Seminole Canyon & Big Bend National Park

We arrived in Seminole Canyon State Park and quickly found the campground to be fabulous. Big asphalt pads and each site had their own picnic table with cover and a firepit. The bathrooms and showers were nice and clean. This park does not have sewer, but has great trails and a sky so full of stars at night you are in awe.

When we checked in at the Rangers Station we paid for our spot on the 3:00 tour down into the Seminole Canyon to learn about and to see pictographs.

This is Seminole Canyon from the Rangers Station.

As we descended into the canyon we hiked down a stone path to the base of the canyon.

As we ascended into the shelters of the canyon you could view the pictographs.

These are some of the sketchings of the pictographs on the shelter’s walls and ceilings. You can see what seems to be man like figures and some that look like animals.

The pictographs they believe were painted over 4,000 years ago. The paint was made by various minerals, animal fat and urine for binders.

Also on our hike we saw many interesting fossils. Some look like shells while others look like small creatures.

This is the shelters ceiling. They believe that when this area was under water that these were similar to coral reefs.

One of the things that I really liked was that they painted rocks with the names of the flora and how to pronounce them.

With not a cloud in the sky, I still love my sunsets.

And as I turned around, this was behind me.

The next day we took off to conquer the 7.5 mile Canyon Rim Trail. The very first sign we saw was this! Oh come on John!

The terrain of the trail was mainly flat and curvy with rocks and stones to maneuver. We brought our walking sticks, water and lunch, so we were prepared.

This is the bridge to the past. The wooden bridge passes beside the remnants of two rock rings that mark the locale of “wikiup” structures inhabited by Native Americans 1,000 to 1,500 years ago.

As the trail lead us in and out along the rim it also brought us to the conjunction of the Seminole Canyon and the Presa Canyon.

More cool fossil stuff.

We finally see water. It’s green water but it water! My jeopardy question was “what minerals make that water green”? I found out later I was correct!

John was a trooper!

Finally, what we hiked all this way to see! The pictograph of the panther from the panther cave overlook.

Can you see the tail curling up from the body? The only other way to view this is by boat. Close up the panther is 9 feet long. (middle, right under the cliff)

Our last stop on the hike was the Rio Grande River. The other side is Mexico.

We hiked 8.9 miles today and John says, no more!

I spotted some deer grazing right before sunset.

It’s amazing how you walk through this vast amount of cactus and dead plants and out of nowhere, this.

This is the bridge over the Pecos River on our way to Langtry, TX.

Look at the size of this cactus!

Have you ever heard of Judge Roy Bean? Some legends cite he was a hanging judge but there is no evidence that he ever sentenced a man to hang. Instead, he would fine him his horse and his gun and every valuable thing he owned and then expel them from Langtry under the threat of a noose if he ever was seen there again.

This was the original saloon and courtroom.

There was a cactus garden there too and how I wished they were in bloom.

Apparently Judge Bean had a thing for an opera singer by the name of Lillie Langtry, also known as “The Jersey Lilly”.

This is the Opera House, Town Hall and Seat of Justice he built in hopes she would perform there someday.

Oddly enough Lilly Langtry finally accepted his invitation to visit “her” town, but Judge Bean died a few months before she finally did.

This is the hanging tree that never saw a hanging. Kinda small if you ask me!

With our visit to Langtry over we head back to Seminole Canyon to take a small hike to see the remains of the old windmill and Indian oven.

Can you see it? It’s there I promise.

Dead carcass along the trail.

One more sunset before we depart in the morning for Big Bend National Park.

As we make our way to Marathon, TX, our last town before camp, we decided to have a late breakfast at the Oasis Cafe. It was very good and Phoebe was very hospitable.

Here we are at Stillwell Ranch & RV.

Now let me tell you about this place. It is very much in the middle of nowhere but really close to the Nationl Park.

The sites are on gravel and you pick an empty spot and park it. There are no frills, but you do have water, electric and sewer and great people! Met some people from Canada, Carmen & Nelson and Jeff from Michigan.

There is a camp store, museum, a laundry and restrooms with showers. Yes they are old but they work.

It’s so quiet and peaceful, I love it.

This is the Hallie’s Hall of Fame.

Hallie Crawford Stillwell, notable as a wife, a mother, a hair dresser, a justice of the peace, a newspaper columnist, and a sharp shooter. She must have been a colorful soul and she definitely lived the rough life on the range.

This was used for perms. Oh my!

An old Sears and Roebuck

The scenery is simple old west with lots of room to roam.

I took a nice 4 mile hike on the other side of the road. There were at least 100 primitive camp sites in the middle of nowhere.

I didn’t spot any deer, boars or jack rabbits but I did see this little cottontail.

Off to Big Bend.

There is a fossil bone exhibit about 20 miles into the park. They have had archeological digs here and found prehistoric creatures.

The main roads inside the park are great.

We passed a Cemetery and checked it out. Nina passed at the age of 29 with uremic poisoning during pregnancy and requested she be buried here because it was where she often read to her children.

It was really foggy so we decided to go to Trelingua and visit the ghost town as we marveled at the views around us.

John is such a good sport!

On the road again to La Linda, a small mexican town on the other side of the La Linda International Bridge. From our viewing perspective it did not look as though there were inhabitants in La Linda and I could not find anything to the contrary.

The bridge is no longer open due to the suspicion of drug smuggling and the death of a border patrol.

A mission that you can see from the U.S.

What a beautiful sunset. Can you see the deer looking at us?!

This is a Texas Roadrunner resting in a tree.

Today it’s just me and my best friend Harlie! What an amazing day we had. I took a lot of photos.

We visited the Chisos Basin

Stopped to see the Mules Ears

On our way to Santa Elana Canyon

A Roadrunner on an actual road!!

More beauty abounds around us.

This is the deserted ranch of Homer Wilson.

Harlie and I hiked down to the old Sam Nail ranch.

Last stop of the day. After driving down a rock road for six miles we finally found the Balanced Rock trailhead.

Harlie went with me the entire 2.2 miles! She did great and never left my side.

Yes, at the end of that nice trail we climbed rocks up 80′

The Balanced Rock

A look down from above.

As we hiked back to the truck the sun disappeared behind the rocks.

A hawk looking for dinner.

Wow! What a beautiful landscape.

Sunset our last night together.

I know that was a bunch to see and read about, but I want you all to witness this beautiful country we live in. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Until next time!