Friday, January 19, 2024

Last Day at the Gap and now at the Amistad NRA

 Thursday, January 18

It turned out, by late morning, to be a gloriously warm day today.  It would hit a high of 80°F!

I did some riding about the trails in the WMA, enjoying the warmth of course.


I also got some small amount of hiking around the campsite area and found me a small pond!


I know, I know, big deal.  What do you want, this part of Texas, to include Big Bend NP has proven "ok" but nothing like the wilds of Utah or Arizona.  Still, hope springs eternal I suppose.

Tomorrow, I leave for the Amistad National Recreation Area, hoping for a change of scenery and still seeking continued warmer weather.

Friday, January 19

I left the Black Gap Area shortly after sunrise and by Noon I was setting up camp at one of two remaining camp sites off of Spur 406.  The place is managed by the US Park Service and the daily fee of $6 for dry camping spot can be paid via credit card at the registration machine near the entrance.  Kind of like those automated parking machines you see in cities.

Good LTE signal here.  The temperatures dropped today into the 50s however with occasional wind making it seem colder.  

I set up the gazebo this time to help cut down on the effects of the wind, minor though it is compared to previous wind conditions earlier in the camping trip.


I went on a short ride with Yagi to check out the NRA's reservoir:

The end of the 406 Spur



I thought the "primitive camping" alluded to in iOverlander were near the water but no, the trail to access them is actually just past the pay sites.  I walked down the trail and saw at least two suitable sites for boondocking but since I'd already claimed one of the pay sites, I didn't want to move again.  (It's only $3/day due to my Interagency Access Pass so no big deal).

Below pic shows an overlander rig from the EU, built on an Iveco chassis.  He's actually parked next to the trail leading to the primitive camp sites which are free.


It's going to be a cool weather weekend, with a slight possibility of rain as well.  I will explore the area more via Yagi of course.

More to follow.

6 comments:

RichardM said...

We actually enjoyed Big Bend. Bridget was able to snag a full hookup campground right near the store. We enjoyed the hikes.

SonjaM said...

These Iveco rigs are quite popular with the Euro nomads. Most of them can be found traveling overland to China or down to South Africa. A bit too adventurous for my taste. I am already happy with a nice and quiet camp spot for our VW Camper in and around Germany. Cheers, SonjaM

Oz said...

Heat wave! Glad you found warmer weather. We are still cold in Tennessee.

redlegsrides said...

I guess it wasn't enough for my jaded mind, RichardM, the awning fiasco and cold weather didn't help of course.

SonjaM, I agree, the Iveco rigs seem the favorite of overlanders from the EU, and most I've seen so far seem to be from Deutschland.

Oz, sadly the weather only lasted one day, currently waiting out the latest cold front this weekend hoping for warmer weather starting Monday.

CCjon said...

Those overland rigs look imposing, can take a beating, etc, but don't remember seeing an interior photo of an overland rig. Are they quite small or tight inside? Their use of only small windows is due to...?

This has been a cooler winter than others. Don't worry, hotter days will be here soon enough. I'm just glad the Texas grid is holding up, no black-outs so far.

redlegsrides said...

CCjon, I traveled with friends (blazeourway) in BaJa Norte last year and they had something similar but on a different chassis. Their habitat isn't as long as the one I saw here but it was quite comfy inside. They had named their rig Stewie and that damn thing could go just about anywhere. It pulled me out of the sand a couple of times while in Baja. It's Achilles heel as with all these rigs I think is that when something major breaks down, parts can be hard to find and mechanics willing to work on said rigs can be even harder to find.