Starting a New Year in a Familiar Place…

We certainly enjoyed our brief stay in Tucson Arizona but it became time to go. If Tucson wasn't a little bit cooler in the winter than Mesa I could see us staying there for the season. However those extra 5° of temperature on the cold side keeps us away.

We arrived in Mesa earlier than expected and as a result we had to go to a different site. Someone was in the one we had reserved starting January 1st. Since we arrived December 22nd we picked a site across the street from the one we had reserved.

It was a bit tricky getting in since it was beside a park model but we made it in just fine. The office gave us the option to stay there instead of moving. However, after setting up we quickly decided that we would probably move over to our other spot on January 1st since this was too close to the park model on our driver's side.

It didn't take us long to get settled into our Mesa routine for the winter months. We started taking our strolls and hiking in some of our favorite places as well as visiting our favorite happy hour spots.

Sharon and I also began visiting the gym every morning to get in a good workout. Evenings we attend the live music provided by the park now 6 days a week.

On January 1st we moved over to our reserved site right after the people there moved on to Yuma Arizona. We are happy to start the new year and look forward to having fun in our winter destination

Out in the west Texas town of El Paso…

Our next stop on our westward trek was for an overnight stop in Van Horn, Texas. We don’t often stay for just one night but we have been to Van Horn many times and there really is much worth revisiting in this area so we didn’t even disconnect the CRV.

The next morning we drove into El Paso and over to the Sunalnd Casino. The casino has 8 first-come first-served RV sites with water and 30/50 amp service and we were hoping to snag one for an extended stay in El Paso. Lucky for us there were several available so we hooked up and went into the casino to pay. Wow, only $15 per night to stay here!

It was nice to be in civilization once again after several remote stays in a row. We even found a nice disc golf course called Nations Tobin  we played. Also it was nice to be able to shop in real grocery stores and go out for happy hour. The Union Draft House and Aurellias Brewery were our favorites.

Also nearby was a TruFit fitness center, the same company we became members of in College Station Texas. We are really glad we took advantage of becoming members for FREE via the Silver Sneakers program giving us access to such a nice gym.

While here we took a drive through the Franklin Mountains, the largest urban park in the U.S. There are a few pullouts that provide some scenic panoramic views of the city and surrounding landscape. We didn’t stay until sunset but we imagine it's especially picturesque during sunset or sunrise.

Lucky for us not too far from Sunland Casino we found a few places to hike and to birdwatch. One was a heritage park and another was a hike along the Rio Grande. Both places were fun and were quite scenic for hiking with views of the Franklin Mts.

Our next planned stop was in Las Cruces NM but the reviews of the park we normally stay at were scathingly bad as it appears the homeless and druggies have discovered the nearby hotel. We decided to drive to Las Cruces in our CRV and see if the reviews had any merit.

When we arrived at the RV park we saw that the reviews were spot on. The only other park in our budget really wasn’t our cup of tea so we decided we would add a few more days in El Paso and skip staying In Las Cruces. However, while there we went to our favorite New Mexican restaurant, Andeles,  for some green and red chili!

We also went for a hike in Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park while in Las Cruces. So even though we weren’t going to stay we did find things we wanted to do had we gone there.

Back in El Paso we were treated to a beautiful rainbow before leaving.With the weather getting colder in the forecast it was time to move on…

Art in Marfa Texas…

Ballroom Marfa is a contemporary art museum located in Marfa, a town of less than 2,000 people. Free and open to the public it gives artists and musicians the opportunity to engage with the public.On display while we were there was an art piece by Guadalupe Maravilla who proclaims to be a transdisciplinary visual artist, choreographer, and healer.

The massive piece on display is called Mariposa Relámpago. We stopped by to check it out and it is indeed a “WOW” art piece. This is the ultimate bus conversion and this piece has a story to it as well. Go to this link to hear what the artist has to say.

Maravilla, the artist, grounds his art in activism and healing and reflects his personal journey of migration, illness, and recovery. At the age of eight, Maravilla fled El Salvador’s civil war immigrated alone to join family in the United States. Recently Maravilla was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was during the recovery process that became interested in ancient methods of healing, including the use of sound.

This art piece, Mariposa Relámpago (translates to Lightning Butterfly) is the artist’s largest sculpture. Each sculpture he creates includes metal gongs intended to create the powers of vibrational sound as a form of healing.

“Maravilla’s artworks also contain a cosmology of potent symbols and objects that connect the artist’s personal journey with ancient practices of the Indigenous Mayan peoples; diverse spiritual and folk beliefs; and contemporary crises of disease, ecology, and war. Mariposa Relámpago functions as a sculpture, shrine and healing instrument.”

“Mariposa Relámpago opened at Ballroom Marfa on November 4, 2023. The installation will be presented at The Contemporary Austin’s Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria in April 2024 and will commence at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston in November 2024.”

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…