Rio Grande Canoe Trip

As we paddled through Boquillas Canyon last week, where the Rio Grande river cuts through the heart of the Sierra Madres Mountains along the US Mexico border, I kept thinking how I could have not known that this magical paddling river even existed until a few months ago?      It was simply spectacular.    This video will give you a little taste of our adventure.

More later perhaps from Kathleen and the boys on their blogs.

Wind and first run in with "the law"

Scene of the crime.

Nothing like pulling a 31 foot travel trailer down the highway with a nasty crosswind.  Check this video out.   Took quite a few glasses of wine last night to get my nerves unraveled after the nine hour drive from San Antonio to Big Bend.


And then there was our little encounter with border patrol.  Dad had the bright idea to stop on the side of the road and jump the fence to get a better look at the desert.    Wesley, Gibson and Dashel followed and within a minute a green and white border patrol truck screeched to a halt behind our trailer.    I opted for the  "kiss ass" approach and explained that we just wanted to see the cactus close up and that we were on a mission to pump huge amounts of dollars into the Texas economy.   He smiled and left us alone advising us to watch out for rattlers.

Boys keeping a sharp eye out for rattlers.

We are going to get cooked!

We scheduled our time in the desert southwest for April to avoid the heat.  So what is this forecast about?  

Biking with the Boys in San Antonio

Call it the "Parents yelling and screaming school of bicycle safety."  We have used our bicycles to get around where possible.  Yesterday we rode six miles one way to reach the center of this city.   Bike paths, and bike routes are preferred of course, but occasionally we rode on busier streets.  This is where the screaming and yelling comes in:   Stay to the right!   Watch out!   Stop sign!  Go!  Slow down!  Speed up!  What the hell are you doing!?  That car could have killed you!  You get the idea.

Riverwalk

Mature Bald Cypress line the San Antonio River

Decades ago, visionary leaders in San Antonio embarked on a mission to turn a dirty creek called the San Antonio river into a tourist mecca known today as Riverwalk.    Countless millions of dollars were spent to install dams, water features, landscaping, walkways and bridges.  People came as did hotels, restaurants, and shops.     Today this river brings over $800 million into the local economy.  Frankly I was blown away.  Riverwalk is not just tourist attraction.  It is a work of art on a huge scale that  literally defines this city of 2.3 million people.   It is a textbook partnership of public and private enterprise and a testament to what a community can to with the right leadership, imagination, and teamwork.

Dashel eats burger #47 for the trip along the Riverwalk

Ike was worse, way worse.

I promise this will be the last post about hurricanes.

   Katrina's damage to New Orleans was from flooding.  The water rose swiftly for sure, but the lateral forces were minimal - houses just became submerged in sea water.   Few homes showed any damage other than that occurring from being soaked to the roof.

The eye passed of Hurricane Ike passed over Galveston Texas on Sept 13, 2008.     True of all hurricanes, the worst damage occurs on the right side (looking down) of the eye.  This is where the counter clockwise rotation drives on shore winds and storm surge the highest.   On this "bad side" of the eye was the Bolivar peninsula  northwest of Galveston.  Here a storm surge of 27 feet swept homes right off the foundations.

 In Crystal Beach, where we stayed last night, damage was cataclysmic.   The few homes that were not swept away were unrepairable.   Those living there today, live in either an RV on the site of their former home, or in a new home if they were fortunate enough to rebuild.   Shells of former businesses line the main road.   Few have reopened.    Deciduous trees are all dead from salt water saturation of the soil.

My first reaction to Crystal Beach is why would anyone stay?    But after talking to residents and observing thier lives and community I began to understand what  a resilliant and proud people they are.    This is their home, their community and all they know.

 Crystal Beach is the exact opposite of Destin, Florida.    No pretense, and few rules.  You can drive on the beach, wear camo drinking a beer at the Stingaree Tavern, and think about buying that beach front lot advertised for $39,000.  I'd rather be here than the Emerald Coast.

Aerial photo from Wikipedia.   Gas station and RV photos taken by me on 3/31/11.

Louisiana Launch Ramp

Crossing the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge is tremendous fun. Instead of a conventional bridge the Louisiana highway folks installed ramps on either side of the river. You simply drive off the ramp at the suggested 100 mph and land softly on the other side.