December 28, 2005 - Day 6:
We took December 27th off from riding and went exploring. December 28th was the 4th and final day of riding. Today’s plan was to ride the famous Ft. Davis Loop.
Ft. Davis loop
Take a look at the map. Alpine is in the lower right corner. 24 miles north on Hwy 118 is the town of Ft. Davis. Follow the squiggly line of Hwy 118 as it runs northwest from Ft. Davis. That squiggly line, running through the Davis Mountains, is custom made for motorcycle riding! It would be a sin to go all the way to the Big Bend region on your motorcycle and miss that squiggly line.
We rode Hwy 118 from Study Butte to Ft. Davis and grabbed a snack at The Drugstore. Brownie Pie a la mode. Mmmm.
Outside the drugstore.
Once our snacking was done, we ran Hwy 118, passing the McDonald Observatory in the process.
McDonald Observatory is a very cool place to visit. Built around 1968, they have a 107 inch telescope at this site. When it was first built it was the largest telescope in the world and today it is the 33rd largest in the world. They have tours during the day where they point their big telescope at the Sun and tours at night called star parties. Since you are in the area, I recommend you stop by, day or night, and take the tour. It’s fascinating.
Uncle working the twisties with McDonald Observatory in the background.
One of the telescope domes at McDonald Observatory.
The 107 inch telescope. 33rd largest in the world.
At the intersection of Hwy 118 and Hwy 166, we turned left on 166 and ran it to Hwy 17. Here’s my FZ1 hanging out on Hwy 166. We passed 2 cars along the entire length of this road. Nice.
FZ1 on Hwy 166.
Once we reached Hwy 17 we ran that into Marfa. From there it was a quick trip down to Presidio and then, of course, we had to run River Road one last time on this trip from Presidio back to the Rogerosa.
This ends my motorcycling adventure in Big Bend, for this year at least. Plans are already in the works for our 2006 trip. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
However, before I go I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about some of the really cool things you can do in the Big Bend area when you aren’t on your bike. Yes, I know that it borders on sacrilege that there might be fun things you can do off your bike (and with your clothes on), but there are. Following are some of those things.
Hiking & Other Things
As much fun as motorcycling in Big Bend is, if you don’t get off the bike you will miss some unbelievable sights. Luckily, some of the more spectacular sights are just a relatively short hike from the road.
There are lots and lots of trails to hike in Big Bend National Park. In 8 years of visiting there, my family and I have only scratched the surface of available hikes. On the other hand there are some hikes we repeat every year because we enjoy them so much. Following are some of our favorite hikes, hikes that I highly recommend to you due to the spectacular scenery encountered during these hikes. They may be the most popular hikes in the entire park, but not to worry; Big Bend is the least visited national park in the entire national park service, receiving only about 180,000 visits each year. In comparison to 5 million or so visitors to Yosemite, 180,000 is a relatively small number. Big Bend is so large that even if you visited on the busiest day of the year the park will not be crowded.
Santa Elena Canyon Hike
This is probably the single most popular hike in the park and for good reason. The Rio Grande has cut a magnificent canyon, with sheer rock walls 1,500 feet high. Round trip it is only 1.7 miles. Sure, you can see Santa Elena Canyon as you ride by on your motorcycle, but you will miss the grandeur of it all if you don’t hike in.
Santa Elena Canyon
Santa Elena Canyon, crossing Terlingua Creek to reach the mouth of the canyon..
Hot Springs
This isn’t so much a hike since it’s only about ½ mile walk in, as it is a great place to hang out at one lazy afternoon. Bring your swim suit so you can relax in the hot pool. When things get a little too warm you can take a quick dip in the Rio Grande, but I’ll warn you in advance it’s gonna be cold.
People have been coming to the hot springs for a long time. One of the signs of this are the ancient paintings on the cliff walls. A historical marker discusses these ancient paintings on your walk in. In the 1920s this area was a spa resort. People believed that the water was medicinal. There remnants of the buildings are still in the area.
My boys hanging out at the Hot Springs.
The Lost Mine Trail
This may be the most spectacular hike and scenery in the entire park. It’s not an easy hike, about 5 miles in both directions, but well worth it. Get in shape before you try it though.
Looking west through “the window” about ½ way up The Lost Mine Trail
Same view of “the window”, a little higher up the trail.
View southeast from the Lost Mine trail.
Looking south towards Mexico from the top of Lost Mine trail.
The view south about halfway up the Lost Mine trail.
Grapevine Hills Trail
This hike starts at the end of an unpaved road. It heads out through a valley and then climbs a good size hill, culminating in a great view of the mountains on east side of the park. It also has a very cool balanced rock you can climb on and around.
Balanced Rock, looking east.
Balanced Rock, looking west, with Hammer and Mike.
Honorable Mention: Boquillas Canyon
The kids love this hike, never tiring of it. What fuels their enthusiasm? The perpetual 100 foot sand dune that we let them play on for as long as they like. The pictures don’t do justice to how high this sand dune is. It’s great for the kids, but it gives the adults heart attacks trying to get to the top.
Playing on the big sand dune in Boquillas Canyon.
Other Cool Stuff To See and Do
Contrabando Movie Set: There is a movie set of a small Mexican village right on FM 170 west of Presidio. The sign says it was used for the movie “Contrabando” but I’ve been told it has been used for other movies too, including some scenes from the “Streets of Laredo”.
Sign letting you know you are there.
Various shots of the site. The buildings look real, but you can see they are not when you get up close and look at them.
See the fake rocks used to simulate a rock wall? The lower half has fallen off revealing the wood underneath.
Ojinaga, Mexico
There is an international border at Presidio, TX and you can cross over into the town of Ojinaga, Mexico. If you are just going across as a tourist and are not planning on going into the interior of Mexico you don’t need a passport (as of 2006 you need a passport to travel into the interior of Mexico). Ojinaga is an interesting town to visit; it has a tourist flavor to it, but probably not as bad as the more popular international crossings at places like El Paso or Laredo. If you like tequila, there are some excellent brands available at a significant savings over the same stuff in the US.
I found the Mexican Postal Service motorcycle units to be particularly interesting.
A closer look at the bike. The battery is held in by a piece of string. Not sure what kind of liquid residue that is on the gas tank. The chain is well oiled though. Mail was carried in a single saddlebag on the right side of the bike, not visible in the pictures.
This ends my Big Bend report. If you haven’t been to Big Bend yet, I highly recommend it to you. My story and pictures not only don’t do justice to this wonderful area, it also only gives you a glimpse of all the things there are to do and see there. It really is a place you have to see with your own eyes. Finally, I recommend allotting some time to see some of the things that can’t be seen or fully enjoyed from the seat of your bike. The riding is great and so are the sights, so try and make time for both.