Day 18-Friday, 16 Jan 09-Lake Braunig to Ft Stockton, Texas

Oh-h-h, it was a chilly night last night….not -30….but cold enough to keep the heater going the better part of the night. When we woke up, you could almost see your breath and as we pulled out of Lake Braunig, a bank sign indicated it was 44 degrees.
It stayed cloudy and windy as we drove through the Hill Country. Texas is broken down into 10-12 different ‘zones’ from Gulf Coast (where South Padre Island is), to Big Bend Country (where we are tonight), Hill Country, Panhandle Plains, Piney Woods, Prairies and Lakes, and South Texas Plains (San Antonio area). We were traveling I-10 West and by the time we reached Junction, the skies were clearing and our hopes for sun were rising. We stopped at one of the beautiful rest areas on the Interstate and had grilled ham & cheese sandwiches and nearly cleared up the last of the Xmas cookies.
I drove for a bit while Wayne napped and after snorking himself awake a couple of times, we stopped and switched drivers and I gave it a go. When I woke up, the warm sun was blazing in the side window and the terrain was the one I love the most….rock formations and miles of scrubby plains. I’m clearly a ‘desert’ person and while many would find it boring, I love the cactus and the huge rock formations that look so majestic from far away and change to a ‘pile of rocks’ as you get nearer. I’m sure that’s why I love Arizona so much and I’m really looking forward to spending some time this year trying to capture on ‘film’ what I most love to see when I’m there. So far I’ve resisted all temptation to venture off the directed paths as I don’t own a pair of ‘snake boots’ (yet) but I’m sure I’d pass right out if I ever came across a rattle snake. I’d probably kill him when I dropped on top of him!
We are in a former KOA in Fort Stockton and just waiting for the mesquite BBQ ribs to be done at the little attached restaurant…no cooking tonight. Tomorrow we will stop at the Fort to have a look-see…there’s so much history around here as these were the towns that were formed when the US Army set up Forts in the 1880s and the wagon trains made their way through the wilderness. The town grew when the Fort was built in 1859, and was an outpost on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. This area was one of the earliest irrigated farming efforts in Texas; some 8,000 acres irrigated as early as 1877.
Be prepared folks…the world’s largest roadrunner sits right in the middle of town (Paisano Pete) and I have no doubt you’ll see it here tomorrow. There’s also an old cemetery at the Fort and ghoul that I am, I’m looking forward to wandering through it.
The skies are clear and I’m hoping we’ll have some sunny days ahead. Take care, we are thinking of you and missing each of you.
Until tomorrow, love and hugs to all. Xx
P.S. Just had the most fabulous dinner…ribs, potatoes, gravy, green beans, homemade biscuit for $8.59. Oh…and a piece of marble cake thrown in. yummy!