After a restful night’s sleep at the Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa, we planned to see Big Bend Park in a different way. What is the best way to get a geographic understanding of such a large national park? How about flying over it. Marcos Paredes, of Rio Aviation in Terlingua, took us on an hour long flight over the park. The conditions were excellent except for the fact that there was a controlled burn taking place in the Chisos mountains. The winds pushed the smoky haze across portions of the park, but the views were still magnificent. Marcos has a vast knowledge of the region and pointed out many interesting features. The desert outcroppings were littered with old abandoned cinnabar mine roads and supply roads from decades past. There are still remnants of the wagon supply trail going all the way to Marfa. Cinnabar ore is the source of mercury, which was in high demand until after World War II. Limited production continued until around 1973. We flew over a lot of ghost towns left by the collapse of the mining industry. Carlos explained some of the many geological features of the many different types of volcanic rock formations, including the white volcanic ash scattered among the rugged terrain. Throughout the rugged terrain the green cotton wood trees lined the many spring fed creeks and the Rio Grande River. If you get a chance, we highly recommend seeing the view of the park from above. It adds a whole new perspective of God’s amazing world. [Exodus 20:11]
After the flight, we drove back to Lajitas with a day of relaxation in mind. My wife had a massage at the spa and shopped while I played the #1 ranked public golf course in the state of Texas. I can not begin to describe the natural beauty of each hole as you wind your way through the rocky Rio Grande River valley course. I included a few images of the course in the video so you can see the many vistas and elevation changes throughout. My tee time was at 1:30, and the temperature was expected to reach 102 degrees that day. With the light breeze and the lack of humidity, I was actually very comfortable riding through the beautiful course with a cart roof over my head. On the second hole, a road runner approached me close enough to touch. I think some of the locals might be offering them a small morsel to eat. The 2,000 foot plus elevation, dry climate and a slight breeze at my back sent my ball farther than I have ever hit it before. I was enjoying the extra distance I achieved with little effort. You know you are playing in a rural environment when a bobcat runs in front of you, stops on the 15th tee box and turns to look at you. I reached for my phone to get a picture, and as soon as I was bringing the phone up to get a shot, he bounded his large muscular frame down into the tall reeds of the river bottom. Wow, I thought. Who is going to believe what I just saw? Interestingly enough, that would not be the last wild animal encounter of our trip.
Speaking of animals, the town of Lajitas, small in population, has a third generation mayor named Clay Henry. Yes, you guessed it. He is a goat who loves carrots and Modelo beer according to the locals. We did feed him a carrot but he seemed more interested in the hay that was in his feeding trough.
That evening we went to a restaurant with a cool history and delicious food. The Starlight Theatre in the middle of the ghost town of Terlingua was once a central gathering place for the miners in the Terlingua area. After it’s decline to almost nothing, it was restored to it’s original condition and now serves a delicious menu with live entertainment. Get there early and get in line outside as it is a very popular spot. After a great meal we headed back to Lajitas and set our alarm for some early morning star pictures in the darkest region of the lower 48. One shot in the video was taken off Hwy 170 at the Contraband Trail entrance, while the others were taken with a little light behind the resort looking towards the mountains of Mexico.
It was a very enjoyable Day 2 even though we never officially entered the park. Day 3 was spent four-wheeling to a hiking spot and climbing to some scenic spots that were a bit of a challenge in the heat of the Chihuahua desert. Stay tuned… and thanks for reading my blog. God bless you and enjoy the video.
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy-Outdoors.net
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