Day 8-9-10 From Seminole Canyon to Terlingua, Texas

Day 8-9-10 From Seminole Canyon to Terlingua, Texas

The wind had died down some and the early driving from The Seminole Canyon site westward toward Big Bend started out smoothly. This road had dozens of cuts in the limestone rock which made for a colorful vista along the way. One was fully 80 feet high.  There is not much else save the Mesquite and other desert plants  sparsely scattered. As we drove west it was even more sparse. The road was good and about 10 miles east of Sanderson in the Sanderson Valley (more of a canyon than a Valley) we began to feel the effect of the strong cold front that was passing through. The temperature was 73 F out of Seminole Canyon, but in 30 minutes the temperature dropped some 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with that the wind picked up to about 35-40 miles per hour and on the open desert that is really stiff.  That continued until we reached Alpine, a prosperous community on the southern end of the Glass Range in West Texas. Alpine was a cattle stop and a bit later a tent city when the RR went through. Sul Ross University (never heard of t?) is locate there right on the main street (US 90). Who was Sul Ross?

 At this point Ruth and I were ready to get to some lunch  and not in the cold, rocking trailer where we usually eat. So Ruth suggested a Subway and that was just around the corner where we got gas at $3.79/gal . (I understand in Michigan it has reached $4.00/gal).

The Subway was good. I guess they are consistent like many fast food places throughout the country. This one did have GUACAMOLE , however. I like the honey nut bread and Ruth likes the flatbread. I noticed on the walls of the Subway the map of NYC especially where the subway runs. I have a cousin who lived in Queens , so this day I asked her where she lived there, so the next time we stop at a Subway, I will try to locate her old home in NYC. It was on 222nd Street. (Ruth has tuna on her flatbread and I had the Subway Melt. )

Now we “turned the corner” and headed south toward the border. The wind was still blowing but ...AH-HA, it is now a tailwind which moved us along nicely. One stretch of this road is a 15% incline so I had to finally switch on the Super drive  and down shift (all automatic) . Now we were into many low mountains except for a large valley about  half way to the end of the road. (Terlingua)  We saw no cattle, no houses or domiciles, no mines or remnants of such, just the very sparse plant life that in many places has shown the effects of the drought here in SW Texas. Even many of the Prickly pear cactus had completely dry leaves.  There are “No Burn” warnings everywhere, even on the doors of the businesses along the way. Any burning could be a tragedy.

We arrived at about 4:00 in the afternoon and made arrangements for a 9 day stay although we will decide if that is too much or sufficient. It depends a lot for us if the birds are here , if migration has started, or if birding is as good as they say it is here 

SORRY,BUT  PICTURES ARE SO DOWLOADING SO SLOW I WILL POST THEM SPARATELY ON A ADDITIONAL POST- LATER TODAY. 

The Park is also very dry with lots of sand spots and desert gravel. The only possible green are the trees planted that have drip hoses leading to each one for moisture to save them. There is varied terrain, with the Rio Grande providing one habitat along the river, the desert between the river and the mountains is another, and then the mountains (Chisos) that tower some 8,000 feet over the Big Bend Park. We ill see how it goes.

Today the 9th, was a quiet day for us.The temperature was still in the 40’s so it was do the laundry, put out the bird  feeders  and take  brief tour of the area.

The laundry was at the RV Park  and not busy at all. It was  $1,75 per load and a 45 minute dry for the same. The area is truly an “Old Time” laid back, stone and brick structured, spread out community. There are, actually, three areas of habitat. One where the original town was and is now the ”Ghost Town” that still does have some bars, a grocery and a sports rental place, all very rustic in appearance, The second area is near the RV Park as they have a restaurant, laundry,  a title office, a golf office, the Chamber of Commerce and a motorcycle rental from a van, in the Park. The third area about a mile away is the educational center that has a LIbrary and three schools all clustered off on a paved road about 1/2 mile from the main road. There is also there a pair of small stores, a liquor store and a “deli”, again all very rustic and “log like” in appearance except for the grocery store. I’ll add some pictures of these as we go along this next week.

We looked all of these areas over today and I will include a picture of the soccer field and running track at the school facility.  That is a sight to see. We should all feel  very gratified with what we have where we live, as there is no grass out here at all and water is scarce.

That pretty much ended the outside activities and we came in to watch the Cactus Wren at our feeder already. A supper at the local restaurant in the Park, a cute movie  called “Durango  KIds “ about a time warp into the old west and bank robbers, ended the day. So all in all it was a leisurely day. Tomorrow we will pick up the pace and see if we can find some birds. The weather promises to improve and is due to get to 70 F by noon. We shall see! 

Day 10 Saturday March 10. (notice the days are the same as the date!)

As the temperature looked like they were starting to raise, but not extraordinary, we would head for the Rio Grande and a town of Lajitas which was at one time a fortified entry point along the River. The mercury mines in the area moved goods back nd forth the border here, Both “Black Jack “ Pershing (WW1) and George Patten served time here in the military when it was a border outpost. Today it has developed int a small, rural, nicely attired village with some amenities and a wonderful hotel /restaurant complex.  The Golf Club/Spa has a 7,000 yard Championship course that was in pretty good shape considering what I said last night about no grass. A hotel with excellent cuisine was one we tried for lunch. The largest “Junior” Club sandwich I have ever seen was served to me. Of course I took 1/2 of it home. The patio had a huge water fountain and an immensely adorned garden with birds were abundant so Ruth took advantage of that getting shots of the flowers and birds and the beautiful Spanish style building.

Some would say that because of the commercialization here that Lajitas has lost its “heart”.

There were a number of stops that the State Park people recommended. The State Park is over 300,000 acres and the second largest S.P. in the Lower 48. (Chugach in Alaska is the largest with 495,000 acres) . It adjoins the Big Bend N.P. so there is a million acres set aside for public use here. The visitor center there had a courtyard filled with plants and bird station for feeding. The grounds around it were filled with identified plants , shrubs and flowers. We identified that red blooming cactus while we were there. It is a Scarlet Cup Cactus and blooms early.

The next 40 miles of the road includes the following;  first, The Tepees, in  Madera Canyon - a collection of Indian-themed, 20 foot high shelters beside the road with good views over the Rio Grande; and second, the remains of the Contrabando Movie Set, a Mexican-style village used for several  films such as “Rio Diablo”,  “Streets of Laredo” and five others, but now is  aged and has lost its’ authentic appearance. We stopped at three sites beside the river and did find about 20 species of birds including the Mountain Bluebird, the Pyrrholoxia (cardinal like), Lark Sparrow, many Vesper Sparrows, and a Phainopepla (all black cardinal-like). The Madera Canyon and much of this road is considered Texas’ most scenic road. It certainly is not for the faint hearted as there are many 15-18% grades and sharp turns. When they say “Slow to 30 mph” you had better, or off into the Rio Grande below, you go. The Rio Grande area receives normally 6 inches of ran a year, in the last 17 months they have had only 3 inches. Very dry as even the Prickly Pear cactus are dieing.

It was worth the trip and as our “slow cooker” was doing the chicken and veggies, the aroma f the trailer ht our nostrils and we enjoyed a home cooked meal in the evening. The temps stayed in the 60’s all afternoon, and tomorrow will continue the upward climb in the temps. We will head into Big Bend National Park tomorrow and stop first at the Visitor Center at Panther Crossing in the Park. Should be a great day again.