Feb 5-Feb 8 Fredericksburg TX

The weather finally got warmer and we headed to Fredericksburg RV.

On the way, we drove through a brush fire. Flames were actually on both sides of the road. We learned later on the news that 22 units responded to the blaze. We snapped better pictures than the news did.

We only stayed three nights (again, the weather drove us south), but we made lots of excursions. It took more than one day to view the Pacific War Museum. One of our guides was an 87 year old WWII veteran of the European theater who had earned two bronze stars.

We drove to the LBJ ranch and did an auto tour of the property. The ranch is famous for herefords, but other, more exotic, animals can also be seen.

We got out of the car to visit the family cemetery.

We also visited the Sauer-Beckmann Farm, a working farm adjacent to the ranch.

And we drove to enchanted rock for a picnic. If you look closely (click on the picture to enlarge), you’ll see a variety of hikers.

Jan 31 - Feb 5 Crystal City TX

To escape a forecast of 6 degree temperatures we drove to Triple R Resort RV Park in Crystal City. As we drove past a ranch on Rte 83 we saw a huge buck elk. We actually parked the truck and RV along the road and walked back to take pictures. It was a magnificent animal.

The campground was lovely.

It offered nature walks and lots of wildlife viewing.

The nature walk

Javelinas (oue first view of wild pigs)

Deer (we never tired of them)

The neighboring cows

It took longer than we expected for the weather to turn warmer so we extended our stay in Crystal City for a few days. Miguelito’s, the only bar in town, became our second home.

Jan 29-31 Junction TX

We drove 260 miles to stay at a KOA just off the highway in Junction. We were not expecting much, but it was a delightful place with a focus on wildlife.

The first night we saw a herd of deer and the next morning we viewed a flock of wild turkeys.

The campground also offered a nightly parade of domesticated ducks.

Ducks crossing in front of our truck.

On an excursion to South Llano River State Park (6 miles away) I snapped this picture of a hawk.

We would have stayed longer, but a freeze was forecast with Junction expecting six degree temperatures. We decided to head south.

Jan 26-29 Toyahvale, TX

At the suggestion of the Texas welcome center, we took a loop around El Paso to avoid the traffic and see some mountain views.

After a 260 mile drive we arrived at Balmorhea State Park, a lovely oasis in the desert with lots of birds. It had a huge swimming pool fed by a natural spring, complete with fish and turtles, and a small desert wetlands area with ducks and herons.

Our campsite was outstanding, but it did get cold at night.

The next day we stayed close to home but the following day brought an excursion to Fort Davis to visit McDonald Observatory home of the Hobby-Eberly telescope and one of the darkest areas in the western hemisphere. Wow, what a drive.

Finally, a scenic loop through Davis Mountains State Park gave a 360 degree panorama view of the hills. Very very nice.

Jan 23-26 Las Cruces NM

We drove 100 miles and stayed at Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces. NM. This was a not too distant stop as our last campground, City of Rocks, did not have a dump station and we were carrying a lot of used water. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the site, but I did get plenty of pictures on our one excursion--to Dripping Springs Natural Area at the foothills of the Organ Mountains.

Driving to the foothills

We hiked up to La Cueva ( Spanish for “the cave”) where a hermit in the 1800’s was murdered.

Click on the picture above to read the sign.

The trail

The view from inside the cave.

The view from outside the cave

That white dot is our truck.

A photo break on the hike back.

On the way back to our campsite we stopped briefly at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum to snap pictures of the livestock there.

We didn’t really explore much of Las Cruces, but we did enjoy our visit.

Jan 20-23 Faywood NM

We drove only 35 miles to City of Rocks State Park in Faywood NM. What an absolutely gorgeous place.

The scene as you enter the park

Our actual campsite

The rocks in these photos were formed 35 million years ago when a volcano erupted with 1000 times the force of Mt. Saint Helens. The rocks eventually eroded to become the columns seen today. For 3 days and nights we never ventured outside the park. We loved the immediate scenery and also the view from the park's observation point.

Our RV is middle top

This was part of the 360 degree view from the observation point.

Everyday we clamored over rocks in search of petroglyphs (ancient drawings) and found quite a few!

Here I am.

Here's Ray. It was a stretch climbing this rock.

There seemed to be paths between the rocks.

This petroglyph was about 30 feet over our heads. I used a zoom lens to capture it.

This was at our feet but we searched multiple rocks before we found it.

It was a great, relaxing stay.