Our three weeks on the border of MX

[flowerseverywhere]

We are RV traveling and just spent three weeks at various places along the US-Mexico border. Currently several hundred miles away in Middle NM. In Big Bend national park we camped
a half mile from the Rio Grande. We stay in state and national parks. Our trip included a ride through the oil fields of the Permian basin.
If you look at a map of these areas there is nothing. Very few small towns, lots of state and federal lands and lots of huge ranches (like 40,000 acre big. Also a huge border patrol presence. They are everywhere around here. And the desert, mountains and totally unpopulated areas stretch on all directions for miles and miles. At big bend alone, state and federal lands on both sides of the border alone account for 3 million acres.
I’ve crossed the border years ago at Nogales AZ and near San Diego and there are some populated and flat areas where a wall might be feasible.
A rancher told us border Patrol Had access to their gates (more then one gap in the chain) and they have access to 25 miles from the border even across private land. Some of the relationship is tenuous, from leaving gates unlocked or driving in the middle of ranchers trying to round up a herd to move , but overall they cooperate with each other.
building a wall here would be close to impossible. Rivers, mountains, and very little access to roads, even dirt ones. No way to get construction equipment and crews there. Instead of hearing people froth at the mouth screaming build that wall, different solutions need to be found.
First, the hundreds of border patrol agents in each sections should be consulted and listened to.
Invreased fines for hiring people who are here without the proper papers
and third our legislators in both houses need to get their act together and modify some of our laws.

One thing you you see when you travel is a tremendous amount of poverty. Many people in this country are working and can not afford health insurance. Homeless vets s well as a huge suicide rate shows how more funds should be devoted too our servicemen and women Why aren’t we taking care of our own first and figuring out what we are going to do with the increasing climate refugees?

[bae]

Great observations!

[Teacher Terry]

Flowers, I have heard before that it’s impossible to build a wall. It’s a sad situation with no easy answer.

[bae]

Flowers, I have heard before that it’s impossible to build a wall. It’s a sad situation with no easy answer.

I used to spend a lot of time on the southern border, it's a terrible idea to try to "build a wall" across a lot of that land.

I think the people chanting "build a wall" need to get out more.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I am not familiar with that part of the US/Mexico border, but I have friends that have worked in Big Bend National Park right on the border and they tell me that the geography there makes a wall nearly impossible to even conceive of. My knowledge of the border is limited to flatter, easier to build a wall areas bordering California and Mexico and Arizona and Mexico. But I've heard this - that part of the border would be nearly impossible to seal off. Rob

[flowerseverywhere]

On the Texas side route 10 almost parallels the border, sometimes far away. I was buying stamps in a post office and a young rancher stopped in to get mail and was talking about the border to the clerk. He was quite worried his ranch would be trapped behind the wall, that he is the third generation owner of. We asked several park rangers and they said they could not make any political statements (unlike Kellyann Conway) but they said they find evidence of people crossing and cooperate with border patrol.
I hope this picture comes out, it shows a good reason why a wall would be close to impossible here. The River is the Rio Grande, the border. Plus bear, 450 bird species, cougars, deer, snakes etc all call this home. Since this huge area has few roads and settlers, it is all native plants so full of food for the wildlife, especially birds and bees.
Personally I think a lot of this crisis was made by Trump stating things like “anyone can walk right in to our country. We have the stupidest laws. People walk right in and we have to release them if they are caught”. If you were desperate what would you do?
2820

[gimmethesimplelife]

On the Texas side route 10 almost parallels the border, sometimes far away. I was buying stamps in a post office and a young rancher stopped in to get mail and was talking about the border to the clerk. He was quite worried his ranch would be trapped behind the wall, that he is the third generation owner of. We asked several park rangers and they said they could not make any political statements (unlike Kellyann Conway) but they said they find evidence of people crossing and cooperate with border patrol.
I hope this picture comes out, it shows a good reason why a wall would be close to impossible here. The River is the Rio Grande, the border. Plus bear, 450 bird species, cougars, deer, snakes etc all call this home. Since this huge area has few roads and settlers, it is all native plants so full of food for the wildlife, especially birds and bees.
Personally I think a lot of this crisis was made by Trump stating things like “anyone can walk right in to our country. We have the stupidest laws. People walk right in and we have to release them if they are caught”. If you were desperate what would you do?
2820Yep, that's just the kind of landscape that my friends told me it was.....good luck walling THAT off LOL......Rob

[befree]

flowerseverywhere, wasn't the Big Bend magical? It is a landscape and a feel like no place on earth.

[gimmethesimplelife]

flowerseverywhere, wasn't the Big Bend magical? It is a landscape and a feel like no place on earth.My friends that have worked there have great things to say about it, too......if you like seasonal work and can handle isolation, it's not a bad place to be as it does have a bit of four seasons to offer unlike Phoenix. Rob

[flowerseverywhere]

flowerseverywhere, wasn't the Big Bend magical? It is a landscape and a feel like no place on earth.
A giant biosphere dark sky wonderland. We’ve been spotting birds for almost 40 years, and counted quite a few new species here. The butterflies were everywhere. Even in the mountains and desserts, wildflowers would be peeking out. Roadrunner’s looking for dinner, lizards, deer and rabbits doing their thing in a natural habitat. It was 105 one day and still teeming with life. Many people love the isolation and living with nature. We have had very little internet and phone and have each finished a David McCollough book plus several others, identified stars , plants and birds, and have spoken to numerous interesting people.

[flowerseverywhere]

I used to spend a lot of time on the southern border, it's a terrible idea to try to "build a wall" across a lot of that land.

I think the people chanting "build a wall" need to get out more.
i think most of us need to get out more and turn the TV off. We have visited the Jefferson Davis house, Georgia Sandhill Crane Preserve,Carlsbad caverns, Lincoln New Mexico, of Billy the Kid and Pat Garret fame. Talked to a guy who retired and moved to Alamogordo NM to work on Foxhole homes, dwellings made from recycled materials in a self sustaining community for homeless vets. A young park ranger who had a presentation at school when he was about 8 from a park ranger and decided it was what he wanted to do. He knew every star, Native American history, every plant and animal and their behavior, archeology and was an Eagle Scout and scout leader. Such a quest for knowledge and full of enthusiasm.
White Sands national monument, petroglyphs, New Orleans an their flood walls, the raging Mississippi, the Hurricane Michael damage to Florida and Texas. A guy who camped isolated on BLM lands for 185 days to write a book. The more we see and the more we learn the more I realize how little we know in the greater scheme of things. This is the first time in close to a month we have had internet and decent cell service. Instead we have hiked, read, gone to numerous presentations at monuments, arboretums, historic and state and national parks. Truly magical.
We always get tempted to full time RV when we do this.

[Teacher Terry]

We enjoy the National Parks but they have gotten to be very dog unfriendly because it scares the wildlife. Most places you can only walk them around the campground. You can’t take them on trails. At Yellowstone we drove around with them in the car some days and left them in the RV on others. My old crew was good about staying in the RV. The 3 we have left will bark nonstop so have to go everywhere.

[KayLR]

A giant biosphere dark sky wonderland. We’ve been spotting birds for almost 40 years, and counted quite a few new species here. The butterflies were everywhere. Even in the mountains and desserts, wildflowers would be peeking out. Roadrunner’s looking for dinner, lizards, deer and rabbits doing their thing in a natural habitat. It was 105 one day and still teeming with life. Many people love the isolation and living with nature. We have had very little internet and phone and have each finished a David McCollough book plus several others, identified stars , plants and birds, and have spoken to numerous interesting people.

That sounds absolutely heavenly to me....good for you.

[flowerseverywhere]

Teacher Terry, There also are so many irresponsible dog owners who don’t clean up after their dogs, are not well controlled or trained and are not kept on a six foot leash. Many are crazy barkers, lungers,, and jump on people. Also people leave them in hot cars. I almost hit a dog in the car the other day because the owner had him on a very long leash and he dashed right in front of me. I saw a big sign today in a beautiful neighborhood that said something like “there is no poop fairy, clean up after your dog”.
Unfortunate but true.

Could make for a heated topic.

[Teacher Terry]

I know people are jerks. That’s a big part of the problem. Dogs make bears and bison angry which is why the dogs aren’t allowed on trails. One time I was walking the big guy and forgot the bag. I put poop in my Kleenex and my hand got very warm:)). No way was I leaving it.

[Simplemind]

We have just started traveling with our dogs. We don't want to be seen as "those people" so we really work to make sure they aren't bothering people. We never leave them alone and make sure they get lots of walks because a tired dog is a good dog. We always clean up after them and we couldn't believe that a woman let her dog poop at the entrance of our campsite, saw me watching her and pretended to put it in a bag. I walked up after she had gone and yep, it was still there. Sigh...…. That aside, I've had more angst over unruly children than I have dogs. Often have wished they needed to be leashed too. Yes, I'll also admit I had one of those kids that would have made a village tired.

[bae]

Instead we have hiked, read, gone to numerous presentations at monuments, arboretums, historic and state and national parks. Truly magical.
We always get tempted to full time RV when we do this.

Thank you so much for sharing that, it sounds just magical. And tempting.

[Teacher Terry]

SM, I would have confronted her. That’s really terrible. It was nice when we could leave our old crew (4 of them) with no barking.

[Simplemind]

After we bagged it we went to try and find her (to return it) and she must have stayed inside her camper WITH her dog because we didn't see either of them for the next couple of days. Shameless......

[Teacher Terry]

When camping it’s important to be considerate because it’s a lot of people in not a large area. Plus letting dogs act badly is a great way for places to start to restrict them. We would sell ours if we couldn’t bring the dogs.

[flowerseverywhere]

Thank you so much for sharing that, it sounds just magical. And tempting.

what is really interesting is how many people travel singly. I have actually seen more women than men. I have seen everything from someone on a bike with saddlebags, bike pulling a small gear trailer, motorcycle, small car to custom busses. The beauty is you can try for a period of time, and see if you like it. We like about four months out. We have a home watch person and in the middle a neighbor mails our mail to us. We make arrangements with a campground to accept it.

We actually did not replace our dog when he died about ttwelve years ago so we would have this freedom. We have pretty much been traveling a quarter to half a year since we retired over ten years ago mid fifties. We did the car/Hampton inn/ tenting in national parks for a while then went to a RV.

I do know living in a retirement you see people out of the blue, who are apparently healthy suddenly get a bad diagnosis and die shortly after. We try to live life so we don’t ever have to think “I regret I did not do ________. “. I’m hoping we can do this well into our seventies after which we will reassess. It’s all good.

[iris lilies]

It is interesting that you’re seeing lots of single travelers, many women.

DH and I like seeing new places but I loathe and despise car trips. I would have to plan a route to see things on the way like drive four hours stop and see things, drive four hours stop and see things, drive four hours stop and see things etc.

I am currently in a death count down on my beloved old bulldog who is 9 1/2 years old. There’s no way he’s gonna live to 13 years. So sometime within the next 2 1/2 years he’s going to develop health issues that cause his death. That’s why I’m not planning any trips to Europe because
I cannt dorsew when that will happen.

after he’s gone we will do foster bulldogs to get our dog fix. ThatWay we can get in some travel,when we dont have dogs.


But another problem is that we are such homebodies that we constantly are tending gardens so it is hard to leave them during the summer, but that is really OK because I would prefer to travel in shoulder seasons anyway, early spring and fall.

[Teacher Terry]

Europe is too crowded in the summer. We go either March or November. I have seen pictures in other months and it’s wall to wall people. Our dogs being old and sick never stopped us. I leave instructions and a CC with the sitter and the amount I am willing to spend.