I just moved to the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) from Austin, Texas. It came to my attention that there's a crossing into Mexico about 5 miles from my property at "Los Ebanos" (the ebony trees) and I rode down to check it out........Cool!!!! It's the last hand pulled car ferry on the Rio Grande. There is talk of closing it. Lots of local opposition to that. It's very nostalgic in this day and age. The ferry only holds two cars. Three guys pull the rope. They will glady let you pull if you want to. If you are on a motorcycle, you go to the head of the line as there is always room for bikes, but only two cars at a time. It only takes about 7 minutes to cross. The ferry operates daily from 0800 to 1600. The fee for you and your bike is a wopping $1.75 US. Ouch!!! My god, can I fit that in my budget??? The town on the "Otra Lado" is Diaz Ordaz. It's about 2 or 3 miles up the road. They say you can get your paperwork done there. If not, continue east on the road and you will wind up in Reynosa. The "Migra" there is fast and easy and you're on your way. The crossing is operated by the State of Texas and it has quite a history to it. I hope it stays open. Check out the website:


Los Ebanos Texas, the last hand-operated ferry on the Rio Grande, and area hotels.

i suave viaje ! Smitty

Hey Smitty!
Never been and probably will never get the chance to go to Texas but its things like this that we all need to keep away from the cost cutters. Its not just nostalgia but part of people's heritage and history.
Here in Britain our Health and Safety people seem intent on destroying every little bit of our heritage and, mostly, they seem able to do this without any opposition at all.
We all need to fight for our history.

That was the border crossing I used to start my trip to tierra del fuego. It was obviously just for fun and it surely was! I was not ready for it to happen so fast so I didn't get any good pictures.

I had a bitch of a time doing my bike import because of my lack of spanish and finding the right building. Apparently it is very easy to find if you go through the main Reyanosa border.

Anyway, I got a pic of it on this blog entry:
Made it to Mexico! » All the way south

We loaded 3 bikes on the ferry

It was a fun experience and a great start to a long trip (currently in Guatemala).

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All the way south - Texas to Tierra del Fuego in '08-'09

Apparently the ferry is considered a security issue by some. There seems to be quite a bit of opposition to its closing. It only opperates during the day until 4 pm. I believe they have had some problems at night with the temptation at hand. Anyway, I hope it keeps operating.

Any idea if this BC is still open?

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