The Rio Grande Valley is the floodplain formed by the Rio Grande River near its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. The valley spans the border of Texas and Mexico and is a rich cultural and natural habitat region. Brownsville, at 25.9º N, is the southernmost city in Texas. It is at the same latitude as Miami. But Key West, at 24.55º N is the southernmost USA city.
We drove to the Rio Grande Valley for the fantastic birding. Being warm, humid, and far south, many semi-tropical species from Mexico and Central America occasionally nest in or visit the Rio Grande Valley. It is one of the world's major birding and butterfly hotspots. The annual Rio Grande Birding Festival, attracts participants from all over the world.
We missed the festival by one week, but that meant we were able to get motel rooms with no difficulty.
A Quick Look
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| Room with a View: America the Beautiful - McAllen version |
The cities of McAllen and Brownsville have historical origins, but most of the urban area is modern strip mall, asphalt, and commercial - pretty ugly.
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| The Wall, West Military Road, Mission, Texas (90mm ƒ/4 Elmar lens) |
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| Bollard fencing |
We were utterly astonished to round a curve on West Military Highway in Mission and see that Trump's Wall is still under construction. This was serious work with major earth work underway on the south (river) side of a tall concrete retaining wall topped with steel bollard fencing. This is a major expense, but I am glad that Mexico is paying for it. (We all know how that absurd fantasy worked out.)
How will they handle streams, runoff, and animal corridors?
South of the wall, farm fields occupy the floodplain. We could not see the Rio Grande River from the wall.
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| Mesquite tree, Resaca de la Palma State Park, Brownsville (Hasselblad, 80mm, Tri-X 400 film) |
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| Resaca de la Palma State Park, Brownsville |
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Resaca De La Palma State Park & World Birding Center is one of the fantastic birding environments in the Rio Grande Valley. The park includes the largest tract of native habitat in the World Birding Center network. We did not see too many unusual birds but spent a nice half day walking the trails.
After a few days, a major rain front passed through the Valley and we reluctantly headed back north to Houston.
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| No more gas? 6th Street, Kingsville (Fuji Acros film, Leitz 35mm ƒ/2 Summicron lens) |
Route 77 goes through some rather empty countryside. I was surprised at the number of abandoned gas stations. Gas stations that can't make money in Texas?? These pumps have the same Cyclopean alien look that I have photographed in Mississippi. Lost in Space or in Texas?
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| Riviera Food Store, 6266 S. Hwy. 77, Riviera, Texas (Hasselblad 80mm) |
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| The trumpet player, Riviera Food Store, 6266 S. Hwy. 77, Riviera (Hasselblad 80mm) |
If you want a snack, supplies, or a giant ceramic pot, stop at The Riviera Food Store.
A Couple of Color Examples
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| Mr. Trump's toilet being delivered! Does it have a telephone? |
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| The colors can be cheerful in the Rio Grande Valley - great visuals (and not too subtle) |
This ends out brief excursion to South Texas. Do visit the Rio Grande Valley. But beware, it is a long drive.
The square photographs are Kodak Tri-X 400 film from my Hasselblad 501CM camera. The rectangle frames are Arcos 100 film from my Leica M2. Thank you all for riding along.
