Big Bend Day Three

Neither of us really wanted to get up on day three. We each had some serious aches and pains from our hike up and around the South Rim. We decided that this would be a good day to cut back on the exercise. We biked a bit and did a couple of short hikes, but spent the bulk of the day driving through the park.

We also left the park to the west to check out Terlingua and Lajitas. Lajitas is a small town with an upscale resort. It seemed really nice if you're looking to relax in the middle of nowhere and play golf. Terlingua on the other hand...where to begin. It was a mining town prior to WWII and is a ghost town now. There are a couple thousand people that live in the county and supposedly about 20 people that live in Terlingua. I've heard that lots of people think there is something neat about this place. Not sure what is neat about hanging out with freaks and outcasts that think living in ruins in the middle of nowhere is a good idea. For some reason I couldn't get The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes and every other creepy horror movie I'd ever seen out of my head.

Getting ready for a short bike ride

Huge cliffs at Boquillas Canyon

Boquillas Canyon on the Rio Grande

Flowers magically growing out of rocks

This is one of the hot springs that feeds into the Rio Grande. I didn't think that 105 degree water out in the desert sounded all that great at first. It was actually very relaxing until the Boy Scout troop in this picture showed up.

This is a very old cemetery without any signs that Robin spotted while we were driving. There are about 25 plots there overlooking the Rio Grande.

Luna's jacal (hah-kuhl). My man Luna built this out of rocks, wood, mud and cactus around 1850. He somehow not only farmed this desert land, but he also lived here until his death at the age of 108.

Old Terlingua jail that is now a public restroom. My personal highlight of Terlingua was the sign above the toilet. "If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down."

Ruins of Terlingua