Apr 1, 2015 Seminole Canyon, TX

April 1  Seminole Canyon

Surrounded by clouds this morning and very humid....not what we expected!  We are told later that the formation of Armistad Reservoir has increased humidity in the area.  63 degrees.  I went for a walk to a nearby small canyon while Greg did his shoulder PT.

 Found some claret cup cacti that were blooming.

And lots of new growth on the prickly pears.

 We had cereal for breakfast and then drove over to the Park Headquarters and signed up for a 10:00 AM guided tour to the Fate Bell shelter where we will see cave paintings.

The Headquarters had a nice display on area history including ranching, cattle, the Black Seminole Indians (after whom the canyon was named), etc.  Outside is a bronze sculpture of a figure similar to one seen in an area cave painting.

Our guide began by explaining that during the Ice Age this area was quite lush, with mammoths, ancient camels, saber tooth cats and other huge animals.  Over the next few thousand years it began to dry up and the large grazing animals died or moved on, leaving the smaller deer, rabbits, javelina, etc. that still exist here today. And exposing limestone which has changed over time.  In some places it is almost honeycombed.

 En route to the Fate Bell Shelter, she showed us several plants that are used for food, fiber, soap, etc.

We climbed some steep stairs down into the canyon and then walked about a mile to the Shelter Annex - a cave near the larger one that had a few paintings.  This one they believe is a panther.

(OK, use your imagination).
Then we walked to the larger Fate Bell Shelter to see the best paintings.
  Unfortunately,  some of the paintings are quite faded and some are covered by dust and debris but it is fascinating to try to fathom the minds of those who created these drawings.

 They have yet to find any type of Rosetta Stone to help unlock the meaning of some of the drawings, though some look like ceremonies, animals and weaponry.  They are loathe to move much material for fear of damaging what they do have access to now and are still trying to figure out how to clean things without damaging them.  Amazing that some of the paintings have lasted 4,000 years. It was probably a long process of trial and error and the most preserved paint shows traces of several minerals, cactus juice and bone marrow. Few items have been recovered except for pieces of matting and stone tools and arrowheads. This was our favorite:

The canyon has some standing water but this canyon is not formed from a river or other body of water, but from flash floods.  It is not uncommon for the area to receive up to 20" of rain in one day, and the rocky terrain does not absorb it well.  All over the area are dry beds which can quickly become raging rivers.

By noon, when we return, the sun is blazing and temperature has risen to 78 degrees.

We leave Seminole Canyon and head west.  We are very close to the Texas/Mexico border and see quite a few border patrol vehicles.  We pass the Pecos River which looks quite wide at the moment but is pretty shallow,

then Eagle Pass Creek which has some beautiful cliffs and canyon walls.

Next stop is The Jersey Lily, an establishment set up by Judge Roy Bean in the late 1800's which served as residence, saloon, courthouse and who knows what else!   He was, in effect, the law west of the Pecos river, though he did sometimes consult a book of Texas statutes. There are a few buildings and a lovely cactus garden.

  There are quite a few wildflowers along the highways as we continue west and then north - yellow, purple, white, etc.  

 We stop for the night at a small town named Van Horn, intending to boon dock at a Pilot Stop, but we go down the road a bit to use the Wifi at McDonalds and find they have a very large parking lot so ask and receive permission to park there for the night.  Greg does some PT while I do day 1 of the blog.  They close at 11:00 and the night passes quietly, cooling to a pleasant 60ish.

MARCH 31, 2015 SOUTHWEST TO NORTHWEST TRIP, AZ, CA, OR, WA, Vancouver, more

Southwest to Northwest
March 31, 2015

Left Houston about 8:00 this morning, with first stop being lunch with Matt in Austin.  The wildflowers are in full bloom - bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush and lots of others, yellows and whites, and we made a few stops to enjoy them around Brenham.

Arrived at Matt's shortly after 11:30 and he invited us in to see his new deejay equipment. Quite a complex machine and he demonstrated many of the features.

Then we headed to Sap's Thai Restaurant for lunch.  Colorful ceiling lined with umbrellas.  They were also selling some Thai jewelry and other items that we recall seeing in the markets at ChiangMai.   Greg had a curry, I had pineapple fried rice and Matt had a noodle & chicken dish.  Large portions and tasty food!  Matt is looking good, going to the gym regularly and eating healthier.

We said our good-byes and headed west on I-90 which was quite congested for the first hour or so and then got more into country and small towns.  Went by the LBJ ranch and through Fredericksburg both of which we've been to and both of which looked pretty busy.  Fredericksburg is a German enclave which has grown into quite a tourist attraction with shops, vineyards, restaurants, etc.

We passed many goat farms (Like Dream Kids), cattle, bison, and many exotic game ranches with ibis, axis, fallow and other kinds of deer, antelope, etc. some of which were visible from the road.  Some of the ranches also featured private bird hunting - we assume quail?? though we did see a few wild turkeys along the way.  Lots of sheep as we got closer to Del Rio.

The countryside is dry and rocky, with more hills as we get closer to our destination.  We pass Armistad Lake/Reservoir which a huge lake that straddles the border. The further we get from Matt's the fewer cedar and evergreens we see and more yellow bushes which we learn are flowering black acacias.  They are everywhere and a scourge to those with allergies we learn.  But beautiful.

Long drive to Seminole Canyon, which is near the border with Mexico.  We pass one check point but are waved through after a few questions, like if we were citizens and whether we had any prescription drugs with us. They did have dogs sniffing all the vehicles.

 Still quite a few wildflowers along the road which we later found are prolific due to recent rains.  When we reach the state park at Seminole Canyon, the office is closed so we self-register and find a nice primitive campsite.

  I am scrambling around, exploring the area around the campsite, wondering at the proliferation of varieties of wildflowers when I notice a sign, blank from the rear.  I walk around to see what it says.

 Yikes!  I am hoping it is still a little cool for them to be out and about!

Pineapple fried rice (from lunch) for dinner, we read a bit, look at a few photos and call it a night.  The weather is great - probably near 60 and we get a good night's sleep with the windows open.  No hookups are no problem!  Only one other big rig in our camping area and they are far enough away that we don't notice each other.

JAN 28-30, 2015 QUICK TRIP TO TX COAST

January 28, 2015

First trip of the new year, now that we have gotten the generator repaired and the weather has finally decided to give us a break with sunshine and no rain.  We went to the gym this morning and then waited for a phone call from Dr. George's office before heading south towards Matagorda Bay.

It was nearly 5 PM when we arrived at the small park which allows 24 hour parking.  Still a lovely day and barely any wind made a long walk on the beach pleasant.  Spoke with a few fishermen on the pier and enjoyed the sun and surf.  Not many shells today, as the water is fairly calm.

 Beautiful grasses on the dunes, lit by a golden light.

 Finished our walk as the sun set.

Had sandwiches and chips with humus for a light dinner.  Quiet night with just the surf, a bright moon and quite a few stars.  Temps dropped but only to 40ish and we were comfortable with just a few covers.

January 29

Rose early and walked the beach.  We found hundreds of little mounds covering the area where the tide had gone out. Some textured, some smooth, and when the surf covered one you could see sand and water being spewed back out of the hole. We found out later that these are made by "ghost shrimp".  These are popular as bait and there is apparently a tool which you can insert into the hole and suck out the shrimp, which are an inch or two in size.

Continued our walk, on beach and amid the dunes.  Heavy dew on most of the plants.  Many grasses and a few brave flowers.

Some early morning fishermen arrived before the sun.

The waves and tide created many interesting textures.

 and the birds added some interesting tracks too.

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast, then we headed further south to Aransas Pass Wildlife Refuge, passing Copano Bay, the nuclear plant at Port Lavaca, several chemical plants and lots of open prarie-type land.  Flatter than flat.

Have seen quite a few predator birds including a pair of bald eagles, some osprey and various hawks. Also some geese and sandhill cranes in the fields, which will later hold  mostly cotton, rice and corn.

This turkey vulture posed for us in the refuge.

As did this gator who was no doubt enjoying the warm sunshine.  We saw lots of  birds in the refuge only a few of which we could identify as Kingfisher, egrets, great blue heron,  cardinal, vultures,  and geese. Birders flock here - sorry - to see the Whooping Cranes but most of the time you need to take a boat to get to them.   Many small songbirds flitting about, as well as a few deer.  We were there at mid-day, which isn't the best time to see animals.  The ranger there did tell us they had several confirmed sightings of  mountain lion recently!  In the past we have seen javelina, armadillos and a bobcat.

Next stop was Goose Island State Park near Rockport.  We've stayed here a few times and it was very busy today with the recent good weather.  We found a campsite in the wooded area, since the waterfront was filled, and drove down to the waterfront.

brown pelicans 

Near the boat dock there were quite a few brown pelicans and white pelicans.  A boat arrived with a few fishermen, and as they cleaned their catch, the pelicans and gulls were everywhere, waiting for handouts.  There was some sparring and fighting over pieces, but once the pelican had it in his pouch he was left alone.

The fishermen had a nice catch of redfish and sea trout, and after talking with them for a while, they brought us a bag of fresh redfish filets.  They told us most of the restaurants will cook your catch for you!  Can't get any fresher than this!  Greg was in awe of their boat, which was 660HP and reaches 70mph on the water!

We stashed the fish in the fridge, and continued walking the fishing pier area. What a gorgeous day!

 

 Then headed back to the campsite for showers.  We decided on Charlotte Plummers in Fulton for dinner.  They have been here a long time and have a good reputation as nice, good food and not terribly expensive.   They actually have a BYOF (Bring your own fish) item on the menu, so we had them grill our redfish and enjoyed salad, veggies and potatoes too.  YUM.  The restaurant  is right on the water and we had a table by the window upstairs.

Before dinner

After dinner 

Met some folks at a neighboring table who are from the Seattle area and offered to show us around if we make it up that way.  There was also a camera crew from the local TV Daytripper show filming in the restaurant and around town.  They interviewed the folks at the next table.

Drove back along the water. Plugged in and enjoyed a quiet evening.

January 30

Another nice day, but we spent most of it heading home.  Arrived around 2:00 and took care of some phone calls, bill payments, etc. for us and for Chap.  On the news tonight they are predicting cold (30's-40's) weather and more rain beginning tomorrow night, so our few days were a perfect get-away!