They don't call them Gila

 Angels...

The call them Gila Monsters for a reason. My first day back in Tucson, and I chanced upon this character on the trail. They are venomous lizards with an attitude.  If these nasty reptiles were able to purchase weapons and had trigger fingers, they would make Isis look like a bunch of Boy Scouts. I gave this Dude a wide berth as he hissed at me menacingly. If they latch onto you, they won't  let go. 

The good news is their bites are rarely deadly.

I wasn't going to test that assumption though.

I've seen about a dozen Gila Monsters in the winters I was here. Two Desert Tortoises and one Rattlesnake. I like the Tortoises the best.

Hope you had a bite free Saint Paddy's Day!

"Someone's Watching ...

Over Me." 

Written by Kara DioGaurdi and John Shanks

I'm now in Tucson, AZ where I once spent four winter seasons. I arrived back here with mixed emotions. Other than meeting a few quality people and hiking a lot, the "Old Pueblo" was a bad luck charm for me. I had enough unusual misfortunes here, I've developed a case of the heebie jeebies about the place. I'm hoping this go-around will be different.

That's why I brought along my "A Team" to watch over me here and beyond. Sid and Clara Sambur wouldn't want anything, anybody or anyplace to harm their baby boychik (boy in Yiddish). 

If you are wondering what caused these feelings, ask! 

OY! The stories I can tell. 

Ever have to relearn how to walk after a medical miscreant performs a surgery you don't need? I was merely bruised and not broken.  I guess that's why they call it "practicing medicine."

That really bothered me....

There's other stories just not so dramatic.

Cheers! 

Jeff

It's not Squinty Eyes Dunes National Monument,

It's White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. 

Today, it was a gauzy sun day, and my eyes were slits. It would be brutal on a bright, sunshiny day. I would have to purchase a pair of Oakley sunglasses with their "thermal nuclear protection" not to be blinded by the light.

The brilliant color of the sand is due to gypsum. It's a rare form of sand since gypsum is water soluble. Here in the Tularosa Basin, there are no waterways to carry the common mineral away. The fine grain white stuff is trapped in a natural bowl for all to enjoy. 

The National Park Service loans plastic sleds for the tykes and grown up kids to use for schussing down the dunes. You gotta love it.

Half a million visitors a year do. 

Back to warm and sunny Arizona mañana,

Jeff

How do you like that centerfold shot of Barley?

Michelin Tires...

Are trying to kill me and Barley.

Don't buy Michelins.

I'm in Sierra Blanca, Texas trying to limp into El Paso.

I'm getting rid of all the Michelins left on Barley.

What did I ever do to France to deserve this?

"What a long strange trip it's been" II
http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-long-strange-trip-it-been.html

Be safe out there,

Jeff

I'm in Alamogordo, NM now. Texas was starting to get to me.

"I Saw Miles and Miles of Texas."

Bob Wills and Asleep at the Wheel.

I was seeing Mexico too. This was true Borderland country with geographic names criss-crossing between English and Spanish. The Spanish names seemed to be edging out the Anglo ones though.

I took a quiet hike in Big Bend Ranch State Park and pondered the "why" are there so many Texan Spring Breakers in the middle of nada? 

The reason: Texans don't have anyplace else to go. Texas has a pittance of public land for people to trod upon without violating private property rights. (I would not recommend trespassing in the Lone Star State.) Texas is the second most populated state and the second largest in our nation. There's a meager 4.2% of land to play on. If we are comparison shopping, Colorado (eighth largest state) has 48% public playgrounds. This is one of the many reasons, I love the Centennial State more.

I stopped along my way in a grocery store in Presidio. It's so close to the border there's a Mexican Consulate in town. While trying to purchase a half dozen eggs, I was given a friendly lesson on how to ask for the huevos en Espanol. Even though the Stars and Stripes were on all the Public Buildings, this didn't bother me at all. 

It's all so appropriate in the Borderland country of West Texas.

Buenas Noches from Marfa,

Jeff

"What a Long, Strange Trip it's Been."

 "Truckin'" by the Grateful Dead. 

Mañana, I'll slowly begin to move north and west of Big Bend National Park. 

It was a weird stay down here. The weather was off, I was off and the humans I came in contact with were way off. Hence an epiphany. 

http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2015/03/big-bend-epiphany.html

On today's twelve mile loop up and around and down the Chisos Mountains, it felt more like fall than impending spring. I crunched a lot of brown leaves underfoot. Area-code sized gangs of families, youth groups and college kids kept asking me "Are we there yet?"

My answer, "I dunno. What's your destination?" Sometimes they were less than a mile from a trailhead.

We are raising a nation of wimps! I'm not a wimp, just a cold weenie. There's a difference. 

So...tomorrow I'll take a scenic drive along the Mighty Rio Grande River, go for a hike and head back to Marfa. That's been a highlight of this tour. At least the town exudes a benign,  harmless strangeness. (Like me). 

http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2015/03/where-heck-is.html

From Study Butte RV Park (pronounced Stoody) 

Hey! I'm in Texas! High Schools spend more on football coaches than teachers. 

PS. I'm not writing West Texas off, just the month of March when the thieves are here. 

Touristy Terlingua, Texas...

With a living population of 58, there's more people Resting in Peace at the local cemetery than residing in the many dubious looking structures within the City? Center. 

But then again, what can one expect from a Ghost Town? 

It was a no-motivation day after my weird camping experience in Big Bend Bandits NP. 

http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2015/03/big-bend-epiphany.html

So I joined all the other tourists on Spring Break and got me an overpriced bare boned minimum hotel room in Downtown Terlingua.

This once was a thriving mining district. Cinnabar is what they extracted. It's where mercury metal comes from. The town was going gang busters in WW I. Quicksilver was an ingredient for munitions manufacturing. 

Like all mineral based economies, it's boom or bust. (Think Leadville, Colorado). The mines played out and above ground tourists (like me) now provide the cash flow. I'll stimulate the local economy with a visit to the Starlight Bar and Grill now. It's a dirty job, but some Wandering, Wondering Jew has to do it. 

Goodnight Y'all

I booked an RV site in Marfa in a few days. I really liked that town. http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2015/03/where-heck-is.html