On the Road: Study Butte, Texas, to San Angelo, Texas

It's 311 miles from Study Butte to San Angelo. That's a long haul pulling a trailer, but it's a good drive, full of history and West Texas scenery.

Study Butte to San Angelo, 311 miles from the mountains to the prairies

We left early in the morning with snow still on the ground in some spots in Study Butte. The roads had cleared off the previous day, so we felt safe traveling. From Study Butte, the road climbs up and through the Christmas Mountains before leveling off near Terlingua Ranch, a sort of desert resort with lots, cabins, RV sites, and other amenities about 15 miles north of Study Butte.

As we neared Alpine, the terrain became hilly again. More snow remained on the ground at this higher elevation, especially on the north slopes of hills. We came down off the ridge and stopped at McDonald's for coffee and snacks.

Back on the road, we headed east out of Alpine on US 67/90, past the campus of Sul Ross State University. About 10 miles outside of town, US 67 splits and heads northeast towards Ft. Stockton. US 67 from Alpine to Ft. Stockton is a good highway, with numerous passing lanes and a good shoulder the entire way. There are very few houses on the stretch. The land is almost entirely devoted to ranching. It's an easy, relaxing drive.

Near Ft. Stockton, we intersected with I-10 and drove in to the largest city in the Big Bend region. The only Walmart in the entire Big Bend is found here. We decided to detour off the interstate and drive along the old highway through town. We stopped for gas on the western edge of town, then drove along the old highway seeing all the old motels and eateries. Ft. Stockton is an oasis for travelers, as the closest town east is 110 miles (Ozona) and the closest town of size west is Van Horn, about 120 miles distant. So, Ft. Stockton provides lots of places for travelers to stop.

I'd like to return to Ft. Stockton when I have a few days. There are numerous places there I want to see, including the 19th century military post, the historic Comanche Springs, the Annie Riggs Museum, and the Ste. Genevieve Winery several miles to the east of town. But that trip will have to wait until another day.

About 10 miles east of town, US 67 splits off I-10 to the northeast. This is mesa country, and the farther we drove, the more wind turbines we saw along the tops of mesas. Wind power is big business out here. As we crossed the Pecos River near McCamey, I began thinking about the historic Horeshead Crossing of the river and the notable Castle Gap that directed travelers from the east to the river crossing. In my mind, I began planning a day trip there from San Angelo, another trip that will have to wait until another day. There's so much to see out here. The land really comes to life when you know something of the history.

From McCamey all the way to Big Lake, there is a great deal of oil-field related activity. There is an oil boom out here. Traffic on the roads is dominated by oil-field activity, and new apartments, RV parks, and other lodging options are popping up everywhere.

About halfway between Rankin and Big Lake, we come across the site of an earlier oil boom, one dating back to the 1920s. On May 28, 1923, the Texon Oil Company discovered the Santa Rita University 1-B, an oil well which brought great wealth to the University of Texas. The well is located just south of the highway, but the effects of this oil boom are obvious along US 67. It is a barren landscape where very little grows.

As we near Mertzon, mature oak trees appear along both sides of the highway.This is unusual for this part of Texas except along creeks and rivers. Although Spring Creek runs to the south of the road, these trees are not near that water source.

We finally pass the Twin Mountains and are back in San Angelo. We will relax here for a week or so, then head back out.


 

Images of Big Bend

Aside from all the locations we visited in Big Bend that I've previously reported on, there are other  spots you happen to along the road. Here are some pictures we snapped of individual events or locations.

West entrance to Big Bend, just down the road from downtown Study Butte.

Tunnel on the east side of the park, with the tops of the Sierra del Carmen in the background.

Colorful cottonwood trees at a picnic area in Rio Grande Village in the east side of the park

Donna snapped this picture of me while on the nature trail at Dugout Wells. The mountains in the background are Nugent Mountain and Pummel Peak, I think.

The rugged Sierra del Carmen of Mexico

The cottonwoods were really colorful during our trip. These are found along the river near Rio Grande Village. In the foreground you can see numerous other desert vegetation, such as ocotillos.

Great picture of the Window from outside the Basin with Casa Grande visible in the background through the notch. Compare it to my other pictures of the Window taken from inside the Basin.

The Mule Ears off Ross Maxwell Drive, with a mature ocotillo in the foreground.

It's obvious how Cottonwoods Campground near Castolon in the western part of the park got its name.

Homer Wilson Ranch, off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Building shown is the foreman's house. Also nearby are the ruins of a bunkhouse, corral, and dipping vat.

A rare snow in Big Bend. This was taken in our RV park early one morning.

Big Bend Motor Inn RV Park

While in the Big Bend area, Donna and I stayed at Big Bend Motor Inn RV Park. There aren't many choices for any type of lodging in the Big Bend area; you have to remember where you are and make do with what is available.

Big Bend Motor Inn is actually a complex located at the intersection of highways 118 (which runs south from Alpine) and 170 (which follows the river down from the Presidio area). It consists of a motel, convenience store, cafe, gas pumps, laundromat, RV park, and cabins. Reservations are handled through Big Bend Resort and Adventures. A word of caution should you make reservations here. Be sure to stipulate the location at Highways 118/170 as the service also handles reservations for a campground at Rio Grande Village inside the park.

The entire park is dirt surface with a few scant patches of grass at some sites. It gets really nasty when it rains. Admittedly, that is a very rare occurrence, but we did get snow during our stay. I was surprised, though, that we had a nice tree at our site. Each site has full hookups and a picnic table. Cable TV with about 10 channels is available, and I found that WiFi worked very well in site 01, where we were located.

Site 01

The RV park provides showers and restrooms, but I did not even venture into them. At check-in, I was told that the showers were coin operated and open to the public. We watched day after day as a stream of tourists used the facilities.

Restrooms/showers and motel rooms near our site, with Bee Mountain in the background

This RV park reminded me some of the RV park where we stayed in Moah, Utah. This is a place for outdoor adventurers. Every day, people set out early in the morning for hiking, desert driving in jeeps, and motorcycle riding, and returned later in the day after exploring the area. It's a busy place.

Pull-thru RV sites with cabins in background. During hot, dry, and windy days, the area can be dusty.

The laundromat is used by local residents, so it is busy, and many machines do not work. We also noted several tourists coming in simply to use the restroom as a place to clean up some.

Cafe and convenience store, with gas pumps out front

As you would expect, prices everywhere in the area are high. Gasoline was going for about $3.70 a gallon at a time when it was $3.04 in San Angelo. Grocery items, propane, and just about everything else is priced higher than usual. Terlingua is isolated, and it costs to ship goods down there.

Although we came across a more attractive RV park in Lajitas (Maverick Ranch RV Park), we were satisfied with our decision to stay at Big Bend Motor Inn RV Park. First of all, it is located in a place with more amenities. Gasoline, propane, and groceries were readily available in our immediate area, and there were numerous eateries within a mile or two of our location. And since our purpose in coming to the area was to explore the national park, we were more conveniently located to it.

Yes, the park was dusty and facilities were not up to par with what you will find in more populated areas, but you have to remember where you area. For us, this park worked fine.

Lajitas, Texas

Like Terlingua, Lajitas is one of those unusual places in the Big Bend with a colorful history. For years, the mayor of Lajitas was Clay Henry, a beer drinking goat. Welcome to the Big Bend!

Lajitas is located on the banks of the Rio Grande. In 1916, General John J. Pershing established a cavalry post there in response to raiding in the area by Pancho Villa. Today, the area is a desert resort.

Our first stop was at the Barton Warnock Visitor Center on the eastern edge of Lajitas. The visitor center is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and serves as an information center for the recently created Big Bend State Park that covers more than 300,000 acres of land along the river between Lajitas and Presidio.

Barton Warnock Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is a good place to stop and stretch your legs. Restrooms are modern and clean, and there is an area with numerous exhibits and pictures describing life in this rugged section of the state. Outside there is a very good desert garden. A short walk up the bluff provides good views in all directions.

Donna roaming the desert garden at Barton Warnock

The visitor center from a bluff behind. The desert garden is to the left of the building.

A little farther west is the actual town of Lajitas. There are several "subdivisions" located along both sides of the road, and a small convenience store on the edge of town. On the north side of the road is an RV park with paved interior roads. Should we take our trailer to this area again, we will probably stay here.

The desert around Lajitas. Houses in front left are part of a subdivision.

On the south side of the road is Lajitas proper, with the Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa. Yep, that's right -- golf in the desert. There is a sort of board walk here, with a hotel, restaurant, bakery, and numerous other tourist-oriented shops.

Boardwalk at Lajitas

Lajitas is about 15 miles from Study Butte, and offers a bit more "upscale" accommodations and amenities than the Terlingua area. Its location also sets it farther from the national park, though it is closer to Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Big Bend: Santa Elena Canyon

Awesome is an overused word today. I can't remember the last time I used the word; perhaps I never have. But this word is perfect for Santa Elena Canyon in the west end of Big Bend National Park.

There are three major canyons in Big Bend. I have previously written about Boquillas Canyon. I doubt I'll ever see Mariscal Canyon due to its remote location. But after seeing Santa Elena, I'm content.

Santa Elena is at the end of the pavement down Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in the extreme western end of the park. That means you pass the Sam Nail Ranch, the Homer Wilson Ranch, Sotol Vista, the Mule Ears, Tuff Canyon, Castollon, and Cottonwoods Campground before reaching Santa Elena. It's a long drive, especially considering the posted speed limit on all paved roads in the park is 45 mph. But what a great drive it is.

You can see the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon a long time before you actually reach the canyon. It first appears as a gap in a long and massive ridge in the distance. The closer you get, the more distinct the mouth of the canyon becomes.

The mouth of Santa Elena Canyon as seen from Sotol Vista, the highest point (I think) on Ross Maxwell Drive. The canyon is the light colored notch just to right of center of the picture.

This is a zoomed in version of the picture above, clearly showing the mouth of Santa Elena.

The mouth of Santa Elena Canyon

The walls of Santa Elena Canyon rise almost perpendicular and tower about 1500 feet above the river. The approach to this canyon is much easier than at Boquillas. A boardwalk provides solid footing through the sand for the first 100 yards or so until the trail dips down into Terlingua Creek. During rainy periods, there may be water in this creek making it necessary to wade across the creek; of course, during heavy rains, the creek may be impassable.

The Rio Grande is during a low stage as it leaves the canyon. A trail leading deeper into the canyon can be seen as it switchbacks up the wall on the right.

A close-up of the trail as it climbs up the hill. You can see some hikers as they climb the trail, which has handrails in some places.

The trail comes out facing the mouth of the canyon, and the view is truly impressive. Upstream, the walls of the canyon close in, while downstream, the landscape opens up. The views are quite a contrast to one another.

Donna standing along the river as it leaves the canyon and heads downstream. Notice how quickly the landscape changes from towering canyon walls to a much flatter environment. That is Mexico on the opposite side of the river from Donna. It's not hard to wade the trickling river here.

Big Bend: Castolon

Probably the most intact historic area in Big Bend National Park is Castolon, near the end of Ross Maxwell Drive in the western section of the park. In fact, the Castolon Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area was still actively worked as late as 1961. There is plenty of information on this little community -- and I've linked to some in this entry -- so I won't repeat much of it here.

There was a great deal of farming up and down the river in this area, with produce being sold as far away as the mining town of Terlingua to the north. With the Glenn Springs Raid in 1916, soldiers were sent to the area and remained stationed here until about 1920. This caused a bit of a building boom, and many of the structures still standing in the area are attributable to this time.

Today, there are numerous buildings that remain from this earlier time. The old barracks building is occupied today by the park service and a convenience store. The park service section of the building has a small area with a few displays recounting the area's history as well as a selection of regional books. A modern-style restroom is located in a separate building nearby.

Also on the grounds are the old Magdelana House, which was also used as a customs house at one time, remains of machinery, and a scattering of other buildings. It's a good place to stop to use the restroom, get a cold drink, and stretch your legs before seeing more of the area.

Old Magdelana House, a single story, two-room rectangular adobe with adjacent ramada. I believe this later served as a customs house. Originally built in early 1920s.

Originally barracks for U.S. soldiers from 1916-1920, this building today houses a convenience store and a ranger section for this area of the park.

One of the more interesting structures is the old Alvino residence, which sits at the base of the bluff where the other structures are located. This is a sprawling (for the times) multi-room house not far from the river. It has at least 4 entrances, and I found the north entrance the most interesting as it had a sort of courtyard area, which would, I think, have been unusual for the time.

Courtyard of the Alvino residence

Southern view of the Alvino residence. Notice other structures on the bluff above the house.

Just down the road is the old La Harmonia store, which served residents from both sides of the river for years and years. The history of this little store is really a history of the entire Big Bend region.

The historic La Harmonia Store, established in 1901 by Cipriano Hernandez.

Big Bend: Sam Nail Ranch

A few miles down Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in Big Bend National Park are the remains of the Sam Nail Ranch. There is a parking area along the road, and a short walk takes you to the old ranch site. The remains are clearly visible from the road as several old pecan trees and a windmill jut out above the surrounding brush of the desert landscape.

"Skyline" for the Sam Nail Ranch

Sings indicate that the inhabitants of the ranch also planted fig trees that still remain, but I did not see any of these.

Mr. Nail homesteaded the ranch in the early 1900s, probably between 1909 and 1916, and continued operating the ranch for almost 40 years. Some accounts indicate that he may have owned up to 15,000 acres. There were many isolated ranchers in the years prior to the area being made into a national park. These rugged individualists were impressive as they lived in this difficult environment with its suppressive summer heat and limited water resources. The isolation was particularly difficult on women, who were few and far between.

Remaining walls of the Sam Nail ranch house

The area around the house today has very thick brush. Over the years, much of it has regrown to overtake what once was an adobe-style house. A windmill stands near the house remains, still pumping water today. This water supply attracts wildlife and makes this a good area for bird watchers to view some birds that make their home here.

Mr. Nail ran cattle, goats, and sheep on his ranch near Burro Mesa. When he arrived, the grass was tall. I remember reading similar statements about the grass in J. O. Langford's account of his arrival in Big Bend about the same time (see "Big Bend Country"). However, ranchers new to the area did not understand how long it took for the grass to grow that tall, as the region goes through long drought cycles. As a result, the area was overgrazed and the grass could never recover. Brush then encroached, and the landscaped changed as a result.

So today, the remains of the ranch squat amid this brush with Burro Mesa in the background. It's a quiet place, and an easy stop for seeing what life was like in Big Bend in years past.