Monday 7 November 2022

Big Bend National Park Texas - Terlingua Ghost Town Texas November 6th

We left Davis Mountain by 9 am and on our way to Terlingua Texas, close to the Big Bend National Park. Another short drive of about 2 hours.

On Hwy 118 we wound our way through the mountains, through the flats and then into the mountains of Terlingua. The road's good until the last 20 miles and then OMG bumpy as all get out. Almost bottomed out o the airbags again. Ray significantly slowed down for the remainder of the drive.

Our campsite:

The ruins across the road from us. For Sale ... any takers?

Why is Terlingua famous?

Terlingua became famous for its annual chili cook-off and in 1967 was deemed the "Chili Capitol of the World" by the Chili Appreciation Society.Aug 1, 1995

According to their newspaper, since this time, the area is much busier with tourists, so a lot of accommodations of different kinds sprang up. A lot of people wanting winter places to stay and the draw of Big Bend National Park. The locals don't like it as much as rents increased and property values went up, making it harder for the old guys to be able to afford to stay here. The town rentals include tiny Casitas, pup tent city, tipis' yurts, old trailers, multi coloured tiny houses, the bubbles, and a pirate ship. We did see lots of For Sale signs for empty property on the way into town.

I booked us a site at the Paisano Village RV Park, which is only a short distance to the drive into Big Bend National Park. I could not get a campsite in the park as there were no reservations left and there's no first come first serve sites.

At this RV Park I already paid when I booked and they texted me earlier this morning as to our site number, wifi code etc. All did is set up. There's a little taco food truck parked at the entrance to the par,k so that is where we went to procure lunch. They also have award winning chili from a contest entry.

After eating, we decided to check out the Terlingua Ghost Town, 4 miles away. Did not know what to expect but this is highly commercialized.

The Terlingua Ghost Town

This is not some abandoned movie set or a fabricated tourist trap. This was a real mining town that went bust and the miners walked away, leaving their homes behind.

Today you'll find a ghost town made up of decaying buildings, mine shafts, tall tales, ruins, crotchety old-timers, a three-legged dog, too much cactus, and semi-friendly rattlesnakes. It's been slightly revitalized with rustic Texas lodgings (graciously updated), world famous chili fixin's, an internationally acclaimed restaurant (we're Mexico adjacent), and -- perhaps most importantly -- a fully operational saloon/bar.

Once a thriving cinnabar mining operation, when the market for mercury crashed everyone limped away except for the local critters. You're welcome to explore the ruins -- the fossils are free -- and stop by the original Chisos Mine company store (now The Terlingua Trading Company) and visit the old-timey Starlight Theatre.

Being Sunday the Bar/Saloon is closed.

The side of the jail is also the restrooms. lol I realized that after when I went inside and I could hear footsteps on the ceiling. :)

They have lots of interesting things in the store, but really marked up for price.

Lots of hot sauces, one is called The Cat House

On the drive to Terlingua, we noticed mountainsides of ocotillo starting to green up. Obviously a bunch of rain recently. Here is one in front of the store blooming.

Back in the car for the short drive around to see the other buildings. The one below is the restored Perry Mansion, now a hotel. Most of the restored buildings are now accommodations for tourists. I guess that is what helps pay for all the restorations.

The old church.

Back home to relax for a few hours. While I prepped our dinner, Ray went back to the Ghost Town to take his sunset pictures of the ruins and mountains. Gorgeous.