As a young child, I was told of a place that I believed I would never see, a family that I would never meet, and of a culture I was only able to experience through very limited trips to Arizona from Texas. My tias would shower me with besitas and hugsevery time we were able to make the drive to see the family, and greet me in a language that I couldn’t understand. Though it could have been 2, 3, sometimes 7 years between visits, each warm, heartfelt greeting that I received from my Mexican family upon arrival to Tucson stirred a sense of belonging within me. It was that same comforting feeling within that I felt the morning we arrived on the beach that would be our home-away-from-home for the next 5 days……I was home again……

Day 1: March 13, 2009

My anticipation swelled inside me as I waited in the parking lot of Murray State…today, I leave for Mexico. Not only was I going to experience a new country for the first time, I would be traveling with complete strangers from Murray State College. These students I only knew through their pictures on the webpage and their voices from the online class sessions that Bruce would so kindly record for me to playback. To say the least, I was nervous!

We departed from MSC to make stop #1: The Prairie Kitchen (aka The Kickin’ Chicken) in Ardmore, OK. There we met the students and Dr. Moore from Emporia State University in Kansas. We ate and chatted about our excitement before beginning the longest road trip I have ever had in my life.

Endless miles of highway flashed beneath our van as some of “The Short Bus’s” crew caught some ZZZZZs while the others deliriously chatted about anything and everything just to stay awake. Finally, a rest stop in West, Texas: a Czeck town known for authentic kolaches….sold by Juan…I’m not sure if I was the only one who was humored and noticed the irony in that.

Day 2: March 14, 2009

Miles, and miles, and      M     I    L    E    S     went by, along with a sunrise when we finally hit the mecca known as WalMart in Laredo, Texas at 9:00am. We picked up any last minute necessities then stood in line to change our American dollars to pesos y centavos. As we crossed the border into Mexico, we saw the last Ol’ Glory that we would see for quite a while. I got goose bumps as I thought about the American flag as something we see everyday (and most of the time only notice it when it’s at half mast) and watched it as it faded out of sight in the rear view mirror.

Laredo, Mexico was quite the sight to see. With all the media driven panic spread throughout those wishing to travel in or out of Mexico, this particular crossing point had turned into the “safe” place. According to the members of our crew that have made this trip multiple times, it was the most cars at the aduana  that they had ever seen. Luckily, the miles of lines formed by travelers of all nationalities was NO MATCH for our crew!

At 1:30pm we left Laredo and headed for Anahuac. We had to take the scenic trip down nostalgia lane for Bruce & Dwight, which actually ended up being the streets of Laredo. With every turn we saw more and more street vendors selling everything from local cuisine to piñatas.

3:00pm-ish: We stopped at Los Abuelitos: where goat is served in EVERY shape and form! Cabrito was tried by only the daring members of our gang while some us opted for the safer route…taco de shabrada…and they were amazing!! Now…ON THE ROAD TO BUSTAMANTE!!! (and of course, we had to do a lil’ birding while on the road! Saw birds such as Crested Caracara, Harris’ Hawk, and WHITE TAILED KITE!!...this was only a taste of what was to come to the B.B’s!)

Once in Bustamante, we stopped at the Mescal factory, where we were able to see the process of Mescal production, from start to finish…and even got to taste the Mescal con frutas! Not too shabby!
The pull into Bustamante Canyon (after a stop at the tienda) was BREATH TAKING! Mountains dusted with cacti and lush green vegetation surrounded us. The warm springs meandered through the campgrounds, adding the much needed sounds of tranquility after a tiring drive. After we set up camp for the night, we were able to relax and both schools converged into 1 group. Apparently, this was the first time that there seemed to be no division between MSC & Emporia nor within each school. I feel this really set the mood for the rest of the trip. I left Oklahoma almost feeling like an outsider, being a Texas girl from a different school …now it began to feel like I was a part of the crew.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

An early rise kick started us to do some morning birding before leaving the campgrounds. I spotted a few species that we have “back home” but also added the Kiskadee Flycatcher to my life list!

11:00am: We left the campgrounds and drove into the mountains to a small cattle ranch owned by a retired teacher. It was here that I caught my first glimpse of the Vermillion Flycatcher…caught several glimpses afterwards as this particular one taunted me each time I got out my zoom lens to snap a shot, he would bail. Luckily, I ended up with a decent shot; just good enough to serve as proof to my advisor back at SOSU!

5:30pm: We stopped at the “Joshua Tree Forest” to explore for a while. Some of the plant species included the Barrel Cactus, Desert Christmas Cactus, and Desert Sage. We then had one helluva scare when the tall, loveable cowboy Ty fainted on us! Thankfully, he woke up and was fine, just scared us to death! Now…more driving!

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:00am: FINALLY we drove under the sign welcoming us to El Chaco…our home away from home. I got out of the van to venture off with my camera to the beach, where my emotions began to stir. I took in the scenery along with a deep breath of the briney air and felt comfortably at ease mixed in with excitement. I started shooting photo after photo after photo: I did not want this feeling to escape me in the years to come, and I knew that photographs taken at that exact moment in time would remind me of how I felt down the road.

The open air restaurant, palm trees, and sand just breathes Mexico. We staked a claim to the square of sand that would temporarily be ours. There, we set up “Casa de Las B.B’s” and strolled to the beach. The boys played Fútbol Americano and I snapped a few shots of America’s past time being played on Mexican soil as the waves of the ocean crashed against the shore.

10:30am: We were served our first breakfast of chorizo y juevos, frijoles, y tortillas by Elli and her family as the students from the Mexican university began to arrive. Our study groups were posted and thankfully, my group’s classes didn’t begin until the next morning, so we were able to relax and unwind. Some of us made the walk into Aticamas to take in the sites. It was an amazingly beautiful little town with the scents of grilled meats & fish around every corner.

7:00pm: As the groups that were taking the herpetology, mammalogy, and ornithology classes returned from their rotations, I peeped in at their findings and was ASTONISHED! Bats, fence lizards, racerunners, and many frogs sprinkled the study tables as the students worked them up. Chavez, the Mexican herpetology instructor, had his students laughing as he did his best to guide them in Spanish as I did my best to translate for my American counterparts. I felt very lucky to have some field work in herpetology already…it made translating the data A LOT easier!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 (Feliz Dia de San Patricio!)

8:00am: Rotation 1: Ichthyology Part 1 with Bruce, Michele, Topis, Mosco, y Mojica

Let me start off by saying that seining in Lake Texoma DOESN’T COMPARE to seining in the ocean!!! Our gear included a 100’ bag seine with ½” mesh and another 100’ bag seine 1” mesh. Our maestros explained the technique of seining and why it is used. Then…IN WE WENT!! At 8:00am, the water is not very warm at all..actually…it was quite brisk! The waves tossed us about just like the fish that we were targeting and as I squinted through the salty rapids that crashed about me, I didn’t see my sidekick, Morgan! Morgan is the 13 yr daughter of our instructor, Laura. She was placed in our group, and was expected to “hang with the big dogs” of which she did very well! I felt a responsibility to take care of her while on rotations, and when I looked up and didn’t see her, my heart sank!!! She popped up, and I told her (very abruptly) that if another wave like that sweeps in, that she was to hold on to the net with all her might! Of course, every big wave was followed by a huge wave, then every huge wave was followed by a gigantic wave! When we were far enough out into the water to shift parallel to the shore, the WORK began! The haul was work! TOUGH work at that! We did 3 runs with each net, and the last haul was the chance to let the instructors rest and observe as the students DID WORK!!!

With each haul, crabs were always caught in the net. Removing them was quite a task to avoid skin-shredding pinchers! I had another “moment” when a family gathered near us as we removed the crabs and offered them to add to their catch. I felt like I was somehow personally making a contribution to their well being. Whether they ate the crabs themselves, or sold them in town to earn pesos, I felt that I had helped.
Once all species were removed from the nets with each haul, we gathered our specimens and went back to camp to work them up. We collected data on each specimen, which included Puffer fish, small Sting Ray, and many others.

1:00pm: Ichthyology Part 2

Our group drove to a nearby stream where we sampled water quality and discussed the importance of water quality to the biodiversity in that particular area. We tested the conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and stream flow. After we had concluded that the water quality of the stream was high enough to have a high amount of biodiversity, we snorkeled through the clear waters and saw Gombies, crayfish, and many other small fish.

5:00pm: Ornithology Part 1 with Laura, Achilles, y Cesar

Our equípo met our instructors in a small clearing near the campgrounds to learn how to set up mist nets. This portion of the evening was very instructional: other students learned how to use binoculars and field guides and we discussed some of the species of birds that we could expect to see the next morning. As we packed up for the night and were walking back to camp we saw a BARE THROATED TIGER HERON perched in the tree near us! Another life bird for me!!

We ended the evening by having a bonfire on the beach with our new friends: the Canadians. We relaxed and chatted and celebrated St. Patty’s Day. Trying to explain to our new Mexican amigos what St. Patrick’s Day is and why we celebrate was rather difficult, especially in Spanish. Finally, I told them that, for the Americans that are not of Irish descent, it’s an excuse to drink green beer and be merry! It sounded good…eh?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

5:30am Ornithology Part 2

First of all, for a Bird Nerd, this was the “Holy Grail” of all birding.
We left for Las Palmas and once we found our site, we broke off into 2 groups to set up mist nets. 2 species of hummingbirds were caught: Cinnamon Hummingbird & Berryline Hummingbird. I was privileged enough to be allowed to take the Berryline out of the bag and hold it in a bander’s grip and then hold it for photos. I was so nervous, but I held it together!

After we took our nets down, we did point counts along at 250m intervals. That’s where the birding kicked into high gear! And I do mean HIGH: we were atop a mountain and the altitude was LITERALLY breathtaking! I have never been able to add so many birds to my life list in 1 day, and will probably never get the chance again. At one stop, we were witnesses to a male Black-throated Magpie Jay performing his courtship ritual. As he writhed around the female and tossed his elongated breeding plumes about, I stared in amazement. It was beautiful to watch his dance of seduction, and I only hope that the female appreciated it as much as the humans watching below!

4:00pm: Mammalogy Part 1 with Dwight, Ana, y Marco
Our group met the instructors and discussed the traps that we would be using and what each trap style is targeted to catch. We drove to a road where Morgan and I went on an amazing jungle adventure to pick areas that we hoped would result in a good haul. As we waited to be picked up by the van, Ana pointed out the tracks of a Coati. As she was attempting to describe what the Coati looks like, it ran across the road ≈15 yards away!

6:00pm: Mammalogy Part 2
Our instructors took us to a stream that was surrounded with enormous Ficus trees that bear fruit eaten by bats. Nose Leaf Bats were in abundance at this site and many of our catches were pregnant!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

6:30 am: Mammalogy Part 2
We drove out to check our live traps, and to our disappointment, our set was unsuccessful. Thankfully, other sets in our group trapped an abundance of Rice Rats. We were also able to make casts of tracks left by the Coati. After classes were done for the morning, I spent the rest of my free time on the beach, taking pictures of the locals as they searched for crabs and of the children playing in the sand.

6:00pm: Herpetology Part 1 with Chavez
We drove to a site that was inundated with frogs! And, of course, we did our best to catch them all! We took our specimens back to camp to work up and ID.

Friday, March 20, 2009

9:00am: Herpetology Part 2
We herped along the road to the Cocodrilario using lassos and rubber bands then were able to visit the Crocodile Farm and learn about this amazing reptile.

That afternoon ended with the Marine Mammal Presentation to prepare of the amazing trip we would be taking the following morning.

Diplomas were presented and the entire gang headed into San Blas for an evening of shopping and socializing.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

We broke camp and said our goodbyes to Elli and the rest of the staff of El Chaco. It was rather sad, but I hope to see them all again. We caravanned to Guayabitos where we boarded the boat that would guide us to the whales! We were able to see dolphins in the distance, and a few whales while Magnificent Frigate Birds flocked over the island that we would go to snorkel post-whaling.

We hit the sweet spot when a pair of whales decided to get playful and come VERY close to the boat! Finally, a full breach! And, of course, as we all sat in awe, NOBODY pulled it together to snap a photo! I don’t beat myself up over it, because that site will be permanently embedded in my mind forever!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

We arrived in Real de Catorce for some much needed relaxation. We were able to shop, take in the sites, and trek up and down the STEEPEST streets I have ever seen (F.T.H!). I was most intrigued by the Huichol. They had the most mysterious looks in their eyes, but warm all the same. Their art was outstanding, and I took home quite a few pieces. At one point, Leah, Michele, and I sat on the sidewalk to take a break, and Leah ended up leaving her wallet behind. We didn’t notice it was gone until about 15 minutes later. We panicked and retraced our steps, and ended up back at the corner where we rested to find nothing. I asked the Huichol woman that sat behind us if she had noticed a wallet. The woman replied in Spanish, yet she was elderly and mumbled a bit. I could pick out the words “guarding it” and as she reached into her bag for Leah’s wallet, the three of us just about fell over! We showered her with thanks, and when we each tried to hand her money, you could see that she did not want to take it. She hesitated, but we put the money in her hands graciously. It was nice to see that honest people can be found in the most remote regions of Mexico, and in the form of cloaked little old women.

Monday/Tuesday, March 23-24, 2009

The last day of our Mexican adventures has arrived. It was semi-emotional to know that it was over, but I was excited to see home again. On the road home, as we were almost to the border, one of the members of our van (I believe it may have been Ty or Hog) said something I was very fond of. It sums up the entire road back to Oklahoma….
”The sand and sun’s been fun….but I’m ready to get back to that red dirt.”

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