A Huge Park!

So we set off to see the most remote National Park in the USA.  Due to the distsnce we had to do an over night stop at a place called Fort Stockton. We did not get into the town as the RV park was about 5 miles out of town but the RV park I think has a great set up. They know they are just a "stopover" for RVers heading to Big Bend or further west to El Paso so they have a cafe that does a great dinner and breakfast at very reasonable prices, so no cooking for us at Fort Stockton.
A quick snap on the way into Big Bend (we have since raised our hitch so the trailer is now level)


The next day we set off at a reasonable time and as with most travelled highways in the US the roads are in great condition, even the one to Terlingua which is where we were going to stay. On the trip down we passed a US Border check point which is like a speed camera on steroids! As you slow down to the posted speed of 40 mph and pass several post on your right cameras take pictures of the car, tags, and the occupants, i hope we were all smiling? I think my photo I will be me gritting my teeth as I am attempting to slow our 40 foot trailer down!

As always the roads are in great condition


Terlingua is near the entrance to both Big Bend National Park and Big Bend State Park. We found our park, hard to miss as we are in the desert and there is not much around. Always funny when they name a place with the word "resort" it conjures up visions of palm trees, swimming pools and tree lined avenues but we are in the desert and no such sights. Water is to precious here for that sort of stuff so it's a graded dirt area with full hookups and the odd cottonwood tree which we noticed are being replace with Australian Eucalypts so a feeling of home right outside our door.

Our place in the desert


The usual routine and in no time we are set up and we head down the road to a tour place (yes even out here) to find out what tours were available. Rose and I and Lauren agreed a trip down the Rio Grande in a raft or canoe would be great. So we check out the options and we book a half day canoe trip for later in the week. That done we did a drive around the town, took about 10 mins then back home.

The next day we decided on a day trip to a border town of Presidio which sits in the border of Mexico and the USA but our first stop is the ghost town that sits outside Terlingua. This is a barren rock covered place where derelict rock structures litter the landscape a time when mining of mercury was big in this area and to top it off people live amongst the old ghost town structures! There are no building regulations out here, just buy your land at $500 an acre and put any structure you like on it to live in. Feels strange to be driving through the desert and see a battered RV or fifth wheel sitting in the middle of nowhere and someone living in it.
The old ghost towns cemetery, the oldest plot was 1804


Yes this is the Rio Grande' and Mexico just the other side


The road to Presidio follows the Rio Grande and we are told is rated in the top 10 road trips to take. The drive takes you on a winding paved road through the desert, not a sand desert but a harsh rocky terrain with stunted bushes, only the tuff survive out here. The views are breath taking and we are amazed at the scenery keeping in mind this is a desert. Of course no trip to the desert would be complete if you didn't see a "roadrunner" and one runs across the raid in front of us, not a big bird like the cartoon, a quick beep beep from me and he is gone. The journey is truly amazing the country is beautiful in a desert sort of way.
Rose and Lauren looking at Mexico, not what we expected!


This was a movie set used for several movies including, Streets of Laredo and Dead Mans Walk


We arrive at Presidio to a town left behind in time, it appeared to be a very poor place, which it most likely was. We did a drive around the town passed the border check point and back to the main street. We could not let this visit go by without a Mexican lunch so we found a place called El Patio Resturante'. A good choice as it was packed with the locals who must go there for Sunday lunch. We all had a main at about $9 each and they were great, we could not eat another thing and of course you get bottomless soft drink, I think Dr Peppers has had to increase production since Lauren got here.
The Main Street of Presidio (check the sticker on the car, I approached the owner they had no idea what flag it was)


The journey home was uneventful until two blokes sitting outside a roadside smoked BBQ place, they waved and I looked at Rose, feel like a beer?

To be continued.....


- Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Big Bend National Park Texas