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23 June 2013 Big Springs RV Park, Texas This was a commercial campground right off of I-20 It is a bustling place, and most of the campers were workers on the newer oil fields or laying pipeline. The population is about 22,000. This part of Texas has even more construction than in eastern portion of the state.
K- The ride was nice leaving Abilene State Park. Lots of wind farms. You really can't even judge how big they are from the picture. Big Springs starts the beginning of the oil industry and makes for a not so pleasent view.
24 June 2013 Monahans Sandhills State Park, Texas
This state park is quite small and not as popular as many of the other state parks. There are about 200 square miles of sand dunes stretching to the New Mexico border. When we arrived there were people sand surfing, but other than that and viewing the scenery, there are not many activities here. Once the sun approaches dusk, everything changes. There is much more contrast, things cool down quickly and it becomes very pleasant to be outside. The cool air, desolation and remoteness change the atmosphere completely and you can begin to appreciate this area for what it is. The wind here is constant and usually between 15-30 mph. It is hard to imagine that animals live here, but there are mule deer, coyote, skunks, kangaroo mice, lizards, bird and insects. Except for the birds, most can only be seen at night, which makes it kind of hard. It was a pleasant stop, and I’m glad we were able to stay here.
Gypsy, on the other hand was completely confused. With nothing but wind and sand she didn’t know where or how in the heck she was going to relieve herself. We noticed she hadn’t gone in quite a while, so I asked her what’s up. She said “What’s Up? How do can I pee around here with no grass to sniff and everyone else’s scent covered with sand within five minutes?” This place is made for cats, not dogs, she thought. I tried to convince her that she should just go because it was the right thing to do and I left it like that. We took our usual sundown walk and I felt a little tug on the leash, there she was trying to loosen a load right in the middle of the road. “Gypsy, that’s disgusting” I exclaimed. But she just smiled and said “You said it was okay, so I thought I would do it right here and it wouldn’t get covered with sand. By the time I circle back to check my spelling it would be covered. Besides, you know how I like to leave scent mail for my fellow dog travelers. Heck it was a short three part note, just saying ‘Hello, I’m a traveler from Florida; leave me a message if you can; maybe I’ll be back this way in the future’. Signed, Princess Gypsy, Brandon, Florida, 33510’. She is always one to flourish her signature. A few stepS further along the way, she turned to me and said, “You DO know I can’t use a pen and paper, right?” Darn I thought, she does make sense if you look at it that way.
25-26-27 June 2013We passed through Pecos, Texas on our way to Balamorhea (bal-mo-ray) State Park. There has been a large oil find in the area and a lot of business is going on. The temperatures have been around 100-104 degrees, but the breeze is always blowing, and in the shade it is very comfortable. Humidity is very low. The terrain has become much more arid, not much in the way of tall trees of any kind. However there is still lots of vegetation of cactus, mesquite, tumble weed and other thorny low bushes. There are a few large Texas Cottonwood trees growing right up next to the
water. Balamorhea got its name from combining the names of the tree investors that started this area development. Balamorhea is made from natural springs that made it to the surface and actually made a desert swamp area in the past. The CCC built a large swimming pool, and it destroyed much of the swamp area. There are some canals that run from the springs to ranches and they use it for irrigation, although it is hard to find what they are growing. A few feet away from the water, and the land is as dry and arid as the vast stretches of desert. They don’t really grow an crops that I can see. I’ll have to look into this. We really like it here and took a drive around the small town to get a better feel for it. Actually there is not much going on at all. We went swimming came back and had lunch, then headed back to the pool. The pool is the largest natural spring fed pool in the world. Of course being natural, there are fish in the pool and you can see some rare endangered fish that only live here, and lots of catfish.
The shallow areas of the pool have a cement bottom, but above 5 feet in depth, the bottom of the pool becomes the natural bottom of the springs and is rocks and sand and falls off quickly to at least 25 feet. There are scuba diving lessons here and there seems to be a class each day, but there is still plenty of room for everyone.
Today is our last day at Balamorhea, and it is been a very nice stop. We are going to get to the pool for a bit since it will be our last chance before heading out to the really dry part of our trip. We drove into town yesterday to pick up our mail that Jean sent to us (Love you Jean!) K- Oh and Bob forgot to mention that while we were looking into the water from the bridge that one of the lenses from his eyeglasses popped out and kerplunk it went into the crystal clear water. The next day he was actually able to find it.. unbelievable!
28 June 2013
Ft. Davis State Park Texas I’ve been wondering about this area for quite a while, since way before we started our trip. Its location nestled in the Davis Mountains, its elevation and the remoteness has intrigued me. It’s mostly a tourist town with many old western themed buildings. The elevation moderates the high temperatures and makes for the darkest skies in the United States. A large part of the population is retirees, not the kind of communities one would find in other parts of the country with shuffle boards, golf carts and community centers,
but people who just want to get away from the busy lifestyle of elsewhere. The terrain is still arid, but with many small stream beds in the valleys. Most look to have recently been wet. A few run continuously but are seasonal all the same. Because of restoration efforts, the black bear is making a come back. There are also, mountain lions and peccarys in the area.
29 June 2013
We went to the McDonald Observatory which is about 14 miles from Ft. Davis State Park. We signed up for the tour, and were treated to an excellent pre entation about what the observatory does, when it was built and plans for the future. We also got a tour of the 107 inch telescope, and the 5th largest telescope in the world, a 10 meter giant.
I wish I had an accurate geological map that could be kept on my computer. I’d be able to study some more areas as we continually move to more places. This trip the internet has been much less available.
Each time I see lonely old house or cabin or ranch I wonder who lives there, what do they do and why if they live there did they choose such a spot. I try to put myself in their shoes or environment and I find it difficult because I’m so unfamiliar with the area and way of life. I often wonder the same type things when we’d pass through New York City and see the thousands of lights in all the apartments, each one with a different family or person, each with a life of their own. I find it enjoyable to wonder at all the possibilities that exist, but I don’t know a single one of the people behind thoughts and that makes it all the more fantastic. But out here it is a little different, I see myself in the location and things I’d be doing, and wondering if I’d really enjoy it. It’s a game I never tire of as we drive along the highways. I’ll pass by a particularly enchanting little home among some rocks, along a stream or high on a mountain, and I’ll tell Kim, “That’s MY house, or something of the sort”. I like the idea of getting closer to the land, seeing how the animals are so adapted to the environment and how they do what they need to do to survive. Even though it may seem harsh to us, I figure this is their favorite place to be. To confirm my thoughts I looked for a local animal to interview. As I was speeding along the open highway, I was passed by a roadrunner, I honked and asked him if I could ask a question or two. He said sure, but I've got a crazy coyote on my trail so be quick. I said, "Out of all the places you could live why did you pick this dry, arid, dusty, nettle and cactus infested place?" I"m sure he's been asked this before since his answer was so precise and well thought out. "Look at it this way, I see a lizard about a half-mile down the road, I run up to it, peck it in the head a couple times and there's lunch, it's that easy. I see a snake, I do a little dance around it.... I love to dance... and there's dinner. No hills to climb, I can zoom in and out of all the thorns and not touch a feather. I'm the fastest thing around, so I have nothing to fear. I don't need water, I just tap into a cactus now and then and I'm good to go. Besides, I'm sure I used to have relatives back east somewhere, but they're all run over". Beep-Beep, a small cloud of dust and he was gone. He did leave a calling card, it read Acme Road Runner Tours. Immediately I looked up to see if an anvil was going to fall on my head.
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