This was my last photo for this vacation. The rest of the day I spend driving the 600 miles back to Houston. My week in the Big Bend area was a week well spend with lots of opportunities for photography.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Last day
On my last day in South West Texas, I realized how many seemingly abandoned vehicles I had seen. This Dodge Ram Van 350 was parked behind the hotel where I had spend te night.
This was my last photo for this vacation. The rest of the day I spend driving the 600 miles back to Houston. My week in the Big Bend area was a week well spend with lots of opportunities for photography.
This was my last photo for this vacation. The rest of the day I spend driving the 600 miles back to Houston. My week in the Big Bend area was a week well spend with lots of opportunities for photography.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Fort Davis
The plan for today was simple: get breakfast, drive to Marfa, drrive a scenic loop a tour near Fort Davis and finally drive to Alpine.
Finding breakfast proved to be a little difficult, in Presidio. After driving around town, I found a gas station which also had chicken sandwiches.
On my way to Marfa, I stopped at one of the many historical markers. It turned out to be an interesting location for photography.
My next stop was the small city Marfa.Each city has its courthouse. Usually photograhers are not welcome in government buildings, so I didn’t try.
Notice the slogan on this former hearse “If I can’t go to heaven, then let me go to Texas.”
In Fort Davis, my scenic drive would start. I like to drive around these small cities, because sometimes I come accross interesting locations, like this church.
I enjoyed to Fort Davis scenic drive so much that I would like to share the route. It is actually quite simple, i.e. you only have to go straight and take to left turns. Even when you get lost in your backyard, you can drive this route.
Fort Davis scenic loop: (1.5 hours - without stops)
- Leave Fort Davis on Texas 118 Limpia Canyon past Mts. Locke and Fowlkes and then into Madera Canyon and a quiet, pine shaded picnic area.
- Left turn Texas 166 road passes Mt. Livermore and Sawtooth Mountain, then gradually descends past a prominent ridge toward the southeast side of the mountains, with broad views to the Sierra Viejo Mountains along the Rio Grande to the south. As you approach Fort Davis again on Texas 166, the Puertacita Mountains and Miter Peak are straight ahead.
- A left turn on 17 takes the ride back into Fort Davis
I just thought this is a photo which characterizes how a large portion of the US population views the military.
The difference in vegetation in the South West of Texas is amazing.
Finding breakfast proved to be a little difficult, in Presidio. After driving around town, I found a gas station which also had chicken sandwiches.
On my way to Marfa, I stopped at one of the many historical markers. It turned out to be an interesting location for photography.
My next stop was the small city Marfa.Each city has its courthouse. Usually photograhers are not welcome in government buildings, so I didn’t try.
Notice the slogan on this former hearse “If I can’t go to heaven, then let me go to Texas.”
In Fort Davis, my scenic drive would start. I like to drive around these small cities, because sometimes I come accross interesting locations, like this church.
I enjoyed to Fort Davis scenic drive so much that I would like to share the route. It is actually quite simple, i.e. you only have to go straight and take to left turns. Even when you get lost in your backyard, you can drive this route.
Fort Davis scenic loop: (1.5 hours - without stops)
- Leave Fort Davis on Texas 118 Limpia Canyon past Mts. Locke and Fowlkes and then into Madera Canyon and a quiet, pine shaded picnic area.
- Left turn Texas 166 road passes Mt. Livermore and Sawtooth Mountain, then gradually descends past a prominent ridge toward the southeast side of the mountains, with broad views to the Sierra Viejo Mountains along the Rio Grande to the south. As you approach Fort Davis again on Texas 166, the Puertacita Mountains and Miter Peak are straight ahead.
- A left turn on 17 takes the ride back into Fort Davis
I just thought this is a photo which characterizes how a large portion of the US population views the military.
The difference in vegetation in the South West of Texas is amazing.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Presidio
When I planned my vacation, I wondered if my program would leave me with too much spare time, today. It turned out to be a perfect day.
For breakfast I pulled in at a gas station, where I filled up last night. Nearly a dozen cars were parked in front of the restaurant/grocery store. I was thinking: “This place must be good.” They had an all you can eat breakfast! Finally I had a decent breakfast, with six slices of bread.
The next stop was Terlingua, a former mercury mine town. At it's peak, it had a population of 2000 people. After WW2 the price for mercury dropped significantly and the mine was closed. Since the 70s the town is populated by artists. The could do a little better job in putting up signs and providing information.
I forgot to bring my tripod while walking through the former ghost town. Putting the camera on the floor gives an interesting perspective.
The last part for today was driving down to the border town Presidio. This 60 mile long Ranch Road (#170) is situated parallel to the Rio Grande river. I has many opportunities for great photos.
The Rio Grance again.
A dead animal along the road attracted turkey vultures.
I'm writing this blog while I'm waiting for my dinner at a local restaurant. The waitress only peaks Spanish and I don't. I hope I will get what I think I have ordered.
For breakfast I pulled in at a gas station, where I filled up last night. Nearly a dozen cars were parked in front of the restaurant/grocery store. I was thinking: “This place must be good.” They had an all you can eat breakfast! Finally I had a decent breakfast, with six slices of bread.
The next stop was Terlingua, a former mercury mine town. At it's peak, it had a population of 2000 people. After WW2 the price for mercury dropped significantly and the mine was closed. Since the 70s the town is populated by artists. The could do a little better job in putting up signs and providing information.
I forgot to bring my tripod while walking through the former ghost town. Putting the camera on the floor gives an interesting perspective.
The last part for today was driving down to the border town Presidio. This 60 mile long Ranch Road (#170) is situated parallel to the Rio Grande river. I has many opportunities for great photos.
The Rio Grance again.
A dead animal along the road attracted turkey vultures.
I'm writing this blog while I'm waiting for my dinner at a local restaurant. The waitress only peaks Spanish and I don't. I hope I will get what I think I have ordered.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Last day in Big Bend National Park
My schedule said that I would spend the last day of my stay in Big Bend National Park, in the South-East corner of the park. It looked like an easy day with no too many miles behind the wheel.
My first stop would be Santa Elena Canyon. This canyon is the border between Mexico and the US. I spend the night in Terlingua, just outside the park. Coming from Terlingua there are two options to go to the canyon: i) the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, which would be the option with the most miles, and ii) Old Maverick Road, which is a gravel road. I’ve driven on gravel roads before, without any serious issues, so how hard could it be?
At Maverick Junction, I turned onto Maverick road. A traffic sign said ‘high clearance’. My car had medium high clearance and I assumed this was probably some new liability prevention requirement from the legal department of the park.
Already after half a mile I found out that the condition of this gravel road didn’t meet my standard for a maintained gravel road. There was a significant washboard effect, which required me to reduce the speed to about 10 mph.
There is something good in everything. In the case of Old Maverick Road, not too many people were foolish enough too take this road. This gave me plenty of opportunity to take photos from the wonderful scenery.
While going 10mph, I was still puzzled about the ‘high clearance’ sign. It became clear to me after a few miles. I’m used to the situation where a road will cross a river or creek with a bridge. In the Big Bend, they have a different solution.... they cross at they same level. Don’t drive a sedan around this area during a thunderstorm.
More shots of Sana Elena Canyon.
After a few hours on Old Maverick road, I made it to Santa Elena Canyon. Mexico is on the left and the US, where I was, is on the right. You can imagin how easy it is to cross the border. The hard part is that this point is almost 100 miles away from any city and there is a lot of border police with check points I hope the US doesn’t decide to put an iron curtain through the Big Bend, like they have done at other locations along the Mexican-US border.
I continued my day trip to Cantelon. Along the way I spotted Cerro Castalon. The peak of the mountain is only 3300ft over sea level, but it makes a great photo because it is surrounded by flat desert.
My last stop for today was Chisos Basin. This is not actually a village. It is just a collection of a few dozen cabins, a little store, a visitor center and most important a restaurant. I only had a couple of candy bars during the day. I finished my burger on time to walk over to ‘the Window’. I was on time and talked with a few of the other tourists who were also waiting for sunset.
My first stop would be Santa Elena Canyon. This canyon is the border between Mexico and the US. I spend the night in Terlingua, just outside the park. Coming from Terlingua there are two options to go to the canyon: i) the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, which would be the option with the most miles, and ii) Old Maverick Road, which is a gravel road. I’ve driven on gravel roads before, without any serious issues, so how hard could it be?
At Maverick Junction, I turned onto Maverick road. A traffic sign said ‘high clearance’. My car had medium high clearance and I assumed this was probably some new liability prevention requirement from the legal department of the park.
Already after half a mile I found out that the condition of this gravel road didn’t meet my standard for a maintained gravel road. There was a significant washboard effect, which required me to reduce the speed to about 10 mph.
There is something good in everything. In the case of Old Maverick Road, not too many people were foolish enough too take this road. This gave me plenty of opportunity to take photos from the wonderful scenery.
While going 10mph, I was still puzzled about the ‘high clearance’ sign. It became clear to me after a few miles. I’m used to the situation where a road will cross a river or creek with a bridge. In the Big Bend, they have a different solution.... they cross at they same level. Don’t drive a sedan around this area during a thunderstorm.
More shots of Sana Elena Canyon.
After a few hours on Old Maverick road, I made it to Santa Elena Canyon. Mexico is on the left and the US, where I was, is on the right. You can imagin how easy it is to cross the border. The hard part is that this point is almost 100 miles away from any city and there is a lot of border police with check points I hope the US doesn’t decide to put an iron curtain through the Big Bend, like they have done at other locations along the Mexican-US border.
I continued my day trip to Cantelon. Along the way I spotted Cerro Castalon. The peak of the mountain is only 3300ft over sea level, but it makes a great photo because it is surrounded by flat desert.
My last stop for today was Chisos Basin. This is not actually a village. It is just a collection of a few dozen cabins, a little store, a visitor center and most important a restaurant. I only had a couple of candy bars during the day. I finished my burger on time to walk over to ‘the Window’. I was on time and talked with a few of the other tourists who were also waiting for sunset.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Big Bend 1
During the first few days in South West Texas, I spotted quite a number of abandoned stores.
A few miles from my hotel, I noticed an abandoned gas station. In general all the references the gas company are carefully removed. At this station,the clean up crew forgot to remove the star. I expect that this was Texaco gas station.
While I was driving from Houston to National Park Big Bend, the hills on the horizon got higher and higher. Once I’m inside the park the will turn into mountains. You might think the cactus in the photo is gigantic, but that is caused by the wonderful distortion from my wide-angle 10-22mm lens.
The secondary roads in this part of Texas are called Ranch to Market roads or just short Ranch Roads. Each ranch has a similar gate and usually the ranch buildings can’t be seen from the gate. In Europe people wonder why the US has relative liberal gun laws. Imagine it was only the early 20th century when there were only a few police officers in this area, for whom it took many days just to make a single inspection round. You needed a backup plan in this area, still today.
Finally the Big Bend. With more than 1250 sq miles, Big Bend is larger than Yosemite National Park, which makes Big Bend one of the largest National Parks. However it is the most remote, and least-visited national parks. In recent years only 300,000-350,000 visitors have entered the park annually.
A few miles from my hotel, I noticed an abandoned gas station. In general all the references the gas company are carefully removed. At this station,the clean up crew forgot to remove the star. I expect that this was Texaco gas station.
While I was driving from Houston to National Park Big Bend, the hills on the horizon got higher and higher. Once I’m inside the park the will turn into mountains. You might think the cactus in the photo is gigantic, but that is caused by the wonderful distortion from my wide-angle 10-22mm lens.
The secondary roads in this part of Texas are called Ranch to Market roads or just short Ranch Roads. Each ranch has a similar gate and usually the ranch buildings can’t be seen from the gate. In Europe people wonder why the US has relative liberal gun laws. Imagine it was only the early 20th century when there were only a few police officers in this area, for whom it took many days just to make a single inspection round. You needed a backup plan in this area, still today.
Finally the Big Bend. With more than 1250 sq miles, Big Bend is larger than Yosemite National Park, which makes Big Bend one of the largest National Parks. However it is the most remote, and least-visited national parks. In recent years only 300,000-350,000 visitors have entered the park annually.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Del Rio - Langtry
Del Rio is relative small city with a population of only 37,000. The chamber of commerce was quite helpful in providing information about what to do. I made the mistake to be here on a Monday, because a few museums and shops were closed. Since 9/11 and the subsequent increased border control, the economy declined on both sides of the border.
I spend most of the morning walking in downtown Del Rio, with the helpful self guided walking tour. Each county capital has its county courthouse,.
Not all churches in the US are doing that well, the Old Methodist Church had seen better days.
This is certainly not the best photo of the day, but the architecture clash is unique in my opinion.
On my way to Langtry, I spotted these two Studebakers. I spoke to the owner and they are for sale. While driving through SW Texas, I noticed that there are quite a few older cars sometimes in use or just parked somewhere.
The final stop before I would continue to drive to Marathon, was Langtry. It was a small village there during the late 19th and early 20th century a rather unique judge ruled, who also ran a saloon at the same time. The jury members were selected from his best saloon customers. The saloon was actually a bit small.
I spend most of the morning walking in downtown Del Rio, with the helpful self guided walking tour. Each county capital has its county courthouse,.
Not all churches in the US are doing that well, the Old Methodist Church had seen better days.
This is certainly not the best photo of the day, but the architecture clash is unique in my opinion.
On my way to Langtry, I spotted these two Studebakers. I spoke to the owner and they are for sale. While driving through SW Texas, I noticed that there are quite a few older cars sometimes in use or just parked somewhere.
The final stop before I would continue to drive to Marathon, was Langtry. It was a small village there during the late 19th and early 20th century a rather unique judge ruled, who also ran a saloon at the same time. The jury members were selected from his best saloon customers. The saloon was actually a bit small.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
towards Del Rio
During the first day of my vacation, I was mainly travelling from Houston to Del Rio. On the way I pulled over at one of the ‘Texas historic markers’. I like those markers, because when it is too hot you can just read them from you car. The small city where I pulled over was D’Hanis, which has a population of only 1800 people. Once you pass San Antonio, Texas gets rather sparsely populated.
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