Monday, December 18, 2023
I left Big Bend on Monday, December 18. On the way out, I stopped at the Panther Junction Visitor Center as I left Big Bend, where I picked up some postcards. As I was walking back to my van, a guy (Joe) pulled up in a BMW touring bike, set up with packs and a good amount of gear. We started talking about our trips. He was from Fairbanks, Alaska. He and his wife had spent time touring areas of the southwest. She had recently gone home, and he was leaving Big Bend, headed to New Orleans, where he would leave his motorcycle and fly back to Alaska for Christmas. We talked about Big Bend and other places for about ten minutes. Then we went our ways. I left ahead of him, but he passed me, at a high rate of speed, about 20 miles north of Panther Junction.
It was 265 miles to Amistad National Recreation Area, outside of Del Rio, Texas. It was an easy scenic drive of about 100 miles to Marathon on US 385 North, then 165 miles on US 90 East. I surveyed a few different campsites and picked one. I was still sitting in my van, after backing in, when a motorcycle appeared. It seems Joe and I had the same destination for the night! We shared the campsite and had a good talk about several things. I found it quite interesting to hear about living in Fairbanks. Oh, to make it even more interesting, Joe is originally from Connecticut, too!
I had arrived with plenty of time to take a walk and do a little bit of exploring, which is how I found my way to standing below the substantial bridge that crosses the Amistad Reservoir. The Rio Grande flows into the reservoir. The US-Mexico border runs right through the middle of the reservoir, too. I noticed while on my hike, it seemed that 18-wheeler trucks make up a majority of the vehicles crossing the bridge. US 90 seems to be a major commercial route.
We both woke early and watched the sunrise. Shortly after that we departed. He was going to do a route that included a stretch of road called “the twisted sisters” in Texas hill country. I was headed to Palmetto State Park, about 230 miles away on I-10 east of San Antonio.
Joe’s Facebook Page: AKMotoHobo … https://www.facebook.com/AKMotoHobo
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