We spent last week in Austin recharging our batteries and making all the final preparations for the boat trip and beyond. The former involved spending time friends and family, eating out a lot, and going to Schlitterbahn Waterpark. The latter involved taking all the things we’d brought with us from San Francisco, laying it out on my parents living room floor, and slowly moving the things we were leaving behind to one side of the room and all the things we were bringing with us to the other. If only I had made a time-lapse video! My Dad found it so amusing that he’d just sit back and watch us sort through things, move things around, and add things to lists. It was a multi-day affair.

Once we could see all that we were bringing (or intending to bring), organized by rough categories on the floor, we realized we needed more packing cubes (specifically, Eagle Creek’s Pack-It Cubes). All of my clothes fit into a full-size cube and two half-size cubes (all double-sided), but I needed two more half-size cubes to hold all of my electronics and meds (without having loose ziplock bags floating around). Conveniently, all five cubes fit perfectly in my REI Vagabond pack. I also put two pouches (Eagle Creek’s Pack-It Sacs) in the pack’s top compartment for easy access to toiletries and first-aid. Stephanie has a similar configuration, but with one less half-size cube to make room for a pair of sandals, and one less pouch to make room for a glasses/sunglasses case. Then on top of everything we each have a laptop.

I’m probably going to sound like an clean-freak, but organizing (and procuring) our toiletries was probably one the most challenging things to prepare. When I normally travel, I usually just throw everything into a large ziplock bag and hope I haven’t forgotten anything. But since we’re going to be living out of our bags for an extended period of time, I knew I had to optimize our toiletries and medicines both by context and frequency of use—so that I wasn’t constantly digging for a nailclipper at the bottom of an over-stuffed ziplock bag. Of course there were some things we each needed a “copy” of (marked x2 below), and there were some things one of us could carry for the both. Here’s a rough outline of what I came up with:

1. Frequently Used Toiletries (x2)
   This is all the stuff we each want to have at a moment’s notice, before bed or in the morning (e.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant, nailclipper, face wash, ear plugs, lotion, razor, etc.). It’s all in a small pouch that’s easily accessible at the top of our packs.
2. Shower Toiletries (x1)
   These are the few things we need if we’re going to take a shower (e.g. shampoo, body wash, cotton swabs). They’re in a small ziplock bag in one of the packing cubes. Since we’ll be taking a shower once a day (or less!), it made sense to keep this separate from the frequently used toiletries, and shared between the two of us.
3. First Aid (x1)
   This stuff (e.g. bandages, laxatives, anti-diarrheal, hydrocortisone, etc.) is less frequently used than our normal toiletries, but more than medications. We put it all into a single pouch because we wanted it to be easy to grab and stash in a daypack for hikes.
4. Medications (x2)
   These are not that frequently used (e.g. antibiotics, anti-malarials, motion sickness, pain meds etc), so we’ve put them in a ziplock bag, and they take up about half of a half-cube.
5. Outdoor Toiletries (x2)
   Just sunscreen and bug spray. These are in a ziplock bag in one of the pack’s side pockets for easy access, without weighing down any of the other bags.
6. Backup Toiletries (x1)
   Finally, these are lightweight bulk items like tissues, earplugs, cotton swabs, and anything we might pick up in slightly larger quantities and transfer to our frequently used toiletries as needed. In the meantime, it’s in a ziplock bag in one of our packing cubes.

We had planned to go hiking on Sunday in Big Bend. After procuring supplies for lunch, we started on the Window Trail, which treated us to lovely views of the “window” out the mountains encircling the Chisos Mountain Basin. Then we started up the Pinnacles Trail, towards the Emory Peak trail, which leads to the highest point in the park. It didn’t seem like we collectively had the energy to make it to the top, so we decided to just climb up until it was time to break for lunch, and then head back down. Conveniently that point coincided with the discovery of a bench that had a view overlooking the basin.

On the way down, we took the Basin Loop Trail which was more varied in terrain and covered more ground than on the way up.

We made it back to the campsite around 3, and though we had reserved it for one more night, we decided that if we started back towards Austin then, we could all enjoy a shower and bed before midnight (without having to play will it rain? roulette again). So we took down the tents, repacked the car, and hit the road. It was a long drive back, but we managed to pass the time chatting almost the whole way.

On Saturday we woke up at 6, and headed in the darkness towards Terlingua, TX (west of Big Bend). The sun started to rise as we left the park, and was fully up when we arrived at Far Flung Outdoor Center around 7:30. We changed into our river gear, applied copious amounts of sunscreen, and met our guide for the day, Craig (who was originally from Austin).

There were supposed to be two other people on our raft but they never showed. So we had the boat and Craig all to ourselves. We put in at Lajitas, where I caught my first sight of Mexico! Right there across the Rio Grande. While we were chatting about the nuances of an international border literally a stone’s throw away, I referred to the Mexico-side and the US-side. Then someone “corrected” me: “We like to call it ‘The Texas-side’”. Ah, Texas.

And so began our day-long float down the Rio Grande. Unlike our previous rafting adventures (Lower Kern, South Fork of the American River), Craig did all the paddling. We just sat and enjoyed the ride while he described the geology, biology, and history of the river.

Twice we got out of the raft and just floated down the Rio Grande (to cool down). Turns out the river is only about 3-4 feet deep with a few inches of mud/gravel at the bottom (the flow was about 1100cfs). The water was rich with sedimentation, like coffee with too much cream. At one point I waded over to Mexico and touched it.

The highlight of the trip was traversing the Santa Elena canyon, a narrow section of the river with 1800 foot walls on each side. There were several light rapids, and then one very challenging section called the Rock Slide. Craig had to navigate the raft through multiple tight spots not much wider than the raft itself. It wasn’t so much splashy-splashy, as it was very technical, and from our vantage point, it looked like there was no way the raft was getting through. He got through like he wasn’t even trying. We cheered.

Approaching the start of Santa Elena Canyon

Nice view within the canyon

Our lunch spot

“Downhill” optical illusion

Approaching the end of Santa Elena Canyon

From then on it was a fairly calm ride the rest of the way. The canyon ends about as abruptly as it began. The whole route was a little over 20 miles. We got picked up around 3:30pm, and then had a nice hour-long drive through another section of the park heading back to Terlingua.

That night, back at the campsite, we saw more ominous clouds in the sky, but we had time to cook some hot dogs and mac and cheese. Gourmet! After dinner we drove up to the lodge for a better vantage to watch how the weather developed. If it started raining, we’d get another cabin, if not, we’d head back. We were treated to another thunder and lightning show as the sun set, but all of it was in the distance. Once we’d decided the weather had passed with clear skies were above us, we headed back to our tents for the night.

We didn’t exactly get up early on Friday morning. Especially considering the time zone change. In fact we barely got the car back to the rental place before 10am. Then we started on the long drive towards Big Bend, about 5 hours from El Paso. Unlike the rest of Texas, El Paso is in the mountain time zone, so we experienced another time zone change, making it yet another hour later. We drove through some spectacular downpours on US-90 outside of Marfa, TX but when we headed into the park, it seemed that the worst was behind us. We were wrong.

We arrived around 5 o’clock. It was very hot and sunny, but with a lot of dramatic clouds in the sky. We continued up into the Chisos Mountain Basin, where the campground was located, and discovered it to be about 20 degrees cooler that the surrounding desert. In other words, low-80s. Perfect! Except those dramatic clouds in the distance started looking darker and more ominous. We rushed to get our tents set up in order to weather the storm, if it came. At first we had an inconsequential summer shower that came and went. Maybe that was all? Nope.

Suddenly it began to downpour. We dove into Dad’s larger tent and watched it rain and rain and rain. The rain was coming down so heavily we couldn’t even see the surrounding mountains. Everything was just grayed out. And then we noticed water in the tent. It was coming up from the bottom. It was dripping down from the top (even with the rainfly on). The rain was not letting up, and it seemed Dad’s borrowed tent was not waterproof.

So we decided to throw in the towel. We ran to the car, leaving the tents behind, and headed up to the lodge, hoping there’d be a room available. There was, as well as a restaurant (with no power!) so we sat down, ate ham sandwiches off their “power outage menu”, and watched the rain and lightning show through the floor-to-ceiling windows. By the time we were done with dinner, the rain had let up, so we went back to the campsite to tidy a few things up and check on our tents. Ours was completely dry, but Dad’s was not, so we emptied it out, and headed up to our cabin for the night. It was particularly nice knowing we’d get good night’s sleep, as the next morning we were waking up at 6 to go rafting down the Rio Grande.

I woke up early on Thursday (by accident). Stephanie was still feeling ill, poor girl, so she slept while I drove to the western half of Saguaro National Park (the Tucson Mountain District). I got there a little after 8, paid my entrance fee, and headed into the park. Along the way I stopped at the Desert Discovery Trail, a nice short paved walking loop through the desert with informational signs and sweeping views.

Then I continued on my way to the Bajada loop, an unpaved, one-way, 6 mile road through the desert. Along the way I noticed something moving across the road just as I was about to pass over it. A snake! I stopped, reversed (worried I’d hit it), and there it was, a light-orange snake, still alive, almost all the way across the road. I rolled down the passenger side window, turned off the car, and heard the unmistakable sound of rattle as it slithered along the side of the road and into the brush. I had come face to face with a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. And from the sound of its continuous rattle, it was none too happy with me.

I stopped at the Valley View Trail, a short 0.4 mile trail that carves its way through the desert with a dramatic view at the end. Well worth it. Even though it was relatively short (there and back), in the direct early morning sun it felt much longer and harder than it was. Of course I was a little freaked out about stepping on a rattlesnake along the way, but I didn’t encounter any others.

There were several other trails that followed the various washes through the loop, but I was running low on water and hadn’t really planned on spending all day in the park. I just wanted a taste. I stopped one more time for a short hike up Signal Hill, to see some Hohokam petroglyphs, and then completed the Bajada loop and headed back to the hotel.

The only other thing we had planned for the day was the 5 hour drive to El Paso to meet my Dad for dinner. I figured we had plenty of time, as he had a much longer drive from Austin, so I took my time taking a shower and getting things together, when I noticed I had a voicemail. He was already in El Paso! That’s so Dad. Luckily he’s good at entertaining himself, so we hit the road, and met up with him around 6:30. We immediately went to dinner, found a nice place called The Pot Au Feu right around the corner from the hotel (thanks again, Yelp!), and enjoyed a lovely meal together.

That night we backed up his car to ours and tried to figure out how to fit all of our stuff into his car (with all of his camping stuff) and still have room for the three of us. The next morning we dropped off our rental car and started on our way to Big Bend.

In the course of looking up places to eat in Tucson, I stumbled upon a much-reviewed place called El Guero Canelo. And then I noticed one of the reviews mentioned something about a hot dog.

I told Stephanie I’d found a Mexican-hot dog fusion restaurant. I’m pretty sure she almost threw up. So I read some more of the reviews, and looked at the pictures, and discovered that this wasn’t just some kind of one-off specialty (like my Quesadilla Dog). Sonoran Dogs were a widespread Tucson thing. How had I never heard of this before!? What else don’t I know?!?

Basically it’s a Mexican chili-dog. To quote NPR:

It starts with a hot dog wrapped in bacon. Then you begin piling on the beans, grilled onions, fresh onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, cream sauce, mustard and jalapeno salsa.

I knew I had to have one! I also knew Stephanie was not going to get within 10 feet of one. After visiting the Desert Museum, I left her with a fresh baguette (still recovering from a stomach bug) while I went out to BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs and got me a Sonoran dog.

A key feature is the bun, slit from the top, sort of forming a boat for all the toppings. I was expecting them to explode after the first bite (if not require a fork and knife), much like its chili-dog cousin, but it actually held together quite well. It isn’t as liquid as it looks. I had forgotten about the bacon-wrapped part—that was an extra-sinful surprise. The toppings were good, though I was a little distracted by the mayo.

I think I’ll need to have another to better appreciate the ensemble. It was good, it’s just that it was sort of confusing to my well-worn hot dog taste buds.

We took our time leaving the hotel in Phoenix, ran a few errands, and were back on I-10 heading east towards Tucson. We’d planned to spend two nights there (Tuesday and Wednesday), exploring Saguaro National Park (pronounced suh-WAH-row), and possibly camping in the backcountry. However, when we arrived in the 100°+ mid afternoon heat, we decided to forgo camping and just find a hotel. We’d been moving non-stop for several weeks, and the exhaustion finally caught up with us, particularly for Stephanie. She needed to rest. So I took the time to update my blog, respond to email, and find some place for dinner while she slept.

That night we went to Guadalajara Grill, famous for making salsa to order at the table in the same way another chain-restaurant-that-must-not-be-named makes table-side guacamole. It was very good—I ate a lot of it. I ordered a Molcajete Camarones, basically a giant basalt mortar filled with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, cheese, and shrimp, and heated so hot that it simmers at the table for a long time. It was impressive. Stephanie was still feeling a little under the weather, so she nursed a bowl of tortilla soup. I would definitely go back to try more, if I could.

On Wednesday I went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which Adam and Eveline happened to visit with Zacharie a few months back. They raved about it, and since it was on the way to Saguaro, I figured I’d check it out. Suffice it to say, I never made it to Saguaro. During the hot summer months (what they call the monsoon season, when it often rains in the afternoon) the museum (it’s more of a zoo, really) closes at 2:30pm. I got there a little after 11:30, so I didn’t have much time. Of course I arrived just before a demonstration of venomous reptiles, where I got to see a Gila monster and a western diamondback rattlesnake up close. Note to self: do not get bit by a rattlesnake.

Afterwards, I had about an hour to see the rest of the place, almost all of which was outside. I have to admit that walking around in the Southwestern desert in August (coming from San Francisco) makes me a little nervous. It’s so oppressively hot, I worry about heat exhaustion and sunburn, even after slathering myself with sunscreen and bringing water along. That said, I really love the desert environment. It’s so surprisingly lush and alive, contrary to every stereotype of the desert as dry and dead. And the Desert Museum does a wonderful job of making it both accessible and real.

Plant life I can newly identify: saguaro, barrel cactus, cholla, palo verde, ocotillo

A saguaro forest surrounds Gates Pass Road on the way back from the museum

After several hours of driving on Monday, Stephanie and I decided to stop for dinner in Phoenix. I did a little searching on the way to find a good restaurant, but discovered that many were closed on Monday night. Conveniently Yelp has an “Open right now” option which filtered out all the non-starters, so we went with the most reviewed Mexican/Southwestern place that was closest to I-10. Which happened to be Gallo Blanco (white rooster).

When we arrived, we discovered it was slightly upscale and attached to a hip-looking boutique hotel called The Clarendon. We ordered two of their house-made margaritas, guacamole, and a variety of seven tacos to try. The guac was sweet, spicy, and full of flavor, the tacos were scrumptious (especially the pork!), and the margaritas were disappearing fast. So we asked the server out of curiosity how much the rooms at the hotel went for—he immediately said, “Let me go talk to the front desk to see if you can get my discount…” He came back and said the rooms are usually $110, but the discount makes it $67. Our jaws dropped. I said, “I guess we’ll be having another round of margaritas then!”

So we didn’t make it any further than Phoenix that night. We did, however, take advantage of the pool after dinner (in the 105° heat), and the free wireless internet back in our swank, $67 room.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few snaps from the road:

Friday, August 27

Wednesday, August 25

Tuesday, August 24

Thursday, August 19

Wednesday, August 18

Monday, August 16

Thursday, August 12

Tuesday, August 10

Monday, August 9

Sunday, August 8

Thursday, August 5

Wednesday, August 4

Tuesday, August 3

Sunday, August 1

Saturday, July 31

Friday, July 30

Wednesday, July 28

Monday, July 26

Thursday, July 22