Road Trip 2013, Week 2

 I know week 2 isn't quite finished yet but since I am bored out of my mind and the remaining day of the week looks to be the exact same as the previous few, I thought I would kill some time posting about the awesome week we have had (heavy sarcasm here).  The beginning of the week started out great.  We left behind "beautiful" New Mexico and headed into Texas for some big adventures.  Our first stop, and it was a very short stop, was Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  This park is mostly for hard core hikers who hike the mountains and find fossilized shells way up at the top.  A sea used to be in the valley millions of years ago and it is pretty cool that the fossils are at the top.  Luckily this park was right along the route and we didn't go out of our way for it.  At least I can say I've been there!

 Big Bend National Park was the next stop.  This park is at the very southwest corner of Texas.  It is completely out of the way and it has been called one of the largest but least visited parks in America.  I believe we were there in the off season, its too darn hot right now, or maybe what they say is true but we didn't meet many other people out there.  At the visitor center the ranger was talking about a lot of trouble with bears that day so we were hopeful we might run into some, but no such luck.  My family has been to so many parks with bear warnings but we have yet to see any.  Very disappointing.  Paul and I saw a grizzly in Denali in Alaska but I really want the kids to see a bear in the wild.  Someday.

 So Big Bend is down on the border of the US and Mexico.  We took a hike along the Rio Grande and looked over across the river into Mexico.  It was pretty cool.  There were signs posted everywhere about not buying things from the Mexicans across the river because then they would be illegals and we would be caught with contraband.  We didn't see any Mexicans out the day we were there because again, I think it was too darn hot.  Instead, we found copper and bead bugs sitting on rocks along the trail with a money jar next to them, asking for $5.  They were pretty cool and I wanted to get one but I had to set a good example for my children.  We do not purchase Mexican contraband!  Paul managed to maim more wildlife in the national park. He hit a warbler that only lives in the park area in the US and down into Mexico.  Hopefully by the time we visit the alligators in the Everglades he will have learned how to swerve ;)  Big Bend was an interesting place and I am glad we were able to experience it.

Here are the bead bugs we found.

The Rio Grande with Mexico on the other side of the river.

We never found a good place to dip our toes in the river but I was able to find this dilapidated dock type thing where we were all able to dip our fingers into the murky water and touch the Rio Grande.  Whoopee!

After Big Bend we were on our way to San Antonio.  Well, the Excursion (Maximus) felt like pooping out right outside of nowhere city Brackettville, TX.  We were only 5 miles out thankfully and were able to get a massive tow truck to haul both Max and the trailer and all of us at the same time back to town.  The driver dropped our trailer at the Fort Clark Springs RV park, within the walls of this historic Fort-turned-private community place, and then took Paul and Maximus to the shop.  This was the afternoon of Tuesday the 18th and we have been sitting here ever since!  Stewing in our own juices.  Shut up in the trailer with no escape.  Just looking at each other.  With no chocolate and no way to get some.  Until today when the shop said we could rent their work van which we promptly did and went grocery shopping.  We were out of milk and water bottles and we were dying.  I am a water snob I guess and I cringe when I have to drink out of the trailer's tap, even though Paul was nice enough to buy a filter for it.  I am a true Oregonian and I feel horrible for the trail of unrecycled water bottles we have left behind us but I want clean water thank you very much.  Tomorrow we will try swimming in the third biggest pool in Texas(!) which was being cleaned today.  Its fed from a stream so I don't know why they bother cleaning it but I won't argue with them.  Maximus is supposed to be fixed by tomorrow night or Saturday morning and then we can say hasta la vista to Brackettville Texas.  

A couple more things I have learned out on the road this week:

1.  I will never choose to eat a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich just for the fun of it once we are home safe and sound.

2.  The key to a successful road trip is to keep the kids on the brink of starvation.  They are lethargic and sit quietly and don't argue with anything you say.  Once they get food in their stomachs watch out!  They are pinging off the walls with their new found energy.

3.  Make everyone pee whenever you stop.  Even if they don't have to and  just peed 20 minutes ago. Go again.  I guarantee it will be worth it.

4.  My kids are awesome road trippers and they have adjusted to our being stuck in nowhereville very well.  I am so proud of them and so thankful that it hasn't been any worse than it already is.  Hopefully this week coming up will be full of fun adventures for them as we make our way back into civilization.