Off to Texas

In my last van update, I mentioned how homesick I was for Utah.  I had been in Florida for six weeks, and while Florida was really pretty good to us, I was yearning for some mountains.  My heart knew it needed a change in landscape, and even though there were several states between me and those mountains, I knew I couldn’t wait to be out there.  So, I drove and drove and drove, skipping over states and doing minimal adventuring until I made it to Texas. 

Along the way I thought about making a stop in New Orleans, but didn’t realize that it was Mardi Gras THAT DAY, so not really an ideal time for a casual pitstop.  When I finally got to Houston, I was exhausted.  I have a “2-hour rule,” where I typically don’t drive more than 2 hours a day.  This allows me to not lose an entire day to driving and it’s about the longest I can manage since I get up so early for work and have trouble staying alert much longer than that.  Although I had only been driving in 2-hour chunks, I was ready for a day without travel.  Dakota and I settled in at Memorial Park in Houston, where we went for runs (I ran 6 miles- more than I’ve run in almost a year) and took lots of long walks.  I even had a chance to get on my bike.  A reprieve from driving was just what we needed, but Houston couldn’t offer us too much as far as feeling like we were really out west, so we took two days and then hit the road again. 

The next stop was Austin.  And similar to my almost accidental Mardi Gras stop, I ended up in Austin without realizing it was SXSW, which is a huge weeklong music festival.  Although this posed some problems as far as traffic goes, it actually was an awesome time to be in Austin! 

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Austin was amazing.  I had a few great places to park that weren’t a Walmart or Cracker Barrel, so I rotated through them during the few days I was there.  There was a huge field in Zilker Park where we could hang out during the day with the doors open and it was right next to a great trail that we could walk or run for miles.  Dakota loved our time away from parking lots and enjoyed getting back into the habit of spending mornings laying in the sunshine outside of the van.  We met another great vanlife couple and their dog (on Instagram as @mo.tha.van) and spent an awesome evening swapping stories.  They even fed me an incredible dinner of course, because that’s apparently what happens when I meet awesome people in vans! 

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As if Austin couldn’t get any better, right down the street there was an outdoor pool, filled with natural spring water, that was FREE.  So, for the first time in nearly 6 months, I got to get back into a pool and swam laps.  This facility also had outdoor showers, which has become my new favorite thing.

Since it was SXSW, I decided I needed to find some live music and beer.  I searched for a dog-friendly brewery, sat in traffic for forever, and finally arrived at a cool little place with a mostly-empty (free) parking lot, which was a pleasant surprise during SXSW.  Dakota was only allowed to be on the patio and since there was loud music and a lot of people, I decided to leave her in the van.  After my beer I joined her in the van where I made my newest obsession, van pizza, and listened to the bands from the comfort of my own home.

Austin also brought us dog adventures to Barton Creek where Dakota made friends with all the human children and even went swimming.  We also spent some time hanging out at the biggest off-leash park I’ve ever seen.  Soon though it was time to keep moving, so for my last night in Austin I wanted to go watch the bats.  1.5 million bats leave for a night of insect-catching from the Congress Avenue bridge, and crowds of people gather each night to watch them leave.  Dakota and I walked to the bridge but as soon as we approached it, Dakota decided she needed to leave.  I am assuming it was the smell or the noise of the bats, but she was not happy about being there and decided to have a little meltdown for me.  I tried to keep her busy while we waited for them to emerge, so we walked back and forth for what felt like hours.  Each time I stopped, Dakota would start pulling and crying as loud as she could.  People were staring.  I managed to stay until the bats emerged but after about 5 minutes of watching the bats, I knew I had to get her out of there. She was probably driving people around us nuts, so we made our way back to the van where we listened to the soothing (not really) sounds of the nearest SXSW stages late into the night. 

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The next day we made our way to San Antonio. I had hoped to do some of the Mission Trail with Dakota to see some of the San Antonio Missions, but they were too far apart for us to realistically be able to walk it, so we drove to Mission Concepcion and walked a little of the trail from there.  It was a beautiful day and the old mission was cool to see, although that’s not typically my adventure of choice, so after seeing one mission I called it good and set off towards downtown. 

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I have been to San Antonio before and did the Riverwalk then, but figured it would be a great place to walk around with Dakota.  That was until I tried to find a place to park Forrest.  He’s too tall to fit into a parking garage, which is the cheapest option for parking in San Antonio, so I was looking at $20 to park Forrest for an hour or two.  I can make $20 go a LONG way, so spending it on parking just didn’t seem like the best use of my money.  Luckily, as with most adventures that don’t go as planned, this change of plans turned out so much better for us!  I ended up at The Pearl, which is just outside of downtown and still bellies up right to the Riverwalk, just a different section.  Plus, parking was free, and the crowds were smaller.  Dakota and I walked the Riverwalk and then I grabbed a beer and sat outside in the grass with my pup, who once again attracted all the kids.  Soon she had a group of 5 kids running around her, making stops to pet her each time they’d do a lap.  One little boy, who I’d guess was about 5 years old but spoke as if he was 10, told me about his dog who lived to be 18 years old.  He reassured me that his dog had a good, long life and then told me he hopes Dakota has a long life too.  Most wise, precious little boy I’ve ever encountered.

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Speaking of Dakota, she turned 7 while we were in San Antonio.  If she were a human, she’d be a first grader, which of course happened the year that I’m not teaching first grade.  But instead of being a crazy first grader, she’s a pup who is slowly starting to show her age.  She has had a gray beard for years but now her hips are starting to get stiff and she tires out more quickly than she ever used to.  I know aging is inevitable for us all, but this birthday made me more emotional as we start to creep our way into the senior years.  Every time I start to feel that fear or sadness, I do my best to turn it into gratitude instead.  She is one of the things I’m most grateful for in life, and I’m lucky for each and every day I get with her and for all the adventures we have shared together so far.  I’m big on celebrating birthdays, and I’m obviously just a tiny bit obsessed with my dog, so of course we spent the day celebrating.  At first, I felt a little frustrated because I hoped to take her for an epic, off-leash, mountain birthday adventure, but there isn’t much that fit that description in the San Antonio area.  Fortunately for us both though, we don’t need a birthday in order to have those kinds of adventures, so I embraced what we COULD do, and spoiled my pup rotten.

She got to join me at Petsmart (usually I go in alone because it’s so much easier) and I let her sniff EVERYTHING.  Her birthday gift was a new dog bed since I threw out her old one when she got fleas, so we went in to pick it out.  She got overly excited anytime someone made eye contact with her and jumped around as if she had just turned a year old instead of seven.  As we got to the checkout, Dakota closely watched the hands of the cashier and as soon as she saw them reach toward the jar of treats, Dakota sat down in her prettiest sit and offered her paw for a “shake”.  The cashier asked me if Dakota could have a treat, and I had to give her the heartbreaking news that she couldn’t have one due to her strict diet post-pancreatitis.  Everyone in line as well as the cashier immediately felt SO bad for Dakota, who was anxiously awaiting her treat.  The cashier went to pet her instead and Dakota dodged her hand, confused as to why it didn’t have a treat in it.  I do my best to not feel bad for Dakota about her treat-free life, especially because she lives a better life than most humans do. 

I found a dog park nearby and figured that would be the best we would be able to do as far as an off-leash adventure went.  There were many other dogs there and I laughed at the idea that it was almost like a little birthday party… until I realized it WAS a birthday party!  There was another dog there who was celebrating his 2^nd birthday and someone had made a dog cake and was offering up cake slices to all the dogs at the park.  Of course, Dakota went over and asked nicely for a piece, and I had to share the bad news again that she would be unable to participate. 

I love bringing Dakota to dog parks because it’s good for her to have a chance to be social with other pups, but she actually spends most of her time there with me.  She never shows me more affection than she does while we are at the dog park.  If she is gone from me for more than a few minutes, she’ll run towards me and loop through my legs.  This was the case here as well, and as much as I tried to get her to chase the other dogs around, she was content to sit at my feet and watch from a distance instead.

Once again it was time to hit the road.  I had my first day off coming up and I had big plans for that day.  The last time I took a day off work was in early January for my birthday.  Since I only work 4 hours a day, I work every day.  I’m done working so early that even when I do work, I have all day to do whatever I want.  But working every day is still exhausting and it keeps me from really escaping cities and getting off the grid.  So, for my first day off in over 2 months, I’d be heading to Big Bend National Park. 

This drive from San Antonio to Big Bend made me extremely anxious.  I was on the phone with my mom and I could hear the stress in my voice.  The last time I was out west and driving long distances in the middle of nowhere, I didn’t have a job.  Making sure I had a place to park each night with a strong cell signal made this a lot more complicated.  I was heading off into the unknown and would have to play it by ear for a spot each night depending on what my cell signal looked like.  This felt so stressful to me for some reason.  Luckily though, it all worked out beautifully. 

On my way there I spent a night in the border town of Del Rio.  I haven’t spent any time near the border before and it was bizarre to see border patrol driving up and down these empty desert roads and watching parked trains.  As I was leaving Del Rio, I passed a sign indicating that all vehicles must stop ahead.  I started to panic.  Was I crossing the border?  I think my passport is expired and I did not want to be taking a shortcut through Mexico!  I thought about turning around but I’m pretty sure that’s how you get detained, so I figured I’d just play it cool.  Should I ask the officer if I’m crossing into Mexico?  No, play it cool.  So I pulled up and he asked me if there was anyone else with me and I told him nope, just my dog.  He asked me where I was going and if I was a US citizen and then let me through.  I didn’t have to show a passport or even and ID, so I figured I was still in the states for sure.  Excellent.  But then all of a sudden I get a text on my phone from Verizon that says, “Welcome to Mexico! Here are the details of your plan…”  So wait, AM I IN MEXICO??  Turns out that was a border checkpoint and I was definitely still in the US.  The more you know!

I found a great spot just outside of Big Bend to spend the night for free and I’d be able to work there in the morning before making my way into the park.  My heart suddenly felt at home parked in this spot with the door open and the mountains and desert as our front yard. Dakota soaked up the last bit of sunshine before the sun ducked behind the peaks and we watched the full moon rise over the quiet desert landscape. 

The next morning, I finished working at 8am and drove straight into Big Bend National Park.  I had the next 36 hours to fill with as much adventure as I possibly could and a LOT of park to see. 

My first order of business was to get to the backcountry office to get a permit for camping.  I hoped to get a spot outside of a campground to fully take advantage of not having to work in the morning.  Big Bend is gigantic and although I was parked nearby the night before, it still was over an hour until really “made it” to the park, so by the time I got to the office it was 10am.  I sat down with the ranger to select my campsite and he told me the bad news that he didn’t have any spots left that I’d be able to get my van to.  He said if I was prepared to go backpacking that he had a perfect campsite for me (and I’m ALWAYS ready to go backpacking), but unfortunately dogs aren’t allowed on any trails in Big Bend so that kind of camping wasn’t going to work for us.  Luckily 2 of the 3 campgrounds in the park still reported some vacancies at 10am, but they filled on a first-come basis and I’d have to take the chance of finding out whether there were still spots available by driving the hour to get there.  So we did just that, and thankfully we got ourselves a spot! I ate a quick lunch and then it was time to get serious about adventuring since I had a million things I wanted to see and less than 2 days to do it all. 

I walked Dakota around the campground a few times to try and get her a little exercise, since she wouldn’t be able to adventure with me, and then we were off to Santa Elena Canyon.  I did a nice little hike here along the Rio Grande.  At the turn-around point of the hike, there were a few people wading in the water.  Part of me didn’t want to get my feet wet since they’d get sandy and I had nothing to dry them on, but then I realized I’d be missing out on an experience I definitely wanted to have, so I took off my shoes and got into the Rio Grande.  The canyon walls with the river cutting through the middle reminded me so much of being in the Narrows at Zion National Park, which may just be my favorite place in the whole world.  The sandy feet were worth it.

My next stop was the Sol Vista Overlook and then onto the Chisos Mountains. The Chisos Mountains are really interesting because the plant and animal inhabitants are different than what you find in the rest of the park.  Here you’ll find mountain lions and Mexican black bears as well as Douglar fir, Aspen, Maple, and Ponderosa pine trees.  There are a few longer hikes here that were all must-do hikes in Big Bend, so I figured I’d try and get one the first night and one the next day.  I was exhausted since I had been up since 4:30am and had driven over 3 hours already just within Big Bend, but I was determined to get as much hiking in as possible.  I pulled over and took a quick 15-minute nap, then continued on to the Lost Mine Trail.  By the time I started the hike it was almost 6pm and the sun would be dipping behind the peaks sooner than I wanted it to.  The hike was 4.2 miles long but another popular option was to hike 1 mile down the trail to a lookout and then head back.  Just before that 1 mile spot I passed a man on the trail and asked if he had made it to the top and whether he thought I could make it there in time.  He advised me not to go all the way up since I’d be running out of daylight, so I took his advice, enjoyed the view from 1 mile in, and went back to the van.  I was really glad I did that.  I didn’t realize I still had an hour drive back to the campground from the trailhead and I still enjoyed a nice hike.

I had been totally prepared to spend the evening alone when I thought I’d be out in the backcountry, but when you’re at a campground, everyone is there with friends, family, or their partner.  If you’re alone, you’re probably the only person alone.  I’m fine with being alone, but I decided that day that being alone sucks if you’re surrounded by people who aren’t alone.  When I got to camp earlier, I had noticed a guy in a van who arrived at the campground around the same time I did.  I had waited to see his wife/girlfriend get out of the van too… and then saw him grab just one chair and set it up outside.  He was alone too!  So, as I made my way back to the campground that night, I was determined to hang out with him.  There weren’t any campfires allowed and sitting alone next to the van in the dark was just depressing, so even if I had to bribe him with beers, we were going to be friends.  When I got back to camp though, I saw he was sitting with the group that was camped at the site next to him. 

Old Jenny would have been terrified at the idea of walking up to a group of people and inviting myself over.  As much as I would have loved to have them invite me to hang out, I also knew they probably didn’t even notice that I was sitting there cooking dinner alone. I know if I was with a group of friends, I wouldn’t be aware of what was going several campsites down.  If I sat there waiting for an invite, I’d never get one, and they had already invited a lone traveler over into their party, so there was no reason not to ask.  So I marched on over there, asked if I could hang out too, and then Dakota and I spent the rest of the night hanging out with a group of awesome new friends. 

I spent that night with all the van doors open so I could really feel like I was camping.  It was a warm night and I wasn’t in a parking lot for once, so I could safely sleep with the van wide open.  I’m trying to find a way to put the feelings of that night into words but I’m not sure I can.  I felt so happy after sharing laughs and great conversation with my campsite neighbors, and I fell asleep watching the stars from my pillow, my best friend curled up by my side, and an entire day of adventure ahead of me. 

I woke up the next morning to the sound of owls hooting to each other from opposite ends of the campground, which to me was such a sign that I was in the right place.  I woke up this way, to the sounds of owls, once before.  I was camped out in Utah with my ex-boyfriend and we woke up to that sound early on Monday morning before we made the mad dash back to the real world for work that morning.  Camping on Sunday nights was one of my favorite traditions we had, and it still hurts to think about it.  So when I woke up to owls again, I immediately thought about that morning with him.  But I didn’t feel that familiar rush of pain.  Instead it was like the universe was helping me reclaim those memories as my own. 

I cooked breakfast outside and watched the sunrise over the van before setting out for a full day of adventure.  I still had so much I wanted to see and hike before sunset when I’d have to return to a cell signal for work. 

My first stop was the Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff trail. It was shorter hike that sometimes has a little waterfall but was dry now.  I was the only person there and even though I didn’t see a waterfall, having the whole place to myself and feeling so small tucked next to those canyon walls made it a perfect little hike. 

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I stopped at a few pullouts along the way to walk Dakota around and to admire the different views.  The big hike for the day though was in the Chisos Mountains where I had done my last hike the night before.  Here I did the Window Trail, which is a 5-mile hike that takes you to an amazing “window” in the mountains. 

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The entire desert was in bloom while I was there. I haven’t spent much time in the desert in the spring before and I was in awe at how colorful everything was.

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After a few laps of the parking lot with Dakota we drove to the opposite end of the park towards the Rio Grande Village. There are hot springs at this end and I was looking forward to soaking after 2 days of heavy hiking and driving.  We pulled up into a spot overlooking the Boquillos Canyon just as dark clouds started rolling in. 

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The hot springs trail was down a dirt road and after two long days, I just didn’t have it in me to risk getting stuck or leaving Dakota alone in the van for a thunderstorm.  So I decided it was time to head back “to reality” since I still had almost a 2 hour drive ahead of me.  We tucked back into the roadside stop for another beautiful desert sunset, feeling exhausted and so peaceful after our time in Big Bend. 

“What draws us into the desert is the search for something intimate in the remote.”

Edward Abbey