March Log

March 1 – Monday
Bill successfully achieved getting both new front tires and an alignment. On Saturday he located a nearby tire shop that had the tires we needed at their local warehouse. They came in and he had them installed before noon . Then he spent the remainder of the day at the Freightliner service center to get the alignment done. We hope it lasts well! These big tires are pricey. We also are treated to ‘date night’ as James and Maya watch the kids.

March 2 – Tuesday
We went with Maya and Lian to the NASA , Johnson Space Center in Houston . On the tram tour, Sandra’s thrill was seeing the historic mission control room that was used until 1995 to support space flights from the Apollo missions through Shuttle launches. Here’s Becca’s write up about the field trip: “It was really fun. A lady let us go on a ride. And the ride was really fun.” We ate lunch and then went to a play place. Lunch was good but playing was even better. We even got to touch a moon rock! Me and Lian [Lian and I] got to go in a rocket ship. I wanted to go on a ride but you had to pay. In the play place you could shoot balls down at people. In 1969 the first man went on the moon.” The center has many historic artifacts as well as a lot of high tech, interactive displays and rides. Maya was the audience volunteer who demonstrated what life is like in the space station.

March 3 – Wednesday
Spent the day doing home school and errands. One of the small things you notice on road trips is how different areas of the country call some items by slightly different names. In most of the east coast, you would do laundry at a Laundromat, around the gulf coast, the common name is Washateria. We wonder what names we’ll encounter in other parts of the country but no matter what you call it, Bill proves that he is the laundry king yet again today.

March 4 – Thursday
We went to the Houston Livestock Show with Maya and Lian. The kids enjoyed looking at all the different animals brought in for the show competitions. There were beef and milk cattle, llamas and alpacas, rabbits, swine, and more. There were no chickens this year due to the avian flu virus outbreak and the usual buyers from Mexico of cattle would not be making purchases because of the ban on US beef due to the mad cow disease quarantine. Becca and Lian enjoyed a pony ride. All the kids enjoyed the petting zoo which had a deer and some wallabies in addition to the usual goats, sheep, and donkeys. We enjoyed laughs at the pig races. Later that afternoon we enjoyed a visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We love how our annual family membership to our local science museum gives us access to many other great museums. There we toured the Cockerell Butterfly Center which has a wonderful tropical area full of live butterflies mostly from Central and South America with a few from Asia . Butterflies that were especially beautiful included the blue morpho and rice paper butterflies. We rejoined Maya and her kids and she treated us all to dinner at Luby’s. That night, to keep with our NASA trip of earlier in the week, we watched the movie October Sky.

March 5 – Friday
We spent the morning getting ready to drive over to San Antonio. We’ll be spending a couple nights at Fiesta Alamo RV resort and plan to attend the Alamo activities scheduled this weekend in honor of the historic battle.

March 6 - Saturday
There is finally a full, beautiful day of blue skies and sunshine after a week of gray skies and rain. We join up with Maya and the kids in front of the Alamo. Today is the anniversary of the battle of the Alamo which occurred March 6, 1836. We watch the San Antonio Living History organization do a 3 part re-enactment of the historic battle. The first part introduced the key defenders, such as Travis, Bowie, and Crockett, and the last evening of their 13 day defense. The second part focused on the women who were among the few survivors. The final scene was the climactic battle where the large number of Mexican forces from Santa Ana's army overwhelmed the defenders shortly before dawn. The volunteers did a great job and the scenes included cannon and musket fire.

After the Alamo we went over to the nearby River Walk area were we stopped for lunch. We strolled around the riverfront for awhile after. It is a lovely area and it gives San Antonio the more intimate feel of a small city instead of the 9th largest in the nation. In front of the Hilton, Sandra noticed a secret service man and overheard another walker mention to her daughter that he was there to protect one of the presidential candidates who was in the hotel. Sandra asked her which one and she said "John Kerry". We continued to walk and enjoy the stroll along the river. Finding wheelchair ramps to cross over the river was a bit challenging but eventually we made our way around most of it. At the end, we found ourselves in front of the Hilton again just as Senator Kerry's motorcade was pulling up. We waited and the media contingent came out and went down the nearby steps to set up for their photos or to head into the hotel. Then Senator Kerry came out and greeted the by-standers. He stopped to talk to our group and Becca asked "What's your name?" "John Kerry" he replied and said "You have beautiful blue eyes!" He then graciously posed for a group picture (boy that digital camera can be so slow to set up for the next shot!!!). Now Becca wants Mom to vote for him! Bill says only if he names Becca as his Vice President, then he will!

After that bit of excitement, we returned to the Alamo to tour the Shrine and Long Barrack areas. Maya capped off our wonderful day with treats of ice cream.

March 7 - Sunday
The weather was beautiful for another straight day. We decided to hang out. We gave the RV and car a good wash. The RV roof takes some time. Later in the afternoon, we drove through nearby Boerne (pronounced Burn-e) and over to the Guadalupe River State Park. There the girls enjoyed wading in the water and all the kids had fun at a playground.

March 8 - Monday
Bill had noticed that the tow dolly's tires were wearing a bit and it had a shimmy so he took it to a nearby shop after we checked out of the RV park. Turns out it was a good thing because the cotter pin was broken and the wheel could have fallen off! While it's being repaired, we went back to San Antonio for the afternoon. We had lunch at El Mercado. We then tried to go over to the Institute for Texas Cultures but unfortunately it is closed on Mondays so we headed over to the Witte Science Museum. There we went through a special exhibit on bones and then a display on the animals of Texas. We review the rhyme about identifying highly venomous coral snakes vs. the similarly colored but harmless king snake - "red touch yellow, kill a fellow, red touch black, venom lack" - and hope we never need to use it! We then drive to Pedernales Falls State Park outside of Johnson City (west of Austin) and arrive just after the sun sets. A nice couple that has been full timing for 3 years helps us select a good site and navigate backing into it by flashlight.

March 9 - Tuesday
The girls do most of their school work outside. Bill took Alex on a bike ride around the park (including up 'cardiac hill' to register at the park office) to view the falls and then the wading area further downstream. Signs warn about the dangers of flash floods and the flood markers we drove by on the road leading to the park mean we'll be keeping an eye on the weather and water level. In the afternoon, we drove to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. We enjoyed walking through the center, gardens, and a bit of the trails. Now that the flowers are emerging and it is sunny and warm, the butterflies have become more active. We then went to Austin for an early dinner at Hut's Hamburgers. Afterward, we enjoyed a short walk along Town Lake down to the Congress Avenue bridge so we could watch the world's largest urban bat colony emerge shortly before sun set.

March 10 - Wednesday
Becca goes on an early morning hike with Bill down to the river and swimming area. While the girls do some school work, Sandra takes Alex on a short hike to Twin Falls. There are jack rabbits, scrub jays, and road runners all around our campsite. In the afternoon we went down to the river to play in the water. Laura rode in the backpack on Bill's back, and Alex on Sandra's shoulders while Becca carried herself! Late that afternoon we headed to Lockhart and stopped on the way at the Wimberly Pie Company where we lived out the motto of 'life is short, eat dessert first." From there we drove through San Marcos to Lockhart, the "Buckle of the Barbeque Belt of Texas". There are three places in this small town known for its BBQ and we decide to try Black's which has been run by the same family since its founding in 1932. On the way back, Sandra decided to try to stop at the Blanco Bowling Club Cafe. This funky place is a cafe in front and a small bowling alley in the rear. The Roadfood book raved about its meringue pies and while it was nearly 8 p.m. and the restaurant was still open (lots of places close at 6 or 8 out in the Texas hill country) they had sold out of pies. We stopped at the Hill Country Cupboard in Johnson City (near the junction to the road to the state park). This restaurant proclaims to have the World's Best Chicken Fried Steak but we just got a few slices of pie to go and can't verify that claim! We played a few spelling games on the remainder of the drive (e.g. A-r-e w-e s-t-u-f-f-i-n-g o-u-r f-a-c-e-s a-c-r-o-s-s T-e-x-a-s?), enjoyed gazing at the clear night sky, and spotted a jackrabbit and another unidentified critter along the road.

March 11- Thursday
Bill took Alex on a 5 mile hike through the park. For lunch, we drove up to Marble Falls and had lunch at the Blue Bonnet Cafe. This place was road food heaven - tasty country cooking and awesome pies. We then took a drive through other hill county towns such as Llano on our way to Fredericksburg. En route, we saw some roadside blue bonnets (it's still to early in the season for the famous fields of blue bonnets that blanket the countryside) and a nest with bald eagles on the side of the road. We stopped at the Wildflower Seed farm, a large producer of seeds. They have a beautiful gift shop area, many friendly cats roaming around, and a soon to open butterfly house. When we returned to the campground, Becca and Sandra took a hike down to Pedernales Falls (trying to walk off some of that pie!). We spent a relaxing evening together and worked on the website (including Laurabug.com). There are no data jacks on the pay phone at the park so email and website updates must wait.

March 12 - Friday
We took back roads from Johnson City to New Braunfels (where yes, we stopped for lunch at the New Braunfels Smoke House) and then down to Mathis where the Lake Corpus Christi State Park is located. We plan to s top hear and then head closer to the city of Corpus Christi tomorrow and plan to stay for 5 days. With many schools on spring break this week, we should be able to get into a 'first come, first served' county park - especially if its one that's not located in the desirable beach areas. We pulled in by early afternoon and took a walk around the park. Many of the spring wildflowers are out as well as butterflies. Still no data jacks!

March 13 - Saturday
We head out with plans to stay at one Nueces county park west of town but when we drive out there it seems too far out of town and too small and we decide to head into town. We then get one of the last spots at the county park on Padre Island outside of Corpus Christi. The sites are basically a paved parking lot and close together (as Bill says, he's never been close enough to see the salt crystals on the table in his neighbors RV before!) but they are also inexpensive and right on the ocean. The day is cool and gray so after we set up we drove down into Corpus Christi. We went to a huge playground along the bay. After that, we decide to take the long way back over the ferry at Aransas Pass. During the five minute boat ride, we get treated to seeing 3 dolphins frolicking in the water. They seem to enjoy leaping in the wake of the boats and even flip their tails.

March 14 - Sunday
We attended church at Island in the Son United Methodist. The pastor, Steve Clinton, turns out to be from Juno Beach United Methodist (one of the churches that combined to form our home church, Oceanview UMC) and had just returned from Lake Park, FL where he was visiting his sons! Such a small world! Afterward, we go to the beach. Becca takes a jellyfish tally while walking on the beach (12 moon jellies, 4 man of war). It's a good thing we went to the beach before lunch because after, it began to rain, rain, and rain some more. We decided to drive back to the 'main land', go to the library and run some errands. The girls enjoy diving into some books while Alex naps and Bill and Sandra take turns reading email. After the library, the neon "Fresh Hot Now" sign (any fellow junk food addicts will know what that means!) caused us to miss some stores that closed by 5. It's a perfect movie night, so we make our first Blockbuster run of the trip and the kids enjoy Jungle Book 2. Then we fall asleep to the sounds of the waves, wind, and rain.

March 15 - Monday
We spend the morning getting ready for Sandra and Laura to fly to Tampa. Laura needs to go to her scheduled check up at the Shriners' Hospital. She has Perthes disease and they want to see how her hip is progressing. We make time to stop at the Birding Center at Port Aransas where we hope to see the rare Whooping Crane. They winter here and there are only about 50 of them left! We think we spot the large white cranes near some roseate spoonbills but aren't really sure. We take the ferry again but no dolphins this time! Sandra and Laura get to the airport early. Laura's crutch that lost it's tip in the mud at Crater of Diamonds makes for an interesting stop at the security check point but the staff is very friendly and the 'girls' get through without any body searches. One even gave Laura some Jolly Ranchers after getting the OK from mom. They arrive at Tampa shortly before midnight.

March 16 - Tuesday
Laura met with the nurse practitioner and physical therapist and has x-rays. Her status is about the same - a little more degradation of the bone which was expected, but her hip is still contained in the socket and her range of motion reasonable. She gets her new crutches adjusted correctly. Sandra and Laura enjoy the rest of the day chilling in the hotel, going to the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry and watching an IMAX double feature of Australia and Lewis and Clark. Bill, Becca, and Alex went to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge which is 35 miles north of Aransas Pass where they see an actual pair of Whooping Cranes. Becca writes "We got to watch movies and stay up late while mommy was gone. We watched Peter Pan, Alladin, and Lady and the Tramp. We saw animals and wild life center too! My list of animals: javelina, frog, alagator, whooping crane, heron, fish, duck, butterflies, vulture."

March 17 - Wednesday (St. Patrick's Day)
Laura and Sandra flew from Tampa to Corpus Christi. Bill, Becca, and Alex went to the museum which had replicas of Christopher Columbus's ships that were built by Spain in honor of the 500th anniversary of his voyage. We all spent the evening relaxing together back at the RV.

March 18 - Thursday
We broke camp and headed down to Mission, Texas. On the way, we said 'thanks' to Lady Bird Johnson as we enjoyed the bursting wildflower blooms lining the side of the road. The Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park no longer offers RV camping but there are several parks on the road near the park. We found a very nice place, the Bentsen Palm Village RV Park. The park is new and the roomy sites are planted with native plants that attract birds and butterflies. Plus we have free wi-fi! The girls and Bill drive to the NABA International Butterfly Park which is just down the road.

March 19 - Friday
Most of this day was spent by the girls catching up on lots of school work. In the morning, Bill and the girls made a brief trip to the butterfly park. Laura writes "When we went to the NABA Butterfly Park we saw a Tawny Emperor and a Fatal Metalmark. We also saw South Western Lantana and Hackberry [plants]. The Fatal Metalmark was on sage and the Tawny Emperor was on a butterfly feeder. Now the park is small, but later it will be huge! They are going to plant more trees. It was actually a field before they bought it!" After that, Bill made appointments at Camping World for the RV to get an oil change and lube and at the Volvo dealer for the car. He also took Alex on a bike ride down to Bentsen-Rio Grand State Park and saw lots of birds, butterflies, and border patrol agents!

March 20 - Saturday
In the morning, Bill took the car in for servicing and the girls wrote short stories. We made another visit to the butterfly park and then drove around the Mission/McAllen area and went to a mall. We had thought about going into Mexico but want to check out the details about car insurance coverage. Later that afternoon we hung out around the RV, the girls played Legos in the pavillion, Bill washed one side of the RV while Alex played ball outside. Sandra made dinner and watched TLC shows like "While You Were Out" and "Trading Spaces" and is cooking up home improvement projects once the family returns to Florida. In the evening, we played Scrabble.

March 21- Sunday
We went to church at the First United Methodist Church in Mission. It was a recently added contemporary service and is held in their small chapel. The sermon title was "The Hissing Sin" (who wants to guess what that is?). On the way out, Pastor Charlie Baskin asked Becca "What's your name?" "Rebecca" she answered. "That's a name in the Bible" Pastor Baskin replied. "I know" said Becca "We have the book." The pastor got a chuckle out of her response and related this story to Sandra adding "I may have to use that!"

In the afternoon, we headed southeast to Progresso, TX. We decided to go to Mexico by crossing over the pedestrian bridge there. It turned out to be the 23rd annual "Tourist Appreciation Day." Adults pay a quarter to cross the bridge and there is no customs to go through to speak of in Mexico. Heading over the bridge, there were people standing below at the base of the river that held upside down plastic bleach jugs attached to sticks. They used these to gather change that they begged from the crowds. Another thing we noticed was the incredible number of dental offices. The low prices ($10 cleanings, etc.) must draw many people over the boarder. The town of Nuevo Progresso was jammed with crowds. The streets swirled with sounds and activity. Music pounded out of large sound systems or came from small bands or individuals. Sellers had their merchandise laid out on tables, pushed on carts, or carried on their backs. The bustle was overwhelming. After walking down the main street for awhile, we went into a large store. The girls bought little dolls and we bought Alex a cowboy vest. It was almost 4 o'clock so we decided to head back over the border. Many others had the same idea and the line stretched over the bride, around a corner, and far down a side street. At first it was slow and we thought it may take an hour or more to cross, then suddenly we were walking briskly. We barely paused to answer "yes, we we are American citizens", then flashed our drivers licenses and were quickly across.

We then stopped at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We walked on 2 mile trail and encountered three chachalaca birds in the trees as well as spotted some other birds that we haven't seen before but were not able to identify. We also saw a very pretty Mexican Bluewing butterfly.

March 22 - Monday
Bill took Alex on 10 mile bike ride in the morning, stopping at the NABA park on the way. They saw a question mark butterfly. This area is very popular with birders and butterfly enthusiasts due to its unique ecosystem in the US. There is a section in our bird book dedicated to the birds located mostly in this area. In the afternoon, Bill took the RV to Camping World to have the oil changed. It takes 25 quarts of oil! Sandra and the kids ride bikes to the NABA park and see some beautiful butterflies including what they think is an orange sulfur and a very long tailed butterfly. Unfortunately the butterflies don't pose long enough or close enough for any pictures.

March 23 - Tuesday
We manage to get an early start and travel up 83 past Uvalde to Garner State Park. The park is named after James "Cactus Jack" Garner who was vice-president under FDR. It was built by the CCC and is located along the sparkling clear Rio Frio. There are lots of deer in the park - both white tailed and axis - an exotic that got loose from a game ranch.

March 24 - Wednesday
After some school work, we head out in the afternoon to tour the park. The weather is poor so we don't go on any hikes. We stop at the park's visitors center which has an impressive collection of Texas themed books for kids. We then traveled into the town of Uvalde and lunch at a Rexall Pharmacy lunch counter that serves Mexican food. The place looks like it was stuck in the 60s with a section for "Gents Scents" in one corner. As we head out, Sandra strikes up a conversation with the pharmacist/proprietor, Alan Carmicheal. He has several recommendations for our trip out west. We told him we were planning on going north to Junction and then west on I-10 toward New Mexico. He recommended stopping at Sonorra Caverns. He has also made 20 trips to Big Bend park and although we've not planned to go there, he gives us pointers in case we change our minds. He also hands us his 'copyrighted' (as a joke) copy of tips for tubing the Frio Rio. We also follow his tip and travel a block from the pharmacy to the headquarters of the First Bank of Texas, Uvalde. The bank offices are an ornate concoction of red leather furniture, Remington western sculptures, and marble old fashioned grandeur that somehow looks impressive rather than gaudy. It makes you wish all banks were designed to make it feel a visit is worth the trip rather than the sterile beige boxes too many banks are today. We stop at the Humane Society's thrift store and load up on a bag of books for the kids.

Late that afternoon Bill took Becca and Alex on a hike to White Rock Cave. They had lovely views (but no camera). Above the cave, they heard some strange noises and went to investigate. There were goats on the hillside!

That night we pondered the map of Texas and the places Mr. Carmichael talked about. Bill remarked "Well, we can't do it all..." to which Sandra responded "I've been thinking. What if..."

March 25 - Thursday
Deciding that there is a way to do it all we extend our stay at Garner State Park and take a day trip to Sonora to visit the Caverns. The day is overcast and cool, a perfect time to hang out in a cave. We have a picnic lunch once we reach the caverns and then buy tickets for the extended cave tour. The kids enjoy looking at the peacocks roaming the grounds while we wait for the tour to begin. Our tour guide, Justin, is a huge cave enthusiast and is very knowledgeable about the caverns and their formation. He helps Laura at different points as she is doing the whole 2 mile tour on her crutches. The cave is very humid (98%) and warm (71 degrees) which feels warmer since bodies are unable to cool themselves through evaporating perspiration at the level of humidity and no breeze! The cavern is jammed packed with rare helictite (we need to look up the spelling on that one!) and other unusual formations. We take a beautiful drive back through back country roads and encounter some amusing things including loose cattle on the road. That evening we have our first campfire in a while and invite our campground neighbor, Adam, age 6, over for s'mores.

March 26 - Friday
Bill took Alex and Becca on an early morning hike up to Crystal Cave while Laura (who can sleep in like a teenager) snoozes. Bill then rents tubes so that the girls can take turns with their parents tubing down the river. Tubing down a section of the Rio Frio winds up taking much longer than anticipated since the strong wind blows the tubes upstream. On the way out, we asked the rangers about the goats on the hill. It turns out that they are a well established herd of feral goats, not a native species. We drive over to Seminole Canyon State Park. It is a gem of a campground set high on an the top of ridge overlooking the canyon. The desert is bursting with flowers after a recent rain and the sunset paints the sky. Shortly after arriving we are greeted by the campground hosts from the Mission RV park. They have left Mission for the season and are on their way to CA. This is the first time we have seen the same people in 2 different campgrounds. Unfortunately the beautiful setting also makes for some strong winds so we leave the slides in to avoid tearing the slide awning covers. The gusts occasionally woke us up.

March 27 - Saturday
At Seminole Canyon we go on an rock art hike in the morning. The canyon is named after the Seminole Indian scouts who helped the army in that area, obviously not natives to the area. There are 4000 year old pictographs on the walls in a canyon shelter. The guide of the tour is a volunteer who has an amazing amount of knowledge about the Indians who lived there and the possible meanings of the pictographs. Right after our walk, we drove to Big Bend National Park. The only campsites available in the park are dry camping (no water, electricity or sewer) at Rio Grande Village Campground. We feel set up for it since our water tank is 2/3 full and we have a generator plus house batteries. No generators are allowed after 8 pm. Luckily, the desert cools down a lot at night since it is in the 90's in the daytime.
We head over to an area of the park where a hot spring is supposed to be, right on the banks of the Rio Grande. Unfortunately, Hot Springs is flooded with cold, muddy Rio Grande water. The river is very high from 2.5 inches of rain that occurred about a week ago. Along the trail to the spring, there are Indian pictographs, petroglyphs, and middens. There are also cliff wren nests on the walls although the birds have not returned to nest yet. Near dusk we see a javelina and a rabbit along the road side.

March 28 - Sunday
We stopped at the Rio Grande Village visitor's center for recommendations. The park host had told us that Ranger Rob Dean who staffed it was 'the best.' The park is larger than Rhode Island and covers terrain that ranges from the Rio Grade river, to the Chihuahua desert to Chisos mountains. We buy a national parks 'passport' book for the kids to stamp as they visit various parks. Based on some of Ranger Dean's suggestions, we take a drive up through the mountains and in to the Chisos Basin. We stop at the visitor's center and the girls pick up books for the junior ranger program, do the short paved Window View walk and see two deer as well as fantastic views. We had lunch at the Chisos Basin lodge, surrounded by more views. We then headed back toward our campground area. We stopped at Dugout wells, an old ranch site that still has a working windmill. Then we drove to Boquillos Canyon, pausing at the overlook at the Mexican village of Boquillos de Carmen. We hiked on the trail into the canyon. We spotted goats on the cliffs across the river in Mexico. The wind gusts blew sand from the giant sand slide into our faces but that didn't stop Sandra and the girls from climbing to the top and doing the 'slide' down. That evening we went to the Ranger led slide presentation on Mountain lions. We now know what to do should we encounter one of the parks estimated 15 - 25 mountain lions. We would not run but put the kids on our shoulders to look larger, wave packs, shout or sing, and if needed, throw rocks. Our odds of encountering a rattlesnake are much higher.

March 29 - Monday
In the morning we join with Ranger Dean for a walk to learn more about the animals that live in the park. He interprets the tracks left in the sand and mud from the night before from various animals such as a kangaroo rat, gray fox, nutria, beaver, snakes, and even insects such as the ant lion. He also gives us a history of the original Indian inhabitants and the Langfords who settled in the area around 1913. Sandra and Becca hike the 3.5 mile trail from the Hot Springs to the campground. Since it takes them longer than planned (it covers high terrain with lovely views and a snake encounter) Bill packs up the RV, vacates the campsite, and completes a dump station stop by himself (quite a feat). We moved the RV across to the west side of the park(60 miles) to a commercial RV park just outside in the town of Study Butte. We then take the car back into the park to do the Ros Maxwell scenic drive and a hike into Santa Elena canyon. We stop at the Castolon ranger station since the girls have completed all activities for their age groups (plus more) and become Junior Rangers! They receive a certificate, a patch, and a pin. We hope to do more of these programs at the national parks we visit. Each park has information and activities to work on that are unique to the park.

March 30 - Tuesday
We work on making website updates before heading out to Ft. Davis, a couple hours drive to the north. We camp at Ft. Davis/Indian Lodge State Park. This park is a noted bird watching site and home of the rare Montezuma Quail. We go to the interpretive center which has a lovely bird viewing display that includes microphones which pick up the birds' songs and pipe it into the building. We see a house finch, white winged doves, an acorn woodpecker, scrub jay, and yellow finches. Laura has now added bird watching to her butterfly hobby.

We make a brief visit to Fort Davis, home of different cavalry units including 'buffalo soldiers', who were regiments of African-American troops who helped protect citizens and travelers in this section of Texas from Comanche and Apache raids.

In the evening we went to an educational Twilight Program and then night Star Party at McDonald Observatory. The girls learned about the five planets currently visible to the naked eye in the night sky - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter - and their orbits. As part of an illustration about orbits, Becca played the role of Mercury and Sandra was the earth. Hopefully Becca will never forget that Mercury orbits the sun 4 times for every 1 orbit the earth makes! In addition, we looked through telescopes at the Moon, Venus, a star cluster, the Orion nebula, Saturn, and Jupiter.

March 31 - Wednesday
Bill took the girls on a morning bird watching trip (We decided Alex would be too noisy and disturb the bird viewing so Sandra stays with him to do stuff around the RV and go to the playground and adobe lodge built by the CCC). Becca came back early but Laura and Bill continued on. Their bird watching expedition took them all around the Ft. Davis area an they saw red tailed and black hawks. In addition they saw elk and pronghorned antelope. We then moved the RV to Balmorhea State Park. At Balmorhea we had a west Texas 'snow storm' - the cotton wood trees were in bloom and the fluff flew through the air and covered the ground like snow. Balmorhea Park contains the San Solomon springs - a massive spring that was made into a pool area at the park. The spring is a constant 76 degrees. The large pool/spring is often used by SCUBA classes for certification dives. We enjoyed swimming in it. The pool contains fish and a small snapping turtle which Bill didn't tell the girls or Sandra about until the next day! The park also includes a small cinega - a Spanish term for a desert wetland - that houses a variety of fish (including two endangered species), turtles, and birds. We treat the girls to cable TV that evening after they write an essay about their visit to Big Bend.