Brownsville…The Southern-Most Point in Texas.

Yesterday we drove the motorhome the about 25 miles from Port Isabel to Brownsville, Texas.

We spent the night parked at VFW Post #2085. Now that we have reached the southern-most point in Texas, at this latitude the Gulf of Mexico forces us to drive North to continue our journey. Later this morning we’ll drive the about 120 miles to Kingsville, Texas.

Brownsville is unique in that it is located at the southern-most tip of Texas and across a not-very-wide Rio Grande River lies another country…Mexico. Because Brownsville is also close to the Gulf of Mexico, it has a most interesting history. You can read its history by clicking this Wikipedia link…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownsville,_Texas

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

As always, I like to show the view from the dinette window…

After our arrival at the VFW yesterday morning, we unhooked the Bronco and drove the about five miles to old town area of Brownsville. The museum was the kind I really like…it had lots of old black and white photos. We also visited the Stillman House (founder of Brownsville) adjacent to the museum. After another shrimp lunch we visited the Costumes of the Americas Museum. Here is the link to the Brownsville Historical Complex Museum’s website…

http://brownsvillehistory.org/

Here are some of the photos that I took…

Here’s the link to the Costumes of the Americas Museum Website…

http://costumesoftheamericasmuseum.net/

To see the other 54 photos that I took, you have to click this Picasa Web Albums link…

https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/BrownsvilleTexas

Enjoying interesting old historical cities is another joy of the full-time Rving lifestyle!!!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Harlingen, Texas – Day 18

The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th.

Yesterday Mary and I took the Bronco for a tour of the Rio Grande Valley since she has never been here before. By time we got back to the motorhome we had covered 160 miles.

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Along the way we saw lots of fertile soil with green stuff growing…

and grapefruit trees…

First stop was at the old Hildago Pump Station that was used for many years to pump water from the Rio Grande River to irrigate the growing fields. It operated from 1909 to 1983. The station was closed on a Saturday so we didn’t get to take the tour. You can read about it by clicking this link…

http://www.texasescapes.com/SouthTexasTowns/HidalgoTexas/Hidalgo-Texas-Old-Hidalgo-Pumping-Station.htm

Also at the site was a World Birding Center which you can read about by clicking this link…

http://www.theworldbirdingcenter.com/Hidalgo.html

It was so cold we didn’t try to catch a photo of the many birds we could hear but we got these nice flower photos…

Being right on the Rio Grande River, the Border Patrol was to be seen everywhere…

A few more miles down the road we stopped at the La Lomita Chapel which was also closed on a Saturday. You can read about it by clicking this link…

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/tx/tx15.htm

About one mile down the road is the remnants of an old mission on the grounds of a now Catholic Academy. Of course the gates were locked…

By then it was time for lunch. We stopped at the small El Rodeo Restaurant. I had the Chalupa plate…

Mary had the enchilada plate…

A couple of strolling musicians stopped by to sing a few songs for tips…

Then onto the only hand-pulled ferry left remaining on the Rio Grande River. I was here in 1997 when all there was the ferry at the end of a narrow road with a small Border Patrol Station. Here’s a photo I took in 1997…

Because of 9/11, there is now a huge Border Patrol Station. Everything was shut down because of high fast-flowing water on the river so the ferry was not operating. We walked alongside the chain link fence to get down to the river. It has an interesting history and you can read about the ferry by clicking this link…

http://www.wintertexansonline.com/ebanosferry.htm

Final stop of the day was at the only Costco in the Rio Grande Valley for some groceries.

Enjoying the many attractions of an area is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Harlingen, Texas – Day 10

Mary is at home in California enjoying the holidays with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.

The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.

A few days ago I drove the Bronco the about 12 miles to San Benito, Texas, to visit the Museums of San Benito…three museums in one building. Yesterday I reviewed the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Today’s topic is the San Benito Museum.

Here’s what their brochure has to say about the museum…

Step back in time and see how San Benito came to be.

From the natural formation of the resaca (an old course of the Rio Grande River) where Indians and Spanish land grant ranches flourished to the arrival of the railroad and diverse ethnic pioneers hungry for cheap and fertile land, a small community grew and prospered.

San Benito grew into a social and commercial center in the tropical Magic Valley of Texas. Pioneers built schools and churches, formed clubs and held dances and even put on a “Hog Waddle.”

Over 100 hundred years have passed since San Benito’ founding and naming by Col. Sam Robertson and his business colleagues. Walk through our small tale in United States history and as the words of a popular song echo, “Reminisce about the days of yore…”

The Museums of San Benito house three different museums. Here’s the link…

http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comMuseums.php

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Here’s the city’s historical link…

http://www.cityofsanbenito.com/comHistorySB.php

Here’s a Wikipedia link about San Benito…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Benito,_Texas

Enjoying a wide variety of museums is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Roma, Texas – Day 3

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical and personal business issues. She has made her airline reservations to join me at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.

The motorhome is parked at VFW Post #9175 in Roma, Texas. I expected to depart yesterday but the windshield glass chip repair service said the repair man couldn’t make it until yesterday. Now I’m expecting to depart here tomorrow.

Yesterday the first event of the day was the windshield rock chip repairman showing up to accomplish the job…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

In yesterday’s Blog entry I discussed meeting my new friend Horatio. He introduced me to his dentist Dr. Alma Lidia Cantu de Graza. She lives in Roma, but her office is across the border in Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico, population about 27,000. She met me in a nearby parking lot in Roma and we crossed the bridge over the Rio Grande. Pick-up trucks pay $3 for a one way passage. Pedestrians pay $.25 to walk across the bridge…

The Rio Grande River looking west-northwest as seen from the bridge…

And into the city…

Her office is about one mile from the bridge and looks more like a house on the outside rather than an office…

It has a large waiting area…

With three dental rooms…

She cleaned my teeth and repaired a damaged tooth. Here’s a banner for her services…

I shot this next photo through the glass window in her front door looking towards the outside…

She had one other patient which took about an hour. Then she went with me to the pharmacy and help me buy my sinus medication for which she had to write a prescription. The 40 tablets I purchased cost me $22.40…in the United States they would cost $275.00! Then we went to a small local eatery for lunch and then back to the bridge to return to the United States…

The Rio Grande River looking east-southeast…

I have crossed back into the United States from Mexico many times over the years. I have never seen tighter security than yesterday. You can read of drug-related shootings in 2011 in Miguel Aleman by clicking this link…

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-04-25/politics/30059508_1_drug-violence-border-city-cartels

Fortunately we had no problems yesterday in Miguel Aleman.

Enjoying getting dental work done and buying medications in Mexico is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Espanola, New Mexico – Day 6

Mary remains at home in California tending to medical issues.

The motorhome is still parked at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Airee #3695 in Espanola about 25 miles north of Santa Fe. The weather has started to turn cooler, so I’m planning to depart this morning.

Yesterday I drove the Bronco about eight miles to visit the Oke Weenge aka San Juan Indian Pueblo located along the Rio Grande River. This was where Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate established the first capital of New Mexico. Other than that there is nothing particularly spectacular about modern-day Oke Weenge.

You can read about Oke Weenge by clicking this link…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27ke_Oweenge

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Enjoying historical places is another joy of a full-time RVer!

 If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

I Thought I Was Leaving Taos, New Mexico Yesterday…

The motorhome is currently parked at the Fraternal Order Of Eagles Airee #3489. My visit to Taos is now completed and I had planned to leave Taos yesterday.

However, while making preparations to get on my way, I noticed I was low on tire pressure on the left rear outside wheel on the motorhome. When the yellow indicator shows…it means low tire pressure…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

The normal pressure is 90 pounds. When I put the pressure gauge on, it only read 40 pounds.

I was planning to take the high road (mountainous) yesterday. I could have brought the tire up to pressure with my tire air pump, but saw no need to push my luck. Whenever I’m faced with a potential problem situation, I always elect to err on the side of safety.

I highly suspect the extender valve stem is leaking between the valve stem rubber bushing and the wheel and I needed to wait until this morning to hopefully buy a new one at the Napa store when they open at 7:30 AM this morning and then get it installed at a local tire shop. With a little bit of luck I’ll be on my way by noontime. If They do not have one, I’ll bring the tire up to pressure and take the low road which follows along the Rio Grande River until I can find one.

Enjoying safe travels is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

If you have not checked out my new Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Taos, New Mexico – Day 3

The motorhome is currently parked at the Fraternal Order Of Eagles Airee #3849. I expect to be here for several days.

On Friday, my first full day on Taos, I decided take the Bronco and backtrack a few miles. Heading West on U.S. Highway 64 I started across the about 20 mile-wide Taos Plateau…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

The only problem that you cannot see from the above photo is a 650 foot hole in the ground created by the Rio Grande River. If it wasn’t for the Gorge Bridge it would be challenging to cross.

I took the following photos of the bridge and gorge in the watercolor painting mode because I liked them better than in the normal picture mode. It makes them look like old-fashioned postcards…

Looking at the bridge from a southwest view point…

Looking across the bridge roadbed east back towards Taos…

Looking south at the river gorge…

Looking east along the side of the bridge and gorge…

Looking straight down at the river 650 feet below…

Looking north at the river gorge…

You can read all about this bridge by clicking this Wikipedia informational link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Gorge_Bridge

Back in the normal picture mode, I drove about 1.5 miles west of the bridge to visit the site of the Greater World Earthship Community. It’s a subdivision of homes built with natural recycled materials, solar thermal heating, solar and wind electric power, water harvesting, contained sewerage treatment and food production. It’s called sustainable living.

This is the visitors center…

This wall is made of bottles, tires, concrete and adobe…

A look through the bottom of one of the bottles…

and another…

Here are some other views…

You can read all about these Earthships by clicking this link…

http://www.earthship.com/

If you have not checked out my new Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…

http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Quebradas National Back Country Byway, New Mexico

Two days ago while in Socorro, New Mexico I decided to take the 24 mile Quebradas National Back Country Byway drive with my Ford Bronco II…not a place for the motorhome!

To read about this byway, you can click these two links…

http://byways.org/explore/byways/2090


http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/socorro/quebradas_backcountry_byway.html

It’s located a few miles east of Socorro and claims to be total wilderness never less than ten miles away from a major highway. To get there you first have to cross the Rio Grande River…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

Now to the Byway photos…

Here’s a map of the drive from the above Byways link…

If I had to describe the drive in one word it would be DUSTY! The land is incredibly dry in this area. They warn you that the road is only maintained annually and to be prepared for loose sand.

There were lots of rather steep up and down grades requiring the use of first and second gears. It was a good test for my newly rebuilt transmission although I never had to use the 4 wheel drive.

It was a pretty and peaceful drive that took about 1.5 hours. Another fun thing to do as a full-time RVer is go exploring the back country!

I spent the night at Moose Lodge #1680 in Belen, New Mexico. Today…on an early Sunday morning I’ll enter Albuquerque. It’s a large city approaching 900,000 people that I’ve not been to before so I hoping for very light traffic.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Pretty And Quiet…

Yesterday I wrote about Elephant Butte State Park near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico…

http://wp.me/pDCku-4eb

In that posting I mentioned that within the state park boundaries there are about a dozen different campgrounds, mostly primitive, along the western shore of the lake. Yesterday morning I departed the overlook site near the park entrance and drove about eight miles north to the northern-most campground that has RV facilities. It’s named South Monticello. Here’s a Google Earth image showing the relative location on the lake shore…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view...

Only…I didn’t enter the campground with the RV facilities. I drove by that entrance and continued down the road for about another mile to the end…

This Google Earth image shows my location. The RV facilities campground is about 1/4 mile away…

Here’s my parking location. No RV facilities here…

Through the windshield I can see the RV facilities campground in the distance…

And this is the view through the dinette window…

Finally a panorama looking from North to East to South…

The dam created the lake in 1916. If there were no dam…the water would be narrower and be called the Rio Grande River.

As you can see I’m out on this point of land all by myself…and it’s pretty and quiet! One week from today I expect to be in Albuquerque and I’m betting that I’ll be thinking about the quiet I enjoyed here. I know it won’t be quiet there!

A lovely sunny day of 74 degrees and a nice gentle breeze off of the lake made for a most enjoyable stay.

Today I’ll continue wandering north towards Albuquerque which I expect to enter this coming Sunday morning.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust