Across the Sands of Time

We have made so many awesome connections with strangers on this trip. On the streetcars, at gas stations and grocery stores, outside of public washrooms, in parking lots, at campgrounds, in parks and at restaurants. There are so many seekers and travelers in the world. Even those who aren't currently traveling have done some exploring and are excited to share their experiences and helpful pointers with us fellow explorers. Some of our favorite places were discovered thanks to suggestions from strangers. 

Photo: everydaydreamholiday

One evening at dusk, we played tennis with our pals who have recently relocated to Houston, TX. We were in a park just outside of downtown and we watched the Waugh Bat Colony flutter overhead by the tens of thousands.  They formed swirly clouds of black specs and came in waves, one after the next for nearly a half hour. Then after a break in the black swirls, we thought they were all passed...but then a short while later, more swarms passed overhead. They all live underneath a large bridge at the edge of center city and they swarm overhead every night around sundown. A similar colony lives in Austin, TX too on Congress Ave. 

A bit of weather irony: while in one of the warmest states along the south coast, we camped in some of the coldest weather that we have encountered on this whole trip. The locals told us we must have left the back door open when we left Canada. It's apparent that the USA doesn't teach it's citizens much about it's giant frigid neighbor to the north, as most Americans we have met admittedly don't know much about Canada. Funny right? We have also repeatedly heard the frustration of Americans with the new Obamacare system. They hoped to have health care more like Canada's. Things aren't always what they seem...even in Canada.

They say everything is bigger in Texas. I don't know where "they" get that idea, but it sounds good.  The state itself is huge. Other than that, the only things I have noticed that are bigger are the pickups, the speed limit (it's the only state we have passed through with an 80mph speed limit) and the penalty for littering which is up to $2000 and a prison sentence.  They are also big on military bases and intensive cattle ranching.  We noticed an imaginary line through Texas, where the eastern part had a very similar feel to many east coast cities, and the western half was very "wild west" feeling. 

We pulled off the highway to take a tour of one of the older military forts in central Texas called Fort Lancaster. It was erected in the mid 1800's. There were minimal remains of various structures and lots of stories to go along with them. What a life it would have been living in the wide open desert/prairies of the south back then. So desolate. 

We did see many different agricultural ventures along the southern border including massive pecan and walnut groves covering thousands of acres amongst the dry brown grasses and cacti. We also saw more cotton plantations (finally snapped a photo) and fields full of drying chiles. Goats seem to be a popular livestock choice, probably because they will eat anything, including the dry, crunchy brush that covers the wide open ranches across the south of Texas. 

We headed for El Paso, TX, which shares the border with Juarez, Mexico. As we drove closer to the lights of the city, the Mexican border was visibly illuminated along the south side. We did a little exploring and saw that the border is lined with several walls of razor wire fences and has a canal nestled in between. There were two US border inspection stations, one that we went through along the highway, which I haven't seen before, other than when we actually crossed a US border. I suppose people slip through the borders on a regular basis and smuggle illegal substances in freight trucks, or they wouldn't bother having such stations. 

We Couch Surfed with a couple of nice guys in El Paso and tried some of the local Mexican food. We also drove up one of the mountains bordering the city to get a Birdseye view. 

Our host suggested that we take a tour of one of the original homesteads in El Paso called the Magoffin House. We caught the last tour of the day and really enjoyed hearing about the history of that area beginning in the late 1700's. 

As we headed through New Mexico and Arizona we noticed the terrain getting increasingly dry and barren. Tumbleweed the size of dogs blew in the harsh winds across the highway. There were dust storms in the distance and many road signs warned of the dangers of blowing dust. 

This certainly felt like the Wild West. 

We did some research and decided to camp just outside of Tucson, AZ in the western half of Saguaro National Park, nestled in the Red Hills. It's home of the Saguaro cacti, which only grow in a limited area of SW Arizona and a small portion of Northern Mexico. These are those iconic tall cacti with happy, waving arms. They can live up to 150 years!

We took a hike down one of many dry riverbeds at sunset. The views were breathtaking. The wind was still howling over the hills and through the valleys. As we climbed back to the parking area, we heard a dog bark across a small ravine. In the dimming light I saw that it was a large coyote- Much bigger than the scrawny variety way up north. He trotted along the side and disappeared down into the brush and popped up near us on the near side. We barked back at him and waved our arms and he scampered away. 

We sat under the full moon and played cards by headlamps at our campsite.  The campground was nearly silent. We heard a coyote yelp in the darkness across the campground. Then we were surrounded by a shrieking, yelping, barking chorus of dogs that were strategically scattered amongst the campsites in the bushes. We weren't alone. It was eerie. The desert winds picked up in the night and whipped our tent around above us. Twice more during the night I awoke to that alarming sound of coyote packs that seemed like it was right outside of our tent. In the morning, one of my sandals was curiously far from the tent.

This morning we awoke to the sun rising over the mountains and the cacti and into our tent and the sound of hummingbirds zooming around our campsite made us smile. The melody of a cowboy's harmonica in the desert breeze brought me a feeling of being a cowgirl on a trail ride in the old west where you never know what might be waiting around the next bend.