Moving on to Bowie, Arizona

For the next few days, we'll be boondocking in Indian Bread Rocks. Amazing rock formations. 

From a top one of the rock mountains. 

This is our backdrop. 

Enjoyed spending some time with our “next door neighbor,” Connie and Tom and Rider. Lenny and Rider played together some. 

Went exploring to Chirachua National Monument and Bonita Canyon. These rock formations seemed to be precariously situated. Kept waiting for one to fall. 

In the exhibit we visited, I learned that Cochise lived in the Dragoon Mountains in this area and was buried here. 

Since this is a National Monument, I got a stamp for my Travel Passport book. 

On our way back to the RV, we stopped at Fort Bowie. This fort protected the Apache Pass which was traveled by immigrants and mail carriers. Another stamp for my Passport book!  

Since there isn’t any ambient light around here, the night skit lights up beautifully. 

Time in Las Cruces

Our 3 days at Siesta RV Park gave us what we needed - time to watch and listen to the BIGTEN Wrestling Championship. The Internet wasn’t as strong as we had hoped but we did get to watch Saturday’s matches. On Sunday, in between listening to Jeff Byers on Penn State radio and some watching on TV, we did mundane grocery shopping and laundry. All necessary evils!  Since it was very windy we didn’t mind staying inside and Jeff’s Byers is always so entertaining and enlightening. 

Although we came in second in the championship, it was a great tournament. Boys were talented and fought hard. 

Only pic I took all day. 

As we are leaving, we filled up with gas propane and. New tire for the car. Hope we’re good for awhile!  

Headed to Las Cruces, NM

Headed out of Marathon, TX, towards Las Cruces, NM,  the terrain is about the same dry, dusty with desert plants 

Saw this plant as we were barreling along. Don’t know what it is. Looks like cotton but haven’t seen cotton fields. 

For those of you wondering how we roll …

The Texas rest stops have interesting structures. 

Arrived at our campground for the next 3 days. Not our typical type because we prefer boondocking or COE campgrounds but we need high speed Internet to watch the Big Ten Campionships. 

Before sessions start today, we took a nice hike to the historic town of Mesilla. Our campground is only .75 miles away from the plaza. The town has beautiful Spanish architecture with some buildings dating back to the 1800s. 

The Plaza and Catholic Church. 

Took the ditch track back to the campground along a nut orchard. 

Also found a nice quilt shop with southwestern fabric. YaY!!

Now we’re are set up to watch some good wrestling. Let’s hope the Internet holds up. 

Between session 1 and 2, we took a hike along the foothills of Organ mountain. Hiked through Yucca trees, and several types of cacti. Great weather, a little breeze and 70 degrees. 

Back to the RV to watch Session 2. Go PSU. 

Exploring Big Bend

Up early for a walk to “town” before driving through Big Bend most of the day. 

Photos of the landscape as we drove into the park. 

Very rugged and harsh terrain. 

We stopped by the Rio Grande and saw a road runner scurrying across the road. 

Lenny put his nose in the Rio Grande. I thought it would be larger here but with the dry climate, a lot of the water is used for irrigation. 

Next, we decided to do a little (13 miles) off-roading on the Old Maverick Road to visit the Terlingua Ghost Town. 

Not sure if these are Joshua Trees or a variant of the Yucca but I enjoyed seeing them. After the off-road drive we came to Terlingua. 

A little history: In the mid-1880s, a discovery was made in the Chisos Mountains that would change the fate of the area: mercury, also known as quicksilver, was prominent, and mines were quickly built.

After WWII, Terlingua’s population declined so sharply that it became a ghost town.Tourism has revived the town. 

There was even a quilt store where ladies came to make and sell quilts. Not much fabric but it was nice to see the quilts. 

Back at the RV, we decided walk to town to have Texas BBQ and Brew since this is our last night in Texas. 

Headed to explore Big Bend, TX

A beautiful start to our day 

Packed up and on the road to our next adventure. Staying at Marathon RV Park but no hookups, dry camping. This photo will give you an idea of how dry it is here. 

Driving west on route 90, the gray line on our GPS shows us how close the border we are   

I guess yucca can grow anywhere. 

Stopped at Judge Roy Bean Museum in Langtry along the way. Self-appointed Judge, Bean was known as the hangingest judge west of the Pecos. His museum says he never hanged anyone though.

This is a Jersey Lilly saloon and where he held court along the Rio Grande. 


The bar inside. 

He built this and called it an opera house, hoping to lure the famous Lilly Langtry to come and sing. They never met though. This is where he lived until his death in 1903. 

As we continue west on Route 90, the terrain hets rockier and mountainous.  

To explore Big Bens, we are staying at Marathon RV Park for $15a night. Little town with a Spanish influence. This is the entrance to the RV Park and their common area. Very welcoming. 

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We drove into Big Bend to the Visitors Center to get my Travel Passport stamped. 

The VC had a very nice desert garden. Will be gorgeous when it starts to bloom. 

Stopped at the Fossil Exploring Exhibit. At the Fossil Discovery Exhibit visitors can experience the changes to Big Bend’s plants and animals, and the world they lived in, through 130 million years of geologic time.  Specimens from Big Bend’s remarkable fossil record and full-color artwork help to illustrate the fascinating story of Big Bend’s ancient life. To read more: https://fossildiscoveryexhibit.com. 

Back at the RV, the sun sets for another night. This area is known for their “night skies”   People come from all over to view our galaxy because there isn’t any ambient light. We were not allowed to have any outside lights. Telescopes were  set up and lots to view. It was a good night for it. 

Tomorrow more of Big Bend. 

Amistad Recreational Area, Del Rio

Our morning started with a nice sunrise, right outside the camper. 

After breakfast, we spent the morning checking out the Visitor Center and hiking in the Amistad Recreational Area. The Visitor Center has a very well done educational center. In Spanish, Amistad means friendship. The area was created in 1969 in cooperation between Mexico and the US. 

Beautiful area to boat or kayak. Photos from one of the hikes we took. 

I liked the heart in the pear cactus. 

For the afternoon, we sat outside in the warm sun with a nice breeze blowing reading and planning our next adventure to Big Bend National Park. 

Dinner tonight is from the BBQ Pit in Del Rio and watching the sun go down. Very restful day with a nice sunset