Picnic on the Rio Grande River

 

Our day started off just wonderful.  

Heading into Laredo we got a beautiful rock chip in the front windshield.  I saw it coming and could do nothing but instinctively duck my head.  A big rig truck that just passed us kicked it up.  It looked like a nut or bolt instead of rock.  The only good thing is that it is centered in the windshield, not in my line of view.  This is rock chip number six the windshield has endured and now stands as the biggest.

So the mood for the day had been set as we made our way through the town of Laredo in search of propane.

At Tractor Supply, after missing the turnoff and having to go around side streets, things started looking up. The gate was open and a worker was outside stacking canoes.  So I didn’t have to go into the store until after filling up.  The other good part was the store was situated on the highway we needed to take to get out of town so we didn’t have to deal with the streets of Laredo anymore.

San Ignacio, Texas (pop. 667 in 2010)

Probably a lot less these days.  Claire didn’t even know this town existed.  The GPS said no results.

It looked like there were some access points to the Rio Grande River.  I thought it would be nice to have lunch there looking across the waters into Mexico.

We pulled on down Grant Ave.  It was a steep downgrade.  Should I or shouldn’t I?  I did.  There was a white van parked about where that white something is in the image.  Two guys in camo clothing stood by it.  They looked like trying to look official.  Wannabe border patrol agents?  Well, I kind of think it was the opposite.  There was a stack of purified water bottles and some juices and fruits.  So my thought was they were the ‘guardian angel’ type of folk rendering assistance to migrants.  Anyway, the road was blocked just past them at the bottom of the image so I turned around and climbed up out from there jostling everything about in the back of the RV.  I didn’t take any pictures as you can imagine.  I just wanted to get out from here and not talk with them.

Across the river at this point Mexico doesn’t look lived in too much either.

We drove back into town to access these two possible points.  Again, steep downgrades to the river and one was gated off.  No Trespassing.  We went further south.

The end of the road took us to the End of the Road for the residents of San Ignacio, the cemetery.

The pictures below are from the dogleg road we drove around by. 

Here was the first fencing we came across in San Ignacio.

And they left the gate open too.

But it too was a downgrade although not as much but the road was rough and would there be space to turn around?  I didn’t want to get myself in a pickle and have to back out.

That’s enough adventure already for one day plus there didn’t appear to be much of anything to see.

No picnic.

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“Do you ever get scared camping out like that?”

After making the Depression Era post I thought some may think staying here scary.  I relaxed after that thinking about it.  I just felt fine being there.  In fact I felt more ill at ease, uncomfortable, the night before outside Plant Fitness.  And that is usually how it always is.  In an urban environment with people walking by, milling around like a Walmart parking, I am more aware than along the roadside in the middle of nowhere.  Let me say I have never had a bad experience in an urban setting or a Walmart either.  In the end, if it doesn’t feel good I go someplace else.  That is the beauty of having wheels under your home.