Fort Davis to Alpine, the long way

The weather yesterday finally turned decent. The night before though it rained during the night, rain that froze to the tent rain fly. Clear skies though and the sun felt good when we got up at 7:30.

The first night we were in the park we heard snorting, sniffing and thumping noises. I had forgotten to put the padlock on the dry box we had our food stored in. When I got up to investigate I discovered two Javelinas had gotten the lid open and were eating a loaf of bread. They did not want to leave at all and it took me poking at them with a camp chair to get them to move off. These are nasty creatures going in excess of 50 pounds. The look like pigs but are not. They are not particularly aggressive but I would not want to corner one. Then the second night they of course came back for another meal. This time I took the .38 with me. It has a laser site on it and that light shined in their eyes drove them away. No, I wouldn’t have shot them but I felt better having it in my hand just in case.

The loop we were camped in was fully occupied by a bus load of high school kids who were rarely there, being off on field trips every day. When they were there they were incredibly well behaved. I didn’t find out where they were from but they were obviously an elite group.

Yesterday we waited until things thawed out and enjoyed the sun then packed up. We left at 1:30 taking the long road to Big Bend National Park. A great ride of 150 miles broken into two sections. The first heads due south on Highway 17 which becomes Highway 67 at Marfa. From there it goes to Presidio. The road is straight and smooth with great views of the mountain ranges surrounding the area. I was reminded of my favorite western movie, The Big Country, particularly when we stopped at a a historical marker that talked about the local ranching history.

At Presidio we got onto Farm Road 170 heading east and south. The road is narrow and has many curves and dips. We also had to take a 5 mile detour on a dirt road. It was hard packed but I would not have been able to take it if we were on two wheels. Too many 15 per cent grades with a turn combined but the trike handled it without difficulty. The road hugs the Rio Grande river most of the way. Just incredible scenery. Von took a hundred photos from the back of the trike which we will wade through and get posted as soon as possible.

We got to Big Bend at 6:30 only to find a closed entry station with signs posted saying all the campgrounds were full. I had forgotten this is Spring Break. We returned to a small town just outside the park, I think it is called Study Butte. The sun was setting as we went into the front desk of the only hotel in town to be told there was no room at the inn and that no tent sides were available at the adjacent RV Park.

Ah well. That’s what happens when you travel impromptu. The nearest place that was likely to have rooms available is Alpine which is only 25 miles from Fort Davis but 80 miles from where we were. We decided to make the run since it was warm. We had a snack from the grocery store/filling station and gassed up the trike. The road climbs like crazy for 20 miles and the temperatures plummeted. I do not enjoy driving at night even in a car and on the trike worrying about deer along side the road and dealing with these old eyes with not that good of night vision it wasn’t the best part of the day. We made it to Alpine by 9:30 though and found a room that accepts pets on the second try. Free wifi and a big breakfast are included for the 80 bucks. Our hotel budget is shot for the month now but we’ll make do.

At Marfa we moved Bentley to my lap and he seems much more comfortable there. The engine heat kept him quite warm on the night ride, that along with the heavy sweat shirt and under t-shirt we put on him. We have decided to make a bee line for the trailer. We will probably get to Livingston tomorrow where we will get our mail, do our taxes, and I will make a long one day run on Thursday day to get the receiver from the Motortrike factory in Troupe then drive to Pineville, Louisiana for the trailer and then back to Livingston. That will probably take 10 hours. Bentley is just not very comfortable in Von’s lap. It’s just too cramped and he doesn’t relax at all. He does when in my lap but he is still reluctant to get back on after we break. He loves his kennel though and it will get him out of the wind. I had hoped he would be like those dogs you see sticking their heads out the window enjoying the wind but alas, he does not. I am sure that putting him back on the trailer in a hard shell without the wind will make him a much happier camper. He did go to sleep in my lap on the night ride so he does okay but he will certainly enjoy the space and wind free environment on the trailer.

So we will get an early start, for us, this morning. I hope to hit the road by 9 and it’s 7:45 right now so will get in the shower and pack up.

Later,

Greg