A great start west. After spending time with family and friends in Florida, I-10 seemed like a fast pace. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana flew by, casino hoping along the way. Linda won enough to pay for fuel and then some! Don’t ask what I won. We ease into San Antonio, Texas and spend a couple of nights at Wal-Mart waiting for Don and Jill to drive down from Austin. Time to stock up on supplies and go into Big Bend National Park. We leave the interstate highway and take old US 90 through Del Rio and Marathon then drop down into the park. the weather is good, cool nights and warm days as we camp out on Grapevine Hills, an isolated area in a remote expansive park. It was nice,with some walks and a hike along the Rio Grande river near the canyon entrance, but the drought has brought out some pesky flies and after 5 days we head back to US 90 and continue west into New Mexico. Low fuel dragged some trash from the tank into the filters and we replace them in Deming, New Mexico, power is back to normal, on into Arizona.
Our first stop in Arizona is south of Wilcox near the Chircahua National Monument. The land of standing up rocks! This isolated mountain range in a grassland valley is a secret stronghold where four ecosystems come together. A fascinating history of Apache Native Americans and pioneer immigrant settlers. Ranger guided talks of the preserved Faraway Ranch bring to life the last 125 years of history. After 3 days here, an easy drive west to Tucson closes out January.
More soon, Skip and Linda
