Two pleasures down here, while it’s winter in Canada, are running before sunrise and the bike club.
Some members are super-keen. Jerry and Shirley, using their tandem, take trips of hundreds of miles.
Don helped me get a snazzy new Schwinn (which I forgot to photograph) and I was ready for the twice-a-week breakfast ride. The club also does a longer weekly ride. Here we are at a Gulf Coast wildlife refuge.
This is Mike, a retired police officer from Chicago.
Jim sports a helmet AND sunhat ...
The refuge - Laguna Atascosa - is home to ocelots, an endangered wildcat. Didn’t see an ocelot, but did see a sign.
At lunch, the area lived up to its reputation as one of the continent’s great birdwatching locations. Well, at least it offered a hopeful cardinal attracted by my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Mmmmm …
This allows me to include a few other shots as people from all over the world come to the Valley for birds and butterflies. Here’s a chachalaca, a bird with a deserved reputation for noise. The name comes from its raucous cry. Click on picture for better view.
Can’t remember what these are, perhaps an oriole of some kind. Sorry.
On a backcountry road, a couple in a car starting waving at me and pointed upwards. Had no idea what it was about until I saw a bird on a line. Turned out it was the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. My new acquaintances were quite excited as it’s the state bird of Oklahoma. What's Ontario's provincial bird? Is there one? Have no idea.
Our outing today was to the local Border Patrol Station. This is one of the country’s largest, responsible for illegal migrants and drug smuggling along fifty-three miles of the Rio Grande. It’s “war” along the river, we were told, and officers completely dismissive of how Mexican authorities are handling things. Just before I came down, a U.S. immigration agent was murdered not that far from here in Mexico, so you can have some sympathy for the Americans’ attitude.
They were quite happy - no pictures - to take us into the cell area. All that separated us from a few score, unhappy-looking illegals was some thick glass.
Oh - and one officer said under no circumstances would he cross into Mexico. Far too dangerous. That’s a pity as Don, Jode and I were planning on a visit next week.
