Three Hour Tour

This week while Lori & Greg were visiting we went on a three hour pontoon boat ride down the Rio Grande River.  I think Greg really took the three hour tour thing to heart, from the looks of his Gilligan hat.

It was a rather cool, windy day but we were still able to see some birds along the way, including an osprey -

an egret -

and a blue heron.

As we rode along the river we were impressed by how nice some of the buildings on the Mexican side of the river were.

This beautiful home was owned by the drug cartel, but is now property of the Mexican government.  It is pretty much vacant but the government continues to maintain it.   The above arch that ends abruptly has a pump on the end of it which pumps water into the large basin at the foot of it to form a fountain.



These are a few of the many nice parks in Mexico.  This time of year is quiet along the river, as it is their winter, even though it is 80 degrees.

The above is a water skiing school and complex, also on the Mexican side of the river.
On the return trip, we noticed how run down the US banks of the river were.  Three years ago a hurricane hit the Rio Grande River valley causing severe damage.  You can tell from the photo below how high the water rose.


Before the hurricane, this was Pepe’s, a popular hangout for Winter Texans. It was destroyed once by a flood, rebuilt and then destroyed by the hurricane, never to be rebuilt again.  We did get a chance to enjoy a beer there along the river before it was destroyed.
Along our journey we also encountered some Mexicans fishing -

Border patrol on the lookout for illegals to cross -

A grill that looked like a gun -

A house on stilts that was built this past year on the US side.

and this telephone pole on the Mexican side which still works.  Guess they feel if it works, leave it alone!