April 2, 2012
Day 37: To Study Butte
I got away from Presidio at 9:45. I waited in a long line at the post office, hoping to pick up a General Delivery package. After 10 minutes the line hadn't moved at all, so I left. Later I called the post office and found that they automatically return all General Delivery packages. In the past the post office was overwhelmed by people coming in from Mexico every day to pick up General Delivery mail. They solved that problem by refusing to accept General Delivery mail. Now the daily Mexican visitors must rent a P.O. box, and traveling cyclists can't receive General Delivery mail.
10 miles east of Presidio I stopped at Fort Leaton State Historic Site. I've been there before, so I didn't pay admission to go inside. It's a fortified adobe trading post built in 1848.
The terrain is very flat between Presidio and Fort Leaton. But farther east the mountains close in and the road gets hillier, with occasional views of the Rio Grande. In Mexico the river is known as Rio Bravo.
The U.S. side is quite hilly but the valley persists for several more miles on the Mexico side.
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I stopped and walked some trails in the balanced rock area of Big Bend Ranch State Park. The park has several new signs and parking areas that weren't there during my previous visit to the area. I saw some views that I had never seen before.
The parking areas typically have a picnic table under a shade ramada. That was very helpful to me because there is absolutely no shade anywhere. The temperature climbed to 90F by noon.
The road from Presidio to Lajitas is one of the most scenic desert roads in North America. Frequent spectacular views. The largest mountains are in Mexico. The road is a roller coaster, with frequent short 10% grades that got me dripping in sweat. I started the day with 6 bottles of water and drank it all before I got to Lajitas.
Eventually I had to climb the "Big Hill". It climbs 800 feet with grades up to 10%. I went down the steepest side which descends 900 feet with a 15% grade. Kind of a scary descent because my rims are so badly worn that both brakes pulse dangerously.
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The awesome views continue after the Big Hill. Still a roller coaster with frequent river and mountain views. I took a short nap lying on a table in the shade of a teepee.
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I stopped to walk around the Contrabando movie set. It's a spectacular setting. Several western movies have been filmed here:
Uphill All the Way in 1985
Rio Diablo in 1993
Gambler V: Playing For Keeps in 1994
Streets of Laredo in 1995
Dead Man's Walk in 1996
The Journeyman in 2000
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I looked around the town of Lajitas for a few minutes. It's a master-planned resort development that is not doing well. The accommodations are very nice, and roads have been built for several subdivisions. But Lajitas has few visitors and even fewer people who want to buy lots in this super-remote and super-hot location.
After a stop to cool down in the store, I continued on to Terlingua and Study Butte. There is a long monotonous climb between Lajitas and Terlingua, then a long descent to Study Butte which is along Terlingua creek.
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8 months ago
As recently as the 1940's Terlingua was a booming cinnabar (mercury ore) mining town. It was a ghost town 40 years ago. But people started to move back after the annual chili cook-off became popular. A few years ago a municipal water system was built for Terlingua and Study Butte, so the area has grown immensely. Terlingua now has a hotel, many restaurants, bars, and gift shops.
Coming into Terlingua I have the first good views of the Chisos mountains, the southernmost mountain range in the Continental U.S., and the last major mountain range of this tour. Tomorrow I will be in those mountains.
I arrived in Study Butte just a few minutes before sunset and got a room at the Chisos Mining Company motel. $59 for a rustic room with powerful A/C but no TV, fridge, or microwave. The area does have Verizon service.
Today was a very long, very hilly, and very hot day. But the tailwind made it easier and the awesome scenery kept me motivated. I have no desire to camp after spending all day in the heat.
Distance: 73.3 mi. (117 km)
Climbing: 4243 ft. (1286 m)
Average Speed: 11.4 mph (18.2 km/h)
Hiking: 1 mi. (1.6 km)
Today's ride: 73 miles (117 km)
Total: 1,992 miles (3,206 km)
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When you commented on something I wrote a while back, telling me the Chihuahuan Desert is very windy in the springtime, I should have known that info comes from your own cycling experience. Now I found this journal today and I just finished reading the entries that cover much of the route I intend to take in October. You hit all four national parks and that incredible road from Presidio to Lajitas. The good part is that you provided an excellent resource and some awesome photos. The bad part is that, prior to finding this, I thought I was planning a pretty unusual route.
As a guy who really appreciates all of the nature and wilderness to be found in this country, I am very impressed with all of the places you've toured.
3 years ago
Hopefully the wind will be cooperative during your tour. West of the Rockies the wind almost always blows from the west. But the southern Great Plains and Chihuahuan desert have gale force winds in EVERY direction during spring.
3 years ago
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/earlytourssummary/west-texas-1990/
3 years ago
3 years ago