Zebulon Montgomery Pike Trail to Red River, Mexico Journey 1807

Day 23: October 20th, 2003 Presidio — Terlingua

The Oasis Restaurant also has breakfast. So I use this opportunity. It feels a bit unfamiliar to be able to go back to my motel room after having breakfast. Also today are a lot of locals in the restaurant. I pay around half past eight and walk back to my motel. Then I load my stuff into my truck and return the room keys.

Highway 170, TX

Next I drive over to the next gas station and around nine I am ready to hit the road. First I take Highway 170 to Ft. Leaton. There I am really the only visitor!

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

Ft. Leaton, TX

My visit starts with a brief movie about the area, which is played via a PC connected to a projector. After this introduction movie I also take a look at the exhibition. There you learn a lot about the Spanish settlements and also the oppression of the Indians. Also the history of this fort is explained. Then you can visit the whole building with his patio.

Roadrunner at Ft. Leaton, TX

Around half past ten I return to the parking lot. There it seems like a roadrunner has built up his home. Lucky me I am able to get some nice shots of him. Usually these birds are much more shy. And it is also hard to follow them, as they can run(!) up to 20mph…

Highway 170, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, TX

Highway 170, TX

Highway 170, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

Highway 170, Rio Grande, TX

I take Highway 170 along the Rio Grande river banks. This is one of the most beautiful areas of the Rio Grande valley. This part already fascinated me five years ago, when I was driving there with my friend Franky. But at that time we were in a hurry, because we had to drive all the way from El Paso to Terlingua within one day to be in time for our river trip.

Highway 170, TX

But today I am able to throw in several stops for pictures and video. The biggest disappointment comes when I reach the area of Lajitas. Back then it was a sleepy old western town with a short dirt road leading to the center from the highway. Nowadays you are not even able to drive into the city.

Where once was the entrance road are now parking lots! And in the whole area are now small settlements. I already read on the Internet something about the catastrophe caused by a rich millionaire who had built a golf course and taking away all the ground water in this desert. But I would have never expected that it will be this bad.

Highway 170, TX

I went off into the distance and hope that Terlingua will be better. But first I search for the Easter Egg Valley Motel, where I also stayed five years ago. Indeed I am able to find it without a big search. Only the price is really shocking me. Back then I payed around $30, but now it is $50!

I receive again a room without television and phone and I even think, that I am in the same room as last time. At least nothing has changed here. The rooms are still as rustic as at that times. Simple, but okay. I put my stuff into the room and check my recordings.

Then I drive over to Study Butte to see something of the ghost town. But it does not has much in common with a ghost town. So I turn around and drive back to Terlingua. My destination is the Starlight Theater, where we also had dinner back then. The village square almost stayed the same. The locals are still sitting in front of the stores on the front porch and have a chat. Only the parking lot is way more empty.

I walk into the Starlight Theater and I am disappointed again. There are only a fraction of the tables around compared to five years ago. And even then the restaurant is almost empty. It is just half past six, but even while I have dinner, it does not really fill up. If I think back at the times five years ago, when there was live music and everything!

Back then we were just able to get a table on a bench like place. Today it looks like a touristy restaurant. Also the prices are quite high. But the food is absolutely fine. I pay around a quarter past seven and drive back to my motel.