Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Terlingua area, Texas to Alpine, Texas
Highlights: Big Bend Ranch State Park River Road, Closed Canyon Trail, the Hoodoos, and Shafter Ghost Town
Big Bend Ranch State Park is the largest state park in Texas, but most people, including us, only visit the area along the FM 170 River Road, which runs parallel to the Rio Grande River between Lajitas and Presidio. This is the only paved road in the otherwise very rugged park.
Our first stop was at the Barton Warnock Visitor Center outside Lajitas, where we took a nature trail behind the building to a lovely overlook.
Overlook at the Big Bend Ranch State Park visitor center
An old adobe building called La Casita was part of the Contrabando movie set featured in movies such as "Uphill All the Way," "Lone Star," "Dead Man’s Walk," and "Streets of Laredo," as well as Brooks and Dunn's “My Maria” music video. The abobe structure is original; the others were added to make the set. In 2008 the later additions were destroyed by flood and fire, and only La Casita remains. It was a nice place for a picnic.
Contrabando abandoned movie set
The Fresno Overlook is located at the West Contraband Trailhead, part of a vast interconnecting multi-use trail system. We only walked a third of a mile to the lookout point. I'm not hiking out into the desert!
Fresno Overlook
Trails through the desert
The FM 170 River Road is often referred to as “the most scenic drive in Texas.” It sounds like hyperbole but I'm a believer! We stopped at three different overlooks on “Big Hill” alone. The views were jaw-dropping.
Rio Grande from Big Hill
Big Hill overlook
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Closed Canyon Trail is an easy hike into a slot canyon that becomes narrower the further you go. You can't hike all the way to the river without ropes, or at least you shouldn't, because it's easier to get down than back up! Turning around at a prudent point, we had a shady and enjoyable 1.5-mile hike.
Closed Canyon Trail
Into the narrows
Jana in Closed Canyon
By the time we got to the Hoodoos, the wind had kicked up, and we could see a haze of sand in the distance. We did about three-quarters of a mile of wandering up to a lookout and down to the river before heading back to the car to escape the incoming dust.
Hoodoos overlook
Tom with hoodoos
Little Tom, big hoodoo
On the bank of the Rio Grande
Leaving Big Bend Ranch State Park
We left Big Bend Ranch State Park via its western entrance at Fort Leaton State Historic Site. The fort is one of the largest adobe structures in Texas and the site of a former trading post on the US-Mexico border.
Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Fort Leaton
From Presidio we turned onto US 67, continuing through the desolate desert to Shafter ghost town. This former silver mining boom town had a population as high as 4,000 in 1940. Now they're down to 11. Unlikely but true: In 2016 Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at Cibolo Creek Ranch, right outside Shafter.
Shafter ghost town
Concordia Cemetery, Shafter, Texas
Next we came to Marfa, a weird little town in the desert that thrives on its quirkiness, having become an unlikely oasis for art and then an even less likely tourist destination. Since the pandemic, certain town residents have expressed their anger online toward outsiders, and while passing through, we saw a sign in a window that said “Everyone Here Hates You.” Real nice.
Two-story house in Marfa
Ouch!
Window on left: "Everyone Here Hates You"
Just outside Marfa on US 90 is the official viewing area for the “mysterious” and “unexplained” Marfa Lights, which researchers have repeatedly proven are due to atmospheric reflections of headlights from the highway. It's a surprisingly large area with lots of parking and platforms with mounted binoculars for optimal light sightings. An hour before sunset, there were already loads of people waiting for nightfall, despite the blustery wind.
Oooh, mysterious
Yeah, same here
Lodging: Back in Alpine, at the same Value Lodge we stayed at four nights ago. The WiFi was out tonight due to the wind, but we didn't particularly mind.
Tomass
Driving distance: 207 miles
Continue to March 17, 2021
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Our first stop was at the Barton Warnock Visitor Center outside Lajitas, where we took a nature trail behind the building to a lovely overlook.
Overlook at the Big Bend Ranch State Park visitor center
An old adobe building called La Casita was part of the Contrabando movie set featured in movies such as "Uphill All the Way," "Lone Star," "Dead Man’s Walk," and "Streets of Laredo," as well as Brooks and Dunn's “My Maria” music video. The abobe structure is original; the others were added to make the set. In 2008 the later additions were destroyed by flood and fire, and only La Casita remains. It was a nice place for a picnic.
Contrabando abandoned movie set
The Fresno Overlook is located at the West Contraband Trailhead, part of a vast interconnecting multi-use trail system. We only walked a third of a mile to the lookout point. I'm not hiking out into the desert!
Fresno Overlook
Trails through the desert
The FM 170 River Road is often referred to as “the most scenic drive in Texas.” It sounds like hyperbole but I'm a believer! We stopped at three different overlooks on “Big Hill” alone. The views were jaw-dropping.
Rio Grande from Big Hill
Big Hill overlook
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Closed Canyon Trail is an easy hike into a slot canyon that becomes narrower the further you go. You can't hike all the way to the river without ropes, or at least you shouldn't, because it's easier to get down than back up! Turning around at a prudent point, we had a shady and enjoyable 1.5-mile hike.
Closed Canyon Trail
Into the narrows
Jana in Closed Canyon
By the time we got to the Hoodoos, the wind had kicked up, and we could see a haze of sand in the distance. We did about three-quarters of a mile of wandering up to a lookout and down to the river before heading back to the car to escape the incoming dust.
Hoodoos overlook
Tom with hoodoos
Little Tom, big hoodoo
On the bank of the Rio Grande
Leaving Big Bend Ranch State Park
We left Big Bend Ranch State Park via its western entrance at Fort Leaton State Historic Site. The fort is one of the largest adobe structures in Texas and the site of a former trading post on the US-Mexico border.
Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Fort Leaton
From Presidio we turned onto US 67, continuing through the desolate desert to Shafter ghost town. This former silver mining boom town had a population as high as 4,000 in 1940. Now they're down to 11. Unlikely but true: In 2016 Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead at Cibolo Creek Ranch, right outside Shafter.
Shafter ghost town
Concordia Cemetery, Shafter, Texas
Next we came to Marfa, a weird little town in the desert that thrives on its quirkiness, having become an unlikely oasis for art and then an even less likely tourist destination. Since the pandemic, certain town residents have expressed their anger online toward outsiders, and while passing through, we saw a sign in a window that said “Everyone Here Hates You.” Real nice.
Two-story house in Marfa
Ouch!
Window on left: "Everyone Here Hates You"
Just outside Marfa on US 90 is the official viewing area for the “mysterious” and “unexplained” Marfa Lights, which researchers have repeatedly proven are due to atmospheric reflections of headlights from the highway. It's a surprisingly large area with lots of parking and platforms with mounted binoculars for optimal light sightings. An hour before sunset, there were already loads of people waiting for nightfall, despite the blustery wind.
Oooh, mysterious
Yeah, same here
Lodging: Back in Alpine, at the same Value Lodge we stayed at four nights ago. The WiFi was out tonight due to the wind, but we didn't particularly mind.