Oklahoma and Akansas

I was glad John was driving because the wind was trying to blow Dude off the road and the rain was making it hard for the wipers to keep the windscreen clear. I thought it an ominous sign when I saw hundreds of birds huddling together in a field as we continued east towards Lake Texoma State Park.

It was late in the day when we arrived at the Lake and as we settled into camp a large group of noisy Geese came by to welcome us....or was it to warn us. That night as I lay in bed watching the storm unfold I huddled beneath the covers while bolts of lightning lit up the sky and thunder reverberated all around and gusts of wind pelted our windows with rain.

The next morning the geese were gone and everything looked brighter albeit still overcast and chilly. I decided to drive and as luck would have it I got a tailwind. The clouds never quite cleared to make the day feel warm and the fields and road embankments were filled with puddles making everything feel damp. After a brief lunch stop at Lake Raymond Gary we drove on to Beavers Bend State Park nestled within the Ouachita National Forest.

Our campground was thickly forested and we chose a spot that backed onto the Mountain Fork River. Some fishermen were wading upstream and casting their fly’s for trout. It was so tranquil that we sat outside at the picnic table overlooking the river below with a beer in hand and to our surprise the sun broke through the clouds just in time for sunset. Then a disturbance above had us watching a large gathering of Turkey Vultures circling overhead before they noisily landed in some nearby trees.

We drove into Arkansas passing logging forests and farms with lush green fields that were framed by rows of bare leafed trees and it seemed I'd been transported into the countryside of England.

With great expectations we arrived at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Here visitors are allowed to keep any diamonds they find. So we paid our admission and headed down the ramp armed with the advice that the recent rain would have washed the soil away leaving the diamonds exposed so no wet panning or dry sifting required. 

Diamonds......

Now I could look at pebbles and rocks for hours but I hadn't anticipated that these would be tiny specks lying wedged in the mud and as I made my way along each row my hopes faded at finding anything interesting. So it took me by surprise when a loud speaker announced that the mine was closing....we had been looking for hours. When I met up with John I was surprised to see that he had found a nice collection of quartz.

Heavy rain the next day put an end to our diamond mining activities but this was quickly replaced with thoughts of the hot springs just up the road. As we drove in to Hot Springs the rain continued and we were glad to settle in for the night in the National Parks campground.

Hot springs cascading down into pools

The next morning we hiked into the town of Hot Springs on a wooded trail leading over the mountain to have a look at the hot springs section of the National Park. Here the National Park is entrusted with managing the natural springs that feed the spa's in Bathhouse Row and the outdoor fountains. 

Bathhouse Row

We walked into the Arlington Hotel to find an English film  company making a documentary about famous gangsters and hustlers across America called "Hustler Man" and we were asked if we would like to be extras in the episode. Since they weren’t quite ready we declined and continued our stroll through the old part of town.

John's new wheels...

With the clouds still lingering we decided to wile away the afternoon in a Bathhouse and soaked for a couple of hours in various pools with different temperatures and stepped out looking radiant and not at all like prunes.

Sunshine the next day .....at Bathhouse Row

Bathhouse Row and Hot Spring Rehab Centre

Filling up with Hot Spring water 

At last we woke to sunshine and being Valentine’s Day we decided to have another day relaxing. So after a coffee in town we took a short drive out to Catherine Lake for a picnic lunch by the river. While sitting on a wooden jetty daydreaming a bald eagle soared effortlessly along the gorge just above the river and landed in a tree…it really was something special to see and made our day.

For our entire drove to Little Rock work crews were clearing all the fallen and snapped trees along the roadside as a result of a severe storm in December.

  
But we didn’t stop for long in Little Rock as we had a date with Elvis….

Deep in the Heart of Texas

After leaving Big Bend NP we stopped at Marathon and as we stepped out of Dude to have a look around the quintessential saloon doors we had been searching for stood right in front of us……!!

Finally Saloon doors....

It was a small remote place but it exuded the unique style we liked so much. 

Marathon

Marathon

Our route then lead us into the flat lands where suddenly we were engulfed by the booming production of West Texas Crude Oil. We had intentionally kept away from the coastline as everyone had warned us about how “smelly” it was but we now found ourselves smack bang in the middle of oil and gas derricks.

Oil and Gas

We camped a night in a rest stop and as I lay listening to the continual drone of traffic I watched a Coyote as he perused the ground for a morsel of food then just as suddenly as he appeared he vanished into the night. When we woke the next morning our eyes were smarting and the overpowering petroleum smell had us quickly on our way again.The roads here were all business with a constant stream of truckers transporting their haul of oil.

As we continued on our way towards the Dallas Fort Worth area we experienced another phenomenon. The roads here really stink - literally. We drove by so many dead skunks on the road that it appeared it might be a local sport. It got to the point where we’d wake up and think….ahhh do I prefer the smell of the oil or the smell of dead skunks…!! It was very sad to see so many killed by the traffic.

As we headed into El Dorado we drove by cotton farms with uniformly plowed fields of rich orange brown soil.

Cotton and Pecan nuts

Road Runner crossing ...Fort Stockton

We stayed a night at San Angelo State Park and from our campsite we had an expansive view of the OC Fisher Lake. It was a very picturesque outlook but sadly the lake was completely dry. The dam had been low for 10 years and eventually dried up over a year ago. We sat outside enjoying the balmy evening watching a jack rabbit nearby as the sun set in vibrant red colours.

Blazing Texas sunset

An enthusiastic lady at the Visitors Centre raved about the Parks herd of Bison and Longhorn cattle so we eagerly drove out to the range to see our first Longhorn, unfortunately the range was empty….it made sense they would be elsewhere with no water in the park. 

Travelling along a narrow local road we began to think someone important must live here as it seemed odd to have a 70 mph(112 km's) speed limit and then when we came to the junction of a state road that was nice and wide with break down lanes it was a back to 60 mph (96 km's).

We entered Lake Brownwood Sate Park and with no warning we crossed the worst ever cattle grid in history and nearly tore out the front end of Dude. They were more fortunate here with water levels only 10% down for this time of year. We camped in a dense cover of oak trees which stood taller and thicker than the ones at San Angelo State Park. 

On dusk I was walking back from the restroom and my eyes focused on a large cat with a black tipped tail silently moving forward on the road just in front of me. Then before I had time to register it turned and disappeared into the trees. My mind suddenly screamed "MOUNTAIN LION". Everywhere we have camped there have been signs warning mountain lions frequent this area but not here, but there was no mistaking what I had just seen. I nervously sang out loud as I hastily made my way back to Dude.

Later that evening while cooking dinner I heard rustling noises coming from the dead oak leaves just outside the door so I grabbed my torch to investigate. Blow me down if it wasn’t an Armadillo foraging in the dirt for food…!! Needless to say we ate dinner quite late that night after I tried valiantly to capture the Armadillo on camera.

Armadillo

It was now February 7th a memorable day for us being our 26^th wedding anniversary and I got a nice surprise when John had left a card and some chocolates on the table for when I woke up.

As John entered our destination into the GPS for the day he also calculated we were now half way between San Francisco and New York.

The closer we got to the Dallas Fort Worth area the oaks and cedar trees got bigger and the land was now all farmland. So far in all our travels through Texas we had only seen one of the famous Longhorn cattle.

We stayed a night in the Dinosaur Valley State Park and as I walked along a primitive trail beside the Paluxy River I occasionally found myself slipping and sinking deep into the whitish grey mud.

Paluxy River...home of the dinosaur tracks

Every now and then I came across the tracks of the Sauropod dinosaurs….it just blew my mind that these tracks were 113 million years old.

Awesome...

More tracks

It was interesting to see that after all that time the river was now eroding some of the tracks but I read in the brochure new ones where being revealed.

Hope these last awhile...

Big foot...

At sunset I climbed up the embankment to walk back to the campground and a meadow of native tall grass caught my attention as it glowed a beautiful copper colour as it swayed in the gentle breeze.

Native tall grass...

Before leaving camp the next morning we sat in the early morning sun enjoying a cuppa tea and toast and watched a beautiful Red Bellied Wood Pecker in the tree near us.

It was a short drive to Cedar Hill State Park overlooking the Joe Pool Reservoir. It was centrally located on the outskirts between Dallas and Fort Worth. The day was unusually warm and we spent the afternoon walking around the densely forested trails of Oak and Cedar trees. Along the way we chatted to a Dallas couple getting away from the urban bustle for the weekend. We learnt that Armadillos are not eaten here but when you see it on a menu it is a style of cooking. We enjoyed watching the sun set in an array of red and orange colours.

We woke up to grey cloudy skies and strong winds. After picking up our mail in Southlake we drove into the state of Oklahoma as it began to rain…..

West Texas National Parks

The sun was glaringly bright in our faces as it began to sink in the western sky. The desert was living up to its usual tricks by buffeting us with a strong headwind as we crossed into the state of Texas and made our way to Guadalupe NP.

The campground was a short drive off the Highway and had a small paved area for RV’s. We backed into a spot so our back end would be protected by the trees and out the front we got expansive views of the mountain ranges surrounding us. The wind blew strong all night shaking Dude violently, with memories of our night in Mojave National Preserve I barely slept.

Feeling tired it was nice to take a rest day. The Frijoles Ranch Museum was nearby so we visited the homestead and walked around the orchard with its spring fed canal watering system. Curious about the water source we hiked part way up the ridge to see the natural springs seeping out of the mountainside.

With Guadalupe NP having the “tallest peak” in Texas we couldn’t resist the hike to the top and set off early the next morning to climb 3,000ft (914m) up to Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 ft (2,667m). Grey clouds had rolled in overnight and it seemed the sky would open up at any moment but as we began to climb I could feel the humidity in the air.

It was a warm start

It was a different story the higher we climbed and when we rounded the western side the wind blasted us with cold air.

If it's there ...we'll hike it

When we reached the peak sleet pelted down so we quickly put on our jackets, beanies and gloves to stop from freezing. 

Hurry up and take the photo...it's freezing

The panorama was amazing and had the weather been nicer we would have stopped for a while to take in the view of surrounding ridges, sand flats and strange green crop circles but after taking a few photos my fingers were numb and it was time to leave.

Standing on the top of Texas

On the way down we stopped at a sheltered spot overlooking the campground to sit and enjoy our hot coffee.

An interesting feature called Devils Hall had us lacing up our hiking boots before leaving the park the next day. The trail followed a river wash up into a canyon where a set of natural steps had been created over time by the water pour off. As we climbed up the steps we entered a narrow “hall” where rushing water has carved out a narrow slot revealing layers of sediment in the cliffs on either side.

Devill's Hall

Guadalupe Peak

We drove onto Fort Davis and stopped at the military post. We walked around the grounds and through the restored buildings and tried to imagine life in the Wild West.

Fort Davis

The Infantrymen here were responsible for providing safe travel for emigrant travelers, freight wagons and mail along this increasingly popular San Antonio - El Paso Road from raiding Indian warriors inhabiting the area. It all seemed a bit surreal after all my childhood years of watching American Western movies.

As we continued south we were transported from the Wild West and into the realm of cosmic mystery. We had arrived in Marfa where unexplained night lights have made the town famous. Quite unexpectedly we chanced upon an urban coffee house and enjoyed a genuine espresso coffee. I had thoughts of staying the night just out of town where enthusiasts gather to watch the night sky but John was just not interested.

Driving out to Big Bend NP we called into Fort Leaton where two guides gave us commentary as we walked around the fortified Mexican trading post. It was our first really hot day and with some distance to go before reaching the National Park and nothing available in the State Park we decided Maverick Ranch RV Resort at Lajitas, was too good to pass up. As soon as we settled in we went swimming in the pool. This gained us lots of comments from a group sitting nearby sayin’ “isn’t that too cold for y’all to be swimmin’ in…!!

The Rio Grande's fluid border.....

We arrived in Big Bend NP and headed up into the Chisos Mountains to have a change from the desert scenery. We were not disappointed with the campground situated in a basin that was surrounded by 360 degrees of mountains. We were now camped at 5,500 ft (1,676 m) and the temps here were a lot cooler than we'd experienced over the last few days.

The next morning we set off on a 10m (16 km) hike climbing up the Pinnacles in the fresh morning air.

Before the sand storm...

We traversed several trails around Mt Emory to a lookout point on the western side but by the time we arrived the view of the surrounding desert had disappeared by a sand storm whipped up from the howling wind and at times we were nearly blown off the mountain by the strong wind. It was nice to arrive in the sheltered area of Laguna Meadows as we made our way back through volcanic rocks to the campground.

Amazing rock colours

We woke to 31.0 F but the wind chill made it feel much colder and instead of hiking the trail out the Lost Mine we decided to head back down to the desert where it was warmer. There’s just no pleasing some people…. We noticed the wind had eased a bit as we drove out of the mountains and I came up with the idea we should ride our mountain bikes 7 miles (11 km’s) along the dirt road to the iconic Balancing Rock.

Balancing Rock

Prickly Pear Cactus

The beauty of nature 

Interesting features in the boulder field

With a tail wind and downhill getting out there was a piece of cake but riding back was a different matter. It took twice as long getting back so we were spent by the time we got back to Dude.

Keeping fit for Night Dawg rides

Hey wait for me....

After our hiking and biking we enjoyed a rest day at the Rio Grande campground. Then late in the afternoon we drove out to see the ruins of Langford Ranch and to go for a dip in the hot springs.

The Rio Grande and Mexico

It's hot in here

We soaked in the 100 F water and then cooled off in the flowing Rio Grande River and sat gazing into Mexico.

Interesting landscape

The sky was filled with uniform puffy white clouds as the sun set on the golden cliffs and tall green reeds.

Amazing sunset

Next day we drive out to Boquillas Canyon. On the hike down to the river we were serenaded by a local sitting on the Mexican shore with his strong voice naturally amplified by the canyon.

Trail down to Boquillas Canyon

Another Mexican local sat on a burro on the US side and sent signals to his amigos from high up on the hill that new tourists were coming and that he should commence singing.

Boquillas Canyon

The canyon itself was shaded and provided a pleasant respite from the rising temperature.

We hiked out to the nature trail late in the afternoon crossing a floating bridge and boardwalk through a natural spring fed wetlands and reeds. 

Nature Trail overlooking Rio Grande campground

We spotted numerous birds including a large crane, fish and some turtles fighting over the only piece of dry land.

Back at the Village store a Road Runner came out of the bushes and dined on the left over crumbs from the picnic tables. He stopped and posed while John took some photos. He hung around for quite some time and apparently this was part of his daily routine.

Big bend is the convergence zone for many "Snow Birds"  flying south for the winter and we chatted to many of them from  Michigan, Illinois, South Carolina, West Virginia, Ontario and a even couple of Aussies living in Boston.

Rio Grande sunrise

It was a beautiful sunny day when we drove out to the Castolon area of the NP and set up camp in the Cottonwood Campground.

View of San Helena Canyon in the distance

Cottonwood Trees

Just as we arrived a band of Javelina’s came out of the brush and began grazing. 

Grazing Javelina's

regular visitors to the campground

By late afternoon our campsite quickly resembled a southern swamp as the irrigation was turned on to water the cottonwood trees.

Swampland

Northern Cardinal

A thunderstorm threatened

We spent the next morning exploring the San Helena Canyon and contrary to the advice from the ranger the Rio Grande was flowing and it would have been really serene to have taken Aqua Dude for a paddle.

San Helena Canyon and Rio Grande River

San Helena Canyon