Beth in the Southwest

 Today was our last hike. Its hard to believe our week is coming to an end. It's been a great trip. Excellent trip leaders, a wonderful group of people to hike and travel with, beautiful scenery,  challenging hikes, delicious food. My first time in Texas and I got to visit three national parks.

Today we drove to Guadeloupe Mountains National Park to hike on the McKittrick Canyon Trail. It is a very beautiful trail. So different compared to Big Bend. We started high in the mountain where there is much more water. As a result, there are lots of trees including elms, pines and a tree with smooth orange bark called the Texas Madrone. 

The trail is fairly flat but very strenuous because the trail bed is mostly gravel and loose stone. It crosses several dry creeks and some flowing water.

Part way up is the Pratt Cabin which was built for Wallace Pratt in the 1930s. He was the founder of Humble Oil which became Exxon. The cabin is in a gorgeous setting and was actually very comfortable considering when it was built. They even had a diesel powered station to supply running water for the kitchen and bathrooms. 

After the hike  we returned to El Paso for our farewell dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.  Delicious!

Tomorrow we all fly home. 

Beth in the Southwest Day 6

 Today was a transition day.  We left Terlingua, Texas early in the morning to drive to Carlsbad, New Mexico. 

Along the way, we made several stops including a roadside art installation in Marfa, Texas that is a replica of a Prada shop. Social commentary I guess. And yes, the Audi is part of the installation.  

At lunchtime we stopped for a picnic at the historic Frijoles ranch in the Guadeloupe mountains.  It is a homestead that was settled by several families in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

From there we drove to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.  We spent several hours walking the trails inside the caverns. The rock formations and the amount of space the caverns occupy are truly amazing.  

After that, pizza dinner and hotel. Tomorrow we will do a long hike in Guadeloupe Mountains National Park. It's hard to believe it will be our last hike. 

Beth in the Southwest: Day 5

 Today was our last day in Big Bend. We started with an easy hike on the Boquillas Canyon Trail. At the far end of the trail we got a great view of the Rio Grande and the mountains on either side of the border.  

From there, we went to the Boquillas border control station where we crossed into Mexico. At the river there was a "ferry" which was actually a flat bottom row boat that a man pulled across the river to bring us to the Mexican side.  The water is only about knee deep but has a rocky bottom so not great for crossing on foot. 

Once across, we walked into Boquillas del Carmen. It is a tiny and remote village that has made the most of their location to attract tourists visiting the Big Bend area.  A couple of restaurants,  very small schools, a church, a clinic and some private houses. Many of the residents set up tables outside their homes to sell trinkets,  handmade embroidered goods and stuffed toys.  With only one sandy road through town they are able to show their items to tourists passing through.  

We had a delicious lunch of red and green enchiladas,  tacos, beans and rice. We sat at an outside terrace facing the mountains and it was warm and sunny out so it was perfect. 

After we crossed back to the US, we stopped at the main visitors center for Big Bend at Panther Junction.  We saw a wonderful film about Big Bend. It was the best way to wrap up our visit to the park.

Our tour coordinator cooked dinner for us in Terlingua. Lasagna,  salad,  brownies, yum! 

Then back to the motel to pack because we go on to Carlsbad, New Mexico tomorrow. 

Beth in the Southwest: Day 4

 Today we got an early start and returned to Big Bend to hike the Lost Mine Trail. This is a challenging mountain hike starting over 5000 feet and finishing at almost 7000 feet.  The trail was originally designed by the CCC during the depression as a donkey or burro path. In those days ladies didn't hike and rode up the mountain instead.  Good thing that has changed! The trail was rocky at times and had lots of switchbacks.  The views were spectacular.  When we reached the top we had a picnic lunch before heading back down. 

Interestingly,  at the higher elevation there were many more trees and green plants than we had seen in the desert. 

After the hike we returned to Terlingua where we visited what is called the ghost town. In the early 20th century there was a mercury mine here. The ghost town is the ruins of the mine and buildings that were part of the mining community.  

In the ghost town is the Historic Starlight Theater. It was once an open air theater  but now it is  a restaurant and that is where we had our dinner.  I ate a mesquite smoked barbecue sandwich because Texas!!

On the way back from the Lost Mine trail we stopped at the visitor center. In the parking lot was this bird which turned out to be a roadrunner. Not exactly like the Looney Tunes version!

Beth in the Southwest: Day 3

 Today was our first hike inside Big Bend National Park. It is a very large park with a variety of trails. In the morning we did a desert trail of 4 miles called Mule Ears Trail. From the trail we could see mountains in the distance on all sides including two peaks that look just like the head of a mule. Our guides told us about the geography of the area and the history of the park. Before it was protected land, it was used for cattle drives from Mexico to the Midwest. Land in this area provided grazing space for the cattle which makes sense because there's so much land!

We saw lots of desert plants including creosote and old man's beard. In one section of the trail there is a small spring and we saw lots of ferns growing there. It was the only water anywhere near this trail. 

After a picnic lunch we went to Santa Elena Canyon for another hike. The canyon serves as the border between Mexico and the US at a very narrow section of the Rio Grande.  The rock formations were so tall and beautiful to look at. And, near the river we saw different plants than we had seen in the desert area including river cane which is an invasive species.  

We finished the day at a scenic overlook in the park followed by dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.  

Tomorrow we head to a different section of Big Bend for more hiking.

Beth in the Southwest: Day 2

 If I'm writing too much let me know and I'll condense. 

This morning we left El Paso to head toward Big Bend National  Park.  It is quite a distance so we made a stop at Fort Davis National Historic Site. This was an army fort in the mid to late 1800s. They have restored many of the buildings so we could see how the families lived while they were stationed there. We also saw a film about the fort and the Buffalo Soldiers who were also stationed there. 

We hiked 2.5 miles on the mountain behind the fort. It was challenging in some places. We got a great view from the top and saw some interesting plants along the way. Yucca, prickly pear, grey elm. 

Quick stop for dinner then more driving to Terlingua where we will stay for several nights. The area is known for the darkest sky in the lower 48 states. We had a quick stargazing party. Saw Jupiter and Saturn and several constellations. 

Hiking Big Bend tomorrow. 

Beth in the Southwest: El Paso Day 1

 First day in Texas. Since today was a free day for those of us who flew in a day early, a few of us decided to explore downtown El Paso. We started at the art museum. Part of the museum is under construction but we did get to see some interesting local art and also works by the students from the museum school.

Next, we road the streetcar (trolley) which makes two loops. One goes around uptown which is more suburban and the other goes around the historic district.  

After the streetcar, we stopped at a little Thai/Mexican restaurant called Lick It Up. Kind of a hipster place with delicious food. We think it is named after the Kiss album. 

Next we walked around the historic district looking at street art and eventually walking along El Paso street which is filled with small Mexican style shops and ends just before the border to Juarez. Luckily, we turned around before we had to show our passports haha. 

Tomorrow we leave bright and early  for Ft Davis National Historic Site then on to Terlingua near Big Bend.