Hundreds of millions of years ago, the Capitan Reef was the shoreline of a gigantic sea. Time and nature took their course, drying out the region and uplifting the coastal limestone deposits. The Capitan Reef is now considered the largest reef of its kind in the world. This is how a geologist would think. I think it’s a bunch of cool mountains. The Reef includes the Guadalupe Mountains, the Carlsbad Caverns, and today’s hiking destination, McKittrick Canyon.
I learned about the canyon from the rest stop I stayed at last night. The complex had a fairly impressive exhibit detailing the area’s attractions. McKittrick stuck out as especially beautiful and especially close—a perfect combination. The park’s water pump was shut off for the season, so I wasn’t able to fill up for the full hike, but what I saw in three miles was glorious. The sheer variety of plant life is captivating. Agaves and yuccas are especially common, and while trees are few, they tend to be strange and colorful.
I settled in for a solid chunk of southeasterly driving. Though I clocked in at close to 200 miles, I only passed through four towns: Van Horn, Valentine, Marfa, and Alpine. Lobo will show up on your map, but there’s nothing there. There are no farms or buildings on the solitary stretches, and not even cows on the ranches. It was lonely. Music, podcasts, and the radio kept me company. Eventually, in Alpine, I grabbed a late lunch. At 4pm, I was the only customer. The relleno was delicious and reasonably portioned—another success.
I’m staying at a rest station outside town tonight; I pulled over to play some music earlier in the day. There’s no cell service there, so I won’t be rabidly checking the election results. It’s probably healthier that way. Enjoy democracy, everyone!
“The comforting thought about democracy is that it is that form of government in which the people get exactly what they DESERVE.” — Mark Twain
Some other thoughts, there’s a Ry Cooder CD, “Into the Purple Valley” from early in his career you might want to check out. Also, there’s another CD on which Ry collaborated with Robin Williams to retell the legend of “Pecos Bill.” It’s hilarious! And Ry’s slide guitar is in fine form. Good luck finding it though! It’s extremely rare at this point — but worth the search.
What a beautiful scene in your picture of McKittrick Canyon! You have a way of finding beautiful places to hike. Thanks for the picture. As for the election, seems there was no red wave, although the NY Times says 200 of the 300 plus election deniers were voted in. Good things happened in PA, though. John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro both won. A lot of the contests are still up for grabs and too early to tell who won. Could be a week or more before the votes are all counted. Maggie Hassen won in NH, and that’s good. Must be kind of refreshing to be sort of apart from all of this. Enjoy your time in TX. It’s a mighty big state! Love, Grandma