Thanksgiving Day found us wandering around Big Bend Ranch State Park, the largest state park in Texas, with more than 300,000 acres of pristine desert wilderness. Adjacent to Big Bend National Park, the state park is similar to its national counterpart in desert ecosystem and topography, but different in its use of the land. The…
Because we wanted to stay close to base camp for Day 3 of our Big Bend adventure, we made our way to the Terlingua Ghost Town, in search of an authentic Chihuahuan lunch and expansive views of the Chisos Mountains. We weren’t disappointed. The Terlingua Ghost Town is all that remains of a once-thriving mining…
Our second day took us from the Chisos Mountains in the heart of Big Bend National Park to the park’s easternmost point at Boquillas Canyon. The Chisos are distinguished, in part, by being the only mountain range in the U.S. completely contained within the boundaries of a national park. The route through the mountains to…
After Jon spent more than two hours tying up loose ends at work, we were finally ready to set out for Big Bend National Park. Our Day 1 destination: Mule Ears, Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon — among the park’s most iconic sites. First, we stopped for lunch at Rio Bravo, a Terlingua cafe that…
We hadn’t planned on visiting Big Bend National Park when we set our 2015 travel calendar. But we also hadn’t planned on Jon attending the world’s largest gathering of radiologists just two days after Thanksgiving. The Radiological Society of North America will hold its annual meeting in Chicago from November 29-December 4, and Jon was asked to attend so…
The hundreds of visitors who camped around the Hardeman County Courthouse in Quanah, Texas, are all gone now, leaving Cloud 9 as the lone witness to a weekend of activities, acquaintances and all-things-Airstream. It was our first regional rally, and our first experience “boondocking,” or dry camping–that is, camping without water, electrical or sewer hookups.…
This year marks the 27th National Coming Out Day, a commemoration of the one-year anniversay of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. When Jon worked at The Dallas Morning News, he published an annual, award-winning special section highlighting the lives of LGBT people, as well as their contributions to business, sports,…
With lowered humidity levels and slightly milder temps, we decided to spend the first fall weekend away from the bustle of the State Fair of Texas by heading to Loyd Park. The only crowds we encountered there were of the eight-legged variety: menacing spiders seemed to be spinning webs from nearly every branch. Ants and…
The origins of Labor Day, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, can be traced to Peter McGuire, who founded the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1881. McGuire suggested setting aside one day a year to honor laborers, in 1882. He later joined forces with Samuel Gompers to found the American Federation of Labor (AFL).…
Our beloved Loyd Park is finally recovering from the spring floods, opening more sites–and more possibilities–for weekend campers like us. Four of Loyd Park’s five camping loops are now accessible, but signs of the flood persist, as debris, as well as rusted sign posts, dumpsters, electrical hookups can be seen throughout the park. We had…
Garinns on the Go 