Adventure 343: Big Bend National Park/Post A

Awning out, beers served.

So much for wilderness. Here at the store at the Rio Grande Village, I'm clicking away with a half dozen or so of my internet addicted friends. We're supporting each other with claims of wilderness living. "Ain't it pristine?" goes the call, kind of like a yodel in the middle of a Texas swing song. This place would be truly magnificent if it weren't for the bunches of banned illegal immigrants crouched behind every mesquite bush. I overheard a comment on the way over here from one of them, "Hey Akmud, loan me your green card; it will only take a moment to photo shop my photo in your space." Seriously, this is the seventeenth National Park we've visited,  and the place is awesome. We're nestled in a no power/no water section of the campground. Our site (38) is on the outer ring of the first come/firsts serve part of the campground. It's excellent. Our drive this morning was uneventful, and though this part of Texas is truly desolate, it does have its own beauty. Once again, mostly due to poor research and ridiculous assumptions, we're surprised by the topography. The mountains, both on the American side and the Mexican side are truly awe inspiring. Another thing, this park is huge. It covers over 800,000 acres, which is demonstrated by the fact that after you pass through the entry portal, you still have sixty miles to go before you reach the campground. We look forward to biking. Our plan tomorrow, after an early breakfast, is to drive back twenty miles (uphill) to a junction. From there we'll ride a round trip of twenty or so miles to the new dinosaur bones exhibit and back. The back will be uphill, but my stoker says, "No problem; any seventy year old biker babe could do it." We're glad we came. The weather, which is a recent change, is quite warm. It was almost eighty today. Until two days ago, we've had to unhook the water at night due to freezing temperatures. Since we have no water, that won't be a problem even if it were to get below freezing (which I doubt). I can hardly wait to walk early in the morning so we can see some of the birds Greg Friesen talks about. In all, life is good, especially today.

 Thank the Lord for the reliability of the Japanese automobile.

 In my ignorance, I am surprised by mountains on our Southern border.

 Let alone a sheer cliff to the East. Build the wall. It won't cost much!

 In the interest of decorum, we'll let you guess the contents of these glasses.

The view from our veranda.

Just the kiss of God's sunlight. Let there be peace, or at least a reconsideration of winner take all politics.