Moats / Set up Tent / Trip to Mexico

Fellow bloggers will not let me lie when I say that sometimes it is difficult to come up with topics or I have done nothing of interest that would merit a post.  As luck would have it when I could not access the internet, I did all types of stuff…go figure!

With the drought of 2011 and the fact that it just does not rain that much in West Texas I had not had a chance to dig moats (please excuse me as I do not know the proper terminology for it) around some of mother’s plants and trees.  With the welcome rains of last weekend I was able to dig six before my back begged for me to stop.

Last year I twisted my ankle at the chili cook-off and had a hard time getting around those last two days.  Unloading my car after I got home was no easy task so I rode around with the tent in the trunk for a good two months.  Ordinarily I will set it up when I get home and give it a good cleaning.

Well that did not happen until last Tuesday when I decided I better take advantage of the fact that the ground was still soft and I could stake down the 16 heavy-duty stakes that came with it.  In Terlingua, I cheat…I only use the heavy duty ones in the corners and ordinary steel stakes for the rest.  Staking a tent down in solid rock is a very arduous task not to mention time consuming.  No wonder it took me six hours to set up my camp!

I also set up the first tent shower I ever owned mostly because it needed cleaning but since I am not able to fold it no matter how many times I have seen the video, I cannot take it with me unless of course I was going in Terlita (my camping van).

Thursday we took a quick trip to Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico across the border from Del Rio, Texas.  It is a ten-minute drive from mother’s house.  Was running short on my high blood pressure medication that I can purchase for 90 percent less in Mexico.

Remember back on July 31^st we took a trip to Piedras Negras, Coahuila where we discovered Gutierrez?  Decided to visit their Acuna store…it is not as pretty as the one in Piedras Negras…but it does have good prices.

While I am not a liquor drinker I did purchase a bottle of Tequila for my trip to Terlingua.  If you are a first time goer you might consider purchasing one too as it is a tradition to open a bottle and to pass it around as you are enjoying a cozy campfire into the wee hours of the night or until you doze off…jajajajaja :D

Crossing back to the American side, I was in shock…first that there was no waiting line and second that the liquor tax is now $3.50 per bottle.  The last time I paid a liquor tax it was $1.25 (yeap had to get up and look at an old bottle). Poor man I bombarded him with questions.  I think he must of thought I was nuts and as if to make up for it he said “but now you can bring back four bottles instead of one!”  To which my mother added, “I think the State should consider doubling or tripling it”…gee mother don’t be so helpful…wonder what he thought about us?  Nah, it don’t matter…will probably never see him again in my life, lol.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Governors Landing – Lake Amistad, Texas – Part II

Governors Landing is the only campground of the five that we have in Lake Amistad that has a separate area for non-campers and where locals can come fish, swim, cook-out and  enjoy a nice family outing.

This particular day, it was only this lady and I.

What a difference two years makes.  Back in 2010 there was so much rain in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua that it flooded the border city of Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico and to some degree but not to the same extent its American counterpart Presidio, Texas in the Chihuahuan desert of west Texas. All that water made its way to Lake Amistad and it was a beautiful sight to behold.

A local family out for a swim

Those heads in the background are people swimming

The public section was flooded and closed but that did not stop people from parking their cars and climbing to the camping section and then down the amphitheater steps to go swimming.  Many of the picnic tables were underwater and this time out I noticed that they had new roofs.

Back in 2010

Now

As I mentioned on my prior post, I was very surprised that a new Land Port of Entry was being built.  Del Rio has two ports of entry, the main one and the one at Amistad Dam.  Unless you live by the lake and work in Mexico which many American citizens do, as they are managers or hold important positions at the Maquiladoras in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico then most likely you will not be using this border crossing.

Only time most of us use this crossing is during peak tourist seasons like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas when the lines to come back to the US on the main bridge are backed up to Mexico and where you can easily be in line for an hour or two. Though it is about a 20-mile drive to this bridge it is well worth it.

Another plus is that you do not have to pay a toll to cross either coming or going.  If you are like most Americans that like to buy a bottle of your favorite Tequila or other liquor of your choice (the limit is 1 bottle per person-must be over 21 years of age) you do not have to pay a Texas Liquor Tax of $1.25 a quart.  This is because there is no Texas Tax booth at that facility but you must declare you are bringing it or you could be subject to fines and the confiscation of your liquor.

The Amistad Dam Port of Entry is situated close to the American and Mexican eagles and they allow you to walk to there since it is still US soil without having to show your US passport or US passcard.  They can do this because they can see you park your vehicle and walk the short distance.

I ask myself now that the new Port of Entry is not on the dam itself will the same apply?  In its new location you have no choice but to stop and show proof of your citizenship.  I guess the Eagles will not be visited for long without having said documentation.  So if you want to see them you better hurry up and get down here.