Big Bend Adventure Day 2

Friday 2011 02 11 We are up early for our 3+  hour car ride from Midland to Big Bend National Park.  We gather up supplies, a cooler with sliced turkey, cream cheese, some pop (soda), various snacks, and water.

  Heading west out of Odessa


As we drive the 220+ miles to Big Bend National Park the topography goes from flat to mountainous.

After driving about an hour and a half we could see the mountains in the distance. 

We stopped for a lunch break at a rest area along U.S. 385. 

      Since there were 5 of us on the trip, we took both of Andy's cars-  a Mazda MX-5 and a Subaru Forester.  We took turns riding in the Mazda since it only holds two people and at times we all rode in the the Subaru and left the Mazda behind.    

Rest Area                

It didn't seem long before we pull into Big Bend National Park! Here's a website about Big Bend. http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm

Beautiful Country - Big Bend National Park

We stopped in at the Panther Junction Visitor Center, friendly people, nice gift shop, and exhibits.  From here we drove SE 18 miles on Rio Grande Village Road, we set the Mazda on a turn off, and we all headed mostly north about 5 miles on Old Ore Road (a very rough road) to Ernst Tinaja Spur Road.  

Here you find some primitive campsites and the trailhead to Ernst Tinaja.  This was an easy trail about 1.5 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 245 feet.  The weather was warm and sunny, perfect, with a deep blue sky. 

 Tinaja (pronounced tee-NA-ha) is a Spanish word for earthen jar.  This tinaja is named for Bill Ernst, a Big Bend settler murdered in the early 1900's.

We got back in the car and bounced over the rocks back to the main road then went back past Panther Junction some thirty miles west to Terlingua, a ghost town, that's where we will sleep!

 

Along the way out of the car window we saw mountain after mountain this was on Maverick Drive, SR118, and FM 170 to Terlingua.
The place we stayed was unique, and had recently opened for renting.  Big Bend Holiday Hotel Candlelilla House.  Here is their website http://www.bigbendholidayhotel.com/candelilla.html

Two large bedrooms, a main room with futon, dining table (with snacks), kitchenette, a separate building for the bathroom, and a shower building up a couple of steps (that's the shower building with the star on it). It was all very clean and had much character,  for around $160/night.

    Looking out at Terlingua from the Candlelilla House.
That night we had dinner at the Starlight Theatre Restaurant & Bar, great food and live music, what a place!
I think that was about it for day two, wow, we did so much I was exhausted.  A real Big Bend adventure so far!

Big (Bend) Adventure

February 10 2011 

This was the day the Big Adventure started, at 4 a.m..  Off we go to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids Michigan, catching a flight across Lake Michigan to the General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee Wisconsin. 

     Over Lake Michigan

So far so good, hmm wonder where this Big Adventure is going to take place? (There is a clue in the title in case you missed it)

 Arriving in Milwaukee we headed off on another flight to Dallas Texas, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Same airline, Frontier Airlines, things are going smooth.

Our final destination by air (American Airlines) was to the Midland International Airport located between Midland and Odessa Texas, here we met up with the reason we flew to Texas, our son Andrew

(check out his blog at http://sabkha.blogspot.com/). 

                            Downtown Midland





               Midland Texas



This was just day one, next time day two.



Hemlock Crossing and a little road trip.

February 07 2011  Wintertime in Michigan, that's what it is, snow and cold.  It is a beautiful time of year!

Marie and I decided to go for a hike at Hemlock Crossing an Ottawa County Park where they recently built a nature center.  I haven't been in the nature center and it is was closed the day we visited.

Hemlock Crossing  - 239 acres of woods and wetlands along the Pigeon River, over 6 miles of trails for hiking and cross country skiing meander through bottomland and upland forest, old pine plantations and along the river. Trails connect to Pine Bend Park on the west end of this property. A pedestrian bridge and numerous overlooks offer scenic views of the river corridor, wetlands, natural springs and woods.  http://www.co.ottawa.mi.us/ParksVI/Parks/hemlockcrossing.htm

Entering Hemlock Crossing Park

Over the Pigeon River and through the woods.



Pigeon River

 We walked to Pine Bend Park from Hemlock Crossing, the snow was a packed trail, so it was an easy walk maybe about 2 1/2 miles round trip.

After our walk we headed south for a bit of a road trip into Park Township, many parks were not plowed so we ended up at another Ottawa County Park called Riley Trails.

At Riley Trails

Just along the road somewhere in Michigan

That was our day.  Fun!