We awake to a cacophony of gunshots which continue unabated for hours. It is duck season and even though we’re in a State Park, the surrounding area is open for duck hunting. We had planned a paddle on the lake, but given the hunting activity and traffic on the lake we decided against it.

We had booked  Choke Canyon State Park for four nights, but the lack of trails (almost non-existent), the hunting activity on the lake and the lack of internet for the kids’ school on Monday made us decide to head further west to hopefully better accomodations.

We decided on Rough Canyon, which is  part of the Amistad National Recreational Area. It’s another good stint of driving across this massive state and we are amazed by the barren landscapes and spartan towns.

We made it to the Amistad National Recreational Area and headed for the Rough Canyon camping area. It is first in first serve, and there are only 4 sites. Luckily, there are only 2 other campers when we arrive and we pick a great spot looking out on the Amistad Reservoir.

The reservoir is bounded by Mexico and the U.S. We have driven a lot along the border and gone through several border towns to get to the lake. The lake was built in the 60’s and Amistad means “friendship” in Spanish. With a shared resource like this, friendship is obviously a good thing.

We were amazed by the landscape and went for a small hike around the boat ramps, ranger facilities and shoreline. The shore is rocky and covered with scrub and cactus. It is so different to our experience on the Florida Coast and we are loving the transformation of landscape as we ply our way across this great country.

Jack pulled out the camera and the drone and went off to get some images and video of this desert vista. The water in the lake is really clear and the whitewashed shores paint an amazing relief against the water.