Trumps Mexico Wall (10/11/23 Wed)

Besides having a lot of bad hair days, Trump build an amazing wall in Big Bend. It's very intimidating and there's only one thin imigration point. He's flooded it with water to deter the weak, but I think the US can now except boat people from Mexico. As long as they arrive single file in small boats. But then again I've been wrong before, so this may not be Trumps biggest acheivment...

I left my Marathon campsite via the gas station. Their coffee was still brewing so I went out to oil my chain before ordering breakfast. I met a guy gasing up his Harley. He was riding down from Northern Texas on his Indian with his buds when he suffered a bike failure. His wife drove down with a trailer to retrieve the bike, then he bought a Harley and was heading to Big

Bend to catch up with his friends. I waved goodby and said "maybe I'll see you at Big Bend".

What I was told about Big Bend is that it was surprisingly nice. I concur. I guess I didn't expect Texas to have mountains, and canyons, and ... Well OK the Rio Grande might be a river but at this point it's really not very grand. I watched my fellow americans walk 15 feet across through ankle deep water to Mexico. Then claimed to be breaking the law... As a country we're very defiant, especially when there are no real concequences or opposition to what we fancy. Make it difficult and we'll move on to something easier. I guess we just have too many options.

I entered Big Bend park from the North, where I sign said camping only by reservation. The entry lady said I should be able to book a site using the wifi at Panther Junction. On the way south I stopped to view dinosaur bones, a girl showed up as I was leaving. Once at Panther Junction I asked the rangers about camping, they said are four sites are open at the Rio Grande Village Campground. The girl I met at my last stop then chimed in "only three now". I secured site #91 on recreation.gov. Having a campsite I rode to the Santa Elena Canyon (Trump wall) and made a loop north on a dirt road called Old Mavrick Road. It turned out to be pretty easy, as all the water crossings are very dry now. Someplace on that loop I stopped at an old store, and had lunch. A bunch of bikers had arrived just before me. Then I heard one of them saying that I had been everywhere on my adventure bike. Somehow I gained mad respect from the ruff and tumble bikers. One wearing an Iraq HD shirt. They all shook my hand when I left. I said next time you see me ask if taking the dirt road was a good idea...

After surviving the dirt road loop, I visited the Chisos Basin and met the guys I talked with last night in Marathon. In Chisos I picked up some beef jerky and bannana chips as a backup dinner. Then stopped to fill up my tank at the gas near Panther Junction. Back to Panther Junction's wifi to get my email confirmation for my campsite and to refill my water bladder at their drinking water spicket.

As I approached the Rio Grande Village Campgound the temps rose from 80F to 95F and held at the broil setting. They have a campground store, where I bought: gator-aid, cheese, beef stick, and a beef ramen noodle to "beef up" my dinner. A few sites before my campsite I passed a DR650, tent and guy in a chair sitting in the shade.

After hanging our my dripping rainfly I went to talk with the DR650 guy. Turns out he has a dog that rides with him. He too was at D2D with me this year. And has been on the road for 16 months straight. Living of $36/day. He doesn't travel long days because it would eat up his gas budget. He camps cheaply and sometimes stays a few days to average down large fuel expenses days.

Another guy form Georgia rode in on a BMW GS a bit later. The girl from the Bone stop is also camped a few sites from me.

Each camsite has bear/boar boxes for food storage. Neither of those beasts havee been spotted, but a coyote wandered through around dusk. They warn about those on the bathroom door. This is the DR650 guys 2nd night here, and he told me one wonders through in the evening.

This campground is not full. The sites are limitted because they have a lot of the camsites closed until 11/1. I assume they are lessening impact by reducing campers during the hot months?

My banana chip, cheese, beef stick and ramen dinner was just as yummy as it sounds. Maybe less so because I put too much water in my pot for the ramen. Even with the entire spice packet it was too bland. I added more seasoning and eventually just pulled out the noodles and seasoned them without the liquid. Now I'm drinking the cooled broth. Not winning any awards with this meal. But the company is... moving on.

Another day of amazing scenery. The US is full of great places to see. We really do have an obscene variety of choices available to us all. I'm so lucky to be able to do what I've done this year, and have such a supporting wife. When I say what I'm doing most people respond that I'm clearly not married.

By the time this trip is over I will have ridden around 45,000 miles and was on the road 1/3 of 2023. It may be the best year of my life, but it will be great to be home again. Everything has pluses and minuses. Traveling is exciting, but spending time with loved ones is very comforting. Too much of any one thing upsets the equilibrium and highlights the shortfall. Just like my wattery ramen lost flavor with too much water. At 95F in dry desert like conditions is hard to think you can have too much water. But I did. As motorcycle travelers it's hard to believe you can tour enought to miss home, but you can. Moderation and balance just seem to make everything better.