25 February 2019 Seminole Canyon

The plan for today was to get up early and go out to Seminole Canyon State Park in time to catch the 10AM tour into the canyon and Fate Bell pictograph site. After we arrived, we found out they only run tours Wednesday to Sunday. So we changed our plans and hiked out to the Panther Cave overlook. Panther Cave is a large overhang cave at the mouth of Seminole Canyon. The cave is only accessable by private boat from Lake Amistad. But from the overlook, with a good telephoto lens you can see the pictographs. The pictographs range in age from 12,000 years to 8, 500 years. The hike is mostly along old four wheel roads, but we broke off to follow the Canyon Rim Trail which is a single track trail. David managed to lose the trail and we ended up bushwacking for a half mile but finally got back on the trail.  It was the first time he can remember Leslie promising to kill him! The wind was blowing 15-20MPH the whole hike. The temperatures started out in the 50s and climbing into the seventies with clear skies. When we got to the overlook, the wind gusts made it hard to hold the camera steady enough for pictures with the telephoto lens, but he still managed to get a few good shots of the pictographs in Panther Cave. While we were at the overlook, a man rolled up riding a fat tired, electric assisted mountain bike! We later saw his wife on another electric assisted mountain bike. They were booking along at about 20mph, even on the single track! Hmmm, there maybe some new toys in our future!! Overall we hiked 6 miles roundtrip. Surprisingly, the legs were feeling pretty good. David’s hip joints were aching a bit as was Leslie’s knee, but overall we felt great! 

Princess Yucca getting ready to bloom

Princess Yucca in bloom

Seminole Canyon from Panther Cave Overlook

Panther Pictograph from the overlook

Pictographs in Panther Cave

Panther Canyon from the overlook

Entrance sign

24 February 2019 Memories

Sunday morning we watched our church service on line and then headed out to find some good Mexican food since it was Mexican Food Sunday! Afterwards, we drove around Del Rio so Leslie could spark her memories of coming here with here parents when she was younger. Her father had a medical equipment store in Del Rio and they owned a trailer outside of town where they stayed when they came down from Odessa. But the real reason was to go fishing on Lake Amistad! We wandered down to the international border crossing to Mexico, and yes there is a border barrier on the US side of the Rio Grande. But it only went a mile east of the crossing and you could see a path where people were going around the end of the barrior. To the west it went for several miles but not all the way to the dam. 

We then went west of town and found the mobile home park Leslie remembered and drove around until we found the Benson Family Singlewide!  It looked so much smaller than she remembered, the sites were on top of each other and truly crammed together.  When the family started there in early 1980s it was a brand new mobile home and RV park.  There was plenty of wide space between sites, new little trees and mostly white gravel with some green grass between each site.  Del Rio , although it has grown, remains somewhat impoverished.  Let’s just say a lot of fishing was enjoyed on the lake!  There are still old cars and trucks driving down the roads.  Buildings vacant in the 1980s are still vacant and look abandoned today.  West of town, there are some new home developments.  One of them was very lavish with large elaborate homes overlooking a pretty lake view.  Speculation was that the small town of Del Rio would eventually flourish with the airforce base and influx of large corporate factories moving just across the border for the cheaper labor.  Somehow the mark was missed and that never happened.  It’s disappointing because of the love the Benson family has for this area.

Del Rio Border Barrier

BensonFamily Single wide!

23 February 2019 Go West

We pulled out of Kerrville late in the morning. Before we left, we stopped by Jim and Patty’s Fiste New Horizon to say good bye and ended up exchanging road stories for 30 minutes! Jim and Patty are organizing the New Horizon rally here at Buckhorn for late May. The drive to Del Rio was very windy. But with the weight of the Wanderer, we really did not notice it much. We did miss one turn and had to do a uturn on a two lane road. It was a little tight, but the shoulders were wide and we were able to do it without the Wanderer ever leaving the pavement. We are staying at Broke Mill RV Park ($27.85 per night, GSC Discount) here in Del Rio. It’s a gravel site, relatively level, full hookups, no table, but great WiFi. 

After we got settled in, we started working on more reservations and managed to get everything through the end of July locked down. Now it’s time to start on August and September in Washington state. 

22 February 2019 Wine, Wine, Wine!

We finally got over to Fredericksburg, heart of Texas wine country! We of course headed straight to the winery’s west of town! Our first stop was at Messina Hof for a quick tasting. Leslie picked up a Merlot. Next we went to 4.0 where we picked up a Lost Oak, McPherson and 4.0 Cellars. Then over to Grape Creek where we arrived just before closing and we each got a glass of wine which we enjoyed on the patio before we headed into town. We had some time to kill before our reservations for dinner, so we did a quick stroll of Downtown Fredericksburg. Most of the shops were already closed (it was after 6PM) but we still managed to find a couple of things to buy. David found a new hiking hat and Leslie a new blouse. Then it was off to the Hill Top Café for a great dinner! Then it was back to the Wander keeping a close eye out for wandering deer. We saw several but luckily none were on the road.

Hilltop Cafe

Eclectic Decore

21 February 2019 Plan, Plan, Plan!

Davids telecoms for the morning were all canceled. We had hoped to get out to Fredricksburg for some wine tasting. But David got caught up in some urgent work issues, then we dived into trying to make reservations for traveling to Rocky Mountain NP, Yellowstone/Grand Teton NPs,  and Glacier National Park. Even though we are looking 4 months out, we are struggling to find places to stay near these parks. The length of our rig is a major factor in these areas. It really limits where we can stay and we are surprised by the low number of RV parks in these areas and even fewer that handle big rigs like ours. Many of these places booked up in December! Most are closed for the winter and have no staff on duty. So after fighting with different websites we finally found a place near Rocky Mountain NP for 2 weeks, another near Jackson Wyoming for a week and another in July for three weeks outside Glacier NP. We want to spend more time in Yellowstone NP, so we are still working to find a place near there for the end of June. Note to self, must reserve popular places 6 months in advance!

20 February 2019 Nature Fix

After being so busy for the last several weeks, we needed a real nature fix! We drove down Texas 39 (Hill Country Byway) to Lost Maples Natural Area. We had not been to this park since 2009 and were eager to get out and stretch our legs. Texas 39 is a really pretty and fun road to drive. If you have never driven it, you should add it to your bucket list. Particularly in the spring when the wild flowers are blooming. 

The day was cool but sunny. We choose to hike the East/West trail this time. We took Etta along with us since dogs are allowed on hiking trails in Texas state parks. We hiked about 2 miles out and 2 miles back. This was the first hike Leslie had been on since she hurt her knee in October. By the time we got back, our legs were letting us know it had been a long time since we had walked that far. Even Etta was wore out and slept most of the ride home. Leslie’s knee did just fine! The landscape was pretty sparse being winter, but the air was fresh and clean. We really enjoyed ourselves. 

19 February 2019 Dinner with Jason

The day was cold, grey and drizziling. David had to work most of the day so it was not too much of a issue. Leslie spent her day researching future travels. We heard from our Nephew Jasson that his work schedule had cleared out so we drove back into San Antonio to meet him for diner. Jason will be deploying overseas soon so this was going to be our last chance to see him before he left. We had a very enjoyable dinner. We are so proud of him! It was hard to say goodbye, but he needed to get home to prepare for his early morning shift.

18 February 2019 On the Road Again!

We pulled out of Spring TX this morning for Kerrville TX. Before we left the Rayford Crossing RV Resort we booked our return for just before Thanksgiving through the end of January. The ride was uneventful, even with the San Antonio traffic. We are staying at the Buckhorn Lake Resort ($39.60 per night with GSC discount). It’s a really nice resort with concrete streets and pads, full hook ups (50Amp), multiple dog paths, stocked fishing ponds (water is so clear you can see the bottom at 5 feet), a adults only section, two pools and close to all the Hill country sites. This is also where New Horizons is holding their rally in late May. As we were setting up, a couple came by and said hello. They are organizing the New Horizon rally and are already on location in their New Horizon fiver to finish coordination of the activities. There are two other New Horizons in the park as well. That’s the most we have ever seen in one place. This is a really great RV park compared to some of the ones we have been in. Unfortunately it is located in the middle of the largest Juniper crop in Texas and they are pollinating right now. Leslie and I are feeling the ill effects from our alergies. But it is only for 5 days.

Wanderer at Buckhorn Lake Resort

11 - 17 February 2019 Getting Prepared

Its been another busy week. This week was spent preparing to get back on the road. David finished up maintenance items on the Wanderer, checking the lug nut torque, bring the tires up to the proper pressure, and repacking the basement and the garage. We also worked on the Lead Wanderer (the truck), changing the oil, checking the fluids, gave it a good washing inside and out and finally a shiney wax job. So everything is ready to hit the road for Kerrville tomorrow.

Tuesday David worked most of the day and then we went out for an early Valentines dinner. On Wednesday we went to Tomball to get BBQ at Tejas Chocolate and BBQ. The BBQ was excellent and the chocolate decidant. We highly recommend it for anyone in the area! For the last couple weeks, David has been dealing with a loose tooth implant and Thursday, Valentines Day, we drove up to Fort Worth to see his Dentist. His Dentist had it tightened up and us out the door in 20 minutes. It was the four hour drive to get there that took so long! Then we drove over to Dallas for an early dinner with Leslie’s Mom and step Dad, Donny. Then back to Spring. Twelve hours on the road made for a long day! Saturday we went back to Tejas with Cynthia, Felix, Lauren, Brian and Olivia. Sunday was Church and Mexican food. So as we prepare to leave Spring to hit the road again, we leave behind two new traditions with our family, BBQ Saturday and Mexican Food Sunday!!!

We will be back. Before we pull out tomorrow we are making reservations back here at Rayford Crossing for this years holiday season. 

The Saturday BBQ Creew

David Push Olivia in stroller.

2-10 February 2019 Spring Planning

Its been a busy week again. David was in Alburqerque all week for business. Leslie caught what ever David brought back with him from Washington DC the week before and spent the first part of the week sick. But by Thursday she was well enough to make her hair appointment and Friday she got to babysit Olivia for four hours. We think Cynthia has now caught it from Leslie! That night Leslie set up for the perfect bath experience.  One must start with good soothing music from the sonos, lots of hot water, lavendar epsom salt for soaking, a very fragrant candle and a new razor. What a wonderful bath!

While stuck in Alburquerque traffic, David learned from a podcast that the Bureu of Land Management (BLM) has areas it sets aside as National Monuments that are different than the National Park Service (NPS) National Monuments and that there were two BLM NM within a half hour of Los Cruces. Dripping Springs and Prehistoric Trackways National Monuments are part of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks BLM district. We decided we need to change up our plans a bit so we can have some extra time in Los Cruces to see these NM.

We finally laid out our plans for getting back on the road for the next several months and got reservations lined up. We know we have to be in Alburqueque in mid-April for some of Davids work meetings and in Junction City Kansas at the end of April to get some modifications made to the Wanderer. Were going to stop first in Kerville Tx for some wine tasting and hiking in Lost Maples State Park. Then down to Del Rio Tx, on the border with Mexico. Leslie and her father used to go there frequently and Leslie wanted to stop there to relive some memories. We are also going do some hiking, kyaking and fishing. Next stop will be in Alpine Tx in the Big Bend area. We wanted to stay down close to Big Bend NP but due to it being Spring break for the west Texas colleges, all the RV parks down by the park are booked solid for the month of March. But Alpine gets us close enough to pop down for day hikes and visiting our favorite places as well as visit the Davis Mountains Observatory and Fort Davis State Park. From there we will go up to Carlsbad NM to visit Carlsbad Caves NP, Sitting Bull Falls and Guadaluple Mountains NP. Then it will be on to Los Cruces where we plan to visit the NP and BLM National Monuments in the area (Gilia NM, White Sands NM, Dripping Springs NM and Prehistoric Trackways NM). After that, we’ll head up to Santa Fe to visit Bandelier NM and Capulin Volcano NM in that portion of NM before heading back down to Alburquerque for David’s meetings. Then its on to Junction City KS where we will have New Horizon add slide out awnings and another shade awning to the Wanderer as well as get some warruanty items fixed. It seems like a lot but we will be in each location for at least a week. Were still talking about where to go from there, but we are thinking that we will head for the northwest and work our way down the west coast. Anyone want to join us?

1 February 2019 Johnson Space Center

We got up and moving this morning and got on the road before noon. It took an hour to drive around Houston to the Johnson Space Center. Walking up to the Houston Space Visitor Center you can see Space Shuttle Enterprise mounted on top of the NASA 502 747 carrier aircraft. It’s a pretty impressive sight. Walking into the visitor center, we were amazed to see all the displays. Our first priority was to get on the tour of Johnson Space Center. The way to the first stop, we found out the Johnson Space Center is a wildlife sanctuary (We saw lots of deer on the tour). They also have an impressive Texas Longhorn herd. The first stop was the mission control center. They have five mission control rooms at Johnson Space Center. The one we were going to see is called the white control room. In the lobby of the building they had a display showing what mission control consoles looked like for the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and the future Orion programs. At the time we were in the observation room looking out over the white mission control room, it was acting as the backup mission control room for the International Space Center. You can see some of the information displayed on the primary screens in the photos. It look pretty laidback while we were there. Eventually, this mission control room will become the primary mission control for the Orion program. The first Orion mission is planned for late 2019 or early 2020 with an unmanned flight around the moon and back to test all the vehicle systems. One of the monitors was showing a ceremony in another of the mission control rooms for the 16^thanniversary of the loss of the shuttle Columbia in 2003. We could see another mission control room on our trip back to the tram, but it was inactive at the time. The second stop was the mockup building. In this location they have low fidelity full scale mockups of space craft that are, or soon will be, in use by our astronauts. The mockups are used to train astronauts and also by engineers for problem solving. There was full-scale mockups of the International Space Station (ISS) modules, the future astronaut transfer vehicles Starship (Boeing) and Orion (Lockheed Martin). In addition, there were several possible Mars rovers, robots being developed for the ISS as well as for future Mars missions. It was all pretty cool stuff! Last stop on the tour was the Saturn 5 building. Inside this building they had a flight certified Apollo era Saturn 5 rocket stack. These were segments of planned Apollo missions (18-20) that were canceled when congress took their funding for the Vietnam War in 1972. The hardware of the various segments were at different stages of construction at the time the program was canceled. One of the left over Flight Certified Saturn V rockets was used to loft Skylab in 1973. The rest went into museums. The final Apollo mission was Apollo 17 in 1972, which brought home the largest amount of moon rocks and the only mission with a Geologist astronaut. It also covered the widest area of exploration due to the moon rover. The first three Apollo missions were unmanned and used to test the systems, similar to what is going to be done with Orion. Apollo 7 was the first manned Apollo mission, an earth orbit test of the Apollo systems and testing of procedures. Apollo 8 flew out to the moon and performed 10 Moon orbits before returning. Apollo 9 tested the process of extracting the Lunar Lander, flying to the moon, manned flight test of the Lunar Module (LM) and rendezvous procedures. Apollo 10 was the dress rehearsal of the lunar landing including the LM descending to within 8.4 miles of the surface of the moon. Don’t you know it had to be hard for the guys in that LM, being that close to being the first humans to land on the moon but had to abort and return to the Command Module! Of course Apollo 11 was the first landing on the moon. Apollo 12 (Landed near the Surveyor 3 unmanned probe to retrieve some of its instruments), 14 (Alan Shepard hit two golf balls on the lunar surface), 15, 16, 17 also landed. Apollo 13 was the infamous mission where an oxygen tank in the Service Module exploded and the world watch as those three astronauts struggled to get home alive. 

 

Shuttle Enterprise and the NASA 502 747 Carrier Aircraft

Apollo Era Lunar Module

Apollo Era Mission Control Console

Shuttle Era Mission Control Console

Orion Era Mission Control Console (in use now)

White Mission Control Center

Main ISS Display

ISS Mockup Segments

Orion Space Capsule Mockup

Starship Capsule Mockup

Mockups or future Mars Rovers

Space Robot

Saturn V Rocket

Leslie in front of the Saturn V first stage

After returning to the Houston Space Center Visitor Center we walked through the other displays for the Mars Landing, Project Mercury (first US space capsules with a single astronaut) and Project Gemini (with two astronauts), Space Shuttle and the carrier 747 and finally the moon rocks brought back by Apollo. And yes, we touched a moon rock! Walking through the Mars landing area was sobering. They point out that the first person to step onto the moon is probably barely in grade school! They had one display on Mars weather. In it they discuss how Mars climate is changing, getting colder, and they don’t know why. Must be those man made rovers!

 

Mercury Capsule 

Apollo Capsule

Apollo Moon Rocks

Shuttle Cockpit

Displays in the NASA 502 747 Carrier aircraft

David in front of the Shuttle and Carrier 747

Then we ran out of time, before we could get to the ISS displays, as they close at 5PM. We had a great time and learned a lot. We will probably go back next year.