Big Bend National Park, Texas

Driving west from Del Rio, we arrived at Marathon, Texas around 3:00 PM on Tuesday, May 4th. Because we would be “dry camping” (no hookups) in Big Bend, we planned on running the on-board generator and so we gassed up the Trek before turning onto highway 385 and heading south into the park. The generator runs off the same gas as the Trek engine.

I saw two gas stations in Marathon and they were both selling Regular Unleaded for $3.35 a gallon… yikes! Well, at least the man working at the gas station was nice. In fact, he was very friendly and helpful.

The 75-mile drive from Marathon to the Rio Grande Village campground in the Big Bend National Park took almost two hours, but it is certainly a gorgeous drive! The scenery is breath-taking and also a little intimidating: this is not an area you would want to find yourself in alone and without water. Big Bend is made up of almost 1 million acres of land that includes mountain, desert, and river environments. You could spend a week here and just scratch the surface. This area is also still very “wild”, offering a wide array of geological formations, many varieties of desert flora, and wild life ranging from mountain lions, to coyotes, to javalinas (peccaries), to rabbits, to snakes… well, you get the picture.

Although we had already pretty much decided to camp in the Rio Grande campground rather than the RV park a short distance away, we swung over there first to check it out. Sure enough, the Rio Grande RV Park in Big Bend is essentially an asphalt parking lot with hook ups. This is really not our thing and so we went on to the Rio Grande campground. The temperature was around 85 degrees when we arrived around 5:00 PM. Not too bad, we thought.

We found a site with some shade trees and spent that first evening relaxing after all the driving. The next morning, we got up pretty early and walked the dogs around. It was still quite chilly in the morning from the cool of the desert night. And this was when we saw our very first Roadrunner! Right there in the campground! We were so excited and I took several photos. It’s funny to think about that now because we have since seen innumerable Roadrunners and realize that they are about as common in this desert region as gray squirrels are in Tennessee!

We also spotted a turkey vulture sitting on a campsite grill with his wings half extended, closely watching two men who were eating breakfast. It was a funny scene and I wish I had the camera. I said something to one of the men and he said, “Oh, he’s our best buddy now that he knows how good we cook.” As we walked around, we saw lots of turkey vultures around the campground. I guess they are Big Bend’s equivalent of seagulls.

National and State parks do not allow pets on the trails and Big Bend is no exception. So we left Barley and Sydney in the RV while we walked around on some of the trails near the campground. It was late morning by the time we went over to the day area and then down to the Rio Grande River itself. The day area was under a couple feet of water – we think this was planned flooding for irrigation purposes, to help the cottonwood trees thrive to maintain some shade for visitors. We spotted lots of Vermilion Flycatchers and saw some humongous Ravens.

The Rio Grande River was surprisingly narrow: the water level is low this time of year and the river (at least where we stood) was only around 50 feet across. In the rainy season, July-August, the river expands and rages but the day we stood there in early May, only a narrow strip of brown, lazy water separated us from our neighbors in Mexico.

While we were exploring around, we came across some handmade articles left alongside a trail with a note listing prices and a jar in which to place your money. These items are left by Mexicans who come across the Rio Grande at night and leave them at different spots for tourists to buy on the honor system. Then they come back at night and get the money. The prices are good and the items are attractive but it’s illegal to purchase these items and the border patrol is very serious about enforcing the law. We did not buy anything.

By the time we returned to the campground, it was around noon and getting warmer. By mid afternoon it was close to 100 degrees and still climbing. We were very glad to have the air conditioning in the RV (understatement) and decided to lay low until an hour or so before sunset to take a scooter ride over to the Boquillas Canyon overlook - it would be cooler then and much more pleasant to ride around.

And so we did, and it was a lot of fun! The scenery at the Boquillas Canyon overlook was gorgeous and a kind lady there took our photo.  I refused to remove my helmet because of "helmet hair"  syndrome.  We saw more Mexican souvenirs and spotted a horse and man in the shade across the Rio Grande River. We were both hoping and fearing to see a mountain lion - it would have been perfect to have spotted one at a safe distance. Oh well, we didn’t see a mountain lion but we did see a coyote lounging along the side of the road about a mile from the campground. This guy was almost twice the size of the ones we have in Tennessee – he was about Barley’s size, looked very well fed, and had a fine coat. We were within 15 feet of him. He looked right at us, did not bother to adjust his speed, and just kept going. Apparently the exploding bunny population at Big Bend is resulting in some very happy coyotes!

The next morning (Thursday), we got up around 6:30 and left the campsite by 7:15 AM to ride up to Panther junction with stops along the way. As we rode, we were very glad to have on our fleece jackets – it was downright chilly in some spots and at least cool in the others. It was a beautiful ride, with the early morning light casting a different look on the countryside and the coolness a welcome relief from the heat.

I spoke with a ranger at the Panther Junction visitor's center and he said that, in his opinion, the best time to visit Big Bend in November. I agree with him when he said that visiting between mid April and end of September was not a good idea... too darn hot!

We were gone a total of two hours and had left the dogs loose in the RV.  We have crates for them, but hate to cage the dogs up for short periods of time.  We've left them loose before, but only for around an hour, so this was stretching it a bit.  Well... they were mostly good.  But someone (probably Barley) must have become bored and turned his attention to one of the sofa cushions.  Too bad, but stuff happens!  We'll put the cushions away next time and leave dog toys out for them. 

Yes, the heat at Big Bend this time of year is immobilizing - by early afternoon after our scooter ride,  it was again too hot to do anything outside. Instead of sitting in the Trek with the air conditioning blasting, we decided around 3:30 PM to leave half a day early and head towards our next stop: Carlsbad, New Mexico.  So that is exactly what we did!

I would definitely return to Big Bend again... I feel we barely scratched the surface of this magnificent park.  But my next visit will be in November, when the temperature is more bearable.

Click here to see our Big Bend photos, and stay tuned for more about our travels!

Townsend, Tennessee

Our stay in Townsend has been very nice - we've used these past few days to relax and catch our breath and verify that all systems are "go".  Chip and Carolyn visited this evening for an early dinner and to pick up my Mazda Tribute... from this point on, we do not have a car - just the Trek and the scooter.  From time to time during our Great RV Escape, we'll rent a car if needed.

Finally, Lynda rode on the back of the Tank and she did great!  We buzzed around Townsend and then scootered over to the Cades Cove riding stable (which is actually located in Townsend).  We took a horse back ride up to nearby waterfalls and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. 

We also took a drive along the scenic Foothills Parkway, and Barley and Sydney came with us.  Truly, East Tennessee is a beautiful area and she is at her absolute finest in the spring! 

We've been staying at the Mountaineer campground which is very nice... fairly small but with good amenities and very helpful owners. Highly recommended!

Except for a little trouble with the RV awning, which was easily sorted out, the Trek and her systems are working great and we are ready to hit the road tomorrow!  First major stop will be Houston, Texas to spend some time with family and friends. 

Click here to view more photos, and stay tuned for more about our travels!

Travel Notes: Thanksgiving in Nashville

Once we had the Safari Trek, we started thinking about where to take it for a trial run. It was now November and we didn’t have any plans for Thanksgiving and neither did Judi and Gary. So we decided to take our RVs (Judi and Gary also have a coach) and go to a campground that does a Thanksgiving banquet (not your traditional way to spend Thanksgiving - I would truly miss cooking a turkey but we were so looking forward to going somewhere and testing out the new toy).

Gary found a state park in Georgia that did a Turkey Day banquet, but by the time we called to make our reservations, they were booked up. I looked a little further and found a KOA in Nashville that was planning Thanksgiving Dinner for their guests. This would actually be better as Judi and Gary’s younger daughter, Teela was attending Watkins College in Nashville and would likely be able to join us for dinner.

So we made our reservations, loaded up the RVs with Consuelo, me, Sydney and Barley in the Trek , Judi and Gary and their two dogs , Vanna and Izzy, in their Monaco. We left Lenoir City on Wednesday afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving. Consuelo was quite nervous since this was her first time driving without her mentor Gary in the passenger seat. We made it safely to Nashville and I wasn’t at all nervous about Consuelo’s driving and I thankfully didn’t feel any motion sickness – something I suffer from in a regular passenger vehicle.

The dogs loved riding in the Trek much better than riding in a car – all that windshield! Unfortunately, they have no concept of “your head is blocking the mirror” (Barley’s got a big ol’ head). Sydney got quite spoiled on this trip, we put a blanket on the couch and she rode in luxury with her chin propped up on the arm rest. But we’ve decided not to allow this on future trips – it would be too confusing for her to ride on the couch and then not be allowed on the couch when we stop at night.

So we made it into Nashville without hitch, although we ran into some traffic and spent about a half hour creeping along at 5 mph. Consuelo turned on the CB radio and we got our first introduction to the truckers’ world – pretty colorful stuff! From the truckers, we learned there had been a bad accident, reminding us how quickly things can go wrong on the interstate and again making us thankful for the life we have - we realized that for one family there would be less to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day.

We finally made it into the Nashville KOA where Judi and Gary were anxiously awaiting our arrival… thank goodness for the cell phones, as Judi and Gary called us frequently to ask “what mile marker are you at?” so they weren’t too terribly worried.

The KOA campground was very nice with large pull-through sites (meaning Consuelo wouldn’t have to back the Trek into our site – backing is one of her fears). When we checked in, a guy in bright yellow pick-up truck led us right to our site (no meandering around trying to find our site). Judi had made the reservations for two sites next to each other with a nice patio area.

The campground also had a dog park where we took the dogs a couple time each day, and we learned that Vanna and Barley really like each other. Sydney was extremely jealous! The dogs had a great time playing in the park and of course we took them for walks around the campground. One thing about camping with dogs is dog poop - you need to always have a plastic bag in your pocket and be ready and willing to clean up after your dog - dogs have notoriously bad judgment on where to place these gifts. Consuelo has a squeamish stomach about such things, so this was usually my job. No big deal, I used to scoop dog poop for a living when I worked at a kennel.

The Thanksgiving dinner served by the campground staff was wonderful. They provided turkey, ham. dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans and asked all the guests to bring a side dish or dessert. I brought a crock pot with baked onions (which seems to be a New England thing, no one here in East Tennessee has ever heard of them) and Judi brought a sweet potato casserole. Teela was able to join us and so did Judi and Gary’s older daughter, Amber, who drove in from Knoxville. So we had six at our table and it felt like family to all of us.

Since Judi and Gary used to live and work in Nashville, they wanted to show us around to see some of the sights. We went to see the Christmas lights at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel - absolutely stunning! They had a nativity scene out front with life-size figures, all completely in white and lit up beautifully. Inside the hotel, they have huge indoor atriums with rivers and a wide variety of plants. It was most enjoyable walking through these areas.

We also went to President Andrew Jackson’s homestead, The Hermitage. It’s so wonderful to get in touch with the past of this great country and, as Consuelo pointed out, in many countries, even if they have their history preserved, they may not have it open for the citizens to go in and walk around. We stood just a few feet from Jackson’s tomb.

As the last outing of our Thanksgiving weekend, Judi and Gary took us to the restaurant where they used to work - Gary as kitchen manager and Judi as a bartender – the Cock of the Walk on Music Valley Drive. We enjoyed eating great fried chicken tenders and catfish and watching the wait-staff flipping corn bread in cast iron skillets.

Our Nashville Thanksgiving trip was a huge success – a great shakedown. While there, we borrowed a short length of coax cable from Gary so we could hook into the campground’s cable TV, only to discover a bunch of coax stashed in by the fresh water tank when we got home! A gift left by the Trek’s previous owner.