Life Rocks when your living room rolls
 We are heading to Big Bend RV Park in Terlingua, TX. After getting on the road late we filled up and planned our first stop to be about 3 hours. We have driven much further on a full tank of gas but with the wind working against us it was dropping quicker than usual. We had about 4 miles until our exit and it happened. We ran out of gas. When we bought the camper we got RV One free for the year. This is the software we use to route our trip and GPS it but it also offers roadside assistance. Chris calls and gets a gas delivery on its way. A vehicle pulls in front of us and we see it’s a sheriff. He comes out to check to be sure we are safe. We tell him we have a delivery on its way and he heads back to his cruiser and leaves. After about 30 minutes I take the dog out on the side of the interstate so she could walk her legs and use the bathroom. We were navigating around cactuses, debris of all sorts and the wind was wild. Chris gets a call back from roadside assistance saying the truck had another job they were getting to and then they would be to us in probably about 45 minutes. Once we get that call, I go to make lunch in the camper. That was scary. Every time a truck goes by it feels like a gust of wind is going to flip the camper over. I finally get lunch made, use the bathroom, close everything up, and head back to the truck. While Chris and I are eating, a truck pulls in behind us. Chris gets out as he thinks it is the gas delivery to find it was just a random bystander pulling over to see if we needed help. Chris tells him that we have run out of gas. The guy says he has some in the back of his truck. He pulls out a 2 gallon jug and fills up all he has in our truck. He said he would follow us to the exit to be sure we make it safe. Chris hands him some cash for his help, hops back into the truck, and starts it up. That was the best sound ever. We pull out and just over the hill is the exit. We seriously couldn’t been any closer. We pull up to the pump and Chris gets out to fill up the truck. He sees the guy has pulled in. He is going to walk over to ask if he could fill his jug but the guy has pulled back out. It is these people who make me have hope for mankind. Thank you sir for your kind act I hope you feel it in return someday.  Once filled, Chris calls back to cancel the gas delivery and we get back on the road. The clouds seem to be dark in the distance. I look at the radar to see the weather along our route. Well shit, this sucks, we get to drive right thru a thunderstorms. Luckily for us the storm stayed off to the side. We watched lightning in the distance the whole drive. We had rain, dark clouds, and some lightning but it could have been worse. The sun has completely set and we are finally out of the storm with it only being a light rain. We are now in a dark sky area so there are no lights and the markers in the road are super faint. We are driving up over a mountain range so it’s switchback after switchback. The delight was when our GPS showed we only had 20 minutes and were starting to see homes scattered along the roadside. It was about 7:30 when we pulled into the RV Park. We missed the park entrance and pulled into the store in front of it. I walked over to the office and got checked in. I walk back to give Chris the information. We pulled over in front of the office and a staff member drove us to our spot. It was so stinking dark. Once he shows us where our site is he is off. Let me tell you, trying to back into a site in the dark, in the mud, and be sure it is leveled, man was that work. We get it finally all in place and disconnect it from the truck. Since it is so late Chris only plugs power in and will do the water and sewer hose in the daylight. I go inside to get things pulled out and put in place for the week. Once done we sit for a bit to unwind and then get ready for an early night to bed. Opening the door to bring the dog out the next morning was seriously magical. Driving in and not being able to see what was around us to see these huge rocks all around and the sun just coming up over them, I can’t even explain it. We were finally out of green trees and in a whole different terrain that I was so excited to start exploring.
Again, this is so different than anything we have been in yet. It is all desert. Dirt, rocks, and more rock mountains. I love it. This trail leads to some petroglyphs that we end up locating. I had to climb the rock then realized on the way back down it was way steeper than I was comfortable with. We walk around the area a bit more then begin our walk back to the bikes. My tire is starting to get flat again but I had brought the air pump just in case so we pumped up the tire and made our way back to the camper. We spend the evening outdoors making dinner and sitting by the fire. Ending our Sunday evening perfectly while also thinking that tomorrow was Christmas. This will be my first ever not spending it with the kids or family. Chris and I put our gifts out and filled a few items in each other’s stockings as well as Smokey’s. We cuddle her up and make our way to bed. It almost doesn’t even feel like a holiday. It’s just so different than what I have had my whole life. From the weather, the surroundings, and missing the kids. After I take the dog out for her morning bathroom break, Chris and I exchange gifts and sit around relaxing and Facetime the family. We go to the restaurant in the RV park as they are open and serving brunch. We have a great meal with a couple of mimosas then head back to the RV to get ourselves ready to head into Big Bend National Park to do a hike.  The park is only about 3 miles from our campground but it’s such a huge park it takes us 30 minutes to get to the trailhead. We hiked 5.05 miles on Loss Mine Trail which was a fairly easy hike with some switchbacks and gradual climbs. The top was beautiful overlooking many mountain tops. I was surprised by the amount of people who were out on the trail being Christmas but it was nice how often people wished us a Merry Christmas. Once back at the camp, we took Smokey outside to play for a bit and get some energy out. Then we got in comfy clothes, prepared dinner outside watched the sunset then finished the night by the fire feeling very blessed to be living this life. Tuesday morning I go for a run out behind the campground and Chris does a HIIT outside. He has to get back into the work grind so after he gets ready and jumps on I shower, get ready, make breakfast, and then start planning out the rest of the week to be sure we can see as much as possible. Once Chris was done work we decided to take the dog and go into Terlingua to check out the ghost town and cemetery. We stopped to have a bite and drink at High Sierra Bar & Grill since it was a dog-friendly restaurant. We ended up meeting another full-time RV couple who were younger than us. It was great exchanging our travel stories. We laughed when we realized we seem to be on a similar route. We said our goodbyes then headed back to the campground where we hung out for the evening taking it easy. The next day was a pretty chill day with Chris working and me cleaning and doing laundry. We took a break during the day to run up to Desert Sports to grab a tube patch kit. Chis fixes the tire on my e-bike when we get back. That evening we stayed chill around the campground and made it an early night knowing the next day we were going to get up early. Chris has taken the day off but we set an alarm to be up and out to beat the crowd at the hot springs. We took Smokey out to get some energy out, got ourselves ready, made breakfast and a small lunch to bring with us then headed out. It was almost an hour’s drive to get to the Ernst Ridge trailhead. The view while driving through Big Bend is fascinating. I have never seen mountains like this before.  The directions were a little off for parking at the trailhead but we figured it out and started our trek. It was a 5.5 round trip so just under 3 miles we were at the hot spring. We were so happy to only see a few people there. We got undressed as we had swimming wear on and made our way to the spring. It was so awesome with rocks making the hot spring pool and just on the other side ran the Rio Grand. We soaked for a bit then hopped into the river. On our 100 bucket list scratch-off poster there is a "stand in two countries at the same time" so we were able to scratch it off since we were in the USA and Mexico. After about 45 minutes we got dried off and started to make our way back. It was such a beautiful trail following the river and crossing over ranges that made you feel you were the only person on this earth. Once at the truck, we stop at the visitor center to find a sticker and drive the hour to make it back home. I love that even though we have only had Smokey for 2 weeks she can chill in the RV, not bark, have no accidents, or chew anything the whole time we are gone. We take her out for a long walk and play to let her run off some energy. Then it’s time to get comfy, make some dinner, and chill by the fire until bed. Chris is up and at work early so we can hop off early to take the e-bikes into the park for a ride. I get things already, take Smokey out, then we jump on the bikes and leave just after 3 pm. We are riding down Old Maverick Road, an OHV road that is shaky and dusty. It still was pretty cool being out on the bikes riding with the wind in our faces. We made it to the end and stopped at Santa Elena Canyon Overlook then turned around and headed back down the dirt road.    We stopped to take photos of Luna's Jacal. Gilberto Luna built this small dwelling and lived here until 1947. Unfortunately, about 18 miles in we ended up losing power so we had to peddle the rest of the way. I knew I couldn’t make it the additional 3 miles from the park entrance to the campground so Chris rode his back, grabbed the truck, and came back to pick me up. I am so lucky to have a man that will do these things for me. We loaded the bike in the back of the truck and made our way to camp.  After taking Smokey out and changing we went back into Terlingua to get dinner at Starlight Theatre. It was such an awesome place. It’s an old movie palace that turned into an eatery with live music and funky decor. After eating we chilled and had a few more drinks and watched the band. We talked about how much fun we had over the past week and about the weekend we had ahead of us. Saturday when we woke up we began getting ready to head out on the road early. We had things all picked up, brought Smoky out for a run, and then headed to our next stop. We have a busy weekend ahead of us.
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