Day 11: Chisos Basin to Mathis, TX

We left the hotel looking for roadside critters.  Even though the gas station attendant at Panther Creek said the javelinas around there are so tame they’ll try to steal groceries as you bring them inside, there was nary a critter in sight. 

We stopped and looked at the fossil exhibit – the desert wasteland of today was once a vast wetland.  That must have looked better.  Because now it’s just ugly.

We stopped at the last visitor center at the north entrance of the park (total visitors this part of the day: 30).  They had great pictures of the camels they decided to use instead of horses (very successful and smart program for 2 years until the trains came through).  The flash flood photos are also impressive – huge quantities of water come from nowhere.

As we exited the park, there was a small water dish (and maybe some seed scattered).  We saw another Black Throated Sparrow drinking.  The Scaled Quail were cooperating (or baited) and we got binoculars on them.  Catherine had this view for most of the rest of the day, except generally there was no cell phone reception.

West Texas is entirely fenced, but has very little alive in it.  No hawks.  No buzzards.  A few tweety birds -- we saw a Savanna Sparrow.  Denise spotted three javelinas along the side of the road, but they scuttled off with their chubby little rumps waddling before we got pictures.  Denise saw a deer.  In terms of livestock, we saw about 20 normal cows, 2 road kill long horns, a herd of goats and these:

After we came out of the park, we turned right at Marathon and headed out on 90E forever.  We went through the Border Patrol check points twice and the drug sniffing dogs decided our car passed inspection.  The entire length of 90 has a dirt road beside it, used by Border Patrol.  Honestly, if anyone wants to make it across the river, through this godforsaken country, is a little Border Patrol going to be a deterrent?  Catherine says if we don't want illegal immigration, put massive fines on the folks that employ people without papers.  Deporting the poor folks desperate enough to try this just seems like a losing battle.

We stopped at the overlook where the Pecos River joins the Rio Grande (it's much Grande-er now).  The background is Mexcio.  Pretty view, but it's unclear why the Pecos is so oddly colored, it should be under US pollution laws.

We then headed to the Amistad International Reservoir where we had a quick lunch looking at the Coots.  The bridges to the left are 90E and a railroad trestle.

At the point you turn into the park you have a choice:

or, as we had done, a right turn for the park.

Once we hit Uvalde we started snaking South East towards Mathis and the countryside got a bit more familiar to the East Coaster in the car.  Here the cow pastures got more lush (yep, that's a lush cow pasture):

And there were even a few irrigated fields.

We even saw irrigated cow pastures.  However, the most exciting finds of the day were 1) Texas driving laws.  When in Texas on a 2 lane road with the speed limit 75 mph, if the road has a broad shoulder and someone comes up behind you, when you get to a passing lane, you are to pull into the shoulder (still going 75) and the person behind you passes you (generally only partially in the lane of oncoming traffic).  If someone is coming from the opposite direction s/he also moves into their shoulder.

2) Crested Carcaras.  If you don't know what they are, look them up.  Denise claimed she saw one sitting in a tree.  The she claimed she saw 2 more flying overhead.  As they are uncommon (and Catherine spent days in Costa Rica looking for them), Catherine didn't believe her.  Then we spotted 5 more.  If you want to added Crested Caracaras to your life list, simply zigzag along Texas highways between Uvalde and Mathis at 75 mph in midafternoon in January and you won't be disappointed.

Sleeping in and Whooping Cranes tomorrow!