AHHHH, it was great to be back out West especially for the big family vacation! We all woke up at 7:30 on Saturday morning and loaded up the van. We headed to Katy where we met up with Meridith and her friend, Lisa, who had flown in from Vermont. Lisa and Meridith have known each other since kindergarten and grew up on the same street so they have a long history together. It was now time to show Lisa the finer points of another world totally different from her own! She was now out of her element and in ours!!!!

We grabbed some breakfast rolls at Mares, then moved out to overnight in Del Rio. We stopped for a bbq lunch in Hondo at JB's. Meridith and Lisa took a detour in Bracketville to visit Alamo Village where John Wayne filmed...The Alamo. How hot is Texas? It was 104 degrees IN THE SHADE at 4:55 PM when they left Alamo Village. Needless to say, they were pretty hot and tired by the time they got to Del Rio.

Meridith and I made reservations several weeks ago to stay at Motel 6, Meridith made hers before mine...two beds, ground floor. Both reservations were the same. When I arrived, there were only two rooms left that were non-smoking. We got what we requested but Meridith did not. The only non-smoking room they had left was upstairs and only with one bed. Now please know that they had other rooms promised for other people who had not yet checked in! Please tell me how this is???? Irritated (tired and hot, too) but willing to make the best of the situation, they went upstairs to find that the air conditioning was not working. After spending an hour or so outside in 100+ degree temps at Alamo Village, Meridith was not willing to sacrifice comfort. She and Lisa moved to the Ramada (or the "Princess Palace" as I jokingly referred to it). Needless to say, I myself will never stay at Motel 6 again in Del Rio! Due to Motel 6's stupidity and poor management, they have lost two customers and when I get finished with my rants, they will lose a lot more! Great job Motel 6. Don't bother leaving the lights on anymore.

We all ate dinner at TBs in Del Rio. They were featured on the Food Channel by Anthony Bourdain...he recommends their Corona Chicken or Corona Shrimp. Both are very good. Meridith and Lisa stayed behind in Del Rio while me, Kim and the kids headed out to meet up with Dan Krull to finish my piece for the Alterna Rush movie soon coming to a theater near you. We all are hoping it premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. I finally met up with Roy Engledorf and Dan Krull at a nondescript rock cut between Comstock and Langtry. We hunted cuts between Comstock and Langtry. After finishing the filming and adding what I needed to for the film, we continued to herp. We only saw Atrox on cuts but when I hit the Langtry loop, I noticed a nice three foot Suboc freshly hit and writhing on the road. Since Border Patrol had recently passed me, I figured they were the culprit. I was stopped just minutes after that by Border Patrol and I found out from him that yes, he is the one that just made a loop around Langtry. I proceeded to lay into him and give him a good lesson on how not to kill my snakes on the roads! He ended up apologizing and said he would be on the lookout and be more careful next time. I had showed him a picture of the snake he had just killed. We returned to Del Rio pulling into Motel 6 at 4:30 am.

After waking up late, we all assembled for the big trip across the border into Acuna. Meridith had been reminding everyone not to forget their passports and she ended up forgetting hers! This would not be a problem however. Your licnese will still work and get you across the border back into the States! We decided to eat at La Macarena and enjoy the great outdoor eating experience. It was extremely hot outside but sitting under the canopy in the courtyard proved to be pretty cool! We had some beer and margs and great Mexican food and hobnobbed with the workers. Someone please answer me one thing. How do the mariachis know when we are there? GO AWAY! I hear this crap in my own neighborhood and I sure as hell ain't paying to hear it!

We did a little shopping and then cruised across the ol' border. They now have a new inspection station and it is very nice. It's good to see our tax dollars going for a good purpose. Now please do a better job in controlling our borders from Texas to California. It would be nice. As we were crossing over, we were wondering if we would have to come back across to see Meridith waiting tables or running a Mexican shop! As I said, she made it across with just her license. Glad she didn't forget that! We headed to Sanderson to the Outback Oasis, stopping at Judge Roy Beans along the way. We needed to instill a little more Texas history upon our virgin guest. I think Lisa really liked the Pecos River and took one too many pictures being that is temporarily a one lane bridge due to repairs. Mare, why did you stop on the bridge knowing the light was going to change for the other traffic to pass over? I had to cruise! I couldn't bare to watch the mayhem that I figured would ensue! (Note from Meridith: Oh, please...that's why God made cars to be able to go in reverse. I was only a quarter of the way across and had to back up for a whopping TWO vehicles. Silly Snake Guy...that's hardly MAYHEM! Mayhem is getting stuck at a low water crossing in BBNP at 4:30 in the morning!)

When we arrived in Sanderson, we put some flat iron steaks on Meridith had marinated for two days. Damn they were good! After dinner it would be myself, Roy, Meridith and Lisa cruising the cuts in the Howell gas guzzling van. The only thing we would find would be a DOR longnose. Our friendly game wardens were nowhere to be found, however I found great humor and relief in the fact that a DPS trooper pulled up beside me as Roy was spotlighting the cuts. He asked if we were having any luck. I said not really! He had said he had been walking a cut looking for snakes with Chad (a herper out of Tennessee!) He was a super nice guy and it is good to have a "friendly" in law enforcement that UNDERSTANDS THE SHOW! As our old DJ's Stevens and Pruitt used to say in Houston. Some of you state troopers ROCK!!!

We all cruised to Alpine, Marfa, and down the gorgeous Pinto Canyon! This is one of my favorites and if you have never been through this canyon, your are really missing out!! I actually have never seen this road so passable. Just an hour earlier an old lady rancher in the police station said not to try and drive it! PPFFT!! You just wanted the road for yourself lady! Both the van and the Element had no trouble at all. On the way out, we ran into a friendly border patrol agent and we talked a bit.

We finally got to Ruidosa and found the old bar that used to be there was not a bar anymore. We continued onto into Presidio, fueled up and hit the rest of the river road. As we drove past Redford Along the way, we stopped in front of Howard Goodwin's old trailer where we used to stay and visit not so long ago. We had a moment of silence for Howard who really loved Meridith's purdy salads she had fixed for dinner back in the days of traveling through. Heading further to the East, we saw a pack of burros on the side of the road. I think I saw an imprint of t a front end of a Chevy Blazer on one of those asses! DEATH TO ALL BURROS!!! As the sun was setting on the river road, we all took a dinner break at the tepees. I never knew that back in 1980 when I first came to this region I would be loving it just a much as I do now thirty years later! We made sandwiches etc. and I told stories of days past. We took some awesome pics of the sunset looking westward then headed to the Easter Egg Valley Motel. Meridith and I went out for a jaunt back from Terlingua all the way back to the West side of the River Road. We only saw a night snake and three atrox and one DOR Molossus. It was very hot and dry. The river road continues to give me the shaft as far as finding an alterna.

We all got somewhat of an earlier start this morning, Meridith and Lisa more so than my family, and we went in to Terlingua and had breakfast at a local establishment. After breakfast, Mare and Lisa took off through Big bend NTL. Park. This was a sight that I know Lisa enjoyed. I bet ya didn't see any leaves changing color over there did ya!? My family and I cruised down to closed canyon where I desperately tried to shoot lizards off the canyon wall in hopes of getting baby alterna to eat when the babies hatch. I had my temperature gun with me and it was 115 degrees in that canyon. I dare say it was the hottest I have ever felt it in this canyon. It was so hot that the lizards were two far into the crevices to even shoot them with the rubber bands. I was however able to get two large lizards that I will keep alive for scenting purposes. We all were drinking water the whole time we were walking. We all consumed a bottle of water even before we got out to walk. I sure wish it would have rained earlier that day, but it did not. After we got back to the motel, we all met up at LaKiva. If I had have realized it was going to be karaoke night, I would have moved on somewhere else! What an irritating event! You come to enjoy a beer, (that by the way is not even cold) but you have to put up with locals and otherwise "singing" for lack of a better word, and it just makes you want to hike across the desert until you pass out from heat exhaustion! I will never sit through another night of karaoke again! Sorry Meridith and Lisa. BAD choice on my part. The BBQ was good though!

Meridith and Lisa drove to Lajitas and parked the Element and we all went herping in the van. This was my last chance to score an alterna since I was only hunting two nights. It did rain like crazy in the park as I could see it from my room at Easter Egg. It even appeared to be raining toward Lajitas! This was good and I was excited about this! We would only catch two subocs, a night snake and a glossy snake which was a great source of entertainment for everyone to see me blast out of the vehicle in full pursuit as at that moment it could have been an alterna! I am not that lucky folks as many of you know! I would only catch the subocs on the east side of the big hill more toward Terlingua than anything. The west side of the big hill got no rain! I would be shut out once again. The river road once again holds it's tight grip on keeping me away from that long awaited alterna! Not even the alterna queen or eagle eyes could produce something for me! Maybe next trip? Maybe next year? Only time will tell. I certainly hope it happens before I die! It's only been 30 years now.

After we dropped off Kim the kids as well as Lisa, I dropped all collecting equipment and grabbed my digital 35mm camera. Meridith and I decided to cruise through the park via Castalon. I noticed the gate to maverick road was open signifying all was well with the roads after the huge rain storm they had. I cruised into the park to the paved part that goes to Castalon. We witnessed rocks and mud that were washed over the road but nothing that posed a problem. I saw one gorgeous atrox which you see in this update, but we saw noting else herp wise. When we got down near Santa Elena Canyon, there was one huge wash that was impassable, but not before I got too far into it. I sunk like a rock and I never got off the road! It was way too covered with rocks and mud. I had only once chance to reverse out buy reving the engine and gunning it in reverse! I went about three feet back and sunk like a rock! It was now time to bail out and grab water and flashlights and head toward the Castalon store and the park ranger residence. I was able to call Kim on the cell after dropping three times. She finally got the message than we needed help, but otherwise were OK. Meridith was able to send a text through saying to call 911 or get a ranger to pull us out of the mud. I was very concerned about the ever approaching storm coming up North from Mexico. If it started raining hard again, there was a possibility our van could be washed away! Meridith and I walked over 2 ½ miles before we finally were met by a park ranger named Jost. He was a super nice guy and I profusely apologized for awaking him for a stupid mistake on my part. On the other hand I did inquire as to why the park rangers etc. did not close the gates since the roads were washed out! The answer? "We are understaffed". What a joke! Anyway, we were glad to see him and he pulled my van out with his wench on the front of his vehicle. I went up to the Castalon store where he had dropped Meridith off while we got out of the mud. I was kind of alarmed at the fact I had to sign a waiver form just in case he pulled my bumper off the van or damaged it in any way. I wonder if you are being rescued off the mountain with a broken leg if you have to sign a waiver form in case they drop you to your death? AHHH I am just rambling! So sorry! And, also Meridith, I am once again sorry I put you through something like this. If it ain't the fuel injector going out on the blazer its me getting stuck in the middle of the night in the park. We arrived back at Eater Egg Valley at 7:30. We would sleep for only 3 hours and we all checked out. I bought lunch for everyone at the little Mexican restaurant down the road as my plea of guilt for screwing the night up and our sleep as well. Meridith and Lisa would be on there way to show Lisa more parts of Texas and head to Austin. Sorry about your speeding ticket in Junction, Mare! I swear in no way did I have anything to do with that! :(

Kim, the kids and myself decided to stay near the BEND and hunt Black Gap and stay at Stillwell's. We do this at least once every time we go down there. We herped Black Gap and saw some atrox, as well as some subocs.

Roy Engledorf showed up later in the night, we parked the van and dropped Kim and the kids off, and Roy and I went back out. No alterna were found and no surprise there! What the hell was I thinking? Me? Catch an alterna in Black Gap? I don't know what's funnier. Hoping to catch a Black Gap alterna or a River Road alterna! I couldn't stay awake any longer. I don't guess it could have been the 151 and coke I was drinking. (I was not driving by the way). Sorry about the drink in your floorboard Roy! By the way, was it my imagination or did we actually catch two subocs on that road? :( When I woke up I found that Roy had cruised back to Sanderson. He was originally going to stay at Stillwell's with us, but he said a bug had bitten him in the butt and couldn't sleep. Sorry Roy. Kim said she got the best sleep of the trip at Stillwell's! There are some nasty bugs out there though. We left Stillwell's and headed back to Sanderson. We would stay at the Outback for the remainder of the trip. Myself, Kim and the kids went herping out East of Sanderson, back to the West and then I dropped Ki and Weston off at the room. Caleb and I continued to hunt but only saw a DOR longnose 16 miles West. We would return to the room with no alterna.

We had a great breakfast thanks to Ruth who always treats us well. Weston and Caleb had a great time playing with Ruth's grandson Cole as well as their new little friend they met at the Dairy King named T.J. We passed the day way and then it was time to herp once again. We hunted out toward Langtry and all the way back only seeing a night snake! It was terrible! The weather looked awesome for alterna and I am sure some were found but not by me! After Kim and Weston "gave up the ghost" Caleb and I cruised up North on 285 and took Fm 2400 over to the road that intersects and cuts back up North to I-10. The rains hit hard and flooding occurred once again! We saw nothing but frogs and toads. It was literally a total washout!

Our last night proved to be no more than the other nights. The same ol same ol. In the wrong places at the wrong time. It was a great family bonding experience though and my kids got a little spotlight training in.

Night after I night we would be spotlighting and every game warden and sheriff that would pass just kept on trucking. Could it be that law enforcement in the vicinity understand that the NO ROAD HUNTING LAW is about as stupid as the people pushing it? I think so. It is time for them to realize that we as a free society, are not going to back down because someone "higher up" for lack of a better word, wants to discriminate against the very people who help the local economy in time of need, due to the slow part of the year. The battle over road cruising is still very much alive and I will have to say I am damned proud to be a front runner in trying to restore our "legal" rights to keep doing what I so much love to do! Rock on Herpers and good luck! May you find many alterna. See you in July!