Scenic Drives – Page 3 – ON THE ROAD with Maria + Stephen

The Cornhusker State: Blown Fuses, Hump Yards, Emigrants and Buffalo Bill: Part One

25/09/202326/09/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in Camping, Coffee, Dining, Scenic Drive, Sportsmobile, The American West, Travel, van life

When we arrived at our campsite near Sterling, Colorado in the northeast corner of the state, we discovered that our AGM batteries were not fully charged. A quick check of the various fuses led us to the 300 amp fuse that sits between the second alternator and our four AGM batteries. The fuse and the fuse block were fried! Without the second alternator to charge the batteries our off grid capacity is limited. Therefore, our first order of business as we began our trek across Nebraska was to find a shop to replace the block and fuse.

The closest RV shop to our east was located in North Platte. We were planning on stopping in North Platte to visit a couple of attractions, so we set sail for North Platte on Route 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway. Route 30 is a coast to coast two lane U.S. highway. It is the third longest U.S. highway and was the first coast to coast highway.

The 30 through Nebraska is also quite notable in that it roughly follows the Oregon Trail along the north side of the Platte River. This section of the Oregon Trail along the river made for relatively easy travel and navigation for the emigrant pioneers due to the flat terrain and east-west course of the river. In the early years of the westward migration, the Nebraska plains provided plenty of food with literally thousands of bison roaming the western grasslands. The history of the Oregon Trail and the people who made or attempted to make the journey is quite fascinating and provides great insight into the culture in the U.S. in the years before and directly after the Civil War. Much of the western movement of people was driven by the desire to escape poverty and religious persecution in the East. Some things never change apparently.

We highly recommend two books about the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck chronicles his journey across the Oregon trail by covered wagon in 2011. The second book is The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman Jr. Parkman made the journey in 1846 and this book provides great insight into the dangers of the journey and is also reflective of the prevailing attitudes of the time (particularly racism).

We pulled into Larry’s RV hoping that Larry would be willing to take a look at the Beast. Larry waved us right into one the garage bays and directed a mechanic to take a gander under the hood. Larry is very committed to assisting travelers far from home that drop into the shop in need of help, sometimes to the chagrin of his mechanics. Larry and his wife Joyce have been fixing mobile homes and RVs since 1956!

The problem was indeed the 300 amp fuse, and, unfortunately there were no 300 amp fuses to be had in town. Larry promised to have a fuse for us the next morning. Our mechanic, John, made the vehicle safe and we set off to explore the town, find some grub and ultimately a place to park the Beast and bed down for the night.

In the morning we went downtown in hope of finding good coffee and tea. We have to admit that we were not expecting a legitimate specialty coffee establishment in the Central Nebraska plains. Good news — we were wrong! The Espresso Shop in downtown North Platte was a delight and put us in good stead for the remainder of the day. http://www.theespressoshopbycaravan.com

We were fortunate enough to meet the owner of the shop – Brandon Raby (in photo above with dog). Brandon moved the shop to its current location several years ago and has created a community around “coffee culture, music and food”. We knew were onto something special when we entered the cafe to the jazz of Jean “Django” Reinhardt playing on the sound system. In addition to his culinary talents, Brandon is an accomplished jazz guitarist. The shop hosts musicians several nights each month. The link below will take you to an excellent article about Reinhardt. https://www.npr.org/2010/01/22/122865782/django-reinhardt-100-years-of-hot-jazz

***Bailey Yard, Union Pacific Railroad, North Platte, Nebraska***

The Union Pacific Railroad operates the world’s largest rail yard in North Platte. This rail yard stretches for eight miles and handles 14,000 freight cars every day while sorting approximately 3,000 of those in the eastbound and westbound hump yards. The locomotive repair shop (photo below, bottom left) repairs 750 locomotives per month. One-Spot tracks are where rail cars are repaired at the yard. The facility repairs about 20 cars per day and replaces 10,000 pairs of rail wheels annually. This yard never closes!

The hump yards are raised earth humps (34ft) utilizing gravity to sort cars to the correct outbound train. The hump yards can sort four cars per minute. We watched freight cars rolling down the humps from our vantage point in the Golden Spike Tower 100 feet above the yard. It is actually a lot cooler than it sounds – you will need to trust us on this one!

The tower is owned and operated by a private nonprofit organization based in North Platte. The Union Pacific viewing platform was falling into disrepair and community leaders wanted to make sure that the many train enthusiasts who come to North Platte to see the Bailey Yard would keep on coming.

As the thrill of watching thousands of freight cars and locomotives being shuttled back and forth eventually began to diminish, we moved on to visit the Scout’s Rest Ranch. The ranch and the “Second Empire” style home were once the property of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. The local folks nicknamed the house “The Mansion on the Prairie” as it was by far the largest house in the area when constructed in 1886.

***Second Empire Home, William F. Cody, Scouts Rest Ranch, North Platte, Nebraska***

Cody was born in Iowa in 1846 and moved to Kansas with his family in 1853. At that time Kansas was at the heart of deadly violence between pro and antislavery settlers. This period of violence is referred to as Bleeding Kansas, and is considered to be a precursor to the Civil War. Cody’s father, Isaac was stabbed while making an antislavery speech and died three years later from his injuries.

As a result, Cody began working at the age of nine to help support his family. His first job was working for a freighting company. By the time he was 14 he was riding for the Pony Express. Cody was an superb horseman and after his tours for the Pony Express he worked as cowboy on cattle drives. It was on one of the cattle drives that Cody became famous as an Indian fighter after he killed a Native American that was part of a band that attacked the drive. Cody also met Wild Bill Hickok at this time as Hickok was a cowhand on the same drive.

Cody served as a scout during the Civil War; from 1861 to 1863 he was assisting the Union Army in their attempts to destroy the Kiowa and Comanche tribes. In 1863 Cody joined the Seventh Kansas Cavalry which served in Tennessee and Missouri. After the war he continued to scout for the U.S. Army for several years before signing on with the Union Pacific Railroad to hunt bison to feed railroad crews. He is credited with personally killing over 4000 bison!

Cody continued to scout for the Army for many years throughou the summer. He capitalized on his fame as an Indian fighter to create a touring Wild West show during the remainder of the year starting in 1883. He especially used his famous scalping of Cheyenne warrior Yellow Hair by re-enacting the event during his shows. The scalping was reported to have been in retribution for the rout of Custer and his troops at Little Big Horn. The show toured the USA and Europe and featured other Western celebrities including Chief Sitting Bull and Annie Oakley. Queen Victoria is reported to have been a big fan as she attended three performances while the show was in London (each performance was approximately four hours in length).

Cody continued to perform in his show until 1916 when he was 71 years old. He unfortunately needed to continue to perform as he had lost much of the fortune he had made from the show due to some horrible investments (including a non-performing gold mine). He died the following year in Denver.

After a day of trains and history we were ready for a sit down dinner before heading out to our campsite (no fires due to dry conditions). We had been pleasantly surprised to find an excellent specialty coffee shop in town and were just as pleasantly surprised to find The Cedar Room Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge in downtown North Platte.

***Cedar Room, North Platte, Nebraska***

The restaurant was founded in 2020 by friends BJ Stenger and Hector Ortiz. Both Stenger and Ortiz have university degrees in Agribusiness. They met after Ortiz moved from the West Coast to North Platte. Stenger is from the area having grown up on the family cattle ranch located in Box Elder Canyon. They decided to partner and open a fine dining restaurant with an American Fusion menu, which would be the first of it’s kind in North Platte or anywhere within hundreds of miles. The restaurant was Travel Awaits Magazine Best Steakhouse of 2022.

***Stenger Ranch, Box Elder Canyon, Nebraska*** *(Photo courtesy of The Cedar Room)*

We were able to camp just outside town along the North Platte River at Buffalo Bill State Historic Park. We took a walk along the trail on the historic river utilized by the pioneers over 150 years ago. Then we took refuge in the Beast due to forest fire smoke sweeping across the Nebraska plains that evening.

In the morning we resumed our journey east on the historic US Route 30 (with our new 300 amp fuse) to visit the Nebraska capital of Lincoln and the big city on the river – Omaha.

Be seeing you! OTR 9.0 May 2023

El Paso del Norte

13/09/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in Art, Art Museum, Baseball, Cities, Coffee, Dining, History, Museum, Street Art and Murals, Texas, The American West, Travel, Western history

We had been in Texas and New Mexico several times prior to our most recent trip, but for some reason had steered around El Paso (EP). Perhaps the timing was just not right or we were concerned about conditions there based on the reporting regarding the immigration issues at the border. Regardless, we were ready to explore EP as part of our OTR 9.0 adventure and draw our own conclusions about the city.

**El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico viewed from Scenic Drive**

We made the decision to stay in the city and booked a hotel in the University district for three nights. We are glad we chose this area as it enabled us to walk to a number of casual but excellent restaurants and coffee shops dotting the university neighborhood. This was especially nice as EP is a sprawling metropolis that requires some driving in order to explore the city.

Of course, the first entry point for any worthwhile city visit is COFFEE! We were traveling from the east after our recent visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, therefore we were able to vector directly to an excellent specialty coffee shop and roaster on the east side of the city. We were most fortunate that the founder and owner of Global Coffee, Erika, sat with us for quite awhile. She shared with us her family history and the ties with Mexico that exist in a border town that has been a major immigration point for centuries(El Paso del Norte). Erika is a delightful and talented young woman and we wish her all the success she deserves with her business and family. https://globalcoffeeco.com/

After refueling we went directly to the tank museum, officially known as the 1st Armored Division & Fort Bliss Museum. The United States Army has had a post in EP since 1849, which has served as an infantry post, a cavalry post, an air defense artillery post and currently operates as a maneuver training post. The size of the Fort Bliss training area (965,00 acres) and its mountainous desert terrain have made it a vital training location for the many forces that have been deployed to the Middle East over the last three decades.

The museum chronicles the history of the post and the units stationed there from the the initial mission of patrolling along the Rio Grande before the Civil War through the current mission of the units stationed within the base. From a Western United States history perspective this includes the Indian Wars and the Mexican Punitive Expedition.

The Indian Wars is an umbrella term for the United States Army prosecution and ultimate decimation of the Native American peoples across the Western United States. The Indian Wars were waged throughout the Civil War until 1890 when the last of the Native American bands were imprisoned or sent to reservations. Many of the actions by the federals were in direct violation of treaties negotiated between the federal government and the Native Americans (standard operating procedure).

Another interesting piece of history is the Mexican Punitive Expedition. Between December 1916 and February 1917 American forces under the command of General “Black Jack” Pershing crossed into Mexico in pursuit of Mexican Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa. Villa had attacked a town in New Mexico killing a number of U.S. citizens. The incursion into Mexico was ostensibly in retaliation for the raid. However, the main motivation was to support the Mexican leader, Venustiano Carranza, whom the U.S. was backing. The Mexican Revolution was destabilizing Mexico and jeopardizing U.S. corporate interests. Pancho Villa had to go! The U.S. Army, however, did not capture Pancho Villa and returned to the U.S. after several skirmishes with Mexican Federal soldiers who greatly resented the incursion into Mexico. An early example of the numerous unsuccessful and unwarranted interventions by the U.S. government in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation! P.S. Pancho Villa survived the Mexican Revolution and was granted amnesty only to be assassinated three years later.

After checking in at our hotel we walked a couple of blocks to have supper at a popular local eatery – The Shack. The restaurant is owned by two brothers – Adrian and Michael Soto – they grew up in the restaurant business working and learning at their mother’s restaurant, Mima’s Cafe. The Shack has a wide array of dishes but we went for the Mexican inspired dishes and had a great dinner at this casual and friendly spot. https://theshackwings.com/

Since our hotel was a considerable distance across town from Global Coffee we opted to try our luck at Casa Cafetzin which was just a five minute drive from our hotel. Erika from Global Coffee had recommended Casa Cafetzin, so we were fairly certain that we would be starting our day on a great coffee and tea note. If we are being honest, we might admit that we would have passed by this cafe due to its location attached to a modest motel. Fortunately, due to the recommendation from Erika, we did not pass up a great coffee and tea experience. Cafetzin was excellent and the baristas were all terrific! Thank you Erika!

https://casa-cafetzin.mailchimpsites.com

After departing Casa Cafetzin we headed downtown for a day of viewing fine art and street art. Our first stop was at the El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA). The EPMA came into existence in 1959 as the result of a large donation of European art by a private foundation. The donated collection became the impetus to build a first class art museum serving the El Paso – Juarez Borderplex. Today the museum houses over 7000 works. The museum has also operated an art school for the last twenty years. Fittingly, the EPMA operates as a bilingual institution, reflecting the heritage and diversity of the Borderplex (75,000 people cross back and forth between El Paso and Juarez on a daily basis). https://epma.art/visit

***Artist: Fremont Ellis, El Paso Smelter at Night, 1919***

We really enjoyed the portraiture works on display. The painting top left, below, The Telephone Operator (The Weaver of Public Thought), was our favorite. The artist Gerrit Beneker, is probably most well known for the posters he created during World War One in support of the war effort.

The museum’s collection also demonstrates an impressive commitment to diversity and regionalism based on the works on display when we visited. Fritz Scholder (top left, below) is one of our favorites and well known for his insightful depictions of Native American stereotypes. Scholder was a member of the Luiseno tribe.

We were also surprised and pleased to see a portrait, Mrs. Viola Andrews – My Mother (bottom left) by the figurative painter, Benny Andrews. We had the fortune of seeing a number of his works several years ago at the Ogden Museum of Fine Arts in New Orleans (see our post, Fine Art Tourist: Ogden Museum of Southern Art ).

We also enjoyed the works of American art featuring West Texas and the Southwest. The museum has works by El Paso native Tom Lea and many other noted western artists including the self-taught Fremont Ellis.

After departing the EPMA we stopped for some tacos and then went in search of street art downtown. We have included a few of the murals we found there. The art works below are all located on walls on Leon Street, all by different artists.

Dinner was another great find for us, a short walk from the hotel, in the University District. Kaedama serves outstanding ramen dishes! We did not think that we would be greedily shoveling awesome Japanese noodle soup dishes into our faces when we arrived in EP. The business started as a food truck owned by two friends – Garbiel Valencia and Andres Romero – and became popular very quickly. The friends decided to open a brick and mortar location and were able to open relatively quickly in part to an enthusiastic response to a crowdfunding campaign. The restaurant even gathered a visit from Food Network Chef and TV host Guy Fieri while he was visiting EP. A great way to finish day two! https://www.facebook.com/Kaedama915/

***Artist: @DEKO_UNO***, ***Kerby Avenue, El Paso, Texas***

On our final day in EP, we journeyed across town to visit La Mision de San Antonio de la Ysleta de Sur. The Ysleta mission is the first permanent mission established in Texas. The mission was founded in 1680 by Indian and Spanish settlers who fled New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The revolt was the culmination of more than 100 years of incursions by Spanish soldiers and, of course, missionaries. The indigenous Pueblos killed 400 Spanish soldiers and drove about 2000 Spanish settlers out of the Albuquerque area.

The original mission was built by the Tigua Indians in 1862. The mission has been rebuilt several times due to flooding and fire. The last time was in 1908 after a fire destroyed the roof and bell tower. The Tigua Indians are still active in the mission, celebrating traditional holidays and the Tigua Feast of San Antonio, their patron saint.

As with many other missions along what is now the border, the mission was located in Mexico until the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo transferred this territory to the United States. While the mission was technically in the United States, it continued to be administered by the Mexican church until 1872.

After visiting the mission we found our way to the El Segundo Barrio near downtown to view the many notable murals. As the name suggests the Segundo was the second neighborhood in EP. Since the 1830s this area has been a major entry point for Mexican immigrants coming into the United States. The majority of the immigrants in the barrio were and still are migrant farm workers.

***Artists: Jesus Alvarado and Victor Casas, El Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas***

The Segundo still reflects its Tejano culture and traditions very proudly (we hope the murals we have featured reflect that same sense of tradition, culture and aspiration). At one point, the city planned to demolish much of the barrio as a way to eliminate the significant substandard housing stock instead of addressing the root causes in a humane fashion. Fortunately, civic groups formed and defeated the city’s plan to demolish the historic area.

Unfortunately, the preservation of the barrio has not improved the economic conditions significantly. Many of the Mexican-American residents and immigrants still toil as farm workers. The barrio is poor by any measure, albeit rich in culture, tradition and pride in its heritage.

On our final night in EP we took in a ballgame. The El Paso Chihuahuas are the Triple-affiliate of the San Diego Padres and compete in the Pacific Coast League. This team has been located in a number cities (Spokane, Albuquerque, Portland, Tucson) prior to arriving in El Paso in 2014 to play in their brand new stadium. The stadium is very attractive and sits right in downtown.

The Chihuahuas are not having their best season, but to the delight of their very enthusiastic fans, the club rallied late in the game to defeat the division leading OKC Dodgers. Go Chihuahuas!

We departed EP and Texas the following morning to head across the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico. We enjoyed our time in Texas and EP and have no reservations about recommending visiting EP. This was our third time traveling across the state and we still have not explored several areas within the state. Everything is bigger in Texas!

We hope you enjoyed this post. Be seeing you! 2023 May OTR 9.0

P.S. You have probably read much about the immigration issues along the Texas/Mexico border. While were in the city we witnesses significant Border Patrol activity along the border fence on the United States side of the Rio Grande. We also observed the large military presence patrolling along the Rio Grande on the river side of the border fence utilizing Humvees and foot patrols.

And yet, we could clearly see immigrants massed on the Mexican side as well as detainees on the U.S. side. Currently around 900 immigrants per day are crossing from Mexico into the EP port of entry and allowed to legally enter the U.S. The city works with a number of non-governmental agencies to provide the immigrants with shelter, food and water. It is quite apparent that the city is doing everything it can do to ensure the immigrants are treated humanely. The majority of immigrants currently entering at EP are from Central and South American countries and Cuba. Venezuela accounts for approximately 70% of the immigrants.

We can only imagine how bad conditions must be in Venezuela and the other countries for individuals and families to risk everything to escape the poverty, crime and repressive governments in their respective countries.

Far West Texas Cool

05/09/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Architecture, Coffee, Dining, Live Music, Scenic Drive, Street Art and Murals, Texas, The American West, Travel, Western history

After departing Seminole Canyon, we made our way west to Marathon (Mare-a-thun) to spend a couple of days in comfort, before heading to the Big Bend backcountry. While our attempt to drive the entire way from Seminole Canyon to Marathon via ranch roads was not successful, it did not dampen our appetites. First order of business, Texas style bbq at the Brick Vault Brewery & BBQ. Mighty fine beef brisket (almost as good as Keef’s!). After our hardy and delicious lunch, we strolled down the block to check in at the Gage Hotel.

After checking in, we enjoyed our first hot shower in several days, followed by a lie down. When we awoke we were very thirsty. Fortunately, the White Buffalo Bar is adjacent to the hotel and was ready to serve us cocktails and wine. With our thirst at least partially quenched, we made our way from the bar to the dining room of the 12 Gage Restaurant.

The restaurant markets their fare as “West Texas Cuisine with a gourmet twist”. We totally agree with the description. All of the restaurant’s vegetables and herbs are grown in their own garden. All of the wild game and fowl is sourced locally and the beef comes from the Iron Mountain Ranch about seven miles up the road. All of the food was delicious!

Marathon, like many of the other towns in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, was founded when the railroad arrived. Railroad workers building east from El Paso reached what is now Marathon in 1882. In this case, it was the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway (later the Southern Pacific). Around the same time, a former sea captain by the name of Albion Shepard had purchased land north of Marathon to develop a ranch (Iron Mountain). Shepard is credited with naming the town Marathon, because it reminded him of the plains of Marathon, Greece, which he had seen during his seafaring days.

***Iron Mountain Ranch*** ***(Photo Bill Murphree)***

***The “Long View” Across the Plains to the Glass Mountains***

Alfred Gage was a native of the Green Mountain State (Vermont) who ventured to Texas in 1878 at the age of 18 to make his fortune. He did just that – building a 500,000 acre ranching empire. As Marathon became an established shipping center for the ranching industry, he recognized the need for hotel accommodations for business and other travelers. He commissioned the construction of the hotel which opened in 1927. Gage was based in San Antonio but spend considerable time in Marathon, utilizing the hotel as his residence, office and entertainment venue while in town.

Over the last several years, Marathon has become a destination in its own right. Previously, it was mostly a jumping off place for people on their way to Big Bend NP (BIBE). The current owner of the Gage Hotel (JP Bryan) also owns and operates the White Buffalo Bar, 12 Gage Restaurant, Brick Vault Brewery and the V6 Coffee Bar. Additionally, he has purchased and renovated a number of properties in town for retail space and art galleries. We found that Marathon more than lived up to our expectations for a couple day stay to unwind and enjoy find food and lodging before our adventures in Big Bend NP. We definitely recommend a visit to Marathon on your way into or out of BIBE.

After our stay we drove the 60 or so miles south to BIBE (see our post Three Nights in the Backcountry). After our stay in BIBE we made the drive up the immensely scenic Texas State Highway 118 to spend a couple of days in Alpine. The 118 runs through Study Butte (Stew-dee) and Terlingua before heading north through the Chichuahuan Desert.

Our first stop in Alpine, unsurprisingly to any of our regular readers, was for coffee and tea. We had spent an afternoon in Alpine in March 2020 before the pandemic lockdown made its way to Far West Texas and knew from that visit that Cedar Coffee and Supply would meet our needs.

Staying in Alpine provided us with the opportunity to stay at the Holland Hotel, our fourth Henry Trost designed hotel. Henry and his brother Gustavus were early 20th century architects based in El Paso. They were renowned for their Spanish Colonial Revival Style hotel designs – tile floors and roofs, courtyards, exposed beams and wrought iron are used throughout. The lobbies and courtyards are the centerpiece attractions for us – comfortable, wonderful spots to read, drink coffee or wine and perhaps do a bit of people watching.

Alpine’s origins are similar to Marathon’s and many other towns in the Trans-Pecos–cattle and the railroad. Alpine grew from a tent encampment of railroad workers in cattlemen along a spring fed creek in 1882, to a small town. The spring was the key element for the railroad as the locomotives were steam powered at that time. In 1921, the state opened Sul Ross State Normal College in Alpine. The opening of the college brought a significant increase in population and, as an added bonus, the first paved roads in town. At the turn of the century the population was estimated at 300 people. After the college opened the population ballooned to around 3000.

Today, the freight trains continue to chug through town, although they have no need to stop for water as the steam locomotives have long since been replaced. The town is serviced by AMTRAK as Alpine serves as a jumping off point for BIBE for those people that would prefer to travel by rail to this remote national park. The Sunset Limited stops in Alpine six times per week – three times from the west and three times from the east. The eastbound Sunset Limited originates in Los Angeles from the west and New Orleans from the east. The town continues to be anchored by what is now the Sul Ross State University.

On our first evening in Alpine we dined at the The Century Bar and Grill located in the Holland Hotel. The Century provided us with another fine dining experience featuring delicious regional cuisine. We also had the opportunity to chat with our servers, both students at the university who were actually a couple. They were quite friendly and most knowledgable about the geology and history of the area. We meet the nicest people on the road!

On our second evening in Alpine we decided to take advantage of the live music scene in town. The Petit Bijou bills itself as the “teeniest tiniest wine bar in Texas”, contrary to the usual boast that everything is bigger in Texas. You can see the Airstream bar in one of the photos below – the claim that it is the teeniest tiniest wine bar in Texas just might be valid. We were in for a treat – a jazz show that was canceled earlier in the week due to a wind storm was set to open the evening, followed by a country duo from Austin.

We enjoyed a couple sets of great jazz and country music while getting acquainted with a number of the very friendly folks sitting at our neighboring tables. The food and wine was delicious and we were fortunate to meet and spend some time chatting with Ginger Hillary, the petit Bijou proprietor. As Hans Christian wrote “to travel is to live”.

One of the reasons we visited in March 2020 was the town’s reputation as home to excellent street art. We found several murals that we had not seen previously which we have included in the photos below.

We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, we look forward to your comments and suggestions. Our next post will feature El Paso, our last stop in Texas.

Be seeing you! April 2023, OTR 9.0

Texarkana to Marathon: Howdy Y’all

21/08/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Biking, Camping, Coffee, Dining, Hiking, Texas, The American West, Travel

Our first stop in Texas was the town of Texarkana (TXK), a twin city with Texarkana, Arkansas. TXK sits on the western side of the Texas/Arkansas border. Our purpose in stopping off in TXK was to purchase a new tire for Maria’s bike as she had suffered a tire destroying flat on our previous ride in Little Rock.

We had not planned on stopping in TXK and therefore knew little about the town other than its twin city status. When we entered the downtown area to access the bike shop we were caught off guard at how run down the town appeared. The streets were largely deserted and many of the buildings were dilapidated and vacant.

A quick online inquiry revealed that TXK has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. and a poverty rate of 25%. As another indication of the problems the town is experiencing we found that while the bike shop was open for business, the entrance door is locked at all times and customers are only admitted after stating your business. When we brought Maria’s bike in for repair we could not help but notice that all of the shop’s inventory of bikes were chained together!

This is one of the few towns where we really felt uncomfortable and decided not to poke around other than taking some photos of street art we had passed on the way into town.

In lieu of burgers, we found a bbq joint about thirty miles south of TXK in Atlanta, Texas. The Texas BBQ was very rustic, but we would have to say the bbq was pretty dang tasty!

Atlanta, Texas was named after the city in Georgia as a number of the settlers arriving in 1871 were from the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railroad in the same year was a boon to the area’s main economic activity – timber (the piney woods of East Texas) as it allowed the efficient transport of lumber. The town also benefited from the discovery of oil in 1935, which greatly helped the town survive the Great Depression.

About two hours south of Atlanta sits the town of Nacogdoches. The town is considered to be the oldest town in Texas – having by founded by the Spanish in 1779. What is now the town was a Caddo Indian Settlement from approximately 800 A.D. until the early 1700s when the Spanish arrived and began building missions, displacing the Caddo.

While Nacogdoches is considered the oldest town in Texas, the bigger claim to fame is The Battle of Nacogdoches which started in 1835 and was a precursor to the Texas Revolution. At this point in history, Texas was part of Mexico, although there were many settlers from the United States residing there in addition to the Tejanos. One of the major issues the U.S. settlers had with Mexico was over slavery. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 and the U.S. settlers were dependent on slavery for their economic prosperity. Eventually, Texas seceded from Mexico (Remember the Alamo!) and was an independent republic for just under ten years. Texas was admitted as a state in 1845.

Today, Nacogdoches is an attractive town with a well preserved downtown brimming with mercantile establishments and red brick streets. The economy that once depended heavily on cotton, timber and tobacco now is centered around the Stephen F. Austin State University which brings 12,000 students to the town.

Always looking for bike trails and with several days until our camping reservation at Mustang Island SP, we detoured slightly inland to the town of Spring, which is located just north of metro Houston. The area is densely populated and covered with the usual urban/suburban sprawl that we tend to avoid. However, the trail looked interesting, and it is billed as the longest urban forested greenway in the United States. We are really glad we opted to check it out. It was a lush oasis in the middle of a crowded metro area.

After spending two days cycling on the greenway we departed Spring for Mustang Island SP (MISP) which is located a short distance from Corpus Christi. This was our first stay at the Texas shore. The camping spots were just off the beach behind the dunes and as an added bonus the beaches in this area allow vehicles to drive on the beach!

We stayed three days at MISP. We divided our time between bicycling along the shore road, walking and driving on the beach and, of course, drinking coffee and tea at Island Joe’s Coffee and Gallery (made from containers – see photos below). All in all, a good first experience at the Texas shore – our only complaint being the windy nights which curtailed sitting by the campfire.

Our next destination on the Texas State Park portion of OTR 9.0 was Garner State Park (GSP). GSP is located in the Hill Country west of San Antonio. Therefore, we felt compelled to pop into San Antonio to check out Estate Coffee Company. Estate is a small batch roaster with a minimalist espresso bar and cafe in downtown. Estate was excellent and the stop gave us a nicely timed break on the four hour drive to GSP.

The Frio River (Rio Frio) runs through GSP and provides about three miles of river access within the park. This was most fortunate for us as the weather in Hill Country was a matching set of 85s – temperature and humidity! We had luckily secured a campsite directly above the river and we were able to access the river via a five minute walk. We spent much of our two days at GSP sitting or wading in the river. P.S. While there was a feral hog alert in effect we fortunately did not encounter any of the beasts during our stay!

Seminole Canyon SP & Historic Site (SCSP) was the next stop on our journey west across South Texas. SCSP opened to the public as a state park in 1980. The land that now encompasses the park was privately owned until the late 1970s. The state purchased the land to protect and preserve more than 200 pictographs located in the canyon and caves, which date back 7000 years.

***Seminole Canyon, Nine Miles West of Comstock, Tex***as

We hiked the Canyon Rim Trail which provided spectacular views of the Seminole and Presa Canyons. The rim trail leads to the park’s southern boundary at the Rio Grande River with Mexico directly beyond.

We also broke out the bicycles for some dirt riding on the Rio Grande Trail. While one of us had a minor crash (see video below) our early evening ride was lots of fun and provided beautiful views of the Rio Grande and Mexico!

Our final stop before heading to Big Bend NP (see our post Three Nights in the Backcountry) was the town of Marathon (pronounced Marathen). We made a brief stop in Marathon in March 2020 en route back to Connecticut during our pandemic-shortened trip. As with the majority of towns we traveled through on our way home, Marathon was locked down tight. With a population of just 365 it was deserted for all intents and purposes. We made a note to return on a future trip to stay at the charming Gage Hotel and check out the town.

Marathon is a straight shot west from SCSP on State Route 90. We had traveled SR90 on our 2020 trip and recalled that significant sections were not attractive, There was a fair amount of truck traffic hauling oil from the fields along 90 and a lot of Border Patrol activity. We decided to attempt to wend our way through the maze of ranch roads using our DeLorme Atlas. We also figured that we could use the east-west Union Pacific Rail Line as a rough guide. We made good progress but eventually ran into a locked gate and after considering our options decided to backtrack until we could intersect with the 90 and finish the trip on the highway. A fun adventure nonetheless!

Ranch Road Adventure

One of the items you will become accustomed to seeing (not necessarily appreciating) driving through (and camping) farm and cattle country is the carcass pit. The carcass pit is just what it sounds like – when farm and ranch animals die (for whatever reason) they are hauled to holes that have been dug at various locations on the property and thrown into the pit to decompose.

You might go right by a pit while rumbling down a dirt road if you didn’t know that ranchers often use a skull as sign post (see photo below). In theory carcass pits need to follow state approved methods to avoid contaminating water as well as discouraging scavengers from dragging contaminated carcasses from the pit. While there are groups trying to end the practice I do not foresee that happening anytime soon – livestock mortality is a fact of life on ranches and farms.

In a future post we will share our experiences and thoughts on two cool towns in Far West Texas – Marathon and Alpine. We hope you found this post interesting and informative.

Be seeing you!

Colorado: Abridged Edition

13/08/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Art Museum, Camping, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Scenic Drive, Street Art and Murals, The American West, Travel, van life

We originally planned to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (BCG), Rocky Mountain Nation Park (RMNP) and Great Sand Dunes National Park(GSDNP) while in Colorado. But as we monitored the conditions in Colorado during the trip (and spoke with some fellow travelers who had recently been in Colorado) it became apparent that we would not be able to access significant portions of our original itinerary due to this winter’s abundant snowfall in the Rockies.

So, after several excellent weeks touring western New Mexico, we departed Farmington, New Mexico to traverse Colorado in a northeasterly direction to visit GSDNP in southwestern Colorado, while forgoing the BCG and RMNP.

Durango – Four Corners – Route 550, Colorado

Of course, custom requires that our first meal after crossing a state line consist of burgers, fries and, if possible, a milkshake. Happily (and perhaps unhealthily) our tradition remains intact!

***South Fork – Eastern Rockies – Route 160, Colorado***

After refueling with burgers and diesel we continued our drive to the town of Del Norte. Prior to Euro-American settlement, this area was occupied by the Utes who migrated to the area from the south during the warmer months of the year. When this territory came under Mexican rule during the early 19th century, Hispanic settlers migrated north to take advantage of land grants offered by the Mexican government. Subsequently, this area was ceded to the United States by Mexico.

In 1859-1860 gold was discovered in the San Juan Mountains in what had been Ute territory for 500 years. Never mind, the Kit Carson Treaty (Ute Treaty of 1868) was negotiated in order to remove the Utes from the gold rich Central Rockies in exchange for land on the Western Slope of the Rockies. This treaty, as with most other treaties between the federal government and Native Americans, was eventually violated by the federal government and after the Utes rebelled they were driven out of Colorado entirely (Meeker Massacre).

Del Norte, Photos, Courtesy Denver Public Library

Today the small town of Del Norte (pop. 1600) is mainly an outdoor recreational hub with rafting on the adjacent Rio Grande and a plethora of rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and camping options.

After a quick tour of the small downtown we headed west a short distance to find a camping spot in the Rio Grande National Forest. We found a great spot in a meadow which afforded us a panoramic view of Del Norte Peak.

Rio Grande National Forest

The following morning we set our course due west for the one hour drive to visit GSDNP. The park was declared a national monument in 1932 in order to keep the dunes from being damaged by gold mining or concrete manufacturing. The monument was elevated to full national park status in 2004.

***Great Sand Dunes National Park*** – ***Sangre De Cristo Mountains***

GSDNP presents a fascinating landscape with grasslands separated from a thirty square mile sand desert by Medano Creek. The dunes are tucked in against the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains–quite spectacular! The sand dunes at GSDNP are the tallest in North America. Some are as high as 700 feet (Star Dunes is the tallest at 750 feet).

The dunes here are constantly changing as winds from the mountains drives sand down onto the dunes. Weather and erosion form the sand into distinctly identified and ever changing shaped dunes – parabolic, transverse and barchan – as examples.

Unfortunately, our opportunity to explore the dunes was limited due to an approaching lightning storm. One of the park rangers was kind enough to point out the obvious – not smart to be standing on top of a 600 foot dune in the middle of a lightening storm!

In addition to the fantastic scenery, we were looking forward to driving the Medano Pass Primitive Road. The road is a sandy and rugged 22 mile 4WD road which runs from the base of the dunes up and over the Medano Pass (10,040 feet). The road was not fully open due to the conditions at higher elevation. The road crosses the the creek nine times and the water flow was still too deep due to this years snowfall. We have included a short video clip (below) from our drive on the road to provide a feel for the road and scenery.

Medano Pass Primitive Road

The NPS video below by is about the Navajo (Dine’) People, their four sacred mountains and their relationship to the land that now constitutes GSDNP.

We enjoyed our brief visit at GSDNP and we look forward to returning on a future trip to explore the dunes in depth, boondock up on the mountain and traverse the entire Medano Pass Primitive Pass Road.

On departing GSDNP, we decided to push straight on through to Colorado Springs. Our previous trips to Colorado Springs were business related and we stayed at the world famous Broadmoor. We would not be staying at the Broadmoor on this self funded visit!

Colorado Springs sits at just over 6000′ above sea level at the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. Snow covered Pikes Peak (14,100′) looms over the city to the west creating a stunning backdrop. We did not travel up to the peak on this trip as we had taken the nine mile cog railroad trip on a previous visit (we definitely recommend riding the railroad to the top if the weather is clear -which it usually is in this part of Colorado). The train ride is fun and the views are phenomenal.

From our pre-trip research we knew that Colorado Springs held promise for specialty coffee and a vibrant street street art scene. Our first stop was Building III Coffee Bar and Roastery – B3 is located, along with a number of other occupants, in a former public school building now known as Lincoln Center – great to see the building repurposed. Excellent coffee, great breakfast sandwiches and uber friendly staff! Extremely popular – it can be hard to get a seat even with the large amount of seating capacity – but it is worth the wait. https://www.building3coffee.com/

Well fortified with caffeine, we ventured out into the uncharacteristically gray, chilly day in search of street art. We decided to start our pic hunting session in the Knob Hill neighborhood, located a short distance northeast of downtown. We were pretty certain the neighborhood would be street art rich based on reading about the Knob Hill Urban Arts District. The District is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to putting art up on every damn wall we can get our hands on.” Love it!

The photos below are a small sample of the street murals we found in the Knob Hill neighborhood. This group is not kidding about putting art on every wall. We found art in every alley and available nook and cranny. So good! To see more of the street art we photographed during OTR 9.0 in Colorado Springs and other cities see our WordPress blog @streetartfromtheroad: part two.

There are also a number of large scale murals in downtown. The photos below are a few of our favorites we captured while strolling through downtown.

With the cloudy, drizzly weather persisting into our second day in Colorado Springs (coincidently nicknamed “Little London” although not for the weather – there was a large British population in the 1870s) we decided to visit the Fine Arts Center (FAC) at Colorado College. The FAC is located in the Old North End neighborhood – an area of stately late 19th and early 20th century homes and tree lined boulevards.

The Fine Arts Center is home to the art museum as well as a theater school and performing arts venue. The museum was opened in 1936 as an outgrowth of the Broadmoor Art Academy. The Colorado Springs area had become a hub for art on a scale commensurate with the more well known artist colonies in Taos and Santa Fe.

*Charles R. Bunnell (1897-1968)* March Snow, 1940, Oil on canvas

*Victor Higgins (1884-1949)* Santa Fe Hills, Date Unknown, Oil on canvas

As with many museums of this size, the collection is regionally (although not exclusively) focused. We have included photos of several paintings which reflect the southwestern focus (and which we really liked). The museum is definitely worth a couple of hour visit when you visit “Little London”.

On our final day in Colorado Springs we ventured out to Red Rock Canyon. We had held off visiting earlier in our stay due to some cloudy weather. Unfortunately, it appeared that everyone else in Colorado Springs had done the same (it was also the weekend) and this popular open space was quite crowded.

Still, we managed to find some quiet spaces and uncluttered views as we walked between and around the rock formations. Additionally, there are a number of moderate and longer trails for the more adventurous which usually provide solitude regardless of when you visit. Do visit when the sky is clear in order to see Pikes Peak rising above the red rock formations.

Interestingly, Red Rock Canyon is a city park consisting of 1474 acres of land. The park was pieced together with the multiple purchases of parcels over a period of years during the 1920s and 1930s by private citizens. It was acquired by the city in 2003. What makes the park’s history all the more remarkable is that many of the parcels were formerly quarries, gravel pits and industrial sites which have been reclaimed. There is little evidence of the past use of the space – without reading about the history you would most likely not think that to be the case.

After our walkabout at Red Rock, we popped over to the nearby Old Colorado City neighborhood. The neighborhood was at one time a separate town that prospered as a coal mining town and in the late 19th century as a gold refining location after the discovery of gold nearby. Typical of so many western mining hubs, the boom ultimately became the bust. The final straw was the prohibition of liquor sales in 1914. In 1917, the town was annexed by Colorado Springs.

The brothels and saloons that once lined Colorado Avenue have long since been replaced by art galleries, restaurants, wine bars, coffee shops and clothing stores. After a bit of browsing in several of the art galleries and book shops we took lunch at La Baguette Cafe and Bakery. Yum – the best bread! http://labaguette-co.com/

We were uncertain what lay ahead in regard to specialty coffee as we were about to venture into more rural territory; so we stopped in downtown for coffee, tea and breakfast at Loyal Coffee. First rate in all regards! https://loyalcoffee.co/

The photo below is of our unanimous choice for best vehicle OTR 9.0!

From Colorado Springs we traveled north – camping near Sterling, Colorado for our last night in the state. In future posts we will chronicle our trek across the midwestern plains en route to Connecticut.

Be seeing you!

Silver City: Feel the Love

18/06/202313/08/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Art, Boondocking, Camping, Coffee, Copper Mining, Live Music, Scenic Drive, Travel, Western history

As the name infers, precious metals are at the heart of the existence and development of this area of New Mexico. Long before the Spanish arrived the Native Americans were making use of the abundant copper found in the area. The Spanish brought more scale to the mining operations with their “technology” utilizing horses to power the machinery (below) to extract the gold found in the Pinos Altos Mountains .

***Spanish Gold Mining Machinery, Pinot Altos* *Mountains, Gila NF***

Today the Central Mining District is still a major precious mineral producer. The St. Rita Copper Mine pictured below is one of the world’s largest open pit mines. It is 1.5 miles wide and over 1500 feet deep.

***St. Rita Copper Mine from the Route 152 Overlook***

While one of us might find the major extractive industries fascinating, it was not our primary reason for visiting Silver City (SC). The elevation (5900) and surrounding Gila NF meant more comfortable temperatures than we had been experiencing in Texas and Southern New Mexico. Additionally, SC has a reputation as an artistic community where we might find music, coffee, art, history and friendly folks. Happily, SC provided all of these things in abundance.

SC has become a draw for the artistic community. We met many folks who found their way to SC to be part of a very open and welcoming community. We started each day at the Buzz to fuel up and invariably met several new folks (many of whom are artists and musicians). SC is definitely a fun town for a two to three day visit and also a good base for exploring the surrounding area.

When not sleeping in the Beast, we try to find a local hotel with history and style. In SC we stayed a couple of nights at the Murray, a classic Art Deco hotel. The hotel opened in 1938 and was considered the height of luxury (in the southwest) at the time. It closed for several decades but was renovated and reopened in 2012. The hotel is perfectly situated in the middle of downtown, enabling us to walk everywhere and leave the Beast parked for the duration.

The photographs above are of tiles from the “Dia de los Muertos” mural located on the side of the Silver City Museum. The tile medium is quite popular in the southwest and, along with the subject matter, it reflects the heritage of this area. There is art everywhere in this town – not surprising that SC was named one of the top 100 art towns in the United States.

Just north of SC sits the small town of Pinos Altos (PA as it is called locally). The town was formally organized in 1860 after the discovery of gold by three men stopping for a drink of water in a local creek. The population quickly grew as word of the gold discovery spread.

However, the local Apache people were not pleased to see hundreds of miners descend on what was their homeland. A band of 400 Apache warriors, joined by the great chief Cochise, attacked the settlers in what became known as the Apache War of 1861. Hostilities went on for several years until the cavalry built a fort at Bayard and a treaty was negotiated (we know who got the better end of that deal).

Today the town has 300 or so residents after having been abandoned for may years. Fortunately, many of the original buildings remain, and that in conjunction with the Buckhorn Saloon, engenders a fun, old west atmosphere. Besides, who can resist a town where Main Street is still a dirt road!

We used SC as our base from which to visit the Gila Cliff Dwelling NM. The drive is only 45 miles as the crow flies but the Pinos Altos Mountain Road (Route 15) is a winding, narrow climb up and over the the Pinos Altos Mountain Range. The 45 mile journey took us about 90 minutes. We had a sunny, clear day so we had great views of the landscape to the north and west once we reached the upper portion of the route.

Once we arrived at Gila Cliff we spoke with the ranger to get oriented and then set off on the hike up the canyon and the switchback that leads to the caves. There are five caves here of which three are accessible. The cliff dwellings here are quite impressive, although on a much smaller scale than those we have previously seen at Mesa Verde and Bandolier.

The caves here were used as shelter by nomads for many centuries. In the 1280s the Mogollon People took up residence here and built the 44 rooms that exist today. The 1280s timing is based on tree rings on the wood framing which is original and shows a range between 1260 and 1280. It is thought by archeologists that 10 to 12 families resided in these dwellings. It appears that by the early 1300s the Mogollon had moved on to parts unknown. Why they left is unclear.

The Mogollon Peoples, in addition to being skilled builders and farmers, were outstanding potters. As a follow up to our visit to the cliff dwellings, we visited the Western New Mexico University Museum located conveniently (for us) on the campus in Silver City. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of pottery made by the Mogollon Peoples. Much of the pottery was discovered by ranchers who settled in the Mimbres Valley. Fortunately, a significant portion of the pottery was well preserved and the ranchers donated it to the museum. We have included several photographs below so that you might get a sense of the beautiful craftsmanship.

We had a great stay in SC. Our next travels will take us north through western New Mexico where will hike on a catwalk, visit a ghost town in the mountains, look into deep space and eat pie!

Be seeing you!

El Paso to Silver City:Desert to Mountains

02/06/202312/06/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Camping, Hiking, Overlanding, Travel

After our three day stop in El Paso we continued our journey west driving through the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. Our plan was to cross a good portion of the state via the desert—intersecting with Route 11 before turning north and exploring the western portion of the state.

Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico

As part of the crossing we wanted to find the KIlbourne Hole. The Hole is a volcanic crater estimated to be between 24,000 and 100,000 years old and in the middle of the Petrillo Volcanic Fields. The crater is 1.7 miles long, a mile wide and from 300 to 400 feet deep. The crater was caused by a massive volcanic explosion which occurred when the underlying magma heats groundwater to the point where the resulting pressure literally blows the ground upward hundreds of feet into the air.

While it may sound funny, finding the hole required Maria’s expert navigation skills. Yes—the hole is over a mile long and wide—but driving on the flat desert floor provides no landmarks or rises from which to visually identify the crater.

Kilbourne Hole

The crater is impressive for both its physical size and the sense of complete isolation that you feel while gazing out from the rim. The force of nature required to create this crater boggles the mind.

From there we continued west along the boundary of the designated wilderness area. As mentioned earlier, we were hoping to cross the desert until we intersected with Route 11 which is the north/south route from Chihuahua. The road became particularly rough and we opted to find a route south to connect with the pavement of Route 9 — so we fell about 20 miles short but had no regrets about our decision.

After reaching Route 11 we turned north for our night’s destination. Having worked up a thirst in the desert we decided that a bit of hydration was required. Fortunately for us, the Luna Rossa Winery is located in Deming along the way.

Paolo D’Andrea emigrated to the United States in 1986 from Italy and founded Luna Rossa Winery in 2001. The winery specializes in Italian varietals, and currently produce about 8000 cases of wine per year. In addition to the winery, they own and operate a pizzeria in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

We enjoyed a tasting of a number of their wines (purchasing several) and meeting some fellow travelers from Louisiana before departing for Rockhound State Park.

***Florida Mountains, Camping with a View!***

Rockhound State Park sits at the northern end of the Florida Mountains and in the foothills of the southern end of the Little Florida Mountains providing impressive views across the canyon in between. The Florida range is only twelve miles long but nonetheless quite impressive with peaks that sit at 5000 to 7000 feet above sea level. The surrounding flatlands serve to accentuate their prominence. Our campsite provided us with a spectacular view of the northern most peaks in the range.

The next morning we drove across the valley floor to access the Spring Canyon Trailhead. The Spring Canyon Trail winds its way up through the canyon until you reach the spring. But alas, the spring was already dry for the season. Nonetheless, it was a good hike providing solitude and great views to the north on the return back to the trailhead. The site of the spring where we stopped climbing is at approximately 5700 feet above sea level. Breathing hard!

Our next stop was in Maywood at the City of Rocks State Park. The City is just one square mile in size and sits at 5200 feet above sea level in the northern reaches of the Chihuahuan Dessert. This area surrounding the rock formations is more reminiscent of grasslands than what we usually think of as desert. The rock formations are the result of volcanic activity 35 million years ago and the subsequent erosion of the rocks creating the pinnacles that exist today.

This state park offers primitive camping among the rock formations. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and night sky before turning in for the night.

***The Beast Sporting Desert Pinstripes***

The following morning we traveled to Silver City – as the name infers, this area is a mining district. We spent the afternoon at the Tranquil Buzz Coffee Shop drinking coffee, meeting local folks and listening to live music. Eventually, we made our way outside of town to boondock in the Burro Mountain area of the Gila National Forest.

Dispersed Camping—Gila National Forest

In our next post we will chronicle our stay in Silver City and our journey northward in scenic Western New Mexico.

Be seeing you!

Pinto Canyon—Rugged and Beautiful Texas—But First, Food!

31/05/202308/06/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Scenic Drive, Travel, Western history

While visiting the towns of Marathon and Alpine we met several people that recommended we eat at Bordo if we were going to be in the vicinity of Marfa. We were fortunate that the eatery was open on Sunday from 11:00AM to 3:00PM as were going to be passing through Marfa that day on our way to drive the Pinto Canyon.

Bordo opened in March. It is an Italian market and retaurant serving house made pasta and sandwiches. They bake all of their bread in a brick oven which sits outside on the patio. We had a delicious meal which prepared us well for the adventure ahead. If you plan on visiting Marfa we highly recommend Bordo be on your food itinerary!

Pinto Canyon

We drove south from Marfa for about thirty miles on a ranch road where the pavement ended. We found ourselves sitting at the top of the spectacular Pinto Canyon.

We have wanted to drive the Pinto Canyon since we read an article entitled The Road to Nowhere which chronicles the experience of the author tackling the canyon road. Finding this article was quite fortuitous — otherwise we would never known about the canyon.

The canyon has an interesting history. The first people arrived here around 13,000 years ago. These hunter-gathers were eventually displaced by the Apache that were dominant in the Big Bend.

Pinto Canyon Road

Texas authorized settlers to buy as much as 5000 acres of land in the ealy 1900s which brought a number of families into the canyon. The combination of drought, the Spanish Influenza (1918), the Mexican American War, the 1929 market crash and the ensuing depression sealed the fate of the settlers and the canyon. A handful of the settlers persevered but the canyon was all but abandoned.

***Impressive Longhorn*** ***at Pinto Canyon Ranch***

Today the vast majority of the the 15 square mile canyon is owned by one person — a retired CEO — and the canyon is a working cattle ranch (see photo above). We find the fact that one person can own all of this beauty in the middle of the Chinatti Mountains hard to fathom, but we are glad that you can at least traverse the canyon on the road (which is owned by the county).

The Un-cooperative Horse

After making our way down through the canyon we turned west and followed FM 170 to the end of the pavement in Candelaria. The FM winds through the Chihuahuan Desert along the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. The 50 mile road from Presidio to Candelaria was not paved until 1985.

At one point Candelaria was an agricultural town — growing crops in the wet areas along the Rio Grande. However, after the Mexican American War the army abandoned their encampment in Candelaria and the farmers had no buyers for their crops and no way to get their product to Presidio 50 miles east on a rough dirt road that often flooded.

Subsequently, the population declined from a high of about 300 to the current population estimated at 75 people. The only non-residential structure that we could see in Candelaria is the Catholic church pictured above. This small settlement is literally at the end of the road and looks and feels very much an off the grid enclave.

At Candelaria we had a decision to make — attempt to cross 40 miles of desert to connect with Route 90 or circle back around on the pavement. Based on the time of the day and the amount of rough road we had already covered we opted for the longer mileage but comfort of the pavement.

Border Patrol

As we turned north to head for our hotel we unsurprisingly encountered a Border Patrol checkpoint. We have been through dozens of checkpoints in our travels in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Some of the checkpoints are permanent while others are mobile. The Border Patrol only stops and inspects vehicles heading north as their only purpose is to stop illegal imigrants entering from Mexico.

We think the checkpoints are a bad use of taxpayer money—regardless of your view on immigration—the investment in technology and people to staff these checkpoints is significant. The payback is small as the vast majority of people attempting to enter the country illegally are not hitching rides in the automobiles of U.S. citizens.

Valentine

Our journey north took us through the town of Valentine. The town’s origins, like may others in this part of Texas, rests with the railroad. Crews from the Southern Pacific Railroad laying track from the West stopped here on 14 Feb 1882 to rest. Subsequently, the town became a layover point for train crews and a cattle shipping point.

With the building of Ranch-to-Market roads livestock began to be shipped by truck and the town’s fortunes along with the population declined. Many abandoned buildings still stand in testament to the past. As you can see the church (below) has been well maintained despite the hard times. The current population is estimated at 134. Why people stay is a mystery but we were not disposed to ask any of the remaining residents.

Valentine does have one big event that draws folks from many points on the compass. Every year on Valentine’s Day there is a festival in town to celebrate the town’s namesake holiday. And, of course, the Post Office does a booming business postmarking Valentine’s Day cards!

By pure chance we happened on the Prada “Installation” which sits on the side of US Route 90 about 1.4 miles north of Valentine. As you may know, Marfa has become an unlikely art hub in the far west reaches of Texas. We have visited Marfa and it is a fun town to visit. There are a number of excellent restaurants and the Paisano is a great hotel. However, the minimalist art of Donald Judd and others does not resonate with us, although it clearly does with others far more knowledgable than us.

The Prada installation pictured above was placed on the side of Route 90 in 2005. On the first night after completion the installation was vandalized. The shoes and purses were stolen and the building was spray painted with the word “Dumb”. Apparently, not everyone agreed with the artists’ description of the work as “pop architectural land art”. While we do not support the vandalism we do not see any meaningful conceptual or artistic value to building a replica of a Prada store on the side of a rural highway.

After our brief contemplation of the merits of the Prada installation, we completed our day’s journey in Van Horn with a stay at the El Capitain. The hotel is a classic Spanish style western hotel. We really enjoy the feel and look of this style hotel (a future post will showcase several of our hotel stays in Texas).

Our next destination is Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Pictured below is El Capitain—the first mountain you see in the range as you drive to the park from the south.

Be seeing you!

Chaco Culture National Historic Park: Stepping Back in Time

20/05/202320/05/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Architecture, Hiking, National Park, New Mexico, Scenic Drive, Travel, Western history

Chaco Canyon is a place we have wanted to visit for some time. During our 2020 roadtrip we were unable to get there as a winter storm rendered the roads in impassable. There are two unpaved roads into the park – both are rough, heavily washboarded affairs. From the north, County 7950 is 13 miles from pavement end to CC while Route 57 is 21 miles coming in from the south.

In order to optimize our time at the park we decided to take advantage of the camping opportunity at the Horse Thief Camp. The ranch property is on County 7950 and is the closest option outside the park.

HORSE THIEF RANCH

The ranch is owned by Wayne and Yolanda Beyale, and has been owned by Wayne’s family for many generations. The ranch sits amongst a patchwork of properties owned by the Navajo Nation and various federal agencies. The area that Wayne has set aside for camping provides panoramic views and and very dark skies (we also saw several wild horses).

Wayne is Navajo and graciously shared the history of his family and the ranch. He and his seven siblings spent summers living in a single hogan in the spot where we camped. The outdoor oven they used to bake and cook still stands intact. Two of the photos above show the circle corral where Wayne tamed wild horses that they captured (hence Horse Thief Camp).

Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon was a major center of Ancestral Puebloan Peoples between 900AD and 1150AD. The scale of the great houses and ceromonial sites here is larger than anything else to be found in the Southwestern United States. Within the canyon there are 15 major complexes. The largest of the structures — Bonito Pueblo — contains over 500 rooms!

Chaco Canyon is located in Northwestern New Mexico near the Four Corners. It is very remote — the first record of European people visiting the canyon is not until 1823 when New Mexican governor José Antonio Vizcarra led an expedition through the canyon. At that time this area was still under Mexican rule.

The Chaco Canyon National Monument was formally established on 11 March 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt. This act preserved the canyon and the structures from any future development or extractive industries. The park was officially designated a national park in 1980 and an additional 12,500 acres was added to bring the park to the current total of 34,000 acres. There are over 4000 archeological sites within the 34,000 acres.

The structures at Chaco provide evidence of a very advanced civilization. The architecture, engineering and construction techniques are quite sophisticated. A number of the Great Houses were five stories tall. The structures were anchored by deep foundations which demonstrate the planning which took place prior to construction. The majority of the Great Houses were built on the north side of the canyon to optimize heat and light from the sun.

There is also evidence that the Chacoans built dams on side canyons to funnel water to the Great Houses and to the fields in order to irrigate crops. Additionally, the remnants of a road system leading away from the canyon in all four directions is still discernable.

Of course, the final question is why this great center was abandoned. And as is usually the case — no one really knows. There are a number of theories ranging from an extended drought, deforestation rendering the canyon unsustainable and political power struggles causing people to flee.

Hiking at chaco

One of the great features at Chaco is the ability to tour the inside of the pueblos and explore the connected rooms, but the canyon rim above also provides a terrific overhead view. So we made the climb up on the Pueblo Alto Trail to see views of the pueblos and the canyon from above.

Pictured are three items we observed along the canyon rim. Starting from the left: a pecked basin — circle carved into the stone by the Chacoans as repositories for offerings; clam shells and shrimp burrows respectively. The clam shells and shrimp burrows testify to the canyon having been an inland sea during the Cretaceous Period (75–80 million years ago).

DEPARTING CHACO CANYON: ROUTE 57

After a full day of touring the pueblos and hiking along the rim of the canyon we set out for the Bisti/Da Nae Zin Wilderness. In orded to reach the Bisti we needed to travel south out of the park on the notorius Route 57. The 57 is a 21 mile stretch of rutted and washboarded dirt that runs through desolate ranch land.

Route 57 is considered impassable when wet. When we left the park there were storms to our east — unfortunately, as we headed south a storm crossed our path and we found ourselves on the muddy and slippery version of the 57 (see video below).

Route 57

Fortunately, we were able to make it through — only sliding our back end into a ditch once — but we decided not to venture into the Bisti Wliderness as the road conditions there are as treacherous as the 57. In the photos below, we are airing up for our return to paved roads.

We highly recommend a visit to Chaco if you have the appropriate vehicle to handle the conditions and the patience to travel at very slow speeds for an extended period of time. Also, if you are interested in gaining further knowledge about this remarkable civilization we recommend Chaco Culture: A Complete Guide by Gian Mercurio and Maxymilian L. Peschel.

Be seeing you!

Three Nights in the Backcountry: Big Bend National Park(BBNP)

10/05/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Camping, National Park, Overlanding, Travel

In March of 2020 OTR made our first visit to BBNP. Unfortunately, our timing was bad — the Covid Pandemic had finally made its way to Texas and the park closed the gates. We needed to leave the park after just two days.

BBNP was created in 1944 by Congressional Act and signed by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The deed for the park covered 700,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande. Today, the park encompasses a little over 800,000 acres.

The park is one of the least visited National Parks, although it had its highest visitation in 2021. We can only surmise why this would be when this park offers so much stunning beauty – the Chiso Massive, desert, canyons and dark sky. There are probably several reasons – its remote location in Far West Texas abutting the Mexican border, the heat for much of the year and a lot of terrain accessible only by very rough roads.

Day one

Because we were entering the park from the north we decided to immediately drive the backcountry loop out to see the Dagger Yuca Forest. Fortunately, our timing was perfect— the Yucca were blooming.

From Dagger Flats we needed to secure our permits for camping in the backcountry. Backcountry camping in BBNP requires traversing rough 4WD drive roads and means that you will be on your own and in some cases in a very remote area of the park.

For our first night of camping we selected an area deep in the southeastern area of the park which is the desert floor (1700 feet above sea level). We followed the River Road East to its terminus a few miles north of the Rio Grande; the 25 mile journey took about 2.5 hours (slow going but exciting).

Our journey took us past an abandoned (but still toxic) mercury mine and provided phenomenal views of the Chisos Mouontains. Additionally, we encountered a herd of horses that we thought were feral but later learned are horses from Mexico that wandered across the border.

Day two

Our camping perch was a short distance from the Mariscal Mountains so we were able to get an early start hiking in the Mariscal Canyon and avoid the afternoon heat where the temperatures reach 95F this time of year.

We also learned that in addition to horses plenty of cattle from Mexico have found there way across the Rio Grande. When we later asked a ranger about the cattle he indicated that there are over 1000 head of cattle from Mexico in the park.

After our hike we retraced our route back east on the River Road until were back on asphalt and then motored north to drive up through the Chisos and into the Chisos Basin.

After taking in the views of the Chisos from the basin we headed back south to our camping spot for night two. We had another great camping spot in the shadow of the Chillicotal Mountain. From our camping area we had a 360 degree view – the views to the south were of mountains across the Rio Grande in Mexico.

Day three

Our campsite at Chilicotal was only about four miles from the Pine Canyon trailhead so we again got an early start to be off the trail before the worst of the heat.

Pine Canyon Road, BBNP

After finishing our hike up into the spectacular Spring Canyon we circled up across the northern section of the park to connect with the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The scenic drive connected us to southwestern area of the park along the Rio Grande.

The four photos directly above are the of the Rio Grande. The far shore is Mexico. The canyon in the final photo bottom right is Saint Elena. The left canyon wall is Mexico while the right canyon wall is the United States.

After cooling off in the Rio Grande we connected with the Maverick Road to head north for our final night of camping at a site nearTerlingua Abaya. Terlingua Abayo is an abandoned town on the banks of Terlingua Creek. The town was at one time a thriving agricultural community supplying produce for local ranchers and miners employed by the Quicksilver mines in the area. The town existed from 1900 until around 1930 when the mines ceased operations.

Terlingua Abaya Road, BBNP

day four

On day four we traveled north on the Maverick Road to exit the park and make our way north for a two day stay in Alpine. Before heading to Alpine we spent part of the day in Terlingua Ghost Town — home to Espresso Y Poco Mas — our coffee hangout from our previous visit to BBNP.