Marathon Texas and a Hike in Big Bend NP

Marathon, Texas, our next stop, is a place we have been before. Marathon is a small town located in the Chihuahuan Desert, about 40 miles from the north entrance to Big Bend National Park. It's is a perfect stop for exploring the breathtaking natural expanse of Big Bend National Park.

Marathon is best known for the iconic Gage Hotel, a historic hotel built in 1927. The hotel has a beautiful lobby with a large fireplace and the White Buffalo bar near its lobby is a great spot to end any day visiting Big Bend.

Also nearby is the Big Bend Brewing Company, which brews a variety of craft beers. The brewery has a taproom and they also have a restaurant that serves BBQ. They are only open on the extended weekends so visitors need to plan wisely. .

Our goal for this stop was to hike the Chisos Basin Loop Trail in Big Bend National Park. Nearing the entrance of Big Bend National Park, the majestic Chisos Mountains stand tall on the horizon. The Chisos Basin Loop Trail is a 2.4 mile trail that starts near the Chisos Mountains Lodge and ends at the Window Trail.

This short and fairly easy hike offers views of Casa Grande peak, the Chisos basin and the Window View. It delivers on the promise of  breathtaking views steeped in natural splendor. When hiking it is easy to feel a connection with the untamed wilderness.

The trail begins with a gradual ascent, winding through the Chisos Mountains.through a unique blend of desert and mountainous terrain. Throughout the hike you'll see the breathtaking Window View, a natural opening in the Chisos Mountains which frames a spectacular vista of the desert below.

Hiking in Big Bend National Park is a truly unique and immersive experience.It offers a stunning landscape that includes vast desert expanses, towering mountains, and the Rio Grande River. Each step brings a new visual delight and the remoteness of the landscape creates a feeling of solitude which is both peaceful and awe-inspiring. Hike it!

Birding Fort Clark Springs and Hiking in Seminole Canyon State Park, Tx

We left Canyon Lake mid-morning and headed to Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, TX. This long drive we took last year would be longer this year due to construction on loop 1604 in San Antonio.

As it turned out the longer drive was a great way around the congestion in San Antonio.The trip through Boerne and Bandera TX via Texas 46 was a very scenic and enjoyable drive. We decided to never drive through San Antonio from Canyon Lake ever again!

We eventually made it to Brackettville which is home to Fort Clark. Once a frontier fort in the mid-1800’s it is now a 2,700 acre unincorporated community and gated resort of mostly retirees. It is a unique place given it is in the middle of nowhere.

The fort was built near the the Las Moras Springs. The springs have been dammed to create a massive swimming pool with 68 degree water year round.The excess flow continues on to create Las Moras Creek.

We love this park because of all the nature trails and fabulous bird watching opportunities. As before we hiked all along Las Moras Creek. The towering live oaks, pecans and other woodland species support a diverse flora and fauna.

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. Birders also know that water treatment ponds are great for seeing migrating waterfowl. The fort’s water treatment ponds were no exception as waterfowl were abundant. We even startled a nutria on the bank of the pond.

The campground was nothing special but it does have full hook-ups. However,every evening we were treated to watching lots of white-tail and sika deer. One evening we had more than a dozen wild turkeys stroll right beside our RV. We also discovered that the resort had a gym where RVers were welcome so we happily used it!

After two nights we moved over to Seminole Canyon State Park near Comstock, TX. We love the hiking there but hate that it doesn’t have reliable cell or wi-fi signal. We could occasionally get wi-fi briefly over the very poor park’s wi-fi network which was very frustrating.

We didn’t take the cave tour this year but did enjoy a hike to Presa Canyon. Hiking along the edge of Seminole Canyon the trail led us to the smaller Presa Canyon. We always will enjoy this hike. During the hike we spotted many different fossils forever enshrined in the limestone. Our leisurely trek westward has been enjoyable and we are hoping the weather will cooperate all the way to Arizona.

Finally, back on the road in Texas…

Well after a very extended stay in College Station (and NC for Sharon) we are  together again and finally, back on the road! The RV started up without any issues and the tires were rolling westward bound.

Our next stop would be Potter’s Creek Park on Canyon Lake. We stay there often for its scenic beauty, proximity to to great towns to visit and because it is relatively close to our son’s house in San Antonio.

We aren’t staying as long as we usually do (it’s harder to obtain longer  reservations now, like so many other places) so we will cram in as much fun as we can. Our first day trip was to revisit the Old River Road to New Braunfels. With it being autumn the Bald Cypress and Pecan trees were nearly at peak for their fall colors. This sure made our favorite day trip from Canyon Lake all the more pleasurable.

Another day trip took us on a scenic loop drive through Sisterdale, Tx and over to LBJ National Historical Park. We took the loop drive on the former president’s old ranch and stopped to check his private plane and runway as well.

Next up was a downtown Fredericksburg, Tx. stroll. We love this German heritage town and all the old historic buildings in it. Also on this loop drive was another favorite hill country stop of ours, Luckenbach, Texas. I mean after all we had to check in on Waylon, Willie and the boys!

One really neat thing happened while we were at the campground. During our morning walk I noticed two Harris Hawks on perches beside an RV. Obviously someone at this RV was a falconer. A fellow was standing outside the RV and we started chatting with him. He is a falconer from New Jersey. A friend had gifted him the hawks when they were babies and he has had them since. He told us lots of stories about the birds and even offered us the opportunity to hold one of them. Too cool…

Our final day we headed to San Antonio to visit our son and his family.It was a brief stay but gave us time to reconnect with the grandson and of course, the grand dogs!.

Like always the time went by fast and it’s once again time to hit the road…

Back to Texas…

Wow, our two weeks stay in North Carolina visiting our daughter and her family flew by!. We really had fun with playing with Allie,our 2.5 year old granddaughter who has acquired a huge vocabulary, is fun, exuberant and always on the go. We also enjoyed snuggles with Emmy our newest granddaughter who is beautiful.Katie and Brooks have made a great life in North Carolina and it was great sharing it with them. Although it was sad to say our goodbyes we knew it was time for us to leave.

We had to catch our flight back to Texas. Fortunately, we didn't have any problems with our flights and we arrived on time, retrieved our car which was still in good shape and ready to roll. We drove back over to College Station but on our way we stopped by to visit Lone Pint Brewery in Magnolia Texas. It’s a pleasant outdoor venue and serves some nice craft beer so we think it is worth a visit if you're in the area.

We made it back home without any ordeals and were glad to see our RV in great shape. It’s always a bit concerning to leave our RV home for long stretches of time. We stayed in College Station for 5 more days before hitting the road.

With Sharon having been gone 3 months we revisited many of the spots that we love in  our former hometown including a nice walk around the campus of Texas A&M University. With one last weekend, we also visited friends to say our goodbyes and to have one last weekend of fun with them. Monday rolled around and it was time to pack up the RV and start our trek westward.

The pictures in today’s blog are from my visit to the Texas Renaissance Festival while Sharon was still in North Carolina. I always enjoy people watching at this particular festival in Plantersville, Texas.

Our future plans are to winter in Mesa Arizona again this year. Before heading there our next stop is at Canyon Lake in Texas. While there we will visit our son and his family one more time in San Antonio before leaving Texas. After that we want to revisit some backroads and stay at some of our favorite places we have stayed at before.

Follow us on the road of retirement..

Off to see our new grandbaby… Priceless!

Sharon flew out to North Carolina several months ago while I stayed in Texas. Now that I have done all I can do with regards to painting our endcap itis time for me to travel to NC to see our new grandbaby.

Our daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and Sharon flew out right away to see  our new granddaughter. Here is her story…

Our daughter Katie was due to deliver her second child September 2023. As with her first child I wanted to be with her to help with her recovery and with the care of her newborn. John found a flight for me over a week prior to her due date so I could also help her prepare for the birth. We did this because last time Katie delivered a few days early due to a high blood pressure issue and my flight was after the fact.

Well, no one could predict that Katie would deliver early again due to an emergency situation (this time was an immediate C-section for a placental abruption). Our son in law Brooks was of course with Katie so his parents who were caring for their 2 year old first born, Allie, picked me up at the airport.

I am ever thankful for the great care Katie received as we now have a new granddaughter, Emmy Kate. Upon their homecoming Katie was happy to be home but was quite sore. Emmy, who came early was so tiny yet perfect in every way. Brooks parents, Allie and I were so excited to have them home. Allie was absolutely in love with her new little sister. We were off to a great start!

Brooks parents returned home so my role would be to help with the household chores and helping in any way I could with the baby. I also would help with Allie which was pure joy as she is such a happy, energetic and talkative 2 year old. I immediately volunteered to help with getting Allie up, dressed and ready for the day. How precious were those moments though it did require me setting an alarm for the first time in years. I began a regimen of waking at 6:30 am so I could get myself ready and have my necessary coffee time before the day began.

Katie, Brooks and Emmy were struggling with the adjustment of feedings every two or three hours with limited sleep. Emmy sometimes had fussy moments in the middle of the night when both parents were exhausted so I was their 911 to help hold and settle the baby until she would accept being laid back into her bassinet.

I forgot about how newborns cause everyone to have a lack of sleep. This in turn made me realize I needed sometimes to go to bed at 8 or 9 pm rather than my previous night owl habit. We all may have had our cranky or emotional moments but we all came through it in a combined effort to ensure both Allie and Emmy were happy.

During the week Allie went to her daycare (which she LOVES) and this certainly helped Katie to rest and heal. It also helped all of us tune into Emmy's needs and wants. The weekends were definitely busier but so much fun because Allie includes everyone in her playful exploration of her world. I am in awe of how well she has accepted Emmy although I can tell she can hardly wait until Emmy can run and play with her.

My plan was to stay almost three months which was way too long for both John and I to be away from the motorhome so John elected to join me at the last part of my stay. I really REALLY missed him. Much more than I anticipated so imagine my joy when at last he came to join us. Allie and Emmy both adore him as I do. They love their Poppy.

Not long after John arrived Katie and Brooks made a big decision to build a new home. It was great fun to see the plans and watch as they made design decisions. Exciting times ahead! John had two solid weeks in the new routine before it became time for us to leave this beautiful new family for life on their own.

With all the challenges (we all, except John, got Covid then RSV), me being overtired at times, missing John terribly and changes to my routine, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. The girls may not remember I was with them their first three months but I sure will. It was priceless.

Moving on to Plan B…

As you may recall at the end of the second coat of primer the paint gun started sputtering paint which resulted in paint drips all over the endcap. Well after doing some internet research I figured out what happened and how to solve it.

Apparently the paint tip cap that screws in over the paint gun tip needs to be super tight, I mean way tighter than one would reasonable assume.This explains why it was so hard to remove when I practiced taking the gun apart the first time.Not tightening it real tight can result in paint drips or splatters.After tightening the tip and retesting the spray gun I found it did solve the problem.

Further research yielded a solution to repairing the drips in my primer. Before the paint fully cures you can use a single edged razorblade to scrape the highest parts of the drip and then using a small block with 400 grit wet sandpaper you can slowly sand the drip even with the paint.

The first few drips took me a while to repair but once I got the hang of it I repaired the remaining drips pretty quickly.However, by the time I was done I had lost another day because there wasn’t enough time for me to put on two more coats of primer.This is making it a real challenge for me to complete this project especially since I have a flight to North Carolina to go see the grandkids for two weeks.

The next day’s weather cooperated and I was able to apply two more coats of primer. Better yet is that they went on smoothly and without any drips. However, with the one day of curing needed for the primer my luck with the weather is running out as rain and colder temperatures are heading my way.

The next day was cool and rainy and with the extended weather forecast leaving me only one day possible to finish the job I had some planning to do. Looking over the forecast I determined it would be unwise for me to attempt to finish the job due to the cooler morning temperatures. Temperatures not reaching 65 degrees early enough in the day meant I would be hard pressed to be able to complete painting three different colors with three coats each and the still be able to spray the clearcoat all in one day.

If there were any problems or challenges whatsoever that slowed me down even 10 minutes I would run out of daylight and unable to finish. And to do this job right it all has to be done in one day.My only recourse is to move to plan B.

I had mentioned previously that I was attempting to paint only the endcap to see if it was a task I was capable of doing and now I do believe I am. But I also learned a lot and realize it would be difficult to do this job anywhere else without access to all the equipment and space my friends have offered to me. Since I don’t plan (or want to spend any additional time here I will move on to plan B, letting someone else finish the job.

So it looks like another trip to Puerto Penasco Mexico is in our near future…