The Ernst Tinaja and Momma Takes the Wheel

Our last day in Big Bend (2/27) we drove another primitive dirt road to the Ernst Tinaja Trail. Tinaja is Spanish for “big earthen jar” and is used to describe the natural stone reservoirs that dot the landscape. Because of faulting the Ernst tinajas is spring fed so there’s always water in it. When the water levels get low however, the slick sides make it virtually impossible to climb out and they have found deer, javelina, and a mountain lion drowned there.

The Ernst Tinaja is especially interesting because of its size and location. You walk up a creek bed past bluffs of layered yellow, gray, and reddish limestone and shale that are 450 feet thick. The walls have been tilted, contorted, and broken by faulting to form a wild, surreal rock backdrop that looks like abstract art. The colors are so intense and there are veins of deep purple, burgundy, gold and crystal running through the layers. For a rock lover, this place was amazing!

 

Just follow the signs...

... down a dry streambed with limestone waves ...

... past layers of rock bent into surreal shapes ...

... to the water filled tinajas.

The colors of the rock were so vibrant - a picture just doesn't do it justice.

Bands of purple, gold, burgundy and white were so beautiful!

Image the tectonic forces that could contort rock into these fantastical shapes!

Looking inside the formation pictured above.

On the drive we stopped to look at these prickly pear cactus with fiery red thorns. Beware! 

We finally found an ocotillo with a bright red bloom.
They look like dead sticker bushes until the rains come.

In the evening we did a short hike to Bocquillas Canyon. We found another cache of Mexican souvenirs. We’ve found several of these at trailheads with local crafts offered on the honor system. Technically you aren’t supposed to patronize these independent sellers since they backdoor the system and avoid import taxes. Really? I’d rather support a local craftperson than some big business importer who gets mega “legal” tax breaks. So yeah, I threw down $10 for a copper wire and bead roadrunner. Sue me. Lol.   

View from the overlook.

A cache of (gasp!) illicit Mexican souvenirs.  A roadrunner followed me home. Lol. 

Bocquillas Canyon at dusk.

Tuesday, 2/28, we said farewell to Big Bend and headed out for the Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine, TX where we hoped to find our hot water heater parts waiting for us. When we were talking to Vic and Mona, he mentioned how much Mona enjoyed driving their coach. She asked if I drove and I said, not yet. So after 10,000 miles Rog finally offered up the driver’s seat. Coincidence? Regardless of the motivation, I was glad to get some experience behind the wheel.

I know Rog prefers to drive and is bored (or is that terrified? Lol.) in the passenger seat. I can read, work on the computer, or nod off while Rog drives – but Rog has never been able to that in a moving vehicle. So I don’t think we’ll ever share equally in the driving, but I do want to feel comfortable and capable should the need arise. It turned out to be a great place to give it a try – decent roads, 45-mile speed limit in the park and not much traffic. I did about 85 miles, including some time on the Texas state highway with its 70-mph speed limit (I stayed in the 60’s thank you very much!). At any rate, it was a successful and uneventful introduction to driving the Short Bus.

Watch out! Momma's got the wheel. :)

Rog's view from the passenger seat. Lol.

We had two days scheduled at Lost Alaskan and to make a long story short – the UPS 3-day delivery of our water heater parts took SEVEN days! Grrrrr. So while I got the laundry done, the freezer defrosted, and groceries restocked – we were still without hot water. The parts did not arrive until after we’d left town.  Luckily we were't going far so we made a return trip to pick up our package later in the week. UPS could offer no reason for the delay and the RV parts place graciously refunded the $35 we paid for expedited shipping. Oh, the little joys and challenges of living on the road. Lol.

On a brighter note, I do want to give a shout out to small town integrity. While in Alpine, Rog and I walked into town to visit the Big Bend Museum at the Sul Ross University. Shortly after getting back to the rig, I get a Facebook message from someone saying they were with the Alpine Police Department and they had my Citibank Visa and Costco cards. Hmmmm what kind of scam was this – I hadn’t used my cards or bought anything all day. I checked my wallet and sure enough the cards were gone. Dang! I quickly called the number provided and it was indeed a very nice officer with the Alpine City Police. I beat feet to the station to pick up my cards. Apparently when I pulled my phone out of my wallet the cards had fallen out on the sidewalk and some exceptionally nice person turned them into the police. The officer couldn’t find a local phone number or address for me so decided to try Facebook. Wow. Talk about going the extra mile!  Given how hard it is to get mail, having to get replacement cards would have been a real hassle. Thank you Alpine!

Our next stop is another short hop to Davis Mountain State Park only 30 miles away. At this rate, we’ll never get out of Texas! Lol.