Day 4 of ALAA-Tues, May 17th, 2011. Big Bend NP to El Paso, TX

Today saw me going the almost 400 miles from Big Bend to El Paso, TX. I've been on the road for 4 days and 1,570 miles and I'm still in stinkin' Texas! Today I saw the Terlingua ghost town, rode The River Road along the Rio Grande, saw three towns with no drugstores or pharmacies but with a majority of gravel streets. Most of these small towns along the Texas-Mexico border are very undeveloped and poor. The people there are friendly and helpful with strangers. I talked with a couple of Harley riders headed from Utah to Key West. Even though I don't ride a Harley, we sat and talked over lunch at a truck stop. Oh, and the bike and I got sniffed again at ANOTHER of those Border Patrol inspection points. Tomorrow? FINALLY out of Texas and to New Mexico!

Day 3 of ALAA-Mon, May 16th, 2011. Laredo to Big Bend National Park, TX

Well, this is about Day 3 but is being written at the end of Day 4. Why, you ask? Well, last night was spent in Big Bend National Park . . . where there is absolutely no cell coverage! I wasn't surprised because BBNP is about 90 miles from nowhere . . . . . and that's NOT a joke, it's literal! It was over 400 miles from Laredo to BBNP but there's not a lot to see in West Texas!

The scenery is pretty in a stark, desert kind of way. I camped in the Chisos Basin campground which sits at 5,400 feet and is surrounded by peaks in a Crater Lake kind of way. Anyway, yesterday began in Laredo, TX and ended at Big Bend. I ran into a Danish couple riding a rented Harley from Orlando to LA. I went through 2 Border Patrol inspection stations looking for drugs and illegals. The bike and I got sniffed by 2 drug-sniffing dogs. Now that was weird!

Oh, two interesting things happened at the campground: 1) I saw this "creature" run through the campground I thought it was a small feral hog but it was smaller and didn't have the ugly snout that feral hogs have. The couple in the site next to me said that it was a javalina-whatever in the world that is! 2) I got up about 6:00 this morning and it was so light outside you could see your moon shadow. I walked down to the little boy's room to clean up and it was much darker when I walked back to the campsite. I looked up at the mountains surrounding Chisos Basin and the full moon had set behind the mountain. I guess I saw my first moonset! I was a little concerned because the campsite had a food storage locker to keep bears away!

Today is more of BBNP, the River Road along the Rio Grande, and Westward toward El Paso. Will I EVER get out of Texas??

Day 2 of ALAA-Sun, May 15th, 2011. Corpus Christi to Laredo, TX

Well, it was an interesting day but not really notable in any way. Today took me about 300 miles from Mustang Island near Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande Valley and them up the border to Laredo. I've been on three islands in the first two days; Galveston, Mustang, and Padre but I don't think I'm going to see any more islands for a week or so! The morning was along the Gulf of Mexico coast to the US/Mexico border-wet in the morning and dry in the afternoon. The trip along the US border with Mexico began in Harlingen, TX and this section of the Texas-Mexico border is fairly poor. All this afternoon I followed the border so you can imagine that I'm in an area populated primarily by Hispanics.

One surprising thing has been the number of Border Patrol agents I've seen-probably 25 so far. I guess they are looking for illegals crossing the border. I'm in Lake Casa Blanca State Park in Laredo and it's nearly deserted. One very good thing a bout this state park is that I can put the tent right next to the plug in electrical connection. That means that I can charge my phone and flashlight while I sleep.

It sprinkled a little on me today but that just kept it comfortable. Tomorrow I'm shooting for Marathon, TX. It's near the North entrance of Big Ben National Park. More of this ever-boring drule tomorrow.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way . . .

Sitting in a Denny's waiting for the $2 breakfast ($3 w/ tax and tip!) and thinking about what happened this morning on the beach. I had finished rolling up the sleeping bag and pad and I had stepped outside the tent when it took off! The tent door was upzipped and it acted like a parachute taking off! The wind pulled the stakes out of the sand and it rolled about 1/4 mile down the beach and up into the dunes! I laughed when I finally caught it but I thought for a while it was a goner! Apparently this was very entertaining for the other campers along the beach because they were laughing their heads off! I got a lot of comments when I finally caught up with it and was walking back to my (former?) campsite. When I got back, the tarp I put the tent on was a goner too! It apparently blew down the beach and up over into the dunes as well. I'll just go to Wally World and spent $5 on a new one. Strong winds coming off the Gulf!

Day 1 of ALAA-Sat, June 14th, 2011. Home to Corpus Christi, TX

My campsite at Mustang Island State Park-the Gulf is just to the right

The first day was spent going from home to Galveston Island and then down the coast about 250 miles to Corpus Christi. This 300 miles today is pretty much in line with my plan of "A tank of gas in the morning and a tank of gas after lunch." Each tank is about 150 miles so I'm shooting for around 300 miles per day for the rest of the trip.


I'm spending the night at Mustang Island State Park. Mustang Island is my third island today. First was Galveston Island, then Mustang Island, then North Padre Island for dinner, and then back to Mustang Island. The campground here is literally right on the beach! My tent is set up about a hundred feet from the water-the waves are about 3-4 feet and should be a good sleeping pill.


The only really notable thing about today was that I finally got to see a feral hog. It was on the side of the road, apparently hit by a car. Mean lookin' sucker though! Tomorrow takes me through Corpus Christi, the King Ranch, to South Padre Island, and toward Laredo, Big Bend, El Paso, Yuma, and San Diego along the Mexican border. A lot more to come!

ONE Week Left!

This has been a busy week with the end of classes and Final Exams starting on Monday. It looks like I'm on schedule to have everything wrapped up and be able to leave a week from today. It's exciting to be setting off on such an Adventure but also a little scary! You never know exactly what you're going to encounter along the way.

It also looks like my Bride is going to fly to Portland so we can spend a few days along the Oregon coast. You understand that this means I will have to rent a car at PDX and leave the bike parked at the airport . . . . . but that's okay. There is a motel in Lincoln City on the coast called the Ester Lee-they have one bedroom units with large windows facing right out to the ocean. Throw a fireplace into the mix and you have a nice place to stay for a weekend. YIPPEE!

In Case You Were Wondering . . . . .

Just in case you took a CLOSE look at the picture of the bike, I've made another change that is more secure. In the picture, the back of the main piece of luggage is secured with red bungee cords. Well, those things made me nervous so they have been replaced by adjustable luggage straps that can be secured more easily.