Hueco Tanks State Park near El Paso

On Monday 2/27 we left Balmorhea early and headed west for our 200 mile ride through the arid desert country of far west Texas. This drive the wind was from the east and made the trip much easier for Bill across the windy plains. We picked up supplies in El Paso and grabbed a camp site in Hueco (waco) Tanks State Park just east of El Paso and just south of New Mexico.

A True Desert Oasis and Swimming Delight Park in far West Texas

We made it to Balmorhea (ball-more-eh) State Park and stayed for four days.  This area has had a drought for the last two years and the land is dry.  However, the big attraction here is a real oasis that was converted into a huge three-million-gallon swimming pool back during the Depression by the CCC.  The pool is L-shaped and is 25 ft. deep in places and has four diving boards.  There is also a rare desert wetland with numerous fish and birds.  The spring runs constantly and refills the pool every four hours as the excess runs off.  The water temp stays between 72 -76 degrees and is popular with swimmers and scuba divers as far a way as Tucson.  Bill took a good swim on two different days and there were many scuba divers that came to explore over the weekend.  Yes, you swim with fish, ducks, and turtles but the water is more clear than the Manistee River.

Day Trip through Davis Mountains to Fort Davis and State Park

Saturday was clear but cool so we took a 30 mile drive south to see the small town of Fort Davis that has the Old Fort Davis National Historic Site.  There was a State Park nearby with an Indian Lodge for over night guests that we explored as well.  We also took their scenic overlook mountain drive that was scary, narrow and high.

Water Canals from Spring near Balmorhea in the middle of Desert

The San Solomon spring gushes about one million gallons of cool pristine water per hour.  Many years ago a wealthy ranch family built a series of cement ditches, or small canals, to move the water over many miles to irrigate fields and water livestock.  It was amazing to see crystal clear water gushing past parched dry fields on its way to parts unknown on the horizon.  The water flows through the tiny town of Balmorhea, TX which is four miles from the spring.  Water here is very very pricious and its use is highly regulated.

Tough Road Trip West from Junction

On Thursday February 23 we left the Llano River early for a long drive to our next Texas state park near the tiny town of Balmorhea, TX.   The dry winds kicked up from the southwest and made driving across the dry plains a real trial for Bill.  Along the way we stopped off for a break at the ruins of the frontier Fort Lancaster.

The South Llano River State Park near Junction in west Texas

About 30 years ago a rancher named Walter Buck donated his ranch of about 3300 acres to the state of Texas for a state park and wildlife management area along the beautiful south branch of the Llano River. We stayed in the park for 3 days. Parts of the original ranch still are standing and can be visited on the grounds. What a beautiful place to visit and explore with the temps in the 70s and 80s.  Found a good old Mexican barber in the town of Junction for Bill to get a haircut. He got his money's worth.

Bird Watching in West Texas

This Llano River state park has four isolated bird blinds. Each has seating for about 10 people overlooking a small fenced yard with solar powered water fountains flowing for the birds to drink and bathe. We took pictures of some native birds we had not seen before.

The Llano River Area near Junction

The Llano River was running swift and cool and clear.  There were many trails to follow among the hundreds of Pecan trees along the river bottom.  Pecans were on the ground by the thousands and some were still up in the trees from last fall.  Most were still fine to crack and eat because it has been so dry here.  We were surprised to see very few squirrels with such a bonanza of easy food to eat.  We saw our first Road Runner along the road.  The area has endangered Rio Grand wild Turkeys and their roosting area along the river is closed off each day from 3 PM to 9 AM the next day.  This part of Texas is very pretty and residents are friendly.

Who says Texas is a Republican State?

We met these Democrats on the trail near Junction, TX.

Kerrville, TX

We set up camp in the Kerrville-Schreiner City park on the banks of the Guadalupe River far upstream from our last RV site.  Kerrville was once one of the main gathering spots for cattle drives going north out of Texas.  The park is huge and used to be a Texas state park but was given to the city of Kerrville a few years ago in a state budget crunch when the state got rid of about a dozen parks.  In addition to our usual activities, we took in a visit to the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville.  Besides many beautiful paintings and sculptures, the Museum contains the Western Research Library housing over 5,000 volumes of books telling the story of the American West.

Friday was a cool, rainy, travel day so we stopped off at the town of Comfort, Texas to check out the many antique stores.  In one of the antique shops we came across Molly and Hudson, eight year-old Pug litter mates pictured above.  They love to have their pictures taken and are famous at the Blackbird Antique Shop in Comfort.  Notice their own private bedrooms and couch.  See how we have to park in small Texas towns!  The town was happy to have us as Karen bought a fancy Mexican hat.

Guadalupe River Texas State Park

Found Guadalupe River State Park about 30 miles north of San Antonio.  We expected just another muddy gray Texas river, but were surprised at how clear and fast flowing the Guadalupe is.  We stayed a couple of days, and enjoyed a few hikes and bike rides.  We needed our kayaks.

Warm Day at San Antonio

Tuesday was the warm with temps going into the 70s.  Public transportation is excellent down here so we rode an express city bus to downtown San Antonio after lunch for a fun day of site seeing.  We explored the Alamo and then strolled up and down the River Walk.  Both attractions were well-maintained and beautiful.  We enjoyed a great Texas meal by the water before returning to our RV park.  San Antonio was certainly worth the drive before heading further west.