GoFever: 5) Guadalupe Mountains National Park June 7-June 10, 2009

Leaving Big Bend we headed north stopping at Davis Mountain State Park. Our goal was to go to the McDonald Observatory. We were not disappointed as we spent the whole day there, touring the grounds, going through the museum, and seeing their two largest telescopes. We then left to drive the Texas Scenic Drive on highways 118 and 166, and it was quite gorgeous with the rolling hills, grazing cattle, and at times lush vegetation. After dinner we went back to the observatory for the evening program and the Night Star Party. They are must-do events. The evening program was given by one of the astronomers and covered how the stars are mapped and the relationship between astronomy and astrology. It also covered how the stars and sun are used in navigation and the relationship of the various planets and stars to the earth. It was very interesting and informative. The Night Star Party was a maybe because of rain and cloud cover. As luck would have it, just at the right time the rain stopped, the clouds began to thin and we got to view the moon and Saturn through different telescopes of various sizes. It was amazing. Saturn looks just like all the photographs you have seen.

The 107" Telescope at McDonald Observatory, 2nd Largest

Anyone Seen Any Loose Livestock?

I Believe I Found Them

The next day we toured around the state park, visited the lodge which had been built by CCC in the 1930’s and recently renovated, and drove the Skyline Drive in the park. We visited Fort Davis National Historic Site, which served as a post on the San Antonio to El Paso Road. Later in the day we went to Balmorhea State Park which is known for its swimming pool filled by a spring that supplies 1,000,000 gallons of water per hour. It is truly quite fantastic because you are actually swimming with the fishes and turtles, and it is in the middle of a blazing dessert. Part of the pool is cemented like a normal pool, but part is natural with rocks and sand making you feel like you are at the old swimming hole.

Reenactor In Men's Barracks, Fort Davis, Texas

The deep end of Balmorhea Springs Pool

The drive from Fort Davis to Guadalupe Mountains was desolate with no traffic or cross roads for extended periods of time. That is until we reached Lobo, TX where a pecan orchard appeared rising out of the arid dessert earth and seemed to be thriving. What a shock when for miles all we had been seeing were cacti, mesquite and creosote bushes and flat, flat, flat dessert. The orchard was quite extensive and went as far as the eye could see. Quite amazing is all I can say.
Arriving at Guadalupe Mountain we were dismayed to discover RV camping was in a parking lot, literally. The gorgeous tent camping sites was off limits to our little pop-up, so we had to join the big guys, even though there was at most 3 other campers there any night we were. Once we got set up we headed to the nearest trail for a hike, which is the only way to see this park since there are no through roads.

Parking Lot Camping at Guadalupe Mountain National Park

Our first hike was Devil’s Hall and it was gorgeous. You start up the side of a mountain and after a short period drop down into one of the arroyos and follow the dry wash into a canyon where vegetation increases and you have the sense the desert is far behind you. As you proceed you pass the rock formation known as The Staircase and can only imagine how it looks after a downpour with the water rushing through the arroyo forming a waterfall at this formation on its way out of the canyon. Climbing the stairs is another proposition in dry, summer heat. The short, strenuous climb is worth the effort when you reach the Hall. It is formed by two sheer cliffs, is about 20 feet wide and breathtaking. One thing that made this hike really special was the meeting of a park ranger who led our way pointing out some of the more interesting points along the way. It was like having a personal guide and we really enjoyed the information he shared with us, such as sniffing between the bark plates of a Ponderosa pine to find that there is a strong vanilla scent. It seems that Ponderosa pines are a source of vanillan used in the manufacture of imitation vanilla. When we finished this hike we went to the Pinery Trail next to Visitors Center. It crossed the desert floor and ended at the ruins of a stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Road. Only ruins are left, but they give an idea of the layout of a stagecoach stop.

The Staircase on Devil's Hall Trail

Devil's Hall

In a moment of insanity we decided to climb to the peak of Guadalupe Mountain, the highest point in Texas at 8749 feet. It is an eight and a half mile round trip with a three thousand foot altitude gain, and took us about 7 hours to complete. Needless to say it is uphill all the way. What a climb but well worth it when you reach the summit and feel like you are on top of the world. The view from the top is outstanding as you peer into the adjoining canyons and out over the desert floor as far as the eye can see (over 100 miles on a reasonably clear day). Once we returned to our campsite we crashed and spent the rest of the day very quietly. We did go to the visitor center (air conditioned) and went through the exhibits .

On The Way to the Top, Guadalupe Peak Trail

We Made It!

We also hiked the Smith Springs Trail and McKittrick Canyon Trail. The Smith Springs Trail begins at the Frijole Ranch, an example of a homestead of the early settlers of the area. The ranch house is now a museum of local history. The house grew from a one room adobe to a comfortable ranch house for a large family. Around the house is a schoolhouse, post office, fruit tree orchard, and corrals for livestock. This ranch became the focal point of the community. The hike from the ranch house takes you across the desert floor and into a canyon where the spring that supplied water to the ranch appears. It is a true oasis in the desert. The spring is encircled with moss and maidenhairs ferns, anchored by a towering oak tree. The temperature dropped a good ten to fifteen degrees and it was truly a refreshing break. As we drove away, a bull snake lay across the road and decided he didn’t need to move. We got out of the truck to take a picture, and a park employee noticed that we had stopped in the road and came over to “guide” the snake into the grass. The hike into McKittrick Canyon followed an arroyo, crossing a creek three times, and ended–-sorta--at Pratt Lodge. Pratt was a geologist by training who fell in love with the area and its geology. Before he died, he donated this property to the national park system. It is a beautiful place and a great example of the multiple ecotones that one can see in a short distance in this part of the country.