Terlingua, Texas is a ghost town
On my way back to Austin, Texas a few months ago I decided to take a slight detour and visit the abandoned mining ghost town called Terlingua, Texas. Terlingua is located in the desert of Texas relatively close to Big Bend National Park. A few years ago I was introduced to this town which is basically a patch of land that you could easily miss in a blink of an eye. I started making this place the reg stop before adventuring into one of America's biggest National Parks. What I found was a few landlocked RVs, a couple of tents and some makeshift teepees scattered along what would be considered a small city block. It almost reminded me of a bigger version of Robert Rodriguez's Texas Titty Twister in the movie From Dusk til Dawn but without the nudity. It's in the middle of nowhere. There's a place called the Starlight which used to be a theater long ago and is now a restaurant/music venue and they serve burgers and are supposedly known for their Texas chili. I had the chili and yes it was good but it also almost caused me to shit myself unexpectedly in the desert while looking for my campsite. Terlingua is an old silver mining town that saw it's heyday back in the turn of the century but because of the inhospitable terrain it failed to grow. People used to also mine for cinnabar which was used by Native Americans and known for it's brilliant red color to create pictographs which some of you have probably seen in remote places around the U.S. but particularly in the southwest and northwest. There is a breakfast spot I usually hit up before going into the park called the Chili Pepper. It's as close to my abuelitas cooking as it gets and it's super cheap. The Chili Pepper also has wi-fi which is pretty non existent in this area so you can dip your buttered tortilla into your bowl of refried beans and check your email at the same time. As I pulled into the area I went to a camping spot that is run by an ex-Marine Master Sgt. He and his wife own a huge chunk of land and they made it to where you can camp, take a hot shower, wash your dishes and stare at the huge amount of stars for 10 bucks a person. They also have fresh eggs every morning and potable water. Just because there are some sweet amenities doesn't mean that you are safe from sneaky ass rattlesnakes trying to get into your tent at night while you sleep or the occasional Mountain Lion being curious in your camp or behind the bushes. Just be aware that you are in the wild and in the natural habitats of the local creatures. Heather and I pulled in and set up camp for the night. We put up our own personal movie theater by projecting There Will Be Blood (which was partly filmed out there) and drank topo chicos under the stars until the insects became unbearable and then we retreated into our tent. I've gotta admit going to sleep with the sound of night creatures and looking directly into the vast and endless starry sky was the stuff you dream about when you're a kid. I was able to power my laptop and pico-projector with my Goal Zero Yeti because there isn't any electrical options nearby. I usually just plug it into my cigarette lighter in the truck and charge it in between places so that when I end up in these kinds of situations (no electricity) I have some power for my phone, laptop, bluetooth speakers, cameras and projector. Maybe eventually I'll go back at some point but it probably wont be for awhile. I have more adventuring to do and other places to check out. JS #GoalZero #Yakima #Polarstuff #Adventure
