Winter Trip 2015: Rio Grande Village at Big Bend National Park

Windmill at Dugout Wells (See Tue. description)

Large cactus in the sunshine (See Tue. description)

Prickly Pear at Dugout Wells (See Tue. description)

The desert in bloom (See Tue. description)

Backlit Rainbow Cactus (See Tue. description)

Driving into the low cloud bank of Monday evening

Rain in the desert

Wed. Feb. 4: This was our big day for hiking. It was cloudy and misty when we got up, with temperatures in the fifties. Marv and I rode our bikes to Ann & Shelby’s campsite. As we waited for them, I watched a Ladder-back Woodpecker on the post next to them. We all rode to the Visitor’s Center to get a bit more information and to watch the video about the park. Then we biked to the Daniel’s Farm site and down to the Rio Grande for Ann’s first sighting of the river. It is not very wide along this stretch and they were surprised at its modest size. Outside the park, between El Paso and Presidio, Mexico, it is considered a dry stream, sapped of its water by irrigation and evaporation, but near the park’s border it gets volume from Mexico’s Rio Conchos. We left the bikes at the Trailhead and hiked partway up the Trail to Hot Springs, to an overlook of the river. We returned to our own campers for lunch, having biked about 5 miles. We picked Robertsons up in the truck and drove to Dugout Wells to do the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Hike and see the remains of a homestead at a desert oasis. By then the skies had cleared and the sun warmed the desert into the seventies. We were seeing more flowers brought out by the sunshine, including small yellow Creosote blooms and yellow Desert Marigolds. Back at the campground we did the Trail across a wetland and up a steep hill to a wonderful overlook where we could see the Rio Grande and the Chisos Mountains to the west, and the Sierra del Carmen Mountains and the small village of Boquillas, Mexico to the east. After dinner and sunset we drove to Panther Junction and just beyond to drive 6.4 rugged miles on unpaved Grapevine Hills Road. As it got darker and the stars came out we took the trail to Balanced Rock watching the light of the rising full moon creep down the steep rocky hillside on our right. We stopped short of the rock as the trail became a matter of scrambling up the boulders to the ridge and we weren’t sure we could see the rock in the dark anyway. By then the full moon had risen above the hillside to our left. We turned around and hiked back, most of the way without flashlights because the moon light was so bright. It was magnificent and we didn’t see another soul the whole way. That was the hike of a lifetime and made an outstanding end to our day.

Boardwalk at the campground nature walk

The Roadrunner was faster than the photographer

A first sighting of the Rio Grande

The Sierra Carmens in Mexico

From a lookout high above the river

Our private campsite at Rio Grande Village

Full moon rising

Can you see Orion, or at least his belt?

Moon shadows

Thu. Feb. 5: This wasn’t quite such a rigorous day. Each couple got up in a leisurely manner. We each happened to have pancakes for breakfast and packed a lunch. Marv and I did dishes, which had started to really pile up. While picking up Ann & Shelby at their campsite we all observed a striking woodpecker with a yellow forehead, red crown, and yellow “mane” that Ann later identified as a Golden Fronted Woodpecker. We drove the short way to Boquillas Canyon overlook to see the vista and then on to Boquillas Canyon Trail. The moderate level 2 mile hike took us up over a hill and down, then along the Rio Grande to the mouth of the canyon. 1300 foot high cliffs towered above us and kept the sun from getting in until about noon. By then we had reached the end of the trail and came back a few hundred feet to a sunny, grassy patch to enjoy our lunches. After returning to the truck we continued north to Hot Springs Trail. The remains of a 1920s-30s resort are there and we looked at the preserved but empty Post Office/Store and 6 unit Motor Court, and a few ancient petroglyphs and pictographs on the cliff, as we hiked to the spring. Only the foundation of the two story bathhouse remains and it had about a dozen people in swimsuits lounging in the 105° water; the brave ones would go over the stone wall to swim in the much cooler Rio Grande. Marv, Ann & I took off our shoes and rolled up our pants to soak our feet while Shelby remained “on shore”, reading until we finished. The day was much cooler than yesterday but when the sun came out it felt quite warm compared to the air temperatures in the high 50s. We were back at the campgrounds by 3:00 so we dropped Ann & Shelb off at their campsite and returned to ours to read and snooze in the sun for an hour or so and then begin packing up to move into Chisos Basin for the weekend.  Robertsons joined us at our camper to eat vegetarian chili for dinner and afterwards we walked to the Nature Trail for sunset. On the way we saw a pair of Vermillion Flycatchers. We hiked back up the hill to the overlook just as the sunset. At first it didn’t seem too spectacular but the longer we waited, the more the color came out on the clouds and the high cliffs of the Sierra del Carmen. Back at our camper we played a game of “Golf” (with cards) and did more to get our respective campers ready to move to Chisos Basin the next day.

Panoramic of the Rio Grande from the mouth of Boquillas Canyon

Mexico at the mouth of  Boquillas Canyon

Boquillas Canyon

Luminescent beauty in a pile of horse dung 

Find Marvin?

Does this help?

Marv, Peggy, Ann & Shelby at our picnic spot

Pictographs along the walkway to Hot Springs

Hot Springs beside the Rio Grande

Sunset from the lookout

Sunset from the lookout

Winter Trip 2015: Fort Davis

Tues. Feb. 3: After another lovely breakfast everyone packed up to leave. Brenda and Caare were driving the 6 hours back to their home in San Marcos and the four of us continued on Highway 17, the old San Antonio to El Paso road, up into the Davis Mountains. We took time to stop at Fort Davis, a National Historic Site. The Fort was placed here to fight the Cherokees and defend the road, one of two routes leading to the Gold Fields of California, in the 1850s; briefly held by the Confederates during the Civil War; and then abandoned for two years. When it was reopened after the war it was the home of one of the two cavalry units of Buffalo Soldiers, all black soldiers with white officers. They served well until the 1880s when it was closed for good. The Park Service is renovating and rebuilding parts of the fort. We watched the video about the fort and then wandered the area, enjoying the barracks, commissary, officers’ quarters, and hospital amongst many foundations that won’t be rebuilt. It was thrilling to see the 7 Springs outpost on the old maps, having just been there. It was surprising to find out that they had really good medical care at the fort, the Army having gotten top Doctors to serve there. We drove on to Alpine where we put together a quick picnic lunch, bought gas and bought groceries before driving the rest of the way to Big Bend National Park. The entrance on the northwest side is Maverick Junction. As we drove east towards the Visitors Center at Panther Junction we could see the famous Window spillway in the Chisos Mountains, the only mountain range completely within a National Park. There were interesting cloud formations among the peaks of the Chisos that changed as we drove. We made a quick stop at the Center to get more information and to make a few phone calls since we had phone signals there. As we left the Center we could see a level of low clouds that seemed suspended above the desert floor. Eventually we drove into the clouds and visibility dropped to a few hundred feet. And then it started raining. We were surprised by the rain and the temperatures in the fifties in the Chihuahuan Desert. But there is a severe drought here and the aquafers are depleted to the point that it will take thousands of years to replenish. So we know the rain was welcome. The desert in the rain smells of the creosote that grows everywhere and we could see a profusion of white and lavender flowers that came out in the rain. We later learned they are Bi-colored Mustard. Our destination was Rio Grande Village, in the south east corner of the park. Ann and Shelby were going to stay in the concession RV Park so they could have electricity to save on the battery time of their new catalytic heater that would be needed when we moved to the Chisos Basin campground. We went to the National Park campground about a mile away because Marv wanted to see how the new furnace he installed would hold up using the battery that we can recharge with our solar panel. We each spent the evening getting set up in the rain and eating dinner after agreeing to meet the next morning at 8:30.

Note the presence of the 7 Springs outpost on the old map

Barracks for the Buffalo Soldiers

Horses and goats grazing on the Parade Grounds with the married
Officers Quarters in the background

Old road bed from 1850s

Taken from the hillside behind the Fort

Unmarried Officers Quarters being renovated

Ann, Shelby & Peggy walking up to thee hospital

The Hospital

Winter Trip 2015: McCoy Remmes 7 Springs Ranch

Sun. Feb. 1: In the morning we needed to not just pack up the camper and make a lunch, but also pack bags to stay at the ranch where we were meeting Ann and Shelby. We got on our way and took I10 west to Balmorhae, stopping only to eat our lunch at a rest area. The sun was shining but there was what Marv called “a 13.4 mpg headwind” which made the mid-fifties feel pretty chilly. We managed a couple of quick calls to keep track of Ann & Shelby’s progress and followed the directions we had to take T10 past Balmorhae State Park, where we had stayed on our two other trips to Texas. We turned south on T17 towards Fort Davis about 8 miles and exactly a mile past Boy Scout Camp Road we turned into the ranch. It was really thrilling to think that we had driven past this ranch on our first trip to Texas, never knowing that we were “related” to it. Here’s the story: Marv’s sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Shelby Robertsons’, middle daughter is Laurel. She is married to Andy McCoy. The McCoy family has a large number of lumber/hardware stores in Texas and other states called McCoy Lumber. Andy’s Aunt and Uncle, Brenda and Caare Remmes, manage the McCoy Remmes Ranch, which has grown to include about 40 contiguous ranches that stretch 34 miles over many thousands of acres. Caare has bought out others in the family but the headquarters, at 7 Springs Ranch, is open to the rest of the family and all are welcomed to it, particularly for major events throughout the year. When Andy learned we were going to be in Texas he encouraged us to visit the ranch and Brenda and Caare insisted we come and stay with them for a few days. They usually fly their plane from their home in San Marcos when they come, but it was being repaired so they had to drive the six hours to meet us. When we pulled in we were between two large one-story houses and, finding no answer at the home on the right, we went to the home on the left. Caare greeted us at the door and ushered us into a large game room, where we met Brenda and hugged Ann and Shelby. Brenda is an effusive, warm hostess who looks tiny beside her husband and talks a mile a minute and went to great lengths to make us feel welcome. She gave us a quick tour of the house, starting with where we had entered. The room was an outpost of Fort Davis (more on that later in the trip) in the mid-1800s and when they renovated the rest of the house about 6 years ago, they left the room as it was including the old wavy glass in the windows. Former owners had added on to the building so that now it has 5 large bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, along a long hallway lined with hooks and bookcases on one side. Straight ahead is a Great Room attached to a dining room with a table that has 12 places and can be extended to nearly double that. The entire wall is floor to ceiling windows looking over a large pond with hills, mesas and Star Mountain behind the pond. The dining room is open to the large, well-appointed kitchen with Caare’s office behind it. Everything is lovingly decorated with a western Texas motif and Brenda has a story to go with every book, picture, knick-knack, and piece of furniture. It is absolutely magnificent and yet so warm and hospitable that one feels immediately comfortable and at home. Our room was at the end of the hallway, Ann & Shelby were at the other end and Caare and Brenda have their master bedroom in the middle. After putting our things in the room we washed up and had a hearty dinner of beef stew and crusty bread. Then we all settled into the Great Room to watch Super Bowl XVIX, and see Seattle throw on second down and goal in the closing seconds in a play that will go down in infamy as New England intercepted and won the game.

Mon. Feb. 2: We got up before 8:00 and had a good breakfast of toast, fruit and an egg and sausage casserole. Their housekeeper, Paula, comes from Fort Stockton every Mon., Tue., and Wed. so Brenda insisted we not worry about dishes or cleaning up. Everyone piled into the Remmes’ white 4-wheel drive Suburban and, as the morning fog lifted from the canyons, Caare gave us an all morning tour of the sprawling ranch and his many enterprises. I can’t do justice to all he told us and showed us as we drove. He considers himself an Environmental Manager and believes everything comes down to relationships—between resources, animals, land, weather, geography, water, and people. He has an amazing breadth of knowledge that has allowed him to raise about 1200 head of cattle in this desert environment. He also can articulate what he is doing and how he bases his decisions. On the east part of the ranch, north of I10, he is installing acres and acres of solar panels that will make it possible to pump rather than truck gas and oil that are being mined, not only on their ranch, but also for surrounding mines. When the project is completed it will produce over 13000 kilowatts of power, and make the area an electric energy producer not just consumer. We drove several miles east on I10 and up a very marginal road to a remote hillside where we could look over the vista for miles around. I asked about a mesa on the horizon that he said was seven miles away and the ranch reaches beyond that. Brenda kept urging Caare to wrap it up and get us home by 12:30 for lunch, which he did. I was chuckling at her insistence when she told me on the side that if she didn’t keep reminding him, he would go on all day. Brenda served us a nice lunch of vegetable soup with crackers, cheese and sausage. Caare had some business to take care of so while he was busy Brenda showed us around the rest of the buildings. In a small outbuilding behind the main ranch house they have put in a gym with several machines, weights, and a shower. Beside that is an old bunk house that now has a small kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms with lots of beds. She said that the cousins (including Andy) always liked to have that house to themselves and it can easily sleep 10 kids. Across the drive is a house they lived in while they renovated the big house. The smaller house has three bedrooms, another kitchen, several bathrooms, and a nice porch. In a wide hallway there is a mounted full-size mountain lion that had come just steps away from the porch. Again, everything is decorated with the West Texas motif and includes chaps, ropes, and other items that Caare uses as a rancher.

When Caare was finished he offered to take us up into Mares Pasture across the highway from the ranch houses. As we were making our way up the rudimentary two track he came upon a leaking water pipe bringing water downhill from a cistern above. It made the track too slippery and muddy for us to continue. In another place a huge boulder had rolled down the hill into the road so we couldn’t go that way either.  Assuring us that those repairs would be a top priority and fixed by the next day, he settled for taking us up to another mesa with a great view out over the countryside. His love and pride in the ranch are evident as he shows people around. Back at the ranch Brenda had a wonderful dinner of three kinds of Bar-B-Que from their favorite place in San Marcos with sides of cole slaw and green beans which she prepared. It was all delicious and we were stuffed the rest of the evening as we watched a spectacular sunset and visited until bedtime.

Ranch houses from across the pond

Mist rising from the canyon

Panorama of the solar panels

Caare, Shelby, Ann, Peggy & Brenda survey part of the ranch

Javelinas in the brush

Brenda & Caare

View of the pond with Star Mountain behind it from the porch

Relaxing in the warm sun on the porch

Proof that it is really a cattle ranch

View from a high point in the back country

A fantastic sunset from the porch

Winter Trip 2015: South Llanos State Park in Texas

Fri. Jan. 30: We didn’t get away as early as Marv wanted, but since we did a load of laundry and packed up the camper, I thought we did pretty well to leave by 11:00. We removed one propane tank to fill at the park and then found out that Chuck wasn’t going to be there to fill. So it went in the back of the truck. It was partly cloudy all day and barely made 60°, quite a contrast to the last week but closer to average for the last days of January. We took Texas 21 towards Austin, then 290, and finally I10 to Junction, with stops only for lunch, bathroom, and to fill the propane tank. Just outside Fredericksburg I had a connection so I quickly Googled propane filling stations. The one I found was about two blocks away on the same street we were driving, so it couldn’t have been much easier! About 45 minutes later we arrived in Junction and found South Llano River State Park just outside the small town. The headquarters were just closing so the host said to take any site and we could check in tomorrow. The park is pretty large with many hiking trails along the river and up into the hills surrounding it. There is only one camping loop with 58 sites; about half a dozen are occupied. The brochure says, “Located in the Texas Hill Country…the river’s cool, clear waters attract visitors who enjoy swimming, tubing, canoeing, and fishing. Wild turkeys frequent the park…and in winter, congregate there to roost. The park’s hiking trails allow hikers and mountain bikers to explore the park’s woodlands, river bank, and small oxbow lake.” We got set-up and then walked around the camping loop. Just since arriving we had seen two armadillos, a turkey and a bunch of deer. For dinner Marv grilled marinated chicken tenders while I made a big salad and baked potatoes. It was quite a feast! At the campsite we had a very shaky Roaming phone signal and occasionally an “E” for 4G. But we got sporadic messages from Ken and Ann. It was after dark when we walked up to the park headquarters to try to get on the Wi-Fi. The three-quarters moon shone through the thin clouds so well that we didn’t need flashlights to get there. We saw three deer that scattered as we approached them. It turned out we needed a password for the Wi-Fi (though the host assured us we didn’t) but we had a strong phone signal so we called Ken, Mom H. and Ann & Shelby while we could. The campground was very dark and quiet and the temperature was dropping into the 40s so we anticipated a sound night’s sleep.

Sat. Jan.31: After breakfast today we walked up to the headquarters again to register. It was raining lightly as we arrived. The ranger there gave us some tips on good hiking trails and told us that the public Wi-Fi wasn’t really working so that explained why we couldn’t get on the network. The park has four Bird Blinds and two were within walking distance of our campsite. It was raining harder when we got back so we waited until it abated a bit before hiking to the first Blind. Each blind has a small shelter with a bench stretching the length of the building and a large viewing window of Plexiglas that looks over a fenced and protective feeding area with a large water feature with running water to attract the birds. There are many natural looking troughs and feeders that are filled by volunteers. Over 250 birds have been spotted in the park because it is on several migratory routes. After watching the birds, primarily white tipped doves, northern cardinals and sparrows, we hiked to the second nearby Blind. As we entered its path we saw a herd of 8 deer and a pair of turkeys but nothing that exciting in the Blind itself. While we ate wraps for lunch and made vegetarian chili in the Crockpot the rain nearly stopped. So we drove to the trailhead for the Fawn Trail, which also gave us access to a third Bird Blind. At that Blind we saw a very pretty male spotted Towhee and a chubby rose colored bird that we couldn’t identify (the park ranger later said she thought it was a juvenile male cardinal). We continued along the trail and out to a small canyon with a primitive camping area. It had picnic tables and a composting toilet on a platform about 6 feet high, with its composting tank below the deck. There seemed to be no odor so it must be a good option. As we hiked we sometimes had a very, very light mist and the trail was pretty muddy but we stayed plenty warm from exertion. By the time we returned to the truck we had hiked 3.3 miles. The only two other people we saw were beginning the trail as we finished but we had seen several armadillos along the way. We made a quick run into town to use the Wi-Fi at the (closed) library. Around the corner was a grocery store so we stocked up before returning to the campsite. Marv made cornbread to go with the chili while I washed my hair. Then we played two hot games of cribbage (I won both) before bedtime. 

Campsite with our camper set up

One of several armadillos we saw 

Nice picture Marv got of a Tufted Titmouse

On the trail

High rise outhoouse

Marv in the "canyon"