Texas Backroad Borders

[Laud]

In the middle of the twentieth century, the boundaries of Texas were 4,137 miles long. Ya don't say???......Hmmmm..


Hold My Beer!!!!!


Myself and some outstanding members of this community will be enjoying some incredible hospitality, great roads and awesome views! This run has been over two years in the making. To say I am excited, is an understatement!

With some words of encouragement, a couple of slight nudges and a few direct shoves, it's real now!! We will be departing Marfa TX March 10 2018 and hitting the border near Candelaria. Once we get there, we will turn the rigs right and circumnavigate the state, using backroads as much as possible. We will do our best to stay as close to the borders as possible. Our route crosses many historical routes, markers and points of interest. We will be staying in State Parks, National Parks, COE lands, National Forests, WMA camp sites and have also been invited to set up camp on private ranches along the way. We will be doing our best to document this trip and drop a trip report when finished, (along with a video series if all goes well).


Our team consist of photographers, cartographers, natural leaders, licensed communication operators, seasoned outdoorsmen and motivated exploratory travelers.

Some are all, all are some.

 

[Laud]

We all know that I am not a writer or a narrator, so bare with me as try to put on paper (ha) what my current thoughts are...


As my brain slowly tries to wrap around what our crew just pulled off in a very short time of 27 days on route and 32 days on the road....

My trip was 6080 miles, door to door.

Lodging cost for the duration was $80.

Fuel cost is still being calculated.

Grocery bill was under $300/person.

A quick trip to the vet and meds=$55


We were presented with so much amazing scenery, which typically doesn’t que up when you mention Texas..

The roads were incredible and ever changing. The hospitality was incomparable to anything I’ve yet experienced. We could not have purchased better weather. I could not have begged for a better crew, with its diversity and experience.

Moral stayed high, as did our outlook on the next day.

Old and new friends took us in as favorite family members.

Authorities applauded what we were doing and communicated forward our expected arrival times and locations.


A few recent issues that I am now dealing with, are...

Disorientation, not knowing where I am when waking up at night. Looking for Camino, wondering how he opened the back hatch, as my feet could not reach it as I am waking.


Little touch of insomnia, not having to be as alert now, has my thoughts wandering.


Thoughts of what’s next, and how am I going to handle that experience.


Wanderlust, Fernweh...these are real and very powerful feelings and urges.

I hope to continue this lifestyle and be able to inspire others.

No pics......well not yet.

A great friend of mine is doing a compilation, we will call it, of this trip.


I encourage all to try something like this!!!!

 

[Laud]

Texas Backroad Borders


Spring 2018


Laud & Rositha Maroney w/Camino

Tim Augustine

Roger Redmond w/Sydney

Mike Leary

George Flint

• Somewhere around late 2015
  • Started building a route named 4 Corners. Intent…go to the farthest cardinal points of Texas.
  • Told a few friends about it.
  • Made a plan.
  • Soon realized it was going to be a boring run…..connected the dots with a purpose, worked through the logistics, and here we are!!
• March 8
  • Camino and I departed Arlington around 13:00, enroute to Sweetwater for the evening. Set up camp on Lake Trammel with the place to ourselves.
  • Grilled a couple of pork chops and enjoyed a beer, watching the sun set.
  • Was notified Jay Are Smith was on his way to me to wish us good luck and drop off some goodies.
  • Jay Are and Katherine showed up at 23:30….discussed both of our days’ adventures and wished each other safe travels.
• March 9
  • Departed Lake Trammel with fuel and breakfast on the To-Do list.
  • Filled both items in Pecos.
  • Arrived at Balmorhea Lake to see Roger had just gotten there. Within 90 minutes, Tim, Mike and George all showed up.
  • Greetings and beers immediately followed.
  • Decals were applied to vehicles. Drones were test flown. A few issues were discovered, but worked through.
  • Camp Fire discussion……..BitCoin…..
  • Left over pork chop and beers for dinner.
• March 10
  • Roger headed out towards Van Horn to pick up Mason Weems (land owner) who would join us for the first week.
  • We all met again in Marfa for a fuel stop and lunch.
  • Pinto Canyon Road was an excellent intro of what we were about to enjoy for the next few days.
  • First touched our route in the Ghost Town of Ruidosa.
  • Group Photos.
  • SO MUCH COOL ROAD!!!!
  • Passed on first invited stay location at an old air strip.
  • Checked out a small memorial cave. Assisted locals out of a stuck situation.
  • Very neat downhill section with large rock formation overhang.
  • Many drop gates across much private property. (permission’s were granted)(read above logistics comment)
  • Met ranchers on a Kubota SxS. Stated we were the most traffic they had seen in years.
  • Unique marsh land….salt stained, burnt stumps, natural arch on Mexican side.
  • Arrived on guests’ property. Explored on foot for two days.
  • Tended to an old and forget cemetery, believed to be part of the old Brite Ranch. I’ll let you do some cool (1917 and 1918) research on that one….
• March 11
  • Data dump. Great food day. Shelter area clean up. Large fire in tractor rim fire ring. Drinks and shenanigans.
• March 12
  • Departed our hosts’ property and headed to Van Horn. More excellent roads and views.
  • Met with Border Patrol and talked for a while.
  • Fuel and fluid refills in Van Horn. Chuys restaurant for lunch. I did some work related qualification testing.
  • Arrived at Indian Hot Springs (Private Ranch) Approached from the back access gate. Awesome road and views.
  • Met up with our host and ranch hand. Terrye and Ruben. Amazing people!
  • Left over pork steak and beers for dinner.
  • The property dogs and ours, played for hours.
• March 13
  • Lazy morning, no breakfast. Dogs played even more.
  • Drone research and practice and settings adjustments.
  • Given a tour of the property. Handed keys to the Jeep and Polaris.
  • Buffalo Soldier Battlefield and memorial.
  • Mayfield Canyon.
  • Buddy House, Lake House (old General Store), and mountain lion traps with bait goats…..
  • Visited a grave site of 3 unknowns….believed to be a squaw and 2 children. Respects payed.
  • CRAB BAKE AND CRAB BOIL!!!
  • Laundry started by all that evening.
  • Showers and Hot Spring soaks were enjoyed.
• March 14
  • Lazy Day, organized truck, abandoned village (2008 flood) exploration with guide. (Ruben)
  • Beautiful Church, school, cemetery.
  • Grilled Ribs, Dutch Oven Soup.
  • Gift giving and dinner for our host. All devices charged and ready to go. Burnt all trash.
  • Fed the bait goat in the canyon….in the dark….
• March 15
  • Sadly departed Indian Hot Springs.
  • Mike and George parted ways with us and headed back towards real life.
  • Roger left the group for the evening, to take Mr. Weems back to his vehicle in Van Horn.
  • Tim and I continued on towards El Paso. Late lunch in an old taco shop.
  • Stopped in at the Chamizal National Monument and got a private tour by Park Ranger. (Monument was closed for construction)
  • Accomplished the FAR WEST point of TEXAS….in the dark…
  • Grabbed a night panorama shot of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez from the Franklin Mountains Pass.
  • Fuel and Groceries outside of Ft Bliss.
  • Arrived late to a Hard Landing area….just outside of Dell City.
  • Set up camera for night shots and called it a night around 02:00
• March 16
  • Woke up at the face of the Salt Basin Dunes. Beautiful morning!
  • Drone footage of Roger joining us again.
  • Hiked into the dunes for a few photos.
  • Checked out the Salt Flats of TX.
  • Stopped in Guadalupe National Park for the keys to Williams Ranch….road closed due to construction…grabbed patch and left to visit the Piney Station, a stop on the Butterfield Overland Postal Route.
  • Met with Terra Firma Roamers on their return trip to the Gila NF at Red Bluff Reservoir.
  • Brats and chocolate cake for dinner. Drinks and story tellin’.
  • Data dump. Spy Drone visited us for a while….(local operator) chatted till 01:00
• March 17
  • Said goodbye to TFR crew as they concluded their trip.
  • We departed and followed a very slow and long stretch of lease road, through a very active gas field. Allowed entry to private section (read logistics) and continued out of gas operation area.
  • Stopped for good fuel and bad food in Kermit.
  • Got on an old, unmaintained lease road through an old oil patch with still pump jacks and great torn up roads….
  • Neat Benchmark in the SE corner of NM and TX. First I’ve seen of its kind. Plastic covered with opening at BM. Pretty red sand dunes on the road.
  • Encountered our first turnaround…H braces with a chain and cable…no attached fence, respected that and rerouted.
  • Landed at Muleshoe NWR. Reece McPhillips joined us that evening. Tortellini and cake for dinner. Light rain at 03:00.
• March 18
  • Woke to a light rain
  • Departed at 07:30. Fuel and breakfast at the Wolverine Café in Texico….great food!
  • Held a great pace all day. Very cool High Plains scenery and abandoned homesteads.
  • Dropped off of the Cap Rock Plateau, very unexpected. Lots of deer and antelope.
  • WIND, WIND, a little more WIND, LARGE GRASS FIRE and some WIND!!!!!
  • Landed at Upper Plum Creek camp area at Lake Meredith.
  • Steak & Beans in the 4W Camper….beers and stories…
  • Wind shook the truck all night.
• March 19
  • Departed Plum Creek and grabbed nice free showers at Sanford Yake Park.
  • Said good bye to Reece, talked with old Nissan Camper owner. Been full time on the road over 3 years to date.
  • Topped off potable water. Large grass fire near Channing.
  • Dirt all day after Romero. Roger low on fuel. Cold front coming in. Fuel in Texline. Bananas for brunch. First talk to home since start, all good.
  • Found NW corner of TX Benchmark after digging it out. Proceeded to 1 of 2 Three State intersections. NM-OK TX.
  • Herd of racing Antelope. Arrived at Thompson Grove camp site, part of the Rita Blanco Grasslands.
  • Pork steaks and potatoes. Interviews. Data Dump. 31 degrees and dropping….
• March 20
  • Woke to fresh, frosty windows. Ice covered inside from condensation. Granola bars for breakfast…
  • Found entrance to Buffalo Springs Historical Marker. Excellent Two Track.
  • Invited in to visit the Oslo Church. Amazing pipe organ!! Do a little research on this one…..
  • Found Reference marker for the NE Corner of Tx. Multiple 100th Meridian Markers from Supreme Court…
  • Stopped in at Gene Howe WMA….full of grass burs, very bad! Elected Lake Marvin CG instead, within the Black Kettle National Grasslands. First pay site since start of route.
  • Dept. Sherriff, Gabriel Fisher, visited and told us a little about the local attractions. Great guy!
  • Chicken Quesadillas and beers for dinner. Over 300 mile day, completed TX Panhandle section of the trip.
• March 21
  • Slept in till 07:30. Walked Camino to the lake and grabbed some morning aerial footage. Reset trucks, laundry, groceries, brunch. Canadian River Wagon Bridge walk.
  • Back tracked to finish what we bypassed in the dark….excellent two track through a private ranch.
  • Chicken Fajitas and beers for dinner (noticing a trend). Data Dump. Slept in clean sheets with a clean and dust free CPAP.
• March 22
  • Fueled up in Canadian.
  • Best roads since Rio Grande section….Sandy and scenic. Checked out Red Rock School house.
  • Arrived into Cooper Breaks SP just after dark.
  • Smoked sausage stir fry and beers for dinner.
• March 23
  • Roger and Tim grabbed showers and left some of their stuff in the stalls (to be discovered later this day). I cooked a potato, bacon, onion and egg skillet for breakfast.
  • Patch and SP Pass on our way out. Rositha elected to join for remainder of trip.
  • Mainly paved back roads to North Buffalo Creek Reservoir. Roger went into town for CO2 refill. I did a rapid (320 mile) recovery of Rositha to Arlington and back. Tim managed data dump. David Williams showed to visit with the crew. We arrived back at 23:30, said goodnight and fell out.
• March 24
  • Tim recovered items from Cooper Breaks SP first thing in the AM. Roger topped off fuel while waiting for Tim to return.
  • Proceeded to Lake Texoma beach site. Grabbed some aerial footage at multiple locations along the Red River, to include the Bluffs.
  • Zach Sleigh arrived in front of us, Roger got hung up in the Forever Puddle. Pulled in at dark.
  • Mashed potatoes-cabbage-bacon and beers for dinner.
• March 25
  • Rogers 46th Anniversary today. He spent a little more time in the Forever Puddle on our way out….Sites today included Dennison Dan, Carpenters Bluff and great canopy covered roads. Fuel in Gainesville.
  • Zack and Ruby had to depart shortly after noon.
  • Landed at Coffee Mills Lake in the Caddo Mills Grasslands. Grilled steaks and sweet corn with beers for dinner.
  • Clouds rolled in. Data dump. Visit from local Sherriff asking info about a complaint from across the lake. He also gave us some great info for us to see along our way.
• March 26
  • Started outrunning a large storm…
  • Great roads with canopy, cemeteries, swamps, large Brand and Marking marker at Great Northern Trail marker, Doan’s Adobe house.
  • Detoured around Chapman Ranch. Fuel in Nash.
  • Atlanta SP closed due to flooding, landed at Jackson Park operated by COE. Grilled pork loin, vanilla cake and beers….
  • Much warmer tonight, expecting rain for a few days.
• March 27
  • Fair paved roads, single track, some dirt roads. 2 of 2 Three State intersection marker, AR-LA-TX, Last known International Boundaries Marker. BBQ lunch with Sam at gro-ery store in UNCERTAIN.
  • Drove the sunken road, lost an action camera full of data. Fuel in Waskom. Arrived at Ragtown CG around 7…Tacos and beers for dinner. No hot water in showers….booooo. Bed by 22:00
• March 28
  • Access to the Far East point of TX was locked, took second best option at the Sabine River Bridge. Still in front of the rain….4 turn-arounds due to logging operations and locked gates.
  • Lunch in Newton….mehhhh. 5 minutes of good rain….
  • Made it to Sea Rim SP. Raviolli dinner.
  • Storm rolled in around 02:30…I got concerned about flooding and being trapped (been in similar situation and will never forget)…packed down and ready to move…Talked down and slept in front seats. Was then taught about sea level without hurricane swells and why rivers flood….we never stop learning!!
• March 29
  • Grabbed donuts and coffee then explored the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historical Park….in the sideways rain…weather let up, skies turned blue..
  • Stopped in Winnie to do laundry and grab lunch at Machos…good food!
  • Grabbed pics of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse before taking the Ferry ride over to Galveston Island. Cool boat ride!
  • Got invited to stay with local friends. Showed up to stay HI, block party waiting for our arrival…Juan had smoked briskets, plural, pounds of smoked sausage, homemade breads, crawfish etouffee, cookies and, and, and…What an awesome evening for all. Caught the sunset from a boat in the bay… Blessed we are!
• March 30
  • Returned to Galveston and finished the Sea Wall. Stopped at Galveston SP for showers…amazing facilities!! Stopped for groceries.
  • Stopped to stretch legs at LCRA FM251. Made sandwiches and enjoyed the shade.
  • Dropped into Indianola to check out the Historical markers and the statue….do a little research on this location….
  • Stopped into a longtime friend’s house (Garth and Destiny) for the evening, parked in the gated backyard and fired up the grill…three racks of spareribs and beers for dinner, along with brisket and salads!!
• March 31

• • Dropped into Mustang Island for the view, Camino ate something…..Kingsville for BBQ late lunch. 71 miles down the road, we discovered we were missing a camera. Tim returned and retrieved. Roger and I continued out to South Padre Island to meet David Gonzales. Tim joined shortly after we arrived. We stayed 5 miles up, past the last access. Aerial footage
  • An evening of beers, wine, wind, sand and great company!!
• April 1
  • Woke up early to a sick dog….and a beautiful sunrise. Pressed through Brownsville, washed vehicles, minor grocery items.
  • Stopped short of the Far South Point of TX by private property. Checked out the (missing) Bench Mark reference point. Talked with Border Patrol and local Sherriff about our trip and where we were. They agreed it was cool and were happy to see we respected the private property.
  • By local advice, we checked out the 900 year old Bald Cypress tree behind the security fence…Border Patrol was expecting us to drop in and see it…great comms on their part.
  • Arrived at Falcon Heights County Park. Aerial footage of water tower. Buffalo Chicken noodle casserole and beers for dinner. Still a sick dog.
• April 2
  • Grabbed morning showers before departing. Stopped in Eagles Nest for lunch and cleaned up after a sick pooch. After Laredo, followed Mines road up to Del Rio then on into Langtry to check the evening sun on the bluffs..
  • Decided to stay in Marathon at the RV Hotel, for an early approach into BBNP to get the site of our choice. Camino is still sick.
  • Left over brisket for dinner.
• April 3
  • Woke early to take Camino to the Vet in Alpine when they opened, while Tim and Roger proceeded into the NP to obtain our site for the evening.
  • Camino got a shot and a 5 day set of meds. We met with the rest of the party at Panther Junction after getting our week permit and NP Patch.
  • Continued down to River Road and out to our campsite of Loop 1. Arrived early to get the dogs out of the vehicles for a bit and for us to rest for a few hours while unwinding and taking in the beauty around us. Dinner was Gumbo from Juan and beers and wine.
  • This short day of travel was a nice morale boost. Camino finally ate some dinner and kept water down tonight.
• April 4
  • Slept until 9. Camino feeling a little better, but still lethargic and no appetite. Breakfast on the Skottle and enjoyed the warming sun.
  • Stopped to hike into Santa Elena Canyon. Roger and I stayed with the dogs. I cleaned out the fridge after a short power loss. Moved out of the National Park and up to Study Butte for fuel and beverage resupply.
  • Pulled into Sandi’s place early, helped relocate her new outhouse structure. Met Amy and Bandit.
  • Grilled pork loin, baked beans and beers and wine for dinner. Camino feeling a little better.
• April 5
  • Camino back to himself.
  • Departed Terlingua, stopped in Lajitas for deli sandwiches and beverage resupply. Stopped on the Big Hill for lunch and watched 22 canoes paddle down the river.
  • At 14:00, we completed our route, celebrated with a champagne toast, group photo and then proceeded up to Monahans Sandhills SP for showers and a relaxing evening. Breakfast skillet and beers and wine for dinner…
  • This concluded our route, but we had another event to attend, so the trip is not over.
• April 6-7-8
  • Texas Overland Spring Round Up
  • 84 degrees Friday afternoon……27 degrees Saturday night with a high of 44!!
  • Frozen rain covered the vehicles as people huddled and made new friends..

 

[Laud]

 

[Laud]

 

[Laud]

 

[SilveradoTX]

As someone who had been thinking of almost this exact route, I was excited to see someone tackling it.

Glad it was a success.

 

[G.C. Gordon]

Amazing trip. Thanks for sharing it with us. Makes me miss Texas even more.


OB #4388
95 fzj 80 Land Cruiser

 

[Laud]

We are deep in the editing process of a short series for all to see and hear the storiy of the trip.
Hoping for late summer of ‘18 for the first drop. We all have jobs, so time is not free anymore.

 

[Etoimos]

Sounds like a great trip. Looking forward to more imagery.

 

[Laud]

 

[rockymntjeeper]

View attachment 57197 In the middle of the twentieth century, the boundaries of Texas were 4,137 miles long. Ya don't say???......Hmmmm..


Hold My Beer!!!!!


Myself and some outstanding members of this community will be enjoying some incredible hospitality, great roads and awesome views! This run has been over two years in the making. To say I am excited, is an understatement!

With some words of encouragement, a couple of slight nudges and a few direct shoves, it's real now!! We will be departing Marfa TX March 10 2018 and hitting the border near Candelaria. Once we get there, we will turn the rigs right and circumnavigate the state, using backroads as much as possible. We will do our best to stay as close to the borders as possible. Our route crosses many historical routes, markers and points of interest. We will be staying in State Parks, National Parks, COE lands, National Forests, WMA camp sites and have also been invited to set up camp on private ranches along the way. We will be doing our best to document this trip and drop a trip report when finished, (along with a video series if all goes well).


Our team consist of photographers, cartographers, natural leaders, licensed communication operators, seasoned outdoorsmen and motivated exploratory travelers.

Some are all, all are some.

Awesome! Wish I had been around back then.

 

[Laud]

Episode 2.
Enjoy.

 

[Laud]

 

[justjames]

Really enjoying your videos, thanks for doing this.

 

[Laud]

Really enjoying your videos, thanks for doing this.

I also enjoy the vids, you miss so much when ya lead a trip. These are turning out excellent. Thanks for following.

 

[justjames]

I hope to see some of those areas soon. We were planning to leave NC next week headed for the Big Bend area and coming thru the panhandle while enroute. At this point I guess I'm going to wait for our "elected swamprats" in DC to settle the budget so the Natl Park Service can get back up and operating.

 

[Laud]

 

[Laud]

 

[BlueLineOverland]

Exactly why you're the KING Laud!!!!!

Mason