Photo by Annmarie Mikelski

Lake Amistad and Hwy 90 Bridge, Del Rio, TX

National Park Service rangers at Amistad National Recreation Area often find it hard to convince people they can find cool, clear, turquoise-colored water, great fishing and boating, world-class prehistoric rock paintings, and tropical birds and butterflies in the middle of the southwestern Texas desert and shrubland. The park is just west of Del Rio, Texas and consists of the United States portion of International Amistad Reservoir, located on the United States and Mexico border.  Amistad Dam, built to store water and prevent flooding on the Rio Grande, was finished in 1969 by Mexico and the United States. In fact, the name ‘Amistad’is Spanish for friendship, to commemorate the spirit of cooperation between the two neighbors.