On Board Compressor

The final step in adding air springs to the truck to to install an onboard compressor.  I installed the air springs previously.

The original installation gave me air springs with an inflation port.  Basically what is shown below.

The addition of the onboard compressor and manifold assembly/controller makes the system more user friendly.

I didn't want to drill holes in the frame, so I ordered a plate that would mount the tank and compressor and would clamp to the frame.

Custom plate to clamp to the frame.

Compressor and tank mounted on the custom plate.

Compressor and tank installed.

Manifold assembly with controller

Pneumatic quick connect for tire inflator, etc.

Air hose allow access to all truck and trailer tires.

South Texas Roadtrip

 Our trip through southern Texas to avoid the cold took us to Del Rio, Laredo, and Corpus Christi.

Leaving the campground in Del Rio

Lots of open road on the way to Laredo

The route from Del Rio to Laredo follows the Rio Grande, which is the border between Mexico and Texas.  There is a heavy presence of Border Patrol officers.

More open road on the way to Laredo

Freeway interchange in Laredo

Lake Casa Blanca International State Park

Leaving Laredo heading east toward Corpus Christi

When you book a trip to San Diego, make sure you get the right one.

Mustang Island State Park in Corpus Christi

The Gulf of Mexico at Mustang Island

By the time we got to Corpus Christi, the cold weather was on its way out.  The next day we would head north to Austin.

Big Bend National Park

 As we were leaving the Guadalupe Mountains the weather across the US was turning cold.  A bomb cyclone was pushing arctic air over the continent and our trip through central Texas was expecting temperatures in the teens F.

We shifted gears and headed for southern Texas instead.  The first stop on the new route was Big Bend National Park.  We only had time for a half day visit, which was not enough.  Big Bend is huge and could easily take two or three full days just to drive to all the different sites.

We explored the northern part of the park as far south as Panther Junction and took a short drive up into the Chisos Mountains.  We will have to go back to see the big bend in the Rio Grande that the park is named for.

See the park map here.

After miles of flat desert we started to see hills and mountains as we got closer to Big Bend.

After miles of flat desert we started to see hills and mountains as we got closer to Big Bend.

We saw javelinas on the way to our campsite

Our campsite was mostly empty.  We enjoyed the silence of the desert as we watched the sun set

In the morning we drove into the park.  We were only staying one night and so had to be out of the campsite by noon.

A massive landslide showing how erosion happens slowly and then all at once.

The desert of Big Bend

The Chisos Mountains would be as far as we would go this trip.

Deinosuchus lived in Big Bend when it was on the shore of the Western Interior Seaway. 

Alamosaurus femur

Pterosaurs lived in Big Bend

Rocks around Chisos Basin

There was a noticeable change in vegetation once we climbed up to Chisos Basin.

Leaving Chisos Basin and returning to the desert floor

We left Big Bend and headed to Del Rio

Big Bend was the tenth National Park we visited since this adventure began in July

Texas was the ninth state we had visited and was soon to become our home base.