1/24/23- Travel Log: Amistad Natl Recreation Area

-we wake up to sun- hurrah! The batteries will charge well today. Levi makes coffee then walks up to the outhouse while I luxuriate in bed
-we are feeling motivated and tackle the radio install

-collating information between the new radio wiring and several differing diagrams from relevant Dodge systems is a brain teaser, but between the two of us we get it done.
-moving the hangboard, hanging up bits and bobs or our decor- the Maggie B is getting cozier by the minute!
-i mess around with the trim pieces I cut for the cupboards before deciding that the nails I have with me are too short
-levi lays in the sun while I putter around the van, arranging and rearranging storage areas and cupboards
-we pull out all of the food storage and start sorting, until Levi is temporarily laid low by a gusty breeze that blows the lid of tote like a karate chop into his neck before dropping on his ankle
-i press on and even get the dc outlet we picked up at auto zone wired for the fridge
-levi wrestles with the tea box to add an upgraded magnetic latch and then I wrestle with mounting it to the wall above the countertop. The compartments are too small to get good clearance for the screws and I resort to pinching the drill bit with a pair of pliers and turning it one quarter at a time. madness.
-Levi made lentil tacos for supper with cabbage and onions to top. They are insanely good!

1/22-23/23- Travel Log: Amistad National Recreation Area

-we drove from the picnic area to a Murphy station in Del Rio with a fantastic price for diesel
-errands in WalMart, Home Depot, and AutoZone while Sam slobbered all over the cab
-wondering down dirt roads and eliminating campsites till we found our way to the Spur 406 boondocking site: rocky with glimpses of the reservoir and no one in site
-tromping through matted dead grass and thorn bushes to a rocky point where an eager breeze tempered the bright sunshine
-launching naked off the rocks into the cold, green water and surfacing with a gasp, familiar panic snatching at my mind
-evening comes and we curl up in bed watching YouTube until we fall asleep
-woken up at 6am by the tinny squeal of the inverter dying. I guess we found the current limits of our solar system!

1/23
-morning stroll to the outhouse by the campground, then a walk down the paved road to the boat launch
-the day is breezy and overcast and my Ohio heart feels at home
-AOE in the evening with Alisha, Katie & Corin and Patrick with juuuust enough charge in the battery to run the internet and electric for a three hour game
-the batteries dwindle nearly to nothing as our game ends and I dive under the bed to switch off the inverter just in time

1/18/23- Travel Log

Roswell, NM to Big Bend National Park, TX
-white pickup trucks and oil fields. Villages of worker housing and taco trucks
-are the colors all muted or is it just the dust in the air?
-we traded snow for dust and drove through gritty clouds of blowing red dirt, the wind in our sails
-white pickup truck, completely upside down in the ditch across the road with one police SUV in attendance
-my heart in my throat as we plunged into a ragged expanse of desert towards the chisos mountains
-filling water and borrowing wifi at the closed panther junction ranger station. i made reservations for the night at the Rio Grande Village Campground.
-a soft-spoken ranger petting Sam and asking if we had any questions. He told us how long we could expect the drive to the campground to take, thanked us for keeping Sam on a leash, mentioned that tx bought the land for the np in 1930 and donated it to the federal govt.
-“that’s the superintendent!” Levi whispered as he walked away, “his picture is in the info paper!”
-striated cliffs of Mexico soaring on the horizon
-D&D in the Maggie B, eating noodles from the pot