41 Stillwell's

     A request!   I would like you to keep in mind that these posts are a thought process.  For that reason I ask that you read all the posts regarding a subject such as Stillwell's before you form an opinion
  .  We registered quickly at the office taking note of the posted warning releaving the establishment of any liability if the participant in an equine event is killed or injured.  Interesting, yup two days and we are out of here.  Barbie directed us to the East end of the RV park and we found a little spot at the end of the row.  As we set up the camper we discovered there was pepper all over.  Evidently it had opened during the trip.  As soon as Ruthie stops sneezing we will continue.  We asked a neighbor which way the wind came from so we could point our door opening away from it.
    When our sit up was done we wandered up to the museum to attend the Super bowl party. ( I know, what's a museam doing in an RV park. Later Okay. I promise I won't forget.)   Now what is going on in these pictures?  There is someone stationed at the door of the museum,  then you have Kay ( a Stillwell) holding the thermal cup with the torqouise ring and I think she is hollering something.   Now in this picture we have Barbie in the white sweatshirt with her usual smile and there we see a man holding up the corner of the store.  Wait I know!  We used to play this game at youth fellowship when I was a youngster.  It's called telephone.  Someone inside the museum, ( sounds like two voices in there) yells somethng, then the man at the door repeats it, then Kay, now Barbie (Barbie is loud enough she bypasses the man holding the store up) and we hear someone on the other side repeat it.   This went back and forth for a while as they transmitted information to get the satellite positioned so we would be able to see the game in the Museum.   Two days and we are gone.  Note to self, don't get to close to this group.

     Inside the museum were tables full of warm Texas food,  we joined in, and were introduced to some of the group gathered there.   We only watched a little of the game, our team was back in Minnesota licking their wounds and planning for next year.  And we probably felt a little out of place and it had been a long day for us already.  When we reached our camper we seen a javelina and her two baby pigs go across the road.
  It didn't take long to get to sleep however I was up by 3:45, trying to not disturb anyone I carried the laptop and set on the porch of the store.  It took a while to find a place to plug it in.  I worked on the blog until morning, it was peaceful here, a crescent moon and a sky full of stars.  I wish it was a little warmer, the temperatures head south pretty quickly when the sun sits.
     February 4th
   Since we were only going to be here a couple of days we wanted to explore the Big Bend Park next door.  During the night a couple from Michigan had set up across the path from us.  Nice people John and Karen,  they had a 1500 Gold Wing motorcycle they pulled behind their camper.   They gave us some hints on places to visit in the park, it seems they have been stopping at Stillwell's for years and try and include it on their winter trips.  I don't get it? 


     As we were leaving the campgrounds we seen them getting ready to ride to the park.  We hated to bother them but thought we would pull over and see if they minded if we tagged along.   They were agreeable and we followed them into the Park.  The park has a 45 mph speed limit and because of the size (800,000 acres, bigger than Rhode Island) it takes a while to travel between the different sights.

     Our first stop was the main ranger station, John and Karen knew the drill and stopped here to make all their phone calls.  That's right, no cell service at Stillwell's at least it will only be a couple of days.  They have a few examples of dinosour bones found in the park.  In the top picture I'm pointing out for my grandson where the thigh bone standing behind me goes on the real deal.  The other picture is the wing sturcture.
 
   We headed out of the headquarters and headed west,  we were headed for the Chisos Basin.  We stopped at a pull out to visit and rest.  I seen a sign warning that we were in Bear and Lion country.  I told them if we seen one to try and feed it one of their sandwiches and I would get a picture for them.  Karen said she was going to throw it at our trike, Yup there are always hidden flaws.  When I seen my notes the word "sweeper"  popped out at me.
      In motorcycle language it is used to describe a long gentle curve that allows you to maintain your speed.  Thinking back I thought that can't be right, these were steep narrow turns with severe penalties on both sides.  Either a drop off our a jagged rock wall.  What gives?   Then it dawned on me.  It was a real sweeper, a large motorized slow moving road block.  We arrived just in time to follow this monster up the mountain. 
     Because of the three wheels we are doing fine,  John is doing a great job of going this slow and maintaining balance.  Finally we found a spot to rest and let the sweeper get further ahead so we didn't have to creep up the mountain.  Ruthie had been snapping pictures on the entire climb and due to the slow speed the rock cliffs above us seem even more dramatic.       We dismounted at the Basin lodge and borrowed their patio to eat our lunch,  surrounded by massive rock formations, it would be hard to beat this setting.  Finishing lunch we followed our tour guides out of the basin,  The basin is popular among star gazers as their is very little ambient light to interfere with your night vision. 

Our next stop was Santa Elena Canyon overlook, the road wound its way down to the Castolon visitor center next to the Rio Grande.  From there we traveled West along the Rio Grande to the canyon overlook.  The sight was amazing the sheer canyon walls rising over 1500 feet straight up from the river.   There is a path with some steps and rocks leading a ways up the side of the canyon.  Today Ruthie surprised me. 


      I know of her fear of heights, even more so her caring side extends that fear to anyone she is with.  We climbed quite a distance up the path,  Ruthie's knee is getting stronger every day.

Ruthie was not at ease until everyone was back on the canyon floor.  We knew we had to head back to beat darkness, stopping only long enough to make some phone calls at the Park head quarters.  It was approximately 90 miles out of the park and back to Stillwell's.

   We stopped at the store to check on our medicine, none yet, a motorcycle part showed up. Maybe tomorrow.  A very full day, it was time to rest.  I know Ruthie has to be tired after holding this rock in place on the mountain.