Bluebonnets and Big Cracks

Early Sunday morning Mr. Wizard and I packed up coffee, water and zucchini bread (thank you, Annie!), and headed out to Big Bend National Park to explore and look for bluebonnets.

We drove down Old Maverick Road to Terlingua Abajo, an old farming settlement on Terlingua Creek just above the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon, hoping to spot some early bloomers there where we've found some in past years. No luck. So we headed westward on FM 170 (the River Road) from Study Butte past the ghost town and Lajitas and into Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Eureka! There were bluebonnets! Not many yet, and most of them were small and scraggly, but after I wandered off the road a ways near the hoodoos, I found a few that were close to two feet tall, but not many.

We haven't had any rainfall to speak of since September, so we were glad there were any at all. The flowers we did find were probably due to the Rio's September flood, when the roadside got a good soaking.

Long before we moved to the Big Bend, I came out here many Februarys just for the bluebonnets. I'm a sucker for 'em.

Along the River Road, there were other desert flowers blooming, too, welcome little splashes of color dotted an otherwise mostly brown and gold roadside, a reminder that we're presently under a burn ban.

And then as we were crossing Contrabando Creek just past the riverside movie set with its little buildings and facades, I shrieked, "Stop!" and Mr. W cheerfully obliged by pulling off the road. The cracks in the dried mud/sand below looked like a giant gray patchwork crazy quilt stretching down toward the Rio Grande.


I climbed down into the creekbed and the cracks in the dried mud were HUGE. And DEEP. I dropped a rock down a crack and heard it hit bottom way down there.

The cracks are impressive at this view, but even more so when I stuck my foot out for some perspective.


Okay, now you have a better idea of how scary it was to walk out on the creekbed. It felt almost like jumping from tiny island to island, or little iceberg to iceberg. It was a surreal feeling to stand in the middle of the creekbed, in the middle of a giant natural mosaic.

And while I stood there, feeling all overwhelmed and happy, I caught sight of a mountain lion making her way across the highway toward the river. Although I've seen many tracks in the three years I've lived in the Bend, I've not seen an actual mountain lion, so I was very, very excited. And even though my camera was in my hand, I never even thought about trying to snap a picture. I just stood there paralyzed by all the beauty around me and watched her (him?) disappear from sight. It was a magical moment.

Life is good.

'Round & 'Round & 'Round & 'Round the World

Elvis the Element is a heckuva vehicle, the best and most fun automobile I've ever had. It's roomy, dependable, efficient and fun to drive. Mr. Wizard calls it my 'purse on wheels' because I stash all the items I can't live without (that are too big to fit in my teensy purse) in its confines. Need an umbrella? A flashlight (or three)? Toilet paper? Quilt? Bottle of water? Raincoat? Yup, these and many more items live inside Elvis.

A couple of weeks ago the Element's odometer reached a milestone: 111,111 miles. Yes, 111,111. Now I'm not all that swift at math, so bear with me, but according to my calculations (and if there were no Atlantic or Pacific oceans), I could have driven Elvis clear around the world--at the equator, no less--more than four times. Only, nearly every mile (except for the occasional trip into Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico) driven was in Texas. It's a big ol' state. Whew, am I tired!

And except for human error (I'm lookin' at you, Mr. W!), Elvis has never been in the shop for repairs. We've had awfully good luck with the two Hondas we've owned, and odds are when Elvis finally bites the dust and goes to that big garage in the sky, we'll most likely consider another. Hmm, wonder if the Honda folks need us to do a testimonial?

So, when I say I'm in my element out here in the desert, I probably am. In my Element, that is.

Fridays

There's just nothing like driving home from work on a Friday to make you optimistic and energetic. Especially when the weekend's wide open, and even more especially when it's a three-day weekend looming ahead.

Tomorrow I will drive 300-plus miles to El Paso to pick up Mr. Wizard who's been in Denver working at a trade show. Since his flight is due at 5 pm, mountain time, we made the executive decision to spend the night there so we can run some errands. The Element needs new tires and that tops my list of to-do's. It's nice to visit civilization once in a while, and even nicer to have access to 'luxuries' not found in the desert, like going to a movie, which we may just do. It's nice to have the drive home to think and plan and make a list; once I get home there are other things to think about: laundry, cats, dinner, put-off chores.

The 75-mile drive home from work passes quickly now that the days are getting longer. This past week I actually made it home around dusk, which is much nicer than getting there in the dark, like the previous week.

In my first two weeks of commuting I've seen many critters on or near the road: an elk (this really surprised me!), deer, javelinas, rabbits, eagles, coyotes and some kind of exotic antelope. They all remind me that I have to be vigilant, because sometimes they aren't, and I sure don't want to run over or into anything on the commute. The miles of wear and tear on my vehicle are damage enough.

Lunaloca is 4 miles off the paved road, and those 4 miles are the slowest and most beautiful of the whole drive home. I snapped this shot of mountain 'layers' at the top of a rise, looking westward, before I head into our valley where three hungry kitties are waiting at the door.

Tonight's Sunset

New Year, New Job

Southbound Highway 118 stretches toward the Christmas Mountains and home. Sorry about the bud-speckled view ...

The frequency of my posts will probably slow down, now that I've started a new job. The gig's at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. It's a 75-mile (one way) commute from my driveway to the SRSU main campus parking lot, so my day-to-day schedule has taken a drastic turn. I can see already that many, maybe most, chores will have to wait for the weekends.

The long commute's not bad, what with the great scenery and all. But it's not good, either; it's three hours of every weekday, and even though mine is usually the only car on the road, there are frequent javelina and deer sightings so I maintain a constant vigil for kamikaze critters.

The best part about the commute is getting to watch the sun rise and the sun set. Both events are usually glorious out here.

Of course, the kitties are very, very confused by this new routine, and they're very, very glad to see me when I get back home again.

A 'drive-by' shot east toward Nine Point Mesa, about 20 miles north of Study Butte. If you look closely you can see the nearly full moon shining through the clouds.

Bears in the Bend

Friends from the outside world (outside of the Big Bend area, that is) often ask me if I've seen any bears near our place. The truth is that not only have I found no evidence of bears near Lunaloca, I haven't even seen any black bears in the national park, where there are infrequent sightings. Not that I want to see a bear, mind you. I'm perfectly happy just knowing they're out there, somewhere.

But in the park, particularly in the Chisos, there are plenty of warning signs, and metal bear boxes are located throughout the campground for campers to stash their edibles or whatever bears like to get into. Actually, I think other critters are more of a problem when it comes to campsite 'vandals' of the four- and two-legged variety.

But this morning I happened across a blog entry at Desert USA with some interesting information and good common-sensical advice, especially if you're planning to camp or hike in the national park or anywhere in the adjacent area:

A black bear destroyed 2 unoccupied tents in the Colima Canyon area of the High Chisos (above 7,000 feet) in late December. This occurred in a solitary high mountain backcountry campsite, not in the Chisos Basin campground.

According to the campers, they had not left any food in the tents. Apparently it was the smell of the shoes that attracted the bear. The bear crushed both tents, ripping the fabric to get at the shoes. When the campers returned to their site, they found that one shoe was removed from the tent, chewed on, and dropped 20 feet down the trail.

When leaving a site for a hike, please put scented items in the bear boxes. Shoes and boots might be best left outside of tents so that if a bear is curious about that particular odor, they can smell the shoe and move on. The bear destroyed the tent because it smelled something in the tent and investigated. The fabric was an incidental obstacle between them and what they want to check out. Bears don’t realize that tents cost people money, nor do bears have an understanding of private property, they are just innocently doing what they have done for millenia…act like bears. Remember that bears have a much better sense of smell than humans, so while we can’t smell some things, they can. Do your best to think like a bear as you secure your belongings.

It is advised that campers flatten tents while on a day hike away from a High Chisos site to lessen the chance of property destruction.

Black bears have been feeding in October and November near backpacking campsites in the Chisos Mountains This year much of their natural food sources was concentrated along moist drainages and north facing slopes. Hiking trails pass through these feeding grounds. This caused an increase in the frequency of hikers reporting bear sightings.

Because of our traditionally non-threatening behavior toward them, bears have largely lost their normal caution and fear of humans. The unfortunate consequence is that the bear may develop a taste for items we bring with us and try to intimidate us so they can get at our food, which can cause injury to people.

Campsites Reopened
Due to the decrease in bear sightings starting in late November, the campsites at Colima Canyon, Boot Canyon, Emory Peak and Toll Mountain have been reopened to camping for the time being. If incidents with bears increase, closures may be reinstituted and additional measures taken to discourage bears from entering sites.

No visitor has ever been attacked by a bear at Big Bend National Park. There have been a few instances this year of bears mock-charging visitors, growling, or stomping their feet when people approach or surprise them. Read further for bear discouragement techniques.

What might occur if bears develop a taste for human food is injuries to hikers if a bear wants what a person is carrying, or if a person gets between the bear and food, or property damage to tents. This will only come to pass if visitors are reckless in how they take care of the items they bring that might attract bears. This includes food, soaps, items with odors like lip balm, even trash and dirty dishes not properly secured.

The NPS is asking hikers and campers to please follow the following guidelines if encountering bears.

1) You should not linger near or approach bears if they are feeding naturally or in a tree. Give the bears room and go around them. This is their home and we are guests in this park.

2) If the bear is lingering at your camp, or if the bear intentionally approaches you or anyone in your group, it is recommended that you run the bear off by making noise and throwing rocks/sticks toward it. Do not do things to make the bear mad like hitting it with sticks or rocks, charging the bear, or any aggressive act. Do not run away either. Be assertive. The goal is for bears to remember to be wary of us.

3) Hikers should not leave packs, food, trash, or any other attractants unattended at any time or for any reason. Bears that develop a taste for our food often become dangerous. The park’s bears have not become habituated to human food and we want to keep it that way. They should be eating grubs and pine nuts. This will prevent dangerous bear-visitor encounters. It would be a tragic loss if rangers had to track down and kill a bear that became dependent on our food and began to display aggresively foraging behavior.

4) If left outside of a bear box, make sure your pack is empty and that all attractants the bear can smell are in a bearproof storage container, including things like toothpaste, sunscreen, lip balm, water bottles, even canned foods. If you spilled food in your pack or you know it has odors that might attract a bear, store it in a bear-proof box. If it won’t fit, empty it entirely and leave all pockets unzipped and open.

5) Please report sightings, incidents (particularly bears that exhibit aggressive behavior), and any property damage to a ranger at the visitor center, including filling out a wildlife observation report at a visitor center.

New Year's Day in Terlingua

Mr. Wizard's been under the weather this week. I told him to get a flu shot, but he's stubborn that way. But now, after this winter's bout with the flu, I think he may be reconsidering his decision; I bet he gets one this year. (This is another one of those times that I'd love to tell him, "I told you so," but my 2009 resolution is to be much nicer, so I'll give him a break, for now.)

We didn't go out for New Year's Eve; poor guy was sneezing and blowing and moaning and groaning. Actually, I'm exaggerating a bit, but just a bit. He really felt lousy.

We've spent at least five New Year celebrations in Terlingua, some before we moved here. It's always so much fun at the Starlight Theatre, one of my very favorite restaurants in the whole world!), and if it gets too crowded and claustophobic for us (you know how these big social events can get), we just wander down to the Boathouse, our usual ghost town hangout.

This year was different, and much much quieter. For one thing, Mr. W wasn't feeling well. And the other thing was that our friend Mindy wasn't here. This marks our first New Year's Eve in Terlingua without her, but she's had a very busy and strange year herself. I'm sure she'll be here next December 31st, when 2009 brings a full moon, and a blue one at that! We love full moons, and a blue one is just an extra-special treat.

But, yesterday, New Year's Day, Mr. W and I made the 12-mile trek into the ghost town to enjoy the day's activities. And what a day! A beautiful day, the temperature was in the low 70s--what a great first day of the year!

The photo up at the top was taken from The Porch, looking toward the Chisos Mountains in the National Park, one of our favorite views in the whole world. We watched the sunset backwards, facing east to watch the mountains turn colors--it's an amazing spectacle, one that should definitely make your 'bucket list' if you've never experienced it.

When we drove in, we were amazed that the ghost town was FULL of vehicles and people for the annual (black-eyed) Pea Off at The Porch. Lots and lots of people! Not only was there a record number of tourists present, the music of the Pinche Gringos kept them all there, dancing, singing and toe-tapping, the whole afternoon until well after the Pea Off ended.

We spent most of our time at friend Bryn's amazing studio/gallery, the Leapin' Lizard.

In the above photo, you can see Bessie the dog in front of Bryn's gallery. She is the owner of humans Bryn and John, two of our dearest friends. Of course, Bessie is one of our good friends, too! If the Leapin' Lizard looks a little familiar, it's because it used to be Diva Terlingua Gallery in another life ...


Along with some of the other ghost town business owners, Bryn hosted an open house on New Year's Day. We planned to visit the other places, too, but the food (oh my! what wonderful jalapeno poppers!) and company were so good at the Leapin' Lizard, we parked ourselves there and visited while chowing down. Oh yeh, and the beer was nice'n cold, too!
Here's Phil (or Felipe as he's sometimes called), one of Terlingua's frequent visitors, and Douglas, who lives way out on his Salvage Yard Ranch.

And here's Earl, our favorite beertender in the whole world, with Pablo, one of the nicest guys ever (and one of the funniest and brightest, too), and Felipe again, not looking very interested. I think he was tired of all the picture-taking, or maybe he'd just eaten one too many jalapeno poppers.

After we left Bryn's, we stopped by the Boathouse where we were humiliated after losing two straight games of pool to some visitors. So far this year, my pool shark record is 0-2, making me more of a pool flounder than a shark. Ah well, the year she is young.

Happy 2009!