We had a quick transition from the desert of Big Bend to the warm tropical humidity of Florida! Currently we are camped for two nights in the Sopchoppy County Park in Sopchoppy, Florida, near the Apalachicola National Forest. Since we needed to be in Ocala by Wednesday the 11th, and the huge storm was heading our way, we left Big Bend a day early.
Our last evening in Big Bend we hiked up the nature trail again to the overlook of the Rio Grande and Mexico, to watch the sun set. It is so quiet and open there in the desert that sounds carry very far. We heard a horse's feet sloshing in the river and spied a man on a horse crossing over to the Mexico side. He had a big bundle of dried grass strapped to the horse. Reaching the other bank, he headed down the river bank toward the town of Bouquillas.
Next we heard goats way up on the rugged cliff on the other side. Shortly afterward a man on a burro came from the direction of the town. His burro picked its way up the cliff to where the goats were. He was singing. We couldn't make out the words, but could hear snatches of melody. As the sun began to slide lower and behind the mountains across the river, we noticed a man dressed in denim, not a park uniform, on a horse below us on our side of the river. He kept coming up the path, but stopped occasionally and seemed to be checking the “stores” along the path. Before the border crossing was reopened, when we were here last winter, we saw at least a dozen arrangements of handmade crafts, mostly wire and bead scorpions and other objects, and walking sticks, lying along the trail, with a jar for money, and a sign listing prices. The park warns that if you buy anything it will be confiscated, and if they catch the person tending the stores, they will be deported to the border crossing at Presidio, 100 miles away. There are several stores on the trail, so it must still be a worthwhile endeavor for the residents of the very small settlement just across the river.
We started down the path from the overlook and hoped not to run into him. Not out of a sense of danger, but more because we didn't want to be subjected to begging. I guess we looked harmless, as he just kept about his mission while we walked down. We hurried away in the other direction.
Historically the Rio Grande has literally and figuratively been a fluid border. The crackdown and border closings in the park after 9/11 took away some of the income from the tourists who frequented the shops and restaurants. This is a very remote area and the people live a subsistence lifestyle. The “stores” are a way to provide some income to the villages. We didn't buy anything, but understand why the Mexican residents are willing to cross the river and take the risk to make a little money.
We drove west to Panther Junction and then due north. It's a huge park, so it takes a long time to drive out of it. The clouds to the north were getting darker by the minute, but the sun was breaking through in big patches around the Chisos Mountains in the center of the park. Behind us over Mexico, blue sky reigned. Just north of Panther Junction the temperature dropped from 74 degrees to 44 degrees within two miles, and we hit a wall of wind! Over the next 15 minutes we were down to 37 degrees. Greg had a death grip on the steering wheel to fight the wind gusts. The rain started, but was intermittent, until we reached Marathon, where if turned briefly to freezing rain. The wind slowed down, but was a constant companion for the next few days.
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| Leaving Rio Grande Village in the warm sun |
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| Still 74 with a few tarantulas warming themselves on the road |
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| Turning north into the wall of wind, dust, and rain |
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| Cold wind and rain |
At dusk we pulled into the Broke Mill RV Park in Del Rio, Texas. In the office was a woman from the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area who had moved permanently to Del Rio. After many years as “Winter Texans” they made a permanent change, to get away from the cold and snow. She informed us that it had been 88 degrees the day before. It was now close to freezing. We had hoped to stay at the nearby Amistad National Recreation area for $4 a night, but with no hook-ups there and below freezing temperatures coming, we returned to Broke Mill where we stayed on our way west last winter. We plugged in the electric space heater, and the cable TV. Wow! TV and choices besides! But, their wifi was on the fritz and we couldn't get a Verizon signal to use our MiFi. Anyway, we spent the night, warm, dry, and entertained!
The next morning, the wind was still rocking the rig, but the freezing rain hadn't materialized, so we left to continue east. We had no more rain, just wind as we traversed the road to San Antonio and I-10. Once on I-10, we stayed on it until we reached Florida. The bad weather was still following us, and we wanted to stay away from it.
Crossing Texas we decided that we wanted a chance to have some Texas BBQ, so we found a great local spot in Luling, Texas only two miles off the interstate. Yummy beef brisket, pork chops, potato salad and cole slaw. Busy little place and good food!
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| They did not even offer fish & chips! |
Saturday morning found us in fog and drizzle as we crossed Louisiana and the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. More internet research told us that there was a great Mississippi Welcome Station just over the border, with a separate area for overnighting RV's away from the trucks. It also had a dump and 24 hour security. We pushed on as it was getting dark. Pulling in we spotted the sign, “No Overnight Parking”. After asking the security guard if we could stay, he told us, only a few hours and not overnight. So, we drove on in the dark and 20 some miles later pulled into a Flying J truck stop. After driving through the truck parking area and encountering gridlock we drove into the travel center parking lot. We guessed that the bad weather had delayed their travel and they were all on the road at once and had to stop for their mandatory rest time.
We spent the night next to the gas station and Denny's restaurant with another RV. Greg got up early and did the Denny's breakfast skillet thing. He was reading his Nook while he ate and the waitress said, “What cha' reading? That looks interesting!” “A book by John McPhee, Annals of The Former World. It's about geology.” “O-kay...”. That was a conversation killer!
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| The Big River |
I woke to Greg asking me if I knew there were cops searching a pick-up truck next to us in the parking lot. They didn't find anything, but we decided it was time to leave, so we topped off the diesel and made a quick exit. Life in the fast lane! We cruised through the fog across the rest of Mississippi, Alabama, and into Florida, where we finally left the interstate. Driving through Pensacola, we reached the beaches and as we traveled east along the coast, the fog got thicker. Scrapping our plans to camp near the beach and have a nice walk along the water, we gave up and drove back across the bay at Destin. Amazing, no fog! The sun was out and we drove east through the countryside. We found a small town park in Sopchoppy, Florida, (great name!) right next to the Apalachicola National Forest. With the rig backed up to the black swampy waters of the Sopchoppy River, we watched the pileated woodpeckers flit through the woods. Our neighbors are from Michigan and escaping the cold winters for the fifth year. They have a cute Bambi Airstream trailer.
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| Retired member of 1958 Blue Angels Team |
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| Sopchoppy Camp Site |
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| Beautiful boardwalk along the river |
The sun was out, it was 81 degrees and the camp felt peaceful, especially after our cold race across the south, so we stayed two nights. We've had some rain today, but it is warm. Tomorrow we'll drive a short way to Manatee Springs State Park and see if the manatees have come up the river to the warm springs for the winter. Then on to Ocala for six nights at the Silver Springs State Park which has recently acquired the adjoining old amusement park with the glass bottom boat tours.
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