Brilliant Blue Sky

Since many folks head north to Thanksgiving and have to endure cold gray skies, we thought we'd share a brilliant blue Far West Texas and Texas Mountain Trail sky with y'all!

Big Bend National Park: Castolon

Near Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, the Castolon area's history is of farming, military activity during the Mexican Revolution, and frontier trading post.  The park's website has a brief interesting history online, here.

Today the park's Cottonwood Campground sits in land that used to be a farmer's field, the La Harmonia Compnay Store is still open (though it caters to visitors, not ranchers or farmers), and there are exhibits and frequently interpretive activities in the area that help tell the area's story.

Most visitors to the park visit Santa Elena Canyon for the short, spectacular hike.  While you're there, plan extra time to poke around and explore the history of this important trading post, too!

One of our favorite wintertime landscapes, on a road mostly locals know

There's a road heading south from Marathon you really need to take...either by bicycle, motorcycle or car.  A 10 mile round trip offers a great adventure--history, geology, wildlife and nature--all packed into a short trip.  On a brisk winter day, we took this photo, looking north on our way back to town.  Lovely, right?

The road is known as the "Ride to the Post Heritage Bike Ride," on our website, but is ready for anyone (even non-cyclists!) to enjoy.  Consider all it offers:
The Road to the Post extends south on Avenue D in Marathon from US Highway 90 and the Union Pacific Railroad, and has an amazing history!

• Your route follows one fork of the Comanche War or Indian Trails into Mexico—there was a skirmish on the ridge above Post Park in 1855 between Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Rangers and Indians in 1855!
• It also generally follows the original Ore Roads to haul the ores (lead, zinc and silver) from the smelter at Boquillas in Mexico in 1895-1906, as well as quicksilver from the Terlingua, Study Butte and the Mariscal mines in south Brewster County to the railroad in Marathon as late as 1937!
• The route takes you near the historic cemetery and the site of an influenza tent hospital from the 1918 epidemic!
• The area known as Post Park was the site of a military encampment, farms, and ranches. Today it is the place for county-wide dance parties, fishing and birdwatching!
• The Gage Gardens and Post Park are both sites on the new Far West Texas Wildlife Trail.

Want to learn more?  Visit our "Ride to the Post" webpage for a link to a complete history, by Marathon resident Travis Roberts, PLUS a slideshow of the route!

Outer Loop Trail in Big Bend Ranch State Park

Big Bend Ranch State Park's Outer Loop trail is in the Solitario section of the park with a complex and fascinating geological history.  Read more about the Solitario here.

This hiking trail is on several mountain biking routes in the park's biking guide. 

View along the Guadalupe Peak Trail, hike to the Top of Texas

 

One of the premier hikes in the region is to the Top of Texas, to the highest point in the state (8,749 feet), at Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  The trail is a long day hike to the summit, and WELL worth the effort.  The park's trail guide is here!

Most pictures you see of the trail were taken at the very top...today we wanted to show you views from the hike along the way! 

Recently a park volunteer, Rob Junell, made his 100th hike to the summit!  Read about it here.

The Stained Glass Dome by Louis Comfort Tiffany

 

One of the many (nearly) hidden charms of El Paso is in the heart of downtown....the stained glass dome by Tiffany at the Camino Real Hotel, across from the Museum of Art.  Originally, the Paso del Norte Hotel, the building was designed by renowned El Paso architect Henry Trost.  It cost about $1.5 million to construct and opened on Nov. 24, 1912.  The Tiffany dome is 25 feet wide and two stories above the floor.  It is now the central meeting point at the hotel's bar.

During the revolution Pancho Villa, New York radical journalist John Reed, Gen. Alvaro Obregón and General John Pershing either stayed at or attended conferences here. In 1914, former Chihuahuan Gov. Luis Terrazas and his family, along with their 27 servants, rented the entire top floor. 

You can learn more about the hotel and its role in the Mexican Revolution here, where the hotel appears on a wonderful historical walking tour.  We like the audio features about each of the walking tour's stops!  

The View from Pinto Canyon Road

Head southwest from Marfa on FM2810, and you're in for a rugged treat....after 30 miles or so of smooth road and scenic beauty, the pavement abruptly stops and the road becomes a 4x4 adventure into spectacular scenery!  You'll drive through remote and rocky canyons of the Chinati Mountain range, pass the entrance for Chinati Hot Springs, and eventually make your way to Ruidosa.

Poke around in Ruidosa a bit and you'll soon see a stunning 1914 adobe Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, now a just a shell. The Texas Historical Commission and others have provided resources for the stabilization of the structure, but there's still need for restoration of this beautiful church.  You can read about it here.  The Texas Historical Commission also wrote a wonderful article about off-the-beaten-path locations in our region, and included Pinto Canyon Road and the Sacred Heart Church in their adventure..read it here.

Fall Color: McKittrick Canyon to the Grotto, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Fall color is still very much present at Guadalupe Mountains National Park this weekend!  The current report on the park's website is:  "Devil's Hall -Extensive. McKittrick Canyon - Extensive between Pratt Cabin and the Grotto."

Our friends at GeoBetty.com took the McKittrick Canyon trail to the Grotto on Friday and mapped the route on their website, here.   GeoBetty.com is a new (and wonderful!) resource for hikers and mountain bikers, starting with El Paso's Franklin Mountains and expanding to cover other locations as well.  Check them out on http://www.geobetty.com/ !!!

James H. Evans at Front Street Books for Alpine's ArtWalk!

Join the folks at Alpine's Front Street Books on Friday, November 18 at 8:30 pm as they welcome featured photographer James H. Evans, with an audiovisual presentation spanning two decades of his work in the Big Bend.

"There will be images from both my books," says Evans, "but some will be old and new photographs not included in them." 

Copies of Evans's Big Bend Pictures and Crazy from the Heat will be available for perusal and sale.
For a complete FSB ArtWalk schedule click here!

Complimentary refreshments available to Front Street friends & customers.
No admission, no purchases required--but latter are MUCH appreciated!

ArtWalk takes place Friday and Saturday, November 18-19....visit the Alpine ArtWalk website for more information about this great event! 

99th Climb to Guadalupe Peak! The 100th is planned for TODAY!

This is such a special story, we're going to share Guadalupe Mountains National Park's release with you:

National Park Service Volunteer Rob Junell made his 99th ascent of Guadalupe Peak, the highest peak in the State of Texas at 8,749 feet above sea level, this past Saturday, and plans on reaching the centennial mark on Veterans Day, November 11, 2011. 

Junell, of Midland, TX, has been a Volunteer-In-Parks (VIP) at Guadalupe Mountains National Park since August 2009. As a park volunteer, Junell assists park staff, patrolling park trails, assisting park visitors, answering questions, providing first aid when needed, and being eyes and ears of park rangers on the trail.

One of the things that Junell enjoys most about his volunteer service at Guadalupe Mountains National Park is meeting park visitors from all around the world. Junell, a federal judge in the West District of Texas and a former Texas State Representative, first climbed to the summit of Guadalupe Peak in 2003 while training for a climb in the Andes Mountains, and continues to use the hike as part of his training regimen. However, Junell says he did not start out with the idea of climbing Guadalupe Peak 100 times. It was during the last year with fires closing the Lincoln National Forest and other areas that Junell used to train, that he found himself hiking the Guadalupe Peak Trail with greater frequency and the idea was born. An avid mountain climber, skier and outdoorsman, Junell has scaled mountains in North and South America, Asia and Africa. Junell also puts his conditioning and medical skills to use as a member of the Ski Apache ski patrol. It is believed that Junell will be the first person to ascend to the top of Guadalupe Peak 100 times.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park Superintendent Dennis A. Vásquez said, “This is truly an amazing accomplishment. We do not know of anyone else who has ascended Guadalupe Peak as many times and it is unlikely that anyone will match this feat.”

Regarding his accomplishment, Junell said, “This isn’t about me. It’s about the park and what a treasure it is for the state of Texas and the United States. There is really something for everyone, from day trips to camping out at Pine Springs or at one of the backcountry campgrounds. I just think it is a great way to get out of the day-to-day routine.”

During fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011), 83 volunteers donated 13,432 hours of service at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, assisting park staff at the Pine Springs Visitor Center, Frijole Ranch History Museum, the McKittrick Canyon, Dog Canyon and Salt Basin Dunes Visitor Contact Stations, as campground hosts at the Pine Springs and Dog Canyon campgrounds, and presenting interpretation and education programs to visitors. Volunteers assisted with caring for the park’s museum
collection, with inventory and monitoring of natural resources, with historic structure preservation, and assisting park visitors while patrolling trails and trail maintenance. Some, such as Junell, come for a day or two at a time, while others come from across the country and commit for months at a time.

To learn more about the Volunteers-In-Parks Program at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, contact the park Volunteer Coordinator, Craig Tanner at 915-828-3251 x2311 or Craig_E_Tanner@nps.gov, or visit
www.nps.gov/gumo/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm. To learn what volunteer opportunities are currently available at Guadalupe Mountains National Park or to apply, visit www.volunteer.gov/gov/.

Fall View of Fort Davis National Historic Site

 

We're seeing yellow all over the region right now...how lovely!  This striking image of fall color at Fort Davis National Historic Site was sent to us by Tammy King of Fort Davis.  Fort Davis is one of the best preserved frontier forts in the West, and has amazing stories to tell about our region and country....the contribution of the Buffalo Soldiers, the development of medicine in the 1800s frontier, the defense of stagecoach routes and settlement.  Now's a great time to visit!  (Looks like the animals are enjoying the lovely fall day too!)  Thanks to Tammy for sharing this image with us!

Evening View of Movie Set in Van Horn's Red Rock Ranch

Just north of Van Horn is the privately owned Red Rock Ranch.  Tours are available and often a trip can be arranged in this magnificent landscape to an old movie set used in the filming of the prequel to Lonesome Dove, "Dead Man's Walk," starring F. Murray Abraham, David Arquette, Keith Carradine and Edward James Olmos.

The wild landscapes of Big Bend

Even if you just drive through Big Bend National Park and never get out of the car--though we wonder why you wouldn't want to hike and explore--you can enjoy wild, mind-bending landscapes.

Maple Red by Jill Miller

Bright red of maples from last year's color, taken by Jill Miller.  The maples were planted in the 1940s by Espy Miller in front of the Miller ranch house in Jeff Davis County.

Thanks to Jill for sharing this lovely color with all of us!

Cowboys Drinking Beers in Alpine Texas, by Russell Lee, 1939

Cowboy drinking a bottle of beer in booth of beer parlor, Alpine Texas by Russell Lee, May 1939
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-USF34-033232-D

Cowboys in beer parlor, Alpine, Texas by Russell Lee, May 1939
Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-USF34-033233-D

Displaying horse for sale on the streets of Alpine by Russell Lee, 1939

Folks from Alpine, can you identify the place or the people?  Another image by Russell Lee of Alpine from May 1939 from the U.S. Farm Security Administration Archive in the Library of Congress. 

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-DIG-fsa-8a26199

Children in front of theatre, Alpine Texas, by Russell Lee

Chilfren waiting in front of moving picture show, Alpine, Texas
Russell Lee, May 1939

Another beauty of our region from the Library of Congress!
Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-USF33-012208-M2

Waiting for Customer in Alpine, by Russell Lee 1939

Interior of hamburger stand, Waiting for Customer, Alpine, Texas
Russell Lee, May 1939.

 We love the wealth of images of our region made available to all of us online.  More on Russell Lee, UT's first instructor in photography is here.

From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-USF33- 012192-M5 [P&P] 

Cowboys in the Collection of the Clark Hotel Museum

From the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum in Van Horn, shows ranching work near Van Horn....can you make out the shadow of Turtleback and Six Mile Mountains in the background? 

Sunset at Sauceda, Big Bend Ranch State Park!