Volunteers in the Park

Photograph of Chisos Basin Visitor Center

Chisos Basin Visitor Center, NPS Photo/Ann Wildermuth

Teardrop Trail Log: March 24, 2016

Whenever we go to a national or state park, we like to check in at the Visitors Center or Ranger Station to find out the status on trails, campsites, roads, events and other interesting things. We stopped into the Chisos Basin Visitor Center on our first full day in Big Bend. The exhibits on the peregrine falcon, black bear and mountain lion provided more information on these species’ lives in the Chisos Mountains. The Center also includes Big Bend Natural History Association bookstore and restrooms. Backcountry camping permits can be issued from the Visitor Center.

In addition to rangers, the Center was staffed by enthusiastic volunteers who have broad knowledge on many topics, helping visitors with a wide range of questions. Madeline, one of my college classmates has been a park volunteer and was recognized for contributing many hours of service to Big Bend National Park.

Photograph of Chisos Basin Map with recent bear and lion sightings.

Chisos Basin Map with recent sightings.

Big Bend has diverse habitats with more than 450 species of birds, 75 species of mammals, 56 species of reptiles and 11 species of amphibians. The Chisos Mountains are a popular nesting site for migratory birds, as well as for bear and mountain lion sightings. Studying and managing wildlife is a key activity in the park. Both the volunteers and rangers track a number of sightings through wildlife observation reports filled out by visitors. On the wall of  the Chisos Basin Visitor Center was a map updated with black bear sightings.

I guess we’re not in Kansas any more.

Photograph of Black Bear in Big Bend

Black Bear Sighting in Big Bend

photo of The View at Seminole Canyon

The Wildflowers of Seminole Canyon State Park

Teardrop Trail Log: March 23, 2016

We stayed in Seminole Canyon State Park our first night out, and found there had been recent rain in the high desert. That, combined with the time of year (late March) led to a profusion of wildflowers — the best I have ever seen in the arid Texas landscape. Marilyn and I spent a couple of pleasant hours photographing what we saw.

The light was perfect too. Many of the photos were taken less than an hour before sunset — the Magic Light that photographers love …

photo of The Golden Hour in Seminole Canyon

The Golden Hour in Seminole Canyon

Hiking in the Chisos

Photo of The Window Mountain Gap

The Window

Teardrop Trail Log: March 25, 2016

The Chisos Mountains form the core of Big Bend National Park, and have some of the most striking scenery. After driving in the day before and stopping briefly at the Park Headquarters near the Chisos, we decided to start by exploring them. It was about a 45 minute drive from our Study Butte campground, and we arrived in the late morning.

Photo of Chisos Mountains Visitors Center

The Visitors Center

There is a Visitors Center and a small store, along with a restaurant and guest housing located at the end of the road, and a 15-minute walk previews the main attraction: The Window. This geographic feature is formed by a gap between two of the mountains, and looks out over the western part of the park.

The short walk was a great tease, and after having a bite of lunch, we got some last-minute advice in the Visitors Center, filled our water bottles, and headed out on the Chisos Basin Loop — a little less than a two mile hike. We figured it would take about 2 hours.

Photo of Chisos Basin Loop Trail

The Chisos Basin Loop Trail

Listed as “moderate” difficulty, it was more of a challenge than we expected. There is quite a bit of vertical variation on the trail, and with the roughly 5000 foot elevation, I was noticing my lack of conditioning. Never mind — it’s a great hike.

The Window comes in and out of view on the trail, and you also get to see the back side of another feature: Casa Grande. I had a lot of fun taking pictures, and we both got some great images. We got back to the Visitors Center about 4.

Photo of Casa Grande in the Chisos Mountains

Casa Grande from the Chisos Basin Loop Trail

How We Planned the Big Bend Adventure on the Teardrop Trail

Photo of road atlas,maps and brochures

The 2004 Road Master Atlas, guide books, maps and brochures.

As Jim and I had discussed our next trip on the Teardrop Trail, Big Bend came up in conversation. In 2006 and 2007, I had worked onsite at the Lajitas resort, located on the Rio Grande between the Big Bend National Park and the Big Bend Ranch State park. The office was in Austin and we flew back and forth to the resort for meetings, but I had never seen the parks. What a cruel tease. So close and yet so far. Big Bend remained on my bucket list.

At last, our time had come. I love planning trips. It is like putting together a multi-dimensional puzzle. I had heard that it was a very long drive from our home at Roy Creek Ranch. Fueled by wanderlust, I began looking for options with the 2004 Road Master Atlas that had accompanied Jim on his many excursions around the country complete with velcro strips to secure the book to the dashboard of his pickup. It had showed us the way during our earlier trips on the Teardrop Trail.

For me, old habits die hard and my addiction to research that had begun when I studied art history in graduate school was alive and well. So to the Internet! I began to search in all the obvious places – state and national park websites. Other websites from organizations like Texas Beyond History, the Virtual Museum of Texas Cultural Heritage, The Texas State Historical Society, even Facebook and others. I found information on routes, campgrounds with hookups, hikes, tourist attractions, canyons, rock art, ghost towns, cafes, art galleries and much more. I began to use Google maps to determine possible routes and mileage.

I picked up a Texas State Park Guide and finally located a deluxe, 100% waterproof, plastic National Geographic Trails Illustrated map of Big Bend which unlike the Internet maps provided an overview of the entire area I could put in my pocket. Guess some of us still like to hold a map in our hands.

Madeline, a friend from college has volunteered in Big Bend for many years. We invited Madeline and her husband Jimmy to join us for lunch and planning session. From scenic drives to hikes, they provided valuable tips as only insiders can including an update on the wildflowers. One of my fellow Master Gardeners, Carol, also provided a list of favorites from past trips as well as Road Guide to backcountry dirt roads of Big Bend National Park.

As the departure date approached, all the details came into focus and reservations were made. Armed with the trusty 2004 Road Master Atlas and my copious notes, I hopped into the co-pilot seat of The Lady as the navigator and tour director. Jim started the engine and we began our adventure on this installment of the Teardrop Trail.

The Law West of the Pecos

Teardrop Trail Log: March 23, 2016

Not long after leaving Seminole State Park on our way to the Big Bend, we spotted a sign for Lantry, Texas. The Mothman had mentioned it, and Marilyn remembered that it was the home of Judge Roy Bean. Another sign mentioned a museum and we decided to see what was there.

I didn’t expect much, and the town itself looked abandoned. Some of the Adobe buildings had caved in, but there was a modern-looking building that advertised free admission to the Judge Roy Bean Museum across the street from the Langtry Post Office. Worth a look.

Inside, it turned out to be a Texas Pecos Trail visitor center, and had a small but well-curated exhibition. With a large glass case containing several artifacts, including the original Texas Statute Book he used, and several dioramas, there was plenty to capture our interest.

 

photo of The Jersey Lilley Saloon Bar

The Jersey Lilley Saloon Bar

 

Outside, you can tour the original Jersey Lilly Saloon, preserved where it stood. The “Opera House” (the Judge’s home) is a short distance away and is also open for inspection.

A beautiful cactus garden is part of the museum as well. With a well-preserved 19th-century Eclipse Windmill at it’s center, it a nice way to stretch the limbs.

photo of windmill

The Eclipse Windmill and Cactus Garden

 

Some of the ruined buildings in town turn out to have belonged to the Judge’s contemporaries and the state historical markers make for a good history lesson of Langtry and it’s original inhabitants. A great stop for the history buff!

 

photo of ruined house

The William H. Dodd House

 

The Lady and The Ambassador 

 

photo of car with trailer

They Pave the Way

Teardrop Trail Log: March 24, 2016

We’ve never named our car or teardrop. Prior to working with our friends on the Tiny House, it didn’t seem like much of an issue. They name all their vehicles however (the tiny house has been named Pandora — for all the reasons you can imagine) and it suddenly seemed like a good idea to christen ours as well. Trouble is, our vehicles do not have troublesome or quirky characteristics to help suggest a name.

So now we’re on this epic trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas. We stayed last night in the Seminole Canyon State Park (look for other posts on that) and today we continued to Big Bend. We’ve noticed on other trips that the teardrop generates interest, and by now we’ve come to expect a visitor or two inquiring how we like it, how much did it cost, can we see inside, etc, and have learned our teardrop is the best way to meet our campground neighbors. Last night was no different. One of our neighbors struck up a conversation around the teardrop, and suddenly we had two new good friends. Jim (good name, that) and his wife Suzanne are from Indiana, and he’s a wildlife photographer. Specifically, he is interested in moths and calls himself “The Moth Man.” They were going into Langtry, Texas last night to try for some specific moths that are native to the area.
Today, we stopped in Langtry ourselves — the home of Judge Roy Bean, the The Law West of the Pecos. Interesting place, but while we were touring the adjoining cactus garden (amazing!), I had a conversation with another guest who was interested in our teardrop. He was from Minnisota, and had noticed my Case/IH hat. Another pleasant encounter with a total stranger.

Later today, when we stopped for gas in Sanderson, Texas, we were approached by yet another curious person. Ed and his wife split their time between Sanderson and Rochester, New York, and wanted to know all the standard stuff about teardrops. Of course Marilyn spent 17 years living there, so we were off and running with a new friend.

While driving away from Uncle’s (the station in Sanderson), Marilyn commented on what a good ambassador our teardrop was — and we realized he’d been named. Shortly after, I realized that the Mazda has been such a good and reliably comfortable car on our trips — and not without her own bit of flash — that she was a real lady.

So now we have names for them both: The Lady and the Ambassador.

Preparing to hit the Teardrop Trail again!

Electric Travel Refirgerator

Electric Travel Refrigerator

Marilyn, March 19:

When we got the teardrop trailer, we started to look for ways to take some of our favorite foods along. Most people know the hassle traveling with an ice chest can be. Looking for ice in some remote areas can be extremely frustrating. On one of our shopping trips, we found this amazing little fridge. It plugs into the cigarette lighter in the back of the Mazda but does have an adaptor for a wall outlet. We carry many things that normally live in our home fridge. It’s a great way to prepare a lunch for the road. As we get ready for our Big Bend trip, we are getting the little fridge ready for to go.

Just one warning – unplug it from the cigarette lighter when you stop in the campground. It can plug into shore power. We found out the hard way that this little wonder can drain your battery when I failed to disconnect it. Makes for an unpleasant surprise in the morning. It is also not the optimum way to meet other folks in the campground.

 

Road Food Eats

 

camp stove with Balsamic Chicken

Balsamic Chicken serves 2

  • 2 boneless chicken thighs
  • half of a yellow onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup Balsamic vinegar or to cover chicken thighs
  • salt and pepper to taste

We enjoy taking some of our favorite entreés on the Teardrop Trail. Here are some tips:

  • Freeze the chicken thighs and add to your ice chest or travel refrigerator. This helps conserve ice.
  • Find small bottles of your favorite olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Measure for the recipes you plan for your road trip and transfer to small plastic bottles with tightly fitting lids to conserve space. I like square plastic bottles because they are a better fit in our kitchen boxes and less likely to rattle. I save plastic bottles for a variety of uses on the road.
  • Buy only the quantity of herbs and spices you will need for each recipe or for your entire trip in the bulk department. Use the small plastic bags to save space.

Thaw the chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels. Chop the onions and garlic. Place the olive oil in a skillet and simmer until the onions are clear. Add the chicken thighs and brown over medium heat. Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Add the Balsamic vinegar, spoon over chicken and mushrooms. Simmer until the vinegar bubbles and thickens and chicken thighs are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place two thighs on each plate and cover with thickened Balsamic vinegar sauce. Garnish with parsley. Serve with rice or cooked pasta.

Serve with your favorite Cote de Rhone or other red wine and toast to the next adventure on the Teardrop Trail.

Hit or Miss Engines

Jim, September 15:

You never know what you’ll find on the Teardrop Trail, and the Red Power Roundup in Sedalia, Missouri was no exception. While looking at the expected tractors and other IH memorabilia, I discovered a assortment of “hit or miss” engines. They were first available around 1890 from various manufacturers including International Harvester (after 1902) for use in pumping water, generating electricity and cutting firewood. The video shows models spanning several decades and demonstrates the “hit or miss” behavior and resulting name.

They fire every few cycles and rely on a large flywheel to maintain a relatively constant speed. Producing a small amount of horsepower relative to their weight and size, they were displaced by newer internal combustion engines by the mid-20th century, although they are still desirable for some low-speed (250 rpm or so) applications like oil-field pump jacks. International Harvester produced a variety of hit or miss engines, and the video shows three well preserved and and functioning models.

This display of engines was a surprise to me — I hadn’t seen this many working hit or miss engines in one place before. The engine owners were on hand to answer questions and I learned a lot about this part of our Harvester Heritage. Fun!