Month: January 2017

Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, Tx, 219 mile jump

That makes 1,084 miles in four days (one rest day at Boerne), but the end result is worth it!

It was surprising how quickly we came into the north side of San Antonio after leaving Bergheim CG by a more direct route.We planned to leave after the morning rush was over and that worked out. The interstate was wide and looked newly remodeled with beautiful landscaping, mosaics on the abutments, and artistic fencing across the overpasses. After leaving the high volume traffic areas, Penny took the wheel all the way to Corpus Christi. Whereupon I resumed driving through what seemed like one long pair of strip malls, one on each side of the road. And, they seemed to repeat, Walmart, Walgreens, McDonalds, Taco Belle, car dealerships, Target, Shell, Exxon, repeat. Reaching the Cayo del Oso and then the Laguna Madre, we were high fiving as we celebrated our return to sea level!

Padre Island National Seashore “protects the world’s longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island. It embraces 70 miles of sand-and-shell beaches, windswept dunes, endless grasslands, tidal flats teeming with life, and warm near shore waters. The nation’s prime nesting beach for endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, it is also globally important for migrating birds.”

Thank God for our National Park Service!

We didn’t get into the Malaquite campground on the ocean side that we hoped for, but Bird Island campground, on the Laguna Madre side of the island, allowed us to back up to the water, whereas Malaquite had a big dune blocking the view. So, we got to sit on our lawn chairs behind the camper and watch the sea birds and windsurfers while soaking up the abundant sunshine. The sun set with the help of scattered clouds made for a spectacular sunset!

We paid $2.50/night for four nights, no utilities. Our batteries, fresh water, and holding tanks did just fine. Cell phone service there was poor to none. As a result, we were able to read books and periodicals instead of our phones, a nice respite from current affairs.

Bergheim GC, Boerne, Tx

It did get chilly last night; it was 45F in here when we woke. We cranked the heaters and napped until 9AM. Penny got busy doing laundry at the new building just 50’ away. I fixed the camper door and greased equipment. After lunch, we took showers. Neither of us had a good experience; at least the water was hot! Then, it was off to town to gear up for our jump tomorrow to Padre Island.

We found diesel for $2.239 on Gas Buddy while all the other stations were at $2.399, groceries, beer. There was a riverfront park in Boerne along the Guadalupe river; it was full of exotic ducks. We asked a local and he said they were here year around and exotic probably the result of inbreeding. They were fat, too, from eating white bread supplied by the locals! Strolling along the river snapping pictures in our shorts and sandals was pretty sweet. 74F! A drive down the main street of the bustling town passed many turn of the century buildings still functioning. Very pleasant afternoon!

Bergheim GC, Boerne, Tx, 864 mile jump

Yes. You read that right; we have been motoring from Tucson, Az., through NM, and waltzing across Texas. We spent last night in a Walmart parking lot in Ft Stockton, Tx., from which we went to 8:30 Spanish Mass this morning in a small church built in 1865. Although Penny and I know a little Spanish, we did not understand the sermon, but much of the liturgy is repeated every Sunday in every Mass throughout the world. So, we could distinguish those prayers. The Hispanic congregation was warm and familial, many of them went out of their way to greet us during the “kiss of peace”. And, they presented us with pen and pencil sets with an Our Lady of Guadalupe card. While we have often been introduced as visitors in other churches, this is the first time we had been given gifts!

After church, we filled with diesel (at $2.39/gal) and drove here in about 6 hours. Our goal was to get to lower, more temperate elevations. Originally, we had hoped to visit Patagonia, Az., but when we found it was at 4000’ and we were already freezing during the night at 2000’, we decided to drive east until we got to lower ground. After 860 miles, we are at 1500’ and headed for sea level soon!

Most of the last two days are a blur, other than the church and the vast expanses of desert land interspersed with mesas and ranges of mountains through which we passed. La Cruces, NM, and El Paso, Tx., were the largest cities, both in river valleys. In El Paso, we could look across the Rio Grande into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on the hillside and see the border fence on this side of the river. Another highlight was a rest stop in Texas having picnic pavilions with wagon wheel walls. Oh, I almost forgot! We are back into the land of Live Oaks; there is one in this picture. They are not as massive as down in the Gulf South, but it feels good to be back within their range.

The state park we at which we hoped to camp was closed. Luckily, Penny called ahead. That left us with no plan; cell phone service was spotty, so searching the web for a campground was impossible. Fortunately, as we got closer to San Antonio service improved and we found Bergheim CG near Boerne. It not much, but it’s all we need! Tired and ready for bed at 8PM CST. We will say good night and mission accomplished! It is 67F in here without supplemental heat; nice!

Gilbert Ray CG

It was 45F in here at 7AM; 29F outside. We love listening to Acoustic Cafe on Friday morning, but this time we drank our tea while listening under the covers. The little furnace has been quieter of late and got it up to 70ish in about one hour.

Our predicament is that we are currently at about 2200’ elevation; while our plumbing can survive the high 20s, we don’t want to gamble on anything lower. And, the terrain only gets higher as we head southeast. El Paso is 3,740’, and the pass over the continental divide on the way there is 4580’, so it will be much colder up there. Warmer weather is forecast; we are dragging our feet to take advantage of it.

Both of us went out for bike rides this afternoon. The continuing stiff winds and the relatively higher elevation make us feel totally out of shape. Which, in fact we are, but I rode less than three miles in a little over 10 minutes with hardly any hills and I was sucking for air. Penny had the same experience at her pace. Soon we’ll be back to sea level; then we will see what kind of shape we are in.

A couple days ago we hoped to see the sunset from Gates Pass, between Tucson and our campground. But, we got there late and found the last parking space difficult to squeeze into. As a result, we missed it by a minute. Most days, the parking lot is full and the crowds are quite boisterous, as if watching fireworks. People scamper up steep rock cliffs to find a good viewing spot.

Today, we were early and had good choice of parking and viewing spots. The Avra Valley, containing Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro NP stretches out for miles to the west to another range over which the sun sets. My thought is a good photo directly into that bright sun would be aided by clouds to reflect the light down into the shaded valley. In other words, my photos sucked. But it was an fun experience and we did come away with pre-sundown landscape shots of worth.

We are preparing for a big jump tomorrow, hoping to get to lower elevations and warmer weather. Might be sleeping in truck stops or rest areas tomorrow night. Catch ya later!

Gilbert Ray CG

This morning was dedicated to house and truck keeping. Penny was busy making a fitted bed sheet out of a sheet we found at a thrift store yesterday. She setup her sewing machine on the picnic table and was enjoying the warm sunshine. I was checking on the problems noted by the technicians from yesterday’s repairs. For example, they said the serpentine belt was worn. Not!

I made some tuna fish salad rolled up in caseras tortillas, chips and orange slices. Then, we went out for a 30 minute, 5 mile bike ride through the four campsite loops here in the park. I did one lap, then we did a couple more together. After that, we walked out into the desert for an hour finding saguaros of great stature, humorous stature, human like stature. Below them were the prickly pears, creosote trees, crucifixion thorn, mesquite, cholla, and many others. The sky was pure blue, sun was heading west, birds were calling, air was cooling and we were enraptured with the moment.

A man made phenomena caught our attention. There were power lines strung on 30’ poles across our trail, so we followed them for half a mile or so. The wind was making the wires “sing” and sent a harmonic vibration down the wooden poles. We could feel it. I know what you are thinking, but we were not imbibing in any contraband! We were hiking and gawking, mostly gawking, 70 minutes.

We had a great conversation with Penny’s parents in northern Michigan. They seemed happy and healthy, though each is waiting for surgery soon. Shirley has gall bladder issues and John is going to get a new hip.

Later, after supper of steamed green beans, carrots and chicken sausage, we put our packing quilt over the concrete picnic table, bundled up, grabbed the binoculars and laid on our backs looking up at the Milky Way. After about 15 minutes the cold concrete and air chased us inside, but we had a marvelous look at some star clusters and even saw a shooting star flash across Orion’s Belt.

The Zags are winning their 21st game of the year and they are the only undefeated team in the NCAA, so all is well!

Gilbert Ray CG

Up at 6:15AM, we had an appointment to get the fuel filter replaced in the truck. There was heavy frost on the windows, but luckily not on the road. We skipped breakfast and left at 7, as the sun brightened the clear sky. The was the first time we would take the Gates Road Pass into Tucson; a ranger at SNP said it was picturesque and we were not disappointed. Densely populated by saguaro, it was a site to behold. Steep,, narrow and windy, we will tow the trailer by a different route when we leave.

The shop needed a couple of hours to diagnose a possible fan clutch problem, so we walked to a breakfast cafe, then sat in the shop lounge waiting for a ride to Arizona State Museum after it opened at 10AM. We spent about three hours learning about eight different tribes of the Sonoran desert comparing their spiritual beliefs and cultural practices and means of subsistence. It was obvious they were no savages; they had to be crafty and resilient to survive in this environment.

Their spiritual beliefs were woven into everyday life; they saw all of creation as sacred and continuously expressed gratitude for the gifts nature provided. It was interesting how some tribes were nomadic, searching for foods seasonally in different locations. Others would get all that they needed in one location. The pottery and basketry used complex symbols to honor the plants and animals they depended upon. The intricate ritual masks made for ceremonial events also show the interplay of the plants and animals in a cosmic dance.

Craftsmanship was evident despite the limited tools available.

Then, they all were subjugated. After helping the first settlers, the influx of many more settlers pushed them off of their sacred homelands. Fighting with bows and arrows, they were vanquished. Many were summarily shot. Woman and children whisked off into slavery. We were a cruel and aggressive Christian nation and, frankly, still are. Some tribes were moved out of their homelands never to return. Other got the opportunity to return to a small portion of their homelands, the least valuable, of coarse. When anglo farmers saw the natives not using all of the land they were given back; they went to court to take the land away and won. Polar opposite philosophies: one reverent and one aggressive. In my humble opinion, we need wilderness and fallow grounds for animal habitat if nothing more. Without room for plants and animals to thrive, we will not survive.

The truck repairs were costly, hopefully they will be effective. It’s hard to know when they are just pulling your chain, if you really need all the work they recommend? Or, should you do the simple things, e.g., fuel filter? Then, see if there is improvement. We had them adjust the valves and do the filter. We will see next fill up what the MPG is.

Gilbert Ray CG

After fiddling about all morning, we set off to Saguaro NP, the south boundary of which is only a little more than two miles north of our campground. Another two miles into the park we turned onto the 5 mile Bajada Scenic Loop Drive, a dirt road that reminded me of a toboggan run. It was down about two feet below the grade of the desert with berms of earth on each side. My thought is this was done to impede foolish people from driving off road and ruining the pristine landscape. Most of the road was two way and a small amount just one way; there wasn’t much traffic so we cruised around slowly in first gear enjoying the amazing cacti. I’d pull over to let speedsters go by.

We witnessed a forest of saguaros, hard to replicate in two dimensions on an iPhone. Like snowflakes, there are no two identical. And, it was fun to point out the many unique specimens, some having two buds on the tip of its arm looking like an hand, for instance, or noticing their human like characteristics. This was no monoculture, growing everywhere were cacti of all different types. In a few weeks, the budding colors will light up all of them.

The biggest saguaro specimens are 50’ tall, weighing 8 tons, reaching 175-200 years old. They grow very slowly, reaching seven feet around age 50. Until about 75, they are known as a “spear” before sprouting the first arm. At about 30 years, they begin to flower and fruit, producing “tens of thousands of seeds” each year; 40 million over a lifetime! Creation promotes fecundity; it wants to ensure life goes on.

“The saguaro is like a multi-storied apartment complex-many animals live in close quarters and occupants change constantly…the holes made by birds are 20F cooler in the summer and 20F warmer in the winter than the outdoor” ambient temperature.

Penny and I wanted to get out on a trail for some exercise and fresh air; we chose the Signal Hill because it features ancient petroglyphs. It was an easy hike, including the rock staircase built in the 1930s by the CCC. The artistry was primitive, but we felt honored to witness art from some native boy(s) on a vision quest some 1,000 years ago. (I am hypothesizing!) Even more, the fact it had not been vandalized is a miracle!

Next, we stopped the Visitor’s Center to watch a wonderful movie on the native understanding of the desert. It boiled down to their respect for all of the gifts it provided the tribe in the form of plant and animal food. And, the fact that their ancestors had been put under that ground, made all of it sacred. Then, we heard a presentation on the desert cuckoo, aka, roadrunner, the fast running cartoon character of our youth. Very informative!

Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson Mountain Park, 46 mile jump

Regretting not climbing to the top of the Peak due to earlier rain and continuing high winds, we made a short jump to a campground near Saguaro NP. It is about 3000’ elevation in a large basin surrounded by mountains and about 20 minutes from Tucson. There is no RV camping in Saguaro; this is a Pima County facility having electric hookups in large spread out campsites for $20/night. Our site is near a trailhead leading off into the desert in two different loops.

Looking out as I type, I see smoketrees, creosote bushes, palo verde, prickly pear, ocotillo, cholla and saguaro, and lots of stuff I don’t recognize yet. It is still windy; the high was 68F. The sunset is fire red and purple; absolutely gorgeous!

Our plan is to get the fuel pump replaced on the truck in town Wednesday morning and maybe visit the Arizona State Museum while the work is being done. Hopefully, we will see improved fuel MPG. Tomorrow, we want to tour Saguaro NP to see ancient pictographs and saguaro forests.

There is lots to see here, but we have a long way to go to get to Penny’s dad’s birthday party, so we have to be selective. I don’t think I mentioned his 90th birthday party is March 25th. We thought about storing the truck and trailer to fly to Punta Gorda, Fl. But, we would also like to visit Penny’s kids and grandkids in St. Mary’s, Georgia while we are in the neighborhood, so having the camper with us seems more practical and economical.

Picacho Peak SP

What a great day! It was about 44F when we getup little after six. Penny headed to the shower while I finished up my meditations and readings. The showers are clean and the water is hot. We had a busy day planned but took advantage of rising early to write some postcards, breakfast and pack lunches and layers of clothing. Most Holy Trinity church was 40 minutes away in Tucson; Mass was at 11AM. Then we wanted to see the Botanical Gardens for two reasons, the plants and a Frida Kahlo exhibit. Penny has been a long time fan of this Mexican artist specializing in paintings of indigenous plants and animals.

The church was not very large, and it was packed with a diverse group of latinos and gringos, young and old. What was amazing was the “choir”; before the service began a Mariachi band of 5 men and three women marched in wearing traditional regalia. They all sang with gusto. A vihuela (Mariachi guitar), a bass guitarron, two horns and five violins might be played in any one song. They sang en espanol, and the congregation joined in very enthusiastic response. The priest and deacon spoke in english throughout the liturgy, so it was an interesting multi-cultural event. For me, it was a very moving liturgy; one of the most memorable in my life.

The Botanical Gardens were more of the same! Unlike northern locations, this botanical garden had no greenhouses, only a small tropical butterfly secured enclosure. Unfortunately, we were unaware the butterfly exhibit closed at 3PM, until we arrived at 3:05!

There were literally thousands of plants in seventeen specialty gardens on 5.5 acres. It is phenomenal how many variations exist of agave, aloe, cholla and all other groups of cacti. Creation obviously favors diversity; this is very apparent when so many varieties are displayed in one place.

The Frida Kahlo exhibit was interspersed amongst the gardens. A replica of the garden she and her husband, Diego Rivera, developed at their Casa Azul, appeared to be part of the Tucson Gardens. Even the four tiered blue pyramid blended well. Other Frida works were exhibited inside of meeting and classrooms, such as about two dozen of photographic portraits of her in her cultural attire. Another showed Frida like works by children aged 7-12, from all over the world. We were struck by the talent of these youngsters!

We had tried to see Kahlo’s work before at the Detroit Museum of Art, but another function precluded us from doing so. Frankly, there wasn’t much of her work here, but lots of insight into the artist herself. Penny was thrilled!

By then, we had both commented about what a wonderful day it was. A young man beckoned us, “Are you guys thirsty? Come on over!”. We had heard there was a memorial celebration today on the property. His name was Drew and he was trying to polish off the last of the wine; most everyone attending had left. He said, “I only ask that you toast to Bobbi when you drink it.” We did and struck up a conversation with him. Bobbi was his mom; his sister was there as well. They didn’t want to drink anymore and didn’t want it to go to waste. Milling about, we saw a collage of family pictures; one jumped out at us. It was a selfie of Bobbi and Joe Biden; the family was originally from Delaware.

We returned to Picacho Peak with joyful hearts thankful for an awesome day!

Picacho Peak SP

Today, I am catching up with you all; we only had electricity one day of the last seven, so I was way behind. And, now I am caught up! It’s 3PM MST, 55F, stiff wind about 20 MPH, sunshine. Time for a break! Then it’s my turn to make supper.