Back to Franklin Mountain

After touring two museums, we drove back to this park to read and rest, but Gloria suddenly came up with a new idea (not unusual if you know her).

“Hey, let’s climb up to Aztec Cave,” said she. Boy! Was she in for a surprise. The path was long, precipitous, and rocky. “Gosh, I didn’t think it would take this long!” she puffed, after 45 minutes of uphill rocky climbing. We still had 15 minutes to go (the steepest part). We made it finally, and after we had explored the two-room cave, we heard horns blowing and saw car lights flashing in the parking lot way down below from which we had ascended. “Wow, wonder why are they doing?” we pondered. We soon discovered that it was the park police letting us know that we had better get back down there pronto. The park would be closing at 5:00 p.m. Fortunately, gravity worked, even on a difficult downward slope. We arrived at the parking lot at 4:55. The police strained to smile.

El Paso Archeological Museum

This rather small city museum is one of El Paso’s hidden secrets. The exhibits are interesting and professionally displayed. The outside garden, with walking paths, is rich with unusual desert plantings. Admission here is also free, but it will appeal to all ages.

National Border Patrol Museum

The US Border Patrol has only one national museum. This is a no fee-must see museum located at the base of the Franklin Mountains. Illegal border crossers have many innovative vehicles for making their entry into the US. The "Harley" seen top left is not likely to be envied by the Daytona crowd, but it packs a lot of stuff. The "boat" top right was constructed by using two junk auto hoods. Ah yes, the spirit of innovation! America is still the place people want to be despite our shortcomings.

Hueco Tanks Historical Site

We spent two days touring this unique state park located 30 miles from El Paso. For ecological reasons, only allow 75 people are allowed in the park at one time, so it is good to make reservations. On our first day there, we did some hiking through the highly unusual rocky trails. In addition to the seeing unique formations, we witnessed nimble young mountain climbers negotiating some of the highest mountains in the park. Pictographs left by early inhabitants were interesting and challenging in terms of their meaning.

We had only one problem: there was no card in the digital camera. What to do? It was an easy decision;we would come back. Fortunately, there was a hike scheduled the next day with only a couple of slots still available. A volunteer reserved them for us and said, “No one knows this park better than Heinz, who will be your guide. He has even written a book.” That was enough to kindle our enthusiasm.

The next day, at 9:45 a.m. 18 of us followed Heinz through striking, narrow, rocky passes and over many scenic trails. He seemed to know so much about the plants and their value to the early inhabitants of the park. He also had a unique understanding of the culture of the early people and their interesting drawings that have survived the ages. Heinz got so involved in the trail tour that our hike lasted nearly four hours instead of the projected two and a half. We enjoyed the park so much that we have volunteered to serve as hosts for several weeks next winter.

El Paso Mounain View

This lovely Franklin Mountain Range, whether illuminated by the morning sun or ablaze with color at sunset, is clearly visible from the Fort Bliss RV Park. After getting back to El Paso, we headed to the Franklin Mountians State Park. After hiking some seriously steep trails, we left the park determined to come back later in order to picnic and sit in a shady shelter to read and bask in the warm afternoon breezes. The gate guard encouraged us to also visit another park, Hueco Tanks Historical Site, which we will explore.

Our Family in Virginia

One advantage to our trip home to Virginia was getting to see our oldest daughter, Robin, and her son, Samuel, age 7. We missed her husband, Alejandro, who had already gone to his native Colombia, SA for two weeks to visit family members. Robin and her family continue to live in our home, forward our mail, and take care of a major part of our business. We probably would not be able to be away for 18 months without their watchcare of our home and business.

Samuel loves church spaghetti dinners. The photo above shows him consuming his second helping. He did not miss getting to pose with the G-Flat Trio. When we get to Alaska, it will be Flat Samuel’s turn, and the G-Flats will return to Texas.

A Flight Home to Virginia

Gloria must get checked by her oncologist every four months, so we left our rig at the Ft. Bliss RV Park and flew home for 10 days. Coincidently, Jerry had a cracked tooth; our family dentist quickly recommended extraction. Gloria’s tests were negative, and Jerry lived through his oral surgery. (The cartoon was seen when we toured the dental clinic on the USS Lexington in Corpus, Christi in February.) Two days following the extraction, we drove to Philadelphia for a four-day business conference. The things we learned will be beneficial to our speaking and training business. Philadelphia is a wonderful, historic city that we all know about and usually do not take time to tour. It is on our list for an extended visit in the future; the conference took most of our “touring” time on this trip.

One of the fun things we did while in Virginia was have dinner with our good Airstream friends, Handley and Millie. On that very evening, we took time out from Bridge for them to sign the contract for the sale of their home. They are delighted to be moving to their new retirement home on May 1.

Ft. Bliss, El Paso, TX

We have stayed in many military RV parks; non have more to offer than the Army famcamp at Ft. Bliss. It even has trees on every site, and all buildings are clean and well-maintained. There is 24 hour wi-fi in the clubhouse along with a kitchen, TV, lounge and exercise equipment.

The trolley from El Paso to Juarez, Mexico, is a great bargain; there are quality restaurants in Juarez, and the inexpensive shopping is worth the trip. However, the vendors are a bit aggressive. We did not travel to Juarez on this tour, as we had already done it a few years ago.

Alpine, TX

We stayed only one night in Alpine and did no touring. We highly recommend that area to those who have not been there. Many snowbirds make it their winter home. Our favorite Alpine activities a few years ago included the McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, and the Davis Mountain loop drive. Many of the Buffalo Soldier buildings are still standing at the old fort. The haunting hourly bugle calls and impressive visitor center are well worth the tour. There is a wonderful nearby state
park with campground that will accommodate big rigs.

The G-Flat Trio

We had mentioned the G-Flat Trio back when we were in San Antonio in January. Several years ago a children's class took a trip, but Stanley was ill and could not go with them. The other students missed their classmate, so they made a cut-out of him and called it “Flat Stanley.” They took many pictures of Flat Stanley engaging in different activities during their tour and made a scrapbook of the trip featuring flat symbolic Stanley. When they returned, the real Stanley was thrilled that his friends had taken such an interest in him.

Gloria, a retired teacher, likes the Flat Stanley concept and enjoys doing special things for the grandchildren--especially educational things. She already did a Flat Holden scrapbook in 2004 for one of our grandsons, so on this trip from San Antonio to the State of Washington, the G-Flat Trio, alias Jack, Lucie and Lincoln, will be featured. While in the trailer at Big Bend, Althea loved playing with the G-Flat Trio.

Jerry is sometimes a reluctant participant in the photographing of “the kids,” because Gloria wants them pictured with everyone from the postmaster to a construction worker to the driver of an 18 wheeler. In the top photo, we were assisted by the Border Patrol at the Big Bend exit gate. Jerry agreed that this assignment was certainly more enjoyable than approaching a truck driver or Harley guy.

A Sad Farewell

After four days, it was time for our young travelers to get back on the road and head into Mexico. After exploring that country for several weeks/months, they may settle on a farm in Belize for about a year. They don’t know what they will do after that. Here we have a beautiful, intelligent, caring couple who graduated Summa Cum Laude (Courtney has a masters degree) and who have no plans other than working as farm laborers, learning about a new culture, and living off the land in a third world country. Now where did they get that kind of venturesome spirit? Sometimes we just shake our heads; we are concerned for Althea. At other times, we admire their courage, their
free spirits, their unconcern about material things, and we want to say, "Go for it guys! Live your dream. You have lots of time to get traditional. Just don't forget that we love you."

The Great Arrival

Our visit this time to BBNP was especially exciting for a reason unrelated to geography. Courtney, youngest of our five children, her husband Josh, and daughter, Althea, age four, were to meet us at the park for a few days. We could not wait to see them, as it had been three months since we had had Althea hugs. We were at the park for a couple of days when they finally rolled in in their Vanagon. We camped together at the Rio Grand Village Campground, shared meals, played games, and went on several hikes together. Althea forsook the Vanagon to sleep with Grandma and Grandpa in the Airstream . That seemed to be a win-win for everyone.

Big Bend National Park

At Big Bend National Park (BBNP) one can wade across the narrow, shallow Rio Grand River and be in Mexico. In fact, some Mexican vendors set up their stands along the river and walk their goods across to willing buyers on the US side. We met one who even erected an auxiliary stand on the US side and negotiated the river when he needed to resupply. Jerry has a beautiful, hand painted walking stick to prove it. At $4.00 it was an irresistible bargain. Big Bend is starving for rain, but a few desert flowers and many species of birds find a way to survive. Multiple varieties of cactus thrive here. The mountains with their unusual forms of vegetation seem unaffected by mankind except for a little smog that blows over from Mexico. BBNP is one of the most frequently visited parks in the US. Mexico is working with the US to help preserve the huge area known as the Chisos Basin and Mountain Range on the US side and Maderas Del Carmen on the Mexican side. This symbiotic relationship helps build cooperation in other areas between the two nations.

Del Rio, TX

Both times we have traveled to Big Bend National Park, we have stayed at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio near I-10. Because the base has many amenities, and because Del Rio is an interesting town with lots of shops and restaurants, we call it our maintenance stop. The laundry is free, and the mail pickup point is convenient. Since there is little at Big Bend in the way of supplies, stocking up at the commissary in Del Rio is a priority. Del Rio also has a Wal Mart.

Lake Amistad is a beautiful, nearby, large body of water, and there is a military RV park there. There are also several parks for civilian tourists along this huge manmade lake. The downside is that it can be cold and windy during the winter months when we like being in South Texas.

Zapata, TX

We arrived in Zapata a couple of days ago looking for Pastor Raul and the new Baptist church he and his congregation are building. We had met him at a Baptist meeting while we were in Kingsville. The new church is a large metal building nearing completion. We had initially planned to help with the painting, but Pastor Raul had rented a special sprayer and the most of the painting was completed by the time we arrived. Wearing his jeans and checked shirt, he was laboring to get the church completed beside two other visiting pastors and a couple of volunteers. He gave us directions to our campground said that he and his wife, Amelia, would pick us up for dinner.

That evening, we drove across the border to a small town, Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, to a delightful restaurant. The food was delicious, plentiful, and inexpensive. We had time to get to know each other and learn more about the Christian work, not only in Zapata, but in the mission in Mier, Mexico. After dinner, we met the missionary caring for the Mier church. He gave us a tour of the church’s sanctuary, Sunday school rooms, nursery (see photo) and fellowship area. We felt blessed being with Pastor Raul and Amelia, and with the gentle missionary. After leaving Mier, it was late, and the gate we had driven through to cross the border was now closed. We drove farther east to Ciudad Miguel Aleman and crossed to Roma, Texas. We bid our hosts good night at our trailer and tumbled into bed with thanksgiving for a wonderful evening.

We Missed the Parrots

We were parked at Honeydale RV Park in Brownsville. It is unique in that Green Parrots visit here frequently but we missed them. We only had two days in the area; we left early in the morning and returned after dark both nights. We did visit the Sabal Palm Sanctuary. This 527 acre sanctuary preserves the largest remaining stand of Texas Sabal Palm forest in the US. The sanctuary is owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. It has a wide variety of plant life as well as tropical migratory birds and many colorful butterflies. We also saw a lovely old mansion with a rich history that seemed to be sitting out there in the middle of nowhere.

Port Isabel

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We drove out to Port Isabel on Hwy 100 on the tip of the Texas Gulf Coast to see the historic Port Isabel Lighthouse. It enjoys a prominent position at the base of the Queen Isabella Bridge. We gazed at the lighthouse, laughing as children rolled down the grassy hill on which it stood. A gentleman in the gift shop suggested that we visit South Padre Island just across the Queen Isabella Bridge. We also scouted out a beautiful RV Resort, where we discovered an abandoned Airstream seemingly awaiting to board the next ship. The park office staff said the owner had purchased the Airstream and planned to restore it. However, it has been neglected for the past several years, and the inside is gutted. If you are interested in a long term project, you might get this one for a bargain price.