El Camino Del Rio De La Big Bend - Day 19

Did you know vultures exist here around the Big Bend area? At least I think they're vultures. Same shape, but not as big as I would have thought. The Bugs Bunny cartoons exaggerated the look, I think.

Up before sunrise, I headed away from Alpine, TX to drive the Big Bend. The Big Bend is a portion of the Rio Grande that, well, has a big bend in it. The river has carved out the desert beautifully.

On the ride south from Alpine on Route 118, I was amazed by the stunning scenery as the sun rose. I was stopping every chance I got, just for a look see. We're not in Kansas, and we're certainly not in New Jersey any more. I stopped at Lajitas, because there was a big painted sign on a building saying "Golf Here". So I golfed there.

I quit after 14, but the course was overwhelming with beautiful scenery...worth the 30 bucks. (I couldn't add the score to my handicap because they didn't have a rating or slope.) I had lost 3 balls on the front nine, but hit many more OB. If you don't hit the fairway, your OB. But usually the balls are easy to find. Sometime you hunt a while. At the ninth hole, I talked to the "groundskeeper". His information about the rattlesnakes spooked me. No more looking for balls off course. I was losing at least one a hole, so I just played a few shots on the way to the "clubhouse".

One funny golf episode: It was often hard to tell where to aim. On the pictured hole, I lined up, and blasted a great drive, straight off the tees; perfect. I saw it poof in the distance. I drove off the tee box, and started following the "cart path". Exact opposite direction of my perfect drive. I drove back to the tee box, saw the white post to hit over (picture), and hit an awful lost ball, at last (and at least) in the right direction. I took a mulligan.

After a "Handy-wipe" down, I headed out on Route 170 for Presidio (not the base in SF).

I'm reticent to use superlatives. Especially so early on the trip. Hey, it hasn't even been three weeks yet. So yesterday, when I said it was the "best day yet", it was, because it was. I won't be saying today was the best. But I am saying the the drive on Route 170 was the best drive yet. Because it was. (It beats out the prior best drive of the Kentucky trip to Churchill Downs.)

Besides brief chances to see the Rio Grande, the roller coaster road slinked along the omnipresent beauty of the canyon walls. It has plenty of places to pull over, and you should do them all. Even the not-so-great ones are really great. Just pull over any real chance you get, there's always something. The ride and the pictures are better than I can ever describe, so I won't; but to add, this is a must drive...I hope to do it again.

After that, I shot through Marfa and up to here in Van Horn, TX. Beautiful in the same way as the drive from Alpine to the Ghost Town was. So take this U turn from either side, Marfa or Alpine.

Along the way, I had 3 required stops by Border Patrol. Just looking for illegals. I spoke with one long enough to hold up about a dozen cars behind me and asked if he loved his job. He said, "I've worked here too long to quit because of the benefits, but I hate my boss." Dubbya.

They all seemed to laugh at me when I honestly answer the questions, "Where have you been?" and "Where are you going?"