ACA Heritage Pre-Rally October 25-30, Lajitas Texas

It was a blast! For 5 days we socialized with our friends, met new Alpine folks, ate, drank and were merry. And we got to tour the area where Big Bend National Park is the main attraction.

the RV Park at Maverick Ranch, with 27 coaches and a club house

Jan and Dean did an amazing job of organizing everything down to the last detail, offering suggestions for local attractions, activities, and restaurants.  Except for the usual morning breakfasts and the evening gatherings, we were free to explore this remote yet interesting area of West Texas with its colorful if not eccentric culture. I think that to live and survive out here, one would have to be either very hardy or plain crazy. Only the strong would survive in an area where the closest grocery store is 80 miles away, and serious medical issues rely on a medevac crew.
Despite being in the middle of nowhere, we were not bored. In fact we could well have spent more days as there is plenty to see, learn and experience.

On our first evening there was a barbecue dinner which we all enjoyed. Jan and Dean also planned one group dinner outing at a lodge in Big Bend National Park. The drive through the park to Chisos Basin Lodge was breathtaking as was the view from the restaurant.

enjoying dinner at the Chisos Lodge Restaurant in Big Bend NP

view from Chisos Basin restaurant towards the "Window" gap in the mountains

Jan giving Helena her top chili prize, with the judges watching

Terlingua, the next town over (a mere 12 miles away) is famous for its annual chili cook-off.  The 51st Terlingua Chili Cook-Off will be held the first Saturday in November, drawing hundreds to the area. On Saturday we held our own ACA potluck "Chili Cook-Off" in theme with this area where chili is a hot item. The manager at the RV Park agreed to judge the various chilis that the Alpine ladies made. Helena and Tina were the winners.

Of course, there is never a rally without some type of repair work going on.  Several coaches, including ours, benefited from the combined expertise, tools, and parts. Michael fixed an intermittently misbehaving jack hydraulic solenoid on our coach; Bill installed new bay door locks on our coach with his special tool; John had his cracked TV dome removed. The list goes on.

replacing o-rings on the faulty solenoid

The golfers enjoyed a golf game on what I heard is an award-winning golf course and the best resort course in Texas. Those who wanted, could go horseback riding into the desert for a more up-close desert experience.
We opted to scout out Big Bend National Park. We were there 15 years ago and also toured the attractions in the area back then. This time we spent two days in the park, which I will post about separately as there is a lot to mention.

One afternoon we had a unique lunch experience, Texas style. The restaurant was basically a trailer with a smoker, known for its smoked barbecued meats.  We ordered at the window and ate outside: a 2-meat order (brisket and turkey), slaw, baked beans, red onion rings, sauce on the side, and two slices of white Wonder Bread! The meat was tender and tasty. The Texas sunshine bright, the desert barren and vast.

desert barbecue Texas style from a roadside stand with the Lisecs

We went to visit the Mayor of Lajitas, who is a goat! Yes, you read correctly. A real goat, not a man with a bad reputation. He is also known for knocking back the beers. It was siesta time when we walked to Clay's mayoral cage to pay homage. He was uninterested in our visit but I did take a few photos through the cage bars.

Here is a link to the story behind electing a goat as mayor:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/05/us/no-one-shot-the-sheriff-but-someone-cut-the-mayor-a-goat-got-it.html

Clay Henry, the Mayor of Lajitas with presumably his companion

We checked out the small cemetery that adjoins the RV Park. We noticed that one of the deceased was 100 years old.
The plaque outside the cemetery provides some background history about the area. Lajitas is the Spanish word for flagstone, which comes from the geologic formation in the area called boquillas. In a nutshell, this was home to Mexican Indians who were chased off by Native American Indians,  then in the 1890's Europeans came to establish mining companies and today it is a tourist destination for folks who want to get away.  Here is a link to a more detailed history:
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnl05

boquillas rock strata

In the middle of this desert, there is a quilt shop! It is located right on the road to Big Bend so we dropped in to take a look. Marguerite, the owner, a local colorful character, was entertaining and interesting. Almost 90 years old, she arrived here 17 years ago and would not want to live anywhere else. Her shop is one big room at the front of her home, filled with locally made quilts, runners, pot holders, and various other craft items. While I was poking around the shop, she was behind her machine busy piecing her next quilt.

Tomorrow we head off. On Wednesday we will all gather in New Braunfels for the ACA Heritage rally where several more Alpines will join us. There are about 500 miles between Lajitas and New Braunfels. Several in the group will drive straight there. Others plan a stop at the Sonoran Caves. We are heading to Fort Stockton for a day, and then Fredericksburg on Tuesday.