TEXAS AND BACK
April 2,  2012
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Our plan was originally to reach San Antonio. Texas was always a state to be endured going east or west instead of a destination. Recently though friends have given certain areas some praise, plus we were running out of really new places to see. Unfortunately after adding up the mileage from our home in Northern California, we decided to make Big Bend our eastern most limit as the cost of gas from there to San Antonio would cost as much as plane fare for one... not to mention the grueling drive. As usual, we spent a month researching the route for all the interesting little gems along the way, and the best time to go weather wise straddling between winter cold and summer heat. Well, the balance was perfect; it was boiling in Big Bend, and freezing in Mesa Verde. We usually avoid RV parks, but this time our little electric heater not only kept us toasty warm, but free wi-fi let us even watch an online movie on our laptop... now why did we leave home again?

The highlights for us were the Boyce Thompson Botanical Gardens, a must see if you're into desert flora. The Biosphere 2, if you love technology, and our earth. The ASDM was a nice combination of zoo and garden and Bisbee was a charming little San Francisco in the desert mountains.
White Sands National Monument is a fascinating area with a great hike from a desert fox's point of view. Terlingua in Texas is an interesting combination of Burning Man and something out of Indiana Jones. Big Bend would have been very nice without the heat. Be sure to take the Old Mine Trail.
Aztec, Mesa Verde and Bandelier are a must see if anywhere nearby and have an interest in archeology, architecture, history, or hiking.