If It's Thursday, This Must Be Terlingua

The weather in Alpine, TX, was a little wet and windy during the four days we were there, but the clouds began to part on Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning, the 10th of March, we hiked up our drawers for the long, arduous drive into Big Bend National Park country. After negotiating a few hills, turns and curves leaving Alpine on Texas 118, we drifted into stereotypical West Texas (flat and windy).

A number of cattle ranches dot the countryside, with one being named for the geological formation on it: Black Mesa Ranch.

Our destination today was the town of Terlingua, Texas. The area was bustling in the early 1900's due to the discovery of Cinnabar in the mountains surrounding the valley. The ore was mined, crushed, and heated to distill liquid Mercury, which was much in demand for both industrial and military uses.

As we approached Terlingua, we began to see the mountains of the Big Bend in the distance.

Terlingua is a ghost town that isn't. All of the property in the area of the former busy town is still privately owned, with many homes and businesses tucked into the spaces between deteriorating structures.

After we arrived (oh, by the way, Terlingua is just 80 miles south of Alpine!), we took a short drive west of our rv park to check out the ghost town.

The entire valley that the town sits in is ringed with huge tailings piles from the mining done years ago. This shot is just a hint of the amazing piles of rock.

We're camped in Big Bend Resort and Adventures RV Park. Quite a mouthful. The park seems to be above average for this area, compared to the few competitors we've seen. We're in site 39, where the water didn't work this afternoon and the cable tv is NoGo, but we're making it happen. The water came back on late this afternoon, and we can certainly live without television. We had hoped to sign up for guided excursions into the backcountry, but the slots are all booked up for weeks to come. This is the busy time of year.

Big Bend National Park to the east of us and Big Bend Ranch State Park to the west are our destinations for the next few days. The car will be racking up some miles as we explore the area. Wish us luck!