Day 46-Fri, 12 Feb 09-Van Horn TX to Del Rio TX
Photos: Texas landscapes.
Well, the winter coats, van heater, and any other device meant to create warmth, has been officially ‘retired’. We’ve finally hit the heat and it’s so nice. We turned on to Hwy 90 and headed south towards the tip of Texas…a trip we did last year on our way to Big Bend National Park.
It’s another one of those straight highways that doesn’t have a very interesting landscape along the way and always makes me wonder what brought people here in the first place. This the Texas Mountain Trail route and there are certainly mountain ranges in the distance but there’s a whole lot of scrubby mileage in between. It’s very ‘Texan’.
The first town we hit was Valentine but there’s not a lot there to feel ‘lovey’ about. It wasn’t until we had driven quite a distance past the town that it occurred to me I could have had some amazing photos of all these ‘ghost towns’ that still have a few living ghosts residing there. How long does it take a town to completely die? Valentine is close!
We didn’t stop at Marfa…the place where ‘mysterious’ lights have been seen in the sky for years and years. Now, call me a conspiracy theorist if you like, but is it a coincidence that there is a USAF Tethered Radar Unit near there, satellite dishes galore sitting out in fields, and other weird looking stuff…AND lights in the sky? I don’t think so!
If you are ever looking for a ‘42 Packard or a ’39 Ford Pick-up, the southern part of Arizona or Texas is the place to find them. Yep, the paint is gone but for the best part, they are generally in one piece and sitting in someone’s front yard. It’s amazing really and every time I think I’ve seen the best, there’s another one that’s even better. Another lost photo op!
Our last stop…except for a couple of ‘train-spotting’ events, was in Lantry—of Judge Roy Bean infamy. He was quite a character and did what he wanted, when he wanted, regardless of what anyone thought. He’s buried in the yard behind the museum site and while we didn’t go in to see it, I’ve read enough in the travel books to know he wasn’t just a western myth. I’ll have to google him and get the whole skinny.
We did go through town…or what’s left of it….and tried to get close enough to the Rio Grande to see some actual water. We did the same thing last year in a couple of locations but there’s only a trickle in a couple of places. The Mexicans and Americans have pretty well diverted it entirely so the mighty Rio Grande is just another big, dry, riverbed.
We are staying in the American Campground right near the Amistad N’al Recreation Area. It’s a big lake—made bigger by a dam that captures any leftover water in the Rio Grande and Devil’s Rivers. People here don’t have ATVs, they have a boat and take part in fishing tournaments.
We should be very close to S.Padre Island tomorrow and will hopefully spend a few days basking in the sun. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx
It’s another one of those straight highways that doesn’t have a very interesting landscape along the way and always makes me wonder what brought people here in the first place. This the Texas Mountain Trail route and there are certainly mountain ranges in the distance but there’s a whole lot of scrubby mileage in between. It’s very ‘Texan’.
The first town we hit was Valentine but there’s not a lot there to feel ‘lovey’ about. It wasn’t until we had driven quite a distance past the town that it occurred to me I could have had some amazing photos of all these ‘ghost towns’ that still have a few living ghosts residing there. How long does it take a town to completely die? Valentine is close!
We didn’t stop at Marfa…the place where ‘mysterious’ lights have been seen in the sky for years and years. Now, call me a conspiracy theorist if you like, but is it a coincidence that there is a USAF Tethered Radar Unit near there, satellite dishes galore sitting out in fields, and other weird looking stuff…AND lights in the sky? I don’t think so!
If you are ever looking for a ‘42 Packard or a ’39 Ford Pick-up, the southern part of Arizona or Texas is the place to find them. Yep, the paint is gone but for the best part, they are generally in one piece and sitting in someone’s front yard. It’s amazing really and every time I think I’ve seen the best, there’s another one that’s even better. Another lost photo op!
Our last stop…except for a couple of ‘train-spotting’ events, was in Lantry—of Judge Roy Bean infamy. He was quite a character and did what he wanted, when he wanted, regardless of what anyone thought. He’s buried in the yard behind the museum site and while we didn’t go in to see it, I’ve read enough in the travel books to know he wasn’t just a western myth. I’ll have to google him and get the whole skinny.
We did go through town…or what’s left of it….and tried to get close enough to the Rio Grande to see some actual water. We did the same thing last year in a couple of locations but there’s only a trickle in a couple of places. The Mexicans and Americans have pretty well diverted it entirely so the mighty Rio Grande is just another big, dry, riverbed.
We are staying in the American Campground right near the Amistad N’al Recreation Area. It’s a big lake—made bigger by a dam that captures any leftover water in the Rio Grande and Devil’s Rivers. People here don’t have ATVs, they have a boat and take part in fishing tournaments.
We should be very close to S.Padre Island tomorrow and will hopefully spend a few days basking in the sun. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx
posted by Lynne @ 6:43 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Well isn't that nice Mrs. C. that you've finally hit the hot weather, as I sit here in Cornwall and watch the sun come up over the frozen St. Lawrence river, and wishing I could be sitting out on the patio in warmer weather. At least the sun is forecasted to be bright for next four days. Enjoy reading your blogspot. don't miss those photo ops - stop and take it in. Those moments in life never come back. Miss you, love Mrs. B.
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