Flood Can Come to the Desert

Flood of 1913, Photograph, September 4, 1913;
digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth14004/
University of North Texas Libraries,
The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu;
crediting Clark Hotel Museum, Van Horn, Texas.
Direct link to photo

Flood can come to the desert.  This time of year, our mountains can experience monsoon-like rains, and the the desert soil has a limited ability to absorb so much moisture.  Van Horn made it through a flood in 1913, as documented in photos in the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum, and digitized at the Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas Libraries.  Click on the photos for a closer view!

T&P Section House, Van Horn, during 1913 flood,
Photograph, September 4, 1913;
digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth14144/
University of North Texas Libraries,
The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu;
crediting Clark Hotel Museum, Van Horn, Texas.
Direct link to photo 

Colima Warbler in Big Bend National Park

Photo courtesy, David Elkowitz, Big Bend
National Park, National Park Service

We are preparing some materials to send to the British and Scottish Birding Fairs today, and it reminded us that one of our region's most sought after sightings is Big Bend's Colima Warbler.  We thought we'd share a few excerpts from Paisanos Past, Selections from the Interpretive Newspaper of Big Bend National Park, 1978-1997: The First Twenty Years, published by the Big Bend Natural History Association and edited by Scott Watkins, 2011.  From the Spring/Summer 1983 issue:

"The path to see the Colima Warbler is not an easy one.  You must hike or ride a horse nine miles--but every single inch is well worth it! Starting early in the morning from the Basin trailhead, the air is cool and fragrant.  After a rain or heavy dew, damianita purfumes the mountain air like creosote pervades the desert air.  Dewdrops glisten on spider webs as you hike upward.  Juniper, oak, and pinyon pine line the Pinnacles Trail, which provides breathtaking views of the Basin and the enchanting distant desert."

Later--

"In no time at all you reach the top - Piannacles Pass. The 1600 foot gain was quite painless with so much to see and investigate.  while snacking and enjoying the spectacular view from the pass, you watch aerobatic Mexican jays, also known as gray-breasted jays, dip dive and scold.  Walking toward Boot Canyon, the upside-down boot comes into view. As you hike on, the shape becomes even more apparent.  All of a sudden, the sound you have been straining to hear echoes through the canyon: a high trill endind ing one or two lower notes.  while standing still and not daring even to breathe, you see a small active bird fly across your path and perch in an oak.  A quick glimpse through your binoculars reveals a five-ince long, grayish-backed, pale-breasted bird with a bright yellow-orange rump and undertail coverts and a white eye-ring.  A really good look in excellent light may reveal a rusty cap.  You have had less than a minute to look.  Now it is gone, leaving only the pounding of your heart and a smile on your face.  You are one of the lucky few to see a Colima warbler.

The first Colima was discovered nesting in teh Chisos Mountains over 55 years ago.  Since then, thousands of people have come thousands of miles just to see this rare warbler.  Big Bend National Park is the only place in the United States where the Colima can be seen.  Colimas return each April to build their ground nests of grass, moss, bark and fur and to lay their four creamy-white speckled and blotched eggs.  They stay until September when the call to return to their winter homes in south and central Mexico is too strong to resist."

Horses!

Every now and then, as you're traveling down our two-lane mountain roads, some grazing horses will be RIGHT there at the side of the road, waiting for their photo to be taken!

Enjoy Viva Big Bend Yet Today!

Today is the last day of this year's music festival, Viva Big Bend.  Is it too late to enjoy the festival?  No!

You can watch the progress of Artwalk Alpine's Mural-in-a-Weekend project in downtown Alpine at 5th and Holland.


Tonight there will be music performances at Railroad Blues in Alpine, and Padre's in Marfa.  (Click here to download a schedule.) Here's a shot from last night's Patrice Pike show at Padre's.

Next year, plan early!  This year's festival hosted five days of performances in four communities (Alpine, Marfa, Marathon and Fort Davis), some of them free, like this Shelley King show in Fort Davis.

Or the free Breting Engel show at the Holland Hotel in Alpine, pictured above!  Everyone is having so much fun!  Add Viva Big Bend to your summer fun next year, and join us in the mountains!

Perseid Meteor Shower Parties at Hueco Tanks and Franklin Mountains State Park!

Join us for a Perseid Meteor Shower Party from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 11 at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, 6900 Hueco Tanks Rd. #1, El Paso, Texas 79938.
Rangers from Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site and Franklin Mountains State Park will lead presentations and activities about the Perseid meteor shower, constellation folklore, and our vanishing dark skies. Then, view the cosmos through two provided telescopes or sit back and enjoy the meteor shower! Participants should bring a flashlight, folding chair or blanket, and water.

Reservations are required, and will be taken until the program is full. Call 915-857-1135 or 915-849-6684 for information and reservations. $2 ages 5 and up.

A Perseid Meteor Shower Party is also scheduled for 8:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, August 9 at Franklin Mountains State Park’s Tom Mays Unit.
- See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/perseid-meteor-shower-party#sthash.v41F0yq9.dpuf

Hikers at Hueco Tanks have a full view of
the sky for the Perseid Meteor Shower,
they're just there a little early in the day!

Join us for a Perseid Meteor Shower Party from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 11 at Hueco Tanks State Park &Historic Site.

Rangers from Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site and Franklin Mountains State Park will lead presentations and activities about the Perseid meteor shower, constellation folklore, and our vanishing dark skies. Then, view the cosmos through two provided telescopes or sit back and enjoy the meteor shower! Participants should bring a flashlight, folding chair or blanket, and water.

Reservations are required, and will be taken until the program is full. Call 915-857-1135 or 915-849-6684 for information and reservations. $2 ages 5 and up.

A Perseid Meteor Shower Party is also scheduled for 8:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, August 9 at Franklin Mountains StatePark’s Tom Mays Unit.

The listing for the event on our calendar is here.

Join us for a Perseid Meteor Shower Party from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 11 at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, 6900 Hueco Tanks Rd. #1, El Paso, Texas 79938.
Rangers from Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site and Franklin Mountains State Park will lead presentations and activities about the Perseid meteor shower, constellation folklore, and our vanishing dark skies. Then, view the cosmos through two provided telescopes or sit back and enjoy the meteor shower! Participants should bring a flashlight, folding chair or blanket, and water.

Reservations are required, and will be taken until the program is full. Call 915-857-1135 or 915-849-6684 for information and reservations. $2 ages 5 and up.

A Perseid Meteor Shower Party is also scheduled for 8:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, August 9 at Franklin Mountains State Park’s Tom Mays Unit.
- See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/perseid-meteor-shower-party#sthash.v41F0yq9.dpuf

A Green July!

We've been so fortunate with rain this monsoon season, the entire region is sprouting green!

Viva Big Bend! Terrific Music Festival THIS Weekend!

Click on the image for a closer view!

 

If you aren't in the region already this weekend, and don't have plans to take in Viva Big Bend (a terrific Texas music festival) we're sorry you're missing all the fun.  At locations all over Alpine, Fort Davis, Marathon and Marfa are already hopping, people are already dancing and having the time of their lives!

It isn't too late to join in the fun, visit www.vivabigbend.com for a schedule of the concerts and festivities.  And if you're too far away to get here, plan to come to the mountains, NEXT YEAR!  You'll have a terrific time.

Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival

Hummingbird during a banding demonstration

If you love hummingbirds--and who doesn't--here's a great opportunity to see more, learn more, and experience more about one our smallest and spunkiest birds in the region.  Plan to come to Fort Davis, August 9-11, for the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival!  Download the schedule here. 

For $35, participants will receive:

Ticket to the Opening Reception on August 9 at the Hotel Limpia Ballroom; booklet, "Hummingbirds of West Texas" by Kelly Bryan; map of local viewing areas; hummingbird "Goodie Bag" and admission to Botanical Gardens & State Park areas!!
Information and a link to registration is here.

The Historic Hotel Limpia is the site of the festival's
Opening Reception!

Marathon: Darkest Night Skies from the Comfort of Your Hotel Room!

click on the photo for a closer view
photo by Danny Self, Marathon Motel

Marathon is often the first community travelers drive through to get to Big Bend National Park…yet some don’t stop, and that’s a shame.  Not only does this small community boast the darkest skies you’ll find anywhere in the lower 48 (rated Scale 1 on the Bortle Light Pollution Scale!), but with accommodations to suit every taste and need, and easy access to restaurants, it is a great transition place between your city life and the frontier and open spaces of the Big Bend. 

Consider what a wonderful night you’d have, grabbing a beer and pizza from the French Company Grocer or Lechuguilla Liquors, or a fine meal at the 12 Gage Restaurant.  Then stopping by the Marathon Motel to view a sky like THIS?  What could be better than that?

What the photographer, Danny Self, says about this photo:

“What I liked about this, during the day, this angle, you get a sense of the curves in the walls flowing with the curves of the hills. At night, it comes out with a different complexity of, colors, textures, depth and size. Not to mention the contrasts in exposures! So, to the naked eye, the Milky Way looks like a perpetual 'cloud' in the same place every night, albeit coming up earlier as time goes by. All stars/constellations rise 4 minutes earlier every night. Now, the camera, the camera can see what the eye can't. Hence a really distinct image. So don't expect to go out, find the Milky Way, which isn't hard, unless you're in a light polluted sky, and, even in a Class 1 dark sky like ours, expect to see it this way!”

Next time you plan a trip our way, consider staying in Marathon!  “Like” the Visit Marathon Texas page on Facebook and check out their website too:  www.visitmarathontexas.com to plan a stay in a great small town with the darkest skies!

Light Map of the Region from
VisitMarathonTexas.com website, Big Bend has been
awarded the designation of Gold Tier Sky Park as
recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association!

Visit Marathon Texas is one of our valued Texas Mountain Trail Business Members!

1900

Click on the photo for a closer view!
People standing in front of wagon with
household items, 1900, Photograph, 1900;
digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth13895/)
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History,
http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting
Clark Hotel Museum, Van Horn, Texas.

Click on the photo for a closer view of a family around 1900 with their wagon of household goods.  Photograph of Ted Bean (left), Charley and Laura Formwalt, and children Courtney, Annie, and Wylie, of Van Horn, TX, 1900.

The Clark Hotel Museum holds images and artifacts that tell the story of early Van Horn and Culberson County.  In 2005, our Texas Mountain Trail wrote a grant for the museum to have many of their photographs digitized and included in the University of North Texas' Portal to Texas History...which is why we can share this photo with you!  It is saved online for curious folks, researchers, and school children to see. 

A DREAM Vacation for Classic Film Fans!

Interior of the fully restored Plaza
Theatre in downtown El Paso

Every year, film lovers in the know head to El Paso for the largest (and probably the best!) Classic Film Festival anywhere, its home base the lovingly restored Plaza Theatre.  This 1930 theatre (Wurlitzer organ and all!) offers a step into the past for film buffs.  Full screen showings of some true classics.  Meet and greet opportunities with stars.  Great, great fun. 

What's showing?  Old classics like The Graduate,  Fahrenheit 451, The Third Man, West Side Story and It Came From Outer Space!  And new classics like Far Marfa!  Here's a link to the schedule! 

Watch new and old cinema classics
at the Festival!

El Paso's lovely Union Station

Inside El Paso's train station

May we suggest a true adventure?!?  Take a COMPLETE step into the past by arriving at the festival by TRAIN!  El Paso's station is just blocks from the Plaza Theatre...and the city is on Amtrak's Sunset Limited Line. Get on the train in Alpine, San Antonio, New Orleans, Tucson or Los Angeles to get to the Festival...no cars needed! link to the festival's website for more information!

Once you arrive, you'll be in the center of downtown's museum cultural "campus" with plenty of lodging and dining opportunities!  Here's a

Lodging and dining opportunities just
steps from the Plaza Theatre!

We're one of TEN! Texas Heritage Trail programs help you find your own adventure!

Our Texas Mountain Trail is one of 10 regional non-profit organizations across the state, each promoting their own part of Texas!

To plan your own adventure, whether a day trip to a neighboring community or your dream-of-a-lifetime vacation, we're the best regional source of travel information.  Our region includes tiny mountain communities as well as the El Paso metropolis, four national park facilities (Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Fort Davis and Chamizal) and numerous state parks, historic sites and museums.

We each support heritage tourism in our regions, as well as economic development and preservation.  Here's a link to our website, which includes great stories about Far West Texas, tips for planning an adventure in our region, as well as our events calendar.

We're part of a network of independent non-profits all partially funded by a federal/state match grant administered by the Texas Historical Commission, charged with promoting heritage tourism.

Traveling to the east, is our neighbor, the Texas Pecos Trail.
Head north from there to the Texas Plains Trail.
From the Plains Trail region, turn southeast to the Texas Forts Trail Region.
Turn to the Metroplex and the Texas Lakes Trail to the north.  Further east, bordering Arkansas and Louisiana is the Texas Forest Trail Region. 
Down the coast to Houston-Galveston to San Antonio is the Texas Independence Trail Region.  North of there, is the Texas Brazos Trail, and west (in the central part of the state) is the Texas Hill Country Trail Region.
Back to the coast, visit the Texas Tropical Trail!  We're also linked by a common website, www.texastimetravel.com!

Junior Ranger Day today at Fort Davis National Historic Site!

Today, from 10-12 noon, Fort Davis National Historic Site is hosting Junior Ranger Day, with a focus on 1880's children's games...and maybe, maybe there will be ice cream!

Click here to read the calendar listing for this event!   Click here to visit the site's page on the Junior Ranger Program!

Sizing up to be a Good Rain Year

Rainbow near Turtleback Mountain
from the Van Horn Cemetery

This year, we seem to be enjoying a more robust "monsoon season" than in the recent past, as we've had several cool, dark, deliciously wet days already this summer.  Desert dwellers rejoice with rain, and we like the cool temperatures that come with it, not to mention all the GREEN that pops up everywhere!

While this photo was taken a few years ago in Van Horn, we've been treated to many beautiful rainbows this summer already!  That's a great thing about our wide open spaces...we've also got terrific views of the sky!

Allamore School, 1923

Click on the photo for a closer view!
Allamore School 1923, Photograph, n.d.;
digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth14084/),
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History,
http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Clark Hotel Museum, Van Horn, Texas.

Another great image of early life in the area Culberson County, from the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum in Van Horn, digitized and included in the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas Libraries.  While Allamore is in Hudspeth County, just over the line, the local school district includes both Culberson and Allamore students!

Panorama of Marfa Grasslands

Click on the photo for a closer view!
Panorama of Marfa Grasslands by Monte Riggs

Monte Riggs, one of our volunteers in Marfa, posted this on his 90 West (his architectural lighting business) Facebook page.  We liked it so much, we wanted to share it with all of you!

"First light is my favorite. In the desert in the summer it's the coolest time of day, it's the time when birds are active and other wildlife is still active. The nocturnal animals have disappeared but on a recent early bike ride nighthawks were still hunting even after the sun had been up a couple of hours. Saturday morning just north of town I managed to catch that just after dawn amber glow. On the left is Marfa, on the right, the Davis Mountains, just left of center, my shadow pointing pretty much due west."

Beautiful Fort Leaton

Fort Leaton State Historic Site, located just east of Presidio on the River Road, Hwy 170 is worth a stop to learn about the archaeology, history and natural history of the Rio Grande area.  Tour the beautiful adobe structure, view the exhibits, take a few moments to take shelter from the sun, as early travelers did.  This was a fortified trading post in the turbulent 1880s, yet key historical dates for the site reach back to 1848.

Download the interpretive guide for the site, here.

Dowload the self-guided tour booklet for the site, here.

Fort Leaton also serves as a park office and welcoming center for Big Bend Ranch State Park.  Permits for backpacking and camping (no hookups) at Big Bend Ranch State Park can be obtained at Fort Leaton or the Barton Warnock Visitor Center, on the eastern edge of the park near Lajitas. Visitors can also purchase river-use permits, licenses, and information about the Big Bend region.

Follow Us: We're on Instagram too!

There's a way you can see our "on our travels" photos...follow us on Instagram?  We're @texastrailgirl and we try to show you instantly the highlights of all our stops in the Texas Mountains.  This is a great way to see some of the dishes we order at regional restaurants, and some of our wildlife sightings!  Below is a sunning pronghorn we saw on one of our bike rides outside Marfa:

Above is a delicious beef appetizer we ordered at the Blue Mountain Bistro in Fort Davis, next to the historic Limpia Hotel!  

Staying in Shape on the Road, Hyatt Place El Paso!

There's something new at the Hyatt Place in El Paso (Airport location) for travelers who want to stay in shape.  The hotel has a great little fitness center and pool, and was our very first Texas Mountain Trail cycle-friendly property.  It often hosts the Big Bend tour, run by the Adventure Cycling Association. 

But now, there's new borrower's menu which has items especially valued by many women travelers, from high powered hair dryers to high chairs to fitness equipment.  Sure the hotel has a great little fitness center and pool, but now you can also borrow a yoga mat and hand weights!  

Using weights from the new Borrows menu
at the Hyatt Place, wearing Stonewear
Designs Dryflex Double Cross top and
Rockin Short

Also on the "Borrows" menu in El Paso:

High Power Hair Dryer
Curling Iron
Flat Iron
Clothes Steamer
Yoga Mat
Free Weights (2, 3 and 5 pounds)International Outlet Adapter
Universal Cell Phone Chapter
Automobile Jumper Cables
Baby Crib
High Chair
High Chair Tray
Booster Seat
Water Wings
Pool Noodles

Fancy Dinner Outside?

We wonder...what was the occasion?

Mrs. Douglas Taylor with four children,
Photograph, n.d.; digital image,
(http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth13993),
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History,
http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting
Clark Hotel Museum, Van Horn, Texas.
Click on the image for a closer view!

Another great image of early life in Van Horn, from the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum.  This image, like many others have been digitized and preserved in the University of North Texas Libraries' Portal To Texas History. The record on this image says:  "Photograph of woman with children around table set outside. Photograph of Mrs. Douglas Taylor (Elzara?)with four children, including Ernest, Carl, and Aubrey Taylor of Van Horn, TX."

Davis Mountains Preserve Open Weekend...THIS weekend!

The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve will be open for hiking, picnics, photography, birding and other outdoor activities on selected days this year.  The Preserve is open THIS weekend,  July 12-14.

The Davis Mountains Preserve is located approximately 25 miles northwest of Ft. Davis on Hwy. 118 (about 10 miles past McDonald Observatory & about ¼ mile past the Lawrence E. Wood Picnic Area).

Guests will be required to sign in and out at the McIvor Conservation Center.

Important Reminders:
• Only high clearance vehicles will be allowed past the McIvor Conservation Center.
• Only camp stoves are allowed, and open camp fires are prohibited. (Jeff Davis County continues to be subject to a burn ban.)
• Restrooms are available at the McIvor Conservation Center.
• Guests should bring their own food and drinks and plan to take their trash home with them.
• Hikers should bring their own binoculars, cameras, sunscreen, hats and plenty of water to drink.
• Firearms, stereos and TVs are not permitted on the preserve.
• For safety reasons, children must be supervised by their parents or other designated adults.
• No pets of any kind are permitted on the preserve.

Interested parties are reminded that the Madera Canyon Trail, also located in the Davis Mountains Preserve, adjacent to the Lawrence E. Wood Picnic Area, is open to the public year-round from dawn until dusk.
For more information, contact Davis Mountains Preserve Manager Shawn Benedict at shawn_benedict@tnc.org or (480) 458-6860. To learn more about the Davis Mountains Preserve and other Texas lands The Nature Conservancy works to protect, visit www.nature.org/texas.