Salty Dogs, Birthday Princess, Rock Art, and a Lost Alaskan

Raney and Riley enjoying a breeze off the Laguna Madre.

We arrived at San Padre National Seashore about 1pm Sunday, 4/28, and got first come/first served sites at Bird Island Basin campground on the Laguna Madre. Our “Plan B” was another campground, Malaquite, on the gulf side where we stayed in 2017. Neither campground has any hookups, so it will be a challenge to keep the pups cool but you can't beat the waterfront sites!

Morning coffee with the pups at Bird Basin Campground.

Calm waters of Laguna Madre.

On the drive here we stopped at a roadside picnic area for a quick bite and to give the pups a walk. There we saw our first ever live tarantula in the wild! He was more interested in trying to stay in the shade than in us, but when we did get too close, he reared back and threateningly waved his front legs at us. I could almost hear him saying, “You don’t want to mess with me, lady!”

We found the sign later, but I thought it was appropriate here. Lol. 

The Laguna Madre is a long, shallow, hypersaline (saltier than the ocean!) lagoon along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico between mainland Texas and Padre Island. It doesn’t have the crashing waves of the gulf, but it does have wind and calm water which makes it perfect for wind surfers. They were out in force every afternoon and we really enjoyed watching them. Another hobby in my future? Nope, I’m strictly a spectator.

The windsurfers were very entertaining, but I had no interest in joining them.

We also enjoyed watching the jumping mullets! We last saw the mullet ballet in Florida where I spent hours trying to time photos to catch them leaping out of the water. The serious jumpers will do 3-4 consecutive leaps. There are several theories as to why mullets jump. Some scientists believe they leap from the water when pursued by predators, others say it is to shake off clinging parasites. Some experts believe they do it during spawning season to break open their egg sacks as they prepare to spawn. Yet another theory, is that they need to take in more oxygen. Mullets have an organ at the back of their throat which allows them to take in oxygen directly from the air. Personally, I think they’re just trying out for the fish Olympics. Lol.

The incredible jumping mullets!

We weren’t quite prepared for the incredibly high humidity at Padre Island, we were seeing 92° with 97% humidity. Everything, and I do mean everything was sticky! Take a shower and before you’re even dressed, you feel tacky again. Ick, ick, ick. And our RV fridge, which had been doing so well, decided it didn’t like the weather either. There was so much condensation coming out of the fridge’s exterior exhaust that it could have passed as a water feature. The freezer was super cold, but the fridge had water running down the inside and seemed stuck in the 40’s and 50’s. Not happy making. We went into town and bought a Yeti cooler and 20 pounds of ice so we could prechill items and have another option if the fridge gave it up completely. But where to put it?? With the two big dogs there is absolutely no floor space in the coach to stow a cooler. Brilliant idea – the Yeti can live in the shower! Plenty of space and the perfect spot when we need to drain the melted ice water. Lol.

A Yeti now lives in our shower. Lol.

After considerable internet research, Rog finally figured out that the refrigerator compartment door wasn’t sealing properly. We tried a few hacks and the temps finally dropped. After a few days we got it all the way down to 35 and our drinks were freezing on the top shelf. Problem solved! Until the temps started climbing again. ☹  We were able to get it to reseal, but it looks like the door seal may need to be replaced.  That isn’t a repair we want to do on the road, so hopefully we can nurse it along until we get home. (Update: Two weeks later and the fridge is still working well. But we love the Yeti and having ice for drinks. Why didn’t we think of getting one sooner?!)

On Tuesday, 4/30, we loaded the pups into the car and drove along the beach until we found a secluded area where they could play off leash. And play they did! Riley was in his element, soft sand for chasing his ball, water to cool off in and plenty of room to run and play. Raney and Ruby had a blast too, chasing each other and any seabirds silly enough to invade their territory. A fantastic time was had by all.

We're going to the beach! Can you tell they're excited? 

This is what pure puppy joy looks like. 😁

Waiting for Dad to squeeze the water out of the jolly ball.

Then game on!

Riley is in his element.

I got it!

Even Ruby was in on the game.

We found a venomous Portuguese Man of War washed up on the beach. 
Very cool looking, but we gave it a wide berth.

April 30th was also Raney’s birthday, our little girl turned two years old! Auntie Carole provided the Birthday Princess sash and treats for everyone. Raney’s birthday burger patty went down in one gulp, so much for sharing. Glad we didn’t try putting a candle on it. Lol.

Raney is the Birthday Princess!

The birthday burger went down in one bite. Lol. 

Luckily, Auntie Carole had treats for everyone.

While we enjoyed Padre Island, we were hoping our next stop would give us a break from the heat and humidity. Our hopes were futile. We arrived at Choke Canyon State Park near Calliham, Texas on Wednesday, 5/1. Not only was it still super humid but the campground was covered in goatheads. If you aren’t familiar with this invasive demon plant, count yourself lucky. It drops zillions of tiny spikey balls of pure evil. They stick in everything and they hurt! There was no way we could walk the pups anywhere, just finding a safe place for them to potty was a challenge. We were virtual prisoners in our RV and very glad we’d only scheduled a one-night stay. Over a week later and I’m still finding goatheads that were tracked indoors and stuck in our rugs. The best way to find them? Go bare foot. Ouch! On the lighter side, we did pass one of the most *ahem* unique recreational vehicles we’ve ever seen. And yes, the truck is PINK! Lol.

Choke Canyon is actually a really nice campground, but...

...the goatheads were horrific!!

The RV was unique, but the pink truck was really the kicker. Lol. 

We happily left on Thursday, 5/2, for our next destination, Seminole Canyon State Park near Comstock, TX. The drive there was a bit more adventurous than necessary. This time both the RV Garmin and Google maps conspired to send us down some ridiculously narrow county roads. Not happy, but since both Garmin and Google were in agreement, we went with it. Then we hit a dead end – Road Closed to Through Traffic. What?? Only gravel roads to either side and nowhere to turn around. It was only four miles to the highway, and Rog reasoned that if it was only closed to “through traffic” then it must be open. He skirted the barrier and we kept on going. We passed some road workers installing new guardrails who gave us some funny looks, but the road was perfectly fine. We were a little anxious, but backtracking on those county roads to find an alternate route was not going to happen if we could help it. Hey, we made it through, so no harm, no foul. Lol. Once we hit Hwy 90, it was clear sailing. We crossed Pecos River High Bridge and took a quick picture of the river 275 feet below.

High above the Pecos River.

On Friday, 5/3, we took the Ranger led tour to see the pictographs in the Fate Bell Shelter. Pictographs are painted on the rock walls, while petroglyphs are pecked/chiseled into the rock. Protected by a huge cliff overhang, the shelter holds some of Texas’ most spectacular rock art. The past inhabitants of Seminole Canyon were a nomadic people who lived in the dry rock shelters that line the canyon walls and subsisted on desert plants and small animals. Living 4,000 years ago, they left their mark in several ways, most notably through rock paintings. Seminole Canyon contains some of the most outstanding examples not only in Texas, but in the world.

The sculpture is called, The Maker of Peace
with Four Troublemakers.  (Ok, I added that last bit.) Lol. 

Seminole Canyon.

Hike to Fate Bell shelter where the pictographs are located.
(Fate Bell was the name of the previous landowner.)

All access to the shelter is by Ranger led tours.
Our guide provided interesting history of the early nomadic tribes. 

Life was hard in the desert, but the nomadic tribes still devoted time and resources to make the rock art. They obtained everything they needed from nature, using variously colored minerals for paint pigments, animal fats and urine for binders, shells or flat rocks for palettes, and fibrous plant leaves for brushes. The canyon walls themselves served as a canvas. It is awe inspiring to think of their lives and contemplate the possible meanings and messages of their art that has survived for so long.

Just a few of the many examples of rock art in the shelter.

Looking out from the shelter.

We were also intrigued by the rock formations and fossils.

On the hike back we saw this hawk with a snake in his talons.
How cool is that!

There was another famous pictograph at Seminole that we wanted to see. It is located across the river and used to be accessible by boat. With water levels so low in the Rio Grande, that was no longer an option. So, on Saturday, 5/4, we road our bikes down the Rio Grande Trail to the Panther Cave Overlook. We had a fun ride and using binoculars and the camera zoom were able to see the Red Panther pictograph across the river. Bonus activity, Carole and I had a blast gathering the white snail shells that litter the ground. Although it’s a land snail that feeds on the local plants, they look like seashells in the desert! The snails are especially adapted for desert living, when it gets too dry they seal themselves in their shells and just wait for rain. (We only gathered empty shells, no snails were harmed in the making of this blog. 😆)

Not exactly a welcome mat at the trailhead. Lol.

Despite the cautions, we're ready to roll.

The Rio Grande River.

Bob and Carole on the Rio Grande trail.

We stopped at viewpoints along the way.

The pictograph is located across the river in the blue circle.

The Red Panther.

Seashells in the desert!

On the ride back, Rog spotted a perfectly camouflaged Horny Toad. 

While it was still hot at Seminole with temps in the high 90’s, the humidity was down to 10% the day we arrived, making it much more bearable. We were watching the weather and rethinking our original plans. With forecasts calling for temps consistently over 100° in the Big Bend area, we had to give up our plans to dry camp in the state and national parks.  We started looking for places with hookups so we could leave the pups in air-conditioned comfort while we did activities and hikes in the parks. We ended up adding a couple days to our next stop in Alpine, TX and made reservations at the Maverick RV Park in Lajitas close to Big Bend Ranch State Park and the Rio Grande Village RV Campground in Big Bend National Park.

I know we talk a lot about the weather, sometimes it’s just about comfort (looking at you, high humidity) but other times the storms can be downright dangerous. A line of thunderstorms that threatened us earlier, had morphed into a Tornado Watch for the area. We were quite happy when the storms passed to the north of us, so we got a light show and some winds, but nothing to be concerned about. We had a fun indoor evening playing Shut the Box, Mille Borne, and Farkle with Bob and Carole. We also had fun stalking the local roadrunners. They are one of Rog’s favorite birds and are always a delight to watch.

Indoor evening for the pups too!

I promise there will be more (and better) Roadrunner pics in your future. 

On Sunday, 5/5, we moved to Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine, TX. With a name like that you know there had to be a story. The RV park was named after its original owner, who worked as a bush pilot in Alaska.  The local residents referred to him as “the lost Alaskan,” and the name stuck. We really like this RV park and the town of Alpine, if you're in the area it's a great place to stay.

The Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine, Texas.

On the way to Alpine, we stopped at a visitor’s center in Langtry that paid tribute to a colorful (and criminal) Texas character, Judge Roy Bean. The Trans-Pecos region of Texas was one of the last to be settled and the town of Langtry where we stopped was once a bustling railroad and ranching hub known for its lawlessness in the 1800’s. The call for law and order led to the appointment of saloonkeeper Roy Bean, who delivered his own brand of justice over the next two decades. He frequently held court on the front porch of his saloon, the Jersey Lilly, and often paused trials for a round of drinks. Although he regularly made up his own laws and passed judgement based on his interpretation of the facts, he is credited with cleaning up violent crime and was the self-proclaimed “Only Law West of the Pecos”. Today, the town of Langtry has a population of 12 (no, I didn’t miss any zeros), but it proudly displays the history of the region.

Judge Roy Bean - the more I read, the less I liked him. Lol. 

The visitor center also had a nice garden area. The butterflies were swarming this plant.

We spent quite a bit of our time at Lost Alaskan catching up on chores and maintenance. Rog worked on the air conditioners, installing an aftermarket kit to improve airflow and make them a little quieter. On Monday, 5/6, Carole and I hit the thrift stores in town and enjoyed seeing one of the murals that Alpine is known for on the side of the Humane Society's thrift shop.

Just like a house, there's always maintenance
and home improvement projects to do. 

Love the art!

Later in the evening we went to see the mysterious Marfa lights. The Texas Highway Department has erected a viewing area for the lights about nine miles east of Marfa on Hwy 90.  The first historical record of the lights dates back to 1883. Over the years many theories have been offered – swamp gas (we’re in the desert!), electrostatic discharge, moonlight on veins of mica, a mirage, and ghosts. We even heard that one person believed it was high school boys who tied flashlights to racoon tails as a prank. Really? The lights appear on most clear nights. We watched them for about 30 minutes as they came and went, moving about, sometimes just one or two and other times five or six. All I know is that no scientific explanation has been given, but it is certainly a fascinating phenomenon and I’m quite sure no racoons were involved. Lol.

The mysterious Marfa lights. 

On Wednesday, 5/8, Rog celebrated his 65^th birthday! We couldn’t find a restaurant open in Alpine, it’s a small town and many businesses closed midweek. So Rog opted to smoke a pork shoulder on the Treager and celebrate later. We visited the Museum of the Big Bend at the Sul Ross University in town. It’s consistently won awards for the best small museum and it’s easy to see why. Incredibly varied and well-done exhibits, we even got to see an Andy Warhol exhibit that was showing while we were there. Very cool!

Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross University. Well worth a visit!

Varied exhibits at the Museum of the Big Bend.

The Andy Warhol exhibit was very interesting.

From here we move to Lajitas, TX. We’re excited to see what has changed since we last visited the Big Bend state and national parks seven years ago. It's an amazing area and we'll have lots to share!