Driving on FM 170 in Texas

I slept until almost 8!  Carol got me up and we began the day.  I haven't said much about this campground but it is very nice.  Of course, there are  no trees.  It is the desert.  Our camper sets north and south and the front door opens to the east so we have shade in the late afternoon and evening.  The restrooms/showers are close and nice.  It is quiet and is surrounded with beautiful scenery.  We would stay here again.

This is a "Shelby Mustang."  There are lots of them because of the Texas rally.  There is a yellow one in the campground and you can hear it when it starts up and leaves here.  I looked it up and it is a Mustang made with a big motor so I guess the people who own them like to go fast.

We took FM 170 to Presidio, Texas which is about 50 miles.  It is designated one of Texas' most scenic highways and we would agree.  It is a two-lane road that winds around and up and down.  Sometimes we felt like we were on a roller coaster.

 

This sign is on top of what is called "The Big Hill."

The Rio Grande flows through the valley and close to FM 170.

Another view of the Rio Grande.

This is why we felt we were on a roller coaster.

I guess there are some ranches in this area; although, we did not see any cattle.  

This Port of Entry was in Presidio so Mexico can be seen at the top of the picture.

Presidio has a Mexican flavor.

On the return trip we stopped by Ft. Leaton State Historic Site.  It was built in 1848 as a border trading post by former Indian bounty hunter Ben Leaton.  It is located next to the Rio Grande on the Chihuahua Trail.  This fortress was built to protect his family and employees from Indian raids.  

Carol is standing by a carretas.  This was probably the first wheeled vehicle to enter the United States.  The Spanish brought these ox carts to the region in 1590.  The wheel on this replica is six feet tall but some had wheels nine feet tall.  Fully loaded they were so heavy that it took 10-12 oxen to pull them. 

It is thought that this was a area of prayer.  The chair looks like it could be used to kneel before the cross.

We saw so many of these ocotillo cactus

FM 170 skirts the border of Big Bend Ranch State Park.   There are no paved roads into the park.  We saw shirts, decals, etc. with the slogan ,"Big Bend Ranch State Park - the Other  Side of Nowhere." That describes it to a Tee.  There are some hikes along the route and we were able to hike two of them.

The first hike was called "Hoodoo Trail."  It led to three hoodoos which didn't impress us because we have seen the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon, Utah.  What did impress us was being able to get close to the Rio Grande River.  If I hadn't been afraid that I would tip over, I would have bent down and touched it!

The second hike was on a trail called "Closed Canyon.":  It led to a slot canyon with walls sometimes 15 stories high.

I felt my age on this hike.  In order to hike deeper into the canyon, I would have to get down from the top of these rocks and then back up again when I returned.  I decided that I should not try and sat at the top.  I remembered that three years ago, I took some hikes while Carol sat and waited.  Now it was my turn to wait.  That fall in Natchez has me spooked about falling.  

Our final stop of the day was to a town called "Terlingua."  Terlingua began as a company town for a company that mined quick silver.  When the company when bankrupt in 1941, the town dried up and is now known as a ghost town.  The cemetery there is on the national historical registry.  It was very interesting.   It is a current cemetery where people can still be buried.  The gravesites are very unique.

A lot of the graves where decorated with mementos of significance to the buried person.  I guess this fellow like to drink!  A lot of people left coins around the grave

We ate supper in Terlingua at the Starlight Restaurant.  These seats were available for waiting customers.

The story goes that this goat was once elected mayor of Terlingua.

The inside of the restaurant was decorated very uniquely.

These two provided music while we ate.  The food was good.  Carol had an antelope burger.  He said it was good. I stuck with a meat I know...chicken.  It was good, too.

This was the eastern sky as we sat outside resting from the day.

Tomorrow we will finally see Big Bend National Park.  I feel that we have already seen beautiful scenery so we will see if what we saw can be topped.