West Texas - Part Two

Thursday morning we were up and out by 6:30am.  We had a raft to catch! 

The road from Alpine to Terlingua was a good one.  Of course it was completely dark for most of the 1 1/2 hour trip.  In this part of the state, you're on the western edge of the Central Time Zone, so the sun is about 45 minutes later coming up than in Houston.  But by the time we got close to town, our surroundings came into view.

Terlingua is quaint - in a dusty sort of way.  Several small businesses dot the road, and we soon found Big Bend River Tours.  It had been our choice for this trek after reading reviews online several months before, and speaking to the nice folks in the office by phone. We chose correctly!  What follows is a journal of our fantastic guided tour - 3 days and 2 nights we will never forget...

Upon our arrival at the office, we were given detailed instructions on packing up our gear and prepping for the trip.  We were then introduced to our guide, Andy.  He was a young man - around the age of our sons - so we were immediately comfortable.  He gave us even further suggestions on packing, using the wet bags they provided (which were awesome), and double-checking to ensure we'd brought everything needed - which wasn't much.  They provide almost everything!  A good packing list had been provided when we made the reservation, so we were set.  We then talked about the choices we had to navigate Boquillas Canyon, which was the pre-determined route based on conditions that week.  We quickly chose raft over canoes, and Andy was happy with the decision.  He and Jim, our van driver, loaded up the raft and gear, and we were off to Big Bend National Park - just to the east of Terlingua.

A 45-minute van ride took us halfway through the park to our put-in at Rio Grande Village.  We noticed that  a great camping area here with nice restrooms and a small store.  The raft was expertly loaded with our gear, and we settled in for the ride.

Andy would be paddling, so we had a chance to get used to our surroundings... a beautiful flowing brown river with lush greenery, rocky banks, and a cloudless sky.  The temperature was probably about 60 degrees as we left Rio Grande Village and made our way to Boqullas, a happy small border town - "happy" since the tourist crossing was re-opened there a couple of years ago.  (more in a later chapter).  As we passed by the crossing, Andy spoke to the Mexicans, and Victor (the "jefe" of the local welcoming committee) serenaded us.  Andy gave us suggestions for our planned visit later in the week.

The famous "Victor"

A few more miles brought us to the opening of Boquillas Canyon - it would provide us with amazing views for the next 24 hours. 

We stopped for a mid-day break on the bank of the river.  We watched as Andy expertly unloaded just what he needed from the raft to provide the makings for great turkey and roast beef sandwiches with all the fixin's.  He encouraged us to drink plenty of water since the hot part of the day was approaching.  Temps reached the high 80s that day, but of course the canyon provided plenty of shade as the afternoon wore on.

Back on the river, we soon came to a sight that surprised our guide.  Seems an abandoned "wax factory" was back in business on the Mexico side.  Andy told us how they make a type of wax from the "candelilla" plant by cutting it down, loading piles of it on the backs of burros and taking it to the river bank.  We saw the burros, the dog that "encourages" them down the hill, and piles of stalks of this plant being cooked in a huge stone/mud oven.  The smell wasn't intense, but it was different that anything we'd smelled before.  Here's more about this long process and the uses for the wax they make and sell...Candelilla Waxcamps.
Andy was glad to see the camp open again because it meant a little money for the Mexicans.  In listening to him along the way, we learned that this part of the Rio Grande is a community made up of both sides of the river, and they cooperate with each other to do what's best for the river and for those who make their living in and around it.

We had made good progress the first day and soon spotted "Rabbit Ears," the name for the rock formation that marked our camp for the night.  It was about 4:30 or 5:00 when Andy steered us to the bank and started unloading.  As we explored, I learned pretty quickly that the bank of a river that constantly raises and lowers its level leaves some muddy spots.  A couple of good muddy slips taught me well.

Rabbit Ears on the right

We set up our tent, and Andy setup the "groover."  I think the picture says it all...

 and we soon settled in for the evening.  Andy served us wine and cooked a fabulous meal - a gorgeous salad and grilled chicken pasta with a creamy alfredo-like sauce.

the grill

 We were so full, we skipped dessert, which we were told would have been strawberry shortcake and no doubt would have been awesome.  We soon were treated to another amazing West Texas sky as the canyon top framed the Milky Way for us perfectly.  We saw several shooting stars that night, and soon  realized that our necks were sore from looking up all day and evening!  Heading to the tent was a good option.  Because we didn't need the rainfly, we could look up at the stars through the top screen of our little "hotel room."  The night was restful except for an occasional forlorn bray of a donkey in the distance.  When the moon rose about 2:30, it gave light for my early morning exit to pee, then back to sleep.


Friday on the river.

7AM brought the smell of cowboy coffee and the clanking of pots and pans, so we knew Andy was up and working.  The coffee was great - I was shown how to strain it and add the cream I wanted from a little can of condensed milk.  Marc had his AM Dr Pepper.  The temperature was probably around 50 degrees.

Our amazing chef making pancakes!

Breakfast was eggs, bacon and pancakes cooked on a stove that folds up neatly just like everything on that boat.  We ate till we were stuffed!

We had traveled about 17 of the total 33 miles, so we had some time that morning to explore both sides of the canyon.  Marc and I headed out on the campsite side.  Here are some pictures we took that morning:

Dessert marigolds

This is "baby's breath" like florists use - smells amazing

Canyon swallows nests

Tree tobacco - hummingbirds love it!

We packed up, loaded the raft and quickly paddles across to the other bank and got out.  Andy took us into a side canyon that had some amazing rock formations.

We moved on down the river about 10:30 and enjoyed the canyon for another few hours.  The end of the canyon brought lots of green space, hawks, falcons & other birds, and open sky

Marc paddled for while, quickly got the hang of it... but we were soon looking for shade and Andy took over again to guide us to a place to rest.

We'd traveled another 10 miles, and the afternoon sun was really hot.  It probably reached the mid-90s that day.  So after lunch (a fancy tuna salad, fritos, salsa, and pickles), we decided to take it easy and stay the night there.  We were on the Mexico-side, and there was some concern about wild burros invading the campsite overnight, so Andy had a look around and decided it would be fine - and it was.

That cool river was calling our name, and we decided it was time for a swim... here's Marc traveling down our "waterslide!"...

We swam and napped and enjoyed a lazy afternoon in our little corner of Mexico. 

Andy saved the best dinner for last:  grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignon (the best we've ever had), garlic mashed potatoes and ranch beans.  More wine made it taste even better!  There was another cloudless night sky as we enjoyed dessert this night - a delicious cheesecake! (and more wine.)  We heard some river stories from Andy and talked about families and hometowns.  What a great day and evening...

There was another early morning moonrise, temperatures dipping into the high 40s, and a perfect view of the constellation Orion through our tent ceiling.


Saturday - final raft-trip day...

 Breakfast burritos with every topping imaginable was our morning meal, and more good strong coffee.  We weren't in a rush to leave, so after packing up, Marc and I took a walk in the desert behind our camp.  Plenty of signs that the burros had been there, but lots of other tracks and signs of animals were there...

And we were off again to the town of La Linda, an abandoned mining town that would be our take-out point. The end of the river trek was a scenic ride through Heath Ranch and Heath Canyon. We thought back on all we had learned from Andy about the ecology and life of the Rio Grande and its surroundings, and were again grateful for his knowledge and expertise.  We arrived at La Linda and 1PM, the exact time Andy and Jim had agreed to meet.

Our route from Rio Grande Village to La Linda

After the guys loaded the gear and raft, (and I had one last squat pee!) we were off through the park for the 1 1/2 hr vanride back to Terlingua.  We stopped once for a picnic lunch at Stillwell Ranch.  There is a cool museum there depicting the life of Hallie Stillwell - teacher, rancher, justice of the peace, and chili cook-off queen - just to name a few of her titles.  Looked through the place as Jim and Andy prepped lunch using the leftover grilled chicken and other ingredients for a great chicken salad.

It was windy, so we ate up, loaded up, and headed back to Terlingua, said our goodbyes and thanks, exchanged email addresses, and headed back to Alpine for a hot shower, a comfortable bed, and sweet dreams of the river!