West Texas Mountains

Elephant Tusk Mountain from Skyline Trail

The snow in Ruidoso was great fun, but we were ready to come back to Texas winter weather.  Ft. Davis was our next destination.  When we arrived back in Texas last November after our western journey, Davis Mountain State Park had been our first stop. This partly mountainous, partly Chihuahuan Desert region of Texas so near where we grew up still calls to us.  Its space, beauty and stars are etched in our souls.  And so we return often…

 

Linda, Tim, Maya and David on the Skyline Trail

 

My brother Tim and his wife Linda joined us for a couple of days.  We met them after Christmas at Galveston Island State Park but cut our time short because of the high winds and rain there.  So we decided to give it another chance in another place.  This time the weather was fabulous with 60 degree days, 30 degree nights – perfect hiking and camping weather.

 

Maya on top of the world...

 

From the tops of the mountains, the views are fantastic.  The Davis Mountains rise 5,000 feet from the desert floor creating a chain of ‘sky islands’ separated by an ocean of desert.  The air is clear and it seems you can see forever, like being on top of the world.

 

Elephant Tusk from South Primitive Trail

 

David and I hiked a new area for us, the primitive section of Davis Mountain State Park.  It was a bit overcast and there were a few sprinkles, but otherwise it was another fine day in the mountains.  The view of Elephant Tusk Mountain was outstanding from the top of the South Primitive Trail.  We had a grand time and really worked out our legs climbing up those mountains.  We’ve been a bit lazy since Christmas…

 

Javalina, a  new world pig and native of West Texas

 

Prickly Pear is a favorite food of Javalina as evidenced here

 

Agave or Century Plant - whole prehistoric cultures depended 

on the agaves for survival

 

Waves of grass

Grasslands are still abundant in the Davis Mountains

 

 

 

 

 

Snow on the Mountains!

View of Sierra Blanca from Ruidoso

Snow fell during the early morning hours on our last day in Ruidoso.  We arose to about 2 inches of a powdery, sparkly frosting of snow on everything.  The ski area and the surrounding White Mountain Wilderness received 6 – 8 inches.  Like kids out of school on a ‘snow day’ we hurriedly dressed and went out to play.  Maya thinks snow is just about the most fun thing there is so she was off running, barking and burying her head up to her ears in the soft, wet stuff.  David and I were almost as bad.

Snow frosted pines from the deck of my parent's cabin

We went out to breakfast with Jim before he headed back to Ft. Worth.  It was kind of scary creeping and sliding down the steep road from my parent’s cabin into town but we were determined to make it to the Cornerstone Bakery.  They have the best pinon coffee we have ever tasted and their breakfast selection of New Mexico egg dishes, pancakes and pastries is quite good.



Santa Fe Eggs Benedict



Cornerstone Bakery Breakfast

 

Jim got off safely for his trip home but we couldn’t get our car back up the road to the cabin.  No worries, we hadn’t had our fill of the snow yet, so we went for a long walk and played with Maya until the road was plowed and the snow had melted off a little more. The sun was quickly warming things up and the snow would not last long in town.  We finally arrived back at the cabin cold and wet.  Maya’s fur had frozen in places, so we had a little warming up and drying off to do, but it was a great way to spend our last day in the mountains.  We were happy to hear that more snow was predicted in the days to come.  Maybe the rest of February will bring much needed moisture to the mountains.

Snow Maya

Six more weeks of winter and Ruidoso, NM

Well, shadows were seen by the various official weather predicting groundhogs and the verdict came back – six more weeks of winter.  I’m not sure that Texas, especially south Texas follows the same rules.  Perhaps we need our own special spring predicting animal, maybe the armadillo?

 

Light snow cover in the White Mountain Wilderness

 

Anyhow, in the spirit of experiencing a little more winter, David and I went out to Odessa to visit family for a week and then up to my parent’s cabin in Ruidoso, New Mexico.  David’s brother, Jim, drove down from Ft. Worth to join us. 

Ruidoso has been a special place for David and I since we were first married and we have spent many a vacation in the cool mountains to escape the San Antonio summer heat.  Right before beginning our RV journey back in June 2012 we spent a week in Ruidoso hiking and enjoying the mountains. 

As it turned out, we were so glad we made that trip.  A week later a lightning strike started a fire in the nearby White Mountain Wilderness that quickly got out of control.  The Ruidoso/Little Bear Fire continued to burn for two more months and before the fire was out 44,330 acres of our beloved forest were badly burned.  Fortunately, the town of Ruidoso and much of the surrounding forest were spared.

Burn area about midway up ski run road

Near top of road ski run road

The first thing we noticed upon arriving in town was just how little snow was on the mountains.  Usually by February there is a decent snow pack at the higher elevations although snow falls have been trending downward in recent years.  Recovery from the fire will be more difficult unless there is more snow very soon or a wet summer.

As much as we dreaded it, we felt we had to take a drive and some short walks into the forest to see what remained.  We found that most of the White Mountain Wilderness had some fire damage.  From the ski area looking west and north, it was devastating.  The mountain tops were completely burned as far as we could see - though there were a few patches of green in the valleys and in small places here and there.

Burned peaks as far as you can see...

 

The more we drove and stopped and looked and walked, the sadder we became.  Fire is part of nature’s plan but we still mourn the loss of those beautiful old-growth firs, spruce and pines.  It will take a couple of hundred years before there will be old-growth stands in the White Mountains again.

 

 

But along with the devastation, signs of recovery were already showing.  On a section of the Crest Trail we saw cinquefoil and lupine growing low and close to the ground.  The clump grasses and bear grass, though dormant now, were alive and ready to start growing in the spring.  I am sure many seeds are ‘banked’ in the ground and ready to grow with warmth and moisture.

Near the end of our sad excursion into the forest we arrived at the Argentina/Bonito Trailhead, one of our favorite places to hike.  What a joyful sight it was to see that part of the valley and trailhead almost untouched by fire.  Tears were in our eyes.  The trails in this valley head up into the high country where some of the most severe fire damage occured and the forest service has put up caution signs warning hikers to expect downed trees and trail damage. So not everything escaped the fire.  But it was such a relief to see that at least a few of our ‘sacred’ places had not been completely burned away…

A bright spot - No fire here! 

Choke Canyon State Park and back to San Antonio

Late afternoon on the Bird Trail at Choke Canyon

After almost three weeks of hanging out and birding on the Texas Coast, we had to get back for some appointments in San Antonio.  On our way back we spent a night at Choke Canyon State Park on the shores of Choke Canyon Reservoir.  The park has a campground on the reservoir and a nice trail system consisting of at least four birding trails which we made it our mission to explore.  Each of the birding trails contain slightly different habitat and you are very likely to see hawks in "Hawk Alley," warblers on "Warbler Way," etc.   Around the reservoir there are many species of ducks and other water fowl and many migrating birds stop over in the park or winter there.  

Cypress root 'Creature' along the Guadalupe River

 

The next morning we left Choke Canyon and made a slight detour to have lunch with our friend Jose on his farm near Charlotte and to see his two new horses.  Jose treated us to steaks cooked over an open fire with all the trimmings.   Very full and happy we said goodbye to Jose and the horses,  climbed back into the RV and headed to San Antonio to stay at Guadalupe River State Park again.  

For the next several days we divided our time between the city, taking care of business and seeing friends and the park, exploring and taking long walks.  You might think we would be bored of Guadalupe River State Park by now, but in nature there is always something new to see or something you just overlooked. 

In the overlooked category, David and I discovered the Leaf Cutter Ant Colony near the river that (I can’t believe) we had not noticed before.  GRSP has a good sized colony of these ants which in garden, landscape or agricultural settings can be quite destructive.  But at the park, this colony is respected and used as an educational opportunity. 

 

Leaf Cutter Ant Mound

 

The ants go marching...

 

Don't get too close, they do bite!

 

The colonies can be quite large – 50 to 80 feet across and up to 2 million or more ants.  Leaf Cutter Ants do not eat the leaf fragments that they ‘harvest’ but take them underground to the nest where they use the material to raise a fungus garden.  As the fungus grows, certain portions are eaten by the ants and some is fed to the developing larvae.  The fungus is the only known source of food for the ants.  We spent a good chunk of time following the ants on their trails from the mounds, across the field to the trees and vines where they gathered the leaves and then back to the mounds.  Perhaps we are easily amused, but it was very entertaining.  

Entering the Discovery Center

 

Tessa and Kellen examining a fox skin

 

The next day our friends Sasha and Casey arrived with their children and of course we had to show the ants to them.  We also checked out the new Nature Center and that was very cool even if you are not a kid.  Tessa led us for a hike along the Guadalupe River and Kellen entertained us by leaping rock to rock in the river which was pretty amazing to watch.  A picnic by the river and a little more hiking and soon it was time for us all to go. Sasha and her family had things to do to get ready for school and work on Monday and we had dinner plans in San Antonio. We met David’s ex co-worker, also named David and his wife Sharon at, yes, you guessed it – Chuy’s.  What a great day!  Walk, learn something new, play with friends, eat good food and sleep – that's the way we like it...

Kellen is going to be a rock climber

 

In the middle of the Guadalupe

Picnic time

This leg of our journey might have been a little heavy on the ‘eat good food’ part.  We also met friends Cindy and John in Gruene at the Grist Mill one night and Bill and Candace in Boerne at the Creek Restaurant.  Then we visited Bill's ranch to check out the recently completed tree work on the new addition to his property. We were delighted to see about 30 male turkeys making their way through the trees on the ranch.  As we were leaving we noticed that the Great Blue Herons were beginning to stake out their nests along Cibolo Creek reminding us that our winter in Texas will soon be turning to spring.

Mustang Island State Park and Kingsville

Caspian Terns on Mustang Island State Park Beach

A few weeks back we scheduled a birding ‘date’ in the Kingsville area with friends Thea, Jess, Thea’s son Will and his girlfriend Holly. The nearest state park was Mustang Island, another place we had always wanted to stay, so we headed for Mustang Island to camp for the weekend and meet the gang in Kingsville on Sunday for our big birding day.

Mustang Island State Park allows primitive camping right out on the beach or there are campsites with water and electricity just behind the dunes very near the beach.  Being so close to the ocean, the campsites are out in the open, close together and exposed to the elements.  But the weather was perfect, not too windy and so our stay was lovely.  It was so relaxing to take long walks on the beach and to be gently whispered to sleep by the sound of the waves.

 

Terns in Flight

 

Early Sunday morning we drove about 35 miles to Kingsville.  Thea had worked hard to plan a fantastic day for us all.  First we had breakfast in Kingsville, then hopped in the cars for a day long adventure.  Will knew the area well as he graduated from Texas A&M Kingsville with a degree in Wildlife Management.  So, he was a natural for our tour and bird guide.  We visited 4 main habitat areas – woodland, prairie, lake and sea shore and we were rewarded with lots of great bird sightings from green jays to hawks to the white morph of the reddish egret.

After birding all morning we had a nice stop for lunch at a seafood place near the small town of Riviera.  Riviera, located on Baffin Bay, has an interesting history.  The land surrounding the bay was purchased from the King Ranch Family by a German immigrant.  He planned on turning the area into the ‘Texas Rivera.’  Several nice hotels, restaurants and other tourist facilities were built and tourists started to come.  But then World War I broke out and everything changed.  Sentiments towards Germans were not exactly friendly anymore and the government imposed many restrictions on German businesses, so the resort suffered economically and eventually failed.  Today a few marinas and restaurants are all that is left of the ‘Texas Riviera’ on Baffin Bay.

 

Great Blue Heron 'waterskiing...'

 

The afternoon consisted of more birding and exploring the Kingsville area.  We capped it all off with a great BBQ dinner and lots of talk.  Needless to say, it was late when we got back to our campsite on Mustang Island.  Maya insisted upon a moonlight walk on the beach. She had spent a good deal of the day in the car or waiting on us while we scanned sky and shore for birds.  Maya doesn’t quite understand how we can spend so much time just standing in one place looking.  Smelling is so much more rewarding.