Jan 10th Zapata, TX

Sunset in Palacios, TX

I know...enough chickens!  Couldn't help myself!!!

One of hundreds of wind turbines in south Texas

A pair of Falcons near "Falcon Reservoir"

Jan 10th and we are here in Zapata, TX  which is a long stone's throw from  the border of Mexico across the Falcon Reservoir.   We stayed here last year and rode our bikes to the huge reservoir made from damning up the Rio Grande.  Last year the fishermen at the water front were complaining that the water level was so low and they couldn't get any good game fish.  This year the powers that be must have decided that they needed more  sport fishermen in the area and opened the flood gates to allow more water in the reservoir.  There would be no way to sit and take pictures where we did last year.....unless we were treading water!  I guess I have reservations about reservoirs.  This one was created to provide hydroelectricity, flood control and irrigation for the area.  But.....it also destroys the animal and bird habitat  of the area, not to mention destroys  the lives of all who lived there before the dam was created.  This reservoir was dedicated in 1953 by the presidents of both the US and Mexico.  Ironically, it was named after a woman -- Maria de la Garza Falcon from the town of Falcon which was "displaced" (flooded) when the reservoir was created. 

More interesting; there is no port of entry by land to Mexico from the US, in the Zapata area.  There have been several  pirate attacks by Mexicans in US waters  in 2010 of fishermen or pleasure boaters in the reservoir. One man was shot in the head and  killed and his wife injured while jet skiing in the reservoir  this past summer. Later, the chief investigator in the case (from Mexico) was found beheaded in Mexico. Evidently the area is a highly contested drug cartel area and the different gangs are fighting for the control of the drug routes into the US.  We will stick to bike riding and out of the water!!
 
We are moving on tomorrow toward the Laredo area as the weather here is due for a 4 day stretch of rain and dropping temperatures.

One comment about the "windmills" or wind turbines that we passed about 80 miles back toward the Gulf.  There was a double row of these that went on for over 5 miles.  We pulled off the road and just sat and listened to the "whosh" as they turned.  They are so much larger then the photo shows.  They appear out of the mist across the land like alien creations  from outer space.