2017: Big Bend

Terlingua Ghost Town

March 2

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Blocked mine shaft and old elevator.

The only tourist attraction in the area, other than the national park, is the Terlingua Ghost Town. It's the rather pitiful remains of what was once a thriving mining operation for cinnabar, an ore from which elemental mercury is extracted.



Ruined schoolhouse. Old wagon.  Mini-canyon.

We climbed a small hill to peek into the old church, which is apparently still in use and being restored. The piano, alas, is neither. At least I hope it's not in current use, for the sake of all the ears in town.

After our "tour", we stopped into the local trading post to admire the tchotchkes. As tempting as the Davy Crockett hat was, I settled for a nice-looking t-shirt.

Next door to the trading post is the Starlight Theatre, a restaurant and saloon where local musicians play, sometimes just out on the front porch. Their other claim to fame is being the permanent home of the stuffed Clay Henry, the famous beer-swigging goat who served as mayor of Lajitas from 1986 to 1992.

Starlight Theatre. Sitcher butt down. Ex-Clay Henry. Ya got my goat!

On our way back to camp, we stopped by a local visitor center. There wasn't much there, but they had some wonderful plantings in their outside courtyard, including a host of bluebonnets.

Later in the day, we went for a short bike ride in the area of camp. Mike apparently wanted proof that I was actually riding my expensive new bicycle, so he snapped about a hundred photos. I'll only bore you with a few.


In addition to circling the camp multiple times, we rode a short distance up the road to visit the current goat-mayor, a descendant of the original Clay Henry. Besides a few photos, Mike took a short video of the frisky black guy and his spotted companion.


We returned to camp in plenty of time to enjoy another wide-open-spaces sunset.