Anybody want a peanut?

Hell hole campground -Cotulla, TX

There was only one way to go after yesterday.

And, fortunately, we have been going that way. Up!

We ate a quick breakfast and tried to get on the road early in order to beat the heat – and, let’s be honest, to put miles between us and rattlesnake canyon. ( Good news: this is the last day of super hot weather before a “cold” front comes in tomorrow – meaning highs around 80 – 85 degrees. )

We have some good news and some bad news…

Good news. I saw a bobcat.

He was about two feet from me – just staring up at the road. Explains why Texas State University at San Marcos – where I swam in the San Marcos River the other day – has the nickname the Bobcats.

Bad news. I didn’t get a picture because some annoying car came by and scared the bobcat away.

Good news. Just one more opportunity for me to use my amazing drawing skills so that you pretty much know exactly what this feline looked like.

Good news. We went by the town of Pearsall, and, using our amazing sleuthing skills, we figured out that Pearsall is known for its peanuts. Deduction: if there are peanuts on the welcome sign there is a good chance that peanuts are somehow a thing in the town.

And then, deduction number 2: when there are peanuts randomly on the road it is a sign that there is some type of peanut production in the town. Final deduction: where there are green plants with irrigation in a town where there are peanuts on the town sign and peanuts on the road, it is likely that the green plants are peanut plants.

Bad news. The green plants are on private land and on the other side of a 20′ strip of Texas scrub. As a side note can I just say that what looks like grass down here is probably an evil field of goat heads. This afternoon I was going to to do my back exercise in what looked like the nice grass by the campground pool. I made a huge mistake by stepping – barefoot – into this “grassy” area. Oh my god!!!

Not good at all. I spent the next hour picking goatheads out of the bottom of my feet… (For the uninitiated, goat heads are little barbed mace-like things that were made by the devil to destroy the unwary. Cannot imagine walking around down here before modern shoes. How did the Native Americans do it? No wonder they were so tough. I mean I kind of think of myself as having tough feet, but I am no match for these little shards of natural meanness.)

Anyway, we had to trespass through a field of this demon grass in order to reach the green vegetation that we had deduced was peanut plants. Fortunately we were rewarded. It was peanuts growing there. So cool. They come up easily and taste good. I mean they are not yet roasted and they could use some salt, especially when you are burning up in the hot sun, but I must say they are pretty darn good!

Bad news. You won’t be able to try them unless you get down here quick – because hungry bikers eat everything in site. Also, we somehow missed the giant peanut that the town maintains as we biked through. Which is double too bad, because a giant peanut like that would have been a mighty good clue …

No info on whether they are seedless or not.

Bad news. The town of Hope in Arkansas – where Bill Clinton is from – may have to relinquish its watermelon crown – which is too bad because that town doesn’t have much else going for it…

Good news. We reached border patrol.

Bad news. It’s still 70 miles to the actual border.

Good news.  We met a super nice Border patrol agent who told us we should be able to get through the border pretty easily. He is a biker, and he is planning to retire in a year and hike the Appalachian trail.

Bad news. His boss wouldn’t let him take a picture with us for the blog. But hopefully we’ll stay connected.

Side note. Despite Diana getting a little impatient to go as she waited in the hot afternoon sun – can’t blame her – she doesn’t like the heat, I asked the agent about the border generally. Mind you, he is, himself of Mexican background a few generations ago. His take is that it has gotten better the last few months but he said that border patrol was basically overrun for the past few years. He mentioned that he had been in El Paso and they would have 600 people crossing per shift! He said that what was really sad was people dropping kids off at the border on their own. 

Good news. We saw our French friends.

Bad news. Cyril wasn’t feeling so good and ended up spending a bunch of time in the bathroom at the Dollar General. They ended up about 10 kilometers behind us – I guess they camped along the railroad track. 

Hopefully we’ll see them again down the line but we seem to be traveling at a little different pace…

Finally, good news. Our camp site tonight is way nicer than last night. Complete with a pool and nice indoor, showers. Camp host Gary assures us that there are no 14’ rattlesnakes in the area. 

A little handicapped without a keyboard today…

But we have another one coming to Laredo – if Amazon’s locker system works…

One more (cooler) day and we’ll be in Laredo. And then – on to Mexico…