One side=U.S

 

The other side=Mexico. See the difference? Well, neither do I. 

On a blustery, cold day I hiked from Rio Grande Village (a store, gas station, laundry  and campground) to some hot springs. A few of the bathers swam across the Rio Grande and actually touched Mexico! I expected alarms to go off, but that didn't happen. 

Mexican Nationals leave goo-gags and walking sticks along the trail with requests for "donations." Capitalism is alive and well South of the Border too. 

Meanwhile our Border Patrol can fine or arrest you for doing business with these Mexican craftsmen. It's a strange world we live in. 

Speaking of strange! The temperatures are considerably below average here. This will be the second night where water will turn to ice. At least my beer is staying chilled along with me. 

Believe it or not, Big Bend is booked solid for Spring Break! Who would have thought college kids would want to party on in West Texas instead of Fort Lauderdale? Whatever happened to the days of "Beach Blanket Bingo"? 

Finding a home for Barley and me might be a challenge in the next few weeks. 

I might actually have to sleep under a bridge down by the river.

Who would have thunk it? 

Borderlands National Park...

would be a more descriptive name than Big Bend. 181 miles of the park's boundary is the Rio Grande River. This puny desert stream (dry in many places due to upriver impoundments) forms the border between the U.S and Mexico. 

Down here in West Texas, the idea of two separate nations gets a bit muddled. The river is not a deterrent for people's meanderings. Green and white Border Patrol vehicles ply the paved and dirt roads. Oftentimes, they are seen sitting dormant with a sole occupant scanning the long horizons for "human sign." 

It's all seems sort of sad. A huge effort on America's part to keep the people who clean our hotel rooms, pick our fruits and vegetables, cook our meals, frame our homes and landscape our yards out. I wish the "Powers to Be" could come up with a workable solution to this quagmire.

I'm a first generation American. Sid and Clara were both from the Old World. I feel fortunate and thankful, this nation found space for the two of them. There were immigration questions then and there still are now. An answer is long overdue.

Anyway...Big Bend National Park is a pretty out-worldly looking region. 

It's the most visited place in Texas (even more than the Alamo). One must make an effort to get here. It's out of the way and off the grid. I like that, even though tonight's forecast is for cold, rain, sleet and possibly White Death. I'm hoping the inclement weather goes away soon, or I'll be going away soon. 

Good Night Y'all

Where the Heck is...

Marfa, Texas???

It was a mystery to me until I arrived here myself. Talk about out of the way! But then again that could be said for most of west Texas. I wanted space and that's what I got in sufficient acreage. 

What sets Marfa apart from the rest of the cow s--t stomping towns in these parts is art. Donald Judd, a New York artist and art collector somehow discovered this wide spot on Highway 90. He bought buildings and filled them with artwork. Now there's at least six art galleries in a town of 1,918. 

Marfa is famous for being the backdrop of many Hollywood movies (most notably "Giant" starring James Dean.) 

Let's not forget the Marfa lights too. No one has figured out what causes these flickering, multi-colored lights seen east of town. I looked and looked but they didn't appear for this blogger. 

Marfa began as a railroad watering stop in the 1880's. I stopped at a few watering holes of a different kind. The local post master was incredulous when I told her I didn't  own a sidearm. She told me about her recent purchase of a new .38 Special. 

I was extremely polite to her.

Hey! I'm in Texas! 

Good Night Y'all