The Plague. OUR Plague. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now a global pandemic.
Daily news reports are frightening and dystopian, especially those coming from other countries. Italy is shut down. France is following suit. Cases are appearing in Texas. In Austin. The response to it is nothing like I have ever seen before. Schools are shut down indefinitely. Grocery stores have been eviscerated by hoarders. Under the shadow of this grim news cycle, Nicole and I grabbed our daughter and retreated to the desert.
Terlingua Ranch
Terlingua Ranch is located just outside of Big Bend National Park and offers rustic, but not primitive campsites, providing restroom facilities, a very nice pool, and Wi-Fi at the campground office.
Big Bend National Park
We spent a day in Big Bend National Park at the usual places, most notably the Hot Springs. Unfortunately, the Hot Springs area was the worst I had ever seen it. Recent rains had flooded it with muddy water from the Rio Grande.
Terlingua Ghost Town and La Kiva
La Kiva continues to disappoint. The property is still special with its eccentric decor and gorgeous bougainvilleas, but the menu continues its downward spiral and all that is left is reheated brisket (that at one time was smoked well and probably tasted good) and pizza, which is 90% of the menu and was admittedly quite good. If the BBQ goes away, then La Kiva becomes… a pizzeria? The new owner sat at the bar drinking with friends and seemed wholly unconcerned and dispassionate about what La KIva could be. The excellent live music is the only thing that made the visit palatable to me. What a shame.
Terlingua Cemetery
DOM
The (almost) annual pilgrimage to visit DOM is always the highlight of the trip for me.
I walked Finley to where she could see the rocks and told her that it was okay if she didn’t want to walk up to them. I swelled with pride that she didn’t hesitate and said she wanted to go, so I guided her along the path and I got a great picture of her posing with DOM.
Fort Davis, McDonald Observatory
We finished the trip in Fort Davis, intending to attend a star party at McDonald Observatory, but unfortunately, because of concerns around the ‘rona, it was cancelled.
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