Rio Grande Valley

The next part of our trip takes place in the Rio Grande Valley, an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas. We drove about 300 miles south to Harlingen, Texas, and set up camp at a very nice and friendly RV site. On the East Coast, we refer to those who leave the cold to spend the winter in Florida (or other warm places) as "Snow Birds".  In the west, many folks flock to southern Texas to stay toasty, and they are commonly called "Winter Texans".  Most of these seasonal renters at the RV site had already left for their northern homes a few days before we arrived, but several of those who remained came over to our RV to made sure we were all set. The office was closed on Sundays, the day we arrived, (which we were aware of from our phone call when making our reservations) and it was a little confusing as to exactly where we should park. Many sites had permament motor homes parked on them, with patios, plantings and covered foundations. But thanks to these kind residents, we soon got squared away, and called our friends, New Hampshire transplants, who now lived just down the road.

Dick and Linda DesRosiers left Manchester, NH in 2004. They absolutely love it down here, and set out to show us everything they could during the 3 days we had allotted ourselves to stay. That night they invited us to have dinner at their home. Over dinner we talked on and on, trying to catch up on each other's lives. It was almost time to leave when the strangest thing happened, something they had never seen in all their time in Harlingen. It hailed! all of us rushed out to bring some potted plants inside. Now at this time I'm thinking about the hail we just experienced a couple of days ago, and I'm hoping and praying that it's not going to stalk us on this trip. Spooky!

The next day was sunny, in the 90's, and the 4 of us drove the 30 miles to the Mexican border. With passports safely in our possession we parked on the American side, and walked across the bridge to Nuevo Progreso, dropping 2 quarters in the turnstile. We immediately knew "we were not in Kansas anymore."

As we made our way out to the walkway, we passed by heavily armed Policia Federal agents. Beggars were pushing baseball caps through the bridge walls, wailing in Spanish for handouts. We walked on towards the crowded streets. Vendors were on the street side of the sidewalk, selling all kinds of goods, none with prices listed. They were pretty aggressive in their sales approach, calling out their wares, pushing items at us and making it somewhat difficult to get by, touching us on the arm at times, and doing their best to get our attention.

Even more interesting were the shops on the other side of the sidewalk. Outside of the many doctor's offices, dental clinics and pharmacies were paid employees dressed in scrubs, hawking these services.
These were walk-in facilities, and our friends have used them to save mucho dinero. While dental procedures might cost $800.00 in the US, it may cost as little as $150.00 in Mexico. The pharmacies were also eye openers. One can purchase 90 days worth of a prescription med for a fraction of what the same med is sold for in the US. One doesn't even need to show a prescription, but they do ask to see a driver's license.

We enjoyed a nice Mexican lunch, and then the women left to go to a salon to get their nails done. A pedicure cost $11.00 dollars, a manicure $8.00. Add the customary $1.00 tip, and you were (cheaply) on your way!

On our way back to the US, we dropped 1 quarter this time into the turnstile, and showed our passports to the US Customs. No one asked to see our purchases or receipts, or asked us questions. Each visitor is allowed $400.00 worth of duty free goods for personal use every 30 days.

The following day, also sunny and in the 90's, we went birding for a while, something neither of us had ever done. Among the birds we saw were bright red Cardinals, vivid yellow Orioles, Mourning Doves and a large hen-sized bird called a Chachalaca (cha-cha-la-ca). They were feeding on orange and apple halves nailed down on feeders.

After lunch we went to the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, Texas. It features exhibits on the history of the Rio Grande Valley, as well as the rest of South Texas and Northern Mexico. One exhibit we were interested in was of a map that showed how much of Texas had once been under water.  Our friends confirmed this by telling us they occasionally dig up shells at their home when they till their gardens.

Our last day was supposed to be a beach day on South Padre Island, but it was much too windy and the beaches were flying red flags. We did take off our shoes and waded up to our ankles, just to say "Why yes, we have been in the Gulf!" Later on we sat on benches away from the blowing sand and soaked up the rays while our feet dried. We went to a different place for birding this day, and walked the boardwalk near a wetlands. There we saw a flock of wading Roseate Spoonbills, a large white bird with brilliant pink and red on its wings, and a beak that looks like, well, like a spoon, sort of.  It's apparently useful for sweeping side to side in the water, creating mini-whirlpools that pull up small prey from the muddy bottoms of shallow ponds.  Among the other birds we recognized were Egrets, Herons and red-winged Blackbirds. There was also a butterfly garden where we found a shady bench to relax and watch the fluttering visitors. Lastly, we ended our day with a stop at Sea Turtle Inc. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured sea turtles, educate the public, and assist with conservation efforts for all marine turtle species. Our friends are volunteer members of this organization, and walk the beaches during nesting season patrolling for fresh mama turtle tracks. These may lead to sand pits where the turtle eggs have been deposited and covered with sand. They then carefully relocate the nests to a safe, enclosed location, free from predators. The primary sea turtle that nests on these beaches is the Kemp's ridley.

We really enjoyed our time in Harlingen, but now it was time to say goodbye to our friends.  We needed to get ready for our next day's travel to Bandera, Texas, about 300 miles northwest. Our photos are already posted, so we'll catch y'all in a few days.

Steve & Sue Geenbaum