It's Day 245.....It's also January 6th 2020.....and we are in Del Rio Texas

It's Day 245.....It's also January 6th 2020.....and we are in Del Rio Texas

Ahhhh.....Del Rio .....Yep....we went south....and around 180 miles from Fort Stockton we arrived....in this place called Del Rio...a border town connected to Ciudad Acuña by the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río – Ciudad Acuña International Bridge. ...and it came as no surprise that there's a ton of history packed into this community of just over 30,000...And while 30k isn't really the small town thing we're goin for these days.....we found an awesome recreation area a few miles outside town.....and the January weather around here is pretty hard to beat.....so we quickly decided.....this is a great place to hang out for a few days.....and learn.

Oh...and just a quick reminder.....I am so bad at remembering to mention that....anyone out there not listening.....or watching......on Spotify, or YouTube....that there is a video version of the podcast. I take lots of photo's on our adventure so if your interested in visuals while listening check us out on either Spotify or YouTube.....or better yet.....visit Lifeoutthere.me........anything and everything you might be curious about can be found on our website. You can even email us....or leave us a voicemail.....We'd love to hear from ya.

And with that.....

Coming out of Fort Stockton....we had learned so....so much. From learning of how integral both the Apache....and the Commanche people had been in the historical formation of what we call the US today.....how they hadn't told me in school.....or....if they did....I wasn't listening......and lets face it...that is a distinct possibility....In either case....I had no idea that had it not been for Native Americans in the region fending off the settlement attempts of both Spain....and then Mexico.....hundreds of years before my ancestors showed up....well...my ancestors might very likely have met with a very different fate.....and the entire southwestern part of the US....would have ended...right around Louisianna......ish.....and what would have happened to the rest of the country we know today....who knows....Oregon....Washington....California.....Idaho....Mont....who knows....I guess the biggest takeaway......is that timing.....timing......is indeed....EVERYTHING. And as I've said before....History....is written by the winners....and we won....and by "we".....I mean "they".......my ancestors.......it;s not like I was brandishing a Kentucky Long Rifle atop a horse at full gallop with a Colt Revolver on my hip taking out Commanche warriors......My ancestors were.....and because of them.....we have these United States.....and specifically....where I am sitting today.....

Del Rio Texas.....

As the sun lowered in the sky....the horizon was taking on that glow.....the glow I've seen....and felt....in many places across this part of the country....a glow very specific to the west,, Our journey from Fort Stockton to Del Rio played out like a high definition movie, rich with the textures and hues of the Texas landscape. The vast stretch of the US-90 East lay before us, a ribbon of asphalt cutting through the rugged terrain, whispering tales of pioneers and settlers who once traversed these paths.....but their ribbon of road....a dusty trail....traversed on the wooden wheels of wagons....their journey measured in days. and weeks...not hours.

The Chihuahuan Desert, in its stark beauty, flanked the highway with an endless procession of mesquite trees and resilient creosote bushes. Sagebrush swayed gently in the arid breeze, their silvery leaves catching the last light of day. Occasionally, the landscape gave way to rocky outcrops and distant mesas, their ancient forms etched against a sky that seem to stretch on forever.

As we got closer to Del Rio, the land began to soften, the harsh edges of the desert giving way to the rolling hills and verdant stretches of the Rio Grande Valley. The air grew warmer and more humid, carrying with it the subtle scent of wildflowers and the sudden hint of water. I could feel the shift, as if the land itself was welcoming us....to another storied border town.

Turning onto Veterans Boulevard, we were greeted by a modest town.....a town unfolding in front of us with, a blend of the old and the new. Adobe buildings with their earthy hues stood alongside more modern structures, their façades reflecting the cultural tapestry of this unique borderland. The streets were quiet, a gentle reminder of the town's laid-back pace.

Passing by local shops and eateries, I could see glimpses of daily life – a father guiding his son on a bicycle, an elderly couple enjoying ice cream on a bench, a group of teenagers chatting animatedly outside a café. The community felt tight-knit, comfortable.... bound together by the shared history of the land they call home.

Continuing....we turned onto US-277 North, heading towards the Amistad National Recreation Area. The road led us past lush farmlands and sprawling ranches, their boundaries marked by rustic wooden fences and windmills turning lazily in the evening breeze. The landscape grew more vibrant with every mile, a testament to the life-giving waters of the Rio Grande.

As we approached the recreation area, the Amistad Reservoir came into view, its shimmering surface reflecting the colors of the setting sun. The lake, created by the confluence of the Rio Grande, Devils, and Pecos Rivers, sprawled majestically, an oasis in this arid land. The surrounding hills, dotted with oak and cedar trees, at times framing the waters....but in between....still plenty of that wide open Texas.

Pulling into the recreation area, I actually felt a sense of tranquility. The sounds of nature filled the air – the distant call of a hawk, the gentle rustling of dried up leaves shuffling across the ground..... the lapping of water against the shore. Setting up camp for the night, I took a moment to absorb it all, the rich history of Del Rio whispering through the landscape, a testament to the resilience and spirit of a pretty remarkable place.....all this....in January. No freezing....no snow....not even any rain in the forecast. Instead....nights might dip into the 40's.....days reliably in the 60's and 70's.....so in other words....just right.

Del Rio....just like everywhere else.....I know it's redundant at this point.....to even say it as we pull into each new learning adventure......but at the same time....I feel like it's important to keep reminding myself that these lands were inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years....prior to any of us white guys showing up.....here....Evidence of their presence includes rock art and artifacts found through out the Amistad National Recreation Area.

It was all the way back in 1767.....the Spanish explorer Marqués de Rubí visited the area during his inspection tour of Texas. 67 years later....in1834 James Grant and John Charles Beales attempted to establish a settlement on San Felipe Creek, but it was short-lived....Native Americans in the area weren't havin it....their constant raids sent those first settlers packin.

It would not be until the1850s that the area would begin to attract permanent settlers. In 1883 the town was officially named "San Felipe del Rio" by Spanish missionaries....The name was in honor of the nearby San Felipe Springs....Del Rio...translated means "of the river".....but soon after in1885 the name was shortened to "Del Rio" to avoid confusion with another town in Texas already named San Felipe.

Unlike other areas we've been through....Del Rio remained relatively quiet....and almost unscathed during the turbulent Indian War era.....The Mexican American War....and even America's Civil war. There were occasional skirmishes in the area....but nothing like the rest of the state would experience.

For over a century the area would remain a quiet little agricultural area straddling the US and Mexican border .....but in 1943.....things would change when the US Air Force came to town and installed Laughlin Air Force Base....the largest pilot training base in the United States Air Force. The base was initially formed to train fighter pilots in the operation of the Marauder Bomber planes during WW2.....the population of military personnel on the base quickly rose to over 3000.

The Airforce chose Del Rio because of it's location......private.....and remote. Very little air traffic in the area....combined with favorable weather patterns for most of the year meant that pilots could train hard year round with little interruption or interference. The location also ensures privacy....secrecy even.....when testing the latest developments in military aircraft. The base would be deactivated briefly after the war but would be reactivated in the 1950's to become the training facility it is today.

The base is dedicated to training pilots for the USAF, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, and several NATO and allied nations.......so ya....wannabe pilots come to Laughlin from all over the world to become the very best......Today nearly 4800 personnel occupy the base including both military personnel and civilian contractors......making the base an integral part of Del Rio.

And then there's the Amistad NRA.....NRA? ya....not those gun guys....in these parts...NRA stands for National Recreational Area......it's also the place we've called home for the last week or so.

In 1944 The Water Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico was signed, leading to the eventual construction of the Amistad Dam. Construction of the dam would begin in1963...and completed in1969.

The dam was constructed as a means of flood control in the region, a source of hydro electric power.... as well as shared water management throughout the region....so in many respects...un-remarkable for the period. What is remarkable is that the Amistad Dam's installation marked the second........and to this day....remains one of only two instances in which the US.....in collaboration with another nation built a dam that crosses the border with Mexico....and created a reservoir that shares borders as well.

The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Dam. The costs associated with the dam are shared between the United States and Mexico, with the U.S. covering approximately 57% of the costs and Mexico covering 43%.....the division of costs is in accordance with the Water Treaty of 1944 and the division of water storage rights in the reservoir.

The reservoir Created by the installation of the dam covers nearly 65000 acres and is the third largest in the State....the 9th largest in the United States.

So with the dam complete.....water management in place......and a 65000 acre brand shiny new lake in place.....the Amistad National Recreation Area would be established in November of 1965......over 58000 acres would be set aside....around the lake.....to provide safe habitat for the areas wildlife and plant life.....in doing so....Texas also had one more place for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy.....boating, fishing, camping, hiking, rock art viewing....and hunting......in what many refer to as "The Oasis....in west Texas.

Oh....and the name.....Amistad.....well that comes from the Spanish word meaning "friendship"....pretty fitting right....two nations had come together ....... worked together......spent together....and manage together.....to harness the natural resources in the area to serve both nations.

Our explorations around Amistad would include stops at three different campsites.....Govenors Landing.....San Pedro....and 277 North....each offering their own personality..........Talking with a park ranger just yesterday, I was interested to learn more about the water treaty with Mexico...explaining the low levels of the lake this year..... He said the lake used to be about 30 to 40 feet higher…and much closer to the campsites.... but that recent diversions of water to Mexico have dropped shorelines dramatically over the past couple of years. This all has to do with provisions regarding where and when the freshwater will be diverted to specific area’s in either country to preserve wild life…both plant and animal. San Pedro, where are are parked at the moment, is a few miles back from the lake. Water levels are currently so low that the lake cannot even be seen from here. As a result, the scenery has shifted to low growing tree’s and various types of low growing desert shrubs that have adapted to the rocky soil and limestone base. Once again, the word forest means something much different visually here than it does in many other parts of the country. It was also interesting to read that the Amistad area…while it looks like a desert…does not meet the true definition of desert and in fact is classified as a sub tropical climate. The area can be influenced by storms coming in off the gulf of Mexico raising it’s annual rainfall levels above that of a typical desert. This explains the difference in plant species as you head west into New Mexico and Arizona where the deserts are more sparse in vegetation…primarily of the cactus variety. Also interesting to note that given the unique climate…the area contains several species of plants and reptiles (three of which are on the states protected species list.....and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Thinking about the fact that we are walking through mesquite tree forests that can be seen nowhere else on the planet certainly makes a walk through this desert forest with Dougie a much different experience here than our treks around the deserts in Arizona!

Given all this.....It makes complete sense that Texas, unlike most everywhere else we have been, strictly prohibits, and enforces the use of off road vehicles in these areas. All traffic in and out of Amistad must stay on “maintained roads” (most of which are dirt), and park rangers can be seen several times per day monitoring activity.

One of the camp sites we stayed in even provided electrical......and Texas provides potable water, fish cleaning stations, and even RV dump stations in some of these areas…explaining why so many folks take advantage of the welcoming stay limit of 60 days in certain areas of the recreation area…Point being......tons of places to park the RV if your into exploring the many unique characteristics of the Chihuahuan Desert....And most anything you might need is just a few miles up the road in Del Rio.......including.....I'll throw in....some pretty good mechanics. During our stay here we experienced some issues with the starter on Vacilando. ....comforting to learn that a quick online search would land us in the hands of Del Tex RV and Auto Repair Center. The folks at Del Tex were extremely helpful, and professional.....and within 24 hours had us back up and running with a brand new starter.....installed and warrantied....Thanx guys!

Oh....and a funny story.....while talking with the Park Ranger.....I asked if he had any recommendations for boondocking opportunities in the area.....places where one might find a bit more solitude......He immediately began telling me of an area a few miles outside the National Recreation area.......in the middle of giving directions he stopped.....and asked...."Wait....Your packin right".....for some reason that went right over my head....I guess the puzzled look on my face told him he should caution me against that area. He went on to say it's probably not a good idea to head out that way alone....and unarmed.....Pretty insightful of him to expound a bit and explain that threats in the area can just as often come in the form of two legged critters.......as they do from predators of the four legged variety. I'd instantly had the realization that just because I am "packin" as the ranger put it.....didn't necessarily mean that I should go deliberately looking for trouble. Borderland.....as beautiful and consuming as it is.....sadly......comes with threats as well.....and while what we hear on the news may at times get blown out of proportion......Borderland.....does indeed come with the presence of some pretty unsavory characters.....characters I'd do best to stay out of the way of....we'll leave those folks to the border patrol.

And speaking of border patrol.......

During one of my afternoon outings in the car.....I'd found a dirt road on the other side of the highway that looked to head deeper down into the canyon and nearer the shoreline of the lake. As I carefully traversed the dirt road...traversing my way nearer the lake through the sage brush ..... I rounded a corner and was startled to pass a Black SUV backed in off the road....just sitting there. As I passed by....I glanced to my left to quickly observe a scene straight out of men in black.....two sunglass clad men in the front seat of that big black SUV carefully observing me as I passed by. As their Suv passed from my side view.....to the rear view mirror I once again found myself wishing.......they would just come and stop me....ask me some questions.....so I could in turn ask them some questions

...but alas.....I guess a middle aged....gray haired white guy in a little electric car......or a 30 year old RV just doesn't scream "National Security Threat".......and again....they seemed to show little interest. Now....I realize....for all I know they had .....within seconds.....run my license plates....compared the photo on my drivers license to me....in the drivers seat.....and assessed my threat level way beyond anything I could imagine even....but still.....I had wished....they'd come talk to me. I wanted to go talk to them.....but that felt strange for some reason....maybe I'll get over it and go talk to them one of these days. These two were of particular interest to me because they weren't in one of those green and white pickups....they looked more like Secret Service.......CIA.....FBI even. Guess I'll never know.

On our last night in the Amastad NRA....I did a quick check in on the news. I haven't done a great job of checkin the news.....I think I've mentioned in a couple other episodes that I often times get frustrated with whats being shared with us in the mainstream....or legacy media....and how much effort it takes to get to the facts....without the spin of whatever media outlet I'm listening to. But at the same time.....Feel like I gotta do a better job of checking in from time to time for an overall awareness of whats goin on out there......and how it might effect me.....or how I might be able to effect it....

Tonight was particulary timely.....given where we were....and what I had learned......I had tuned into a local channel and after around 15 minutes of listening to how we were still in the middle of a partial government shut down....you know that seemingly election year thing that we have to listen to every couple of years.....a story around how the government can't get it's head out of it's butt and agree on a budget......particular frustrating for me given that in the universe I came from.....a budget....well that was kind of the law of the land......if you couldn't come up with....and then manage to .....a budget....then you were fired........because if you couldn't do the job....somebody else certainly could......but apparently.... our government.....not so simple.....but it could be....I mean really....it's a budget.....but apparently....this go around...the sticking point is that glorious wall that our president promised those of you that voted for him Mexico would pay for....well Mexico....kinda didn't pay for it....which I think we all knew....would be the case.....and now here we are....arguing about who will pay for it......hmmm.....it's sometimes hard to believe that we pay those guys....

I'd also learned that the 76th annual Golden Globes had aired honoring achievements in film and Television...you know...cause thats newsworthy.....

And apparently this Brexit thing is continuing. The UK's impending departure from the European Union continues to dominate the headlines all across Europe.......and apparently the world......and I'm still not even sure I know exactly what that is....or why it matters to me....but...none the less....now I know those guys over there in Europe are continuing to argue about it.

Then they talked about some guy named Bolsonaro being elected president in Brazil.....that resonated for a quick second because if represented a a sudden shift in Brazil....from left leaning policy to right.....ousting policy....and politicians that had been in place for years.....in favor of a more conversitive direction.....with the good of the people....as opposed to government....being at the top of the agenda..........it resonated for a second because thats kinda sorta what happened here....just some four years ago.......a time when apparently a huge portion of the American public had gotten so fed up with politics as usual that the country decided to cast aside those politics as usual and elect a complete moron to be our president.......and having the benefit of hindsight for the last three years......all I could think was "good luck Brazil.....

I was reaching over to turn off the television when a story about Amistad reservior was teased.....and rather than me articulating what they shared...here...have a look for yourself....

Insert video clip

It was the mention of the Falcon Reservior in this video that led me to dig a bit deeper into what they were referring to when they spoke of the "incidents on Falcon Reservior"

And before I knew it....I was in the middle of that "one more click" thing. Falcon Reservior....That other reservior in Texas that shares a border with Mexico has had a troubled past. Interestingly, the dam was completed in 1953....creating the reservior. The first 57 years would be relatively quiet for the lake. There were the occassional reports of illegal activity on the Mexican side of the lake.....Then.....2010 when a man named David Hartley would be murdered by Mexican pirates on the lake. ....the tragic story of David....and his surviving wife Tiffany...they were jetskiing on the lake when they crossed to the Mexican side of the lake to take photo's of a partially submerged, historic church.... pirates would emerge from the shrubs surrounding the shoreline and begin shooting at the couple. David would be killed.....while Tiffany would escape on her Jetski. The incident became headlines throughout the country and remains unsolved to this day. Some point to holes in Tiffany's accounting of the events.....and the case remains unsolved to this day because David was never found....nor was his Jetski. Most point out that is because the area in which he was shot.....is within the borders of Mexico.....which hampered search efforts.....Even the Mexican government reports that the area can be quite dangerous due to drug cartel activity....and should be avoided.

For the next decade.....reports of drug cartel activity...and illegal smuggling....and even illegal fishing would continue to increase.....but thankfully no other deaths have been reported.

In 2015 authorities in the area would continue to ramp up their patrol activity and multiple arrests and confiscations would take place in the area......and it appears continued diligence has been effective in restoring safety to the area....to a certain extent anyways.....

Hmm....and all this just 276 miles from where we are here in the Amistad NRA. I thought back to my experience in Columbus....and that sense of security.......and sometimes the lack of it.....based on where we are. And....probably goes without saying.....that the challenges we face with our borders......aren't always about the land.....the roads we've driven along while starring off into Mexico.....those borders are also about.....the water.....and not just that Rio Grande we've read so much about......but now....a couple of lakes too.

I'd decided we'd head out in the morning. But where.....I mean....we could still travel nearly 400 miles south before running out of Texas......or there is that 400 or so miles straight east in front of us.....before we run into Houston......or get anywhere near the eastern borders of Texas.......

Not sure yet........but whatever direction we head........

I wonder what we’ll learn there”