Carrie Barton: The Big Bend

On the 20th, we did the Big Drive to Big Bend. It would've been a shorter day if we'd only gone to Big Bend National Park, but we included Big Bend Ranch State Park, going through lovely (NOT!!!) Presidio enroute. There were some cool parts of the SP, so we're glad we did that, but it also meant we got more pressed for time and opted out of some drives we really should have done in the NP - like into the Chisos Mtns and Santa Elena Cyn. Oh well. Next time...

A neat little town we went through - before gorgeous (NOT!!!) Presidio - was Marfa. Apparently, it's a very artsy spot. We just did a pass through, but it had some cool, old, kind of art deco-like buildings and a peach-colored court house. Very tidy, quiet place. Marfa is also renown for its "mystery lights." Various people have spotted these lights just outside of town. Some argue they are just headlights on roads in the distance. Others maintain there's still no good explanation for them... As fun as it would've been to see them, we were too lazy to drive over there at night, just for the possibility of spotting them...!

Also before reaching pretty (NOT!!!!) Presidio, we went through Shafter, a fascinating combination of ghost town and current-day community! Obviously inhabited and decorated homes mixed in with ruins - weird!

Some of the ruins, across the street from the main part of town.

Cool roadside ridges.

Weird rock formations along the Rio Grande in the SP.

A Corvette club cruises by.

The Rio Grande disappearing around a smaller bend.

More Rio G.

Talk about a muddy river! And I don't see Willy Wonka anywhere - I'm afraid it might not taste like chocolate...!?!

Must be the Chisos. We weren't hugely impressed with Big Bend in general, but maybe if we'd taken the time to explore the Chisos we would've had a different take on it! Darn!

Piece de Resistance!?!

Billy shows off a roadrunner.

We did stop at one place - the Boquillas Canyon Overlook. On the other side of the Rio G, Boquillas is a tiny Mexican town that once received much of its livelihood from US tourists. That is until the Big Bend NP shut down all its border crossings. Now, a few persistent (and perhaps desperate?) entrepreneurs go to great and innovative lengths to sell their wares. At this spot, we were at first stumped by the cute handmade goods spread out on boulders. Then we noticed the sign listing prices and an honors system payment can. And then we discovered the sellers - across the river, next to their burros and boats! Apparently, they would paddle over to leave the goods, head back, watch from afar (and holler hellos and further instructions if necessary), and then paddle back at the end of the day to retrieve the money can - all the while hoping that a) nobody stole the curios, b) nobody stole the money can, and c) they didn't get caught and deported (and when they get deported, apparently it's to some other location and a huge hassle for all!)!! It just mak3s you wonder how much harm these folks could be doing selling their goodies on our soil?!!!!!! What is the big deal?!!!!!!!!! Much like with our illegal immigration crisis, it seems to us there should be a way to both protect our borders (as any other sovereign nation does!) and still do business with our Mexican neighbors!!!

Sure is a bummer that our government can't figure stuff like this out... Seems really stupid!!! But then again, that's government!!!!

Some nice tourists took our photo (no, we didn't ask the guys across the river to risk deportation for our picture!!!)

Spiny desert resident. Wouldn't want to tumble into this guy!!!!! OW!!!!

Near Rio Grande Village, this became a dog stop.

CB and stopped dogs.

BB and still-stopped dogs.

Tunnel with cool escarpment in the background.

Run piggy run!!!

OK, so they're not related to pigs, but these cute javelinas sure look like they could be cute pig counterparts...! They are all over the place in AZ, NM, and TX, but this was the first time even Bill had ever seen them in the wild! There were three javys in the road in front of us on our way out of the park. I managed to stop the car and grab my point and shoot quick enough to at least get a javy butt disappearing into the brush (in center of photo - unfortunately, they have brush-colored butts! Sorry, best I could do!)!

It was early evening when we hit Marathon on our way back home (home = Alpine). We were both starved (not a lot of groceries to be found in Big Bend!). We stopped at the Gage Hotel, a super-looking, old hotel. We ate at the adjoining Cenizo Cafe and had a terrific dinner. It was pricey but worth every penny!! Esp. their chocolate cheesecake, which was more like chocolate butter (hmmm....!!!!!!!!), and incredible ice cream with strawberry chunks frozen into it and surrounded by bits of toasted hazelnuts...!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my. Sinful, yes. You betcha!! What an awesome surprise this place was!!!! Marathon is a teeny town. The Gage Hotel might just be all there is there! (it was dark when we left, so maybe we missed the other amazing stuff...?!) But it was some of the best food we'd had thus far on the trip!