Bull Riding, Balmorhea, and Seminole Canyon

Bull Riding (or not). Lol.

We left New Mexico for Texas on Saturday, 4/11, but it seems we brought the wind with us. Considering the monstrous storms and damaging hail that other areas are experiencing, we really aren’t complaining. Rog fought El Paso traffic, the wind, and what we can now add to the list of things never to do again – visited Costco on a Saturday in an RV. Ugh. After what Rog succinctly described as, “a shitty day’s drive,” we pulled up to our Harvest Host site, Three Missions Brewery, expecting a cold brew and quiet evening.

What the…?? The gate was closed and there was clearly a large event in progress. It looked like a busy Saturday Farmer’s Market! Booths, food trucks, live music, dancing, and all with a rodeo theme. Rog drove around the block while I frantically called to figure out what we were supposed to do. The owner, Rick, a super nice guy, answered and told us where to turn in and park. Although there must have been a hundred cars and trucks, he had helpers direct us to a spot at the back of his 10 acres where we had plenty of room. It turns out Rick was hosting a mini-rodeo/bull riding event! The brewery was a super fun place, in an authentic adobe building. We snagged a couple brews and wandered around, scoring some jerky and grabbing dinner from a food truck. Although without cowboy hats and boots, we felt severely underdressed for the occasion. Lol. 

Three Missions Brewery.

Rick came by to let everyone know when the bull riding was about to start. Woohooo! I’d only every seen bull riding on TV and seeing the enormous and irate bulls up close and personal gave me a whole new appreciation for the sport. I think those cowboys may have already taken one too many knocks to the head. Some of the guys barely made it out of the chute, others hung on a little longer and only one guy made it through his round. Not something I’ll be trying, thank you very much. I want to pet the cows, not piss them off. Lol. This was a perfect example of one of the joys of travel, you just never know what will happen. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but this was a great ending to a tiring and stressful day.

Out of the chute and hanging on for dear life!

Woohoo! (or is that YeeHaw?) Style points either way!

A successful ride and (somewhat) graceful exit. 

This guy did not fare so well.
I love the satisfied look on the bull's face. "Yeah, I did that." Lol.

Our next stop on Sunday, 4/12, is a favorite of ours, Balmorhea State Park in Balmorhea, TX. The attraction here is the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1936. This is no tiled, chlorinated rectangle. It’s a V-shaped pool that covers 1.75 acres and holds 3.5 million gallons of water. The depth ranges 3 feet to 25 feet, and it is fed by the San Solomon Springs that put out about 16 million gallons of water a day. As if that isn’t awesome enough, a large portion of the pool is a natural habitat, so you get to swim among plants and with thousands of fishies.

Picture of the pool when it was completed in 1936.
The campground where we stayed has replaced the barracks.

Just a small portion of this amazing pool.

That's no pupfish!

We had temps in the 80’s, but it was overcast and windy. (Shocked, are you?) We hit the pool twice during our stay, but it was just a touch chilly for my admittedly water-weenie self, so we didn’t stay in very long. The pool was nearly deserted both times, with less than a dozen hardy souls in the water. I did have fun trying to get pics of the fish and resident turtles, but those tiny adorable little fishies have attitude and teeth! Not sure when they decided to stock the piranha, but I was not amused. Lol.  

Fishies!!

In addition to the pool, the park has reestablished two ciénega – spring-fed wetland ecosystems found in arid landscapes. These habitats are critical for native wildlife including endangered species. Balmorhea is home to seven desert fish species including tetras, catfish, and the endangered Comanche Springs pupfish and the Pecos gambusia. (I saw no mention of the piranhas. Lol.)

The ciénega provides important natural habitat.

Turtles!

A canal system connects the springs to the ciénega.

Raney enjoyed sitting outside, while Riley preferred his couch in the coach. We were parked in the campsite with our bedroom window right next to the pavilion over the picnic table. We woke up every morning to some very vocal sparrows who were nest building under the roof tiles not three feet away. Between Raney and the birds, there was no sleeping in. Sigh.

My furry alarm clock looks so innocent. Lol.

The other half of the morning tag team. 

Three feet from bedroom window to nest means no rest. lol.

Lovely views from the campground.

On Tuesday, we drove to Fort Davis to visit my all time favorite BBQ place, RNR (Rock N Raul’s) Smokehouse. We were absolutely blown away by this place when we visited in 2024 with our friends, Bob and Carole. The brisket, the ribs, the sides, the Cha Cha pie and Nanna Pudding… OMG. Everything was spectacular and, I am happy to report, has stayed that way!

So amazing!

All this magic takes place is a small unprepossessing house on N. State Street in Fort Davis. There is covered outdoor seating, but enter the indoor seating through a red velvet curtain and find a super fun speakeasy vibe with tributes to famous rock ‘n roll artists.

RNR Smokehouse is a gem!
Great food, good folks and a fun place.

We chatted with the owner, Jason, who moved here from Phoenix with his wife and young daughter in 2023 and reopened his Uncle Raul’s Smokehouse which had been a local favorite. He has more than done it justice. We ordered two containers of the board scraps to go for the pups, and he brought out six containers of scraps and two containers of tallow for us! Wow! Riley and Raney are going to think they’ve died and gone to BBQ heaven. Lol. So here’s another don’t miss place if you're anywhere near Fort Davis, TX!

Wow! Raney and Riley are singing the praises of RNR too!

On Wednesday, 4/15, we left Balmorhea for Seminole Canyon State Park near Comstock, TX. Texas Highway 285 was a decent two-lane road with wide shoulders and just enough up and down and curvy bits to keep things interesting. In other words, a great place for me to get behind the wheel. New achievement unlocked: Driving by braille. Ok, so I do tend to hug the fog line which has those bumpy bits to remind you not to stray too far right. (We all need those. Lol.) All I have to say is those on-coming semis look really, really big so you can’t blame me for wanting to stay well out of their way. Lol.

Watch out! Momma's got the wheel.

This was our third visit to Seminole Canyon State Park and we love the history, pictographs, art, trails and finding shells in the desert. (Fun Fact: Pictographs are painted images on rock surfaces, while petroglyphs are carved, pecked, or incised into the rock.) On Thursday, 4/16, we did a nine-mile bike ride on the Rio Grande trail. We rode to the Panther Cave Overlook, where you can just barely see the famous nine-foot-long pictograph painted on the wall of an alcove on the far side of the canyon. You used to be able to take a boat to the site, but with the river so low there is no longer any public access. The cactus are starting to bloom and I couldn’t resist stopping to take some pictures. There is beauty even in the starkest landscapes. We parked the bikes and hiked a little further to the Rio Grande View overlook. The river is still very low, but at least this section had water.

The water in Seminole Canyon is overflow from Lake Amistad.

At the far end of the canyon is the Panther Overlook.
The pictograph is on the far side (blue circle).

The red-painted leaping mountain lion is the most famous of the pictographs in this large alcove.

The desert is blooming!

The Rio Grande.

On the way back we stopped by the Visitor’s Center where they have informational displays and the Maker of Peace statue. We missed the guided tour into the canyon to see the Fate Bell pictograph site. It’s well worth doing, but is only offered certain days of the week. And yes, I managed to score a few “sea” shells. I just get such a kick out of finding shells in the desert. Snails need moisture, but these guys have adapted to desert conditions by sealing themselves inside their shells when it’s dry and waiting for rain.

Limestone ovens from the 1880's used by Southern Pacific Railroad workers.

Great views and interesting displays at the Visitor's Center.

Maker of Peace by artist Bill Worrell is a
17-foot statue inspired by ancient Pecos River rock art. 

And let's not forget... shells in the desert!

Our next stop will be a change of pace for us. We drove through Fredericksburg, TX on a previous trip to Randi’s. It looked like a fun little town so we’re going to stay a few days to check it out.