Saturday, March 28, 2020

Heros (and other great people)

It is in times like these that you consider the mortality of your being and those around you.

As with most people, there have been people in my life who are standouts, or maybe even heros. This is not to take anything away from those on the front lines of the pandemic. They are true heros in every sense of the word. Considering they put their lives on the line every day, their contributions are immeasurable. In fact, the sacrifices I have seen reported have renewed my faith in mankind. I know with their help we will get through this now.

But there are others who have such an enormous impact on our lives, often without even trying or knowing. They climb mountains to overcome hardship, and just seeing what they do changes how we see life.

For me there is a gentleman I have known for about 6 years. Tom was amazing even before his challenges surfaced. He worked the beet harvest every year, snow skiied and danced every dance at every event we had. When he wasn't doing something notable, he was outdoors hiking or walking or helping someone with a project. This is all incredible because Tom is fit, but no spring chicken.

One day Tom took ill. It got him down like nothing had ever before. The doctors said he had a form of cancer, and it was pretty advanced. They began aggressively treating it with all the skills modern medicine had to offer. They seemed to have the progression slowed, but still the prognosis was not good.

Tom took it upon himself to deny the cancer's grip. He had always been one of the most active men I knew and now he was doubling down on his activity. Rather than take the doctors prognosis sitting on the couch waiting to die, Tom did everything he was doing in the past and much more. He was determined to beat this thing and he did. Today the cancer is in remission and his prognosis is excellent. He doesn't dance any better, but just as consistently. (Just kidding Tom 😁)

Of course you don't know Tom and the point of this is not to introduce him to you. Rather it is an attempt to provide a real example that nothing is impossible no matter the odds. It is also to say that at times like this, someone like Tom makes me feel I can beat this virus thing, even if I should contract it.

I check all the high risk boxes from being a diabetic to having high blood pressure to simply being a male over 65. But I am not sitting on the couch waiting for this bug to attack. I am exercising, doing projects, spending the vast majority of my time outdoors, and feeling very positive about my own prognosis. I hope you are doing the same.

I encourage you to find your hero, stay positive and defeat this damn virus. If you are a smoker or vaper, this is a great time to quit. If you have been living a sedentary lifestyle, this is the time to get active again. You don't need to run a marathon to improve your health and pump up your immune system. Just move. Since grocery shopping is a bit difficult at the moment, consider increasing fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. The stores may not have toilet paper or hand sanitizer, but every one I have been in were stacked full of fresh produce. I suspect that's because it is hard to buy more than you can eat before it spoils, so there is no hording of produce.

I believe in the CDC recommendations for isolation and staying out of large gatherings. (CDC Recommendations) I said I was confident not stupid. Plus it gives you time to think about your life, how you are living it, and how you want to live it in the future. This pandemic has changed me forever...in a very positive way. I will never take anything for granted again. It can all end in a flash.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this with anyone who might have an interest.

_______________________________________

Cindy and Terry

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Check out our YouTube channel:

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Questions or comments email us at:

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

Make your own Hand Sanitizer

This recipe was provided by a close and careing friend with her permission. In a follow up message to me she recommended the rubbing alcohol substitution. I did some additional research and saw references to using 95% rubbing alcohol if you can find it. I am not a doctor or a chemist so I can't confirm safety or effectiveness but this seems like a reasonable alternative in tough times. Of course you are making / using it at your own risk.

_____________________________________

With the news that you cant find hand sanitizer or wipes in stores I thought I would share how to make your own.

5 to 10 drops lavender essential oil

30 drops tea tree essential oil

3 ounces high proof vodka like everclear (rubbing alcohol can be sunstituted)

1 ounce pure aloe vera gel

1/4 teaspoon vitamin e oil

Mix oils and vit e in a bowl. Swirl

Add alcohol...swirl again

Combine with aloe vera and mix well.

Pour into small squirt bottle.

To make a spray, substitute witch hazel for the aloe vera and pour into spray bottle.

Make sure bottles are a dark color to protect the oils.

Do a small skin test to make sure you arent allergic.

Good luck!

_______________________________________

Cindy and Terry

Wanna see a map of where we have been?

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Check out our YouTube channel:

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Questions or comments email us at:

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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Quick update - What we are seeing

HIDALGO COUNTY COVID-19 CASE UPDATES

HIDALGO COUNTY REPORTED CASES

HIDALGO COUNTY REPORTED DEATHS

We are still in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County. As you can see from the above report, we are still having minimal cases of the virus here. But that's not to imply there are no impacts.

The county has imposed a curfew that forces evening closure of the few places still open. There is an order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10. And no food dispensary can have indoor consumption. All in all pretty much like most of the country.

Most concerning about the curfew is that it includes travel restrictions from 11pm to 6 . You can't leave the valley on either of the 2 major highways into and out of the valley during the overnight hours. They aren't providing the rationale for this action so I can't provide additional information. Hopefully this is not a peek into a broader restriction in TX or the country.

We have multiple Walmart and HEB (Large TX grocery chain) stores in the area. Both offer delivery and curb side pick up. We have been using the latter and found it to work very well. In fact it may have changed the way we shop forever.

The biggest issue we see is empty shelves in the stores. When you order online there are often things shown as available at the time you order, but are gone by the time they pick your order for pick up. They actually try to intelligently substitute with something reasonable, but that's not always possible. Still, they have done a remarkable job and we have received about 85-90% of what we order.

Of course the above does not include things like hand sanitizer, toilet paper or Clorox wipes. We have however been able to get paper napkins and paper towels so no matter what, there will be no clingons in our family 😁

The Mexican border has been closed so we no longer have the opportunity to shop there for meds and supplies. But we knew it had to happen and were prepared... That includes stocking shut-in supplies like tequila 👌

There is no issue with gas or diesel, and a plethora of fast food and carry out. We saw a sign at Pizza Hut saying they are still delivering pizza and beer. Nice!

The temps have been in the 90s and it has been windy. But being in a Thousand Trails property means we have full hook-ups and A/C. By the way, the properties here are not full.

Most of the Canadians who come here for the winter were recalled by their health insurance. Many were given 10 days to get home before their insurance would deny coverage if they contracted the virus. So they left en mass.

Other than that we are doing ok. We are hunkered down and obeying social distancing. We have enough food and water, and are spending our time doing little projects. This is the perfect time to tighten all the loose screws and clean and wax everything.

We appreciate all the wonderful wishes for health and safety we have received. We hope each and every one of you is also safe, secure and working your way through this crazy time.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested.

Stay safe,

Cindy and Terry

Wanna see a map of where we have been?

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Check out our YouTube channel:

The Next Hundred Miles

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Questions or comments email us at:

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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Corona Virus - What are we doing

This post will be pretty basic. I don't have pictures and am not sure they would be appropriate anyway.

If you have been following us you know we were heading to the NE after a brief stop in the Rio Grande Valley. That has all changed now.

We have decided to extend our stay here in the RGV for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is that as of today there are still no confirmed cases of the virus here. The RGV is an area of about 1M people spread across a wide swath of deep South Texas. The fact that we have no cases so far is a pretty amazing fact. So being Thousand Trails members affords us the ability to hunker down here and not break the bank.

There are so many unknowns with this virus. There have been some reports that the higher temps here are limiting the time the virus can live. We have been in the high 80s into the low 90s. But who knows if there is any science behind that.

We have learned to love Walmart's online grocery and pick up service. We have been placing orders online and then having them loaded into our car without ever entering the store. That would be a good thing anytime but is truly incredible in virus times.

Of course like most areas of the country, we too have issues finding hand sanitizer, bottled water and toilet paper. But with some imagination and searching we have found all of the above. Both our local Walmart and Costco have been reliable sources for water if you want to be there when they open. We have an RV dealership one exit away who has mounds of RV toilet paper. And hand sanitizer is back with reasonable ship times from Amazon.

We have done multiple trips to Progresso MX. A part of the reason we came to the valley was to have some dental work done. Cindy needed a root canal and a cap which we started when we first got here. But it requires multiple visits which had us concerned. But we got it all done and behind us before the border gets closed which seems inevitable.

While we were there I asked one of the larger pharmacy's if they had any hand sanitizer. The pharmacist handed me a 750 ml bottle of 195 proof alcohol. He chuckled and said this will kill anything and it's only $6 a bottle. Funny, right?

We also ventured into the local Walmart because I neglected to include DEF in my online order. I was blown away at all the empty shelves. Almost every area was completely decimated. No soup, no rice or pasta, no cerial or oatmeal, and on and on. It was something that made me feel like I was in a 3rd world country. BTW, I got the last of the DEF. Yup, it was all gone.

So in summary, we are laying low in the RGV unless something changes. We are well, the weather is wonderful, and other that the stock market trying to bankrupt us, we are doing ok... Today at least.

We hope all of you are as good or better. These are crazy times without any history on which to base our actions. We all just have to be smart.

Before I close out I want to mention a couple of occurances that renewed my faith in humans.

First, I saw my oldest son post on Facebook that he was temporarily out of work, and was offering to help anyone who might be hesitant to run errands or shop. Pretty cool TJ!

Then I received a text from an amazing lady I worked with almost 20 yeas ago. She said if we needed a place to hunker down and ride this out, she had room and we were welcome to come up. What a wonderful gesture Laura!

And last but not least, our very best friends have been shopping for us, feeding us, and doing their best to entertain us while laying low. Claudia and Don, you are amazing.

So thanks for reading. I hope you are well.

Cindy and Terry

Wanna see a map of where we have been?

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Check out our YouTube channel:

The Next Hundred Miles

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Questions or comments email us at:

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Saturday, March 7, 2020

Big Bend National Park - WOW!

I suspect most people have heard of Big Bend National Park, but it is significantly less visited than most other national parks. This could be because of its very remote location, or perhaps because it lies on the US / Mexico border. Regardless it is being overlooked by many who are missing a real gem.

We stayed in Rio Grande Village which is one of three (or four? - keep reading) campgrounds inside the park. Each is without hook-ups, although there is a secondary area at Rio Grande Village which has full hook-ups. Nice to have hook-ups but it is actually a parking lot with pedestals and sewer connections. All the rest of the sites are spattered with trees and very well spaced. Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood each have dump stations and fresh water. Chisos Basin does not. As well there are dedicated remote sites throughout the park, some of which are incredible, and some would be difficult to reach with a low clearance vehicle.

The cost of the dry sites was very inexpensive, and with the national parks pass you get 50% off. That discount does not apply to the remote sites.

Except for Chisos Basin and remote sites, all campsites are accessible by any size rig. The road to Chisos is restricted because of a couple of switch back turns that would be difficult to get round with a big rig. Also the campsites at Chisos are VERY small. The full hook-up sites at Rio Grande Village are also a bit small. We saw a couple of 40 footers there but it was tight.

There are multiple visitor centers, multiple very well stocked stores, and two gas / diesel stations. If you are coming in from Marathon there is nothing between the town and the park. If you can make it to Panther Junction inside the park you will find fuel to be cheaper there than Marathon. If you are entering by way of Terlingua, you will find decent fuel prices and some private campground options. There is also a great little grocery there that has everything you could possibly need.

Inside the park you have to remember that it is big and you will do quite a bit of driving if you want to see it all. There are incredible hiking trails at every turn and lots of roadside information kiosks and displays. Be sure to visit the dinosaur fossil exhibit.

Our favorite trails were the Window Trail which takes you to the top of a waterfall which drops 1000 feet from a crevasse canyon that will blow your mind. It's not about the water at this one. We also enjoyed the Balanced Rock trail and a couple of the "pour overs" trails (waterfalls only when it rains). Of course the Rio Grande enters the park through a canyon and leaves through another. The hikes into these canyons are not to be missed. There are far too many hikes to list here suffice to say you won't be disappointed.

There are many areas with real ruins at various stages of reconstruction or degradation. We really enjoyed these, especially the one which have had little or no rehab done.

There is also a natural hot spring beside the Rio Grande with an area to take a soak. The water is a constant 105 degrees and it runs out of the soaking area right onto the Rio Grande. You can drive to within a quarter mile of the spring or there is also a long trail in from Rio Grande Village. The spring is popular even in bad weather so it is best to go early if you want to get wet.

Also note that the Big Bend National Park area is the darkest area in the US. That makes for incredible star gazing. Unfortunately many in the campgrounds use outside lights so it's best to drive to one of the many parking areas outside the campground for the ultimate viewing experience.

The park has its share of javalina, coyotes, snakes and crawling things, but they didn't seem to be invasive. We did have a coyote charge through the campground, but he look panicked, simply wanting the quickest way out. We also saw one large tarantula who could not get away fast enough.

We crossed the border into Bouquilles MX which was a fun and friendly experience. After a short briefing at US Customs, you walk down a dirt trail to the river where a gentleman in a rowboat awaits to shuttle you across. The cost is $5/pp round trip. Once on the other side you can walk into town or ride a burro. I believe it is a little less than a mile so an easy walk. But there is a "cool factor" taking a burro ride like this. The burro is also $5 round trip.

Note however that your burro guide will stay with you in town and expect a tip after showing you around. Everyone was friendly and the restaurants serve good food and ice cold beer and margaritas. We never felt pressured or in any way threatened. It was a very cool experience from begining to end.

As I said, the park is huge, and it has huge elevation changes. That means there are actually different climates as you progress through the park. Chisos Basin is at 5401 ft while Rio Grande Village is at 1850 ft above sea level. We saw as much as 30 degrees of temperature difference depending where we were. It seemed that Rio Grande Village had more sun and being at the lowest area of the park, was always the hottest. Of course Chisos Basin we a bit cloudier and much cooler because of the elevation.

Did I mention the sunsets? Amazing!

All in all this was absolutely in my top 5 of places I have visited. The desert, the river area and the mountains made it like traveling to three different parks. The scenery was amazing, and while I'm not an avid bird watcher, we enjoyed the wide variety we saw. We especially enjoyed the roadrunners who often approached us inquisitively. They are very unique birds.

That's it for our review of Big Bend National Park. I expect we will return to this gem at some point in the future. It was very enjoyable and we never felt unsafe or had any second thoughts about doing anything or going anywhere in the park or surrounding area. If time allows be sure to take a side trip to Terlingua. It was a fun day for us.

Thanks for reading and feel free to share with anyone who might be interested.

Cindy and Terry

Wanna see a map of where we have been?

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Check out our YouTube channel:

The Next Hundred Miles

Slide Show of additional Big Bend pics:

Big Bend Pictures

@hundrednext

thenexthundredmiles

Questions or comments email us at:

NextHundredMiles@gmail.com