April 29, 2010

Thursday – Aprl 29, 2010
Charlie took some nice pictures today and added them to Album 4. We will keep putting pics in that album til it is full, so keep checking that one. I was going to mostly let the pictures speak for themselves today, but Charlie wrote an e-mail to his sisters describing today's adventures. So here it is, edited slightly for content. Charlie wrote: Today I drove ninety miles without towing the trailer for the first time. The Big Bend Resort and RV Park in Terlingua where we are staying is a very nice location right outside the west side of the park. I hiked while Leigh sat under a big shady tree with Joey. She still got hot but not like I did. It was probably a little over 100 degrees down by the river, very dry with a steady breeze blowing through the canyon. There was practically no shade during my two hour hike. I had a big lunch and drank as much as I could hold and set off. Dogs are never allowed on any back trails in national parks, but Joey would have had to be carried most of the way. I will copy in a description of the trail at the end of this email. I took a lot of pictures and I posted some of them on Picasa which you can see on Leigh's blog in album 4. We stopped at some overlooks on our way back to the trailer. As we climbed back up into the mountain area the temperature dropped by over 30 degrees. But at the low altitude where we are camping it hit a hundred degrees yesterday and today.  When we got back to camp today, I turned on the air and we went to a funky bar and eatery called La Kiva where they actually had a kiva. That's a holy place for native Americans. They are using it for storage though. Check this out, it is an interesting site: http://lakiva.net/. Be sure to have your sound on, and listen to the Tequila ad. Also, look at some of the pictures Leigh took. It seems we stumbled into a famous place. There wasn't any action when we got there which is just as well for me. I think off season for Terlingua must be at least 8 months of the year. Maybe. They made us sit on the patio where we could have Joey with us. The server says the owner really doesn't want to serve food and we had to get our iced tea at the bar separately. Leigh and I both had barbecue on mesquite wood. I had half a chicken and Leigh had pork spare ribs. The meat was great, the cole slaw tasted as weird as the place looked, and the beans had a good flavor but were tough. Bikers are welcome, or more likely preferred. I thought I might fit in since I badly need a haircut, beard trim, and a shower, but alas no. If you show up in a mini-van with your wife and a little dog, that's it. You're the freak. Anyway the meat was good and the flies were bad. There aren't many choices for dinner in Terlingua. Tomorrow we will go to the Big Bend state park south of here and stay another night at the same campsite. Then we will probably stock up in Alpine again and head north to Fort Davis state park.
Here is a description of where I hiked today: Guidebook: Santa Elena Canyon Trail, 1.7 miles roundtrip, This trail begins at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Although a short trail, it is one of the grandest spectacles in the park. After crossing Terlingua Creek, the trail climbs several short switchbacks and then gradually descends along the banks of the Rio Grande. Hikers are surrounded by lush riparian vegetation and 1,500-foot towering vertical cliffs of solid limestone. The trail ends where canyon walls meet the river. Take a lunch and enjoy the scene.
Leigh again: Once the sun went down we sat outside and enjoyed the cool down and watched the stars come out. It was the first time on this trip we have done that, something we always enjoy when there aren't any bugs around. More later....