Saturday, January 26, 2013. Made a run to Big Bend National Park. Left Saturday morning and met DB in Uvalde. It was warm for January, low 80s in the park.
The plan was to ride down to Boquillas to check on the new crossing; we heard it had reopened for the first time post-9/11. In the good old days you drove down a gravel road, walked down to the river and a man in a little boat would row you across for a few dollars. No border guards or passports. You then had your choice of a pickup truck or donkey to take you up to Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico, situated on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande. They served ice cold beer for a dollar and 3 taquitos for the same in an open aired cantina. Sitting in the cool shade looking down on the river, it was a great spot. You felt a long way from everything, and you were.
So we had high hopes to visit it again, until the ranger at the park entrance informed us that: "No, the crossing is not open. The border station on the U.S. side is ready but there are hang-ups with completing the Mexican station. And yes, you will need your passports and you will need to fill out immigration forms." Fucking depressing. Border stations, forms . . . it's ruined.
We decided not to see it, and headed for the Basin and Santa Elena Canyon instead.
The Basin was cool and deserted, which was nice. Elev. 5,400
Then on to Santa Elena Canyon where the first pics where taken.
View of the canyon from the main road:
The hike down to the river. (Mexico to the left and America to the right.)
The dry portion of the river bed.
DB throwing a rock into Mexico.
America's southern border:
The mighty Rio Grande.
View up Terlingua Creek. A ranger said it wasn't the driest she'd ever seen it but . . .
Left the canyon and the park and headed for Alpine for the night.
Sunday, January 27th. Headed for home down Hwy 90. Of all the times I've returned home this way I've never stopped for anything other than gas. We decided to smell the roses a little; first stop: Judge Roy Bean and Langtry, Texas.
Overcast but warm--and very few tourists this Sunday morning.
The law west of the Pecos. Judge Roy Bean's courthouse, saloon, and billiards hall.
Lilly's Saloon
Langtry sits on the Rio Grande. We rode down to the river.
Eagle's Nest Crossing. (Mexico in the background.)
From the cliff's edge looking down river. A historical marker said people had been crossing the river here for a 1,000 years--seems like they picked an unusually difficult spot.
The view up-river. The pictures can't capture the scale of the cliffs.
Left Langtry. Next stop, Seminole Canyon State Park. Site of the Seminole Canyon pictographs. "We're really smelling the roses now."--DB
From the observation deck down the canyon.
View up the canyon. The pictographs are located in the cave at the top of the picture.
Another pic down the canyon from below the deck. Desolate country.
A statue depicting one of the pictograph figures overlooking the canyon.
Next stop: home. A nice quick getaway. Round trip: 940 miles.
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