Ghost Town Of Terlingua, TX, Exploring Big Bend National Park And Lunch In Mexico Across The Rio Grande

So back in February we were in Lajitas, Texas which is down by Big Bend National Park. In our previous post we told you all about the rv park that we stayed at, Maverick Ranch RV Resort. Now it’s time to tell you about exploring the surrounding area.

Not to far from Lajitas, TX and the Maverick Ranch RV Park is the old Chisos Mining Company town, that is now the historical ghost town of Terlingua, TX.In the booming days of mining the

Cinnabar,by 1903, 3000 people populated the area. However once the mine shut down and the people left, the town dried up. As of the 2010 US census, the town’s population had a whopping 58 people that still reside in Terlingua. Most are artists and dreamers, setting up shop to sell their goods to the tourists that keep this community alive.

We came across a great breakfast cafe in town called La Posado Milagro Cafe. They had great breakfast burritos and a great view while eating them but what really blew us away was their entertainment. Artist J. Michael Combs and his friend were entertaining the crowd with their whimsical songs, fluttering guitar talent as well as an accordion, banjo and others.

When we got to talking to J. Michael he mentioned that he was playing at the Starlight Theater and that David should join him on his Cajon.

The Starlight Theater is a famous theater down in that area were entertainers from all over the globe come to play. So when J. Michael had invited David to play, that was a great opportunity.

It was a great time had by all. People were up dancing and enjoying themselves. David was blown away at how entertaining these guys were and he felt very privileged to be able to play with them at such a great venue, the entire 3 hours mind you.

Terlingua is a great place to explore for the day or even a few hours. On Saturdays there is a small but nice Farmer’s Market. Make sure you visit India with her home made fresh baked goods and jams. A small community garden, a historical cemetery and ruins from the old mining days will round out your visit. The air is fresh and the nights are filled with bright starry skies. Terlingua, TX is small, don’t get me wrong but it’s a place we remember fondly and when we get back to this area some day, we will definitely go back to Terlingua.

Another day we went and explored some of Big Bend National Park. I say some of the park because it’s the 15th largest National Park with over 800,000 acres, there is no way to see it in one visit. First we hiked the Hot Springs Historic Trail. With it’s high walled canyons and desert terrain, it leads past some ruins and old historical homes and businesses and leads you right to a 105 degree temperature Hot Spring that butts up next to the Rio Grande. So make sure you wear your swimsuit to soak a while.

though because even though this is a small border crossing, you still need your passport and to check in and out of customs and they are not open every day.

You can really see how straight up and high these canyon walls go. It was amazing for us to see the nests that the birds build right on the side of these walls.

A lot of you reading have been to Mexico, whether you walked across from a southern state or drove. What makes this crossing unique is yes, it is in the National Park but more so because you cross over the Rio Grande in a row boat. Yup, you heard me right. A man comes over from Mexico, in his row boat, and brings you across, for $5 US Dollars round trip. Then when you get to Mexico you have the option of going into town on horse, burro, back of a pick up truck or walking. A small fee is attached to each of these modes of transportation as well. It was $8 US Dollars round trip for each of our horses. It’s about 1 mile into the small town of Boquillas.

Once in Boquillas, there is not much to this town. They have a hospital (really just a couple medical rooms), a school and 2 restaurants. Both restaurants are owned by the same family. We were mainly there to eat lunch and just look a round a little bit.

We chose Jose Falcon’s Restaurant. With great views, fresh tortillas, cold Cokes and tequila. Cause you know…when in Mexico…Tequila!
It was a great little respite from the heat of Mexico. We wandered around town a little bit but again, not much to see there. Everyone was selling the same little trinkets outside every home.

One thing I forgot to mention. When you cross over into Mexico, you are assigned a guide. He must stay with you during your visit to Boquillas. So while we were eating lunch and enjoying the view, our guide was hanging out with his fellow guide friends. He spoke no English at all so trying to ask him questions was useless. At times it felt awkward to have someone waiting on you or following you down the road. What even got us was, when we chose the horses to get into and out of town, he was not allowed to get on a horse himself. He had to walk behind the horses.

Don’t get me wrong, we really enjoyed our time in Boquillas. It was a unique experience and made for some great memories. We don’t however, see a need to go back.

We enjoyed our time in Big Bend National Park. We enjoyed visitng Boquillas, Mexico but we really enjoyed were the quiet nights, star filled skies and general peacefulness of the area. We look forward to going back to Maverick Ranch RV park and exploring even deeper into the area. Two weeks was not nearly enough.