12 Days of Christmas: UTEP's Centennial Museum

On the campus of University of Texas El Paso, there's a great museum with exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the Chihuahuan Desert region.  The Centennial Museum is a great place to visit, and while you're there, duck into their lovely store...lots of good shopping inside! 

12 Days of Christmas: Joining the Work of Good People

Friends of Big Bend National Park hold a trail run (as well as many other efforts) to raise money to benefit the park

There are many ways to get involved in the good works of the region, including joining a members group (or giving a gift membership to someone you love!) or a support organization for your favorite park or museum!

Consider these suggestions!

Friends of Big Bend National Park
Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association
Friends of Fort Davis National Historic Site
Compadres del Rancho Grande (Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park)
Other state parks across Texas
Keystone Heritage Park
Museum of the Big Bend
Friends of McDonald Observatory
Casa Magoffin Compañeros

12 Days of Christmas: Guided Vacations

Canoeing down the Rio Grande with Big Bend River Trips

From Lajitas Stables

Sometimes the best gift is the gift of experience, discovery and travel. 

From Visit Big Bend, explore the river, or go horseback riding or mountain biking.  Guided opportunities are possible with interpretive guides, or personalized tours.  Big Bend Ranch State Park also offers the opportunity for guided adventures.

Perhaps Elderhostel (now called Road Scholar) trips are more your thing...

Any way you travel to the region...get ready for adventure and fun!

12 Days of Christmas: Big Bend Coffee Roasters

Today we salute folks who were among the first to step up during this spring's wildfires and offer a product for sale that would benefit the wildfire relief fund....Big Bend Coffee Roasters.  Within days of the fires, they offered a special Wildfire blend with proceeds going to area relief funds.

Based in Marfa, their beans can be purchased all over the region (and other places as well, click here!) and online too.  Click here for their online store.  Southern Living magazine rated their coffee as "Best of the South 2011!"  Yes, they ship!

And if you're in the region and want to visit their facility and learn more about roasting coffee, they offer tours as well!

And how about a sunrise to accompany that coffee?  From Big Bend Ranch State Park...

12 Days of Christmas: Cinco Puntos Press

One of our favorite books on the Mexican Revolution; a moving book.  We use it as a reference for our exploration of El Paso. 

This one is also a favorite of ours...the photographs are very moving.

There's a youngster on our list who will love this one!

 

 

We're big readers, we admit it.  And we love reading about the history and culture of our region...and for that, there's a great El Paso publisher that offers a terrific selection of books, Cinco Puntos Press.  For more thank 25 years, they've consistently published volumes of quality with a focus on our culture.  Want to learn a little bit about them?  Click here.

And yes, you can order online!  Visit their website, here.

Interested in books in Spanish?  Their bilingual catalog is here.
Interested in books for young people?  Their YA catalog is here.

Click on these links to learn more about the books above!
MAXIMILIAN & THE MYSTERY OF THE GUARDIAN ANGEL, A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller
LAS SOLDADERAS, Women of the Mexican Revolution
RINGSIDE SEAT TO A REVOLUTION, An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez: 1893-1923

 

12 Days of Christmas: Museum of the Big Bend

The Museum of the Big Bend supports traditional cowboy art through its annual Trappings of Texas exhibition each spring

One of our favorite hidden away shopping experiences in the region, isn't really hidden away at all...

Tucked into Alpine's Museum of the Big Bend on the campus of Sul Ross State University, is a great selection of heritage-related holiday gift ideas.  Follow this link to a coupon for a discount!

The Museum tells terrific stories about the entire Big Bend area--prehistory (ancient peoples and animal life!), archaeology, Spanish explorers, early ranching history, railroads, the Mexican Revolution, and much more.

Interested in giving a membership to the Museum this holiday season?
Click here to download a membership brochure!

The Museum's permanent exhibits offer interactive experiences all related to the heritage of the Big Bend region

12 Days of Christmas: Historic Kern Place Neighborhood

Kern Place Gate, 1916

Photo courtesy of the El Paso Public Library.

 

 

El Paso has to be among the most surprisingly charming cities in the state...get off the interstate and explore and you'll see it for yourself.  There are neighborhoods bursting with personality and history, and are worth your time.  Take, for instance, the Kern Place neighborhood, bordering UTEP, the University of Texas El Paso.

Plans for this neighborhood began in 1914, and Peter Kern's plan for a gracious neighborhood was in full swing with 40 homes by 1917.  Kern had this gate built at the corner of Kansas and Robinson, to help boost sales.

Today, lovely and interesting homes still grace the neighborhood, and it is filled with interesting shops for you to explore too.  A good place for holiday shopping, it is also terrific for dining, too!  The neighborhood is home to what Texas Monthly has deemed the #4 burger in the state, at Toro Burger...one of our favorites.  And just this month, Texas Monthly named Crave, one of the top breakfast places in the state!  Nearby is Crazy Cat Cyclery, a great bike shop and community center for cyclists.


Take a look at this slideshow with history about the area, by Laura Cruz-Acosta.
Read more about this wonderful area of the largest city in the Texas Mountain Trail region, here.

12 Days of Christmas: Many Days of Adventure and Fun with the Texas State Parks Pass

Want room all to yourself?  View from a campsite at Big Bend Ranch State Park

The lovely interior of Fort Davis State Park's Indian Lodge, a CCC-built facility

Spring bloom of poppies at Franklin Mountains State Park

Another TERRIFIC buy for your holiday shopping that reaps benefit all year long...a Texas State Parks Pass, so you can enjoy visiting our wonderful Texas Mountain Trail region state parks!

Here's a link to information and instructions for purchasing your pass!

Our Texas Mountain Trail regional state parks!  Visit one soon!
Franklin Mountains State Park
Wyler Aerial Tramway
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site
Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Davis Mountain State Park (with Indian Lodge)
and just outside our region, but we'll claim it!  Balmorhea State Park

Give the gift of adventure and fun this holiday season with a state parks pass!

Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR! The 12 Days of Christmas: National Parks Pass

Mule Ears in Big Bend National Park

El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Fort Davis National Historic Site

Chamizal National Memorial

Our region is blessed with FOUR National Parks facilities, so a wonderful holiday gift for your family and friends would be a National Parks Pass...so they can visit them all!


Big Bend National Park--Sometimes considered "three parks in one," Big Bend includes mountain, desert, and river environments. An hour’s drive can take you from the banks of the Rio Grande to a mountain basin nearly a mile high. Here, you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States, and experience unmatched sights, sounds, and solitude.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park--From the low desert brush, inhabited by javelinas and desert reptiles, to the high, lush mountain evergreens with nesting golden eagles and amphibians, Guadalupe Mountains is a refuge for plant and animal species of all types.


Fort Davis National Historic Site--Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and on the Chihuahua Trail.

Chamizal National Memorial--The Chamizal Convention of 1963 was a milestone in diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States. Chamizal National Memorial was established to commemorate this treaty, which resulted in the peaceful settlement of a century-long boundary dispute. The Memorial provides visitors with an opportunity to better understand the culture of our borderland.

Considering the value of the experiences offered at our National Parks, they're a bargain...but want to know the surprise best buy of them all?  A Senior (age 62 and over) pass is only $10 for a lifetime!
Click here to learn more about all the passes, and to purchase online! 

12 Days of Christmas AND Small Business Saturday, Celebrating and Patronizing our Far West Texas business people!

Inside Alpine's Front Street Books

Included in Front Street's holiday catalog!

We're continuing our feature called the 12 Days of Christmas to highlight the special places you can do holiday shopping in the region.  Today is also Small Business Saturday, and so we thought a business with TWO regional locations, with great holiday shopping was the perfect choice.

Front Street Books, with shops in both Alpine and Marathon, hosts events and readings and promotes books and authors with a regional connection.  We love their Texana section, as well as their travel/adventure/map section to help us plan all our outings. On December 3, they're hosting a holiday event at their Marathon store, La Fiesta de Nochebuena.

Their holiday catalog makes the case for shopping with local retailers:

"When you spend $100 with your local retailer, $68 stays in your community, compared with $43 per $100 spent at a national chain, and $0 when you buy online."

Front Street is holding a 30% off special during the holidays....all the books in their 2011 Winter Catalog qualify for this offer!  We were happy to see that one of our favorite bloggers, Lisa Fain, of the Homesick Texan's cookbook, is in the catalog...so onto our holiday list goes the Homesick Texan Cookbook!)

Don't live in the region, or can't get to one of their stores?  Just give them a call (432-837-3360), and do your holiday shopping over the phone!  They welcome that! 

Most places don't even have independent bookstores anymore, but we're blessed with several GREAT ones...in addition to Front Street two locations, consider shopping at:

Marfa Book Company, Marfa  (They also host WONDERFUL events, exhibits and readings!)
The Bookery on El Paso's Mission Trail

Patronize small businesses today!

TThanksgiving Open House and The 12 Days of Christmas: Day 1, Leapin Lizards Nature Shop at Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center!

A group hikes Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center's Clayton Overlook Trail

Don't miss a visit to the Cactus Greenhouse!

Thanksgiving Open House (Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26)

To celebrate the holiday season, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center just outside Fort Davis, invites you to their Thanksgiving Open House. Admission is free, so bring friends, family, and neighbors! They'll have guided hikes into Modesta Canyon at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on both days. On Friday, November 25 come meet artists Willis and Maria LeJeune. They’ll be at the Visitors’ Center between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to show you their beautiful wood sculptures and wire-wrapped natural stone jewelery.

12 Days of Christmas!
During the holiday season, we'll be featuring fun shopping spots in the region!  First up? 

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center's Leapin' Lizards Nature Shop is one of the best places in the region to find nature-related gifts, from hummingbird feeders to field guides to Christmas tree ornaments to children's gifts.  All proceeds support the Nature Center's programs!

Happy Turkey Day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from the Texas Mountain Trail and one of Marfa's famous wild turkeys!  We're thankful for your enthusiasm for Far West Texas and support for our little non-profit organization!  THANK YOU!

Water and Cottonwoods at Big Bend Ranch State Park

Big Bend Ranch State Park is blessed with water, little spots of oasis that get just enough to support the growth of cottonwoods and other plants.  This was taken on Sunday, just off the main road to Sauceda Ranch.  Even in this challenging year without much water, there's water here, and the cottonwoods are making their beautiful winter transition from green to yellow.  Another spot accessible from the main Sauceda road and a satisfying hike to water, is the Ojito Adentro trail.  Look for the trailhead on the  main road, park, and look for the cottonwoods in the distance...that's where the water is!

Check out our slide show of images from another November at Big Bend Ranch State Park...lots of water that year! 

Mountain Biking at Big Bend Ranch

Wonderful desert vistas on the Horsetrap Trail

Our bike leans against the min-maze on the Horsetrap Trail, allowing us a rest from our ride

Big Bend Ranch State Park's mountains in the distance...lovely views everywhere!

Confession time:  we're complete novices when it comes to real mountain biking.  Sure, we've taken the bikes out on urban pathways marked as mountain biking trails and rough ranch roads, but our first singletrack experience came this weekend at Big Bend Ranch State Park's Sauceda-Horsetrap Trail Loop Ride.  And it was a SO MUCH FUN! 

Never have we hollered, "Wahoo!" and "I did it!" more than we did on this trail, heading out from the historic Sauceda Ranch in the center of the park.  Rated "easy/moderate" we found it plenty challenging AND satisfying as we tackled rock and sand, getting a few minor cactus scrapes along the way.  We took the 5 mile trail clockwise, getting the sandy road out of the way at the beginning, and then a gradual uphill climb and then a challenging rocky descent.  We were surprised, frankly, at how quickly we caught onto the challenges of the trail, and felt we were building skills every minute we were on our bikes.


Our route is the first ride in the park's Big Bend Ranch Biking Guide, which you can download here, or purchase a hard copy at the park's headquarters at Sauceda Ranch.  Take a look, it will conjure up dreams of future adventures!

We can't wait to get back to the park to tackle a few more trails and build up our skills.  The description of  12 mile  Sauceda-Chilicote Springs-Sauceda Loop ride in the park's biking guide is inspiring us!

The Cottonwoods of Shafter

All around Shafter yesterday, the color was YELLOW.  The community's runoff areas and little streams are home to cottonwood trees, and they're in glorious fall color.

The Shafter Mining District was active from 1883 to 1952, taking silver and related ores from the area, and once again, Shafter's seeing mining again.  Drive into town and visit the cemetery and cemetery museum to learn more about the history of this small and proud community, on Hwy 67 between Marfa and Presidio.

And unrelated to cottonwoods or mining, but still pretty interesting.....

The town was also featured in the opening scenes of the 1971 science fiction film, The Andromeda Strain, where it played a small town in New Mexico.  Shafter's lovely church, pictured in our last photo above, can be seen (if you watch for it--glimpses of it near  0:35, 0:55 and 1:05!) in the film's trailer, above.

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.