My beloved West Texas

[MajorChode]

This is a video of a flight over West Texas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FU4s9DtIxM&feature=related

It wasn't taken by me, but it's pretty typical of the scenery you encounter around the area of Fort Davis, Alpine, Shafter, and a few other places around the Big Bend area. I go there every October.

There are no politics in the air. In fact, in many places you see very little evidence of people at all. It's just the wind, and the sky, and the mountains, and the valleys. Pictures and movies will never do the experience justice and I feel sorry for those who will never be exposed to it and other areas of this great country of ours that are just as awakening when seen from above.

[Nicole Lambeth]

1. that was beautiful!

I'm from El Paso originally, and have visited other West Texas places several times. It's just so beautiful out there. I miss the mountains and the desert so much. That part of the state will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for sharing the video!

[livetohike]

2. Beautiful! Thanks for posting it

Big Bend N.P. is my favorite national park. :-) I hope it stays as unspoiled and beautiful forever.

[Heidi]

3. Absolutely gorgeous. On my "bucket list" is a month of painting and writing in Terlingua.

Thank you for this video. :)

[bmbmd]

4. Rough country.

Wore my toenails off hiking in the Glass Mountains. Remember when that B1 bomber slammed head on into that cliff near Marathon?

[MajorChode]

5. I thought it happened in the Davis mountains

The military does use the area a lot for training.

[arcadian]

6. I got stopped by Border Patrol coming out of Big Bend.

One of the inland check points. I had dropped a friend off at the airport in Virginia and was driving to California. I really wanted to see Big Bend so I went that way. They decided to run the dogs through my truck at which point I remembered a "pipe" that my friend had used to smoke up at the airport before he got on the plane. For some reason I didn't throw it away and just put it in my bag. Thankfully there wasn't anything in it and the BP let me go. I had visions of them taking my truck apart and confiscating it.

Big Bend is awesome. This was back when they had the open border with Mexico, Santa Elena and I can't remember the other one. I also hiked to the top of Guadeloupe Peak and did a wild cave tour at Carlsbad Caverns. Great trip.

edit: Boquillas is the other town in Mexico you could cross the Rio grande to get to. i actually went there. The ferry consisted of an aluminum john boat, you pay some guy $3 and then they rent you either horses or a taxi takes you into Boquillas.


Boquillas

[MajorChode]

7. They are really more concerned with smugglers

When I lived in El Paso, I heard stories of them nabbing folks with baggies of weed and they just made them flush the stuff down the toilet. I'm sure there were plenty of cases that they did refer to local law enforcement, but a lot of that depends on the local sheriff and/or prosecutor's willingness to pursue the case. I think the BP really doesn't see it as part of their mission and doesn't really want the bad press that would come from nailing too many potheads on vacation.

[arcadian]

8. The funniest thing about the Border Patrol.

There were three of them. I labeled them good/bad and neutral. Good was this guy about 30 years old, who was just trying to get me to fess up about the 35 pounds of weed he was sure I had stashed in the wheel wells. I swear he told me this story(paraphrasing):

"Yeah so, you know, I just don't get why people smoke grass. I was doing a search of a vehicle and this guy had 100 pounds of weed hidin in a pressurized tank, one of the agents accidently ruptured the tank with a screwdriver and mariajauna smoke blew all over us. I got high, but it wasn't my fault, I didn't like it. Why do people smoke pot?"

I looked at him and just said something like: "Wow, that sucks" containing my laughter for this guys inability to fabricate a good story.

Bad cop was a sterotypical cop with short buzzed hair, he was the one who fetched the dog. After he saw he had nothing on me this converstion took place: Him, "Where are you going?" Me, "California". Him, "Well, here in Texas we don't approve of people who smoke mariajauna, I know that they approve of such things in California but we Texans don't like that shit in our state." Me, "Oh, California isn't my final destination, I'm getting on a plane in San Francisco and flying to Hawai'i." Him, "Oh..."

Neutral cop looked like he was in training. In hindsight, that was some crazy shit.

[bmbmd]

9. Have you read "The Tecate Journals"

by Keith Bowden? If you are a fan of the border culture, this is a can't miss.

[arcadian]

10. I'll check it out.

I really enjoyed that area. And somebody mentioned Terlingua up thread. That place was really cool.