Adventure 345: Big Bend National Park/Post C

Me and my boy, Steve.

One of the many things I like about my son, Steve, is his kindness. In that way he channels his mother. I must have been channeling both of them when I agreed to tow a distressed camper's trailer to the nearest auto shop ( Terlingua=@70 miles round trip) because his tow vehicle had leaked all eight quarts of oil from its engine. Anyway, we disgarded our plans for the day, and arrived at the campsite of Freddy and Jonie Brookhouse at 8:30 this morning. We hooked their trailer to Frac and towed it to the auto shop in Terilingua. Their car had been towed the previous night, much to the consternation of the local authorities who were quite chagrined at the mess Freddy's oil slick left on the environment (Like I said yesterday. Just wait until the bulldozers arrive to build the wall). Anyway, we spent a nice morning visiting with Freddy and Jonie as we drove across terrain Judy and i wouldn't have otherwise seen. The whole process was quite quick actually because in addition to fixing Freddy's car, the auto shop also replaced the house batteries in Freddy's trailer. The whole staff, which included the spunky parts woman ( I didn't catch her name), Archie, a very knowledgeable owner who said he's retired a few times, Tony, the lead mechanic, and Gabriel, the do everything assistant, warmed my heart. They are the kind of people who reaffirm my faith in the goodness of humanity. The whole process took about five hours, and before we knew it, Judy and I were on the way back to reap the unexpected reward of our good deed. Those of you who follow Gonzaga basketball realize that Coach Few is exceptional. What most casual observers don't realize is that he is an offensive genius. Over his career, he has consistently produced teams that shoot over fifty percent from the field over the entire season. He preaches to his teams to pass up the good shot for the great shot. That's what we fell into today. We had a good campsite. When we took over the campsite Freddy and Jonie had, we fell into a great campsite. In fact, it's the best site in the whole campground. We didn't expect a reward for our kindness, but as we enjoyed the afternoon shade under the covered area just behind our trailer, we were thankful. And then, when Judy spotted the cardinals in the trees and the coyote who walked casually alongside our space, we knew we were indeed fortunate. And maybe the best part is that we get to take advantage of an extra day (Paid for by Freddy) in the park. So, despite the fact that our plans were upset, in reality they were only delayed one day. We'll hike to the hot springs tomorrow morning, enjoy another simply awesome sunset tonight, and otherwise be thankful that life is good, especially today.

 Steve and his bride, Bonnie, are responsible for creating these two excellent humans. Sarah on the left; Emily on the right.

 Just another in the parade of lights show down here in West Texas.

 Here I am hooking Fric up to Freddy's Forester ultralight this morning.

 Freddy's diesel Jeep Cherokee, one of only one hundred thousand made, awaiting the verdict from Tony, the mechanic. Good News! The oil leak was caused by an improper installation of the the oil filter on the last oil change. A new O ring, properly installed and a happy Freddy who  saved mucho $$$$.

 Freddy and Jonie as we left them at the RV park in Terilingua.

 We were the happy campers that took over their site back at the Rio Grande Village. Site 18, a camping spot worthy of our friends, the Ulmens'.

  Judy, spying birds and coyotes from underneath the very welcome shade canopy.