Our next stop on the march westward was Amistad National Recreation Area, located on the Amistad Reservoir created by a dam on the Rio Grande. On the recommendations of friends Matt and Amy, we set up camp at Governor’s Landing, a small site just off Highway 90 north of the town of Del Rio, TX.
What a great park! For $8/night, you get a private paved site, a large covered picnic table, grill and your own trash can. No services but there were clean vault toilets and potable water taps throughout the campground. Paths lead down to the water where there is a dock, and there are many other paths to explore all over the park’s rocky archipelagos. And it was virtually empty! We enjoyed two nights there, just chilling in the sun and swimming.
We would have stayed longer, but the forecast is showing an incoming cold front to hit Tuesday with nighttime temperatures getting to -4 degrees. Brrrrrrr! So we have to make tracks to get to Tucson, AZ out of the cold front’s range.
This is Big Bend country, so named because of the big bend in the Rio Grande river and the national park with the same name. Driving through here is like being back in Mexico! It features the same rolling hills covered with dry scrub, yuccas and paddle cactus. It’s barren and deserted except for the odd ranch and ramshackle villages. And border patrol. With the Rio Grande as the border between Mexico and the US, half of the trucks we see are border patrol. Even though we didn’t get within a mile of the border, we still had to stop at a immigration checkpoint to ensure with were legit. I almost feel at home.
This afternoon we reached Marfa. As what typically happens when I have such high hopes for a place, it was a complete bust. Which I should have expected given it’s 3 PM on a Sunday afternoon. Pretty much everything was closed and only a few of the art installations at the Chinati Foundation were open for self-guided tours, which I figured wouldn’t be worth it without the guide to explain things. Some contemporary art is like that. And they’re now closed until Wednesday. And we have to get to Arizona asap to avoid the coming cold. So....it’s not Marfa’s fault, it’s mine. I’ve heard this quirky little town is like that...if you just drive through or do a quick walk, you won’t “get” it. It’s worth a few days to check out some of the restaurants, see the art and meet locals. We’ll just have to come back some day :-) !
At least we’ll be able to stop at Prada Marfa on the way out of town. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time. It’s a permanent art installation on the side of Hwy 90, a “boutique” with genuine Prada handbags and shoes in the window. But of course it’s not really a store. I think it’s genius...this display of commercialism in the middle of nowhere, that you can see but not touch or buy.
Now we’re hunkered down for the night at the Marfa Lights viewing area. Along with contemporary art, it’s the other thing that tiny Marfa is famous for. Since 1883, there have been reports of mysterious lights visible in the distance with no scientific explanation being found to this day. There are only 10-12 sightings per year so our chances of seeing anything tonight are slim. But here’s hoping... ;-)
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