on the road again

All great things must come to an end. It was time to close the Big Bend chapter of our trip and begin our bittersweet trek back east to New Braunfels, TX. We woke up early to catch the sunrise at the Greasewood Grocery. After all, it was the last sunrise of the year. Even Eric, the late riser, managed to catch the sunrise.  

Sunrise from the Greasewood

Two more quick showers, a packed car and east we went. Eric and I made promises to each other to return someday. There is still so much of Big Bend and the region to see. We only scratched the surface.

Cold Front Moves Through Alpine, TX

We pressed eastward until we saw a what we thought was a cool looking cloud over Alpine. The cool looking cloud was actually a cool front pushing through. Once we made it down the mountain the temps dropped quick. We're talking twenty degrees in ten minutes kinda' quick. Eric's country casual shorts look was a mistake.  

Eric Rocks His Version of Country Casual

We stopped for gas and breakfast in Fort Stockton and Eric changed into jeans in the car. He wouldn't step out of the car it was so cold. After more warm layers added to our bodies, we continued through the below freezing temps while ice accumulated on the windshield wipers. After hours of this, it finally broke when we landed in New Braunfels. It was cold, just not ice-everywhere cold. Yelp has always been a fairly reliable source for us and it was especially helpful in unfamiliar places. Dinner would be at The Gristmill in Gruene. The Gristmill has amazing tomatillo verde salsa! We had little interest in walking around town after dinner. No offense, Gruene, but it was freezing! I basically ran to the car. Eric described it as a stiff-legged jog. We'll see you tomorrow Gruene, when the sun is out.  

Al Fresco Dining Anyone? Frozen Fountain.

We started our next morning with unlimited amounts of hot water for the first time in days! That meant long, overly hot showers. It was New Year's Day, so few breakfast restaurants were open. Yelp to the rescue! Breakfast was at Fork and Spoon. I had Texas-sized pecan pancakes. Or maybe they just seemed huge because everything is bigger in Texas? Bellies full, we went back to hunt around in the shops in the Gruene Historic District.  

What it looks like while one decides on going full-Texan.

We popped into an antique store that had lots of fantastic finds. We may have lingered for a while because they had the heater on blast. After antique shopping, it was decided Eric should buy a t-shirt and not a used cowboy hat or boots. 

T-Shirt Jackpot

Hopping in and out of t-shirt shops to remain warm and to locate the perfect t-shirt was how we spent the better part of the morning. The Gruene Haus is where we stumbled into Tumble Weed Texstyle shirts. Eric finally found his perfect shirt. We both actually fell for the softness of their t-shirts and the unique designs. It should be noted we've since ordered a few more since we've returned home. Their customer service is amazing. Another fun fact from their website, "Tumbleweed TexStyles was created by two high school teachers. We believe that our number one priority above selling shirts is to support our local community. Since our roots lie within education, we have decided to donate a percentage of the sales for each product sold to the Frisco Education Foundation. This will help provide scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors."  

Gruene Hall. Go.

We made one more stop before we headed out of Gruene. We had to go inside Gruene Hall. The place was packed and the music was going strong. After listening to the band play a few songs, we had to once again hit the road. We (happily) lost a few hours in Gruene. We needed to head home.    

Greetings from New Braunfels

We hated to end our trip, but after a week on the road and moving almost every day, we were ready to be home. Our trip was a lot of fun and is the reason Adventures with Eric came to be. Soon we will begin to share more about our town and regional adventures with you.  

It should be said our trip to West Texas wouldn't have been possible without the help of family. A huge thank you to Eric's parents for stepping in to help provide childcare. It takes a village.  

Thank you for following along with us as we shared our journey to West Texas and back. Also, if you have any comments or questions then please reach out to us. We love hearing from you!   

One last Buc-ee's photo. Is that a goodbye Kiss?

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big bend or bust

In Alpine it seems the early bird gets the worm (or in this case breakfast). We missed out on breakfast offerings and there was a pause before lunch. We will say after barely two days in the desert we had to swing past a pharmacy before we hit the road. Pro Tip: Make sure you have lotion, chapstick and stay hydrated when you're in the desert.  

Greetings from Alpine

As mentioned in our last post, we decided to drive Big Bend via Marathon, so we could enter the park at Persimmon Gap. Along the way we made a quick stop along Highway 90 to capture this Target in the middle of nowhere. Seems this Target Marathon is just a spoof "guerrilla art" installation poking fun at Prada Marfa. With that checked off our list we carried on our way.  

Target Marathon

We basically sprinted through the town of Marathon. Sorry Marathon it isn't you; it's us. We had our eyes on the prize. We were so close to Big Bend.  

Proof. We made it to Big Bend National Park

At last we made it to Big Bend National Park! It took us what seemed like hours to get to Panther Junction. We had to stop by the the Fossil Discovery Exhibit (and every few feet to get out to explore, take photos, and walk around). We made it to Panther Junction (hundreds of photos later). Who needs a welcome center? "E over there. Over!" Eric (ie. E) was clueless. "There!" Eric was oblivious to the cutest little...pig-like...things. Eric had the fancy camera, so off he went to capture National Geographic worthy photos of the animal. Turns out, you're not really supposed to run after these things. Thanks (after the fact) park ranger. Eric was trying his best to coax the animal out from behind the cacti. Stacy is (apparently) a javelina whisperer. Wait. What? Two more?! To which Eric responded, "I have the camera set on video if they charge you. Don't worry, I'll capture it." Such a gentleman! It should be noted, if you ever see javelina, give it some space. These are, despite our example, wild animals. 

Making Friends with Javelina.

Pro Tip: When you only have a few days at a National Park, check in at the visitors center and speak with a Ranger. They can tell you the points of interest that should be seen with a limited amount of time. The rangers gave us the routes to take and offered up other words of advice (especially with a park at full capacity).  

We carried on our way through the park knowing we would be back the following morning. We still managed to take more photos. I may have stopping to photograph every cactus we came across. Hungry, we decided to start heading toward Terlingua. After a wrong turn (I blame Waze, Eric blames Stacy) we made it to the Terlingua Cemetery. We stopped to wander around and take a few photos.  

Terlingua Cemetery Chisos Mountains in the Background

We then headed back to a roadside bbq place we had passed earlier. DB's Rustic Iron BBQ hit the spot. We had the smoked turkey, sausage, and brisket. The food was delicious and we caught the sunset while dining al fresco in the desert. Besides being a Ghost Town, Terlingua is also the home of an International Chili Cook-off. Apparently, it's a pretty big deal, so check it out if you're in the area on the first Saturday of November.  

Roadside goodness.

After dinner we pressed onto our next AirBnb (where we would stay for two nights). We stayed at the Greasewood Grocery. It was once a small grocery store that was converted into a cabin. Pam was a lovely hostess. The Greasewood had great views of the stars at night and sunrises in the morning. We had to learn to conserve water here. The showers had limited amounts of hot water. We became champions at maximizing the hot water. We hope we helped West Texas and their drought with our water conservation efforts.      

Greasewood Grocery. Home Sweet Home for two nights.

The next morning, after quick hot water showers, we headed back into Terlingua for breakfast and coffee at La Posada Milagro. They had a good breakfast and great baristas. I pretended this was the desert version of Starbucks. Note worthy points: if you're a wifi junkie then the town of Terlingua has free wifi, the park has cell phone service, and our AirBnB also had coverage. Along the highway, however, there was no cell service or wifi. Both nights at the Greasewood the sheriff pulled into the parking around the grocery. We assumed to use the free wifi. Wifi is life. We feel ya. 

After breakfast, we hit up a gas station. Eric's PTSD was still fresh from almost running out of gas. By the time we entered the park it was after 10:30 am. We knew, based upon what the Ranger told us the day before, we should head to Santa Elena Canyon. The views were breath taking. We also met lots of friendly hikers along the way. Don't be afraid to talk to the people around you here. Everyone is in a great mood! 

Eric and Santa Elena Canyon 

Our next stop was the Rio Grande Village. It was here we pulled the trusty Yeti out and had a picnic lunch. We also broke out the map and Eric insisted we get another hike in before the day ended. Off we drove to Mule Ears Spring Trail. It should be said...this hike...we never finished. We came close, but no dice. There were no trail markers along the way. It wasn't until we returned home, and I was telling a coworker of this hike, that we discovered the All Trails App. Had we known of this app, someone (Stacy) probably never would have had the extreme meltdown in the Chihuahuan Desert. In her defense, every hiker we came across said, "You're close!" or "It's just another 1/3 of a mile to go!" Those people...terrible with measurement and time. Big...fat...liars.    

Mule Ears and the Chihuahuan Desert (aka, Never-ending Hike)

Once we made it back to the car, Eric decided it would be best to head back to Terlingua to feed his hungry girlfriend. The Starlight Theatre is quite popular. We had about an hour and a half hour wait, but they've thought of that. Next to the Starlight is the Terlingua Trading Company gift shop. It's full of local art and all kinds of souvenirs at every price point. There was entertainment outside on the huge porch. A (local?) group of musicians played the entire time we were there. We caught our last desert sunset of the trip here. 

Sunset from The Starlight Theatre Porch 

The Starlight had amazing chips and guacamole. The chicken-fried wild boar was pretty delicious, too. When in Texas they know chicken-fried things. Take advantage. During the meal we were able to catch more live music on the theatre stage. It was a great end to a fun day of hiking and exploring Big Bend and Terlingua. 
   


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how many miles to alpine?

After a night in San Antonio it was decided we should refuel and hit the road with a BBQ lunch in our bellies. A quick search let us know our travel food idol Anthony Bourdain was going to be no help. He was too cool for San Antonio BBQ and Tex Mex. Sorry Anthony- your loss.  Andrew Zimmer  was going to have to point us in the right BBQ direction.  Off we headed to Two Bros BBQ Market.  Two Bros BBQ was delicious. The smoked sausage and pulled pork we shared hit the spot.  They also had a great pickle bar and something that was a little unexpected: Grape Kool-Aid was a drink option.  

Two Bros BBQ Pulled Pork

Once lunch was over, with filled out bellies we hit the road to Alpine, TX. After driving for hours we passed Fort Stockton. Fort Stockton had three exits just off Interstate 10. Lots of options for gas. Eric's co-pilot (ie. Stacy) was very optimistic the Alpine exit would also be a cornucopia of gas stations. Much to the co-pilot’s (ie.Stacy's) dismay this was not the case. It was either turn around and go back to Fort Stockton or run out of gas on the way to Alpine. After trying to interject humor, the car was headed back to Fort Stockton. We pulled into a gas station with only 7 miles left to go on the tank. One of us (ie. Stacy) was still trying to find humor. One of us just knew that we would be stranded on the interstate.  At least we can both laugh about this now. By both of us, we mean one of us. When people tell you anytime that you see a gas station in West Texas to fill up-  listen to those sage words of advice. Fill up. Even if you're at half a tank. Fill up. Trust us!  

The highway into Alpine was quiet. We were in awe of the scenery. Each mile became better and better. We were both excited and in wonder of what lay ahead.      

Alpine and Marfa Ahead 

We stopped in Alpine for dinner at La Casita. Another fun fact: a lot of places aren't open in Alpine on certain days of the week. Things are hit or miss. La Casita hit the spot and saved us from traveling hungry. 

Big Bend Brewing, Tejas Clara.

Marfa was where we ended our day. We were going to do it Marfa style. Our first AirBnB in an Airstream. Our host (thankfully) had the heater going a full blast when we arrived. It was so cold! Eric was living his best life in the Airstream. It's safe to say Stacy wasn't. If you're a fan of tight spaces, limited hot water for your showers, and a bathroom a foot away from the bed then the Airstream is for you! Stacy slyly suggested the next morning that Eric take the first shower. After many attempts and a (slight) meltdown, Eric was able to get the shower door to shut.  

Apache Pines RV Park. Stardust neon in the distance.

With the car reloaded, we headed into Marfa for coffee and the best breakfast burritos of our life. Marfa is not well marked. If you see a lot of cars parked around a place then it's safe to say that's the place you've been searching for. Eric was wearing his Bu-cee's shirt with a Matthew McConaughey quote from Dazed and Confused, "It would be a whole lot cooler if you did." It seemed the only logical place to go for breakfast was a place the mighty McConaughey highly recommend. Marfa Burrito was breakfast burrito heaven!  

This burrito, y'all. Yes. 

Stuffed full of Marfa Burrito goodness we walked around Marfa taking in the sights and the shops. We took photos along the way. Be sure to check out our Instagram if you'd like to see more photos from Marfa. Our next stop was to the art installation, Prada Marfa.  This has been on Stacy's bucket list for over ten years. We were this close. We had to scratch it off. After photo bombing several other tourists, we decided to head on our way. We stopped more than a few times for photos along the way back through Marfa to Alpine. We also may have acquired a cool looking, weathered, skull along the road on one of these stops. Yes, we kept it. This is Texas and this is a road trip. It seemed appropriate.    

Prada Marfa

We retraced through Marfa and headed back to Alpine for the night. Our second AirBnB stay awaited us this time at Pinon Ranch Guest Cottage. We were able to walk around the grounds, enjoying the horses, windmill, and deer. The scenery here was beautiful. It was a nice tranquil change of pace. No shower doors to fuss with and ample hot water!  

Horse at Pinon Ranch Guest Cottage

After befriending the horse we headed into Alpine to check out the Museum of the Big Bend. The museum is very informative on the history of Big Bend and the region. It helped us decide to drive to Marathon and enter the park through the (northern) Persimmon Gap entrance in hopes to see more of the park. We knew our time at Big Bend was going to be limited. After driving past a few places that were closed for dinner, we stumbled into Plaine Coffee. It was a fun coffee shop meets laundry kinda place. The staff was super helpful. They were able to suggest a place that was open for dinner: The Saddle Club. We had a great meal and we had to laugh that the options there were all very Cajun! A shrimp poboy in the desert never tasted so good!  

We went to bed that night wondering what excitement the next day would hold.  Big Bend or bust!  


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