Leaving Arizona for life on the Beach!

 When the blog last left the printers, we were just leaving Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge for the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, near Sonoita, Az.

 We checked out a few places we've previously camped, but ended up in the same spot as the last couple of years.  It's well away from the crowds, and on a bit of an open hilltop.  That means there are great views all around, but also no protection from any winds.  And there were winds!  The first night was spent still hooked up and no slides out.  We had topped off the water supply at the Empire Ranch headquarters, so settled in for a few days.

The weather was mostly breezy and cooler, so we did one loop with the truck on some pretty rugged trails.  There was one good day for biking, so we headed over and checked out some of the more established campgrounds, and the Black-tailed Prairie Dog colony that was established there.

 

I was surprised to see a whole lot of live traps set up all around the colony, but none were occupied.  There 'may' have been a volunteer in a nearby camp keeping an eye on them?  On my return, I stopped by the ranch headquarters again, where there are often volunteers to answer questions in the small visitor center, but it was closed and there was no one around.  I was also surprised to see that the hose that had been previoulsy attached to the water spigot was gone, and there did not seem to be any longer a convenient way to attach a hose - though bottles and jugs could still be filled.   ChatGPT said that the live-traps in the prairie dog colony was likely part of a program to establish new colonies in other areas?

Well, the weather was not all that conducive to outdoor recreation, so it was decided to pull up stakes again, and perhaps head for more warmth.  There are some advantages to having wheels on your house!  Texas looked good, but the long drive was a bit daunting, but nevertheless we headed that direction, thinking we would stop off at Hot Well Dunes further east in Arizona and further assess the situation.  But alas, the weather (and the Arizona State Troopers) had other ideas :-(  As we approached the turnoff up towards Safford, traffic on I-10 ground to a halt, then a crawl.  Apparently, the interstate across New Mexico was closed because of blowing dust, dang it.  I considered pulling a (possibly unlawful) U-turn into the west bound lanes, but thought that I would be allowed to continue north on 191 towards Safford.  NOT!  All the traffic was forced back westbound on the interstate.  I turned south at Willcox, intending to head over to the Fort Bowie area.  Unfortunately, that involved about 10 miles of excuciating washboard road.  In the morning, despite the Interstate being open again, I headed up to Hot Well Dunes, enduring another horrible section of washboard, mostly driving in the ditch, until escaping Cochise county, where they apparently don't grade roads.  I didn't take any photos, apparently!

My rule is to never go to Hot Well Dunes on a weekend, because it is a designated ATV area, and I have been surrounded by kids on mini atvs burning circles in the camping area throwing up dust and noise - but here it was Friday evening!  I carefully walked around and scouted safe parking spots in the loose sand, then immediately bogged down trying to get parked.  I walked over to the nearest big 4x4 with my tow strap and the nice gentleman had me back on solid sand very easily!  About a half hour later, a fellow pulling a large toy hauler attempted that same spot, and both of our trucks couldn't pull him out!  I left in the morning, so perhaps he's still there!  I paid the $3.00/ night camping fee, though technically I could have spent 2 nights for that price with my discount.  Lets see, that brings my total camping costs for the winter, to, umm, $3.

It was fairly cool, breezy, and a bit of rain at Hot Well Dunes, and at least one quiet generator appeared to run all night, while the weather on the Texas beach was hot and sunny.  So that's where we headed.  We blasted across a now dust-free southern New Mexico, and well past El Paso before finding a suitable gravel pit to spend the night.  Despite being over a mile from the Interstate, there was still a lot of road noise at night.  We shared the area with a Border Patrol surveillance truck with raised cameras in the back.  Still no photos!

 We got off the Interstate at Van Horn and headed south east down through Marfa, Alpine, and eventually Del Rio.  We were aiming for a favourite spot overlooking the Pecos River, just where it joins the Rio Grande.  It appeared to be a long-abandoned old campground the last time we stayed there.  But apparently it is private land, and a For Sale sign blocked the entrance :-(

This is west Texas ranch country, where you see a gate off the highway leading to a ranch, but inevitably there is no ranch in view, just a trail leading for miles across the shrub desert land, or disappearing into low brush.  All the gates are locked, and all of them are made of metal - no wood to be found, like you often see over an Alberta ranch gate.  The gate builders seem to try to outdo each other, with often intricate designs, and fancy posts and signs.  It reminds me of the entrances you see at a California winery!

Many of the fences along the road are 8 foot tall page wire, which makes one wonder what they are trying to keep in - or out?  I suspect a percentage of them offer private hunts of exotic or African wildlife?

These photos are not the best examples of the hundreds I passed, just the few that I managed to snap photos of ...

I know that this is no surprise, and I've done this route several times before, but Texas is sure BIG, and VAST, and it can be a long ways between communities in some of these more isolated areas.

 

With no welcoming BLM or National Forest lands to spend the night, one is left with trying to find a place, any place, to get off the highway, that does not include a locked gate.  After turning off onto a rare secondary 'farm to market' road, I found an approach with a bit of space before two more locked gates.  It was just across a railroad track (not a good omen), but the track did not look to be a 'main line', so I thought it was worth the chance.  Well, it turned out to be a pretty busy line, with at least a train or two every hour roaring right past.  But the best part was the dedicated train crews following rules and protocol to the letter!  Even though the level crossing ended at two locked gates, not 100yds from the crossing, the rules require the train whistle be used at even 3:27 AM.  Loooooong, Looooooong, Short, Loooong, all while illuminating the camper with the big light! Actually, I saw the writing on the wall by midnight, and moved a mile or so back closer to the highway, added ear plugs, and managed to get a decent rest.

At least diesel prices aren't that bad in south Texas.  I found diesel in Corpus Christi for $2.79/g US, which equals about $1.06 Can$/Litre at the present lousy exchange rate.

 

We finally made it to the best beach camping around, in the Padre Island National Seashore

 

Bailey found the almost constant winds to be a bit intimidating, but still got out lots to enjoy the big sand box!

Flocks of Pelicans constantly cruising up and down the beach, using the updraft from the dunes to their advantage!

Hard packed sand on a flat surface makes for some good biking!

View out the living room window ...

It can get crowded on the beach - at times!

And, the requisite moonlight shots!

Apparently, Bigfoot roams this area!

There is no shortage of beach debris that keeps washing up here, but some of it becomes 'art'?

 

Till next time, when we start the long, long migration back home!