Lakehills,Seminole Canyon, and Big Bend NP

February 4, 2016

Left for San Antonio area at 9 this morning. Arrived at our new campground… Lakehills Homestead and RV Park in Lakehills, Texas at 1. It’s a pretty area, but this campground is…um…not that pretty. There are only six sites and four of them are permanent residents. What this place does have is full hookups and we desperately need to do laundry. It's also close to Doug and Angel, close in the southwest sense of the word (about an hour). And it’s $20/night which is a good deal for full hookups. We set up camp, ate lunch, and headed to Doug’s at 3. It’s so nice to be able to see family as we travel. Went to dinner at El Chapparral Mexican Restaurant. Delicious food and margaritas, but the company was the best part!

Dinner at El Chapparral

February 5, 2016

Today is laundry day and Costco day! Yippee!

February 6, 2016

Doug came to the RV today at around 11 (Angel left for Florida yesterday). We gave him the tour, had a few beers and snacks and then went to check out Medina Lake, a reservoir on the Medina River. It was a beautiful day but very windy. Too windy for our kayaks. Later, we went to dinner at Bad Dogz in Helotes.

 Medina Lake

 Medina Lake

February 7, 2016

Dave washed the RV today. While staying in this tiny RV park, we saw some pretty cool birds...saw our first roadrunner and also saw a big group of prairie chickens (about 20). Went to Doug’s to watch the Super Bowl.

 Prairie Chickens

Roadrunner...Beep! Beep!

February 8, 2016

Today was moving day. We left Lakehills RV Park at 10 and arrived at Seminole Canyon State Park at 3 (with a stop to fill up the RV…$1.79/gallon). It’s beautiful here and very remote. Our campsite (#22) is an asphalt pad with water and electric. It also has a sheltered picnic table with fire pit/grill.

 Our campsite

 Our picnic shelter at the campsite

 It was a very secluded area

The entire campsite

After we set up, we road our bikes to park headquarters to look at the museum they have there. The museum contains exhibits about the area’s ancient Indians and more recent history. Didn’t get there until 4:30 and they close at 4:45 so we didn’t see much, but we did see some cool sites along our bike ride. We saw the old rail bed for the second transcontinental railroad. Also saw a replica of an old oven used in the work camps for the railroad builders. The camps consisted of Chinese laborers who did the grading and Irish laborers who laid down the tracks.

Had a nice fire tonight! Our loop in the campground is almost full, but you’d never know it since nobody seems to be sitting outside except us. The sunset was pretty. Once the sky got completely dark the night sky was fantastic…stars, planets, Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy, and about 10 satellites. 

 We call this picture "Blue"

 Pretty sunset

February 9, 2016

Rode our bikes back to the museum today and looked at all of the exhibits. Then hiked some of the trails that are close to the museum…Windmill Nature Trail and part of the Fate Bell Trail. Also at the campground headquarters is the Maker of Peace statue. Bill Worrell created the sculpture as a monumental tribute to the Desert Archaic people.

Maker of Peace Statue

We returned to the RV for lunch then packed a backpack for our hike along the Middle Fork Trail, Presa Overlook Trail, and part of the Canyon Rim Trail. Wendy was trying to avoid the Canyon Rim Trail due to her fear of heights but it was a mile and a half to get back to the trail head so she muddled through the less than ideal areas and enjoyed the views at the not so scary parts of the trail. Saw a couple of guys riding their mountain bikes along the rim, so it put the trail into perspective as far as the fear factor goes, but if you have a fear of heights…   Over the course of the day we hiked 4.5 miles. 

 Canyon Rim Trail

Hiking the Canyon Rim Trail

I made it!!

Saw a roadrunner at the end of our hike and also when we got back to our campsite. Had leftover pesto pasta for dinner and enjoyed a fire and the night sky again!

Dave toasting the night sky. (Notice the waxing crescent moon)

February 10, 2016

Beautiful morning…watched the sunrise. Actually kept the window shade open all night so we could be woken up by the sunrise. The days here have been gorgeous…bright blue skies with no clouds, except for the wispy clouds on the day we arrived. We decided to ride our bikes on the trails today, even though Wendy’s bike isn’t a mountain bike. The trails are mostly hard packed dirt with a few areas of stone and rock. We rode on the Rio Grande Trail and then hiked the Canyon Rim Trail to the Panther Cave overlook. The views were spectacular and we were able to see the pictograph of the panther across the water using binoculars. The panther pictograph image is nine feet long and from the viewing area you can see half of his body and tail. To see the panther pictograph up close and personal, you have to be taken there by boat with a tour guide.

Riding along the trails

Info sign across from the Panther pictograph

 Across from the panther pictograph

If you look closely, you can see the body and tail of the panther 

toward the left center of this picture.

 Seminole Canyon

The Rio Grande of the Amisted Reservoir. 

This is where Dave saw a big fish (like four feet long) jump!

We wished we could’ve been in our kayaks. The water was such a clear green color. Really pretty! The ride back to camp was a little more challenging with the wind against us and an uphill slope.

Went back to the RV for lunch. Dave set up his hammock...nap time!

We took a guided tour of the Fate Bell Shelter at 3 pm. Sooo cool!! We hiked down into the canyon floor…what an amazing view from there looking upward. The ranger who took us on the tour was very informative and answered ALL of Dave’s questions. ;) The rock art dates back 4,000 years and is considered to be some of North America’s oldest pictographs. We were able to see dozens of prehistoric paintings.

 Hike down into the canyon

 So cool to have this perspective from the bottom of the canyon. The canyon cuts through limestones deposited under a warm shallow seas 100-94 mya.  You can see the Visitor's Center at the top.

 A closeup of one of the many pictographs

 A drawing of the pictographs in the Fate Bell Shelter

 A view out from the shelter

 Fossils in the rocks

The largest pictograph in the shelter

After the tour we headed back to the RV for dinner and then enjoyed the sunset from the Birding Trail. Trying to add more birds to our list of interesting birds we’ve seen on this trip…raven, mockingbird, roadrunner, lesser prairie chicken, white crowned sparrow.

As the sky got darker, we could see a red light across the canyon. It looked like a bike reflector. Dave looked through the binoculars and thought it might be border patrol canvasing the canyon rim.

One of many border patrol trucks we saw

Still amazed that we seem to be the only two in our campground loop out at night looking at the stars. With a sky like this, you’d think everyone would be out…maybe they’re all used to skies like this. The only thing that chased us in early tonight was our lack of firewood. We’ll have to pick up some more tomorrow when we go into town.

February 11, 2016

Dave left for a 10-mile hike this morning along the Canyon Rim and Rio Grande trails. He left at 7:40 and returned at 11;40. In the afternoon we went to Langtry to visit the Judge Roy Bean Visitors Center. It was a long drive through a remote area of Texas, but worth the ride to learn about Judge Roy Bean, an eccentric U.S. saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, Judge Roy Bean held court in his saloon along the Rio Grande and meted out his own brand of justice. Very interesting character!

 Judge Roy Bean's Saloon and Billiards Hall. 

Also where he occasionally held court on the porch of the saloon.

Dave ordering a drink at the old saloon. 

Looks like a good place to play First Friday Poker.

February 12, 2016

Left Seminole Canyon for Big Bend this morning. We got out of Seminole at 9:30 and, after a stop at French’s Grocer in Marathon, we arrived at Big Bend at 1. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make a reservation online or by calling. So we asked the ranger if the RV campground was full. He said no, but when we got up to the Rio Grande Village campground, all of the spots were reserved. We didn’t realize it was a holiday weekend so we had to leave Big Bend National Park and find another place to stay. We ended up at a little campground in Study Butte (stoody butte) just outside of the park. It’s a unique little campground run by Dave Bence. Most of the people come back year after year so they all know each other, but the best part is they’re very friendly and have been sharing their knowledge of the area with us. We sat around Bob and Sue’s campsite tonight and had some drinks and met a bunch of people who came over from neighboring campgrounds.

February 13, 2016

Steve and Barb, our neighbors at the campground, gave us some recommendations on things to do today and one of them was to kayak up the Rio Grande. Steve told us where to put our kayaks into the water and said it’s a pretty easy float. We left the campground at around 9 and, after stopping at several scenic overlooks and going to the visitor’s center to get kayaking permits (free), we got into the Rio Grande at noon. From the very beginning to the very end…this was a kayak trip we will never forget. The views around every bend were more stunning than the last. The river barely had a current…although in a few spots it was a little more work to paddle against it. And the water was never more than 3 feet deep. As a matter of fact, we had to get out of our kayaks a few times to walk through the shallow areas. Along the way we saw some turtles, a few birds, and a red tail hawk that flew over us for a while. That was pretty awesome! We paddled for three hours upstream and then the float back took an hour and a half. This was such an amazing experience!

 Getting ready to launch into the Rio Grande.  The rocks cut by the river are mostly limestones deposited during the Cretaceous, the last age of the dinosaurs. Subsequent uplifting and faulting over the last 65 million years resulted in this master piece.

 Wendy paddling upstream

 Stopping for a little break. Notice the gigantic cave (Smugglers Cave) opening in the background.

 Spectacular views!! The tops of the cliffs are 1500' high!! The matching layer is 1500 feet below the surface at the mouth of the canyon where the Terlingua fault lies.

 Another resting place along the way.

A nice fellow from New Hampshire took this picture of us paddling back. 

He helped Dave carry our kayaks back to the car and sent us this photo via email.

On the way back to the campground, we drove along Old Maverick Road (a very bumpy dirt road short cut) and stopped to see Luna’s Jacal (hay cal); a small house built along the Alamo Creek by a man named Gilberto Luna. Gilberto raised a large family (over 20 children) in this house and lived there until he died in 1947 at the age of 108.

 Dave showing the small entryway to the jacal.

The inside of the jacal.

Got back to the RV at 6:30. We’re exhausted…dinner and bed. Zzzzzzz

February 14, 2016

Headed out at 10 to do a mountain hike. Ended up going to the Panther Junction Visitors Center first to get some info…enjoyed a 20-minute movie about Big Bend National Park. Bought a new birding book. J By the time we left the Visitors Center it was noon so decided to have lunch before our hike. We went to the only restaurant in the park at the Chisos Basin Lodge. Great food, awesome view!! Headed out a 1:30 for our hike on the Lost Mine Trail.

 Happy Valentine's Day lunch at Chisos Basin Restaurant

 Conquering fear of heights again

Dave relaxing and enjoying the view

 This is after the hike. The mountain we conquered is in the background.

The Lost Mine Trail has an altitude gain of 1100 feet over 2.4 miles (4.8 round trip) and tops out at around 6750ft. Lots of envious looks at our trekking poles. Spectacular views and lots of switchbacks.  Considering her fear of heights, Wendy was a trooper and I am very proud of her for facing her fear so bravely. I believe she gained a lot of confidence from this hike. We spotted Mexican Jays and the Red-backed Junco along the trail. We could smell the javelinas (skunk-like) but never spotted them.

After our hike, we rewarded ourselves with sunset at the lodge restaurant and Lost Mine Margaritas!  

The reward at the end of the hike...beautiful sunset at Chisos Basin Restaurant 

and Lost Mine Prickly Pear Margaritas!

Got back to the RV at 8 and started some laundry. Dave went out and hung out with Barb, Steve, Sue and Bob. Then zzzzzz!!

February 15, 2016

Our friends at the campground suggested that we drive to Presidio today and mentioned a few places we might want to stop along the way. We’ve enjoyed everything they’ve recommended so far, so we went for it. The ride to Presidio passed through the Big Bend Ranch State Park and is a ride not to be missed. Spectacular views again, just beautiful beyond words! We stopped at some of the overlooks and took tons of pictures.

 Dave had a blast driving the jeep through the mountains!

Wendy was hanging on at times with the twists and turns through the mountains. :O

Hoodoos

Also stopped at the Barton Warnock Visitors Center in Lagitas. The Center presents an archeological, historical, and natural history profile of the Big Bend region. 

Looking down at the Warnock Visitors Center

We also stopped at Fort Leaton State Historic Site in Presidio. The Fort is believed to have been built as an adobe residence in the 1830s. In 1848, it was acquired by Benjamin Leaton, who lived there with his family and used it as his trading post and fortress.

For lunch we stopped at El Patio in Presideo, a Mexican café on the US Mexican border. Our food was delicious and the portions were huge. We left stuffed and with a to go box. We needed to pick up a few groceries so we stopped at the Thriftway in Presidio then started our drive back. Stopped at the overlooks on the other side of the road on the way back and took more pics. 

We headed for the Starlight Theatre Restaurant & Saloon in Terlingua Ghost Town where we were meeting our campground friends. Steve and Barb were there when we got there so we had a drink on the porch and then got a table for 2 for 1 burger night. The burgers were delicious! The entertainment for the evening was Elle Carpenter, guitar/keyboard/vocals. She was awesome! 

Sign for the Ghost Town

 We had dinner at the Starlight Theatre, a local hot spot!

Starlight

 Best bar stool in the house!!

 Mayor of Lajitas inside the Starlight

This is an awesome place to eat if you're ever in the area!!

After dinner we followed Steve and Barb to La Kiva, a semi-subterranean bar with dinosaur décor, rock walls, and beautiful wood tables. Such a unique place! Had a fun night out with Steve and Barb!

 Stepping down into La Kiva

 Inside La Kiva bar. The place is huge!!

This extremely large table made of one piece of wood in La Kiva.

Fun night out with Steve and Barb!

February 16, 2016

Today is moving day. We’re sad to leave Big Bend and the people we met here. We said our goodbyes at 10 but as soon as Dave brought the jacks up, he could tell the right rear airbag didn’t inflate. It had unseated itself again. Luckily, we had a mechanic in our midst…Bob to the rescue!! Dave jacked up the rig again and Bob was able to get underneath and used some dishwashing liquid to reseat the bag. Can’t thank Bob enough for helping us out and allowing us to get on our way!! We hope to get back to Big Bend next year and spend time with these folks again. If anyone is going through the Big Bend area, you’d be lucky to be able to stay at Study Butte RV Park.

We got on our way at around 11:30; heading to Brantley Lake State Park in Carlsbad, New Mexico. With the change to mountain time, we arrived at 4:30 pm with a stop in Pecos, TX to fill up the RV.

Stay tuned for another blog entry from New Mexico soon...we hope!!