Big Bend, Old Terlingua, and Lajitas

DAY FIVE: Big Bend National Park

The drive to the Park was not at all what I expected. In my memory this was a bleak desert-type drive. Maybe we went a different way when I was 10. Whatever the case, the road from Alpine to the Big Bend was through mountains, and sort of winding, not board-straight the way it looked on the map. We commented on the signs identifying the mountains we passed along with their elevations. Texas may not have many mountain ranges, and the mountains we do have are on the small side compared with Rocky Mountain states to the north, but we're proud of our mountains and we point them out along the highway. How many times have we both wished that the mountains in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana were identified so well. In those states all you get is a vague reference on a map, and the only time you're sure of the mountain's name that you're looking at is if there happens to be a store or some other business in the vicinity sharing the mountain's name, like Black Mountain Corner Drug, or something. Very frustrating to the traveler to try to identify mountains this way. So it pleased us that all the mountains we passed had a sign pointing them out very clearly.

That is, until we got into Big Bend National Park; then we had to go back to guessing. We complained at the visitor's center that all the way there we had been given these lovely signs, but nowhere in the park were the mountains identified. While we were there, some hikers came in with pictures of a baby mountain lion they had seen. Excitement among the rangers was evident and our silly little complaint was ignored.

Big Bend is scenic, with much interesting desert flora. We both fell in love with the ocotillo and talked about trying to find a nursery that sold it to put out by our sign back home. We drove the Ross Maxwell scenic loop to Santa Elena canyon, with many stops on the way. At the one and only restroom we came to we saw a red racer, a really rosy red snake we had seen dead on the roadside around Marathon. This one was fully alive, and we were told that they eat rattlers so the locals never kill them or chase them away from an area. I don't know, but snakes give me the creeps, good or bad.

Santa Elena canyon is quite impressive. I took way too many photographs but I'll thin them out when we get home. There were several cars parked waiting for kayakers or canoeists to come ashore. The rapids on the Rio Grande apparently get rough right before the canyon, something I thought I might like to do one of these days. We'll see. Don't think the SO is too "into" it. All in all, though, we gave the park a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, mostly because of the lack of facilities. We've been to quite a few National Parks now, and so far, this one was the worst as far as having the fewest facilities or explanation boards describing what we're looking at or interesting facts or tidbits.

We took an unpaved road out of the park and regretted it almost immediately. It was only 14 miles but took us over an hour to traverse. However, we would have missed Luna's Jacal, which we passed on the back road, and it was definitely worth seeing. An old man lived in that hovel for over 40 years, poor thing. The roof was caving in, but there was still enough architectural detail to see how he must have lived. The interior was like a dugout, and without a single window. Probably made for cooler temperatures, but what a depressing way to live.

After we left the park, we drove through Terlingua, both the new and the ghost town. Funny, the ghost town seemed busier than the newer version, probably because of the big chili cookoff that's held there in November, touted to be the largest cookoff in the world. Back around the turn of the 20th century, people had thought there might be gold in Terlingua. Instead, they found quicksilver. The mines were active until mid-20th century. Now, there are just the leavings or bi-products that give any indication of the mining history of the place. There are many stone ruins of houses and buildings that once stood. Some in the current population have incorporated the ruins into their own dwellings. Interesting, but again, a depressing place to live. There is nothing about Terlingua that beckons me.

At Lajitas we had lunch in a swanky golf resort restaurant. Overpriced salads, but the atmosphere paid homage to the military post that had been in that town back in the days of Pancho Villa, and the waitress was friendly and gave us some interesting insights. Seems at one time developers had grand plans for the area, but many of the businesses and condo complexes lay empty and for sale. Another almost "ghost" town. We wondered later about the waitress. She'd said she was from Chicago. Lajitas seems like a great place to drop out or to hide. We decided she was running from something, and had fun speculating about what that something might be.

When we got back to the trailer, the kitty was behind the sofa, which is where he seems to live these days. I don't think he is enjoying this trip at all. The episode with the broom seems to have soured his attitude about things, although he does still come to sleep with us. The dog takes over the sofa at night. They're adjusting to life together in close quarters, but I don't think either of them are happy about it.

Onward ....