November 23-26th

Crossing these vast landscapes, I’m now able to see its own dry beauty. We have had some interesting and boring days on the road, these past few days were definitely some of the better.

McDonald Observatory

Perched atop two isolated mountain peaks, the McDonald Observatory is home to some of the darkest night skies in the country—perfect for stargazers and astronomers. Operated by the University of Texas, its a leading location for astronomical research and education.

We arrived in the afternoon and spent a couple of hours exploring one of the three telescopes at the visitors centre which more than filled our boots with several educational & interactive exhibits. From the lifecycle of stars to the mechanics of these massive telescopes, all for a small fee of just $3 p/adult. Amazing value for an afternoon of learning.

That evening, we camped at the nearby private property welcoming RV’s, Prude Ranch, negotiating a $10 fee, down from the initial $35 quote, for a simple spot with no hookups. The ranch has certainly seen better days, looking a rather rundown. But the water supply was a gem, so we topped off our tanks before heading out.

Historical Fort Davis

Just 50 km from our campsite, we stumbled upon Fort Davis, a historic military post that played a pivotal role in the in the defence system of the South West. From 1854 until 1891, troops stationed at the post protected emigrants, mail coaches, and travellers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road from three different attacking Indian tribes.  In June 1891, the fort was ordered abandoned, having ‘outlived its usefulness’. Seventy years later, in 1961, authorized as a national historic site and is considered one of the best remaining examples of a frontier military posts.

A self-guided tour took us through the museum where we learned of the history in greater detail, kids were able to use a morse code machine, and see original uniforms, tools and weapons. The remaining & preserved buildings, offered a glimpse into the harsh realities of life for soldiers stationed here. Hospital records showed more deaths occurred from dysentery, tuberculosis & pertussis over injuries sustained in battle.

The kids completed the ranger program, adding another badge to their growing collection, pinned above the windscreen. The Junior Ranger program is offered at all National Parks & Monuments. They started collecting them on our last trip & were keen to continue on this one. It’s all learning.

Big Bend National Park

I have set a daily alarm for 3pm to keep me on track for finding a campsite.  We find the days roll past quickly. As we head East, daylight hours are short that we like to be parked by 4pm.  Reading online. the park offers ‘primitive’ camping, a permit is required for just $10 and you can stay for up to 14 nights.  Sounds perfect, so we drove in, pushing against the clock as the visitors centre closes at 5pm.  Arriving with 15 mins to spare we are told there aren’t any back country permits available. We haven’t timed our visit very well as Thanksgiving is the busiest week of the year and that permits were scooped up weeks or months ago.   At that same moment, Jaxon comes into the centre with a nasty bee sting on his hand.  Ugh, it’s really painful, already red & swollen.  I apply Extra Strength Ibuprofen to the sting and give him an antihistamine, poor kid.  

The ranger did give us one option for remote camping, but the 3hr off road jaunt doesn’t appeal.  This means we have to drive another 30 mins back out of the park to the nearest RV park.  Sun is going down, we’re tired & thirsty for a nice cold Corona.  Talking to Deb, the camp hostess at the first RV park we come to, welcomes us with fee of $25 for the  privilege of parking up the back corner of another rundown dusty parking lot. A place that many have moved in permanently and called home.  Not sure why… Anywho, out came the chairs, we crack a beer and watched the sunset.  Chink, another day done.  

The next morning I’m up at 5:30am in preparation of hiking a popular trail in the mountains called The Lost Mine Trail. A 7.7 km hike offering breathtaking views from the summit. Reading online that parking is limited and we need to be there before 7am. Arriving right before we slide into the last remaining space.

For such a popular park and trail we are surprised to discover there aren’t any outhouses.  Which means people are pooping where??  Thankfully we have our own loo on board!   An out and back 7.7km hike along a well worn trail to a beautiful rock top overlooking the valley.  We are moving by 8am and summit by 9am.  Being passed by the early birds who are already on their way down.  We spend 30 mins at the top enjoying the view & chatting to a nice guy from Oman.  A data scientist who immigrated here 10 years ago with a passion for hiking.  He is etching out a way that he can work & hike remotely thanks to an understanding boss and Starlink. 

We’re down in less than an hour & pass many more people on their way up.  I figure our timing was spot on for parking, light and hiking temperature & people factor.  Jaxon’s hand is fully swollen and unbelievably itchy.  He must have given it a good scratch during the night, spreading the poison.  More antihistamine and complaining…  Tho, I don’t think the antihistamine has worked, checking the expiry date, 11/14.  Oops!  Into the bin that went.  Thankfully I do have some more unexpired in the cupboard which gave him quick relief.  

Big Bend is a very large park, there are two other places I’d like to visit, both at opposite ends of the boundary.  By 11am the traffic is heavy. Weighing out or options, we have to decide. It’s a 60 mile round trip to the river in Santa Elena Canyon, that’s  nearly 100km.  The thought of joining a long line of cars and then people down to the river and back isn’t appealing.  Balancing rock is nearly as far in the opposite direction.  It’s hot, we’re happy with our hike so we decided to leave and make our way towards San Antonio.  

We find another great place for tonights camp, a quiet overlook near the Pecos River. Travellers are allowed to spend up to two nights camped in picnic / rest areas across Texas.  There is one other camper here, Tim from Australia is riding his bike. He left in June from Vancouver, making his way to Florida and then on to Europe.

Tonights dinner was a yummy chicken pasta with green beans. We don’t usually cook in the camper,  but on this trip I have cooked every night.

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Life on the Road

After 3 weeks we have fallen into a groove, making days more predictable. From morning routines, to cooking meals, school work and learning backgammon. We are making the most out of our tiny space, forced to keep it neat and tidy. The kids’ bunk modifications have been a game-changer, pulling the mattresses out from the wall & filling the void beneath with a pool noodle , I have been able to gain a valuable 6 inches of width, giving them a bit more personal space. Because of the cold temperatures we haven’t been able to use the roof top tent as much as we would like.

November 26th

We are about 400km from San Antonio.  The next night we spend at a very clean & tidy highway rest stop, safe enough as there is night time security/attendant.  There are three abandoned kittens the kids instantly fall in love with.  They feed them some leftovers and give them plenty of attention.  Up early & out the door for some precious last few kitten time before we make the last leg to the city. 

Tomorrow….Six Flags Fiesta….