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Deep in the Heart of Far West Texas
It’s easy to overlook the splendor on your own doorstep. With this in mind, my husband Naeem and I decide to explore the Far West Texas region. We are excitedly setting out on our road trip from our Dallas home with our two-year-old son, Zakaria. It’s our first experience of serious traveling with him and so far, he’s loving it, much to our relief! Hopefully, he’ll enjoy the rest of the trip. When planning an itinerary, the Texas Mountain Trail website is a very helpful resource. The Regional Coordinator, Beth Nobles, posts a different photograph of the area on her blog each day, and it inspires you to go there.
Take the opportunity of browsing round the shops in Marathon, especially the French Co. Grocer. The business opened in 1900 and was the very first General Store in the town. It’s a treasure trove of just about anything you could possibly need, whether it’s provisions for the home or for a trip into the Big Bend National Park. You can stock up with meat, fish, traditional local foods, and wine. There is hot coffee, tea and sandwiches for sale and picnic supplies plus equipment to repair a bicycle and hiking gear. Lovers of independent book stores will appreciate the Front Street Books store. It specializes in Texas and the local area with titles that include natural history and the history of ranching. Home on the Range We resume our journey with 120 miles still to go. On reaching Big Bend, we book in for a couple of nights at La Posada Milagro, located on top of Ghostown Hill in the Terlingua district. This is advertised as rustic luxury accommodation and it lives up to its description. The original traditional architecture has been faithfully restored and it was relaxing to chill out on the sun deck after so much driving. Naeem wishes he could have brought that hammock home!
Mountains and Lions and Bears – Oh My! It is time to head for the Guadalupe Mountains, an impressive range that boasts the highest mountain in Texas, the Guadalupe Peak (8,749 ft). We register for two nights in Van Horn at the Holiday Inn Express, which is conveniently situated in the heart of the small town. The hotel makes a good base for exploring the area and the rooms are comfortable and clean. It’s only a short drive to do the Red Rock Ranch Tour, a rewarding experience for any visitor. There are guided hiking and driving tours and they offer more fantastic photo opportunities. The owner of Red Rock Ranch, Darice McVey, operates the tours, collecting tourists from their accommodation, taking them round Van Horn, and telling them about the town’s history. She then shows you her ranch, which has been used as a movie and TV location on several occasions, including Blue Sky, for which Jessica Lange won her Oscar. Patricia Golden of the Van Horn Convention Center and Visitors Bureau also accompanied us on the tour. The staff at the center will assist in planning your business trip or vacation.
The Mail Must Get Through!
We Journey Home (with one tired little boy) It is all over so quickly and it’s time to go. Zakaria has covered many miles in the course of our trip, secure in Naeem’s back carrier, and he sleeps soundly on the way home. This area is the perfect getaway from the city, and takes you back through history to places with geological wonders, thousands of years old. The long roads seem to stretch forever. It’s important to remember, in this dry, hot environment, that it is easy to dehydrate. Always carry water, put on sunscreen, and wear a hat and long sleeves. You can rest up at the end of the day in comfortable accommodation with excellent service and everyone is very friendly. They say Texas has the biggest sky in the world and you will certainly echo that sentiment. For more information or reservations:
The Gage Hotel La Posada Milagro Far Flung Outdoor Center Brewster County Tourism Council Holiday Inn Express Red Rock Ranch Guadalupe Mountains National Park Brewster |
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Our destination is the picturesque Big Bend area, which is nine hours away so we break the journey and stop for a night in the small town of Marathon. Our stay in the Gage Hotel puts us in the mood for the Old West. The hotel’s General Manager, Wilma Schindeler, knows how to create the right atmosphere and the rustic exterior and period furnishings are welcoming.
The swimming pool is very tempting after hours at the wheel. The accommodation’s White Buffalo Bar is so named because of the rare White Buffalo head that adorns the wall. A tasty menu, including Black Angus Steaks, is on offer at the Café Cenizo, where you can relax in front of one of the fireplaces if the evenings become chilly.
The Big Bend National Park is all around the lodging and we spend the next couple of days exploring and capturing the scenery with our cameras. It is a big space for one s
mall boy to run around in! The Park contains hiking trails, biking trails and camping grounds and there is permission for all year round fishing. You can take advantage of the amenities at the Chisos Mountains Basin, where there is a restaurant, convenience store and a small visitor center. Several trails go out from the basin, where the wilderness awaits again after a short walk. There is a chance of encountering a mountain lion! Attacks are rare but if one should act aggressively, the advice is to stand your ground, and throw stones or wave your arms but most importantly, don’t run.
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive is said to be the most scenic drive in the entire state and we have to agree. It winds round the Chisos Mountains and finishes at Santa Elena Canyon. On the way, there is a choice of trails, historic sites and dramatic vistas. One of the best views is from Sotol Vista.
The Castolon Historic District contains buildings from the early 1900s including an army barracks. There is a welcome oasis in the form of a store that sells ice cream, snacks and cold drinks. Santa Elena Canyon is magnificent, the canyon walls rising to 1,500 feet above the river at one point. If you don’t mind getting wet, take advantage of the canoe and raft trips in operation in the canyon.
One of the best ways of getting close to the landscape in Big Bend is to go on a Jeep Tour, run by the Far Flung Outdoor Center. The guides are very knowledgeable and there is a choice of daily trips that appeal to different interests. You may come across an old Apache camp, cacti, ancient fossils, old mining sites, or even the remains of dinosaurs. Another way to explore the area is to go on a river tour, a walking tour or an ATV tour. We highly recommend Big Bend and are grateful to the Visit Big Bend website and Mike Davidson of Brewster County Tourism for arranging it.
The fabulous rock formations, canyons and native vegetation are all on show. This area has an interesting past, which inspired Hollywood to build a western movie set here, which you can still see. You will feel a real sense of history when you see a Native American campsite, hundreds of years old, and find a pictogram that someone has left behind. Commercial enterprise is alive too at the working talc mine. The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a wonderful wilderness with over 80 miles of hiking trails and it has a variety of terrain, including desert, woodland canyons, and mountain forests. It’s a favorite place for bird watchers, horseback riders, and people interested in fossils. The Park is home to rattlesnakes, elk, black bears, mule deer and those mountain lions again.
In the days when mail was transported by stagecoach, the Butterfield Overland was an important route, going all the way from Missouri to California. The stagecoaches passed south of the Guadalupe Peak and today’s tourists can walk up the short path to the ruins of Pinery Station, which was one of the old stops.
The first mail delivery on the route was in 1858 and there are celebrations planned in 2008 to honor this Texan anniversary. Various events include a Car Rodeo and Motorcycle Rally in Van Horn (September 26-28) and a Chuckwagon Barbeque and Stagecoach Rides through the Guadalupe Mountains National Park (September 27-28). Another worthwhile attraction is the Frijole Ranch House, a restored building that houses a museum dedicated to the history of local ranching. This can be reached via the beautiful Smith Spring trail.