Mission Lodge Terlingua

... for us.. ahhh.<br><br>Getting inside, it was really bizarre,<br>Dinosaur Skeletons on the walls, a seat made out of a tree stump,<br>huge tables and quite dingy, but with pints only $1 per drink in<br>happy hour... it made Dean very happy. We had a few drinks then<br>decided to order food, Dean had the chicken Steak, with beans,<br>coleslaw, hand cut chips and a tortilla, Michelle opted for the tuna,<br>tortilla, chips and beans, ready for an ...

... is about 30 miles away from the park entrance and you have to drive slow to get there so we had plenty of time to soak in the beauty of the setting sun. The campground is set, more or less, in a basin surrounded by mountains. It was like being part of a picture as the sky and landscape seemed like they couldn&#8217;t be real. We spent Monday exploring Big Bend. Christine was feeling a little under the ...

... for mid week in April). However, the following morning, most everyone cleared out early, and we had our pick of sites. We lucked out, finding a spot farther down in the basin with a great view and hidden tent site. I called it our "Secret Zen Garden", as large rocks and rugged, curvy trees protected it from the road and sun. We did our first serious hike on The Window Trail, continuing up Oak Springs Trail and reaching somewhere between 6,000 and 7,800 ft. in ...

... waves on the ocean. It was bizarre to see water the color of chocolate milk cresting like that. Throughout the trip, we also got to see the extent of the devastation. At the put in, a local resort town called Lajitas was so inundated with water that we floated over the 18th green of the golf course, and on the other side of the river we saw Mexican villages that had been partially wiped out. For ...

... on the river for a few days, so we had some time to kill in one of America's largest but least visited national parks. Our first stop was our campground, in the Chisos Mountains, which made it surprisingly cool compared to the surrounding desert in the rest of the park. When we arrived, we picked a site with a view of a waterfall cascading down one of the mountainsides, which we later learned was a very rare occurrence. Mike rigged up a clever ...

... means you can see 3 or 4 kinds of tropical flycatchers mixed with 2 or 3 different northern warblers. Throw in a painted bunting and it is a wonderful experience. BB has undergone some not so nice changes since 9/11. It is on the border with Mexico and there has always been a quiet tolerance of the folks who live across the river for their ability to cross the border to sell souvenirs and buy groceries. We used to cross to this village to buy lunch and there ...

... confusing. It was the young lady who said "More Power to You!". I did find a couple of different interpretations of this saying that said that it means, "Whether I agree or disagree with you, I respect that your point of view or achievement is valid to you." Another definition was, "To support and encourage your will to do something." After I tell them I'm from Calgary they indicate that they are going to Banff in July. They ask if I could be their tour guide. I ...

... checked out some maps of the areas in the Park that I want to see. I noticed that the closest area I wanted to see was the Santa Elena Canyon. The Canyon was located about 25 kms off the main highway. I decided that that would be a good place to go this evening and take some pictures of the setting sun...hopefully. As soon as I turn off the main highway there's a sign warning that the road is only accessible by high-clearance vehicles. The ...

In the Big Bend National Park. Camping was very cold, but we did get some sleep. Hiked up Emory Peak today. It took a while, and ended up being about 9 miles in total length for the hike, but it was good fun, and rewarding when you saw the views. It was nice to be able to go to the natural ...

... it is so tall and flat across the top is within view. It is totally peaceful except for some animals and my stove popping a little (oh, and my stomach just growled). Well, pretty much, Big Bend is perfect. I'm scheduled for three nights here and then I think I'll do some real backcountry camping in the Chisos later. Saturday February 25, 2006 Around 10:34 AM I can't believe this. I'm strolling along Terlingua Creek and spot some wild pigs or boars or something and I take a ...