"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

Big Bend Epiphany...

This will be a long blog. Sorry. Grab a beer/wine or coffee or delete if you don't have  two minutes. 

I was returning to my campsite at the Rio Grande Village when I noticed my cheap Walmart camp chair was gone. My solar shower had been kicked around like a soccer ball too. Crap! I left my Coleman stove in the storage box and sure enough it had also gone missing. Double Crap! 

I looked yonder to a neighbors camp. Hmmm! That looks like my chair. It was. Maybe my Coleman stove is in their storage box. It was. I grabbed my gear and flung it in Barley the van. 

Off I went to explain my plight to the campground host. 

I must have interrupted the volunteer in the midst of a Vincent Van Gogh ear amputation surgery. One third of his ear was detached from his head and still bleeding. (I'm not making this up!) I tried my best to be as nonchalant as he was. This wasn't a "I cut myself shaving" wound. 

He assured me he would look into the matter and speak to the accused when they returned. I moved campsites knowing the culprits were Texans and carried a U.S. Army Reserve's worth of weapons in their Mini-Van. I own a dull Swiss Army knife. I wouldn't  stand a chance. 

The thieves pleaded ignorance. They reckoned I left Big Bend NP and couldn't be bothered with taking my gear with me. Hey! I'm in Texas! They really believed that. So they picked up my valuables in order to keep the campground litter free. They were being good Lone Star State citizens. God Bless them for trying to make a difference.

So Jeff...what's your epiphany?

There are times it's best to just hunker down in a real town in the "tweener" seasons. Between fall/winter. Between winter/spring. 

Barley the Van living is based upon warm and long days. A van gets awfully small in inclement weather or 13 hours or more of darkness. I have too much time to think and ponder things. Thinking too much is the arch-enemy of single people. You actually realize you are alone. 

In my future I'll rent temporary pads in places where there's hiking, a few pubs, more humans, warmer temperatures and Spring Training Baseball. 

In 10 days, I'll be hunkering in Tucson. That will be another blog. 

Good night from Big Bend Bandits National Park. 

I'm going to sleep with one-eye open and my Swiss Army knife under my pillow.

PS. Those are real live Mexican horses. The Border Patrol didn't bother them about "Green Cards."