February 6, 2005

February 6, 2005

South Padre Island to LaFeria, Texas

DAY 233

 

Today started out warm and cloudy on South Padre Island. By the time we got to Brownsville, it was warm, humid, and partially sunny. By the time we got to LaFeria, it was hot, humid, and sunny. Finally ! We've been travelling for a week since we left the C.A.R.E. Centre / Rainbow's End in Livingston, and the weather has been poor.

We weren't impressed enough with South Padre Island to stay, so we hitched up and left this morning. We crossed back to the mainland at Port Isabel, and headed west on Hwy. 100. We wanted to go to a rodeo which was being held this weekend at Los Fresnos. We had passed it yesterday while driving from Harlingen to South Padre Island. I wanted to stop, but Joanne was eager to get to South Padre Island. When we got to the rodeo grounds just outside Los Fresnos, shortly after 11:00 A.M., we found out that parking and admission would be $30.00, and the rodeo didn't start until 2:00 P.M.. We didn't want to wait that long, or spend that much just to get in, so we left. While passing through the little town of Los Fresnos, we stopped to refill a propane tank, then stopped again on the edge of town to buy tomatoes, from a truck parked on the shoulder of the highway. An old, Mexican man, and a young, Mexican boy selling the sweetest tomatoes we've ever tasted, for $1.00 a large bag !

We continued west on Hwy. 100, then south on Hwy. 77 / 83 to Brownsville. Brownsville is the most southerly point in Texas, and the U.S., I think. It appears on maps to be a bit further south than Key West, Florida. The Rio Grande River separates Brownsville, Texas from Matamoros, Mexico. There are almost as many Mexican license plates in Brownsville as Texas plates. We were planning to spend the night in Brownsville, and cross over to Matamoros, Mexico tomorrow for a day trip.

Our first stop in Brownsville was at the SAS Shoes Factory Outlet Store where I bought two pairs of shoes. I have been wearing SAS Shoes for about 17 years. Every few years, I would buy two or three pairs while in Florida, on winter vacations. They are very expensive, but very good. Their shoes fit my wide feet better than any other brand, and they last for years. I also bought some SAS dye, polish, and conditioner for the bone coloured shoes I wear. The shoes last forever, but they look like crap within a year, because I’m very hard on shoes, and I’ve never been able to find the right colour of polish, or dye. Next stop was a Wal-Mart for some groceries and supplies, then a Dollar Store for reading glasses for Joanne. She has finally conceded that she can’t read road maps properly and needs reading glasses. She’s been navigating with my pilot’s lighted map reading magnifying glass in her hand.

After finishing shopping, we drove to the two campgrounds in Brownsville that were in our Passport America campground listing. Neither one had space available. It seems that most of the campgrounds down here in “The Valley” are filled with seasonal campers ... Winter Texans. It was getting hot, we were tired, Dee-Dee needed fuel, so we decided to head west out of Brownsville, following the Rio Grande, along Hwy. 281. Just on the edge of Brownsville, we stopped for diesel, and to phone a campground down the road in LaFeria to check on site availability. They had space, so we headed out for LaFeria.

As we drove along the Rio Grande, which separates Texas from Mexico, we could see huge spotlights on top of huge generators, periodically set up along the banks / levees. I guess that’s to spot Mexican “wet backs” swimming across the Rio Grande. The Border Patrol is quite evident here, with a lot of marked vehicles on the road. As we drove along this road, we also experienced something new, which I surmise must be an “import” from Mexico. When passing, the overtaking car just pulls out, straddling the centre line, with no regard for whether or not there is any oncoming traffic. The vehicle being passed moves over part way onto the shoulder, and any oncoming traffic also moves over part way onto the opposite shoulder, so that as one is being passed, with oncoming traffic, three vehicles are abreast on a two lane road. After the first scare, it’s not that difficult to contend with, but that first one sure scared the dickens out of me.

At Hwy. 506 we turned north for a few miles to the town of LaFeria, where we are now camped at LaFeria RV Park. It’s a very nice private RV park, and we’re probably going to stay here for a few days and use it as a base of operations for exploring The Valley, and a day trip to Mexico. We’ve been driving every day for a week, and would like to stay put for a few days. We’re about ten miles from Progreso, Texas, which is across the Rio Grande from Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, a tourist friendly border town with “walk-in” access across the bridge. We might leave the truck on the American side, and just walk across to Nuevo Progreso.

Tonight Bo passed some red silk. It was certainly festive looking dog shit ! Olè ! Must be from that silk plant that he ate a few days ago after sticking his face into a jelly fish. Stupid dog ! As I was walking him, I picked tomorrow's breakfast from a Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit tree in the campground.

DSK