Adventure Travel Photography Blog
As a native Texan, I’m sorry to say it took me 54 years to finally visit the Blue Bell Creamery, whose slogan when I grew up was “The Best Ice Cream in the Country.” While I tend to agree, I’m certain people from other states might not, so I will concede and go with the slogan, “Blue Bell is the state ice cream of Texas.” I can’t think of too many Texans who would disagree.
DIG IN!
I’ve been wanting to hike to the highest point in Texas for a while now. I finally made it to Guadalupe Mountains National Park this past April and knocked out Guadalupe Peak. I’m surprised I overlooked this National Park when I was visiting Carlsbad Caverns during a year long road trip across the USA. I was less than 30 miles away from the park that otherwise requires some effort to reach, as indicated by the many “No Gas” sign warnings dotting the highway.
Carlsbad, New Mexico is approximately 50 miles north of the park and the closest public airport to Guadalupe Peak is in El Paso, 110 miles to the southwest. Definitely come with a full tank of gas and provisions to complete this 8.1-mile roundtrip hike that begins at the Pine Springs entrance.
HAPPY HIKING!
I’ve made the trip to and from Texas to Colorado many times. Having said that, I haven’t made too many stops along the way. Usually, I’m destination bound. This year, I decided to make the road trip more interesting and found a variety of places to stop along the way.
Fortunately, my friend Nancy is self-employed and has a flexible schedule like me. As such, she was able to join me for dinner and a festive night at The Broadmoor. The luxury resort is always adorned in Christmas lights during the holidays and it is fun to see the exquisite resort decked out in decorations.
Getting to the resort Tuesday afternoon was a bit rough given an accident on I-25 that held up traffic for 45 minutes, but I suppose our day was better than those involved in the crash. We eventually arrived around five, got a room with a lovely view in the west tower, and strolled past the lake to Happy Hour where we enjoyed a drink and snacks at The Hotel Bar before enjoying a fancy dinner at The Summit.
Nancy order the “Angry Trout”, the Summit’s signature dish. The fish is cooked with its tail pulled through its mouth, so it looks “Angry”. I went with two appetizers: a mushroom, truffle bisque which was very rich and tasty as well as a magnificent bowl of mussels. We ended the night enjoying the lights around the lake.
The Palmer Trail is located in Bear Creek Cañon Park which is owned by Colorado Springs. The trailhead was only a 15 minute drive from the Broadmoor into the foothills very near the Red Rock Canyon Open Space.
The Palmer Trail (section 16) was a bit of a misnomer at first. We couldn’t find any trail signs that mentioned it. We knew we were completing a loop however, so we followed the directions to Red Rock Loop which was also the most heavily traveled trail.
After about 1/2 mile we reached a trail junction with a detailed map and a post directing us up a steep slope which turned into several switchbacks. We climbed for most of the next two miles or so before reaching a summit which afforded excellent views!
The trail, mostly a soft red dirt, led us through the forest down to High Drive, a dirt road blanketed in a thin layer of icy snow. We took short careful steps along road before reaching the paved surface where we climbed to the car. I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about having to walk on a paved road, but it wasn’t for very long, and otherwise the 5.2 mile hike was quite nice.
Capulin Volcano National Monument is home to an extinct volcano which erupted 60,000 years. The national monument offers five trails which are all very short in length with the longest being two miles. As such, the whole park may visited in an afternoon.
The most popular trails appeared to be the Crater Rim Trail and the Crater Vent Trail both located at the parking area by the cinder cone after driving the spiral road to the top. For those who don’t like ledges like me, this was not the most exciting drive!
I hiked the Crater Rim Trail first which was the hardest in the sense of steepness. The one-mile loop is paved, which was disappointing to me, but I can understand why as it circle the rim of the cone which rises over 1,300 feet above the plains and provides spectacular views of the surrounding area.
Next I followed the 0.2 mile Crater Vent Trail 105 feet down to the bottom of the crater and its plugged vent. I don’t think I’ve ever been in the bottom of a volcano.
Finally, I drove back down toward the visitor’s center and stopped at the parking area for both Boca Trail and Lava Flow Trail. Boca Trail is two miles while the Lava Flow Trail is only one mile. I only felt like hiking one of the two paths, so I picked the longer one. The path led me through dormant prairie grasses, scrub oak, junipers, pine trees, and chokecherry bushes for which the volcano is named. Capulin is the Spanish word for chokecherry.
The information listed this two-mile hike as strenuous. I didn’t find it to be difficult with the exception of stepping on small pieces of lava rock which seemed to roll on the hard surface making me slip a handful of times.
Overall, it was nice break to take from driving, though I don’t think this National Monument requires more than one visit.
I have visited this state park once before, but it was a gloomy day and I only completed a short hike. This time, upon arrival, I asked the ranger, “How far into the park is the Lighthouse Trail?”
She answered, but then asked, “Are you an avid hiker? Because I think the Lighthouse Trail is flat and somewhat boring, whereas the Givens, Spice, Lowry Trail undulates past a variety of scenery and connects to the Lighthouse Trail.”
Having heard that, I decided to follow the trail named after runners who helped build it rather than the most popular trail in the park which is also responsible for the most heat related injuries and deaths to people and pets.
Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to worry about warm temperatures. It was hardly 40 degrees when I started and the sun was struggling to peak out from the thin layer of clouds. While I hoped the fiery ball in the sky would brightly shine on the myriad of colors in the rock striations, at the same time, I didn’t want to get too hot on the eight mile hike.
I skipped along the trail fairly quickly as I only had three hours to complete which was barely enough time to truly enjoy the hike, but I still managed to stop and snap photos of cacti, hoodoos, and canyon walls peppered in shades of purples, browns, and oranges just to name of few.
Eventually, I reached “the end” of the lighthouse trail, but I recalled the ranger mentioned I could climb up to the rock formation. In addition, I saw some people scrambling on the rocks. The climb was steep, but not too difficult, and completely worth the effort!
I walked out on a plateau “book-ended” by two towering formations which provided fantastic views of the expansive canyon below. I noticed the couple I had spotted earlier continued up a steep path to the top of one of the formations…so cool! I’m so glad I followed them up.
I didn’t spot any wild life while hiking, but passed a deer on my drive in and flushed a bevy of dove hidden in the thick brush as I turned the corner. That made me jump! I suspect the desert topography would be quite pretty in the spring when the cacti are blooming. I’ll definitely have to visit Palo Duro Canyon State Park again.
I was pleasantly surprised by this park. With Palo Duro Canyon State Park being only an 1.5 hours away and being the second largest canyon in the United States, I believe Caprock Canyons State Park might get overlooked. In addition, it is a little out of the way.
I arrived at this park on a very cold, overcast day, maybe 23 degrees. While the weather muted the lovely colors of the canyon, I certainly kept cool while hiking and had the trail to myself!
The park offers a variety of trails. I wanted to see the natural spring at Fern Cave, as such I connected three trails (Canyon Loop Trail, Upper Canyon Trail, and Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail) for an approximate 6.5 mile loop. The trails are also named Trail D, C, and B, respectively that was helpful to know while following the trail markers.
This hike was fantastic! At the beginning, I was lulled into a false sense of security while following a wide, smooth red trail past a variety of rock formations. The information had suggested this was a strenuous hike, but at first this was not the case. Soon, the wide trail turned into a single track which led me through a variety of vegetation. All I could think was I’m glad I’m not here in the summer heat and bugs!
Soon I was following a wash and then I found myself climbing. The climb was gradual up until I reached Fern Cave. A small amount of water trickled over the rocks as I admired the ferns and ice-cycles at the same time! From Fern Cave, the trail became a little confusing. At a trail junction, a marker pointed with a large arrow to the left and a small arrow to the right but it didn’t indicate a trail letter.
As I climbed up, I remembered a split in the trail, and deduced the large arrow to the left that I was now seeing is just pointing to a return way back on the same trail C. This turned out to be right, but I was certain until after referencing the map which suggested I needed to climb 0.2 miles to the highest point of the park before connecting to the Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail. Fortunately, I had my Fitbit on and watched the mileage as I bounded to the top and found several trail signs.
This trail offered fantastic views and if it weren’t so cold, I likely would have meandered rather slowly. Having finished the climb and being exposed to the wind, I fought off a chill by running portions of this flat section while stopping occasionally to admire the multi-colored cliffs.
Soon I reached the descent which seemed much steeper than the climb. I followed several rock stairs down to the trail from which I began. This would be a very challenging hike in the Texas heat. While I wasn’t enthusiastic about the cold weather, only having to carry a couple bottles of water was far better than what would be needed in the summer as indicated by the countless signs warning hikers to turn around if they didn’t have water. I really enjoyed the landscape changes and variety on this path.
I would definitely come back to see other trails, the bison and the bats which are all part of this park.
The Mansion is a famous, luxury hotel in Dallas where many of the stars stay. Its dark, traditionally decorated bar serves of course serves pricey cocktails, and I couldn’t imagine how my friend, Phil Pritchett’s rock band would fit in, but it did. He put on show, dancing, playing the guitar, and belting out English cover songs along with his bass and drum players. The British Are Coming plays there about twice a month where several regulars come to see them. In fact, the people watching is worth the price of admission!
Well, most people say the stadium itself is worth visiting, and I believe a tour may be arranged, but we went to see the Cowboys. Unfortunately, they did not have a very good Christmas Eve. Regardless, it’s fun to go to a game!
What a wonderful early birthday and Easter weekend rendezvous! David found a cute little apartment over one of the shops on the main street of Fredericksburg and planned a fun two night stay.
Fredericksburg holds a special place in my heart from winning my first medium pony championship at the Gellespie County Fairgrounds to spending time around that area when I attended camp Mystic as a kid. I was so excited to return as an adult, especially given the last time I tried during my road trip around the USA the weather was lackluster at best. Sleet blew sideways, and VANilla’s doors froze closed!
Admittedly, the forecast called for dreary weather this weekend, so I hoped my luck would be slightly better than February 2011. It wouldn’t take much as we headed northwest from San Antonio beneath cloudy skies. Our first stop was outside of Boerne at the Cave Without a Name.
The Natural National Landmark is a limestone, solution cave which is created by a combination of water and acid that erodes the rock. The cave is tens of thousands of years old as evidenced the remains of prehistoric animals, though the cave went largely unnoticed until the 1920s when a moonshine distillery was installed in the uppermost cavern during the Prohibition. It wasn’t until 1935 when local children found the cave and were the first to enter its main chamber 90 feet below ground!
The owner of the property, Jim Horn, decided to open it to the public in 1939. As part of the opening, Mr. Horn held a state-wide contest, offering $250 for the best name. A young boy suggested the cave was too beautiful to have a name and was awarded the prize.
As we followed the 126 step staircase to its main cavern, I couldn’t help but think of the children who clambered down and back up the walls with only the light of a lantern. We took an hour tour of six chambers which covered only 0.25 miles of the 3.5 mile cave. Researchers are still exploring the cave which requires diving in the underground extension of the Guadalupe River which runs through it. They still haven’t found its end.
I expected the continuous 66 degrees would feel cold, but the cave was a nice temperature for us and several cave critters including bats, cave frogs, and salamanders. I loved seeing these species as I think it is fascinating that an animal evolves to be blind or are born blind since the darkness provides no use for eyes.
The cave is home to a variety of formations including stalactites, stalagmites, cave bacon, soda straws, draperies, columns and more. I particularly liked a dome structure, not because it was the prettiest formation, but because it was a type of formation I hadn’t seen in other caves. It is truly amazing to realize how long it takes for the formations to grow. We saw a small blob on the ground, not even an inch high, and it is 80 years old!
Another awesome feature in the cave is the rimstone dams. One area looked like terraced rice fields in China only the small dams held crystal clear water in pools. The water was so clear that at times we couldn’t see it, and at other times we thought a four-foot deep pool was only one-foot deep.
It was nice that cave tours took place upon arrival as well. There were not any scheduled times so the group was really small, just four of us. To see the cave on a scheduled time, however, it is possible to go in the evening for a concert like Italian Pops. Apparently the acoustics are great.
Upon finishing up our tour, we continued north to arrive in Fredericksburg for a late lunch. We squeezed into thebuzzing bar area at the Fredericksburg Brewery. That is about the best description I can give to the place. We should have heeded the TripAdvisor reviews. The room temperature beer was fair and the food not much better, maybe worse. I ordered the fish tacos which were decent, but David ordered the fish and chips which frankly tasted like a fish dock. I don’t know how he ate them. Overall, I suppose it didn’t really matter. We were both hungry and just trying to get some sustenance before we wandered along the crowded main street with a German influence.
Window shopping is our cup of tea, so we weaved between the shoppers as we glanced through the glass. Occasionally we found a boutique interesting enough to stick our head inside, including the fudge shop and a gallery owned by an artist David knew. What surprised us the most, however, was to find the National Museum of the Pacific War in such a small Texas town.
In 1971, the Nimitz Foundation was founded to establish the original Nimitz Museum in the former Nimitz Hotel. These efforts slowly evolved into the museum today. Not being a World War II history buff, I didn’t know anything about Nimitz. A Fredericksburg native, Nimitz was serving as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, DC when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was handpicked by President Roosevelt to relieve Admiral Kimmel at Pearl Harbor. He commanded an aggressive combat team that made all the right moves in the Battle of Midway which is considered the Navy’s greatest victory to this day. In 1944, he was promoted to Fleet Admiral, only one of four at this time. He also signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the United States while stationed on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. I can only believe I have never heard of him because I couldn’t stand history as a kid, as he seemed like one impressive guy.
The skies had cleared and with the weekend forecast sounding dreary, we didn’t want to spend any time inside the museum’s walls. We thought we might have time for that later in the weekend, so instead, we simply enjoyed the sun while walking around the peaceful courtyards. We also checked out the massive propeller, canons, a mast, and submarine that lined the front of the building. Soon after our stroll, it was time to check into our cute apartment, The Angel Inn, and relax before David took me for a lovely early birthday dinner at the Vaudeville Supper Club a block away.
Dressed up a little more than necessary in Fredericksburg (or Denver for that matter), we walked to the restaurant to be seated for our 6 o’clock reservation. The entry to the Supper Club is through a lovely courtyard complete with a fireplace and fountain that we enjoyed after our five course meal. The tasting menu included a variety of dishes that I wouldn’t have expected to go together and even included some items I probably wouldn’t have ever tried. That being said, the fusion worked well, and the meal was spectacular…especially the pork belly ravioli topped with lobster and resting in an asian broth. What a way to cap off a great day!
Our next day included another adventure to a cave, only this time an entirely different kind of cave. We joined the masses at Enchanted Rock State Park as we waited in rather long traffic line just to get in the park. Since neither of us enjoys crowds on the trail, instead of following everyone up the path to the top of Enchanted Rock, we chose to take Loop Trail to Echo Canyon Trail and then find our own way to the top of the rock. Plus, walking around the weathered dome, which was thought to possess magical and spiritual powers by several Indian tribes due to its night-time creaking and groaning noises, added some distance. I think we were able to get in a full 3 mile roundtrip.
This route was lovely. We probably only ran into ten people as we meandered along the wildflower lined trail past Moss Lake and the climbing areas to a place on enormous pink pluton batholith that looked scalable. For the most part, we could scramble up with relative ease and didn’t need our hands to help. Therefore, make-shift route turned out much easier than I expected. There was no way avoid the crowd on the top of the rock, though fortunately it is quite large, so we settled for an area slightly protected from the wind if that exists. The last time I was on top of this rock my hair was blowing sideways.
On the west side of the rock, we found the sign that pointed to the “cave” entrance. It wasn’t hard to spot as the ranger said, “Just follow the 10,000 people going up to the top and then follow the 5,000 that go to the left!” The cave was more like a giant crack in the rock which required some flexibility. We entered after a group of four who weren’t prepared. The area was pitch black, and a headlamp is highly desirable. Worst case, the flashlight on the cell phone comes in handy, but maneuvering through the cave definitely requires both hands at times.
Not everyone in the group ahead of us had lights and one person had significant problems laying on her back and sliding through holes not much bigger than David. We waited so long, I felt like we’d get trapped in between groups. With a slight tendency toward claustrophobia, I found myself uneasy at times while wishing they would speed up! Fortunately, no one caught up to us until the very end so we got play around with photos and even enjoy an apple in the middle of the narrow cave. A little wet and dirty with a few bumps on our heads, we eventually exited cave near our make-shift path.
Instead of turning down, we returned to the top of the rock along our previous trail and finished our lunch before following the masses to the parking lot. It was awesome, and we finished in time to enjoy some wine and the view of Fredericksburg’s bustling main street from our balcony.
For dinner, we tried the “second best” restaurant in Fredericksburg, Cabernet Grill, on Saturday. Its outdoor atmosphere with a water wheel and fish pond was neat. The cuisine was tasty, though the difference between the #1 restaurant and #2 restaurant on TripAdvisor is substantial! Regardless it was a fun day and lovely atmosphere.
We had to wave good-bye to Fredericksburg on Sunday, but not before we enjoyed a fantastic lunch at the Vaudeville Bistro. I had the lump crab quiche while David devoured buttermilk fried chicken. Both were excellent, especially David’s jalapeno cornbread. I ate most of it off his plate.
Before we reached San Antonio, we stopped at Guadalupe River State Park, a place where David sometimes rafts and kayaks. With the drought, the water has been relatively low, so he hasn’t gotten to do too many river sports of late. The water level didn’t affect us today, however, as we just hiked along the river banks on Bald Cypress Trail. The river was lined with enormous trees whose roots and trunks were smoothed by the river’s flow during rainier times. In jeans and a sweater, we weren’t dressed for a big hike, so we weren’t at the park long. We were really just planning to take a look at the river because for some strange reason I wanted to check it out. Of course, I always find it peaceful to walk by water, I can’t say I have too many fond memories of actually swimming in the Guadalupe while at camp. The lovely spring, aqua color turns mossy green by summer and it is home to snapping turtles and water moccasins! I took free swim at camp just for a free period, not to actually swim. Being near the water, however, did give us the idea to go to Texas Coast on Monday though.
I was surprised to find out Corpus Christi and its beaches are only two hours away from San Antonio. After a leisurely morning, we packed up David’s paddle board and headed to the coast. We stopped for lunch at Snoopy’s and chowed down on some tasty fried seafood platter before we set up our chairs on the beach just ten minutes away.
I enjoyed a book and a walk on the beach while David surfed the waves. I would have walked farther, but the beach was peppered with Portuguese Man-O-Wars. Anyone who has grown up going to the Gulf in Texas knows to stay away from those guys as they deliver a super painful sting while alive or dead! Though its appearance resembles a jellyfish, it is a siphonophore and its stings leave welts on human skin for three days. Discovery on man-o-wars washed up on the beach can lead to a beach closure! I suppose we were lucky as I passed at least 100 of them and was careful not to step on their long, venomous tentacles.
David could have paddled boarded for hours (and probably much longer than I could have sat on the beach), but we needed to get back home for dinner with the girls. Delicious sushi and Rice Krispie Treat Eggs (that we made Easter night) called our names. What a great weekend in the surrounding areas of San Antonio, especially given how bad the weather was supposed to be (we hardly saw a sprinkle)! ETB
Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.
So David planned a special weekend for us in the Texas Hill Country. All I have to say about it is we both really enjoyed it, and I thought if anyone else is looking for nice, fun, cool places to go, I’d provide a list.
We stayed at Petite Mason at Rock Harbor Hill Country Lodge located in Sisterdale, TX about 45 miles north of San Antonio. The cabin was decorated in a mix of american and french. The cute bungalow sat on a larger piece of property with lots of pets. The cats were very friendly. If you are allergic to felines, I might suggest another place. Otherwise the hammock, fire pit, tree full of cardinals, deer, guinea, and hot tub are all added bonuses.
The surrounding properties were interesting as well. We saw goats, buffalo, horses, donkeys, and old cars!
Our lunch and dinner spots were fun too! Good atmosphere and food.
The Welfare Cafe…Cute country place with a lively atmosphere in the front room. The board of specials included lamb, which we both ordered along with fried oysters. The lamb was one big chunk of meat (and fat). It was good, but I think it would be worth looking into other items on the menu.
Maywald’s Sisterdale Smokehouse is supposed to have some tasty BBQ. They must, given they only open the first and third weekend and sell BBQ until they run out! We’ll have to try it another time as we were there the second weekend. On the flip side, we got to enjoy the Cypress Grille in Boerne. Everything we ordered was delicious and the place was packed!!
The Creek (also in Boerne) was outstanding! The crab and shrimp cocktail, butternut squash soup, fish, scallops and chocolate cake were all cooked to perfection.
Another cool place to visit is the Majestic Theatre, located in downtown San Antonio. The theatre, designed by John Eberson in a Spanish Mediterranean style, was built in 1929 and refurbished during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The 2,264 seat theatre is home to San Antonio’s symphony and broadway. It also features several other events such as Rain.
Small Texas towns are quite something. ETB
Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.
What a wonderful holiday weekend. I flew down to San Antonio to spend time with my new beaux, David. After a relaxing Thursday evening, we spent Friday riding bikes along the green belt to tour the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, now named a World Heritage Site.
The City of San Antonio owes its existence to the rich mission heritage. A mission was an institution used by the Spanish to transplant their culture to frontier regions. The missions taught native people not only the Catholic faith, but also many occupational skills and the way of the Spanish government.
EXPLORE!After a long travel day, I enjoyed a beautiful weekend in Big Bend National Park. I started by getting to Midland from Denver via Southwest Airlines which was reliable as usual. Steve drove from Dallas to pick me up, and we continued on to Alpine for the evening in order to shorten the drive to the park in the morning.
We booked rooms at the Holland Hotel, known as the best accommodations between El Paso and San Antonio. The historic hotel was built in 1928 for $250,000 and in 2011 was renovated while keeping its 1928 delights. It’s certainly a place that supports the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. It’s façade isn’t terribly appealing, but the lobby, reading room, fireplace heated patio, bar and restaurant are quaint and charming. After enjoying the atmosphere with dinner at the bar, we called it an early night.
Before heading toward Big Bend, Steve took a short run while strolled around the quiet town with a heavy art influence, and then we indulged in the Holland Hotel’s complimentary continental breakfast. Try the cinnamon roll – it was heaven!
After a couple of hours of driving through barren West Texas, we finally arrived at Big Bend, a national park that I loved while I was on my year long venture across America. We set up camp at the Village Campground, before we set out for a few hikes, the first being the Boquillas Canyon Trail. The trail started with a short uphill climb and then descended down to the Rio Grande. The river, a greenish color, snaked through the canyon where we encountered a “singing Jesus” on the Mexican side of the border. He stood near his canoe, sang, and hoped we’d add a tip to one of the jars lining the trail on the USA side. We continued across the sandy trail past the sand dune created by the wind blowing sand into the canyon wall. We spotted a turtle sunning on the river’s edge, before we turned back toward the trailhead while passing a variety of cacti and a few butterflies flitting around the only thing in bloom – a weed!
Upon return to the campground, we checked out a looped trail nearby. I had actually hiked this trail before near sunset, and the banded colors of the Sierra del Carmen glowed red and purple in the setting light. It was a lovely stroll past marked natural features, as we passed by a horseman carrying reeds on our way up to an overlook that provided a panoramic view of the US/Mexico border. We spotted horses trekking to the water’s edge for a drink on the 70 degree say and even one or two small flowers, though April is supposed to be the month to see the cacti in bloom.
The light hikes were perfect for Steve’s prep for the 50K he was running in the morning. More power to him…cheering is all I plan to do, though I did participate in the pre-race dinner at the Chiso’s Lodge, another camping area in the park. While Steve “Carb-loaded”, I savored luke-warm Elk chili and enjoyed the restaurant’s heat before we headed to our tent! The weather forecast called for lows in the 40’s, not too bad, but when we arose at 5:30 a.m. the next morning it was a frosty 28. I did not pack the appropriate clothing!
Steve’s run began at 7:30, so I joined him at the start line to send him off on a rocky road. The race followed rocky road and trail where spectators couldn’t reach, so I opted for a hike on the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains. After an hour drive, I was the first car to arrive at the parking area. The trailhead was peppered with warning signs…do not hike alone…mountain lions and bears have been spotted in this area…do not hike in the early morning. Well, hopefully 8:30 wasn’t considered early. I picked up a walking stick and headed out for my five mile hike. The trail changed from paved to rocky after the first rise, much to my pleasure. I prefer natural. The scree path led me past oaks, juniper, prickly pear, ocotillo, and many more low water surviving plants as I climbed to an overlook providing me magnificent views or the Chisos and the “window” as the sun rose over the mountains.
There was a bit more wildlife in the mountains than the desert, and they seemed immune to humans. The bluebird perched on the rock and didn’t mind me getting somewhat close to shoot a photo – a rarity for birds. The whitetail buck feeding on the prickly pear must have been hungry! I dropped my water bottle which barely got him to look up for a minute. He just kept eating while I stood (not even quietly) not ten feet away?!?
The trail continued switchbacking up the mountain at a low grade before I reached the peak from which I was supposed to be able to spot the “lost mine”. Legend has it that the Spanish forced Indians to work in the mine until they revolted and hid the mine. I find it hard to believe there was a mine, since there isn’t much precious metal or water in the area…mercury is the only mining mineral.
From the peak, the trail crosses a ridge rock pinnacles. While the ridge is relatively wide, it still made me a little sick to my stomach as I knew a big misstep would slide me right of the mountain. I explored carefully and enjoyed some trail mix beneath morning sun before I began my descent as the next pair of hikers summitted. It was nice to have to majestic beauty to myself. It wasn’t long that I shared the trail with ten more hikers. I heard one group trying to determine how many feet are in a mile…I chimed in, “5,280…I live in the Mile Hi City”.
I continued on to the base, dropped off my walking stick, and headed back for a shower in time for the race after party. I watched the presentations to the winners while I waited for Steve, who was only using this as a training run for a 50 miler in May, to be shuttled from the finish to the food tent! He had a successful run, but certainly wasn’t hungry immediately, so after cleaning up we went for dinner in Lajitas.
Lajitas was far…but what isn’t in West Texas? I think we drove for an hour or more. There isn’t much in Lajitas except the golf resort with a nice little bar. I had a grilled romaine salad which was fantastic when I visited three years ago, but the menu wasn’t quite as fancy this time. It didn’t really matter. Hungry and happy to catch the last five minutes of the Broncos game, we sunk into the cushy seats and wondered if we’d make it back to the camp ground.
I was happy to find that Steve had a small heater, and we slept with on for the night. Clearly I am not a winter camper! The stars both nights were magnificent. We could see the Milky Way, though it took until midnight to spot the Big Dipper which was very low to the horizon.
Sunday included nine miles of hiking after we broke down our tent which was big enough to fit his Mini Cooper. Many joked that we were sleeping in the garage. The hikes were located in another area of the park along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive…I think it took us an hour to get there too. The park is enormous…at least 50 miles in every direction!
Steve has purchased a trail guide book that provided a description of each trail in the park. I’m impressed with the author who could write two entire pages about trails the simply crossed the desert. I’m going to shoot for a paragraph!
The first trail we followed was the Mule Ears Trail which undulated across lava flow and desert to Mule Ear Springs. The four mile roundtrip took us past a variety of cacti under the beating hot sun in the late morning of a relatively cool day in Big Bend! It was so still, we could hear the wings flapping of the four blackbirds that flew overhead. Much to our relief a cool breeze kicked up and stayed with us as we investigated remnants of manmade structure and finally ducked into the shade of trees near the “spring”. Reeds hid the stagnant water and a little greenery covered the trickle of water coming from the ground that we climbed right over not knowing it was our final destination! We followed footprints on what we thought was the rest of the trail before turning around after getting scratched by a few thorny branches. While the changing view of the Mule Ears rock structure was nice, the spring was a let-down. Having said that, a day in the desert beats a day in the office!
Our next hike, according to the guide book, was easier and not as hot. It was definitely hot, but fortunately for us a light breeze came and went. The trail once again led us past a variety of cacti. Admittedly, both trails probably would have been tremendous had these thorny plants been blooming! Our final destination was the “Chimney”. The rock formations, volcanic dikes, looked so close, yet they were 2.5 miles away. Once we arrived we found proof Indians once lived here… Petroglyphs carved in the southern spire, mortar holes for crushing grains, and rocks piled up to make a wall. After circling the spire, we followed the path to explore the other rock structures featuring a few cool arches. Before heading back to the car, we enjoyed a little shade the formations provided.
After our nine miles, it was time to bid farewell to Big Bend and we exited the park from a different direction on our way to Marathon. We had originally planned to stay at the Gage Hotel, another famous haunt, but being sold out, Steve found a house online. I didn’t know much about it, but when we drove up to it, I wondered what we had gotten into…Yikes! Our tent looked better from the outside. Once again, the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” came into play. The two bedroom adobe house was precious on the inside. The beds were covered in old quilts, the furniture were antiques, and there was even a non-functional, wood burning stove in the kitchen for decoration.
Since we couldn’t stay at the Gage, we at least enjoyed dinner at the 12 Gage Restaurant. My spinach salad and crab and shrimp cocktail were both fantastic! Actually, for a small town with about five buildings along Main Street, I was surprised by the tasty food. Our breakfast at the soda fountain before heading home was delicious too! I’ve wanted to return to Big Bend National Park since I visited three years ago, and it was well worth the trip…I might have to visit in April sometime in order to enjoy the cacti in bloom! For anyone planning on going, the locals say this will be a good year because the area has received so much rain. ETB
For notecards and key chains, visit My Shop on this website.
After 56,381 miles; 15 bears; a wolverine; a mountain lion;
a shaggy mountain goat; 5 moose; countless turkey, deer, and elk; a fox; a
handful of coyotes and marmots; several big horn sheep; numerous waterfalls;
fascinating people; and an amazing experience, I am home! Thanks for reading…ETB
For notecards and key chains, visit My Shop on this website.
I could have rocked a baby to sleep last night from the wind blowing against VANilla. The intensity seemed to increase hourly. By morning, snow was blowing sideways, virtually never hitting the ground. Petey wouldn’t even get out of VANilla to water a tree, and being on steroids, he generally wakes me to go out in the morning! Per my previous post, I decided to google BBQ and homemade donuts in Fredericksburg. I didn’t find the place from my childhood memories, but I did go to Fredericksburg Bakery, established in 1917, and famous for its Sweet German Pretzel made of twisted apple turnover dough with praline filling.
Stepping out of the blistering wind into the warm bakery was a delight! Three local “oldtimers” sat around a table commenting that they could just stay there all day. With a view of Main Street and the weather treacherous, I couldn’t help interjecting that their stay might get interesting. Yes they agreed and felt the snow was coming down harder. I left with a hot cup of coffee and a tasty, yet messy pretzel and then headed through the Texas hill country toward Kerrville.
As a child, from the ages 8-12, I attended Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, nearby Kerrville. I decided to swing by my old, summer stomping grounds. Given we always took a six hour bus ride to camp, and I was only 12, I really had no idea where it was. I just knew we passed by a few other camps and turned left into the entrance. I typed the address posted on Mystic’s website into Gina the GPS and followed the directions.
Gina projected I would arrive at Mystic in just 18 minutes from Kerrville. That just didn’t seem right to me. The only time young campers got to go to Kerrville was usually for an illness that Mystic’s infirmary couldn’t handle. I went into town when I broke my tooth while eating spaghetti, and it certainly seemed like it took longer than 18 minutes to get to the dentist. Oh, and yes I know it’s hard to believe I broke it on noodles, but I had witnesses when I bit down on an unexpected hard thing in my pasta…my tooth.
Since the trip to Kerrville wasn’t usually for something good, the camp counselors would do something nice for us in town. The treat was generally anything we wanted at Sonic. The older kids recommended the Limeade. I passed the Sonic, drove 18 minutes, where Gina chimed that my destination was “approaching on RIGHT”.
Nope, the GPS was NOT accurate. I drove a few miles further along the river beneath pecan trees where I found The Store (more on The Store later). I knew I was getting close. Continuing past Camp Rio Vista, Camp La Junta, and others, I finally arrived at Mystic on the LEFT. That’s more like it!
I rang the buzzer, introduced myself to the woman’s voice blaring through the speaker, and she let me through the gates. Petey, VANilla, and I took a short tour past Senior Hill, across the Guadalupe River, and to the old cabins I bunked in: Twins II, Chatterbox, Jumble House, and Bug House. We passed by the commissary, the dining hall, and the deck tennis courts.
Deck tennis was one of my all-time favorite activities and Mystic is the only place where I have ever seen it played. It is played on what looks like a grass volleyball court, and the rules are virtually the same as volleyball except a rubber ring replaces the ball and teammates catch and spike the ring versus setting and spiking the ball.
Not far from deck tennis, is the building that hosted movie night, dance and drama productions, but more importantly the stage where each camper finds out if she will be a Tonk or a Kiowa. My sister Christian had been to camp the year before me, and she was a Kiowa whose tribe colors were blue (my favorite color) and white. My other sister Liz and I were in our first year.
The youngest campers went first. I got Tonk. I was SO upset! Red was my second favorite color, and I certainly didn’t want to be the only Tonk in the family. Much to my relief, Liz drew Tonk too! I think almost all my nieces ended up being Tonks as well. I wonder if Christian is upset she is the only Kiowa.
Much of camp was similar to the way it used to be, but there were a few changes too. I didn’t see the gum tree, a tree by the dining hall where campers stuck their gum before entering for their meal. I’m guessing that is no longer allowed! Though I suspect the “Chicken Letter” is still required to get lunch on Sunday. This ensured that all parents got a weekly letter!
The Guadalupe River was beautiful. I couldn’t believe it. It was aqua color!?! I remembered it as green with moss, water moccasins, and snapping turtles. I took “Free Swim” as an activity and refused to get in the river, as I was terrified of it. The only thing that got me into the water was the strong desire to sign up for canoeing. Campers weren’t allowed to take canoeing unless they had completed intermediate swimming for which there is basically a tryout.
Everyone has to swim from the shore to the floating raft and back under a certain time. Of course, being the smallest kid in my class through the eighth grade, I was not a good swimmer and only qualified for advanced beginner!?! Ugh, I had swimming as an activity all summer and still no canoeing! I did get into canoeing once, but only because a counselor knew me from home and let me in the class without the proper credentials.
I could tell a few more traumatic stories, like getting stung by the wasps, but for every crazy story, there were several more good ones like being Tonk Junior Assistant, cooking Smores, and playing countless sports which I loved! Heavily involved in hunter/jumpers by the time I turned thirteen, I had to give up camp along with soccer, softball, and basketball at an early age. I’m certain teenage campers, that lived on Senior Hill would have completely different memories than me.
I really would have liked to walk everywhere, just like I used to, but it was truly bitter cold. So cold in fact, that the sliding door handle jammed and the lock froze as I let Petey out of VANilla. Consequently, I couldn’t get the door closed! After working on the door for a few minutes with the camp foreman’s help, we walked about 200 hundred yards and simply returned to VANilla. I was nervous the locks would freeze again and didn’t want to be locked out of VANilla.
I was so eager to see Camp Mystic that I skipped The Store, so I backtracked to see if The Store still sold beef jerky. Big, pepper covered pieces used to hang by strings from the ceiling and posts. Tradition was to pick out a few pieces before heading home at the end of camp. Now the pieces are smaller and sit in an open plastic container. Still not sanitary, but I bought a piece anyway. It was rather dry and leathery, but a little gnawing released the same good flavor.
Petey and I continued through the Texas hill country to Lost Maples State Natural Area and to Garner State Park, but skipped hiking. The sky crystal clear, the sun shining, and VANilla toasty warm made it seem like a walk would be nice…right up until I opened the door. Instead we stopped for roadside photos: a fence covered in boots, some longhorns, a windmill, and some deer. We even stopped at a historical marker which ended up being old graves, but I didn’t see any headstones.
I did, however, see at least 100 deer today. More than the previous 100 days of my trip. About 75 of them were right at the entrance of Garner State Park. They simply sat in the trees as I drove by, but as soon as I stopped and reversed to shoot a photo, they scattered behind the bushes.
The Reader’s Digest Drive suggested stops in Utopia and Bandera before reaching San Antonio. I think the suggestions were made because there aren’t any other towns in the Texas hill country between Garner State Park and San Antonio! Utopia consisted of a general store, a few antique shops, a few churches, and perhaps a restaurant. Behind its historic Methodist Church in a pecan grove, the town has held outdoor dinners since the 1890s.
In Bandera, Petey and I took a quick walk around the Courthouse just to stretch our legs, and then we stopped at the Frontier Times Museum. The museum was built in 1933 to house historian J. Marvin Hunter’s western collection. Hunter founded “Frontier Times”, a magazine recognizing history, border tragedy, and pioneer achievement. He finished construction of the museum by selling his books.
Today a variety of relics are on display at the museum: an old dental chair, World Champion saddles, paintings, old bottle cappers, aged pianos, and even an old switch board. The curator of the museum was from Ohio, which kind of surprised me. I only stopped briefly as Petey was in VANilla and the museum was small, but I had to make something out of this rotten day!
Around 3 o’clock, we headed toward Boerne to stay the night with my Aunt Mellie, Uncle Gary, and Chato. We had a lovely visit and dined on scrumptious shrimp scampi. Their home in the Texas hill country has a wonderful view of the sunrise and deer regularly visit their yard. It was so nice to see them and catch up on family news. Tomorrow is a day of travel to the Big Bend Area. ETB
For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.
Check out my shop of photographic notecards and key chains. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.
After a wonderful evening with Molly, I headed West, past Austin and into the Texas Hill Country. My first stop of the day was at Pedernales Falls State Park. There was a chill in the air, but the sun was shining as Petey and I followed the Wolf Mountain Trail lined by mesquites and maples to Twin Falls. To my surprise, the falls weren’t flowing! I thought the snowmelt would have produced at least a trickle, but the area has suffered a massive drought in recent years.
The creek filled oasis beneath the falls, however, was breathtaking. Frankly, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen aqua colored water in my home state. The Trinity River and the Texas Gulf Coast are generally brown from silt (as well as pollution). Additionally, North Texas lakes are manmade, thus usually murky grey or green. I can’t say there has ever been a body of water in Texas that I was thrilled to jump into except a swimming pool! I heavily considered dipping my feet in this small pool of water, but ground level was not that easily accessible with a dog, camera, and backpack in tow.
We returned to VANilla after a two to three mile walk to take a short drive to another area of the park to see Pedernales Falls. The Pedernales River flows over and through protruding rocks to create the falls. Petey and I hopped over the rocks for a closer look, but obeyed the signs: no swimming, wading, or tubing on this portion of the river. While the river appeared calm and harmless, evidently the rocks create strong currents and undertow. In addition, the area of the Texas Hill Country is subject to flash floods, which I can believe.
As a freshman in high school, our class took a trip to YO Ranch for a bonding experience. The class was divided into three small groups and given different scheduled activities. My group was going camping. One task included building a fire with only two matches to cook hotdogs. No fire = cold hotdog. Unfortunately, all the nearby wood was soaked from recent rains. It was not the best lunch I’ve ever had, but that wasn’t the worst of it.
The excursion turned worse when torrential rains flooded the river and trapped us in the hayloft of a barn for the weekend. The river, so high, washed the school bus away!! Eventually, our group made it back to the main cabin area unharmed, just in time to go home to Dallas.
Thankfully today, there was no snow or rain, so the rivers were tame, but the wind was howling. Gusts were so strong that VANilla blew onto the shoulder of the road. Windmills spun as fast as they could go! Deer, antelope, and longhorns peppered the Texas hill country. And a road runner played chicken with VANilla as we continued through Main Street in Fredericksburg to finally reach Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Enchanted Rock is a small part of a huge underground rock known as a batholith. The batholith is over a billion years old and spans over 100 square miles (4 times the size of Manhattan). Enchanted Rock is the second-largest mass of exposed granite in the United States. It sheds its outer layers of rock as it contracts and expands creating a variety of oddly shaped granite fragments that sometime slide down the dome.
The rock also illuminates in the moonlight. The noise and light reflections at this mound of pink granite caused the Indians to think it was possessed by supernatural powers! Petey and I hiked a few miles around the area and then took the Summit Trail to the top of the dome. One tree and some grass grew from the top. We didn’t stay long, as the wind was so strong, my hair blew back just as it did when I went skydiving!
We ventured back through the Texas hill country toward Fredericksburg and took a short drive to the fairgrounds where I once competed in a horse show as a twelve year old. I remember it being a small show with a few exhibitors, but it was quite fun. I also remember a BBQ place across from the motel that sold homemade donuts. After a few drive-bys, as I thought I’d try the homemade donuts in the morning, but I was unsuccessful in locating the restaurant. As a result, I retired to Wal-Mart. Perhaps I will google BBQ and donuts in Fredericksburg and see what I find for the morning. ETB
For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.
Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.
