through the park at night, we also saw an animal. We're not sure what it was--coyote? Mountain lion? Who knows? If only I had gotten a picture, because memory fades quickly!

Coyote

But we did get to see a coyote up close and personal as we were leaving the park. This guy was just walking the road. Did not care one lick that cars were trying to drive. So we took pictures as he sauntered by us. As we watched in the mirrors, he got right behind our car and just walked in the middle of the road away from us. We also got to see a roadrunner right before the border patrol stop. So cool!!!!

Full Campground

Ok, so not everywhere is a ghost town in the winter. This is Big Bend's busy time of the year, and by the time we arrived, all their campsites were filled. But they had a handy list of places nearby, and so we still ended up with a place to stay, close to the park.

Amenities

This is what $30/night gets you at Stillwell Ranch. We got full hookups, but they recommended AGAINST using the water hookup. So we really got electricity, an emergency place to stay, a deserted desert landscape, and nasty toilets that had no toilet paper and no door. For those used to hotel stays, $30/night is pricey. RV resorts get pricier, but they also have real amenities. Oh, we also got spotty wi-fi, which was nice. But, please, if you are headed to Big Bend and find yourself without a campground, find something else. Maybe in Marathon it's better, but I don't know.

Full Time

It's a different life. It's definitely not the road well-traveled (yes, I noted the use of the singular "l" in that one....I'm switchin' it up). At this time of the year, a lot of campgrounds are running more empty than full, and you've got a certain crowd.

Leaving Kerrville

While this picture shows NS and Bill emptying out the tanks and packing up the trailer to leave, I took it to show how many others are in the campground with us. We're none right on top of each other, but this is it in our loop. Including us, that's four trailers. There was another loop, and I think there were two or three others there, plus the camp host. That's not many, especially considering that the campground holds upwards of 100. But the group we're with on our loop (the full hookup loop)--retirees. This adventure is definitely more common with the 70+ crowd. And while it would be cool to do this again in later years, I'm glad we're doing this now.

Merit Badges on the Go

G and NS are both working on merit badges as we go through this year of camping. NS has been picking up the pace on his cooking merit badge of late. Going through diseases, how to handle food, etc... One of the requirements is to meal plan for backpacking/hiking trips, cooking on a lightweight stove. There's a similar requirement in the camping merit badge, which is the one G is focused on right now. Bill packed up the kids and took a hike the other day through the cedar-laden park in Kerrville (I sat that one out), and the sterno cans went with them, along with their soups.

Food on the Go

I can't swear to it, but that doesn't look like enjoyment to me. But they ate a lunch, complete with water, soup, and crackers. And after this hike, NS worked with Bill and the internet to do the MyPlate requirements. Yeah!!!!

The Curse of Kerrville

Kerrville is such a cute town, truly it is. It's small, without being small-town. There are things to do, places to go, stores at which to shop (both big chains and cute locals). I just liked the feel of the town.

I hate the atmosphere surrounding the town. The physical environment is not for me.

Kerrville Schreiner Park

See that beautiful tree? It's like death to me. Apparently cedar trees, that grow all over Texas, are pollinating right now. Causing much mayhem for me. Oh, and if you think you're free and clear because you aren't allergic to cedar, if you arrive in Texas at this time, you're prone to developing that lovely allergy. Yippee.

But this isn't just Kerrville's curse to bear, the entire state of Texas is covered by the cedar pollen right now. So even though we've left Kerrville to be in Big Bend, I'm still having difficulty breathing and seeing. We did stay for 8 nights, though. The full hookups thing swayed me. I loved being in one place, getting back into a rhythym of the kids doing their math, cooking, hanging out. But now we're having short stop after short stop in order to see what we want to see while getting out of Texas "quickly." Man, Texas is huge. Vast allergy laden state.

I leave you with the beautiful sunset we saw at Big Bend, so you know that I know it's not all bad.

Our Setup at Sunset

Stonehenge

One of the benefits of travelling all over the place is that you get to find the little quirky things places have going on. We stopped by the Rustic Elegance store in Kerrville, TX, and the woman there told us about the next town over, Ingram, and their own little version of Stonehenge. Naturally we took a few minutes and headed over there to check it out.

Ingram TX

This started between friends and just grew. There had been a rock on the property that one of the gentlemen owned, and the other gentleman tipped it up on his side. They remarked on how it looked like it could belong to Stonehenge, and from there, the town now has a 2/3 replica. Not oriented with the sun, though. But....

Easter Island in Ingram

...it does come with a couple of Easter Island heads. A fascinating roadside stop I'm glad we checked out.