Monday, January 26, 2015

January 25, 2015. West Texas High Desert

CAMPGROUND: Hueco Tanks State Park.  Only 16 sites. Nestled under boulder cliffs. Nice bathrooms. Electricity and water. 5 stars. $16/night
LOCATION:  Outside of El Paso, Texas.  Far SW border. Near New Mexico
WEATHER:  Sunny. Pleasant. High around 60

We took one last look at Marfa, including this Lost Horse Bar where we had stopped for $1 beers yesterday. 


Then, 190 miles north and west through the high desert toward our destination.  This has been our route through Texas. 


Again, huge ranches with nothing other than sage brush.  Tumbleweeds tumbled down the highway.  We took a shortcut to avoid the interstate.  We saw a cowboy galloping around his land.  We went about 75 miles without seeing any buildings or towns.

We came across a run-down restaurant in the middle of nowhere advertising the "world's best burger".  (Who makes these decisions?). The town's population is posted as 5-6.  We split their "famous" burger and ordered a jalapeño on the side.  It was very interesting to listen to the other customers.  One conversation was a table headed by a man speaking like a preacher, to his congregation of his table of 4.  The other table, in contrast, was a group of ranchers talking about answering the door with a loaded shotgun to a stranger yelling, "what the hell are you doing here?" 

We stopped for the night at this state park which is well-known by rock climbers. It is an archaeological site.  Part of the registration was a required orientation, emphasizing the protection of the rocks and trails.  We hiked around and saw some of the ancient petroglyphs.  We talked to a rock climber.  Then, as we were leaving the trail section, the rangers came to rescue someone who had fallen.  Soon, we heard helicopters.  

We have a majestic campsite

And a neat picnic area...

We entered Mountain  Time Zone, but aren't acclimated to it yet.  We ate early and went to bed.  No TV or internet. 

DINNER:  Nachos.  A great way to use leftovers......chips, cheese, diced pork chop, salsa, jalapeños, poblanos, black beans, and a perfectly ripe avocado.  


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