It was cool this morning with a breeze. The wind came up this afternoon when a cold front came through and the wind really cut.
We had the carpet cleaned this morning and it really looks nice. This is the only guy that cleans RV carpets that any one knows of. He is based in Deming but travels the country and works where ever he is. There always seems to be someone that calls needing their carpet cleaned.
The photo is of Elephant Butte Lake and marina. The water level appears to be down 10 to 15 feet from normal pool. Evelyn was here many years ago and the RV park was terraced up from the water. Today that is all residential and business property and the RV parks are up high and away from the water. Seems as this town has grown like most towns over the past 40 years or so.
We decided to take a drive and went down to Truth or Consequences, more commonly known as "TorC". We found gas at $2.15 which is considerably less than here at $2.39. We decided to go west on highway 52 out across the mountains to a little town of Winston and then north toward Dusty and then to Socorro. The drive to Winston was beautiful over mountains and through a large basin and up the other side. The road was a good blacktop but lots of short turns and a few switchbacks. There was very little indication of any ranches, only a mailbox or two along the road with a dirt road leading off into the hills. The road soon turned to gravel but it was smooth and not very washboard. We saw a ranch house up around the bend that looked to be way back off the road. We crossed another cattle gate and there was a sign "slow down as you pass the house" and sure enough the house was right on the gravel road. There was some out buildings, some horses and a few cows in a corral. As we passed the house and across another cattle gate I noticed that the rear of the van was very unstable. I stopped and asked Evelyn to get out and see which rear tire was flat. Sure enough it was the right rear. There we were out in the middle of nowhere with a flat. I started backing up the road toward the ranch house. It was probably a quarter mile or more away. I took it slowly and we finally got back to the drive and pulled in beside an old pick up. Out the door came a young man and a girl and he came to the window and I said "We have a problem". He said, I noticed and we will have that changed in a jiffy. He opened the door of the truck and pulled out a big hydraulic jack and a tire tool and proceeded to change the tire. Evelyn and the girl got the spare out and we were back on our way in about 20 minutes. He said that they have a flat every few days and even had one yesterday and they always carry 2 spares with them. They suggested we return the way we came and not go further as the road got even worse before you got to Socorro. We went back the way we had come and really enjoyed the trip as the mountains looked much different from the other direction and the sun was getting low in the west and the shadows really enhanced the terrain. We were discussing the situation on the way back and found it interesting that we had a flat close to the only ranch that we had seen for many miles and it was right on the road we were traveling. Isn't God good to see that things work out, even due to the fact that I knew I needed new rear tires but had just neglected to get them. It was his message to me that I need to get that done and I will as soon as we get to Deming tomorrow. Our friend the carpet cleaner even has a friend in Deming that has a tire shop that does really good work. So we are thanking God for his blessings and taking care of those that do not always do as they know they should.
It is off to Deming tomorrow to the Dream Catcher SKP park for a week or so.

We left Las Cruces about 10:30 and stopped at Sams Club for gas. A reasonable price of $2.25 a little less than other stations in the area. We had seen it as low as $2.15 but were unable to get to it as it was on the other side of the road and no crossovers close. We found a pull off with this interesting marker showing the points of interest in the area. We were north bound on I25 toward Elephant Butte, NM. We had wanted to have our carpet cleaned and we saw a 5th while in Deming last February that advertised carpet cleaning, but we failed to do anything at that time. However, we did find their ad in the Escapees magazine and called them. They were in Elephant Butte and would be there for some time so we changed our route and headed that way. Surprisingly when we arrived at the campground they parked us two spaces away from the Isbell's, the carpet cleaners. We talked with them and they will clean our carpet in the morning and then we can be on our way to Deming on Friday morning and will be there for a week and then head west toward Arizona and warmer weather.
It was really cool last night, in the upper 30's and they are expecting around freezing tonight, so it will be nice to get where it is warmer. We are over 4500' here in Elephant Butte, NM so that is to be expected at this altitude. We plan to take a short road trip on some of the scenic roads in the area tomorrow.

The photo is of another sculpture in Artesia. This is one of the most interesting small towns I have seen for some time.
We left The Ranch at Lakewood about 11am and headed north through Artesia and on to Roswell. We really wanted to go to Alamogordo but there is a pretty steep climb to the town of Cloudcroft and a steep descent toward Alamogordo. We elected to go north and then west on US 70/380 then pick up US 54 south past the White Sands Missilerange to Alamogordo and then US 70 to Las Cruces. There was a 6% grade into Ruidoso Downs but we did not have a problem, just 2nd gear and about 35 to 40 mph in the right lane. Then down the other side and of course into a small town with a 45 mph limit so it is on the brakes to get down to a legal speed. But that is always the way it is, especially on the downhill side of the mountain where you could let it roll for a few miles and save some of the fuel it took to go up the other side.
We are in Las Cruces for the night and not sure which way we will go in the morning. Maybe north to Elephant Butte, near Truth or Consequences, of maybe north to Rd 26 and then to Deming. Will just have to wait and see.

Another cool morning in the New Mexico desert. Lots of sunny clear skies with little breeze. Not a lot going on today at The Ranch. We got our laundry caught up in preparation of our departure tomorrow. We have about everything ready to go except the last minute things.
We went to happy hour and told them we were leaving and where we were going and assured them that we would be back when we were in the area. We have enjoyed or time here as well as the warm welcome by all. This is the second SKP park we have been in and find it much different than the Lone Star Coral in Hondo, TX. We will be staying at the Dream Catcher campground in Deming, NM over Thanksgiving. It will be cool there as well but it should be to enjoy the Thanksgiving season.
Our photo is from Artesia and is a replica of an oil rig from days gone by. It is in a very nice park setting with lots of grass, something you do not see very much of in this area. Mostly sand and desert brush and a few cactus.
We will be heading north to Roswell and then west as there is not a road to the west without very steep grades which we want to avoid as much as possible. We will be near the 9000' but the grades are gradual, they say. We will find out tomorrow. Hopefully we will have Internet available tomorrow and let you know how things are going as well as how cold it is at that altitude.

Cold this morning with the water hose freezing but as soon as the sun came up it was fine. The thermometer said it was 33 degrees when we got up, but probably a bit colder than that at some time.
Not a lot going on here at The Ranch. Did some paper work this morning and tuned into the football games and later the Nascar race. Went to Happy Hour at 4pm and picked up some work orders so I will have something to do in the morning.
The photo is of the oil refinery in Artesia which is probably why they can afford all of the upgrades to the buildings and the sculptures in town. The landscape around is dotted with oil wells. The refinery is in the second block east of the main north/south street and there is only a few businesses east of the refinery apparently due to the odor of the natural gas, etc. Most of the businesses and residential areas are all west of the center of town. The Walmart is on the west edge of town and a couple of blocks north. It appears they bought a full city block and built on the back corner with parking in front and frontage areas on two sides to sell as out lots. Probably make more selling out lots than the property cost originally.
Will try to get things secured tomorrow and ready to move out on Tuesday.

It was a bit cold this morning about 38 degrees. We open up the shades and let the sun in and it warmed up nicely along with the assistance of the heater. With nothing really scheduled for the day we decided to go to Artesia for some groceries. So off to Walmart where gas was $2.36/gal so we will be filling up on our way out of town on Tuesday. We returned in time for a nap and go to happy hour and visit with others that are there. Only poker going on this evening and we are not interested in that, only Bridge or Mexican Train.
The photo is of another sculpture by Vic Payne of a cowboy trying to gain control over a longhorn and it does not appear he is having much luck.
We are making plans for our trip to Deming, NM and we will probably be there, at DreamCatcher, for Thanksgiving. Hopefully there will be room for us as well. IF not we may go to the LOW-Hi park which is an Escapees park just south of town. We can always boon-dock if necessary as we can go two or three days without hookups. We will just have to wait and see how things work out.

Sorry about the photo for yesterday's blog. It got lost in cyberspace or somewhere.

A windy cool day today with wind from the north and west. We took a short trip to Artesia and took some photos of the art work that they have downtown. The downtown area appears to have been completely restored to what I imagine it was some 50 or 75 years ago. The town was founded in 1905 according to the information we found. This is a big oil town and there is a big oil derrick and refinery on the east edge of town, maybe 2 blocks east of the main north/south highway of US285. That is the extent of town on the east side. The old/restored part of town is only a few blocks north and south of Main street, also highway US82 that goes to Cloudcrest and Alamogordo at 9000'. Further away from main street is the residential area with many very nice homes, all appear well cared for and maintained.
The photo is of a sculpture "Trail Boss" by Vic Payne. This is a much larger than life sculpture depicting a cowboy herding longhorn cattle. There are many other sculptures on Main street that are as interesting as this one.
We decided to go east of town on US82 toward Hobbs, but took a side road down through the oil wells to the south. About half of them were pumping and we saw several tanker semis loading crude from large tanks that held the oil being pumped from surrounding wells. Every mile or so we would cross a cattle gate and a fence would go in either direction to maintain the cattle in that section. We did not see any cattle, but saw 3 or 4 that had been hit on the road that apparently had been there for some time. Nice to know you can raise cattle on the range and pump oil at the same time. What a great way to make money. We traveled on south to Illinois Camp. This appears to be only a pumping station for the oil and gas that they accumulate. There were not any homes or indication of civilization other than some well crews drilling a few oil wells and vehicles going up and down the road.
We finally arrived at Carlsbad and toured the town, stopped at Sonic and got a strawberry shake and headed north on US285 to Lakewood and The Ranch.

The morning was bright and sunny and a bit cool but the sun warmed it up nicely. There was a slight breeze but very enjoyable. As I was getting up I noticed that the left rear tire on my chair was quite low. By the time we had finished breakfast it was nearly flat. So I proceeded to transfer to the drivers seat and remove the tube. In checking the inside of the tire I found a small point sticking out. We finally got it out and it appeared to be a thorn, like the ones we encountered in Washington at the HTC rally. I have replaced the tires since then, but I may have found one down here, I do not know. I patched the tube and reassembled the wheel and aired it up to 75psi as indicated on the sidewall. Shortly after lunch I was doing some work and the left rear tire blew out with quite a noise. Apparently I had not seated the inside bead correctly. However, I always carry spare parts with me so I got a new tube and installed it. So far, so good. I gave the chair a good cleaning while I had it upside down.
Our photo is of the town of Lakewood, NM. IT is difficult to see much, there is a rail road crossing, 3 trains since we got here, and the Post Office. I visited the Post Office yesterday and there is a Postal truck setting in front and a sign on the office door stating that the office was closed and all business was being conducted in the truck. There is a little awning on the curb side that goes up for shade and a window where you can leave your mail and pick up your mail. I noticed that the ramp going into the office was quite steep and definitely not up to ADA code. I mentioned this to the clerk in the truck and she said that they knew it was not up to code but the new Post Office probably would be. She stated that she was told that the new office would be done in a month and that was 5 months ago. I can not imagine doing business from that little truck in the heat of the New Mexico desert.
Back at The Ranch, Evelyn cleaned house back to front in between my tire repair projects then we went to happy hour to find out what was going on in the park. We will play Bridge again tomorrow evening, maybe we can get 2 tables again this time. The park is filling up with those that own lots, back for the winter.

It has been a rather slow day here at The Ranch. Some of the members went out to lunch at Artesia. We did some cleaning on the front of the coach, bug accumulation from the trip up from Hondo. I do not know how big the bugs were but they sure made a big splash and after it dries in the sun a few days, you just have to soak them off.
Our photo today is across the drive from the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns showing the vastness of the desert and hills to the east. One can only guess how far you can see before things just blend in with the horizon.
We watched the wildlife a while this morning. The cotton tail rabbits were all around. We could see 4 or 5 at the same time. They are not afraid of people and they will hunker down and act like they are hiding when they are out in the open on the gravel drive. But they will move if you get closer that 5 feet and then only hop a few feet and then watch you. There are a lot of quail around, we must have seen 20 or more mostly all together but others running to catch up to the covey. The only time they will fly is if you walk up on them and surprise them and then they all take off at the same time and make a lot of noise with their flight. We have yet to hear the Coyotes or see one, but they say there are a lot around and make a lot of noise during the night. Probably the reason the cotton tails stay so close to the park and people.
I saw some interesting names for ranches, "More or Less Cattle Ranch" and "DunsBrokeus Ranch". I can understand them both in this area of desert and little vegetation, unless you irrigate and you can not water the whole desert. That is why the cattle run on open range covering several thousand acres.
I heard a cute joke at happy hour this afternoon. I will try to get it correct. "There were two brooms hanging in the closet and they got to talking and actually fell in love and decided to get married. So, on the wedding day the Bride broom was so beautiful in her long wedding dress. The Groom broom was very handsome in his tuxedo. The ceremony was nice and afterward, the Bride broom said to the Groom broom, "I think I am going to have a little whisk broom and the groom broom was astonished and said, how than that be, we have never swept together." One thing to read and another to actually say it and get it right.

We are getting to know some of the people here at the Ranch. They are a lot different than the ones at the Lone Star Corral in Hondo, but very nice. We talked yesterday at happy hour about playing Bridge. They did round up enough for two tables this evening. A lot of fun with new players that bid differently but we finally got used to each others methods and it worked out well. The only problem is that one couple will be leaving in the morning to go back to Kansas for repairs and another will be leaving next week for the Texas valley where it is warmer. We will be leaving probably Tuesday for warmer climates as well toward Las Cruces, NM and on to Deming the following day. Our trip will take us to Alamogordo, NM about 9000' but is a gradual climb. However on the way down is a 10% grade that might be a challenge with our rig. will let you know how it goes. We will probably be staying at the Dream Catcher SKP park, in Deming, for a few days then head toward Arizona.
Our photo is of the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. It has changed a lot since we were hear many years ago but still should be on your must see list when you are in the area.
Today we took a trip to the town of Artesia which is just a few miles north of The Ranch. This is a very nice little town that appears to have been very well restored in the downtown section with gardens and sculptures. It appears to be a fairly wealthy town as there is a refinery and lots of oil wells and cattle ranches around. They do some irrigating and are raising cotton as well as alfalfa for hay. There is also a large dairy along the highway that appeared to have several hundred milk cows. Apparently they are milked in outside sheds as a shelter from the heat and the rain.

We woke up this morning at The Ranch SKP park to a brisk wind and about 40 degrees. In talking with some of the members, they stated that some of the water hoses froze a few days ago. Seems like we need to get further south or west than this to be comfortable. They were expecting snow in Albuquerque today and that is only 100+ miles north of here, as the crow flies. This is a nice park, the original SKP Ranch. The new ranch is known as North Ranch near Congress, AZ. We hope to visit there after February or March, when things warm up a bit.
We are very remote, 22 miles north of Carlsbad and about 12 miles south of Artesia, NM. Both towns have a Walmart so that can not be all bad. We have several cotton tail rabbits, and lots of birds and we understand that the Coyotes have been howling nightly. They killed an 8' snake a few days ago.
Our photo is of US 62/180 just north of Guadalupe Mountain National Park. This is representative of the road for the next 20 miles or so to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. They are working on making another 2 lane road alongside and that eventually will make it a 4 lane divided highway which certainly make it more comfortable to drive. However this is a most enjoyable trip as far as mountains and scenery is concerned.
We went to the Happy Hour at 4pm today and met a lot of the members and guests. As usual all of the returning members and visitors give a short presentation on who they are and where they have been during their time away. One couple talked about their trip back to their home in Wisconsin and on into Ohio where they had to replace transmission in their truck. On their way to Florida, they encountered a hail storm which damaged their unit as well as the truck making it necessary to replace the truck and thus putting an end to their trip to Florida. Just some of the "fun" things that happen while having a good time on the road. Another of the visitors were on their way to Hondo, TX when they noticed that their exterior wall on the slide was delaminating. They called the factory and made an appointment to have it repaired. With so many of the factories closing with the financial downturn, they decided to make a detour back to Kansas to have it fixed while the doors were still open at the factory. Not really on the way to Hondo, TX but one of those things. Fortunately, we have not had any problems that were that serious, but thank the Lord daily that our travels have been safe. We certainly are enjoying our full-time RV'ing adventure.

Saturday morning we left Terlingua and headed north on road 118 toward Alpine and then west on US90 to the town of Marfa and past the center for the "Mysterious Lights of Marfa" It is said that every evening at dust there appear several mysterious lights to the south over the mountains. No one has been able to explain their existence or source. Just a few miles the US Air Force has an installation where they study weather, etc. There was a Blimp that was gas filled flying over this USAF installation, apparently tethered there. We had been watching it for some 15 to 20 miles but did not know what it was. We traveled on to Van Horn where we got fuel for the motor home ($2.55/gal) and them picked up road 54 north toward New Mexico. Our destination was Guadalupe Mountain National Park. Just before you get there you see a sign that says you have just entered the Mountain Time Zone, so there is another hour we have to contend with while our bodies gets acclimated. We will be in this time zone for most the winter so we will adjust alright I am sure.
The photo is of El Captain, the mountain that is visible for many miles in all directions as it is the highest point in Texas at 8,749'. The park is very nice. There is a campground for tenting as well as a parking area for RV's. The cost to camp is $8.00/night but with the Golden Access card it is only $4.00. There are no hookups and it got down to 38 degrees this morning, so we hooked up our electric blankets to the inverter and kept warm with the house batteries and then turned on the furnace when we got up to warm the coach. Worked out well, but we sure missed our electric hookup. Oh well, that is why they call it dry camping. We toured the Visitors Center and saw a 12 min. slide presentation on how the mountain was formed as well as the other mountain ranges in the area. They have an extensive display of wildlife in the area as well as plants. There are even Maple trees growing on the top of the mountain in a basin that has water. The RV parking area is at the trailhead for most of the hiking trails. There are trails that take 1 hour and others that take up to 10 hours for the average hiker. They even have passes for hikers that want to spend a night or more on the trails. Being Sunday, there were a lot of hikers coming in early to hike the trails. They were putting on several layers of clothing as the daily high is in the 70's, but the wind is another factor and they were expecting winds to 30mph during the day.
We picked up US 62/180 a couple of miles south of the park. We continued on north on 62/180 to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We had been there many years ago, but wanted to go again to see how it had changed. It is still the same beautiful drive up the mountain to get to the entrance to the cave. The Golden Access card got us in free and we found it had changed a lot since we were there. They have redone the main building and added a nice restaurant and other aminities. They still have the restaurant in the cave, but they do not have the selection they do up on the surface. We took the elevator down the 754' to the cave and toured the main room. It is breathtaking in its display of stalagmites that stand tall and mighty and the stalactites that hold tight to the ceiling. There are thousands of stalactites that hang from the ceiling and those they call "soda straws" that are hollow. The cave is tastefully lighted to further show its grandeur. The paths are paved with a blacktop type material with metal hand rails. Most of the area is wheelchair accessible however some of the grades would be difficult for a manual chair. My power scooter handled the trail with ease. There are some areas that are too step for a chair and they are marked and off limits to wheelchairs, but you can see probably 80% of the displays. It seemed to me that there was more lighting this time than the last time I was there. You can not imagine how long it must have taken to form these monstrous formations by dripping water and yet some are so delicate they look like lace. The areas that were not available to wheelchairs made you retrace your route and it certainly looked different from the other direction and you see things that you did not see or missed the first time. Truly an experience you could do again and again.
We left the park about 3:30 and headed north to our destination for the night at Lakewood, NM at the Escapees SKP park where we arrived about 5pm. We will be here for some time, not sure just how long but we will see how it goes and our plans work out.

Saturday Nov. 8

On Friday we returned to Big Bend to finish our exploration. We first went to Carolon to check out the Cottonwood Campground. Our first stop was at the Visitors Center. As you can see in the photo it does not appear to be much. However inside it was full of all kinds of things for sale, even some pre-made sandwiches and bottled cold drinks. We continued on down toward the campground and found many areas where they had plowed the mud and silt off to the side of the road and it was apparent that there had been a lot of high water all over the flood plain of the river. When we finally got to the campground we found them still working on the roads and when we talked to the fellow that was running the grader, he said the park had been flooded in September and the campground had only been open about a week. We drove through and there was dirt and dust everywhere. There was only one camper there and I do not know why he was there as the dust was terrible and surely the inside of the RV was filthy.
We returned to the main road and decided to return to the Chisos Basin to see what it looked like before noon. It was certainly Utopia in the daytime and spectacular at sunset the evening before. Of course it was back up and down that steep road with the switchbacks but all worth it.
They say the park is known for its many species of birds as well as wildlife. We only saw one Peccary, a couple of Roadrunners, a Deer and a couple of squirrels. We did see a few birds but not a lot. Maybe it was not the season for birds, it is winter in the real world where we come from, so maybe they go further south in the winter.
The Big Bend National Park is one you could visit on a daily basis and just take in the natural beauty that abounds everywhere. So, back to Terlingua which is not Utopia, in my opinion, but certainly a good place to base while visiting the park. We are to leave for points north on Saturday.

I can not put into words the sights we have seen in the last two days. Yesterday we traveled the river road FM170 to the west along the Rio Grande River and the south side of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. When we returned to the campground we decided to rest a bit and then go into the Big Bend National Park.
What an exciting afternoon. It was about 4pm when we entered the park and the sun was full against the west side of the mountains. It was breathtaking to see the colors of the mountains. Some were mostly rock, in colors from brown to tan to white. Some were covered with vegetation, if you want to call it that. Just scrubby bushes and pin cushion cactus and various other plants that grow without very much moisture. The altitude at the campground is about 2400' and at the park entrance, about 2 miles away, is over 2700' and we gained altitude as we traveled to the east. We took every paved side road we found. We did not take the gravel/dirt ones as they were very rough, more suited for a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We saw some of the most beautiful vistas you can imagine. It comes close to the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. Big Bend contains approximately 800.000 acres. There are valleys that are over 10 miles wide. You drive down and through them and up the other side into the mountains, some you can go around and others you go over. We attained altitudes of over 6400' on more than one occasion. Yesterday we visited the Panther Junction Headquarters of the park, about in the center. We traveled on to the east and visited the Rio Grande campground facility. This is probably the most accessible campground in the park, very close to the river and at about 2300'. We returned, taking a few side roads to see springs and some of the old ranches that once were in existence before being purchased by the Government for the park. The buildings are still there, some deteriorating but appeared to be in pretty good condition. The area was made a Park in 1944, so they were left where they were and not destroyed. One ranch was down in a big canyon and there was no indication of roads or drives for access. Maybe it was all hauled in by horse back or by pack mules.
We traveled back west past Panther Junction to the turn off to the Chisos Basin campground. It was 17 miles from the main road 118. It was mostly a climb to about 6400' except the last couple of miles and it was down into the basin. This is a very steep road with 10 and 15mph switchbacks. Campers are limited to 24' and I would not want to take one in there myself. The sign says trucks use LOW gear, not lower gear. I would estimate the grade at 15 to 20%. Low gear in the van kept the speed down so that I only had to use the brakes to slow for the switchbacks. What a beautiful place. The campground is mostly primitive with a shelter, table and safe for your food stuffs. This is Bear and Mountain Lion country. We drove through the camping area and there was directions to the handicapped site. I had to see that as most of the sites were on the side of the hill and only a small area flat enough to pitch a tent. The handicapped site was fairly level with a place to park and a concrete slab about 20' square to put your tent. It looked doable to me, if I was a tenter. But not in Bear and Mountain Lion country. The complete area is surrounded by tall mountains that were all red with the setting sun.
We left the camping area and drove on down to the Welcome center, etc. What we found was a full fledged resort. There was shopping, restaurant, motel, hotel and meeting rooms, etc. All surrounded by these beautiful mountains. A breathtaking view in every direction. What a beautiful place to spend a few days to a few weeks, if you could afford it. We did not ask the price, just enjoyed the scenery. As the sun was getting low in the west we thought it best to be getting out of there and back to familiar territory before it got dark. So, back up the mountain, in low gear, around the switchbacks to the top and then to second gear to descend the mountain grades 17 miles back to the main road and west out of the park and to Terlingua. More about the park tomorrow and our day long visit to Big Bend National Park.

This has been a wonderful day of travel. We left our campsite about 8:30am and headed west toward Presidio, TX on FM170. It follows the Rio Grande River as closely as possible. There are times when there is a mountain in between but generally it is in sight of the road. The road also follows the edge of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. There are no paved roads into the park, only some gravel/dirt roads from the north.
The photo is of one of many very nice road side picnic areas that the state of Texas has that are all accessible. This one had 3 shelters that are shaped like a tee pee with a concrete table and a grille. This one is in the middle of nowhere on road 170 and the river is just behind and is visible from the park. Of course on the other side of the river is Mexico. On our way back we stopped here and ate our lunch. The drive is beautiful through many mountains around curves over hills and there is one mountain they could not go around so we drove over it. A 15% grade on either side and about .7 mile long. There are some short curves in it and it is not one you would want to tackle with a trailer or a motor home. 15% is really steep and you use low gear for descending. Low worked well for the van, it held the speed to about 20 mph and use of the brakes was not a factor. Second gear pulled it the other way without a problem but I would not have wanted to pull the 29' TT that I had up or down.
We saw several Border Patrol units however it would really be hard to cross the river in this area as there are high mountains on the Mexican side with steep cliffs and on the American side there are mountains and really no where to to but into the desert for miles in any direction. We did see one vehicle they had pulled over and were just having the driver exit the vehicle as we drove past, so who knows what they found, if anything. We have been stopped on a few occasions while driving US90 by Border Patrol but have never been searched or ask any questions. They just block the highway and look you over and send you on your way with a "have a nice day".
The elevation at the campground is about 2900' and we got as high as 5300' during the trip. A lot of it was gradual but there were some pretty good grades, but that is what makes it interesting.
We intended to go to Presidio but about 10 miles before we got there the road was closed and the detour was over about 20 miles of gravel/dirt road. It appeared quite rough with big stones and a lot of dust. We turned around and retraced our path back to Terlingua.
Back at the ranch/RV we ate a bite and took a nap as we were both sleepy from the mornings trip. We decided to go to Big Bend National Park and see at least a portion of it in the afternoon and see the remaining part tomorrow. We are only about 1.5 miles from the entrance on the west side. We will cover the National Park tomorrow.

We left the campground in Sanderson and continued west in the canyon for several miles and finally made the climb over the mountains on the west end of the canyon. A very nice drive and it was interesting to see how the rail road track snaked around the hills to keep the grade within reason while the highway just went over the hills and sometimes we were lower that the tracks. As you follow the tracks it is obvious to see how the rail road opened up the west to settlers and those wanting a better life or those in search of riches.
We took a little side trip off of US 90 to the town of Landry. This is the home of the Hangin' Judge, Roy Bean. There is a very nice museum and gardens and his original office as indicated in the
photo. A very interesting place with lots of items claimed to have been used by the Judge himself. There is a beautiful garden with lots of plants and flowers. A worthwhile stop for anyone interested in the history of the Old west, West of the Pecos, that is.
"West of the Pecos" is a phrase used in many stories and accounts of life in old west. It is a lot different West of the Pecos than it is to the east. The terrain is considerably more mountainous and there seems to be less vegetation, more rocks and rock mountains. Hardly anything but scrubby bushes and plants that can grow in this dry climate. It is obvious that it rains at times as there is indications of large washes that come down from the mountains and there are bridges over the wash to keep the water from undermining the road. You will see a ranch here and there but they are few and far between. Occasionally you will see an older RV parked under a metal roof that someone is living in. Not sure how they exist without any electricity but apparently they do. You See lots of windmills that are used to pump water for the cattle, but it is difficult to see how they can exist on the sparse vegetation that you see. Most of the cattle we saw looked slick and fat, so apparently they are finding something to survive on.
We fueled the motor home at Alpine. This is a very remote town and gas was $2.59/gal, but you do not want to get very low on fuel as it is 80 miles to Terlingua/Study Butte, with nothing in between. the drive down FM118 is a beautiful drive but slow. Lots of curves and some quite steep grades, but not long. Beautiful mountains and probably lots of wildlife but it was quite warm and early afternoon so not much was out in the heat. We are at the Big Bend Motel/campground in Terlingua. It is not very accessible as it is gravel/sand/dirt with a little grass but we do have 50A electricity, water & sewer as well as cable TV. There are several WI-FI's around and surprisingly my AT&T air card is working even in this remote area.
Tomorrow we will explore the Big Bend Ranch State Park.

We got away from the Lone Star Corral about noon on the 4th, We drove to Hondo and filled up while we could still get gas for $2.00/gal. West on US 90 toward Uvalde and on to Del Rio. We passed a huge lake, and the Mustad National Recreational Area. This is a huge lake fed by Devil's River from the north. It is so large that a portion of it is in Mexico, so the boundary is somewhere out there in the lake. Maybe someone drew a white line on the bottom before it filled, who knows. We had been looking for a place to stop for lunch and we saw a sign that said Bridge repair expect long wait. Just about that time we saw a sign for one of the very nice Texas Picnic areas so we decided it would be a good time to stop and take a break. The picnic area was to out left and up a big hill and we could not see the facilities but there was a large class A motor home pulling a car coming out, so we knew we could at least turn around. Up we went and to our surprise, the facility overlooked the Pecos River. As usual a very nice picnic area with covered tables and a great view of the river. There was a sign that said you could see the mouth of the Pecos River where it empties into the Rio Grand and on the other side was Mexico. The photo today is of the Pecos river and the bridge that is being repaired. This was just north of the picnic area. The mouth is maybe a quarter mile from where we were.
On across US 90 to Dryden and into the Sanderson Canyon. We drove for a long time in this canyon with mountains on both sides and running with the rail road before we got to the town of Sanderson. There was only 1 RV park and they were full but they did have a dry camping spot that we used. In this area, town are not very much, maybe 5 to 10 blocks long and maybe 3 or 4 blocks wide. Down in this canyon there was no radio am or fm no ham radio and no TV, so we did not know who won the election until the next day.
I must say that as usual there was a train less than a block from where we parked and there were several trains during the night. However we did get a good nights rest despite the trains. On towards Big Bend tomorrow.

A bit cooler today and partly cloudy and a nice breeze blowing. Temps in the upper 70's, but a nice day.
We got a lot of little things done and are pretty well ready to go. We will have to wait on the lp gas man to fill our tank as it is about empty. He should be her mid morning and then we will be ready to go. Evelyn will do another load of clothes and then all will be clean and ready for another road trip without having to stop to wash clothes. She went to Hondo today to the store and bought groceries so we should be good to go for a few days. We wanted things that were quick to fix as we will be on the road for a few days getting to our campground near Big Bend as well as sightseeing after we get settled in. We will have an opportunity to get some supplies in Marathon, TX but that will be the closest place, but about 75 miles from the campground. We will have to fill the motor home there so we will have fuel to get back out to civilization.
We are looking forward to getting back on the road but sad to have to say goodbye to such nice people here at the S.K.P. park. But we promised to be back in the spring for a while. Lots of things to do and places to go and see between now and spring. Time will tell if we get them all done in one trip.

The photo today is of Main Street at the Alamo movie set near Brackettville, TX. It is easy to see how they can shoot different scenes to show a completely different view and the viewer not realize it is the same set. You can just visualize a couple of horseman riding into town with the dust from the flying hoofs as they come to a stop in front of the Cantina. There is a water trough for the horses and a well supplied salon for the riders as well as a couple of pretty Senoritas to catch their eye. One could write their own western story with a little imagination.

Slept in, or is it got up late, or was it just that the time changed this morning, not really sure which but it seemed like a good nights rest. We need it after the long day in the sun at the Air Show yesterday.
We worked on the motor home getting it ready to hit the road. Checked the tires and put some air in the right front, took the tire covers off and cleaned them and put them away. Still have to check the oil and put some things away inside to make it road worthy. Will have time to get things done tomorrow so we can leave Tuesday for points west. Not sure how far we will get but we have some things to see on the way to Big Bend so it may take a few days. Not in a hurry as we do not have anything on the schedule until the first of January. Hope to spend the holidays at one of the Escapees parks as we understand they really do Thanksgiving and Christmas in a big way. So we will take our time and try to see it all on our way.

The photo is of the Crystal Cathedral taken when we were in Garden Grove, CA last year while we were there for the HTC rally. It certainly is a beautiful building with lots of statues around the grounds of several Biblical scenes.

Got an early start this morning on our way to San Antonio to the Air Show at Kelly AFB. We stopped for fuel in Hondo, $2.03 at Walmart. We picked up Phil at Lackland AFB, only a couple of miles from the air show. In our haste we forgot to grab the camera, so we do not have any photos and so much to photograph.
There were many planes in their static display. C130, C-5 Galaxy, C17 Globemaster III and many more. Flying there were several biplanes among them the Air Force Reserve biplane. We saw a group of 4 planes, a Heritage Flight Formation with USAF F-15E, F16, F-22 and P-40 aircffraft. We also saw the US Army golden Knights, a reinactment of the attack on Pearl Harbor and finally the US Navy Blue Angels. We also saw the newest and fastest plane they have, the F-22 Raptor. It has a speed of Mach 2 class w/super cruise capability. It weighs fully loaded with 2 wing tanks 83,500lbs. This plane can do things you can only dream of. It can go straight up and can actually turn around and go another direction. The unit cost is $142 million with 91 in the force. The first one was delivered May 12 to Langley AFB, Va. We also saw the Harrier (Jump Jet) in action. It can take off in less that 200' or it can take off from one spot as well as stop and land. It can turn around while stopped in mid air. But is certainly is noisy when it is stopped in air, taking off or landing. However, a very useful aircraft for lots of operations. All in all a very enjoyable day even though it was hot with only a few clouds for relief.
The photo is of a restaurant, "Deep n the Heart" in Buffalo Gap, Texas near the Abeline state park.