#36 / 2004 Tour 3: Amistad, Texas

THE AMISTAD RESERVOIR       

#36

Amistad National Reservoir was next on Joe’s list of places to visit on the way to Big Bend. I told him from the beginning this was to be his trip, so it is he who sets the agenda and itinerary. Amistad means friendship. 

The reservoir is comprised of a huge lake created from the tributaries of three rivers: Pecos, Diablo, and Rio Grande. Mexico and Texas share the border of this huge lake. It was named Amistad instead of Diablo (meaning devil) Reservoir because the powers that be wanted to honor the amiable relationship between the Texas town of Del Rio and the Mexican town of Acuna, as both share the benefits of the water. There is even a “transparent border” between the two towns, which means people on either sides come and go with relative ease.

      

We got a campsite for the night for four dollars - no water, no electricity. We had the place all to ourselves. Joe and I filled up on the last of our Texas BBQ, listened to some books on tape, and called it a night.

       

We have a great sleeping arrangement now. We jokingly refer to our living room (driver and passenger seats), storeroom (back of bus), kitchen/office (middle of van with ice box, single burner to cook on, sink, seat, and computer equipment tucked away in a cabinet), and the bedroom (up top). 

There I took out the original VW cot that only held one. It is accessible when you pop the top of the van. I used the steel bars that went to the cot to make a wider frame. Then I took a folding kitchen door that a neighbor threw away and cut it to fit. Now we open the top, roll out the three sections of the door on top of the bars, and pad it all down with quilts. We love it! If it is a particularly cold night we will opt to move everything around and pull the bench out to make a bed. But most nights we hoist ourselves up and we are sealed in for the night.

It took me a long time to go to sleep in Armistad. My stomach and Joe’s made gurgling sounds from all the meat we had eaten. Outside by the lake all the number of birds made cooing noises, the frogs chimed in, and in about an hour or so a symphony of insects created a blanket of sound over the swollen lake. It occurred to me how far from being alone we really are. 

Out here we can remember we are not the only beings on earth. No one is alone really and if we could just remember to take into account all the creatures of nature instead of ignoring them, and take into consideration their own life’s journeys and purposes, the whole world would be a lot more peaceful and happy. With that thought I finally drifted off to sleep.