We are Westward Bound to Laredo, Texas

After spending 2016 in the eastern half of the country, our plan for 2017 is to head west. So as we left the warm tip of Texas, we pointed the motor home towards the west along Highway 83. Actually, we were heading northwest, as the highway hugs the US/Mexico border. We were surrounded by mesquite and cactus, and many of the little towns along the way felt more like Old Mexico than Texas. There was definitely a police presence along this stretch of highway, as we saw highway patrol and/or border patrol every few miles.

There was also an eye in the sky, as we saw several of these blimps tethered to the ground along the border. Part of the TARS (Tethered Aerostat Radar System), these blimps are watching the border from above.

After a three-hour drive, we pulled into Lake Casa Blanca International State Park. Mark is sitting at the top of the hill that is actually an earthen water tank, once used for holding water to fight fires in the area. Today it serves as the highest point in the state park, making a good place to watch the sunset over the lake and one of the campgrounds.

There are several trails in the park, and we rode our bikes on all of them.

We found that it's important to keep your eyes on the road. Losing your balance around one of those curves would lead to an unwelcome appointment with a prickly pear cactus.

We rode over the dam on the bike trail as the sun was getting lower in the sky. During the summer, this is a great place to watch the Mexican free-tailed bats as they leave the bridge on their nightly mosquito feast. Each one of these tiny bats can eat 1,000 insects in an hour, so this colony is a welcome addition in community. But in January, the bats have flown south for warmer temperatures. With highs in the 60's and 70's, we think this could be a great place to spend the winter.

We saw half a dozen white tail deer in the park during our bike ride, but didn't get any pictures. We did snap this photo of a few of the multitude of grackles hanging out near the entrance of the park. We stirred them off their perches in the trees as we rode past, and it felt like we were in the middle of some horror movie as birds filled the sky.

Lake Casa Blanca International State Park is on the northeast side of the city of Laredo. With a population of almost a quarter of a million people, this city has all the shopping and restaurants one could wish for. But when we consulted tripadvisor for attractions to see, we didn't find much. The main thing to do seemed to entail a visit to San Agustin Plaza. Our drive to the plaza took us right up to the international bridge and the Mexico border.

We were literally a block away from the Rio Grande River when we got to the plaza. The best part of the old plaza is the Cathedral of San Agustin. Established in 1755, it is still an active Catholic parish that was celebrating mass while we were there.

In a poor neighborhood that felt more like Mexico than Texas, we walked along the streets and ducked into a few shops. We recognized that we were one of the few people speaking English. Many of the signs were in Spanish, so it felt like we had accidentally crossed the border.

We were also surprised to see the stately Posada Hotel in this neighborhood. Complete with valet parking and a beautiful pool, it feels a little misplaced. The lobby was decorated with costumes worn at the annual George Washington Birthday Celebration. This is Laredo's claim to fame, as they host the largest month-long birthday party for the nation's first president. This year they will host the 120th annual party, and we were sad to be a month too early to enjoy a festival that should draw 400,000 people.

We had a great Mexican food lunch at the local Taco Palenque Restaurant, and did a little shopping while we were in the city. We were surprised when the first store handed us our purchase without a bag. When Walmart packed up our purchases in paper bags, we knew something was different about Laredo.

In 2015, Laredo outlawed single-use plastic bags. What a great idea! But on the local news we found that the city has been sued by the local retailers, and has already spent big money in legal fees defending this decision. The news story went on to say that the mayor plans to defend the bag ban all the way to the Supreme Court.

We always find interesting things to see and learn when we visit new places. So we enjoyed our two night stay at Lake Casa Blanca International State Park, on our first stop to points west!