Blame it on Eddie!

It’s Eddies fault for getting us those great National Geographic books.

Canyons, cliffs, rivers, wild flowers, ghost towns, vistas and hoodoos are all here at the Big Bend National Park. We came here from the Amistad Recreational Area near Del Rio and just beat the cold front that was heading here with high winds and up to ¼” of ice (in the Del Rio area). Real gusty with crosswinds all the way but we arrived safely and got set up before the temp dropped and the winds picked up…significantly. By morning, all was quiet and still, chilly, but still. Today we went over to Boquillas Canyon, a short drive away. Really pretty! I saw a couple of guys from the other side of the river coming over in a yellow float. They were apparently coming to check out their stock of walking sticks and “artwork” of twisted wire scorpions that they put out for the tourists to buy. They place them on a large rock in the parking area of the canyon overlook trail. If caught, they are arrested and deported to a location 100 miles from here. Any purchases made by a tourist will be confiscated if caught. Prior to 9-11, the town of Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico was fairly prosperous as there was pretty free open trade. Tourists could go over in a rowboat and do some shopping but after 9-11 that all ended. And, the prosperity of Boquillas ended as well. Now they scrap for anything they can get.
After we visited the canyon, we took a nice drive through some absolutely spectacular country. We went to the Chisos Basin first, then to Terlingua, Lajitas and over toward Presidio, TX. We stayed on the US side of the Rio Grande River the whole way, of course. The diversity of terrain and scenery is truly breathtaking. The pictures I took do not do the area justice. Every direction is different but just as beautiful. Wild flowers are starting to bloom, as are some of the yucca plants. The coloration, formations and character of the mountains made the trip a super pleasure. The road from Lajitas to Presidio is a real roller coaster ride following the course of the Rio Grande and the natural up and down terrain of the area. A true E-Ticket ride for all those older Disney visitors Debbie and Tom would have a real ball on their Harleys on that road!
And now, we are in Ft. Davis Historic Park area because there is a scenic loop that was in the Nat. Geo. Scenic Byways book. Can't pass up a nice drive:) We'll take the tour tomorrow and then get on the road, again. Destination is uncertain at this time but it doesn't really matter. I'm Retired!!!