Skunks!... Don't forget the skunks! :D
Just teasing Texas has at least 3 good things.....
Baron, Lonestar, and Chris
Just teasing Texas has at least 3 good things.....
Baron, Lonestar, and Chris
Trip to Texas.
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Nice video Igloo, and it really drives my point home. All of the snakes in that video were displaying agressively, that is their first line of defense to scare away a threat. What you DIDN'T see any of those snakes do was ever offer to bite or strike. It was all a bluff, even when he tailed the snake and put it on a hook it never offered to strike. Like I say, I have collected many hundreds of them from the area and the only snakes that ever *tried* to bite were the small prairie rattlers north of Marathon and they are rare.
If you still manage to get bit out there, head straight for Alpine. They have an excellent hospital for snakebites. A bite from any species in Texas is not life threatening if you seek medical care, and remember you have several hours (7 or 8 hours) to make it to a hospital. So, dont freak out if you did get bit, less than 9 people die each year in the US from snakebites of any kind. Just calmly but quickly as possible drive to Alpine, and make sure you get back to Canada before the bill shows up because paying for the hospital stay IS the worst part of getting bit by a rattlesnake :rofl:
If you still manage to get bit out there, head straight for Alpine. They have an excellent hospital for snakebites. A bite from any species in Texas is not life threatening if you seek medical care, and remember you have several hours (7 or 8 hours) to make it to a hospital. So, dont freak out if you did get bit, less than 9 people die each year in the US from snakebites of any kind. Just calmly but quickly as possible drive to Alpine, and make sure you get back to Canada before the bill shows up because paying for the hospital stay IS the worst part of getting bit by a rattlesnake :rofl:
Heres a thought too. You should be able to carry a certain amount of tobacco home with you duty free right ? I dont know of any good tobacco shops in El Paso, but maybe place an order with Pipesandcigars to be delivered to the campground you're staying at ?
Another thing I just thought about, man its a long drive from Marfa to Bid Bend. Several hours drive each way. I'm sure theres camping and hotels in Terlingua at the west entrance to the park.
I'm afraid if you spend many days in the park you'll get tired of that drive especially after a long day hiking. If you dont have locked in reservations, I'd seriously consider a few days in Marfa and a few days closer to the park somewhere if it was me.
I'm afraid if you spend many days in the park you'll get tired of that drive especially after a long day hiking. If you dont have locked in reservations, I'd seriously consider a few days in Marfa and a few days closer to the park somewhere if it was me.
I'd consider Lonestar's suggestion...
Texas is about the size of a Medium-large country all by itself.
There are miles and miles of miles and miles.
Texas is about the size of a Medium-large country all by itself.
There are miles and miles of miles and miles.
Another good point. We have our campsite already booked for 6 days.. I don't know how well they'd take to cancelling the booking. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure we'll figure something out that works, even if it's on the fly.
Knowing the people out there, she'll probably say "Well bless your heart, thats a long drive. Why dont y'all stay at the Longhorn, I'll get the number for you" :D
I bet changing reservations wont be a problem, and playing it as you go is probably the best bet.
I'm glad you're flying all the way down to see the Bend, its really an amazing place that even most Texans have never seen.
What made you guys pick Marfa out of all the places you could go ?
I bet changing reservations wont be a problem, and playing it as you go is probably the best bet.
I'm glad you're flying all the way down to see the Bend, its really an amazing place that even most Texans have never seen.
What made you guys pick Marfa out of all the places you could go ?
My girlfriend saw a video someone made highlighting the town. She sort of became enamored with it and said she wanted to go so in august we made a snap decision to make the trek. Personally I have wanted to see Texas for a long time, I love the ruggedness of the landscape. We also have been planning to take a vacation for a while now and decided we wanted to go someplace a little more isolated than a busy city or resort/beach town.
Awesome man, I'm pretty excited for you. The Big Bend gets overlooked because its a lonely part of the world and most people think of the Grand Canyon or Yosemite when they think of national parks. I've seen all 48 states here, and this is my favorite region anywhere.
Just a crash course on what I think makes it special; The geology is mindblowing. Its the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains but it butts up to the northern end of the Sierra Madre Oriental from Mexico and straddles a third even more ancient faultline that runs northeast and forms the Edwards Plateaux through central Texas. It is some of the most confused and fascinating geology to be found anywhere. If you pay attention to this type of thing you will see different sorts of formations everywhere, each mile looks completely different than the next.
The solitude; One of the least populated and visited places anywhere. The year round population equals one person for every 2 square miles and they're almost all in the few small towns. The only time the place gets crowded is for the annual Chili Cookoff in Terlingua :D The people are as friendly as you'll find anywhere, and they will treat you like an old friend when you've just met.
One other thing to point out, driving from El Paso on interstate 10 and also coming north from the park, you will have to stop at Border Patrol Checkpoints. They only hassle you if you have drugs or illegal aliens in the car with you. But they will make you stop and ask if you are a US citizen. Just tell them you're camping and hiking in the Park and they will tell you to have fun. Dont make any jokes about having a bunch of marijuana or Salvadorans in the trunk, they wont think its very funny...
Just a crash course on what I think makes it special; The geology is mindblowing. Its the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains but it butts up to the northern end of the Sierra Madre Oriental from Mexico and straddles a third even more ancient faultline that runs northeast and forms the Edwards Plateaux through central Texas. It is some of the most confused and fascinating geology to be found anywhere. If you pay attention to this type of thing you will see different sorts of formations everywhere, each mile looks completely different than the next.
The solitude; One of the least populated and visited places anywhere. The year round population equals one person for every 2 square miles and they're almost all in the few small towns. The only time the place gets crowded is for the annual Chili Cookoff in Terlingua :D The people are as friendly as you'll find anywhere, and they will treat you like an old friend when you've just met.
One other thing to point out, driving from El Paso on interstate 10 and also coming north from the park, you will have to stop at Border Patrol Checkpoints. They only hassle you if you have drugs or illegal aliens in the car with you. But they will make you stop and ask if you are a US citizen. Just tell them you're camping and hiking in the Park and they will tell you to have fun. Dont make any jokes about having a bunch of marijuana or Salvadorans in the trunk, they wont think its very funny...
We took a motorcycle trip down to Big Bend in early 2005. It really is beautiful down there, in it's own way. We overnighted in Marathon for one night and then stayed in Terlingua for the rest of our visit. We rode FM-170 from Terlingua to Lajitas to Presido and up 67 to Marfa. We did lots and saw many things. I recall a Civil War camp site that we toured somewhere down there, lots of history and worth a stop (if i could remember where it was). You will need a Nat'l Park pass (but it is like $8 for 4 or 5 days) to drive on FM170 but it is worth it. Several scenic pull off spots to stop and take pics. Though i didn't see anyone else mention it, probably goes without saying, but we found some of the most authentic Mexican food in the littlest hole-in-the-wall places all around down there. I am sure there is no end of snakes, spiders, etc but since we weren't hiking the only thing we did see were several packs of Javelina running around all out there. Another thing to consider while there is plenty of sun and warmth during the day, it gets very cool at night, not long after the sun sets. Be prepared, have fun and take lots of pics!
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