Do people judge us by where we stay?  Jeez, I hope not.  Then again…

We made our way from San Antonio to Terlingua, TX, via a short stop in Marathon.

Because of its remoteness from cities and populations, Marathon is considered one of the many “dark sky” areas in southwest Texas (as well as areas in New Mexico and Arizona), meaning any outdoor lighting should be at a minimum and essential.  Amateur and professional astronomers gather here to point their lenses into the universe, and it is not a coincidence that the McDowell Space Observatory near Fort Stockton is only a short drive away.  Not a great example, but I caught a few stars from our campsite.  It is amazing how many stars you can see with a bare eye in the southwest skies.

Part of the beauty of staying for a night in Marathon (Marathon Motel and RV Park – full hookup), aside from a chance to do laundry (not insignificant when you are on the road) , is you can then drive through Big Bend National Park the next day on your way to Terlingua during civilized daylight hours.  Such a beautiful drive.  We have camped in Big Bend NP many times previously but did not on this trip.

As you exit Big Bend into Terlingua, you encounter Rio Bravo on Wheels (on the right), a bright red Mexican food trailer with food that is just delicious.  Highly recommend.

We first came here years ago with the kids, and the town just struck us quirky enough we could probably fit in.  At the time, it was just a town to pass through to get to Presidio and cross into Mexico.  Today, it is one of our destinations, and a fun one!

Terlingua is an old mining town from the late 1800’s and early/mid 1900’s, mostly mining for minerals like mercury.  The mines have been inactive for many years, but you can see scattered all around the area the remains of housing that miners built.  I wouldn’t call Terlingua a ghost town, as it has about 150 residents, but from a mining perspective it is a distant memory.  And I would guess the population doubles in winter from people like us avoiding snow and ice.

While evidence of the miners’ houses are today mostly remains, construction of new housing uses the same tried and true methods as miners did 100-150 years ago.  Back in time, miners used available materials like rock and sand.  Today, it is no different.  Builders use rocks, which are in abundance, and adobe, which is a process of combining mud, clay, straw, sand, and water – you know, the same ingredients used in Hamburger Helper.  The only thing needed is metal or timbers for roofing, which does need to be brought in.  Adobe is durable, can do a decent job of regulating heat, and is fireproof.  Perhaps more importantly, it can be made using local ingredients, often found right at the site of construction.

We camped in Terlingua at Retro Rents/Painted Ladies, a vacation rental/RV campground.  It is a campground, but only has two rentable spots; the other 3-4 sites are RV rentals where you can rent an RV (Airstream Argosy, Avion).  Us?  We bring our own, thank you very much.

Don’t be fooled by the junkyard appearance.  Karen checked it out and the property is currently listed for $2.5 million.  Several single-bedroom casitas in the ghost town area are listed in the mid $600K’s.

If you find yourself in Terlingua, it could be because you are on the run from the crazy world around us, distinguished yourself as Bohemian, or offer a personality a shade on the quirky side.  I just can’t understand how we ended up here.   As one local told me, you’re on Terlingua time.

Even the cemetery has some distinctive grave sites.

We ventured out for an easy hike on the Indian Head Trail, which begins on the eastern edge of Terlingua but is located just inside Big Bend NP on its western edge.  This is a beautiful 2-mile hike, and in parts dotted with petroglyphs from many years past.  If you don’t know what a petroglyph is, it is graffiti long before spray paint was invented.  You probably saw petroglyphs-in-the-making on the side of some train cars you saw on your drive into work this morning.

You know we wouldn’t report back without some dining experience.  Queue the Starlight Theatre, for cocktails, camaraderie, food, and entertainment.  They open at 5pm, and if you aren’t there then, you will wait. Sir, I believe you have a scorpion on your drink.

Terlingua is not for everyone (thankfully), but it is squarely in our wheelhouse.  If you think of a high-end RV resort in Palm Springs with pickle ball courts and golf, this is exactly not that.  For all its quirkiness, this area is beautiful.

Viva Terlingua!