Greg Loses His Pants and Moonlit Javelinas

January 22, 2013

“Have you seen my bike shorts? The ones that got washed in Alpine? I can't find them with my bike clothes!”

“You mean the ones I hate? No. I haven't seen them. When did you see them last?”

“After you washed them, I hung them on the bikes hitched to the back. I haven't seen them since. I guess I hung them up and forgot them. They must be on the side of the road somewhere!”

At this point I break out into a broad grin. These are ancient bike shorts, the kind with the snug black inner short and an outer dirt brown baggy short. And I mean BAGGY! Since Greg lost 20 pounds he has been cinching them up with the belt. I called them his balloon pants and told him he had long ago gotten his money's worth out of them and it was time for them to go!. He liked to wear them because they have pockets... They were also a pain to wash because they had to hang to dry and I have limited places in the camper to hang laundry, hence the bike drying rack! Can't say I was sad to see them go!

Greg is currently out in his other bike shorts exploring the Rio Grande Village area. We have no cellphone reception, therefore no MIFI. We can bike up to the general store and use their porch WIFI. So we'll do that or post after we leave here in a few days.

We left Study Butte yesterday and drove back into the park to explore the Chisos Mountains and Chisos Basin. The six mile road up to the Basin which is a high area surrounded by peaks formed by ancient volcanic activity, is winding and twisty and at 24' we were at the limit for RVs allowed on the road. Greg and our “Skinnie Winnie” did great handling the hairpin turns. The area was beautiful and because we were no longer on the desert floor, it was refreshing to see trees. There is a visitor's center, lodge, restaurant and store in the Basin. Many trails into the mountains start there. We took a short hike on the nature trail. There were signs that said not to bring small children on the trails because of recent mountain lion sitings. There are about two dozen in the park and they prefer the mountainous area. Lots of literature about what to do if you see one. Primarily, don't run! It will think you are prey. Gather together, look big, make noise, and slowly back off.

We had lunch in the camper while we enjoyed the views and then came back down the mountain and into the desert. We stopped at Panther Junction Visitor's Center and overheard a conversation between a ranger and a woman who wanted to know if it would be safe for her to back country camp alone. The gist of it was “yes”. Once or twice a month a car left at a trailhead an extended length of time gets broken into, and only a few times a year do they catch illegals crossing into the park. The female ranger told the woman not to worry, they don't want to be seen by her either!

At the center we also found we had to move our rig to make more room for the BIG rigs with towed vehicles to park. Three came in at the same time and there was really only room for two. We were already parallel parked in an RV spot. Greg estimated that between the RV and the “Toad” (nickname for the towed vehicle), they were 60 feet long! We love being so short and efficient. We are still getting around 18 mpg even on the park roads.

Reached Rio Grande Village by mid-afternoon. We had an interesting conversation with Daisy from Massachusetts. She is volunteering in the Visitor's Center. She has a rig over in the volunteer housing area and is here from October until March. It is her second winter here. There is no cellphone coverage, so the park provides her with a land line hook-up, which she pays for. The Big Bend Phone Company is so small that when she called about her service they immediately said “Hi, Daisy!”.

Every campground we have been in, and many other park services, whether national, state, or private are being run by volunteers. There are often just one or two paid staff and the rest is done by fulltimers like us, in exchange for a free full hook-up site. Usually they work far less than 40 hours, and then are able to explore the area in their time off.

Two camping areas are offered here. A paved parking lot with full hook-ups for $33 a night, or the park we chose for $14 a night, with no hook-ups, but a water and dump station we can drive to and fill-up with water and dump our tanks. We are also across from the restroom which has flush toilets, and a separate room with a sink for washing dishes. No hot water, though. Showers are available for $1.50 for 5 minutes at the general store. We also have a nice awning covered picnic table on a slab. We will finally get to have some outdoor eating space and an agreeable climate. It should be sunny and in the 70's today here by the river.

We are allowed to run our generator from 8 am to 8 pm so we can recharge our batteries. This is the first time we have tried to dry camp since we replaced the coach batteries in Alabama, so we aren't sure how much we can draw them down. Last night I cooked dinner by the light of two under the counter lights. Then we ate by oil lamp light and read with our headlamps. We have propane for the furnace (although, it requires electric to run the blower), the cook stove, the fridge and the hot water heater. The generator is also propane. We will run the generator later today to recharge all our electronics. We do have two small solar panels, but have not figured out yet how much they are helping to charge the batteries. They were an addition by the previous owner who left us scarce information about them.

Yesterday, before dinner, we hiked the nearby nature trail. It started in a marshy wetland with a boardwalk and a floating dock. There are lots of beautiful tall grasses around the edges. The wind was kicking up before a cold front, and the grasses made a wonderful swishing sound in the breezes. There were a few waterfowl, we thought coots in the water, and a blue heron. That was a surprise in the desert!

The trail then climbed a rocky hill for a view of the Rio Grande, the Chisos Mountains and over to Mexico. On the trail on the way up we saw half a dozen small “Mexican craft shops” on the rocks. Apparently someone on the Mexican side sneaks over and leaves these crafts with a cardboard sign with prices and a money jar. There are handmade insects and animals from twisted wire, and friendship bracelets, as well as some interesting rocks. The sign at the beginning of the trail and warnings in the park literature tell visitors not to interact with anyone or buy anything. If they are caught they will be taken to the border at Presidio, 100 miles from here and deported back, and your purchase will be confiscated.

At the top of the ridge we could see a small village on the Mexican side, and a few horses grazing. Farther down the river we saw the village of Boquillas. This is a former border crossing. Before 9/11, visitors were allowed to cross the river near the campground to eat and buy crafts. There was a man with a rowboat who would take you across for $2. Then you walked or paid someone to take you the mile to the village. I am assuming that the village economy in this remote area was dependent on the tourists and the “Mexican craft shops” are a way to try to make up for the cessation of income.

After dinner we walked around the campground. Big Bend National Park has the darkest skies in the lower 48 states. The moon was just a little past one half, but so bright that the trees were casting shadows, and the stars were hard pressed to compete. Suddenly, Greg grabbed my arm and said “Whoa!”. Shining his flashlight in front of us, we saw 6 Javelinas (hav-uh-LEE-nuhs) foraging in the grass. Technically they are Peccaries, not pigs, but they look like wiry, black pigs. They weigh 40-60 pounds. They have poor eyesight, but a great sense of smell. When camping all food, toiletries and soaps must be kept in your vehicle or the animal proof metal box at each campsite. Tents are to be deflated when you are gone because the Javelinas will tear them up looking for food.

One last comment for today. When we left Alaska years ago and traveled with the old pick-up camper with Alaska plates, every day, everywhere we went people would stop us and say, “Are you from Alaska? I lived/ worked there (insert when!)”. Now people see our rig and at least once a day we get “What kind of mileage are ya' getting with that? Is it diesel?”. Greg had a conversation with a good ol' Texan yesterday, who, after discussing with Greg a possible future purchase of a similar rig, said, “Yup, that'll do it. Yup, that'll do it!”.