Journal of Scott Lashbrook

a.k.a.

"BILL"

03-13-98

Day of departure for unknown adventure, yet no clear sense of what time that may occur. I felt like a child today, waiting for Christmas morning. Hours felt like an eternity that afternoon. Ray and I meandered around town until darkness feel, and that is when everything started coming together. Everyone began dragging out their gear; some had more dragging than others. Finally we were underway, destination Mexico. The van was loaded to the rim with unbelievable amounts of excess girl baggage, but I guess that was to be expected. Even though we were a thousand miles away from Mexico, the entire van was wild with anticipation. The excitement of foreign travel and meeting new people entertained our thoughts and conversations that first night on the road.

03-14-98

We drove all night and have reached, after a multitude of stops, Laredo, Texas. I thought I knew what stress was until I drove the streets of Laredo during the morning rush hour traffic. I don’t know if it was the lack of sleep or Garth’s endless tales, but I was starting to unravel like a frayed rope. Drivers honking, people talking, and not knowing where the hell I was going was wearing me mighty thin. The last thing I needed was ten back seat drivers which is exactly what I had. At the border I was about to completely freak out and need some serious psychiatric help. Garth was cracking jokes about all sorts of felonious activities while the border guards peered into the van. I don’t know why, but I was scared. Visions of Mexican prison clouded my mind. Unbelievably we made it through with no problems. Some of my unwarranted worries became visible to me. Even though I felt like I had an open mind, there were still some things that I couldn’t change quickly about yourself.

Once through the border, we spent a few hours relaxing and stretching while we obtained visas and car stickers. Only minor problems with a couple of students not having the sufficient paperwork to obtain a visa. We had two options. Leave them behind or smuggle them along. The choice was a good one. Nobody gets left behind on Bruce’s shift.

We made it through the maze of back streets in Nuevo Laredo. The difference in driving in Mexico was already apparent. Next stop was dinner, our first authentic Mexican meal. The goat was excellent, and the beer that washed it down was just as grand. Our next stop was Bustamante Canyon. We made it there after dark. It didn’t feel like we were in a canyon because we didn’t drive down any steep roads, but that misconception cleared before the low lying clouds did the next morning.

Ray and I had a nice dip in the warm spring. The first bath in nearly two days. The next thing you know ole Ray and I are singing around a campfire with another group. Some firefighters and EMTs from Texas were at the canyon to rock climb and camp. We had a great time and made some new friends.

03-15-98

Bustamante Canyon surrounded our camp. The cliffs erupted from the Earth and shot skyward into the clouds. Ray, LeeAnn, and I trekked up one of the easier slopes to enjoy the view. We beat our way up the canyon through a jungle of splinters, thorns, and prickly pears, and reaped the benefits from near the top. The campsite looked like a speck at the bottom of the canyon. I felt like I had conquered Everest!

Once again we hit the road. We drove forever in the desert. Another new climate and habitat that I experienced on this journey. We stopped at the Tropic of Cancer. Until then, it was a line on a map. Now it seemed real to me.

03-16-98

We arrived at the beach that we shall call home for the next five days. My first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. I called to me like a beacon. I couldn’t get to it fast enough. Oh yeah, remember to keep your mouth closed when you dive in. I about vomited from the salinity.

After the other university arrived and set up their tents, we were divided into groups. Each group would be on one of the various ecological rotations: mammology, ornithology, ichthyology, and herpetology. My group included Kim, Eric, Francisco, Sonja, Carlos, Janet, Ada, and one guy whose name I never could remember. Luckily our group drew today as our day off. I was thankful because my body was drained from drive. I made many new friends and several drinking buddies today. I was really glad that the Mexican students were so accepting of our group.

03-17-98

I woke up this morning in someone else’s tent. Thank God I had my clothes on and wasn’t tied to a tree. Today we went bird watching. Fernando was the leader of the jungle expedition, and I thought I’d see more tropical species in the jungle than along the beach. We didn’t have to go far before I was thumbing through my field guide trying to identify birds that were new to me. We chased birdcalls all morning in hopes of catching a glimpse of some very elusive birds. The variety of species was enormous; some familiar yet so many new.

We returned to the camp in the early afternoon. I spent the next few hours making new friends and swimming in the ocean. I should have used more sun block. The sun roasted me like a chicken. I earned names such as lobster, shrimp, and tomato. I think under similar circumstances back home I would have been miserable the next few days from that sunburn, but it didn’t seem to bother me because I was having too good of a time.

We were on the mammal rotation the second part of the day. We set some live traps in a pasture type area. A sort of contest among students and instructors, as each of us set our own traps along a transect. Each of us carefully selected the perfect spot and direction to point the traps. The bait, a sticky glob of crushed oats, syrup, and vanilla, was used to attract our prey. I smelled good, but it looked like baby crap. Next we set up our bat nets down a corridor of trees. All we had to do now was wait. We caught six bats before midnight so we decided to call it a day.

03-18-98

The next morning we checked our live traps. We managed to catch three mice. I might add that one of them was in a trap that I set, but I don’t think that had anything to do with catching it. We returned to camp and stuffed the mice and bats. I think my taxidermy skills increased ten fold. The rest of the day was spent learning more about the Mexican students and sharing stories. I really liked the friends I had made and felt a bond growing between us.

03-19-98

Ichthyology rotation will wake you up in a hurry. The cold waves of the ocean crashing down on you at dawn was not my idea of education. That is until we hauled in our net and saw we had made quite a catch. A ray with a length of about 18 or so inches and about 12 wide found his way into our net along with some odd looking fish.

Next we headed for some freshwater habitats to learn about the various techniques involved in sampling. We gained some hands on experience using scientific equipment and managed to have a good time doing it. We also got to do some snorkeling at the crocodile farm. A little scary knowing there were crocs in the same body of water I was in, but hey, you only live once. Later that night we took the net out again to try our luck in the ocean. We were hoping to see the differences in species that populate the beach at different times of the day. I don’t know if we were just lucky or what, but we caught a puffer fish. A very strange and interesting marvel. It put on quite a show for us. Swelling up and deflating like a balloon. I’ll bet the pictures turn out great.

03-20-98

The first day I didn’t have to get up at six in the morning. We were on the herpetology rotation and had to wait for it to warm up so the lizards and snakes would be out. Sure enough they were too. I hadn’t seen a single lizard or snake until I started looking for them. They were everywhere. Armed with a huge rubber band and a stick, I chased and shot at lizards all day. We must have walked five or six miles, but it was more fun than work. We collected only a couple of lizards despite our best efforts. Once it was dark, it was time to try our skills at catching frogs. I could hear them everywhere, but they didn’t want to be found let alone caught in some biologist’s net. A few less than fortunate frogs were captured and would be lethally injected and preserved as specimens later that night.

03-21-98

Today we took a river boat tour of the mangrove forest. I think I saw just a many birds today as I had the entire week. We zigzagged our way to the end of the half-way point. Here some of the students snorkeled while the bulk of us rested our feet and visited. We cruised back the way we had came only much faster, at one point nearly capsizing while dodging an oncoming boat. It was quite a thrill because we had seen some crocodiles earlier and nobody wanted to be lunch.

Later that evening we took the bus to San Blas. The town was alive with people and music. A parade of sorts was going on. We browsed through the street merchants picking up souvenirs for family, friends, and ourselves. I soon found myself with my new friends enjoying a beer in a small bar. Even though I spoke very little Spanish, we had some very serious and comical conversations.

03-22-98

We hit the road for Real de Catorce at four in the morning and didn’t really ever get to say good-bye to our Mexican friends. It was a good thing that we meet up with them for breakfast near the town of Tequila. The town gets it’s name for producing what appeared to be vast quantities of the intoxicating beverage. After breakfast we wished our new friends the best of luck and hoped to see them again. I hope I never forget their names. It was a strong emotional moment for several that had become the closest of friends.

We were pounding the pavement once again towards unknown adventure.. My kidneys about fell out after a 21 kilometer drive on the cobblestone highway that took us into Catorce. We arrived in Catorce just after dark and checked into the hotel. Indoor plumbing and warm shower had never felt so good. The cold mountain air was a drastic change in climate from the warm sunny beach. I must have been sober because I passed up sleeping in a warm bed to sleep in a hammock outside. It was very peaceful and I don’t think I could have slept any better in a bed.

03-23-98

We got up and had all day to explore the town and relax. I had breakfast at a nice restaurant. I was about burned out on scrambled eggs and refried beans which constituted breakfast everyday the past week. I had French toast with maple syrup and honey. If I had died right then, I would have died happy with a smile on my face. We hit the street merchants and browsed up and down the streets. I visited the cathedral next. It was overwhelming. Words can’t describe the beautiful architecture and humbling feeling I received. I spent nearly an hour just sitting and absorbing it all in. The only thing I had left to accomplish for the day was the hike to Peyote Mountain. Ray and I left for the mountain where Huichol Indians have been going for centuries to obtain spiritual visions and wisdom. I’m not sure how far it was. I would guess that it was about 4 miles over very rocky steep terrain. We arrived about an hour before dusk as everyone else was returning to town. We saw a lone raven perched on a yucca tree near the very top. It was as if he was waiting for us. Perhaps he had a message that was sent by a Huichol deity. I think the message could have been, "Don’t forget what you have learned on this trip. You are not only a student of ecology, but also a student of life."

I burned the spectacular view from the mountain into my memory. Now it was time to return. We left Real de Catorce after dark and headed for the border. I got about an hour of sleep before my driving shift began.

03-24-98

I had driven all night and reached Laredo at sunrise. I don’t think I can remember tasting bland fatty food on this trip except when we stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast this morning. I think it was harder to adjust to the food coming back than it was going down. We wasted no time getting back to Tishomingo. The week-long adventure had taken its toll on our bodies. I unloaded my sand filled gear and said my good-byes to my fellow classmates. Ray and I jumped in the car and started our next adventure.

Mexico was the greatest place I have ever visited, and I hope that someday I will return. Who knows, maybe I’ll just pack my bags one day and take off.

Scott Lashbrook