Host: Gwen Sullivan
We had a very small but mighty group attend the Texas campout.
On Thursday, the weather was cool and partly sunny. We rode through the Davis Mountains to the beautiful spring-fed pool in Toyahvale. We enjoyed a light lunch at a food truck in Balmorhea and then returned to camp for a wonderful steak and lobster dinner generously provided by member Mike Van Horn. New member Scott Stock arrived that evening. The camp host volunteers stopped by for a visit, learned about IBMC, and exchanged contact information.
On Friday, the weather was mild and partly sunny. We enjoyed an early lunch at the Black Bear Restaurant inside the park. We then rode the Davis Mountains Scenic Loop through open range past the McDonald Observatory to roadside museum Prada Marfa near Valentine for photo ops. We rode to the movie “Giant”(1956) tribute near Marfa. This art installation is located on the edge of the former Little Reata Ranch where the movie was filmed and features incredibly detailed large cutouts of the home, Rock Hudson in his yellow convertible, Elizabeth Taylor on horseback, and James Dean. We detoured to the Dairy Queen in Marfa for ice cream. The skies turned dark and the ride back to camp was chilly and rainy. A giant tumbleweed collided with a rider, but ended with laughter and wishes that we had video evidence. The rain stopped in time for dinner at camp.
On Saturday, our gear was mostly dry, and the weather was warm and sunny. We rode the Big Bend Scenic Drive to Marfa, Presidio, Lajitas, Terlingua, Study Butte, Alpine, and back to camp. Along FM170, we passed through Fort Leaton, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the Terlingua Ghost Town and cemetery. We met the mayor of Lajitas, a goat named Clay Henry. We enjoyed sweeping panoramic views of the Rio Grande River, the Texas/Mexico border, and the Chisos Mountains. We stopped in Alpine for a late lunch and dinner was at camp.
Members attending were Mike Van Horn from New Mexico, Scott Stock from Texas, and Gwen Sullivan from Texas. Guest Jerry Jameson from South Africa stumbled into our camp and joined us at camp for meals, riding stories, and an invitation to join IBMC. We were visited by deer, cardinals, vermillion flycatchers and bats during the days and evenings, and star gazed and watched satellites pass over at night.
Sunday, we broke camp, hugged each other, and rode our separate ways with big smiles on our faces and great memories in our hearts.
