This Google Earth map shows a little detail of our current location.
The yellow Pin to the right is our current gate assignment. To the North of us is a small dusty, mostly oil town of Catarina, Texas. It is just about eleven miles away. To the South of us, probably I would guess between 20 and 25 miles is the Mexican border which of course is denoted by the Rio Grande. Life here is defined by the numerous illegals that make their way through this area. It is a brutal hike by those attempting to get into the United States. When they get to this point most are dehydrated, exhausted and some need medical attention. According to a ranch hand trash is abundant through the area of abandoned backpacks, clothes and other items. We have picked some of that up ourselves. Some can be seen just walking along the side of the road. Ostensibly giving up and wanting to get picked up. Daily accounts in local newspapers of bodies being recovered in the border river or ICE officers arresting smugglers attempting to cross the border into the US with various amounts of drugs. No secret but many other nationalities from around the world also attempting to cross the border. This was recently reported following large trucks stopped in Mexico containing up to several hundred people from all over the world who had spent thousands of dollars for passage. Speculation that a possible new immigration law is producing a surge in illegal immigration. The US Border Patrol trying to keep a leg up on this problem. Twice this past week illegal activity has disrupted our operation at the gate. BP officers in their green uniforms come through our gate daily and ask us if we have seen anybody.. Lisa and I talk with the roughnecks that work here and true or not, almost everybody has a story or stories describing some experience. I can't vouch if the stories are true but on the gut level you know they are. Some describe seeing smugglers with guns and backpacks. Other stories involving innocents forced to become mules under threat of death to themselve's or their families. I am being a whole lot less graphic than the actual incidents that were told to us. Other than the gate disruptions, our experience has only been mischief. They disconnected our water supply which allowed half to drain out in order to fill a couple of bottles. Lisa described them as a young couple who were picked up by the Border Patrol a few miles later.
Hell, we've only been here two weeks.
Speaking of Catarina, this is mostly just a dusty oil town that once had an interesting past. Here is a cool link to a slide show of the Palms motel that has long since been abandoned located in Catarina.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/3039749253/in/photostream/lightbox/
And another: http://www.photoblog.com/bcofer/2013/03/26/
And for the heck of it, a great little restaurant featured in Dives Drive ins and Diner's in Austin. I can talk about it because it's my Blog.
Toodles
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