Texas – My three day stay

Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico

March 15, 2019March 18, 2019Bones1 Comment

Fri, Mar 1st: we break camp early and we drive to the The Boquillas Port of Entry and the parking lot is full. People have parked their cars, RVs and motorcycles like idiots. The last one irritated me the most, there were three motorcycles taking up two and a half spaces, when they could have just staggered and used one. Adding insult to it, they parked with their front wheel in, real amateur stuff there. Alway back in your bike to a spot, it’s easier to get out too.

Jon went inside to ask the Customs Border Patrol guy if we can park alongside the road because the lot was full. Jon said the guy was surprised that the lot WAS full and we could park there.

Initially, I wasn’t sure about Furi crossing into Mexico but she has all her vaccines up to date including a bunch extra ones. The guy at the crossing didn’t seem to care about her when we departed.

We walk down the trail and meet an older couple coming back from Mexico. They ask about bringing a dog into Mexico and I use the forgiveness/permission excuse. They talked about how they are foster parents to dogs but end up taking them on full-time. We also talk about Heelers and their many quirks!

Now, you could wade waist deep across the Rio Grande but why would you? Support the local economy I say, it’s $5 USD round trip…plus Jon paid for me and Furiosa, “La dejaron entrar gratis”.

There are three ways to town, you can walk, you can have someone drive you in the back of a pick up or you could ride a burro. Since we had Furi, we walked. One of the truck guys tried some salesmanship by saying the sand was hot and it wouldn’t be good for her paws. I said, “Ella es Fuerte!” Nice try but he has no idea how tough she is. As much as I would have liked to ride a Burro, Furi might have reacted bad to it. She was also very wary of them, I think Australian Cattle Dogs have instincts that certain livestock is not to be fucked with. Burros are one of them.

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Big Bend National Park, Texas: Johnson Ranch

March 14, 2019March 14, 2019Bones1 Comment

Wed, Feb 27th: Drove through Terilingua and needed to get gas. While getting fuel, we found the Big Bend Motor Inn Store and Restaurant. It was a buffet style breakfast, reminded me of Forestburg Scout Camp, especially with Jon being there. It’s funny how a major part of my life started around things I did as a Boy Scout. I became a Life Guard because of the Lifesaving Merit Badge. I went to a Camporee in Sandy Hook and saw a demonstration with a Coast Guard helicopter and a 41′ Foot Utility Boat. I remember lining up with hundreds of other Boy Scouts on the shore to watch the demo. Few years later, when I was Stationed at Sandy Hook, I was the one on the 41′ Foot Utility Boat in front of the Boy Scouts. Full Circle. Anyway, I still use skills I learned in the Scouts to this day. Even this adventure I’m on now, most of my camping skills started as a 13 year old. Jon and I remarked on how our younger selves would not be surprised with us camping at 48+ years old but definitely impressed with our equipment.

Sotol Vista

Santa Elena Canyon Overlook

Along the River Road West

We drove through the west side of the park taking the Ross Maxwell Scenic drive. We then stopped at the Sotol vista where Furi almost met an angry Jack Russell. We checked out the history at Castalon, asked the Ranger where we could get some water and she asked if we wanted gallons, thinking we wanted to buy it at the store. I said we have containers and she told us to head down to Cotton Wood camp ground. After we picked up some fresh water, we headed to Santa Elana Canyon Overlook and then to the Santa Elana Canyon itself. Furi is not “Officially” allowed on the trails and there were too many people to attempt to sneak it, so Jon went first and then I checked it out while he watched Furi. Pretty cool view.

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We tracked back and found River Road West and I shifted into 4WD Low and headed south-east. During the trip, there was a bunch of off-road motorcyclists overtaking us. We also saw a lone motorcycle and we initially though they might need help but we also suspected they could have been just taking a dump/piss off the trail. We finally got to Johnson Ranch campground which was 15.51 miles down the River road west.

This was a bit different style campsite compared to Telephone Canyon.

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We were tucked down in a depression with rock incline on one side and mesquite trees on the other side. We set up camp and it’s obviously easier with two of us with Furi somewhat supervising. Behind the campsite was some livestock manure and hoofprints. We theorized they were from tour groups to cartels hauling drugs. We found out what it was a few days later.

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Big Bend National Park, Texas: Telephone Canyon

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019Bones1 Comment

Day One (Thurs, Feb 21st): I arrived at Big Bend National Park on Thursday. It’s a bit of a haul from the entrance to the Panther Junction Headquarters. I picked out my back country sites, filled up a 5 gal jug of water and headed out on the Old Ore Road. It was nice being back on a this road that I traveled on last summer, only this time I was was going to camp alongside it.

489 I arrived at the camp a few hours before sundown. This was also the first time I set up my camp fully and hopefully straighten out some kinks. I did find one major issue. When I originally set up my awning, I didn’t have the rooftop tent open, so I mounted the L-brackets up instead of down for some bizarre reason. Turned out that it interfered with the tent stays and I had to remount it. I had time, so I’d get to it later. I rearranged some gear and called it a night. The wind kicked up and was a bit rough but the tent can handle it pretty well.

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Day Two (Fri, Feb 22nd): I awoke after some really crazy dreams, one of them was I lost Furiosa in New York City and was a mess. The second was I was at some extreme sports stars mansion and there was Skateboard ramps, BMX jumps, Snowboarding launches. I was searching for some unknown thing and had to wander out on a ledge to look for it. There might be symbolism to all of it but I’m not really too concerned. I think most dreams are just random thoughts, interconnected to each other to make sense to your lizard brain. I ate some oatmeal, a Lara bar and made some shitty freeze-dried coffee. I noticed that it was pretty quiet that morning after the wind too.

I reorganized a bit and decided to reinstall the awning. It took about 3 plus hours to remount because the hardware is located in a tight spot and you can’t get too much purchase with a wrench or socket, so it was a slow slog.

Furi and I walked north till I saw the other Telephone Canyon camp but I didn’t bother the occupants. We just turned around and headed back to ours. I could faintly hear them sometimes when the wind was right.

My solar panel is a bit suspect but it might be that I have my Dometic set for freezer instead of a fridge, maybe more power draw.

Furi was in her element, no leash, lots of dust and she can run amok. It tires her out which is nice for me. She truly is a Desert Dog.

I made some tortillas with seasoned steak meat (Hatch Chilis) and vegetables. Tortillas are the way to go for camping. It’s really a plate you can eat, so less things to clean.

Night was clear but was windy again and the awning came loose twice. I slept badly, twice the recommended dose of CBD oil had no effect. Did eat a late night Lara bar. I battened down the tent to handle the wind better.

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