Terlingua, Texas - July 31st to August 3rd, 2023
Terlingua, Texas is a quirky little town. It is just outside Big Bend National Park. We used Terlingua as a base while we explored the west side of Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. But we also enjoyed exploring the town.
Monday was a travel day, but a short one. It was just about an hours drive from the Rio Grande Village RV Campground in Big Bend National Park to BJ’s RV Park in Terlingua. So we were in no hurry and slept in. We stopped at Chisos Mountains Lodge on the way for lunch and an escape from the extreme heat.
When we arrived at BJ’s RV Park in the late afternoon, no one was in the office. We already had our site assignment, so we just went ahead and set up camp. The campground was pretty deserted, in a desert, in 100+ degree weather. However, our site was one of the covered sites, for which we were very grateful. Getting our rig out of the sun meant we didn’t have to cover up all our windows to keep the sun out. And the AC had an easier time keeping Red Tail at the set temperature. It wasn’t the prettiest campground we’ve ever stayed in, but it had everything we needed. We knew there was supposed to be a bathhouse with showers and laundry, but we weren’t sure which one of the buildings it was in. Since we had full hookups, there was no need to find the bathhouse that first day.
In the evening, thunderstorms rolled through. This time they dropped some rain in addition to the strong winds. The disadvantage to a covered site was that we missed out on Mother Nature’s free car wash. Line voltage errors turned off our power several times. It came right back on a couple of times, then the power went out for good, everywhere. All the lights in all the nearby buildings were out. Luckily, the storms dropped the temperature down into the 70’s. So we just opened up the windows and turned on the fans. We still had a full charge on our house batteries, so we had no problems getting through the night without shore power. Thankfully, the power came back on some time during the night.
Tuesday we drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in Big Bend National Park. We covered that in our previous post (Big Bend National Park: Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Texas - August 1st, 2023).
On the way through Study Butte, we stopped at the Cottonwood General Store, initially just to buy some ice cream. It was a small store, but we walked out of there with a bag full of groceries. Topping the list was a watermelon, a cucumber, and a couple of cold Cokes, in addition to the four pints of ice cream. Cold and moist seemed to be the theme.
We tried to stop at the gas station, as our tank was down to half. However, all the pumps at the station were closed. We’ll just go to another station in Terlingua. Well, Google and GasBuddy didn’t list any stations in Terlingua. The closest stations were one in Lajitas and one back at Panther Junction inside Big Bend. We should have gone inside the one in Study Butte to find out more information. We decided to deal with the gas station the following day.
When we returned to the campground, there was a person in the office, so we poked our heads in to say hi and see if we needed to do anything additional to check in. She gave us some paperwork and pointed out where the bathhouse was. Yes, it was the tan mobile home looking building that we suspected was the bathhouse. If we would have walked over to it, there is a sign on the door indicating such. It looked clean inside, but nothing to write home about. Showers were $5. It was $3.50 to wash and $3.50 to dry each load. There is also a kitchen area. But we only used the toilet while we were there.
More thunderstorms rolled through in the evening again. They didn’t drop much rain this time. The Hughes Watchdog switched off our power about half a dozen times or more, but it came back on after 90 seconds each time. We didn’t totally lose power like we did the night before. However, the temperatures cooled down to the low 80’s and high 70’s, so we turned off the AC and opened the windows before we went to bed. We sleep so much better with fresh air and without the noise of the air conditioner running.
Since we were not sure how long it would take us to find gas, we decided to hang out near Terlingua for the day. Filling up with gas was our top priority. First we drove back to the ALON gas station in Study Butte. The pumps were open and flowing. They must have just run out of gas the day before and got a delivery sometime later. Good! Now we didn’t have to drive half an hour or more looking for gas.
After filling up, we drove into the heart of Terlingua. It was a ghost town, literally. A few shops, restaurants and guesthouses are scattered among the building ruins of the old town. The town was a mercury mining town in the early 1900’s with as many as 2000 inhabitants. As mining production declined, the town was abandoned in the 1940’s and became repopulated in the 1970’s. In the late 1960’s, Terlingua became well-known for its annual chili cook-off.
In the old Chisos Mining Company Store is now a gift shop. For a one dollar donation, you can pick up a ghost town walking tour brochure. The tour doesn’t take long to complete, which was a good thing because it was already getting warm outside.
At the end of the tour, we stopped at Espresso Y Poco Mas for an early lunch. Their seating was outside, but it was in the shade with fans creating a nice breeze, so it was comfortable. Ann had a chicken quesadilla while Keith had a meatloaf sandwich which we washed down with lemonade. It was not gourmet food, but it hit the spot. For desert, we tried their milkshakes. Of course, Ann had chocolate while Keith ordered vanilla. They were nice and thick and very refreshing.
After spending the afternoon back at the campground, under our nice shaded structure, we went out for dinner. Just down the street was a place called La Kiva Restaurant & Bar. The waitress up at Chisos Mountains Lodge recommended the place, as she had heard good things about it so we thought we’d give it a try. The building is built into the side of the hill, half underground. It is a large place, with interesting decor along with a wonderful atmosphere. Being half underground, it was a welcoming, cool place to hang out on a hot day.
Keith ordered the day’s special, the Aloha Burger while Ann had the Contrabando Burger. For a side, Ann tried the chicharones while Keith stuck with the fries. We’ve never had chicharones before. They are also known as pork rinds, but some claim they are different in how they are prepared. They were pretty tasty, light and airy with some spicy seasonings on top. However, Ann had a hard time finishing the whole order. Somehow those light and fluffy chips sat pretty heavy in her stomach. After all, they are made from pig skins, mostly fat and protein.
Unlike the previous two evenings, no thunderstorms developed, so the temperatures did not cool down. We needed to run the air conditioner all night. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
Thursday we explored Big Bend Ranch State Park, just west of Terlingua. We’ll cover that in our next post.
We spent the heat of the day back at the campground, under our shade cover with the AC running. Then we packed up and went back into the Terlingua Ghost Town to have dinner at the Starlight Theater.
We splurged on our meal. For an appetizer, we ordered the fried Brussel sprouts with bacon. It was a huge order and we packed up most of it for leftovers. For the main course, Keith got the chicken fried antelope while Ann had the grilled quail. We’ve never had antelope or quail before. They were both prepared nicely and tasted delicious. We continued our splurge and ordered dessert. Keith’s was a slice of pecan pie with whipped cream and Mexican ice cream. Ann’s, of course, involved chocolate. It was homemade churros with a Ghiardelli chocolate dipping sauce. We both left there rather full.
There was live music scheduled to start at 6 pm. While we lingered to let our food digest, we listened to the music. The entertainment that evening was by Marc Utter, a singer and guitar player, who we thoroughly enjoyed.
Terlingua is probably not for everyone. It does not have luxurious accommodations nor fancy restaurants. But if you’re looking for a place with a lot of character, this place is for you. We had a wonderful time in Terlingua. We’re glad we stuck around to explore it, instead of just driving through.
Check out our related video: Terlingua, Texas
(Ann)