Well Begun Is Half Done!

Our week began at CM Nature’s Own RV Park in Kingsville, TX. We spent the last two nights of 2023 here in the home of Texas A&M University – Kingsville, formerly known as Texas A&I. Generally,  we drive through Kingsville on the way to the Valley. But this year we stopped for a couple of nights to see my niece, Christy, and her family. It is always good to catch up with family. Thanks for the afternoon, Christy, Ralph, and Luke.

Here are a few more shots from our walk around the Park before we headed for Brownsville on Monday.

A Northern Shrike

This bird is a carnivore with a special liking for lizards.

A pair of domestic white ducks.

An Old Bridge at the edge of the lake.

Rocks and Mesquite, Welcome to South Texas!

 

On New Year's Day, we headed out of Kingsville and made the two-hour drive to Brownville, where we stayed at Jetstream Tropical Trail RV Resort. Like most in the Valley, this resort caters to Snowbirds or Winter Texans. The sites are spacious, and all kinds of activities are scheduled throughout the week. The services are designed for long-term stays. For example, a propane truck comes through the Park twice a week and will fill up your propane if you put an orange card on your rig. The gathering places for social events are large and designed for more than just covered dish potlucks. They have live music, food trucks, weekly market days, opportunities for tours, etc. This is definitely a resort. I don't know how many of these amenities we will use, but it is good to know they are here if we choose. 

I have had more than one person question my sanity for staying this far South. We are staying 8 miles from the border. Many people cannot imagine anyone choosing to be this close to the Mexican border. They ignore that Brownville is among the safest city in Texas and has had a falling crime rate for several years. But I am not here for the low crime rate.

 

Why are we here? Look at the weather chart for January! That should explain most of what you need to know. In addition to that, we are within 50 miles of some of the finest birding sites in the world! (Note: I did not say the USA, but the world!) And all I can ask is, why would we stay anywhere else? We are glad to be here for a couple of months while enjoying the amenities, the birding, and, most importantly, the warmth!

 

We have spent a couple of days settling into our winter home. We have the last of our projects to complete and scoping out the grocery stores, gas stations, etc. One of the facts of life on the road is that we do not have the luxury of going to the same stores. We must find new places for recycling, etc. Usually, during a short stay, we look for these things as needed. But for this more extended stay, we spent the first couple of days getting acclimated.

 

The last major project for the winter is to replace Nakai's shoes. Our previous tires were bought in Las Cruces, NM, after I ruined the original set with a braking accident when leaving Lajitas, TX. I bought some very aggressive off-road tires at the time because that was all the dealer had for a Jeep. Unfortunately, I spent too much, and they did not last as I would have liked. This time, I did a little shopping and found some All-Terrain tires that would be better for highway and off-road driving. They should also last longer. Thanks, Goodyear of Brownsville. Y'all done good! Doesn't Nakai look stylish with her new "tenny-runners?" 

One of my fears about setting up for a longer term is that we will get out of our well-practiced routines for the road. This is particularly crucial when getting Koko ready for a move. Quite a few things must be done, and several must happen in a particular order. I don't know if it is my ADD or if I am getting older, but the memory isn't what it used to be. Many of the items are self-evident, but the rest have been learned the hard way, and I would rather not forget those lessons. Some were quite expensive! Therefore, we have developed a checklist for arrivals and departures. This checklist has been adapted over the last 5 years in Koko. The list helps us remember to secure the outside storage doors and many other details. It gives us peace of mind when we set off for our next stop. It also allows us to recover our routines relatively quickly after an extended stay. Therefore, we use a new checklist every time we move Koko, just in case! It is more than safety. It allows us to relax and enjoy the road, which is why we are out here in the first place. As I have said before, checklists are my friend. (Plus, I enjoy checking things off a list. It is so satisfying!!!)

 

After settling in, we made our first birding excursion to Resaca de la Palma State Park in Brownsville. According to Google Maps, we were last here in 2018. When I looked back at my pictures from that trip, I saw a lot of shots from everywhere but Resaca de la Palma. Unfortunately, this first excursion proved just as unsuccessful. The photos below are the sum total of the shots I considered worth sharing.

 

A resaca is an elbow lake formed when a river or creek meanders and is cut off from the flow. Unfortunately, the resaca's at this State Park were all dry. There were no waterfowl. There were several migrant birds from Mexico in the Park. The Gray-Collared Becard, the Rose-Throated Becard, and the Roadside Hawk had been spotted and were still present. Unfortunately, we did not see them on this trip. We will likely make another trip out there and try again, but for now, enjoy these few shots of what we did see.

A Cicada Shell

Green Jay

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

 

On Friday, we drove to Boca Chica Beach on the tip of Texas. This beach sits at the end of Brazos Island and at the mouth of the Rio Grande (also known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico.) In 1994, the State of Texas created Boca Chica State Park. But it has now been turned over to the National Wildlife Service as the Boca Chica Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately, this is a paper-only refuge since SpaceX has taken over most of the property and appears to be expanding its operations to create Musk's Spaceport. We have watched his buildings encroach on and pollute more and more of this old prairie. Undoubtedly, the State of Texas and the US Government will allow him to use the entire area for his rocket development business. Enjoy these shots of some of the last wildlife left on this beautiful slice of Texas.  

Ruddy Turnstone

A Grumpy Ring-billed Gull

A Sanderling

Taking Flight

The Portrait of a Gull

Great Blue Heron

 

After Boca Chica, we traveled to the Palo Alto National Battlefield Park, just north of our RV Park off CR 511. With the defeat of the Mexican Army in 1836, Santa Anna went into exile. But he saw a path back to power when Texas was annexed by the United States with a contested southern border with Mexico. President Polk was elected with the mandate to expand the US across the continent. To do so, he had to double the size of the country and claim the West from Texas to California. These two giant egos clashed in the brush country along the Rio Bravo in 1847-8. Polk established Fort Texas on the Rio Grande (in present-day Brownsville.) Santa Anna claimed this as a provocation and sent troops to lay siege to the fort. Polk then dispatched troops from the Gulf Coast to break the siege and re-supply the fort. These two armies met on the Palo Alto prairie, where the US forces defeated the Mexican troops with larger and more powerful artillery. (Check out the pictures below.) With this victory and the subsequent victory at Resaca de la Palma, the Mexican Army was galvanized to defend their homeland. However, the war was lost when Winfield Scott's army captured Mexico City the following year. Santa Anna was sent back into exile. Mexico lost over half of its territory, and the US doubled in size. This tiny battlefield began the annexation of New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. It was part of a global power play that continues to echo nearly 200 years later along the Southern Border. Here are a few photos from the battlefield.

The US Lines at the battlefield

The US Battle Cannon

The US "Flying Cannons"

Compare the Mexican Cannon

 

Our 2024 adventure is well begun! This echoes the old saw, "Well begun is half done!" traditionally attributed to Aristotle in his work Politics. With one notable exception, we have completed the preparation for our year on the road in 2024. (we will still have the slide replacement coming up in March.) But the adventure does not begin when we leave Brownsville. It started on January 1^st when we arrived. And there is much to see and do while we are here.

 

Here is a small sampling of our hopes for the next 7 weeks in the Rio Grande Valley.

·      Sabal Palm Sanctuary

·      Stillman House Museum

·      Sea Turtle, Inc. rescue center

·      South Padre Island Birding Center

·      Laguna Madre Nature Trail

·      Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

·      Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park

·      Edinburg Scenic Wetlands

·      Old Hidalgo Pumphouse

·      Estero Llano Grande State Park

·      Frontera Audubon

·      World Butterfly Center

 

This does not include many farmers' markets and a few restaurants. There are also things that we have not discovered yet. If you have any suggestions, feel free to pass them along.

 

I am glad you are here with us and hope you find our Rio Grande Valley wandering worthwhile reading.

 

Good travels,

Bob