Texas Travels with Longhorn Willie - Part 3

We left Big Bend National Park knowing that we took advantage of every minute and just scratched the surface.  We will be back.  We head North to Terlingua, TX.  Every year they celebrate the Day of the Dead in the local cemetery.

Terlingua Ghost Town

 Old School

 Church

After spending a couple hours in Terlingua we drove North to Alpine TX.  We grabbed a pizza in a small Italian Restaurant, La Trattoria.  Great Pizza.

Next stop was the Big Bend Brewery.  We had been drinking their beer ever since we got to Big Bend.

After finding the brewery closed for the day we headed back South toward Terlingua.  We were invited to stay at the "Oasis", at Ara Gureghian & Spirits place, affectionately know as Oasis of My Soul.  The author of "Freedom on Both Ends of the Leash".  I had been reading Ara's blog and posts on Wander the West.  Susan bought me his book and we have been communicating ever since.  It is always great when you meet someone as special as Ara.  We cooked dinner for the BeamerChef.  This was truely a special part of our trip.

Ara suggested that we drive back down to Terlingua and take the river road to Presideo, TX.  He said it was the most beautiful drive that he could take 1000 times and never get tired of the drive.

 

 We stopped in Marfa, TX for lunch at the Capri Restaurant, an outdoor courtyard.  It was open with umbrella tables and fountains.  We then continued on to Fort Davis and the Davis Mountains.  We made a quick little trip into the Fort to take some photographs and then headed on our way.

After a short visit to the fort we headed for San Angelo, TX and San Angelo State Park. We arrived at the park and asked for a campsite on the lake.  The ranger said the lake no longer existed.  It had dried up in the drought the past 3 years.  We then decided to go out to dinner and found a great seafood restaurant.  Good thing we did because when we got back to camp the mosquitos struck again, all over us and inside the camper.  We must have taken a good dozen halfway to Dallas. 

On Friday we went to the Dallas Arboretum with one of my sisters and our nephews, nieces, their kids and our son.  Very beautiful.  You almost need a full day to see everything.

Happy 90th Birthday Mom.

This trip was a great balance of vacation, camping, and family.  We drove over 4,022 miles, spent 12 nights in the camper and 4 nights in hotels.  My Mother was completely surprised by all that flew into /Dallas, thinking she was going to dinner with Susan and I that Thursday night, only to walk into my sisters house to a full house of family..  On Saturday morning 5/2/15 we left Dallas early in the morning and drove straight home to Carmel, Indiana in 15 hours, arriving home just before midnight.