8 January ‘09
Thursday
We’ve been at the Falcon State Park for the last two spectacular days. As an example, we awoke to the sun coming through the front windows this morning and thoroughly enjoyed the day as the temperature rose to 82 degrees. We are sitting in an amazing area… the campground is on the banks of a HUGE reservoir and at the other side of the dam flows the continuing waters of the Rio Grande. With the weather, the water, and the natural fauna this area is a bird haven. This morning we drove up to Roma to visit the National Bird Society branch and viewing area. The viewing platform sits high above the Rio Grande and gives a great over-view of the birding grounds below. We were hoping to get some information from them as to the “perfect” location for us to view the birds and get a good paddle in. They did have a suggestion for us and we took it… Back up river we found the location they were talking about. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name, but it was such a small community that you wouldn’t find it on the map anyway. We were told to drive down this paved road for about a mile, watch out for 3 or 4 “topes” (huge bumps in the road…), and continue down a narrow dirt road that begins at “the Cumquat tree”. At the end of this roadway you will find a little park (boy they weren’t kidding about being little..). This is actually a state park but you wouldn’t know it by the advertizing… Anyway, way back in the heavy and dense foliage sits a 5th wheel trailer and the host to this park. They have semi cleared out an area, set up a dozen or so feeding areas, and give a large variety of birds a place to be viewed by people like us and fed at the same time. We saw so many birds of varying colors and sizes and it gave us the “need” to get out on the water to see more.