Hanken, James 1975 Journal Mexico Trip Del Rio to Benten - Rio-Grand Valley State Park 20 Apr 1100 am. Camped last night at a rest area along Int 35 ~15 mi. N of Laredo, Texas. Had breakfast in Laredo, changed some money, bought food & more supplies, and should cross border around Noon. 2300 Aus. After buying various supplies this AM in Laredo we attempted to cross the border into Mexico, but were unsuccessful due to Sam's inability to get his tourist visa stamped (because of his long hair) and our inability to get a car permit (due to the absence of license plate on our just-recently-bought vehicle). We tried to cross later in the afternoon at Falcon and Loma but were again unsuccessful despite various stunts and drastic measures (e.g. giving Sam a haircut). The remaining problem is the absence of license plates, and Al Green called Alice Sandauer of the MVT this afternoon to try to work out some sort of solution. Hopefully it will be resolved today. Meanwhile we have driven 5 hours [illegible] into Brownsville and have stopped for the night (10pm) at Benten - Rio Grande Valley State Park, ~7 mi N SW of Mission, Hidalgo Co., Texas. We stopped several times along the route today to collect animals or examine DOR's. These were as follows: