A Favorite Walking Trail From The Past

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Today Date: 3-17-2023

The leg and foot have continued to heal briskly. More walking was accomplished today. And the walking today brought back memories of a walking place at Amistad near Del Rio Texas. This set of pictures were taken a couple of years ago before the OFM got the wobbles he has now but we think you might enjoy the scenery.

Our starting location is 277 South Access point and the lake was about 45 feet low at the time. Here is a picture from out away from the cliffs to see the area of all the walking fun.

We usually started about here and headed up onto the cliffs for a nice amble around the area above the lake.

For the first few feet it was gentle scrambling up the large and small rocks and was lots of fun as long as you dodge any natural critters that might be messing around in the boulders.

After the first bit of scrambling upward you get a moments breather then hit the steeper section to gain more altitude.

Then you get to the highway around the cliff that leads you to all sorts of beautiful scenery to photograph.

The OFM did this trail several times until he turned 73 a few years ago and his balance became less than needed to be scrambling like this safely. For the 13 years it lasted it was great for trying to have tooooo much fun.

Saltwater Fishing School

 

Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-16-2023

First the medical report. Both of the OFM legs made fantastic recovery progress today. Right leg is around 80% today. Left foot is about 98% now. We were extremely surprised at the recovery amount. But we intend to be extra careful for a couple of more days, because the OFM is a WIMP.

We found bluebonnets growing down at the Marina today and a glad sight it was. They are very nice flowers in our opinion.

This very nice young man is the son of a long time friend and the OFM had a very wonderful day today giving him a crash course in both shore and kayak saltwater fishing in this area.

SUPERFISHERMAN

He was a quick study because he already was a great fisherman for fresh water but now with saltwater training he is known down here as Superfisherman to the OFM Teams.

We never have seen such an astute fisherman at learning saltwater style before, especially from a kayak on a day with 20 mph winds to fight. We are looking forward to more visits with Superfisherman.

As the OFM meandered the campground this evening we stumbled across this location near the laundry to get this sunset picture. The sun is not bright due to all the dirt and dust in the air from today's strong winds. But it is what we really are fighting to do outdoor things right now.

Spring break winds down this weekend and we will be happy to have it over but it really has not been bad this year. So now we are going to attempt a night of good sleep while the winds rock the Castle so we can sleep like a baby hoping for a great day of tooooo much fun tomorrow.

Healing Day Again

 

Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-15-2023

With a bum right lower leg and a bum inside of the left foot we declared today a healing day and acted accordingly. The best news is the left foot made a large but not complete recovery. The right leg definitely improved but still has a ways to go yet. Notice that this means both legs made good progress in healing. Yipeeee.

To start the day we hit up the marina parking lot and was able to get a nice morning sunrise picture.

As we were leaving that area we passed near the morning beach parking area that in years past had 2-3 vehicles in it this early. Not any more. It is a very good representation of the crowding this area is having.

With all the wind and people congestion we choose to head for Rockport Memorial Park and the nice paved walking trails we have been using in the past. With bum legs the OFM chose a close to the restroom parking spot among the very few vehicles here. Then we got a drink of water and chose to take the short path around the ball fields and basket ball court. 

We wanted to gently exercise the bum body parts and not do any more damage to them from going to fast or far. We do not know the time or distance but our legs thanked us for the nice gentle workout for the rest of the day.

As we returned to our campsite we realized we had not displayed the new campsite. So here it is. That is a lot different than the last few back along the Rio Grande River.

We found out today that the new owners are wanting to make this a full time live here type of campground, so we expect we will not be here more than the month currently planned to get things done like Income Tax filing.

Since we are set up decently and we had about two months of powder desert sand living recently, the OFM decided it was time to vacuum the Castle and he was RIGHT for a change.

With less that 120 square feet of vacuum-able floor area, it is not a major job to accomplish And we finished in good time. Yep that is the shop vacuum left over from the last house the OFM used to own. It pulls too much current at 120volt for our solar system to handle it. So we have to be plugged in to use it. Straw brooms do not do a great job with powdered sand compared to a vacuum cleaner.

And now it is time for the OFM to get busy preparing for trying to have tooooo much fun tomorrow.

Arrived Rockport Texas

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio to Rockport, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-14-2023

Another long day of driving. We got rolled about 0845 and eased our way out of San Pedro Campground and headed east on 90 towards San Antonio Tx until we got to Hondo, Tx. Then we headed southeastish to I-35. From there we followed I-35 south to a road over to Sinton Tx. Then south down into Rockport, Tx. The route was a bit over 300 miles.

It was a big surprise when we got to the Quiet One RV Park. A place that was running down and we expected to say never mind when we got here. The new owners have made a major difference already. The lady in charge, Terry, has caused immense improvements in the overall campground experience. The whole campground feels like a place just inviting folks to come on by. It was a very welcoming change from the last owners.

So we were very surprised and pleased and happily set up the rig for a month.

Then we contacted friends in the area and was out until dark evening time visiting folks and practicing having tooooo much fun and eating good Mexican food.

New Plan Starts Tomorrow

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-13-2023

Another very full day and no real chance to grab a pic or three so tonight you get to see our pick of the 40 plus pics from yesterdays sunset. We stood out there over a half hour and shot bunches of pictures since the scene seemed to be a movie it was changing so fast.

Here is a sunset picture the OFM really liked due to its uniqueness with no sun in the picture but lots of sunlight.

A lot of the day was spent in talking with the new folks that came into the campground today. We keep hoping to hear of neat new places we need to go visit. This year it has been a strike out on that wish. However the OFM did get a compliment from one camper to the Amistad NRA folks about how nice it was to have a “host” helping so many folks with their visit to this part of the Big Bend area. The Amistad ranger told her that they did not have a host out here. The camper told them that they need to hire the OFM to be the host to help folks see all the good stuff in the area of west Texas. Yep that gave the OFM a swelled head for sure.

And now for some new news. Late this afternoon things fell into the hoped for places and the OFM made reservations at Rockport Texas for a month at the Quiet One RV Park starting tomorrow. We will be leaving San Pedro Campground early in the morning and heading to Rockport arriving in mid afternoon if things go right.

And buddy Rick is set to head on up to Lake Whitney Texas as the next leg of his tour up to the Big Horn Mountains some where near the Canadian border with the USA. He is planning on getting there in a couple of months when it is not so cold as now. We said our good byes and good lucks this evening. He is a very nice fellow and he is also pretty good at trying to have tooooo much fun.

Tooooo Much Fun Maybe

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-12-2023

It is very late for the OFM to start writing the blog so tonight it will be very short. The day has been very eventful for photographs and planning.

The first photo was from the breakfast table of the morning sun. Photos were in serious quantity today.

It has also been extremely busy planning rolling and gathering information for the choices we have. So rest is the main thing tonight since it is late for an OFM to be up making life changing decisions. Tomorrow is planned to be the day to set up the rolling plans for the next few weeks as we chase trying to have tooooo fun much plans. See you tomorrow with some very good photos for your enjoyment. For now we are going to get clean and hit the sack for sleeping.

Wild Lights

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-11-2023

0100 was about the time the bright flashing multicolor lights into the Castle got the OFM to wake up. The OFM had trouble making sense out of the lights until he looked outside.

After a bit of careful waking up he could tell it was an emergency vehicle of some sort. Standing outside we were able to see folks going back and forth to the tent from the vehicle. Finally about 0130 most of the lights turned off and what turned out to be an ambulance pulled quietly out of the campground. The OFM went back to bed.

Early this morning someone packed the camping gear into a vehicle and pulled out of the camp ground. And now you know everything the Teams knows.

A couple of discussions with Rick this morning led to some serious thoughts about when to roll again. This afternoon the OFM uncharacteristically sat in a patio chair and faced the desert as he contemplated all his many options. It turned out his view was excellent for throwing ideas into for consideration. Here it is. What do you think of it as a thinking assistant?

Sunset came in slowly today and we were ready for a massive spectacular display, but this is all we got. It is nice though.

The only decision we made was to give ourselves a deadline of tomorrow night blog to make a choice of action. Within a couple of weeks it will be getting pretty hot here in Del Rio Tx. That could get in the way of trying to have tooooo much fun.

Major Zoom Picture

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-10-2023

It has been a day of visiting and talking again. But the BIGGEST surprise for the OFM Teams is the lack of college geology students camped here tonight on their way to BBNP. It is making for a much quieter campground than had been anticipated.

This morning the OFM made his way over to a nice spot to wander a bit on rock ledges etc that would challenge him a bit. The purpose is to find out his current limits so he can roam and still be safe. Here is a nice picture of the chosen area to meander on.

Yep we made it safely and Yep we did start a few spots and back off. It will take a bit of learning to find our current abilities we think. Practice does make a big difference.

Other than lots of conversations about next locations not a lot was done.

However we did grab a nice normal sunset view as you can see below.

But we did an experiment and grabbed a picture of a communications tower imposed on the setting sun. This was a hand held photo at maximum zoom and we are amazed it came out as well as it did.

We are hoping to get in some coloring tomorrow instead of the OFM running his mouth so much. Heck we might even find a way of trying to have tooooo much fun.

One Yucca Bloom Is All

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-9-2023

Lots of folks bring lots and lots of things to set up to their campsite. Two hours of setting up is pretty average. Taking down takes longer. The OFM travels simply and on a big set up he gets the two folding chairs out of the forward storage bin and we are finished. Getting ready to leave usually takes less than twenty minutes and we start rolling.

We have been here nearly two weeks and here is how cluttered the site is getting.

We like keeping things very simple to say the least.

For excitement today we did some running around to find any floral activity. We got one decent shot of a yucca bloom. The drought has nearly every thing dead or nearly dead but this bloom seemed nice.

While out roaming we got in some fishing at 277North campground. Nope no pictures. But it was nice to be fishing from the old creek bridge casting at very large carp rolling in the shallow water. In some ways we are glad we did not hook one of those three to four feet long monsters. We would not have wanted to keep it but we forgot to use a barbless hook to facilitate releasing the monster fish. The OFM has been away from fishing for too long.

And finally tonight we had something of a sunset. It was pretty nice and the OFM took about sixteen exposures and chose this one for display.

Everyone have fun tomorrow as the traffic starts to build at the first wave of Spring Break folks hit the road to their destinations. A lot of them are headed north to BBNP for geology classes. Others will be headed south for Padre Island fun in the sun to get away from the northern cold. Both destinations have a main route right through Del Rio Tx. The OFM will be staying out of the way trying to have tooooo much fun his way.

Attack Critters

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-8-2023

Once again Rick and the OFM discussed places to go when we leave here. Then we discussed when to leave here. But before we go too far let us look at the morning sunshine.

That is not dramatically exciting is it. But it is what we had. The spring breakers should start arriving pretty soon to stay overnight on their run to Big Bend National Park for their geology field trips.

The OFM needs to get the word out about the attack critters we have in this area. Here is two of them the OFM photographed this evening. We are a bit worried about what they are planning on assaulting soon.

We had a pair of campers come in to spend the night and chose this tent spot. It holds their extended old style long Dodge van easily. It reminded the OFM of how he used to travel when he was first roaming the country in the 70's.

We are not out running the roads much right now. We did get in some fishing over at the 277 North campground for about an hour. The large carp were frolicking around in the shallow waters but we did not get a hook into one of them.

Tonight the sunset takes a lot of imagination. 

The last two days have been noticeably over cast most of the day so photography is a bit bland to say the least. Solar panels were even taking a bit longer to get the job done. Before we know it, the temps will be high 90s and we will wish for cloudy days.

With a little luck tomorrow will be a better day for trying to have tooooo much fun.

Plain Day

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-7-2023

Rick and the OFM discussed places to go when we leave here. Then we discussed when to leave here. After checking the northern weather we chose not yet as to when to roll. We will not be heading to the same location when we leave here. Rick has a Montana and Wyoming plan to see what he can up there.

Later in the day the OFM met several new folks and had some really nice conversations. But over all it was a really laid back easy going day. The OFM worked on his coloring effort that is taking forever due to all the small items to color and coordinate with the rest of the final product.

Here is a sneak look at a part of it.

The OFM went to the Sirloin Stockade in Del Rio for supper and it was very adequate. The salad etc bar is actually a good A- to the OFM. Parking is plentiful and easy to park a truck in.

And finally we have the sunset from tonight and it is very representative of the kind of day it has been. Nothing bad but certainly nothing great either.

Looks like the OFM needs to do a bit better on the having tooooo much fun idea.

Space Vehicle

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-6-2023

Sitting at the do everything table this morning eating breakfast, the OFM noticed how damp gray it seemed outside. So we grabbed a picture for evidence that the desert is not always dried out.

As we sat there chewing our cud for a few minutes thinking about what to do today on such a gray day, the OFM noticed the green tint in the tree. Closer paying attention led to the discovery that the tree had sprouted greenery over night and was in full growth mode. WOW.

Then when we went outside we observed that many of the plants were now tinged in various shades of green. So maybe we might even accidentally get a new blossom out of this desert this year. We can always hope anyway.

The day was spent having nice conversations with the folks in the campground about where to go and when to go and lots of other things.

As evening settled in it was time to take sundown pictures. There were some decent ones available and we got two of them with our camera.

Here is a picture of the tree across the street from us trying to hide the settling sun from the camera. It failed thank goodness.

Then a bit later in the evening this picture of the moon did not come out as planned, it came out even better we think. The OFM has no idea how he got the picture of the flying saucer hovering over the greenery tree but we think it is pretty neat.

It is still a bit warm and is not expected to go below 65F tonight so maybe it will be some good open windows sleeping weather because we want to be well rested for trying to have tooooo much fun tomorrow.

Spring Break On The Way This Week

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-5-2023

First thing tonight we will get to see the slope that defeated the OFM last evening. The OFM started up near the sign post and was heading toward where the girl taking the picture is standing.

As you can see it is not a really hard slope for folks with better balance. The OFM has gone up in this location several times in the last three years of the low lake level. At full lake level this location has over forty feet of water over it.

The OFM does not recall which exact route he attempted up or down but none of them are really difficult for someone with balance and decent eyesight. We are hoping for better eyesight after the next surgeon visit in July. In the mean time we have to be very careful about where we walk or attempt to walk.

After another day of a few long conversations about things to see in the western USA The OFM was ready for a break to take sunset pictures. It was looking like a good night for the picture taking but the sunset was less exciting than we thought it would be. However it was definitely enough to cause lots of the swimmers at the cliffs to stop and watch the sun set on their playground.

But the picture that the OFM was surprised to get is this one of the moon rise. We thought it was a nice surprise and a good photo also.

Keep in mind Texas spring break starts about noon this coming Friday and basically runs through Sunday the nineteenth. Since the states around Texas are still winter temperatures, the students from those states tend to come down here to play in the warm weather. We have noticed that most of the travelers we talk with had no idea how big an event Spring Break is in Texas. Be assured it is a huge rip roaring event. We plan to hibernate here and try to stay safe.

Maybe we need to set up a booth to teach those students arriving how to try to have tooooo much fun! I bet they are pros at having tooooo much fun already. What do you think?

Pushed The OFM Limit A Bit Too Much

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date: 3-4-2023

A little this and a little that through the day until after supper. Supper was at Whataburger and as we were driving back to our campground the sky started looking like a photo or 49 over near the 454 boat ramp might be a good idea. Well the OFM was wrong, it was a fantastic idea as it turned out.

We arrived at the ramp with about twenty minutes to spare. The OFM looked at the loose rock slope up to the ledge we used in the past for sunset pictures from this area. He never gave the slightest thought to the changes in his body and abilities since last year. So away we went.

By the time we were four feet up the ten foot tall cliffish place, he fell once. But he was expecting to have a bad slip and caught himself. After getting all ready again he started on up and nearly to the top he slipped again and caught himself again. OK now that is two bad slips on the loose rocks in less than ten feet of elevation change. Luckily still no bodily damage yet. Since we were right at the top the OFM grabbed a rock protrusion and pulled himself onto the ledge with no more incidents.

As we stood there looking at the future sunset, it occurred to the OFM that he had to go back down that slope as darkness closed in while shooting pictures. He thought for about 20 seconds and decided he had no business on that slope in daylight much less in failing light. So he hopped up and we started back down. Sure enough he slipped soon after starting back down and caught himself. As he paused there two incredibly nice young men came over to the slope to head up to the inviting out crop we had just left. One of them asked if I needed help. The OFM said that he thought not but please stand by for a couple of minutes while he completed the descent. Yep one more minor fall happened and the OFM was down without starting any new bleeding spots at all. He thanked the young men for being patient and standing bye. They scampered up the slope like it was good stairs to get to their chosen location for sunset pictures.

After the sunset was finished we talked about a lot of things like photography, blogs, video production etc until it was dark. The OFM sends his gratitude to them for standing by while he recovered from an adventure that he now knows shall not happen again. The OFM now knows another limitation to his abilities that has happened since last year at this time.

In the meantime the young men and the OFM hit it off well and they have this blog to find the Teams. It is really wonderful to find really first class folks to get to know.

And here is the photo that resulted from that adventure. For map readers, it was taken from the 454 boat ramp in the Amistad NRA near Del Rio Texas.

Lake Amistad Texas

And yep it was a great day of trying to have tooooo much fun.

Sunset Over Mexico

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date:3-3-2023

Not really much adventure today. Several times today the OFM spent a good bit of time helping folks with planning their western adventures in the near future. There was a special interest in the Big Bend NP which is no surprise since it is fabulous to visit.

We also went down to the 454 boat ramp area to see how well it had fared in the storms of yesterday. All of that area seemed to be in just fine shape minus water for the plants.

Between lots of visiting and cleaning up after yesterdays storms we did not do much until near dark when we finally took a picture of the sunset over Mexico this evening.

Tomorrow should be another great day of being alive in Del Rio Texas and trying to have tooooo much fun.

Sheet Metal Alarm Clock

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date:3-2-2023

It started with vehicles driving through the Castle before the OFM got up. It sounded like they came in the door and out the bathroom window. The next thing the OFM knew somebody was beating on steel plate with a hammer in the kitchen. Once the OFM got going it was obvious his imagination was running wild. Do not worry the day got wilder.

Some background information first. When we got here the neighbors had been at Falcon for some of the same time we were there and left a couple of days before us. We chatted a few minute that day and the OFM was shown the damage to the shade shelter someone had done before they got there. We guess they backed a fifth wheel rig into it and knocked one end out of alignment by at least a foot and a half.

The storm predicted for today had the park maintenance folks worried the 50-60 mph winds might blow the shade shelter apart so they got busy on it at the crack of dawn this morning. And yes one of the fellows was using a sledge hammer to nurse the sheet metal back into place.

Hammer in hand

Considering what they had to work with this was an excellent job well done as an emergency repair.

Repair Job Done For Now.

The weather was really pretty this morning and the OFM went out to the Diablo East main boat ramp area to check out things. This next picture was taken from a pull off on a cliff near the boat ramp looking north across this small finger of the lake. It is a very nice view that we really like to enjoy frequently.

Yep this is a lake in a land of canyons and cliffs and a fun place to play and enjoy.

Then about 1600 the front hit with a vengeance. Most of the campers were well prepared for the strong winds but a couple of things did get to be retrieved and brought back when the 50 mph plus winds hit the area. It is all supposed to be over by 2100 tonight so it should be nice cool sleeping. Since the OFM has way too much experience in his past driving around in high winds during and after hurricanes we made a run to the main recreation area and boat ramp in the area to see if anyone was in trouble from the winds. It is a fairly remote location that you have to go to on purpose. We got there with no trouble and found two other vehicles roaming around taking pictures of the storm action on the lake. The OFM took a picture of the boat ramp area showing the ramp pier torn loose from its moorings and banging on the rocks of the shore next to the ramp.

This is a COLORED picture

We were thrilled to not find any folks that needed help. We really like those sorts of results. So to celebrate we went into Del Rio to the Whataburger and had supper at a stationary table instead of one wiggling around inside the Castle from the wind shaking the rig.

We figure that tomorrow we will have an easy time of finding things for trying to have tooooo much fun.

Wind Storm Predicted

 

Adventure Location: Del Rio, Texas

Adventure Date:3-1-2023

We headed out this morning to check out old stomping grounds in the area. That was all the planning we did and it was great fun. Lots of conversations with folks at the interesting locations. It was so good that it will likely be the method of operation for a few more blog entries. Any way we headed over to 277North campground and fishing area to see if we could get into some decent fishing. We didn't but it was great fun anyway because of all the folks we met and visited.

An old tree remnant from YEARS ago is still there waiting on us.

The old bridge is still there but we messed up getting its picture but we did get a picture of the Hwy 277 bridge over the lake, The morning was slightly foggy so the pictures are not crisp. Here is the highway bridge. Last year there was no water to be seen when this scene was photographed back then.

A lot of time was spent just nosing around the area. Amistad NRA is definitely an area a person can nose around just looking at things for several weeks if they wanted to do that. We took a series of pictures of an area we used to rock climb in ten or more years ago but decided it needed a whole blog entry itself. But at the area we had a conversation with a very nice local couple fishing. It lasted about an hour and a half then the OFM needed to move on. Things like that seem to happen around the OFM just naturally wherever he goes.

On the way back to the Castle we stopped at Whataburger in Del Rio for lunch. And during lunch the OFM remembered we needed a new latch for the screen door on the Castle. The spring in the original 17 year old latch gave up the ghost a couple of days ago and needed to be replaced. So we stopped at Paulino's RV place for a new latch. He had the latch in stock as well as a new sewer cap for the Castle. They have done excellent work on the Castle that the OFM could not handle alone. They are a recommended repair place by the OFM.

Back at the Castle it was about a ten minute chore to install the new spring latch. It is nice to have the screen door stay in place when closed again.

After the screen door repair, old friend Rick and the OFM had a serious discussion on whether we have any business tackling his sewer trouble or an Airstream dealer with the right equipment should tackle the chore. The current final decision is that he will find a dealer along his route of travel to have them tackle the project.

Tomorrow is predicted to have some very high winds in the 60 mph range in our area so our outdoor excitement may be very limited. Sierra will be parked to take the brunt of the wind off of the Castle so we have a better chance of no damage to the Castle. At least that is the plan for now.

That is it for tonight but the next few days seem to be working on being very active days for trying to have tooooo much fun.

Arrived San Pedro Campground

 

Adventure Location: Falcon County Park Texas

Adventure Date: 2-28-2023

We got on the road about 0830 and arrived at San Pedro Campground about 1400. There was no trouble during the trip but the traffic the first hour was heavy and disorganized but after Laredo things went very smoothly.

We got the same campsite as we had when the header picture was taken a few years ago. Compare it with today's picture from the same area.

We caught an accidental picture of this cloud with a face in it. Does anyone else see the face like the OFM does?

Amistad NRA is on a new payment system for your camping fee. This little easy to use machine bills your credit card and prints your ticket right in front of you. AND it was so simple the OFM did it in only three tries. It was amazing how he could get it all messed up at first.

Naturally the OFM had to go check out the lake and grab a picture. So here is a nice picture of a part of the huge lake to let you see where we may be tomorrow while trying to have tooooo much fun.