Day 09 - Laredo, TX to San Angelo, TX

    

 

 

Monday, March 12, 2007

 

Having put in the evening prior north of downtown Laredo, I began the day with a drive south through downtown Laredo toward the Rio Grande River and the Mexican border...

 

       

 

Mexican Import shops were everywhere...

 

       

 

As I walked for a while on the streets of Laredo I thought of the old cowboy lament that I've heard and sang so many times...

 

Streets of Laredo
 
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen
All wrapped in white linen and cold as the clay

I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
These words he did say as I boldly walked by
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
I'm shot in the breast and I know I must die

It was once in my saddle I used to go dashin'
Once in my saddle I used to go gay
It was first to old Rosie's and then to the card house
Shot in the breast and I'm dying today

Get sixteen gamblers to handle my coffin
Get six jolly cowboys to sing me a song
Take me to the green valley and lay the sod o'er me
I'm a young cowboy and I know I done wrong

Oh, beat the drum slowly, and play the fife lowly
Play the death march as you carry me along
Take me to the green valley and lay the sod o'er me
I'm a young cowboy and I know I done wrong

 

   

 

 

Approaching the Rio Grande... Mexico in sight...

 

 

I parked Bigfoot on the US side and then walked over the International Foot Bridge into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico...

 

       

 

       

 

     

 

 

I stayed in Mexico for about a couple of hours then walked back over the International Foot Bridge to the US...

 

       

 

I must say that it was interesting to be lined up with the Mexicans to get back into the US... interesting perspective...

 

 

Back in the USA after walking abroad...

 

     

 

 

 

From Laredo I headed north up Highway  83 paralleling the Rio Grande to Carrizo Springs, then Highway 277 through Eagle Pass to Del Rio. I reckon the Hat Creek Cattle Co. from Lonesome Dove would have crossed the Nueces River east of Carrizo Springs on the leg of their journey between the Lonesome Dove ranch on the Rio Grande and San Antonio. Though Lonesome Dove was a fictional place on the US side of Rio Grande River, the Lonesome Dove area can be thought of as within the triangle formed by Laredo, Del Rio, and San Antonio. I stayed fairly close to what would have been their route all the way to Montana...

 

 

 

 

Proceeding north from Lerado, across the South Texas plains...

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

 

Crossing the old El Camino Real, then Carrizo Springs...

 

       

 

 

 

 

I stopped for lunch between Carrizo Springs and Eagle Pass...

 

     

 

 

 

Eagle Pass...

       

 

 

 

 

 

On to Del Rio...

 

       

 

 

Nice door...

 

For a moment there in Del Rio I thought I was back in Griffin, Georgia...

 

 

From Del Rio to Senora...

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

     

 

 

Senora was very quite. I saw a couple of cars but not a single person. After a flashback to the Andromeda Strain I enjoyed walking around there as the sun sank low...

 

 

Continuing north, I made it to San Angelo before putting in for the evening...