November 20, 2013 Big Bend

November 20

Beautiful orange sunrise, 57 degrees.  We bade farewell to the Chisos Mountains and headed out of the park towards Study Butte.  Passed an area they call the badlands

 and next stop is the town of Terlingua, home of the world-famous  (well, Texas-famous anyway) chili cook-off.

The town is partly ghost town and partly occupied.  There used to be quite a mining operation for quicksilver (mercury).  Many adobe ruins and a fantastic old cemetery.

The Trading Post is an interesting store next to the old Starlight Theater,  filled with arts and crafts, food and clothes.  Many locally made items, along with the made in China variety.  Can't help wondering what these people in China think as they are making roadrunners, cacti, smiling hot chili peppers, pinatas, etc.

A bit further on we turn onto the River Road (Paseo Rio), which runs along the Rio Grande, which is the US/Mexico border,  to Presidio.   We see an occasional Border Patrol car, but seriously, it would be easy to cross at many points.

 The State of Texas has recently added a State Park which is adjacent to Big Bend National Park and we stop at their visitor's center to have a look around and chat with the rangers there.  They mention a slot canyon trail that is spectacular and quite unusual for this part of the country, as well as several other trails.

Closed Canyon is a slot canyon carved into the lava tuff (most slot canyons are in sandstone in Utah).
It is very long and makes us feel very small as we wonder between the tall canyon walls.  Only a few puddles of water but the floor is mostly smooth polished rock.  At places, the canyon is only 6-10 feet wide.  It is about 20 degrees cooler here where the sun doesn't reach.  It is near 80 degrees back by the parking lot. Amazing what the force of water can do, it is impossible to capture the grandeur of this spot with a camera. (Doesn't keep me from trying….repeatedly…:)

  The road is like a roller coaster and at one point we come over a hill and nearly run into a herd of goats.  They are large, white and brown, and totally unconcerned with this 8000 lb vehicle bearing down on them.

We finally reach Presidio, a very small town where we thought we'd have lunch.  El Patio seems to be the only show in town, so we stop there for some Mexican fare.  Though our waitress doesn't speak English, we manage to communicate and enjoy a nice lunch complete with enchilada, quesadillo, chile releno, beans and rice.  Mine is good, Greg's is "ok", but his comes back to visit later :(.

We head north from here and pass another mining ghost town before we reach Marfa.  Known for artists and "the Marfa lights" and setting for the old film "Giant". Nice court house.

 We try to see Building 98 where WWII German POWs painted murals on their walls, but unfortunately the building is closed. Chinati foundation is an artist coop area with some wild art, but we have missed the last tour and settle for looking at some big concrete blocks outside - art? I'm sure we just don't understand... We look around in a few galleries/shops in town and then head for a viewing area for the Marfa Lights, where, we are told, we can boondock.  Supposedly these mysterious unexplained lights appear in the sky most nights just after dusk.  There are myriad possible explanations from swamp gas to rock dust to car headlights to aliens but no one knows for sure….(cue twilight zone music).

They have a nice viewing pavilion with rest rooms and telescopes.

 By dusk there are quite a few people here but most drift away disappointed an hour or so later.  I set up the camera to capture the lights and except for two quick flashes of green, we see nothing except a nice sunset and nice moon rise.

 Marfa Lights?

 A little while later we learn that there are railroad tracks on the other side of the highway, which we are reminded of a few times during the night.

November 21
Nice sunrise in Marfa. When we get out of the Trek we see a Border Patrol car has parked nearby and an officer is walking the nearby fence line.  We move on down the road  about 25 miles to the town of Alpine - real metropolis compared to what we've been seeing.  A few traffic lights even, and home to Sul Ross University (about 2000 students).  We are early for the Museum of the Big Bend on the university's pretty campus, so we bypass McDonald's and go to Penny's Diner for a hearty breakfast.  We are the only customers, which is a little worrisome, but five or six others soon join us and the food is good.

We arrive at the Museum just after it opened at 9AM and are greeted by a few friendly folks who explain the building and layout.

 There are many exhibits about the early inhabitants of the area, the Apaches, and those who struggled to make a home in this rugged, inhospitable land.  There is also an exhibit of works by Frederick Remington, including several dozen paintings and 6 gorgeous bronzes.
Nicely done.

After Alpine, we head to Fort Davis and stop at the Fort Davis Historical Park which has a dozen or so buildings from the 1800's, including a hospital, enlisted men's barracks, an officer's home and commissary.  Feeding a few hundred men as well as their horses was not an easy feat!

 Quite a few Buffalo Soldiers were posted here after the Civil War.

Next we begin to climb into the Davis Mountains, headed for a tour at McDonald Observatory.  We watch a film and some live coverage of the sun, then take a shuttle to see several of the huge telescopes housed here.  Kevin, our guide, was excellent. The dark sky here is one reason for the success of the Observatory.  There are actually county regulations as to what types of lighting are allowed within a 70-mile radius of the observatory.   Kevin joked that there are a total of about 80 people who live "on the mountain" and work here, making this the 4th largest community in the county.

 One of the smaller of the telescopes.

We finished near 5:00, so stopped at an apparently abandoned rest area part way back down the mountain and boondocked here.  Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn for a nice dinner.  It is getting cold, though, so we spend little time outside. Nice quiet spot.

November 22

7:15AM. Wake to 27 degrees and wind with a light mist.  Brrrrrr.

The folks at the observatory told us the forecast didn't look good, as they were predicting their first dose of wintery weather with possible ice and snow.  We were considering staying for a star viewing party tonight, but with this weather, visibility will no doubt be nil, so we decide to call it a trip and begin the long haul home.

It isn't until noon that we finally hit temperatures above freezing, though the mist and wind continue and we have quite a build-up of ice on the windshield wipers, mirrors, antennae, etc. until we get close to Houston.   Long drive with only stops for gas and we finally get back home around 6:30 PM. After almost 2,000 miles, a hot shower and our own bed sure feels good :).