Terlingua Texas (updated 04/26/17)

I must say that one thing we didn’t account for when we started living the “workaway” life style was caring for the workaway host as much as we have for Cynta.  She is the most caring, uplifting, knowledgeable, and beautiful person Mike and I have ever met.   All her qualities seems to have rubbed off on her dog, Baxter,   He is a wonderful service dog, caring and watching out for she.  Not to mention he is the doggie version of casanova in Terlingua.

Baxter and his girlfriend Penny…

We will definitely be returning to Terlingua to visit our friends!  As Cynta always says to me “love you more”.

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I thought I would show you the cute little house we got to stay in. while there..

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There was also an outhouse.  (I did not use it, Mike did – I don’t know why).  There are windows to get a scenic view of the mountains while you poop.  It also has a pay phone installed by an anonymous neighbor.

So what kind of work did we do…

.painting

.staining woodwork

.repairing car lights

.hanging lights and shades

.laundry

.building a compost barrel

.cleaning up wood piles

.Mike  cooked all the meals

..etc.

We helped decorate the guest house for one of the guest who was proposing to his girlfriend.  He sent us 70 candles, a table cloth, and pictures of them.  I found out I can make towel swans.  Who knew.

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We also did what we call “artwork”

        Mike cemented rocks around the house to prevent any water damage –

            

     he also put up a trellis and framed a wire on Cynta’s porch (he calls the framed art – Potential)

        (the wire will be moved later and a picture put in the frame – but Mike likes it the way it is LOL)

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Since I didn’t want to be left out, I painted a moon on the outside wall of our house.

(a local artist is coming to paint a mural in the center – but I like my moon)

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A few of the local artists works…

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Speaking of artists, Cynta has a wonderful man working for her named Manuel.  He does awesome stone work.  He has done lots of work in the town including, one side of the church, showers, enhancing old ruins, a small restaurant, Cynta’s main house, and so much more.  The town calls him the mistro.

He is currently making an outdoor shower for Cynta.  He starts with very large stones and chisels them into the shape he wants and just like that a masterpiece emerges.  In the shower he has built in a bench, arm rest, shampoo shelves, curved stairs, and a shower floor made from stones from the Rio Grande.  The shower has no door, just a trellis and a small tree.  In place of a drain, the floor is slanted to have all the water run off into the tree.  What a work of art.

Work in progress…

1st pic     – The hammer is on the seat bench and you can see the arm rest.

2nd pic –  You can see the work bench in the lower left he uses to chisel away at the rocks.

3rd pic   – You can see some of the stones that are built into the outside of the shower wall

AND THE FINAL SHOWER …

  

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We attended an exciting events here in Terlingua.  The annual Chichewa races!!!  It was complete with master of ceremonies, food, costume contest and prizes. (Note:  they also let other small dogs race)

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dog with security costume and local sheriff

costume winner     race winner (Jeep – the groom)

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It was tons of fun, not to mention hysterical.

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We have found our love of hiking and Big Bend National and State Park has proven to be a great place to explore.  I have already shown a few places we hiked, so here are some more places we went.

 Lost Mine (5 miles)  & Something Falls (3 miles)

SNOW!

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Pinnacles and Emery Peak (9 Miles) – highest point in Big Bend

Mexican blue bird

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South Rim and Boot Canyon (18 miles & 14 Miles – went twice)

   see the upside down boot in the right center?

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The windows (5 miles),  Grapevine, State Park and hot springs…

the grassy area on the other side of the river is Mexico

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Kayak Trip Down Rio Grande.

Cynta let us use her inflatable kayak.  I was surprised how tough this thing was.  It was so beautifu.  We thought we were going down class 10 rapids (they were class 5 and there were 2 of us – hence class 10).  Ok, ok, they were really little ripple.  But for two rookies on their own, they seemed bigger. LOL

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BTW…  rocks or shore lines on the right in pictures is Mexico, the left is US.

 

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We decided to go to Mexico.  Let’s face it we were only 11 miles from the border.  We also were bringing kids cloths donated by the Texas community to the school in Mexico.  Here is how we crossed into Mexico.

You enter the National Park and go to the border crossing parking lot, which is open from 8am to 6pm.  You enter the small building and where they tell you what you can and cannot bring back over the border.  You exit the building and walk down the dirt pathway to the Rio Grande.  You can either walk across the Rio Grande or wait for a Mexican to row across the Rio Grande (30 feet or so) in his rowboat and row you back across the river.  You can then take a burro, truck, or walk to the small town of Boquillas.  There you enter a small trailer and get your passport stamped.  Welcome to Mexico!!!

 

Once your passport is stamped you enter into the town.  It is a very small town.  There is a school and even a new tiny hospital.  The people are so special and friendly.

We tasted a REAL margarita and some REAL tacos at a nice little restaurant.  SO GOOD!

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  We also had someone bring us to a crystal cave (only 5 feet deep and 7 fee high, but it was beautiful.)

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The people in the pic are in the US, we are in Mexico

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    Along the way we passed a cactus called the horse crippler.  Very nasty plant.

  

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-Back to the US…

Sunset are said to have two per night.  One when you look to the West to see the colors on the mountains change and the one to the East.

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We also went to watch the sunset in the National Park.  AMAZING!

   moon was still out

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The night of the eclipse, we went to the park and took pictures before and during

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Pics of Baxter looking at the stars, taking a walk, and at the swimming hole with Mike.

We took Baxter and his girlfriend for a walk.  They were so tired when they were done.

We saw a rat snake basking in the river.  I almost stepped on it.  We also saw fresh bear tracks.

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There was a bike ride convention in the park.  Mike can be seen partaking in shots from the shotgun bottle

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Other cool pics…

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Well our time in Texas is done for now.  We can’t wait to get back to see Cynta, Baxter, Penny, and all the wonderful people.

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There is a celebration that takes place in the fall called “Voices from both sides”.  This is when people from Boquillas Mexico and those from Terlingua Texas meet at the Rio Grande.  The Mayors meet in the middle of the Rio Grande, shake hands and the party begins.  Everyone from both sides meets in the middle of the Rio and exchange food, songs, and dance.

Mike and I would love to one day be able to go to this celebration.

We have spent April in New England visiting our family and friends.  Our next adventure takes us back to Utah.  Then onto the Caribbean islands.

Till then…

There are good and bad people in all nationalities.  We met many good and hard working Mexican people.   Don’t just listen to all the bad you hear about people without seeking out some of the good.  You may be surprised at how many good people you will find.

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01/29/17

We arrived in Terlingua on Sunday (01/29).

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Let me tell you a little about this town.

It’s a ghost town located 11 miles from the Mexican border (though the customs border is 50 north of here – go figure)  It borders Big Bend National Park.  Back in the day this was the largest mercury mine in the US.  Now the population is 29 with 520 or so living in the county.  These people have taken a vow of poverty and live by helping each other out.  This doesn’t mean they all don’t work, they just share what they have and look out for each other.   No it’s not like a commune either, just a caring neighborhood with, well let us say, eccentric people.

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There are several good restaurants, a bank, hardware store, post office, grocery store, garage, several river guide tour places, little theater, church, and a lot of wide open beautiful country.

In the ghost town, they have the original trading post, jail, church, school, cemetery, and many ruins.  The trading post porch is about 10′ X 60′ and is the place TO BE.  On Sundays, all the local musical residence gather to play whatever songs pop into their heads.  They have all kinds of instruments, violins, fiddles, guitars, washboards, accordions, etc.  All the dogs run free on the porch (actually all over Terlingua) and are very well socialized.  It is an awesome places to sit, listen, and look out over the park.

  

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There are a good deal of artists here as well.  Some people live in houses, some in very unique structures.

   a boat

     

   a school bus

     

   a tee pee

     

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It’s all good here.  There is even a gentleman who comes with his vehicle a few times a year but has a “permanent” outhouse here.  Yup the chair has a hole cut in it and the bucket is, well the collection spot.  You will notice that there is a guitar close by in case you need to sit awhile.

  

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But everyone here enjoys the quite life.  There are sooo many stars out in the sky here (no light pollution) that it is surreal.  You can hear the coyotes at night and at other times experience absolute silence.  It is hard to describe the feeling of being able to look out into the park and see all the beautiful mountains and feel like you are the only ones here.  We gaze out over the desert from the “seat of contemplation”

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So about where we are staying and what we do.  We are staying at a hotel called Villa Terlingua.

It is owned and operated by an amazing women named Cynta and her service dog Baxter.  Cynta was a river guide for over 30 years and knows this place inside and out.  She is fighting the effects and ongoing complications of lyme disease, which was not diagnosed correctly for 29 years.

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The hotel consists of the main house, the guest house, the blue house (made of recycled phone books and completely off the grid), Cynta’s small house, and a cute little house for the ‘workawayers’.  We have electricity, water, internet (quirky at times) and cell reception.  A very comfortable place really.

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Here are some pictures of the hotel and houses…

   

main house

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bed

  bathroom shower

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one guest house, complete with outdoor shower, bathroom, bed, and a patio with hanging hammock.  It even comes with a new family of doves.

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Blue House…

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There is really interesting décor everywhere you look…

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We start our day at 8:00 a.m. with one of us taking a walk in the desert with Cynta and Baxter, while the other cooks breakfast (the Lyme disease has eaten away at the muscles in Cynta’s arms so we do the cooking for her and ourselves).  Then we get busy with whatever needs to be done, such as hotel laundry, gardening, painting, fixing the roof, repairing things like dryer, vacuum cleaner, etc.  You know, all the stuff that is needed when running a hotel and property.

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Then at noon we make and have lunch with Cynta and she puts on her river guide hat.  She is an incredible strong and independent person with a huge heart and years of wisdom.  We love listening to her tell us of her adventures and about the history of Terlingua.  Everyone here know, loves, and respects her.  Nearly everyday she sends us to a unique and beautiful place to hike or just watch the sunset.

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We even went for a 1 1/2 mile walk to a secluded swimming hole where (hold onto your hats) we went skinny dipping.  All we saw were mountains around us and lots of goose bumps on us.  The water was 45 degrees, but we went in anyway.  You only live once!

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Back to the locals…

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