Expect the Unexpected

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! – Monty Python

The human brain is wired to crave novelty, thereby assuring the endless appeal of travel.

Sunrise over the desert at Big Bend National Park, South Texas

Quiet as the desert itself, we sat on a low branch in the deep dusk, hoping to see javalinas. We’d driven to a small oasis at the end of a rough road and positioned ourselves near a seep where we’d seen tracks and trails and smelled the musky scent.  Dusk turned to dark. Patiently peering into the brush, we at last heard snuffling, and there in the gloom was a snorting piggy shadow!

The near-sighted javelina must also have a poor sense of smell, though its nose is quite long.  Unwittingly one approached Craig from behind, who remained still as long as he could bear while wondering if the beast would really walk right into him. Brave man! The potential for painful damage from those large tusky canines is real. When the javelina was just 2 feet away, Craig alerted the beast with a slight move.  Brush exploded in all directions as we all three shot straight up in fright. 

An entirely gratifying evening.

The Purple Prickley Pear, common
in the Chihuahuan desert

Armadillo spied at Laguna Atascosa,
National Wildlife Refuge,Texas

However well-prepared we may feel for an experience, surprises come from everywhere,  from the mundane to the profound, the disappointing to delightful. 

This coyote makes a living at Laguna Acostosa also, maybe on armadillos?

Birthplace and home of Elvis
 for 3 years.  They were po.

On our way to Faulkner’s home in Oxford Mississippi, 

we detoured to Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.   The Natchez Trace Parkway (National Park Service) beckoned, a historical path with no stops, lights or towns, a 450-mile two-lane blacktop that exists for its own beauty and historical value.  This alone was a worthy discovery.  Bonus: our first sight was twisted and shredded stumps, a blasted landscape explained by a small sign:  “A tornado set down here in April, 2011.”  Most of the surrounding area was untouched.  The Presley home?  Very very tiny.

Tornado casualty April 2011

Spared

Above:  Side-by-side on the 

Natchez Trace Parkway

We made a pilgrimage to the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. The modest, elegant architectural masterpiece is a non-denominational spiritual space and the exclusive domain of eight monumental, minimalist canvases of the artist Mark Rothko.  A World Heritage Site, it attracts spiritual and political world leaders, along with everyday souls, who seek personal and world peace.

Houston is surprisingly progressive, especially in the arts. Having visited the Rothko Chapel, and finding ourselves in a lovely old residential neighborhood known as the museum district, we wandered towards the modern sculpture in a nearby park.  Our stroll led us to one of the most beautiful art museums imaginable, the Menil Collection, the legacy of philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil.  Images of that sublime afternoon spent in those wonderful rooms will remain with us both.  

Unexpected treasure.

We read in the evenings, generally about the history and natural history of where we are (this segment, “the South”), often news to us. Random sampling:

• William Seward was a brilliant man and passionate abolitionist, with a radical fervor that cost him the Presidential nomination in favor of the moderate Abraham Lincoln. 
• (How could we beneficiaries of Seward's Folly have known so little? And schooled in Alaska public schools? Maybe we just weren't paying attention).
• Robert E Lee was Lincoln’s first choice for commander of the northern armies.  Lee did not like slavery, but was loyal to his home state, successionist Virginia, and so declined the offer.
• Slavery was more horrifying than we can fathom: When I Was a Slave, first hand accounts by emancipated slaves, taken down in the1930’s (Dover, $2.50). 
• Mesquite roots go as far as 200 feet down to the water table.
• Desert deer eat prickley pears, fruits and pads (which we witnessed).
• Javalinas climb bushes with their little cloven feet (which we did not witness). They eat prickley pears too.

Following the Texas/Mexico border for hundreds of miles was disturbing, with frequent border patrol checks, dogs, barbed wire and bare earth zones. Big Bend National Park’s annual international fiesta, suspended since 2002, once drew hundreds of locals and visitors from both sides of the Rio Grande.  The border is no longer porous, with painful consequences for families and friends on both sides. Visitors used to enjoy the little village across the river for the cantina and souvenirs. Little beaded roadrunners and money jars now sit alone on rocks near National Park trails. Ominous signs threaten potential buyers with fines, and the usually invisible Mexicans with worse.  Signs remind tourists that crossing the shallow Rio carries the risk of heavy fines and imprisonment. 

A Mexican singer belts out folk songs from across 

the river, hoping Park visitors will add to the tip jar at his

compatriot’s feet on the U.S. side (tiny red spot to the left)

 Birding offers bounteous pleasant surprises.  A tiny sampling of the wonderful  birds we've seen:

Roadrunner, or "paisano" (countryman) locally.  A very large, bold and friendly bird, always on the lookout for bugs
 and snakes to munch.

Green Jay, coastal south Texas

Long-billed Curlew

Crested Caracara near Harlingen, Texas. This huge raptor is the national bird of Mexico.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker, south Texas

Long-billed Thrasher, south Texas

Greentail Towhee, Big Bend and Guadalupe NP

Big Bend National park surpassed expectations.  We spent nearly two weeks in this astounding enormous, layered desert land with profound vistas.  Composed of eroded volcanic domes ranging in elevation from 2800 to 7800 feet, it is irresistible to hikers, birders and desert rats in general. Some Big Bend landscapes below:

Sunset near Castalon, looking towards the Big Bend's  Chisos Mountains 

From the top of the Lost Mine Trail, Chisos Mts, looking towards Mexico

  The Rio Grande at the Big Bend.  Mexico to the right, US to the left

The Mule Ears

From the top of the Lost Mine trail, painted formations

Balanced Rock on the Grapevine, Big Bend

Lounging at an isolated primitive camp. 

 Also more magnificent and awe-inspiring than expected: 

NPS photo by Peter Jones

• Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico, considered the most beautiful cave in the world. Mindbending.
•  Bosque del Apache, NWR in New Mexico, winter home of thousands of snow geese and sandhill cranes. Every day at sunrise they all take to the air in a storm. Astonishing.  One can imagine a time when birds were like that everywhere.

• 
  

  
  

• 

Sandhill cranes at Bosque del Apache, NM

Kasha Katuwe "Tents" NM

• Kasha Katuwe National Monument, just south of Sante Fe.  Weird formations, hoodoos, a slot canyon: a small treasure happened on by accident and our desire to “check it out.”
• Maybe not awe-inspiring but surely surprising: contenders for the world’s best tamales come from a gas station in Antonito, Colorado, a wide spot on the road.  The tiny “factory” is behind the little convenience store.

We are taking a break from the road, with a couple of weeks to connect with lots of family and friends in Colorado - Yay! what a great place to connect. And it's no surprise that we relish the chance to stretch out!!!

The crystal ball sees us moving west, then north. Til next time, dear reader.

Dancing crane