We stopped for lunch at Fort Mason. This fort was the last US Army command of Gen. Robert E. Lee. It was also a duty station for many other well-known military commanders. The fort property is maintained by the county. It’s at the top of a hill.
We spent Sunday night at South Llano River State Park, near Junction, TX. The land was purchased by a retired jeweler named Walter Buck in 1910.
After his father died, his son, who felt strongly about conserving the land, ensured that his cattle, sheep, and goats were not overgrazing the land by reducing the number to the amount the land could support.
This way, he was able to survive a multi-year drought in the 1950s.
Buck donated his 600 acre property to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1977 for wildlife conservation or park purposes. The park opened in 1990, and is now 2600 acres, encompassing a wildlife refuge.
There are numerous hiking trails, and since the land is at the edge of the Hill Country and along the S. Llano, there are trails with significant elevation and spectacular views of the countryside.
We headed today into Edwards County on the way to Del Rio, through some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve seen in Texas. On the way we stopped in Rocksprings. There are only two towns in Edwards County: Rock Springs, the county seat with about 1300 people, and Barksdale, where about 100 people live.
The Historic Rocksprings Hotel looked interesting so we walked over and went inside.
The hotel owner greeted us and told us a bit about its history. She and her husband, originally from Houston, bought some acreage in Rocksprings in 2004 and later bought and renovated the hotel. There are 11 rooms available for rent.
The owner said that since the pandemic there has been a land rush in the county. Out-of-towners are paying $3,000/acre or more for parcels of land to build homes. Ranch owners are cashing in.
There were a lot of DPS troopers visible all over town. The hotel owner told us that there is significant illegal immigrant criminal activity in the county, with theft, break-ins and scary encounters, so the troopers are there to help.
We had lunch at the Old Jail Grill and Bar, and seated nearby were four DPS troopers.
As we got closer to Del Rio, the hills gave way to flat, sparsely vegetated land with long vistas to the horizon. We passed an ICE checkpoint.
Del Rio is in Val Verde County and borders Mexico and the Rio Grande. It’s a fairly large city of over 30,000. We drove along the river via Verde Vista Street. The miles of riverfront are lined on the US side by houses in various states of repair. Some are new, others are obviously long-abandoned.
Directly across the street from the riverfront homes is a long section of chainlink fencing with razor wire on top. Sections of the fence are complete, while other sections are still under construction.
At one point along the street adjacent to an empty lot we saw a man sitting in the grass along the roadside in front of a parked DPS cruiser. Further along the fence was an open area where we saw several parked DPS cruisers with officers talking to a few individuals.
Governor Abbott has sent thousands of DPS troopers here and to the Valley to help with the increase in illegal border crossings and to help allay the concerns of residents living on isolated ranches.
As we got closer to Del Rio, the hills gave way to flat, sparsely vegetated land with long vistas to the horizon. We passed an ICE checkpoint.
Del Rio is in Val Verde County and borders Mexico and the Rio Grande. It’s a fairly large city of over 30,000. We drove along the river via Vega Verde Street. The miles of riverfront are lined on the US side by houses in various states of repair. Some are new, others are obviously long-abandoned.
Directly across the street from the riverfront homes is a long section of chainlink fencing with razor wire on top. Some sections of the fence are complete, while other sections are still under construction.
At one point along the street adjacent to an empty lot we saw a man sitting in the grass along the roadside in front of a parked DPS cruiser. Further along the fence was an open area where we saw several parked DPS cruisers with officers talking to a few individuals. Governor Abbott has sent thousands of DPS troopers here and to the Valley to help with the increase in illegal border crossings and to help allay the concerns of residents living on isolated ranches.
Just west of Del Rio is Amistad National Recreation Area. In 1954 a massive flood created the need for Mexico and the US to better manage the Rio Grande (Called Rio Bravo in Mexico). A larger dam was constructed to control flooding on the Rio Grande, the Pecos, and the Devils Rivers, which meet in this area. It was a massive project, with planning and construction spanning almost a decade. Miles of railroad tracks required relocation. We passed a long, now unused, railway trestle. The interpretive center has a timeline of the project.
During the flooding of the new reservoir, many prehistoric rock paintings were covered by water and lost forever. Archaeologists and scholars were able to document them all and preserve drawings and photographs of them.
Amistad does not yet have an invasive mussel infestation like dozens of other Texas Lakes now have. We were told that the staff conducts extensive education and boat checks to help prevent the mussels. An exhibit in the visitor’s center showed how devastating these mussels can be on pipes and equipment. They also suck nutrients from the water, killing fish and plants.
There are miles of roads and many access points to the lake. The dam is not accessible but can be seen beyond the Border Patrol point of entry.
We drove around the lake and enjoyed the views.
Seminole Canyon State Park has an excellent visitor’s center with a comprehensive interpretive center detailing the history of the area. There is a rock shelter with many ancient pictographs visible on the walls spanning many years and different cultures.
There are several hiking trails, several ending at the Rio Grande, others leading to canyon overlooks, and one to an old windmill at the site of a spring that supplied scarce water to area inhabitants.
There were only two other campers in the park so it was very private and peaceful. It was hot, but cooled off for our evening walk, and we hiked up the Rio Grande trail at sunrise the next morning before we headed out.
Langtry, population 11, is on Route 90 and was the site of the famous Judge Roy Bean’s saloon and court. The museum is run by TXDOT and contains some of the Judge’s belongings and a food synopsis of his life and times. The original court/saloon building is here, surrounded by an extensive cactus garden.
Langtry has many abandoned homes, but we saw one modern and inhabited home at the edge of the cliff overlooking the river.
Route 90 from Del Rio to Alpine is a beautiful scenic drive
The Holland Hotel courtyard
Art Alley, Alpine
Art Alley, Alpine
A small shop in Alpine, across the tracks near Alicia’s.
We drove to Fort Davis and on the way passed one of the Village Farms hydroponic tomato farms. They are multi acre greenhouse complexes, and inside you can see the tomato plants.
We always visit Fort Davis National Historic Park and hike around the grounds. The Forts is in a box canyon surrounded by tall cliffs.
A lot has been done to improve the fort since we were last here two years ago. The hospital has been renovated, with a new roof and new interpretive exhibits. The commissary and orderly’s office also have new exhibits. Some of the other buildings are under preservation, with new floors and scaffolding erected for maintenance. They left some of the old plaster walls so visitors can see the graffiti made by soldiers (and later vandals). It was disappointing to see that the National Park Service has closed the interpretive center and museum due to Covid fear. We would have liked to see it again.
After leaving Fort Davis we drove over to Marfa. It’s as pretentious as ever, so we didn’t stay or take photos. There were a lot of empty buildings. We passed another hydroponic tomato farm on the way to Marfa.
We noticed a heavy DPS presence in Alpine, not surprising since highway 118 runs directly to the border and Brewster County is very rural. We always stay at the Lost Alaskan RV park just outside of Alpine. There are at least three DPS troopers staying here in RVs. Some are on day shift and others on nights, judging by when their vehicles are here.
The lady at the Visitor’s Center in Alpine told us that property values are out of control in the area. Marfa has always been expensive. But now property in Fort Davis and Alpine is being snapped up at exorbitant prices by out of town people looking for investment property, and they are turning homes that once were affordable for residents into Bed and Breakfasts for tourists. Sul Ross’s enrollment is down and the lack of students and limited affordable housing is causing problems for businesses.
There was an artist demo this afternoon at MOBB featuring Tim Oliver and Mike Capron painting and answering questions.
Lunch at Alicia’s before visiting the shops downtown.
We enjoyed the preview party, meeting the artists and seeing their works.
Evening in Alpine. There is music on the square, tonight with Mariachi Santa Cruz from Ojinaga, MX and Presidio. They were excellent! Some dancing and fun on a beautiful night.
More law enforcement presence here in West Texas.
118 from Alpine to Lajitas
Big Bend Ranch State Park Barton Warnock Visitors Center
View from the overlook over the Visitors Center
We spent the night at Lajitas in the RV park. It’s a dark sky area. Even with an almost full moon there were so many stars!
We drove FM 170 again to Presidio. Even though we’ve driven this route many times before, each time the sheer beauty of this landscape is a revelation.