On to West Texas

First, the promised picture of Raggie's friend Dude.  There is a dog under all that hair.

Dude

Leaving Arizona the weather was cold so the southern route through NM offered the best way to get to West Texas.  We hurried on to El Paso and hurried even faster through that sprawling city.  Our first destination was Fort Davis, at 5050' the highest town in Texas.  The days were nice but nights still got below freezing so no hose could be attached to Bella.  Fort Davis was originally a military post established in 1854 to protect the stage and immigrant routes going west from the Apache and Comanche Indians.  It is one of the best preserved western forts and is also known for having had contingents of African American "Buffalo Soldiers."

Downtown Fort Davis

Fort Davis parade ground and living quarters

The State campground is quite lovely and we were lucky enough to see a javalina walk in front of Bella.  They are common and apparently a major nuisance but we had not seen on in AZ or NM.

Javalina

  After two nights it was on to the Big Bend area.  There are both a national and state park and we picked a campground in between, in a town called Lajitas.  It was advertised as part of a 5 star resort and I looked forward to a nice dinner out with our first Texas Margaritas.

Empty but pretty Lajitas Resort


Since there were no customers and an absent bartender in the resort,  we headed a few miles east to Terlingua Ghost Town.  The town once served a mercury mine.  The old theater is now a thriving restaurant and the porch, which is shared with the general store, is where you sip your $2 happy hour Margaritas.

Old Starlight Theater, now a restaurant

We took the 50+ mile drive west to Presidio, one of the few legal border crossings in the area.  It is a beautiful drive along the Rio Grande.  We saw a 1985 movie set which has been used several times since including for The Streets of Laredo.

 

We read a book about a man who homesteaded in what is now Big Bend Nat'l Park in 1909.  He built structures and pools where the hot springs abut the Rio Grande.  People came from great distances to cure a multitude of ailments.  Only the pool walls remain and the Texas boys apparently couldn't read the no alcohol sign.

One of the prettiest sights is Santa Elena canyon, narrow and steep.  It runs 8 miles with no exit and is a great pace for rafting when the river is higher.

One the way out of the park we saw a structure that served as a home to Gilberto Luna who raised 8 children and lived to be 108.  I could not stand up in the structure.  While I am fond of small homes, this one is pretty minimal.

Well, it will be a two day trip heading to McAllen, Texas to see my brother John and his wife Anna.