Big Bend - Alpine - Marfa - Fort Davis

[mdmost 42999]

I saw they closed 118 to Alpine and 385 to Marathon because the snow made the roads impassable. While the idea of being in BBNP during a time it snows there is cool, being stuck there would not be cool.

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

I came home today and luckily it was alright (via 118). A few iffy spots but nothing too bad, just had to go a bit slower.

I did take 67 through San Angelo, though. I wasn’t going to touch I-20. There was still tons of snow on 385 and then 67 for a good while (was worse than anywhere on 118).

[wd40 1976]

great shots, y'all.  glad I missed it, tbh.  we were out there during the govt shutdown, a couple years ago.  experienced ice fog for the first time.  that was enough.  couldn't overnight in the NP, so day-tripped it from BBRSP.  

mix of shots from Ft Davis and BBRSP.

frozen-fogged Davis Mts, looking north from Marfa.

my sleeping gear in BBRSP.  ENO car-camping hammock rig worked pretty well (wife bought them on close-out from REI for my birthday).  kids got the tent.

 

outside the Holland Hotel, on the way there.

[Cajun 11705]

From our pilgrimage from Alpine to DOM today —-

[Cajun 11705]

My daughter climbed around the edge of the canyon wall toward thev river from DOM (see first 2 pics above) and snapped this today - 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Cajun

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

The contrast is crazy from the other day.

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

A few others.

[Biff Tannen 45665]

So is the DOM rock actually inside the park?  How'd they get away with that for the movie?  (Had to look it up.  Have never seen the movie.)

[Cajun 11705]

No, it is not in the Park.  Just past Lajitas heading toward Presidio along the river.

Madera Canyon.

[Your Mom 4805]

Well shit I've camped at Madera a couple times and never knew it was right there.  I always assumed it was outside the park and in the middle of nowhere.  

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

It is technically in the state park, but both the original DOM and the movie DOM were etched before it actually became the state park.

[Cajun 11705]

My mistake, it is indeed part of the State Park.  I was thinking National Park and that aspect escaped me.  That said, there is no entrance to pass nor fee to pay to partake in a Fandango to dig up...uhhhh...I mean, stand in front of DOM.

[Cajun 11705]

I was standing at the DOM rock and realized I hadn’t seen my daughter for about 10 minutes.  When I scanned around to find her here’s what I saw —- 

[Cajun 11705]

Helluva a shot taken by a friend -- 

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

Holy hell thats Texas?

[Hate 20106]

Holy hell thats Texas?

You need to get out more.

[Cajun 11705]

@GreenspointTexas

[Steel Shank 9421]

Just got back. Ranger told us the basin got 36" of snow. It was shut down the whole time we were there (the basin, not the park). 

[Hate 20106]

That's got to be a record snowfall for Texas.  That's an insane amount of snow.

[Steel Shank 9421]

1 hour ago, Hate said:

That's got to be a record snowfall for Texas.  That's an insane amount of snow.

No shit. Lived in the state my whole life and I've never heard of 3 feet. I-10 was a mess.

[Hate 20106]

The most snow I’ve seen in Texas was 13 inches in San Antonio in January of 85. That was a lot of snow. I can’t imagine what 3 feet must have looked like out there. I’d bet it was spectacular.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

15 hours ago, Hate said:

That's got to be a record snowfall for Texas.  That's an insane amount of snow.

 

That is an insane amount.

Below says 26 inches in 24 hours is the record (Hillsboro, 1929). 

https://www.weather.gov/fwd/1929snow#:~:text=Hillsboro's 26-inch snowfall tally,for the state of Texas!

[Cajun 11705]

16 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

 I-10 was a mess.

I’ll say —-

[Cajun 11705]

15 hours ago, Hate said:

 I can’t imagine what 3 feet must have looked like out there. I’d bet it was spectacular.

Like this —-

[thrillhammer 683]

Great pictures Cajun!

[Wally Pryor 5261]

On 1/4/2021 at 5:18 PM, Cajun said:

Helluva a shot taken by a friend -- 

 

That is an amazing picture.   In Texas, no less.

[tejas60 3532]

I have 3 new destinations on my hiking list. If any of you have any info it would be appreciated. I know some of this would be stuff that probably shouldn't be posted where any goof could google it.

1. There are some "sites" between the Fossil Exhibits and McKinney Springs along Tornillo Creek. A friend has given me some clues, but I have some questions.

2. Camp Neville. I think you head to it from Grapevine Hills campsites 2 and 3. Is the trail marked or do I need to use a topo?

3. How tough is the Apache Canyon Trail? And the trail that goes just beyond that?

Thanks.

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

I have 3 new destinations on my hiking list. If any of you have any info it would be appreciated. I know some of this would be stuff that probably shouldn't be posted where any goof could google it.
1. There are some "sites" between the Fossil Exhibits and McKinney Springs along Tornillo Creek. A friend has given me some clues, but I have some questions.
2. Camp Neville. I think you head to it from Grapevine Hills campsites 2 and 3. Is the trail marked or do I need to use a topo?
3. How tough is the Apache Canyon Trail? And the trail that goes just beyond that?
Thanks.

I have also been researching these “sites”. I have studied the available geological maps heavily, but I’m no expert. I had a few areas possibly pointed out that I wanted to check, but reading some other stuff this past week has me doubting that somewhat now. Maybe we can collaborate.

Camp Neville Springs is near the large Cottonwood tree in the area due East of GH2/3. I haven’t been yet, but I know where it is. Definitely not a marked trail.

I don’t really know anything about Apache Canyon.

[atomheartbevo 89628]

Spent a lot of time in Alpine and Marfa, and I can say this looks like an indie film crew were bored during the pandemic.

Kind of want to see it, just to see some of those places on the big screen.

 

[davidg 4036]

PBS documentary on Big Bend that dropped a few days ago.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/big-bend-the-wild-frontier-of-texas-nuespk/23821/

 

[SimonBolivar 10957]

1 hour ago, davidg said:

PBS documentary on Big Bend that dropped a few days ago.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/big-bend-the-wild-frontier-of-texas-nuespk/23821/

 

Watched it last night. It was a great episode of Nature.

[Mo Horn 8831]

52 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Watched it last night. It was a great episode of Nature.

 Same. I want to go now. I lived a long time in Texas, and have camped in a ton of places, but I've never been to Big Bend. All negs given are well deserved. 

[futureman 22444]

that is not what I was expecting. looks awful. 

[atomheartbevo 89628]

5 hours ago, futureman said:

that is not what I was expecting. looks awful. 

So it looks like an indie film crew was stranded in Marfa during the pandemic, right?

[Blackcat00 759]

Played ball in Alpine a few times. Great area to hike and a ton of history during the right time of the year. 

[futureman 22444]

53 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

So it looks like an indie film crew was stranded in Marfa during the pandemic, right?

I thought it was gonna be a documentary or something. that is... something else. 

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

Leaving tomorrow for Big Bend/Trans Pecos. Should be fun.

 

gonna be warmer there than in Houston

[MAUFRAIS 6619]

candyman be scary

ooh cool and the jump to conclusions mat guy.

fuck it, i'm in.

Edited February 12, 2021 by MAUFRAIS

[Steel Shank 9421]

22 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

 Same. I want to go now. I lived a long time in Texas, and have camped in a ton of places, but I've never been to Big Bend. All negs given are well deserved. 

It's a kick-ass natural high.

[High Plains Drifter 11031]

On 2/11/2021 at 5:25 PM, Blackcat00 said:

Played ball in Alpine a few times. Great area to hike and a ton of history during the right time of the year. 

 

High school playoffs or what? Did you play in that old ball park they have there next to the high school? A few summers ago, I caught a couple of minor league baseball games there (Alpine Cowboys or Big Bend Cowboys I don't remember vs the Roswell Aliens IIRC). Great place to watch crappy baseball.

 

As for the movie, being stuck in Marfa with a bunch of hipsters is scary enough.

 

[Blackcat00 759]

6 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

High school playoffs or what? Did you play in that old ball park they have there next to the high school? A few summers ago, I caught a couple of minor league baseball games there (Alpine Cowboys or Big Bend Cowboys I don't remember vs the Roswell Aliens IIRC). Great place to watch crappy baseball.

 

As for the movie, being stuck in Marfa with a bunch of hipsters is scary enough.

 

College. Yes played at Kokernot the old minor league stadium. Ton of history with Satchel Paige and a few others playing there in the 50's. 

[Queen Bitch 1692]

If you're jonesing to see Marfa onscreen, I Love Dick is on Amazon and stars Kathryn Hahn and Kevin Bacon. This looks... skippable.

[Queen Bitch 1692]

Just now, Queen Bitch said:

If you're jonesing to see Marfa onscreen, I Love Dick is on Amazon and stars Kathryn Hahn and Kevin Bacon. This on the other hand looks... skippable.

 

[fuggled 576]

I've been meaning to write this up for a while but never got around to it.  Our family did a two week trip back around Halloween.  We spent the first week working/schooling remotely from Alpine.  Alpine was convenient to have a house for cooking/schooling with the kids and worked great to go exploring in the afternoon.  I really wasn't sure what to expect from Alpine, but we ended up having a nice time there.  The second week was down in Terlingua with a lot of time in the park.  It was our first time down in the area and it really was amazing.  Here's a rundown on the itinerary:

Day 1 (Sunday 10/25) - Drove from Dallas to Alpine, stopping at Monahans Sandhills State Park for lunch along the way.  Heads up, that place is sandy.  Glad we stopped, but the kids were wrecked after a couple hours.  

Day 2 - This is when the cold front blew in before Halloween.  It was down in the 20s in Alpine.  Did school and work at home most of the day.  In the afternoon we hiked Hancock Hill behind Sul Ross State.  Nice hike, couldn't see anything through the fog but the kids enjoyed finding the bikes and the desk up there.  

 

Day 3 - Everything in Alpine was iced over, so mostly we stayed put.  The wife and kids explored the neighborhood and found a bunch of frozen cacti.  We did make a trip to the Museum of the Big Bend, and I was really impressed with it.  Lots of cool maps there and a collection of western art.  We could have spent a lot more time exploring if my 6 year old wasn't losing his shit.

Day 4 - The sun came out and everything thawed.  After school, we headed over to Marfa for the afternoon.  Because it was the middle of the week and the middle of the pandemic, a lot of stuff was shut down.  We still got to explore El Paisano and a few shops.  I guess Marfa is the county seat, but it was a little eerie to see the town square shut down with the national guard giving Covid tests.  Felt like we walked into a zombie movie.  I didn't realize the Prada is 30 minutes outside of town, but we drove out anyway.  Not sure that was worth it.  We took the scenic route up past the Davis Mountains on our way back to Alpine.

 

Day 5 - Not sure what we did.  I was drinking or lost.  Took the kids to the local park, I think.

Day 6 - We played hooky.  Spent the morning at McDonald Observatory.  We got passes to explore the grounds, but couldn't do much.  Most of the exhibits in the visitor center were blocked off.  None of the telescopes were accessible.  Still, it was cool to look around and there was a docent to give us some insight into the place.  We grabbed lunch at the Fort David Drugstore and then explored the Ft. Davis National Historic Site.  Very cool place given how much of the fort they've been able to preserve.  The hike through the hills behind the fort was great.  Everyone died of dysentery.

 

Day 7 (Saturday 10/31 - Halloween) - Took off from Alpine, grabbed food at Company Grocer in Marathon to have for lunch and then headed into Big Bend.  First stop was at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit.  Very cool open-air exhibit showing where fossils were discovered and recovered (by a Texas grad student).  Then we headed over to Rio Grande Village and found a picnic spot at Daniels Ranch.  After lunch, we hiked the Boquillas Canyon.  Honestly, the trail was a bit of a mess from all the horse the locals had run across the river.  Still, the kids liked exploring along the Rio Grande.  The border crossing was closed, so that wasn't on our agenda.  After that, we swung up to Chisos Basin just to orient ourselves.  Took a minute to chat with the rangers and look out towards The Window, before heading down to find our first rental in Terlingua.  Our place was up the hill behind the Starlight, a road not met to be driven.  This was a pretty cool shipping container house with a great view southwest to the border.  Before dinner, the kids scrambled down the hill behind the house and came back with piles of fossils.

Day 8 - This is the day we explore down Ross Maxwell.  Hiked the Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff in the morning.  This was one of my favorite hikes.  You start through the desert and the drop down into a ravine.  It doesn't have the vistas of the mountains, but walking through the ravine and staring up at the walls was really cool.  The dropoff at the end was impressive.  Hiked into Santa Elena Canyon in the afternoon and the kids took a quick dip in the water once we reached the end.

Day 9 - (Monday 11/2) Holy shit, school is cancelled today and tomorrow because our school is a polling place.  We totally missed this when we were planning, so suddenly we had a 2 full extra days to explore.   Headed out early today to get a parking spot at Lost Mine.  Great hike.  The kids really enjoyed this one.  Great views.  In the evening we headed down to the ghost town cemetery for the Dia De Los Muertos celebration.  Bought some candles from the preservation society to place on the graves.  Cool experience.

Day 10 - (Tuesday 11/3) We took a short rafting trip in the morning and then drove along the river, stopped for lunch and hiked Closed Canyon.  It was similar to Burro Mesa, but not nearly as impressive.  On the way back to Terlingua we stopped in Lajitas for break and saw Clay Henry.  That night we checked into a tipi at Basecamp Terlingua.  I sat by the fire by myself with a couple bottles while I watched election results on my phone.

 

Day 11 - School was back on and wifi at the tipi wasn't the best.  We made it work.  This was a low key day.  We had lunch at DB's Rustic Iron BBQ, which was really good (way better than I expected).  

Day 12 - This was a bit of a weird day because of school.  Kids did zoom calls first thing in the morning, then we had to check out of the tipi.  Then we headed up to Chisos Basin for lunch and to borrow the wifi so my daughter could take a test on Zoom.  After lunch we hiked around Sam Neil Ranch, which I enjoyed.  Pretty cool seeing the types of trees tucked into the corners of the desert.  Then we headed to our final rental, an off-grid house up the hill from Basecamp.

Day 13 - Another low key school day.  And finally a chance to do some laundry.  In the evening, we wandered over to a private ranch owned by some friends and enjoyed the sunset.

Day 14 - Last day to visit the park.  We headed over to Balanced Rock in the morning.  I thought this hike was just ok, but the kids really liked it.  We had lunch in Chisos Basin and were going to hike The Window, but my daughter turned her ankle.  So we called it a day.  Stopped at Many Stones (the rock shop) on the way out of the park.  The owner's trying to sell, if the Surly 1% is interested.

Day 15 - Long drive back to Dallas.

 

I left feeling like there was a lot more we could have crammed in, but felt pretty satisfied with this trip.  I've also put off planning a trip down there, because the logistics of cramming something in during the school year never seemed to make sense.  It was really the flexibility from Covid that gave us a chance to get down there.  I also can't believe we didn't notice the long weekend for the election.  I'm marking my calendar for Election 2024 as another vacation (and it's actually the perfect time for Big Bend). 

Thanks to those that offered advice here!

Edited March 5, 2021 by fuggled

[Your Mom 4805]

Dude, you are kicking ass at this dad thing.

[TrashMaster G 17547]

Planning a trip in April/May for a couple of middle-aged people wanting to relax and enjoy some quiet and nice views.  Looking for recommendations for sights, food and accommodations.

Thanks!

[RollLeft 5040]

 

[shadow_operative2.0 15950]

One more. 

 

[Your Mom 4805]

Check out the AirBnBs in Terlingua. Good views of the Chisos. Close to a few restaurants in Terlingua. And you can hit the crowded spots in those other places on the way in and on the way out to say you’ve been there. 

[Your Mom 4805]

https://www.willowhouse.co
 

That’s one I like the look of. I prefer to camp out there but if I didn’t that’s where I’d want to stay. 
 

Edited March 10, 2021 by Your Mom