More steps and more dodo

1/4/2021

Before getting into todays adventure let me back up some. In the last post we were way back in the park on a 4×4 trail. What I didn’t mention was that when we turned around we started smelling gas, now we were back in there probably 4-5 miles off that $#@#$% rough gravel road. I will admit I was some worried. We smelled gas for most of that 4-5 miles out. Once we got on the gravel road we didn’t smell it anymore.

Then it snowed, well it rained first. Being a snow lover I really wanted to go and get out in it and we did some. It was true the snow was getting deeper and there was nobody on the road and there is no cell service for several miles back towards town. All the while in the back of my mind was the gas smell, what caused it?  A gas line leaking? will it break at some point? As we’re driving along, in my mind at least I was watching the gas gauge going down and down, that’s the real reason I turned around.

The jeep continued to run fine we didn’t get out of cell service over New Years weekend,  just in  case. This morning I ran up to what I thought was an auto repair guy, he only does tires. The other day I got a couple of names from Auto Zone of a couple of locals who do work, it turns out neither of them spoke much English and I don’t speak Spanish so those were a bust.

We took off towards Fort Davis. It’s about 90 miles away. That’s also the direction of any repair shop, if needed. Up and back with no problems.

The only thing I can think of is something Mary voiced when we were in the back country, is that the vehicle that we talked to before we turned around, was the one leaking the gas. Now they were at least 20 minutes or more in front of us and out of sight. My thought was and still is kinda that any gas they may have leaked would have evaporated do to the sunshine and slight breeze. Where did the gas smell, kinda strong at times, come from, I really wish I knew.

Now back to the regularly scheduled boooooring goooooo.

We took a ride up to Fort Davis today, it was about 90 miles each way and I gotta tell ya, that in the beginning I was a tad worried but as we drove and we never smelled any more gas.

Fort Davis started in 1854, and was in use up until 1891. Dang that was one large fort back then and located in a box canyon, with over 100 buildings and housing for over 400 men. From what I could tell it didn’t have any kind of fort wall but because it was in a box canyon it could only be attacked from the front.

They have a few trails here, we chose to walk 2 connecting trails making a loop. First up was a .4 mile hike to an overlook, boy that was some hike. Up and up, steps and more steps. At first it was just a pile of droppings here and there but the higher we got it became impossible to avoid all the dodo. While we didn’t see who left the deposits it’s clear that they are in abundance, probably to many, as much of the ground looked to be disturbed by the forging critters.

Leaving the over look we chose to do the decent on the .8 mile trail, that had just as many steps. It  was a good walk over all but by my math .4 miles + . 8 miles sure felt like about 15 miles, I can’t believe how out of shape I am UGH!!!!

We drove by snow drifts on the way up and back.

I’m not sure just how far we walked because Mary’s app thing had a Mary malfunction:)

The End