Day 40 - Finished

40 days, 12 states, 7,900 miles.

I'm back home now after my 40th day on the road.

It was awesome! Everything did not go smoothly but I expected that. Had to change some destinations and curtail some planned moves. I grew tired of the constant making camp at dark only to break camp, pack up everything the next morning, and move on. You need to have time to explore, rest, and relax in each new place. Too much crammed into 40 days. But it was fun. Wonderful experience, wonderful memories. No regrets.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, with modifications that would be the result of what I learned.

I loved the opportunity to get out on the open road, to use my wings while I still could, and just fly, fly, fly.

Day 39 - Rounding Third

November 11

Thirty-nine days on the road and almost back to Huntsville. In honor of the World Champion Houston Astros, I have rounded third base and have been waved home. A quick tour of East Texas traveling up Hwy 59, a stop for last chance at Texas Bar-B-Que, then scoot across northern Louisiana, cross the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, and spend the last night at Jackson, MS.

Not much action, just another travel day, one of many. But tomorrow it’s Sweet Home Alabama. 

Day Thirty-Eight - Where Are The Birds?

November 10

I spent an enjoyable two days with my sister Janet and b-i-l Charles. We visited Anahuac, Texas City, and Galveston photographing birds. Janet decided to see how many birds she could photograph in one year and that sounded like fun to me so I decided to try it too. She has 209 so far and I have 198. We were able to add to our lists these past few days. 

If you watch the video you’ll ask “where are the bird pictures?” For that you will have to come back to this website and look under 2017 Birds. I will post the pix between now and the end of the year. 

Day Thirty-Seven - Forever Young

Roman Forest, Texas. November 9

Believe it or not I did not plan it that way, but it so happened that I arrived in Houston just in time to celebrate my older sister’s birthday. Janet and I share a lot of memories and good times. We were “the kids” for a long while because there are seven years between me and my next younger sister Lori.

I still look up to her as the leader of the rest of us kids. She never seems to slow down and at my age I have a hard time keeping up with her. She may have celebrated a birthday but she seems to be forever young. 

Day Thirty-Six - Miles And Miles Of Texas

McAllen to Houston is a pretty good day’s drive in a Jeep Wrangler. Add in the fact that my destination, Roman Forest is northeast of Houston, I will have to navigate through rush hour traffic, there is road construction from Wharton all the way into Houston, and it will begin to rain and rain harder as I travel north, and you really have a tired traveler at the end of the day. Not a lot of fun to report for day 36.

But each mile of my trip starting with this day brings me closer to the end, and closer to home. After spending a couple of days in Houston with family, I will be heading home. Miles and miles of Texas ahead, a little R&R, then the final push.

Let’s do this. 

Day Thirty-Four & Thirty-five - The Valley

The Rio Grande Valley of Texas is a unique place, in a lot of ways. The plants, animals, climate, and other factors make it a desireable place to visit, but it is just a little remote and off the beaten path. This isolationism makes it under-appreciated. I have not been down to this area of Texas except for one other time. I am glad that I got to visit here at least once more. The drive is long but the area has its own special feel. 

I concentrated on two things; the beach (South Padre Island) and the eco-tourist attractions (World Birding Center and affiliated sites, and the National Butterfly Center). I enjoyed the time I got to spend here. I will return if I ever get the opportunity. 

Day Thirty-Three - Wild Horse Desert

Traveling from Uvalde to Harlingen today and there’s not much to see. In the early years of the Republic of Texas this area was called the Wild Horse Desert. Texas claimed the Rio Grande as their nation’s southern boundry and Mexico claimed it to be the Nueces River. That left a vast area as disputed territory, a sort of “no man’s land.” It was an arid stretch filled with wild mustangs, not really a desert but dry and featureless. It remains that way today except the mustangs have been replaced by trophy-sized whitetail deer.

So miles and miles of mesquite, game fences, mesquite, oil field activity, mesquite and, well, mesquite. I filled the time watching out for the next greatest and latest Game Ranch entrance gate. The super-rich owners seem to be in a contest as to who can spend the most money on an insanely elaborate first impression. One that says “look, see what I’ve got - and you don’t” 

Maybe it is a desert. 

Day Thirty-Two - No Country For Old Men

The area of Trans-Pecos Texas east of Big Bend to about Del Rio would be classified by some as a wasteland. It is hot, dry, and rugged. It is not suited for much except goat-raising.  But there is beauty here none-the-less. There are pockets of wonder featuring a great bio-diversity with interesting flora and fauna. You just have to slow down, look with open eyes, and give it a chance.

My trip took me through this area once again. I say once again because I have ducked in and out of this area my whole life. It fits me just fine. But yeah, it can be cruel and harsh. No country for old men. 

Day Thirty-One -The River Road

To drive the River Road at Big Bend has always been a desire of mine. It is long, hot, dusty, and rugged in some spots. Although 4 wheel drive is probably not needed, high clearance is certainly desirable if not necessary. Today I made the trek. My Jeep (blue dog) made it just fine. Mark that off the bucket list. 

Day Thirty - Big Bend

Dugout Wells, Indian Hot Springs, Old Mavrick Road, Castalon, Lost Mine Trail. Old friends, we meet again. It’s been a dozen years or more since I visited. Still doing well I see. Glad we got together, don’t know when I’ll get back this way again.

Day Twenty-Nine - Trans Pecos

I don’t recall ever visiting Big Bend in November. So I am not quite sure whether or not this is a typical year. There are quite a few plants in bloom but that is to be expected. In the desert you have to take advantage of either spring or fall, summers are too extreme temperature-wise. 

Also things around here seem to have changed very slightly. There seems to be more commercial activity in the Trans-Pecos, but not like other places.  

Time seems to slow down in this remote and desolate area of Texas. But that gives you more time to appreciate the beauty. 

Day Twenty-Eight - Old Stomping Grounds

Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, Carlsbad, Guadalupe Mountains. I am back in my old stomping grounds, places where we went to play when I was young.

Everything has a familiar look to it yet it feels so foreign. It feels like it must have been a hundred years ago when we would come to the cool pines of Cloudcroft to escape the summer heat on the plains. 

It seems so long ago, because it was. 

Day Twenty-Seven - Eastbound

On the move again today. Heading back east now for the rest of my trip (well, east and south, but yeah, mostly east). Goal of the day: leave Tucson behind and spend the night at Oliver Lee State Park south of Alamogordo, NM. Another healthy drive but I picked a Park with a shower. No shower at the campground in Tucson. 

l’ve been down this road several times before, but it has been years since the last time. A lot of my trip covers old routes I have travelled previously, but there were a lot of new roads also. I haven’t quite been everywhere like Johnny Cash, but I have been to a lot of places.

Day Twenty-Six - Altitude, not Latitude

It has been hot here in Tucson the past two days. So today I decided to seek cooler weather. That meant a 35 mile drive NE of Tucson up to Mt Lemon in the Catalina Mountains. Leaving Tucson the Jeep’s thermometer said 94. At the top (at least as far as the road could take you) it was 70. I kept waiting for 69 but it never happened. 24 degree drop in 35 miles. Altitude does that. 

And the views of the valley were awesome. I’ll bet at night the lights of Tucson below would be spectacular. I might try that next time I am in Tucson, hopefully with a coat to wear. Altitude. 

Day Twenty-Five - Tucson

The desert, my old friend. Saguaro cacti, cactus wrens, rocks, tough plants that also come to life in spring or after a rain. I am home now. 

Visited Saguaro National Park, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Madera Canyon south of town. It seems hotter than I expected for the last week of October. Perhaps I have been away too long. 

I will be in the desert Southwest for the next week or so. That’s just fine with me. In a previous life I must have been a desert hermit. 

Day Twenty-Four - Road Warrior

Day 24 was a long haul from Las Vegas to Tucson, AZ. Supposed to be six and a half hours but that is not in a Jeep Wrangler. It was/is one of my longest driving days. Getting through Phoenix, even on the Interstate was a test of patience. Many miles of crawling traffic. As a result Day 24 was about being on the road and nothing else. 

I arrived at my Tucson campsite with barely enough time to pitch the tent before dark. Day 24 - exciting stuff.

Day Twenty-One thru Twenty-Three

Three days in Las Vegas. What to do? Well I seemed to keep myself busy each day without any problem. 

Day 21 - I had the oil changed in my Jeep, washed the road dust off of it, and checked out a birding site nearby (got to get some more photos for my year-long quest). 

Day 22 - I ventured up to Desert National Wildlife Refuge (where I photographed a Wilson’s Snipe) and then drove up to Mt Charleston.  We also had dinner with our brother-in-law Michael Buckner who was in town on business.

Day 23 - I had to do laundry and we visited the old downtown part of Vegas, Fremont Street, to witness two of Andra’s co-workers do the zipgilla zip-line thingy. Wild and loud down there at night. 

So three days evaporated into the dry desert air. I was relaxing and doing a few chores while Andra had to work. Yeah I felt bad for her, honestly I did.  

Now we part ways as Andra flies home and I begin phase three of my trip. I’m sure surprises await. 

Day Twenty - Zion Revisited

To drive from Hatch, Utah to Las Vegas, NV you have two choices of routes. One takes you through Zion National Park. That route is 20 minutes longer. But it is twenty times more scenic. Easy decision. 

l had forgotten how awesome Zion is. Now I remember. The trouble is it has been discovered and is very busy and crowded. But that just proves that others agree. 

Day Nineteen - Bryce

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. 

Not exactly a Canyon but rather a ridge along a high Mesa with unbelievable views of how water and wind shapes the earth. Unbelievably beautiful. Photos, some of which are stunning, really do not convey the sense of space, color, and interesting geological forms that are found around every twist in the road. My photos pale in comparison to the splendor of this place. 

We got back to the cabin just before sunset and both of us were exhausted. Possibly because of the altitude of the Park (mostly around 8,750 feet with a high of 9,117 feet), and aided by our schedule of the past week. We got a special treat however, when a long-tailed weasel came up to the sliding glass door of our cabin and peered in. 

So very glad we got to visit this special place. 

Day Eighteen - Moving Again

On the road again. Today we had to move from Page up to Hatch, Utah. We have a cabin rented that is less than an hour from Bryce Canyon National Park. Parts of the trip are in high desert and parts are through valleys and canyons, generally gaining altitude all the way. 

After a stop in Kanab, Utah for lunch (little Hollywood due to all the movie and tv shows filmed there), and a stop in Orderville at a Rock Shop that caught my eye, we finally arrived at our cabin. Kind of plain and rustic but a far sight better than sleeping in a tent.