Texas Radio and the Big Bend

This Blog is a long time coming. I recently rediscovered my pictures from the little point and shoot Canon and saw that plenty of them were post-worthy. We spent about 2 weeks in Texas before heading back north, but the first week or so was mostly spent in cities (Houston and Austin). Luckily we got some time off of the Interstates and into the countryside.
We found out about a Scenic Drive between Austin and Del Rio which takes Farm to Market routes off of the only slightly larger main road. Every few miles there were stream crossings with flood warning signs and water level indicators, but only once did we encounter a flooded road which was just barely wide enough to drive over. We decided to use the skills we learned playing all those hours of Oregon Trail and Ford the River! We made it across safely with all of our Oxen, Supplies and sense of adventure intact.

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The road did have some great photo ops. I'd never been able to capture beams of light poking through clouds so well before. I've always found that to be particularly beautiful.

We stopped for lunch (Subway and Blueberries) at a picnic area along the road. It overlooked the Rio Frio, and further investigation found it overlooked many piles of bones too. This bonesy was nearest to the road and perfectly bleached by the sun.



The aforementioned Rio Frio. This was one of the nicest days we encountered all winter (~60) so I was ready to jump in.

We took another scenic drive on a whim when we got sick of the I-10 and took the nearest exit. We were heading towards "Attwater Prarie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge" but went through the back way which was locked. We never did get to see any Prarie Chickens but we did see some great scenery.

Part of the reason for this trip was to find a place where we belong and might want to settle down. A big part of that for us was meeting people we connected with. We met a few such people, always by chance and with a little bit of social skill.
These people pulled up next to us in their VW van while we were enjoying a meal from Taco Cabana. We have always admired these models and assumed that the owners must be cool too. So on the pretense of throwing out some trash, I ran into the owners and said "Oh, hey, is this your van? We were admiring it..." Turns out, they WERE cool and we ended up having an hour long conversation about travelling in vans and cool places we must visit in the country. They were very much in love, too and we could relate to them pretty well. I was glad I made the leap to say Hello as I would have missed out on a great experience if I had just kept walking past.

We also met some Dirty Kids in Austin. While they aren't quite on the same path as us, they are always great to get to know. I had a great conversation with the owner of this jacket and I hope to run into him at the Mystic Garden Party this year! (We missed each other last summer.)

Eventually we made our way to Big Bend National Park, which I'd heard about from my Aunt Pammy. We only got to stay one night because of family affairs making it necessary to drive back north, but we had a blast and now have a better idea of what to do next time.

While we were at the Panther Junction Station to buy a national parks pass and some hiking guides, a sounder of Javelinas crossed the parking lot. I leapt out of the van with the camera and chased them into some brush, where this guy and I shared a moment.

We spent one night at a campground at Chisos Basin, and when we woke up in the morning the campground, mountains and roads were dusted with snow. It was a brutal winter all over the country, but we were in the desert on the border with Mexico with 20 degree weather and snow. Quite a sight! 

Later that day, things were clear enough for the road to reopen and we found that there was little snow on the ground and temperatures were a pleasant 40.

Jim shot this picture of me getting the above picture.

Outside of big bend, there were acres of farmland. Texas has way more species of deer than I ever knew existed.

This picture was technically taken in Arkansas, but I wanted to stick it in. The sky was incredible that night- the locals were as flabbergasted as us passers-through.

Mexico Part 3: Tulum and Playa again

For my last Blog post about Mexico, here are some assorted pictures from Tulum and Playa del Carmen. We spent the last week or so lounging on the beach, reading and frolicking in the waves. For two nights, we moved over to Cabanas Copal which is fancier than Papaya Playa and has a spa and, a couple nights a week, a Mayan Ritual called a Temazcal which is a 2+ hour long sweat lodge ceremony where we inhale and chant and generally meditate and sweat. That was a really great, spiritual experience despite the touristy intention of it.

On the beach, there were some really creative and talented people who made some cool sand scupltures:

Here is the view from our Cabana at Papaya Playa:

This tiny translucent crab waddled across the sand intimidatingly.

At Cabanas Copal, there were two beggar cats at every meal. The big one was blind and slow but sweet and the little one was wily and greedy.

A few days before in Playa, we ate at a mostly-vegetarian and all-healthy restaurant called 100% Natural. To show how health-conscious they were, they filled their fountain with fruit. The food was great. Instead of chips and salsa they served whole wheat bread with salsa and sour cream and chives.

The night before, I decided to bite the bullet and risk some street food. I was glad I did, because the tacos were awesome. Definitely the best mexican food I had down there!

A tiny scruffy kitten that lived near our hotel

And finally, a real live Mexican Mariachi Band roaming the streets of Playa.

Right now we are in New Orleans experiencing Mardi Gras first hand. We've already gone to a parade and toured the lower 9. More adventures to come!
Here is a taste:

Playa del Carmen and Diving in Cozumel (part one)

After we flew into Cancun, we took a bus straight for Playa del Carmen which is another hub for travellers through the Riviera Maya. Like New York, it has its Avenida 5, but it is filled with souvenir shops and tour sellers, as well as a little shop selling pictures with tiny monkeys. We decided to take advantage of its prime location on the caribbean sea and its proximity to Cozumel to go SCUBA diving, which we hadn´t done since Belize a year ago. We dove with Geofish, run by a nice guy from Denver who decided to move down here and follow his dream of owning a dive shop. Turns out it´s not exactly profitable. I guess I´ll have to reevaluate my dream of doing the same thing! Anyway, last thursday we took the ferry across the bay to Cozumel where we were picked up by an texan who ran dive shop on the island, and were soon on a boat out to our first Dive Site.
We did two dives, and on both we saw turtles, sting rays, and of course the hundreds (mas o menos) of colorful fish one finds in the caribbean.
Here are some pictures from diving, but first, our first view of the Caribbean in Playa del Carmen:

A Blenny

These lionfish are not native to the caribbean (in fact I saw one on my dive in Australia), but an aquarium broke and a few got out and mated and the rest is modern history...

The second of the two turtles we saw on our dives. He was pretty nonchalantly swimming near us, and let us get pretty close.

This lovely painted lady is a Triggerfish

A very colorful Angelfish and its entourage

I had no idea my fins were this pink

A Very Large Hermit Crab indeed, who had apparently stolen a Conch Shell

After our first dive, we had a lovely lunch of Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, and sandwiches and anchored near a beach. I dove in and Jim caught me mid-leap.

This Pelican was on the dock in Cozumel, and was very friendly, or at least tolerant. We got within a foot before the dock security told us to get away from the side.

Finally, the adorable dogs at the Hotel we stayed at in Playa (Barrio Latino).

We´re back in Playa now, and we finally got our PIN so we can get cash out at an ATM which saves us a hell of a lot of hassle. We are going back to Tulum tomorrow to finally relax on the beach for at least 5 nights. We´re having a good time, but it´s been kind of stressful with the money situation (and a bout of "Traveller´s Sickness") but I think now we´ll be able to really enjoy ourselves.