Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

David’s Trip to West Texas

Friday –Friday                                                                                        Most Recent Posts:
November 17-24, 2017                                                                           Under the Weather in Wekiwa Springs
San Marcos, Terlingua and Big Bend Texas                                           Is Any Birthday Complete Without It?


As promised, here is David’s account of his holiday week in West Texas while Sherry had an ocean front week alone at Gamble Rogers State Park.



I’ll start with thanks to all who made this unlikely trip happen for me. First, thanks to Sherry for taking me to the Orlando Airport on our 1st day in our beach-front site at Gamble Rogers State Park in Flagler Beach & staying home to keep an eye on Winnona. Park managers frown on having the RV unattended.

Then a huge thank you to my brother Roger who invited me and agreed to meet my plane very late at night & take me out to west Texas & back for Thanksgiving dinner in his new home in San Marcos.

Our plan was to drive west to his daughter Amy & her partner Angela’s latest project, a totally off-the-grid hideaway near Terlingua where we would help put some finishing touches on their “Javelina Hideout” & in the afternoons visit Big Bend National Park on the Rio Grande. That is a lot to spin into 5 days, but here is how we did it.



First day our drive west was about 8 hours from San Marcos to Terlingua. Much to my surprise we were driving up onto a high plateau as we went west and soon were at an elevation of 4900 feet – who knew? As we got further west we began to see big cuts through the high ridges & high buttes and mountains on the horizon. Much to my surprise a line of wind turbines on a high plateau. I was not expecting to see any other form of energy production in Texas other than oil.





We made it to the Javelina Hideout just before dark Sunday evening & next morning we were all at work finishing up some projects to get the place ready to rent on Air BnB. For better pictures and more about this gem in the desert, see the Javelina Hideout website.


Brother Roger’s back

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Angela’s smile


Niece Amy and help


Roger’s other side in the “off the grid” kitchen with solar powered full size refrigerator

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In the afternoon we took our first trip into Big Bend National Park with Amy as our guide. Here are some views we took in there.


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David and Amy beside the Rio Grande

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On various trips in & out of Big Bend, we took some comfort in Terlingua with a breakfast at the Bad Rabbit Café & dinner/drinks at the Starlight Restaurant & Bar– two of the few establishments in the area.


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Sherry would definitely like many of the boots on display.


Terlingua Cemetery

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The stars at night were phenomenal at the Javelina Hideout owing to the super dark sky and new moon the first night of my visit. I could not capture that sky adequately with my camera but suffice it to say I have never seen any night sky as clear and bright as I did there. It was truly spectacular, more stars than I have ever seen and a clear view of the Milky Way – every constellation and more. The sunsets there were also fantastic each night.


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A couple more pictures from Big Bend of me at their fabulous new fossil exhibit.


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On our return trip to San Marcos – another 8 hour drive east this time, we took a short break at the LBJ State Park & Historic Site and a slow cruise through the little town of Fredericksburg where the German settler influence is still in evidence.


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Then after a good rest, I shared Thanksgiving dinner with my brother, his wife Carol and their other two daughters Abby & Karissa at his new home in San Marcos.


Food preparation from left to right, Roger, Karissa, Carol and Abby.

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Next morning it was a red-eye flight back to Orlando which my brother was gracious enough to get me to on time. It was a fabulous trip for me and I cannot thank everyone of those who made it possible enough.

20 comments:

  1. Wow I did not know Texas was so much like Az and Nevada. Looks pretty cool, bet it's hot in the summer. Looks like you had an excellent trip.

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  2. Neat trip! I can believe the stars were incredible out there given the darkness and big sky! Great pictures! Nice to see everyone virtually.

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  3. Great trip, and report, David. I haven't made it to Big Bend yet. Some friends live in Alpine and have property in Terlingua. Looks like an area I'd like.
    Merry Christmas to all of you.

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  4. The big bend of Texas which includes Big Bend NP and four other large parks is a life time favorite of mine. This was nice coverage of the area. Spring is wildflower crazy out there.

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  5. Your description of the night-time skies reminds me of rural Ireland. I could actually see the Milky Way, and couldn't have imagined that many stars in the sky. I'm glad you had such a good time.

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  6. So nice that you were able to spend time with your brother, his wife and your nieces!! Javelin Hideout sure looks interesting:o)) Hope to catch up with you and Sherry this winter!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

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  7. That picture of you in the Santa Elena Pass (on the Rio Grande) is great. Surprised you didn't get any pictures of Chisos Basin - it's 5400 feet above sea level and circled by the tall peaks of the Chisos mountains. So glad you were able to come be with us.

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  8. What a fun and productive holiday trip!! So glad you got the opportunity - and that you shared it with us :-))) The hideaway looks amazing, I'm sure they'll get many bookings.

    Your new profile pic reminds me of the paintings at Hogwarts that are empty when the subjects are visiting in other paintings :-))))

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  9. Nothing better than getting a chance to reconnect with family. Nice that it all worked out for you. Now, how many pairs of boots did you bring back for Sherry??? :c)

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  10. Great Job David! The Javelina Hideaway looks really awesome. I spent time in that area last April and fell in love with west Texas. The dry highlands are just amazing. Big Bend is a jewel!

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  11. Wow, love that Hideaway, nice! You had a great trip for sure. Merry Christmas to you and Sherry!

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  12. What a fun and busy trip you had! Big Bend is so huge it takes many visits to take it all in.

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  13. So glad you had that opportunity, David.

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  14. We are headed to Big Bend in the next couple weeks, we have driven by it a couple times but this time we are stopping!

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  15. Love reading your account, David. We were so happy that all forces worked together to make this happen for you! Thanks to Sherry for giving you up on Thanksgiving so you could celebrate with your brother...and get to see Big Bend..and Javelina Hideout in Terlingua. I think you hit all the highlights on your whirlwind trip...a trip that would challenge even those of us who are not struggling with health issues. Amy and Angela were so excited to have you ....and I see you and your "big brother" combined your multi-talents to contribute a little to Javelina Hideout. There was a lot of rejoicing that you were able to stand up to the rigors of this trip....and reconnect again with the Roger Boyd family in their new Texas location. Love to you and Sherry...

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  16. You were in Terlingua??? That's where we are right now!! We've been without internet and I'm just catching up on my blog reading. So fun to read about your adventures in Big Bend NP. This is our first visit here, and we're loving it! I think we were standing in the same place in Santa Elena Canyon this afternoon -- and we also hiked the trail to the Mule Ears. The Javelina Hideaway looks fantastic!

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  17. It was nice that you got to spend some time with your brother and family. I love the Javelina Hideout. Amy and Angela have done a wonderful job on. it.

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  18. It was so awesome having you here at the Javelina Hideout Uncle Dave! We're here again this week, just finding your blog post about it. We can't wait to have you come back and bring Sherry with you. Temps are amazing here this week, 76 yesterday and 72 today. Cold front rolling in tonight so that's the last of the nice temps for a few days. Loved reading your account of your stay. So much to see and do here. Thanks so much for your help and for making the trip out here to visit. Really means a lot to me, more than I can put in words.

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  19. Big Bend is an amazing place! I've never been to Texas.

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