A little of everything

It had been a while since mother and I had gone for a ride.  I do not know if my low tire sensor is on the brink or if my tires were low but it sure lights up too often for my liking.

Town and Country was bought out by Stripes a couple of years ago and they did away with free water and air.  I would not call myself cheap but I do not like to have to pay just to put air on my tires.  So I drove to the lake to the only place in town that has free air without even having to fill up.

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I took out my tire gauge the darn Chinese crap broke. I eye balled it and lucky for me the light went off.  Note to self:  get right front passenger tire checked before our next trip to Uvalde.

My favorite campground is very close to this gasoline station, so had to drive by it.  I am happy to report that there were quite a few campers at Governors Landing.

Both mother and I have eye issues, but quickly realized that it wasn't our eyes this time...the water was dark...almost blackish in color.  I do not know why the water was so dark...but it did not seem to bother boaters who were out in droves,  Upon further review, it might have been our eyes because here in the picture the water has a navy blue tone.

I have been looking for the 2016 calendars I bought back in August or September of 2015...I have yet to find them.  Was going through some boxes in Terlita (my camping van) when I came upon a big bottle of Tequila, a bottle of Mezcal and $111.00 from my 2012 trip to Terlingua!  Wish I had found it sooner, like the night the power went out.  Though I do not much care for Tequila (except in a frozen Margarita) it might have helped me pass the time until I could fall asleep.  I do not go to bed at 10:30 p.m. unless I am sick!

You might be asking yourself...if you do not like Tequila why did you buy a large bottle of the stuff? Besides scoring it at a great price, we have a tradition during the Chili Cook-off of taking a bottle of "whatever" and sharing it as we sit around a warm cozy campfire until the wee hours of the night.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A unique set of circumstances

Post for Friday - October 24, 2014

This year a unique set of circumstances presented themselves.  I could either spend three days in the desert or six days.  The only catch was that it would involve two trips.  What do you think I went with?

Last year we had a rain event on Sunday that pretty much almost ruined the trip. Packing and then having to clean wet gear is not my idea of fun.  While I cleaned it, I never set up the tent and shower again to make sure it was mud and dirt free.

Yes, I know I am a procrastinator...waited till the last minute to do it and then I had help from Ralph who decided to show up on this particular day after being missing in action for days.

If your cat can get under your tent shower....you probably did not set it up very well :D

 

If you have a favorite campsite you tend to get pretty attached to it even though other people may not see the beauty of your prime piece of real estate at the cook-off.

I wanted to avoid having them beat me to my favorite spot so I left late on Friday October 24th and barely made it before it got dark.  Fifteen miles out of Del Rio the low tire indicator light came on.  I was not a happy camper as I SHOULD of remembered to have them inflate my tires while the car was at the dealership as I knew I was going to be fully loaded down.  This my friends is why I go into so much detail, so next year I will remember things when I go back and read this cyber journal :(

It was Friday late in the afternoon...neither Comstock or Langtry have much to offer in the way of gas stations. Turning back to Del Rio was not an option. Against all odds I made it to Sanderson where at the local Stripes I asked a very nice (and cute) Sheriff's Deputy where I could have my tires checked.

He sent me to Slim's.  The gentlemen was nice enough to check the pressure on all my tires and inflate them to accommodate the ungodly weight I was hauling. When I asked him how much it was, he told me nothing and for me to have a great time at the Chili Cook-off.

If you are ever in Sanderson, Texas and need a mechanic, tire service, or a tow please consider giving Slims Auto Sales and Wrecker Service your business. After thanking him I asked his permission to take a picture of his business and to mention them on my blog.

Did I mention I got a late start?  Did not stop to eat in Alpine as I usually do. Pressed on to beat the setting sun.  As I drove by the American Legion Post, I honked my horn...being Friday they had a good crowd.

As I arrived at the cook-off there were quite a few people there considering the event did not start for six days. You can not see the cooks section which is located to the left of the picture but each year people get there earlier.

This year the official festivities began on Wednesday October 29, 2014 versus the usual Thursday of years past.

This folks is my little piece of Chili Cook-off real estate, I came to claim.

This year they decided to drape off a big junk of land to keep people from driving down the ravine?

It cut off a good piece of my campground.  Especially the part that has taken me years of rock raking to clear...but it did not matter, I was finally here in the desert that I so love.

My bare bones camp

Stay tuned for more adventures from the desert and the pictures to back it up.  I am still without Internet service but will try to make more trips to the library now that the weather has improved and that our out-of-town doctor's appointments have concluded.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.