Friendly Residents, Great local roads

Every day something new happens to make me like Terlingua more. Among this growing list is the friendliness of all the shop keepers and residents I come across every day. I have never felt more welcome in a place than I do here. There is a photo that says it all about the kind of people here below. Can you figure out which it is?

And do you notice the beautiful sky in most of the photos? That is the way it has been every day since we arrived.

On a sad note, Bud and Irene (RV park owners) left for their summer digs and business back in Minnesota. They have a plane parked at a small airport a short distance from the park; when they left, Bud promised to buzz the park. Below is a photo of that flyby. See ya in the winter, guys.

No tricks here, exactly as photographed.
Bud and Irene waving goodbye.

Today’s agenda was a ride back through Big Bend Park to Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. The Ross Maxwell Scenic Byway is the road to get there. Believe me, it lives up to its name. Entering the park from the west, we travel about 14 miles until the turn off for the really scenic part, another 30 miles, of the trip.

One stunning vista after another. Up hills, down hills, some hairpin turns, lots of tight sweeping turns, and one or two hill tops where you cannot see the road ahead until you are on the down side. Wow! That is a rush. No worries though; clean surface, mostly wide shoulders, and a strictly enforced park speed limit (45mph) make for a safe, enjoyable ride. Of course I did not exceed that limit. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge -- ya know what I mean.)

Typical of the many vistas on the Ross Memorial Scenic Byway.

Didn't try it yet but I wonder if that is a tuff climb???

Stone and adobe farm house ruins, circa 1903.

Standing in the middle of the Rio Grande.
These are about 1200 feet high. The left side is Mexico.
The Rio is not so grand anymore since all the cities have diverted most of the water.

This day I was fortunate to run across a group of artists doing what all artists do, and very well I will add. I stopped to chat, and we discussed the beauty of the park, many things artsy, and the joy of motorcycling. A nice side venture on a gorgeous ride.

This park is mostly wild and pristine. If you like desert beauty you will love it here. I surely do. I am hoping to see what is called the "Desert Bloom." If there is enough rain over the winter, the ground explodes with color and the air is heavy with the sweet smells of wild flowers for about a week. Fortune smiled on me many years ago when my family and I were stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and we were able to see the Desert Bloom first-hand.

The first of many cactus flowers that will appear.

I discovered where tribbles come from

Ocotilla, in the right foreground. Beautiful to look at but do not touch.
The dead stalks are used in hundreds of ways locally.

Setting in an unsupervised area of the laundry / shower building.
How long do you think that cash would last back in Philly, or any urban environ?