Scenes from the River Road, Hwy 170 along the Rio Grande

Just east of Presidio, Fort Leaton State Historic Site

The southernmost loop of the historic 1960s driving route, from which our organization was formed, snakes by the Rio Grande from Presidio to Terlingua.  Hwy 170, known as the River Road was part of the grand plan by the State of Texas to introduce our great places to the world during HemisFair '68.  They put up highway signs for 10 looped driving "trails" throughout Texas to take travelers to places that are uniquely Texan.  So along with the Texas Forts Trail, Texas Plains Trail, Texas Forest Trail and so on, our Texas Mountain Trail was begun.

It wasn't until the late 1990s that our non-profits started developing, each a regionally-based, regionally-governed organization assisted by the Texas Historical Commission and charged with promoting heritage tourism.  Our Texas Mountain Trail was formed in 2005, and we've been promoting Far West Texas, supporting communities, and developing tourism products--like the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail (with TPWD), cycle-friendly programs and the new Peak Fitness Challenge.

We use this blog to introduce our special Far West Texas places to travelers, so you can plan trips to our region...trips that provide you with the kind of adventure YOU want.  Seeing it here on the blog is nice, but seeing it in person is terrific, right?  So next time you're in the region, plan to take in the beauty of the River Road.  It is one of the most scenic drives you'll find in the entire state! 

Top Ten 15-Minute Rest Breaks

Post Park, five miles south of Marathon

Sometimes, you just need a quiet break from the road.  Texas Mountain Trail encourages travelers to get off the highway or freeway from time to time, and discover those hidden little places.

Follow this link to our list of places that give you some quiet, or a terrific view, or an experience you might not expect.  It is our list of Top Ten 15-Minute Rest Breaks in Far West Texas!

Scenic Sunday in El Paso, part of the Peak Fitness Challenge

Tomorrow morning, why not include a stroll up Scenic Drive in your plans?  Every Sunday morning, El Pasoans can take in the view without having to dodge cars, as the road is closed to automobiles.  The walk is one of the easier "trails" in the Peak Fitness Challenge, which endeavors to provide participants with a progression of hikes with the intention (if you'd like) to eventually climb the highest peaks in the Franklin Mountains and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Scenic Drive
"As early as 1881, El Paso leaders proomoted the idea of creating a place along the base of the Franklin Montains to provide visitors a panoramic view of the area.  The automobile brought new attention to the idea, and in 1920, the city council and Mayor Charles Davis approved construction of a scenic drive.  Finished in 1920, the route became a popular attraction.  The 1,82 mile drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet, 500 feet above the Rio Grande.  In 1932, the City contracted to widen and pave the road, and in 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 855 (Fort Bliss) carried out additional culvert work.  Scenic Drive continues to attract visitors to the view of El Paso, Cuidad Juarez and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert.

Jaunty hats...y'all going somewhere?

click on photo for a closer look!

We'd love to know the story behind this one, wouldn't you?  Why pile onto the railroad cart?  Are they fooling around, or merely posing for the camera?  One thing's for sure, they have jaunty hats...all of them!

Another wonderful image of early life in Van Horn, from the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum.

Franklin Mountain Skies

Texas Mountain Trail board member and volunteer Herb Price of El Paso sent us photos of the morning view from his home in the Franklin Mountains.  Taken over the course of two weeks, they show the range of lovely possibilities of color and clouds.  Thanks, Herb, for sharing your view each morning with all of us!

Historic Hotel Ritchey on Historic Murphy Street in Alpine

Behind the train tracks and the Amtrak station in Alpine, and just across the street from the Murphy Street Raspa Company and yesterday's feature, la yarda and their Baja style tacos is the Hotel Ritchey building. 

This 1886 building is made of frame and adobe, and was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1965.  Providing lodging and a saloon for cowhands and ranchers in town to ship cattle from the widely scattered ranches of the Big Bend, the hotel was built facing old cattle loading pens on the Southern Pacific Railway.

Next time you're in Alpine, head across the tracks to Murphy Street.  The historic district is taking shape there, with shops and restaurants for you to discover!

Backyard Eating in Alpine

From time to time, we like to recommend a unique, out-of-the-way place, visitors might have a hard time finding on their own.  Today, we're doing that for Alpine's own backyard taco stand, with Baja style tacos at la yarda.  Located behind Murphy Street Raspa Co, which is behind Alpine's Amtrak station, dining there is literally dining in someone's backyard, augmented with misters when it is hot, playground equipment, patio chairs, and a relaxed ambiance like no other.

Appearing yellow, due to the overhead shading device, we enjoyed the "Special," smoked chicken tacos with spicy ginger sauce and mango slaw.  DELICIOUS!!

Mural in the backyard at la yarda in Alpine

Order your food at the taco stand, then head through the back door of Murphy Street Raspa for your drinks, your shaved ice raspa, or ice cream, then take a seat to enjoy your meal in the backyard.  It is a colorful place, with places for kids to play and plenty of shaded seating.

Lodging at Big Bend Ranch State Park's the Big House

Deep within the center of Big Bend Ranch State Park, miles from any other lodging opportunity is the lovely 1908 historic ranch house.  Restored in the 1940s, the house has a relaxed graciousness that offers a cool refuge from the heat, and comfortable modern conveniences. 

You won't find television or internet in the Big House, but you will find comfortable beds, elaborately tiled bathtubs, a full kitchen, and plenty of places to relax including a large patio.

Information about booking a room in the Big House and the park's nearby bunkhouse is here.

The Big House is located in the center of the Sauceda Historic District.  Click here to download a walking tour!  An excerpt from that walking guide of the district is below:

The Bogel sons established their ranch headquarters

here. They began running stock on the once rich grasslands

of the surrounding plateau, turning later to raising

sheep and goats. In the years before the widespread use

of barbed wire, stone fences helped manage the livestock,

and the fences stand today as reminders of the Bogels’

enterprise. By 1923, the Chillicothe-Saucita Ranch

exceeded 25,000 acres.

The Bogel brothers introduced their brides to this place

and modified the complex to suit their growing families

and ranching needs. Gus’s wife, Maude, remembered

seeing Sauceda Ranch for the first time, describing it

as “beautiful, [with] a running creek just in back of the

house—and beautiful cottonwood trees on both sides of

the stream. There were several places where natural

waterfalls and clear deep pools with beautiful maidenhair

ferns were growing around the falls.” World War I

interrupted the ranch’s calm when members of the

Bogel family were called into military service. Drought

and the Great Depression finished off many family

ranches in the area, and by 1934 the brothers were

forced to sell their ranch.

Get Out of Here, Turkey!

These horses...

chased this turkey right out of their ranchland pasture back into town, while....

turkey vultures sitting on fence posts watched the entire thing! 

Early Saturday morning on the north side of Marfa, we saw a little drama unfold.  Two horses pasturing in grassy ranchland appeared to be chasing a small animal.  As we road our bikes closer, we could see a turkey running FAST towards town, the horses right behind him obviously chasing them out of their pasture.  The turkey ducked below the fence and ran straight into Marfa, down the alley between two homes and OUT OF THERE!  All the while, turkey vultures sat on fenceposts watching the entire spectacle! 

Sunrise along Hwy 54 to Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Sunrise along Hwy 54 between Van Horn and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  This road is also a scenic drive/heritage bike route.

Once you get to the park, you'll likely want to head out on their many hiking trails.   When you do, be sure to take part in the free, fun Peak Fitness Challenge!   This challenge is meant to encourage hikers to take new trails, to learn some about the heritage of the area, and compete for prizes! 

Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park

A favorite of the region is Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park. Built in the 1930s, it was opened to the public in 1939.

The historic section of the lodge was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and features the original interiors and furnishings. In 1967, a major construction project was completed, including renovation of the original structure, which has 18-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings of pine viga and latilla. It resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village. 

Last night's sky in Marfa

Captured by Monte Riggs in Marfa

Mount Livermore Hike View

The trail to Mount Livermore offers terrific views of the Davis Mountains and the desert below.  Access is limited to special groups and public Open Days and Open Weekends.  The Nature Conservancy protects the Davis Mountains Preserve; read about their work here.

From the Nature Conservancy's website:

"The 33,000-acre Davis Mountains Preserve (with conservation easements on 65,830 acres of adjoining property) includes Mount Livermore, the summit of the Davis Mountains. It encompasses the heart of a functioning landscape with intact watersheds and a unique assemblage of animals and plants."

Would you like to see it yourself?  The calendar for open days and open weeks is here.

Thanks to our friend, Monte Riggs, for sharing his photo from the trail!

Sunrise North of Marfa

A lovely morning's sky just north of Marfa!

Skyline of Van Horn: Hotel El Capitan

Photo by Dan Baeza, www.danbaeza.com

There's a little hub of history around one corner in Van Horn, which happens to be the precise "Crossroads of the Texas Mountain Trail."  The corner is where each leg of the figure 8 driving route organized to highlight Far West Texas prior to the World's Fair in 1968 in San Antonio meets.  Read more about the origins of the Texas Mountain Trail here.

The corner (Hwy 90, 54 and Broadway Street) has the historic Hotel El Capitan, one of our Texas Mountain Trail cycle-friendly properties; the Clark Hotel Museum; and winner of our first Hospitality Heroes Awards, the Crossroads Coffee Shop.  If you want to get off the freeway, take the SECOND exit at Van Horn on I-10 and head north just two short blocks, and you'll be there!

Thanks to Dan Baeza, for sharing his photos of Van Horn with us all week!

Ladies of Early Culberson County

Click on the images to get a closer view!

More scenes of the collection of Van Horn's Clark Hotel Museum.  Thanks to our intern, Dan Baeza, for his hard work this summer documenting the museum's objects which tell the story of early life in Culberson County.  Dan built a website for the museum, www.clarkhotel.museum.com as part of his internship.  You can see more of Dan's images at his own site, www.danbaeza.com.  Thanks, Dan!

Pure West. Pure Americana.

click on the image to get a closer view!

Many small museums have an arrowhead collection, and some are creatively arranged like this one from the Clark Hotel Museum in Van Horn.  All week, we're sharing the images of the museum's collection, taken by our intern, Dan Baeza.  Dan, a native of Van Horn, worked three weeks this summer for the museum and our Texas Mountain Trail.

You can see more of Dan's images at his website, www.danbaeza.com

And here's the website he built for the Museum, www.clarkhotelmuseum.com

Early life in Van Horn

click on the image to get a closer view!

All week we're sharing images of the collection of Van Horn's Clark Hotel Museum, including this old photo captured for us by Dan Baeza, our photography intern earlier this summer.  We love seeing the old cars and the neat homes, and Six Mile Mountain in the background.  (Called Six Mile, because it is three miles there and three miles back!)

Dan is a talented photographer in his own right, with his photos showing at www.danbaeza.com and on the website he built for the museum, www.clarkhotelmuseum.com.  Thanks for your hard work, Dan, for both the Museum and the Texas Mountain Trail!

City Models at the Clark Hotel Museum

There are some charming models of Van Horn in earlier days in the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum, made Heradio Luna.  Mr. Luna captured the streetscapes of the town from memory, and they're on display for all to see.  He's included buildings still standing, such as the historic Hotel El Capitan, and buildings long gone, too.

Thanks to Dan Baeza for sharing his photos of the Clark Hotel Museum this week.  You can see more of Dan's work at the Museum's website, www.clarkhotelmuseum.com or his own website, www.danbaeza.com.  Thanks, Dan!

Van Horn's Clark Hotel Museum by Dan Baeza

This week we're featuring the work of Van Horn native Dan Baeza, documenting the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum.  Dan worked as an intern for the museum for three weeks this summer, as well as for our own Texas Mountain Trail.  Stay tuned for his wonderful photographs of the collection, which tell the story of early life in our region. 

The Clark Hotel was one of Van Horn's longest operating hotels; now it houses the county museum.  Some of the exhibits are tied to the building's life as a hotel.  Before the highway came to town, the front door of the museum was on the north (adjacent to the town's railroad station), but after travelers came mostly by road, the front door of the building was to the south, on Broadway Street.

Stay tuned all week for images from early life in the region, as seen in the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum.  Thanks, Dan, for sharing your images with all of us!