We are off! Setting foot on our first adventure was as bumpy (as it has been from the start – a story for another time). What can be expected of doing something new for the first time? Our take off date was delayed due to of course – parts. Fuel injector O-ring busted, an easy fix, and an oil leak?, an inconvenience, but alright we have faced worse. After many setbacks, we continue to prevail.
“So where now?” you ask. Texas. Right, most definitely not what we had planned. With a short timeline, spring would approach quickly and that would call us home to honor a prior commitment. Going west and trying to bartend for a couple of months, or head south and enjoy time with my other half and our two fur babies? the latter it was, but that still does not explain Texas, does it? Well, Garit has a friend that we were able to caravan down with. This guaranteed having the security of another rig in case of any emergencies. Said friend also has a place in Texas. It would make for a good checkpoint, and indeed it was.
With a mostly successful trip down to Texas, we had come across some kinks to fix. A spring swap was in order as our upper rear links were hitting the body of the jeep. After the mental gymnastics to get boxes from back home shipped to Texas (thank the world for Mrs. Pickle, she saved our butts for a spring swap. Throughout this entire process Garit(mostly) and I were learning new things: fabricating, wiring, vehicle tuning. Well, tunning is not easy and when we thought we made progress, we found more room for improvement, so it was time to call in an expert to help. After figuring out the computer work, it hit a dreaded oil leak. Days passed of debating, researching, and figuring out, “how fast do we need to get home?” Thankfully, taking some time to live the life we have been building and working so hard for was in the realms of possibility.
After leaving Texas basecamp, the first stop was “Round Rock Donuts” and the OG location of course. Garit grew up in Texas and had told me these were the best donut around, and we were not going home without one. After tasting one, I can confirm it is the best donut I ever had. Krispy Kreme couldn’t compare. The ‘world famous donut’ had definitely lived up to its name.
Now that breakfast at 2:00pm was done, a hike — of course– was needed. I couldn’t pass up seeing a waterfall in Texas. This hike was so unique. It followed the San Gabriel river, walking over jagged limestone formations, and leading to an even more unique waterfall. We took our time admiring all the trail had to offer. The boys (Ahser and Banjo) would say the best part was taking a break to take anice swim in the San Gabriel river. After taking in the views and giving the dogs an opportunity to swim, we would finally make our way to the end to discover the waterfall. Falling over the side of a limestone cliff, the water left stories of water erosion. The foliage hanging off the cliff guided water down though the vines and leaves. The water slowly worked its way through the limestone, creating channels and crevices.
While it does not look like much, the object Garit is touching is all limestone. In person it looks like it would be mushy and decaying plant matter. This was the first time we had ever seen anything like this.
Pictured behind us is the San Gabriel River that the dogs got to enjoy a dip in and the falls lead into this river.
Just as Garit was showing me the places he loved when he was an adolescent, we were discovering new places together. We followed up the hike with, going to an old favorite of his, dinosaurs foot prints. A short walk along a limestone –Texas has a lot of limestone– bank, next to a shallow creek. Unfortunately, the time and foot traffic had diminished the magical and historical appeal of being able to walk amongst the dinosaur prints. Reminiscing about childhood, time, and how things change, Led us to our last stop of the night before camp, Conejos Tex-Mex. Now, I grew up on authentic Mexican food, and Tex-Mex was seen as…well to put it bluntly, ‘inferior.’ However, Conejos was a whole new experience and was a complete 180 from what I had originally thought about Tex-Mex.
Along with a complimentary basket of chips and salsa we had to order the Dippin’ Trio (queso, beans, and guacamole) and chips, Brisket Enchiladas, and Conejos Short Rib Quesa-Birrias, left Garit and I stuffed and wanting more.
Passing up horchata creme brulee was the heart break of the night. As a bartender, their tequila selection was impressive, 6 bottles of Clase Azul, and two walls stacked to the ceiling with tequila left my jaw on the floor. While change is not always for the best, the growth of the area led to the room and growth of Conejos Tex-Mex.
Last stop: Camp for the night. A lot of questions get asked about sleeping and where we go. While Garit puts in long hours of driving, I do the research on camps. I use a few apps to determine the best places to sleep and preferably free and away from most of the public. Isolation is important for safety but we also like to allow Asher and Banjo their freedom to be able to explore and be dogs. However, states like Texas make dispersed camping really hard. All “public land” is state parks and campgrounds. What is the difference? Well most states have a National Forest, where free dispersed camping is allowed for up to 14 consecutive days. State parks on the other hand cost money to camp and while a lot of state camps used to be $5-$10 a night, these days they are running about $20 and up (plus taxes and other fees) for one night. That gets really expensive very quickly. Not to mention that is cheap nowadays because we have stayed at state parks in Oregon that ran us $50 a night…Yikes!
So after hours of research (it can take a while, jumping between apps and web browsers) I find one. A 30 min drive out of the city and free (supposedly) and we find our campsite for the night… and it is closed due to ongoing construction. I have learned this lesson before and sometimes the information on whether a campsite is open or closed is not always available. It can be dreadful, having to find a new site to sleep, especially when arriving to camp at night. Unfortunately, having this issue before, I had a backup site. The backup site, was an additional 30 mins away, and cost money, not the ideal situation, but it is what we are left with.
While the campsite was not ideal it was was pretty good. Next to a lake with some deer and other wildlife. Not many people were there, which was also a bonus. These birds here are an Egyptian Goose. Don’t be fooled by the name, they are a shelduck(a cross between a duck and a goose). The Egyptian Goose is not native to North America and originates from Africa. It is suspected that the birds have escaped private ponds and aviaries and established wild populations.
Navigating a new camp at night is not always easy, signage is unclear, lighting is mediocre if there is any, and the possibility of finding a locked gate(oh, and the question of if booking is possible day of and late into the day). “Jul, why don’t you preemptively book a campsite?” Well, on most of our side quests, I have because we were on a time constraint and building an itinerary around that was much more structured. Having time to explore, means we sometimes do not know when or how long we will be in a place. But, that is part of the fun, frustrating yes, but we are young so why not fly by the seat of our pants? Until next time, Bon Voyage!
Adventures Of Wind and Roam 