Our Beautiful Border (4/9/13-4/11/13)

Big Bend national park is on the southwest corner of Texas and named from the big bend in the Rio Grande that marks our national border.  I was shocked by the beauty of the desert in that area as we drove closer and closer to the park.  There were mountains on the horizon!  Woo Hoo! 

We spotted a road runner that crossed in front of our car...and just like the cartoon, hopped and ran, hopped and ran again.  Too cool! 

At 801,163 acres, Big Bend is the 8^th largest national park in the lower 48 states, and the 15^th largest in the U.S.  It wasn't even on our original list of parks to visit...but since we were so close, why not?  It was better than any surprise we could imagine.  The towering peaks of limestone were the backdrop of some fabulous photos and trails.  There were rolling hills filled with pretties beyond our imagination for this desolate area. 

We camped out for two nights.  The first night, we arrived at the park late and thought we could find camping close to the entrance.  We ended up miles into the park at the Rio Grande Village, right next to the river.  After waking up early to try to catch the sunrise on the river, we found a trail that walked us right along the river.  There's a town that you can throw a rock and it over the river.  And on the base of the US side, the people leave their crafts on rocks with empty jars to leave money in.  An interesting, and most likely illegal, form of international commerce.  We didn't partake in the buying and selling of goods, but took some photos.  Even along the trail, there were hand painted walking sticks for sale.  Quite enterprising, and I can't blame them for trying to capitalize on tourism too.  :)

One of the trails led to a fabulous hot spring right on the Rio Grande.  There was a tent set up on the Mexican side, and I bet they took advantage of the warm bath too.  It was a glorious soak, and much needed as there weren't shower facilities where we camped.  

We visited the Chisos Basin for lunch in a fancy restaurant located near the resort in the park.  After our burger fix, we explored more of the park.  When we set up camp for the second night, there wasn't a soul in sight, fabulous!  So, a nap was in order after setting up the tent.  Unfortunately we woke up to cars and voices...the cottonwood campground was filling up, booooo!  ;-)  That's ok, we had more to see and were only there to sleep. 

Ken found his spots to recreate some Ansel Adams shots.  We hiked, photographed and took in as much of this park as we could.  The owls serenaded us to sleep, and the little wild pigs woke us in the morning.  Rested up, in the morning we headed out towards the Guadalupe Mountains.

San Antonio

We skipped New Orleans as planned, due to the women's basketball final four championship being played there the exact day we were intending to stop.  Ken was a champ driving all the way from Panama City Beach to San Antonio, with a quick little nap along the way.  

Neither of us had visited San Antonio before, so we decided it would be a good place to "set up camp" for the night. By the advice of a good friend, and handy little app, we got a sweet deal on a fancy hotel room...right on the river!  Score!

Hotel Havana.  A quaint, inviting place.  It had a bit of New Orleans charm, yet its own uniqueness.  As I mentioned, it was located on the river, but not in the heart of the Riverwalk.  We were able to wander around and explore, and still be on the outskirts of the chaos of the city.

Before checking in, we visited several Missions on the trail, that lead us to the Alamo.  They were all beautiful and unique, yet similar.   San Antonio is a fun city that embraces both its past and present.

We got to our hotel early, took advantage of the hot shower and explored a little more...after a nap of course.  The restaurant downstairs fed us well, and even had my favorite...tostones! :)

It was a fabulous place to rest up before hitting the National Parks.

Next stop: Big Bend!

Chinle's amazing blowing dust

I'm sitting in the gas station / laundromat in the town of Chinle, AZ...just outside of Canyon de Chelly. It's 4/16/13, and blowing dirt like I've never seen. We knew the weather forecast was going to be windy, & we've had a few windy days to deal with so far. But a cold front is moving in creating a stream of tornadoes in our path to the north. So, we decided to wait out the storm a little south, where it's not snowing. ;-)

We hadn't showered since Carlsbad's fancy Roadway inn on the morning of 4/13, and we were both feeling ready for a good rinse. The campgrounds in de Chelly have no showers, so we asked the kid in the visitors where to find one. He suggested the aquatic center in town. We sought it out, and it looked to be in the high school complex. Ken checked out the inside, as i was convinced it was just the school's pool, and, turned out, it was also the community pool. Score! $1 showers! Of course this primitive campsite is $10/night, the most we've paid yet to camp. Kinda bummed there's no showers there for that kind of money! :-) we've been spoiled with the most beautiful campsites for free or at least under $5.

We got in just after sunset last night, but not after checking out the most northern overlook of the canyon. Man, it's impressive! Anyhow, we set up camp...by that, I mean Ken set up the tent and we loaded our stuff in it and set up our beds in the car. ;-) its quite comfy that way.

We woke up to some gusts this morning. The weather forecast called for 35mph sustained with gusts on top of that. Right now, with the lack of visibility due to the strong winds, I think they're wrong. It feels stronger than 40 sustained, & it's quite uncomfortable to breathe, see, or anything really. Needless to say, we're gonna miss out on hiking today, and Ken's missing some photo opportunities.

So, we took this opportunity to drive to some overlooks, take showers, and do laundry for the first time on our trip.

Really, I'm feeling like the only way to be comfortable is to wear a burqa, full facial cover.

Panama City Beach Stop

We started out in south Florida, and then headed north. We made our pit stop to unload and reload the car in St Pete and say our goodbyes over Easter dinners...& we can't forget Ken's awesome night of baseball at the Rays game with Uncle Pete, while I spend a super fun day with my mom exploring central Florida. And the day after, we hit the road for real.

Spending 4 years in the Panama City Beach area, I acquired friends that became as close as family. I was thrilled to introduce Ken to everyone at a party at Amvets that turned out just as planned. That same morning, we were able to borrow my fabulously generous friend's canoe to spread some of Rascal's ashes at his favorite spots on Econfina creek. We had a paddle down Holmes creek filled with frolicking of fabulous friends. I'm happy to share the part of Florida that made me fall in love with Florida, even if it is in the "redneck riveria"...can't beat fantastic friends and spring fed creeks. :-)

After spending some quick, yet quality time with friends, we rode off...heading west.

On the road again... :-D

Well, I'm behind on my posts already, oops! But we're on the road!

We decided that since we were already in Florida, why not travel from mile 0 in Key West to mile 0 in Homer?? So we headed south the last week in March. We found a free place to camp in the Keys...crazy, right? ;) we toured Key West and got our fill in 1 day.

Off to the Everglades and away from the people! We rented a canoe, paddled through the mangroves and camped backcountry, Everglades style. It was glorious! We woke up to baby dolphins playing with their breakfast. We saw giant pink birds flying overhead. We saw alligators AND crocodiles! & it was cool and windy enough to keep the bugs at bay.

What a fabulous way to start our trip, and we got back in time for two consecutive Easter dinners with our families & were able to say our goodbyes for now. :)