Travel Alert Updated for Mexico
The US Department of State has updated its
travel alert for Mexico. (Remember: a travel alert is less, well, alarming than a travel advisory but nonetheless covers short-term dangers that "pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens.")
The updated travel alert specifically mentions several Mexican cities near the Texas border: Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, and Matamoros.
According to the alert:
Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily-armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades. Confrontations have taken place in numerous towns and cities in northern Mexico, including Tijuana in the Mexican state of Baja California, and Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua. The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted.
The alert goes on to warn:
Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana. There is no evidence, however, that U.S. citizens are targeted because of their nationality.
Labels: Big Bend Country, South Texas Plains
posted by Paris & John @ 3:20 PM
352008: Longhorn Roundup at Big Bend Ranch State Park
If your inner cowboy is ready for some action, here's your chance: the Texas Longhorn Cattle Drive at Big Bend Ranch State Park. This twice-annual event features a round-up of the park's Texas State Longhorn herd and is limited to just 25 participants.
Dates: April 3-5, 2008
What You'll Do: This three-day event allows you to experience life as a cowboy. You'll work the 300,000-acre ranch, learning how the herd is moved with horses. You'll help drive the historic longhorn herd to ranch headquarters, where you can take part in branding calves, recording lineage and being a cowboy.
Price: The cost of the three-day event is $975, which includes horse and tack, park entry fee, lodging/camping fees, meals and the assistance of park wrangler guides. Reservations are required.
Where: Big Bend Ranch is located northeast of Presidio off Texas Highway 170.
For More Information:• visit
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department • call Big Bend Ranch State Park at (432) 358-4444
Photo courtesy: Chase Fountain, © Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentLabels: Big Bend Country
posted by Paris & John @ 2:12 PM
Anthony, Texas Celebrates Leap Year Day
What are you doing for Leap Year Day? Well, in Anthony, Texas, you can celebrate February 29th with the
Worldwide Leap Year Festival. The event continues all the way through March 2nd (hey, when a day only comes around every four years, you have to make the most of it!) Anthony is known as the Leap Year Capital of the World. Friday's events include a wine tasting and parade; on Saturday, look for a hot air balloon lift-off, a car show, 5K run and more. Anthony, Texas and Anthony, New Mexico sit right on the state border between El Paso and Las Cruces.
Labels: Big Bend Country, Festivals
posted by Paris & John @ 8:32 AM
POTD: Pictographs, Seminole Canyon
These mysterious pictographs are found in Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site, located near Del Rio. About 200 pictographs are found in this area, many beneath the rock overhangs that provided shelter from the hot sun. It is believed these pictographs date back about 7,000 years but their meaning has never been discovered.
Labels: Big Bend Country, Photo of the Day
posted by Paris & John @ 3:54 PM
US Passport Card Applications Accepted
If you live near the Texas-Mexico border and head back and forth frequently, you know that as of the end of last month you could no longer return to the US just on your word that you're a US citizen, you now need proof of identity and proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or, even better, a passport. As of this month, the US State Department is accepting applications for a new alternative to the passport: a US Passport Card.
The card is just good for land and sea crossing so you won't be able to fly home from Mexico or any other country using it but it is cheaper than a passport. The cards are $45 for adults and are good for 10 years. The first cards should be issued this spring.
If you already have a passport and just don't want to carry your passport back and forth (and fill up all your pages), you can get a passport card as well; the cost for passport holders is just $20.
For More Information:• visit the
US State Department websiteLabels: Big Bend Country, South Texas Plains
posted by Paris & John @ 12:08 PM
Our Valentine From Valentine Arrives!
Our Valentine card postmarked Valentine, Texas arrived today! We mailed it about a week ago to the small post office in the West Texas town; they hold the Valentine's cards for remailing in early February.
[How to mail your Valentine for postmarking in Valentine, Texas.]And why mail a card to Valentine only to be mailed back? Well, for the postmarks. First, it received a Valentine, Texas postmark then it was stamped with a special "Love Station" stamp designed each year by the children of Valentine.
Here's a look at our Valentine's Day card:
Labels: Big Bend Country
posted by Paris & John @ 2:20 PM
POTD: Andrews
This marker stands at the original townsite of Andrews, a West Texas oil town. The town dates back to 1878 when buffalo hunter Henry Moore hand dug a water well here and paved the way for later settlers. The town is named for Richard Andrews, the first man to be killed in the Battle of Concepción during the Texas Revolution. The 1920s brought the discovery of oil to Andrews County, and it continues to be the region's biggest money producer today.
Labels: Big Bend Country, Photo of the Day
posted by Paris & John @ 9:17 AM
POTD: El Paso's Murchison Park
El Paso's Murchison Park provides a scenic overlook over both El Paso and neighboring Juarez.
Labels: Big Bend Country, Photo of the Day
posted by Paris & John @ 11:32 AM
POTD: A Veterans Day Thank You
A special thank you to the soldiers of Texas on this Veterans Day. This photo was taken in Del Rio at the Fourth of July festivities.
Labels: Big Bend Country, Photo of the Day
posted by Paris & John @ 3:06 PM
Reader Question: Border for the Weekend?
Dear TexasTripper,
I am planning my first visit to Texas for November; I'll be attending a convention in San Antonio. The conference has a lot of San Antonio and area activities planned for the evenings (plus I'm coming in a day early) but when the conference wraps up on Friday I'd like to visit the border over the weekend (I fly out late Sunday). I'd like to visit Mexico (I've never been), do a little shopping, and some sightseeing. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks! Alice, Vancouver, BC, CanadaDear Alice,
Thanks for your email! From San Antonio, you have several options for a weekend getaway to Mexico: Laredo/Nuevo Laredo, Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras, and Del Rio/Ciudad Acuña.
In the past, Laredo and its sister city, Nuevo Laredo, were the top choice for shoppers; however, due to recent violence in Nuevo Laredo, we recommend you wait on this visit for another time. Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras is fun but it's a more limited stop if you're looking for shopping and sightseeing (although if you were looking for a casino, we'd point you there...a Kickapoo-operated casino is located outside Eagle Pass.)
We'd recommend
Del Rio as the best choice. It's the closest of the border cities; the drive is due west from San Antonio on US 90 into Del Rio, Texas. The city has several historic attractions ranging from museums to the state's first winery (and even ancient pictographs if you have time to include a visit to Seminole Canyon). Del Rio's sister city is Ciudad Acuña; there's shopping and dining across the border.
Happy travels! Paris and John
Labels: Big Bend Country
posted by Paris & John @ 5:09 PM
Upcoming Texas Cattle Drives
There must be something about the approaching cooler weather and cattle drives...we've got word of two upcoming cattle drives that both sound fun!
Big Bend State Park Cattle DriveIn West Texas, Big Bend Ranch State Park will be hosting the park's fall cattle drive from October 4 through 6. They invite guests to participate and see cattle in the ranch's rugged and remote cattle pastures, learn how the herd is moved with horses and drive the park's historic Texas Longhorn Herd to stock pens at the ranch headquarters. Participants can take part in branding and vaccinating calves, recording lineages and experiencing the traditions of the Spanish, Mexican and Anglo-American cowboy culture.
The longhorn cattle drive program is Big Bend Ranch State Park's most popular event, allowing up to 25 visitors to participate and experience a part of the state's Western heritage. The three-day event allows one to experience life as a cowboy and gain a lifetime of memories. Guests have come from as far away as New York, Australia, Canada and England.
"If you're looking for a genuine taste of the wild, western range life, the Big Bend Ranch cattle drive is about as real as it gets," Colorado travel writer Christine Loomis said of her recent cattle drive experience in the vast and beautiful high country of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Cowhands end their days with a chuck wagon meal served on range, listening to cowboy music and poetry to make the outing an authentic and memorable experience. Participants can choose to sleep on the range or return to the ranch bunkhouse for the night.
The cost of the three-day event is $975, which includes horse and tack, park entry fee, lodging/camping fees, meals and the assistance of park wrangler guides. Big Bend Ranch is located northeast of Presidio off Texas Highway 170.
To find out more or to reserve a spot on the cattle drive, call Big Bend Ranch State Park at (432) 229-3416 or the Sauceda Ranch Headquarters at (432) 358-4444. Also, visit the
park website for more information.
Georgetown Cattle DriveIf you'd like something a little more leisurely, Georgetown is hosting the Up the Chisholm Trail Event and Chuckwagon Cook-off on September 29. Along with the cattle drive, you'll find a cookoff and plenty of other family fun. For more information, see
our article in the festival section.
Labels: Big Bend Country, Festivals
posted by Paris & John @ 4:31 PM
El Paso Offering New Hotels
If your Texas travels take you to El Paso, you'll find some new hotels as well as some hotels under construction:
The El Paso Hilton Garden Inn opened in late December 2006. Located at the entrance of the University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP), the 154-room hotel displays the unique Bhutanese architectural style for which UTEP known.
The Hyatt Place El Paso Airport has opened with over 112 oversized guest rooms. The guest rooms offer state-of-the-art technology, a 42" flat-panel HDTV, signature Hyatt Grand Bed, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi internet access throughout the hotel.
Plans were unveiled in March for the construction of an $18 million DoubleTree El Paso Downtown City Center. The 17-story hotel will feature 210 guest rooms and full service restaurant. Construction is set to begin in June 2007 and will be completed in Spring 2009.
Golfers take note: the Butterfield Trails Golf Club is scheduled to open in June next to the El Paso International Airport. Designed by Tom Fazio, the course will feature a par-72 and an 8,800-square-foot clubhouse with a full-service restaurant and bar.
Labels: Big Bend Country
posted by Paris & John @ 1:48 PM
Spring Photo Workshop in Big Bend
Every spring visitor to Big Bend wants to capture the beauty of the region in photos and this spring that task is easier thanks to a digital photo workshop. Held twice annually, this spring's event at Big Bend Ranch State Park is scheduled for April 13-15.
"The park was blessed with considerable amounts of rain and snow this winter, so the ranch's chaparral, canyons and mountain slopes should be awash in floral color," said Houston photographer Jim Carr. "The workshop is designed for both beginning and intermediate digital photographers."
Carr, a retired commercial photographer, has been conducting trail rides and photo workshops at the scenic 300,000-acre state park and working cattle ranch for more than 10 years.
Workshop participants learn how to properly light and compose a picture, what to do with pictures after they've been taken, digital photo storage and organization, and more.
The Price: The cost of the workshop is $400 which includes meals, lodging, all park fees and transportation in connection with the on-site workshop. Workshop participants will meet at Fort Leaton State Historic Site in Presidio and be transported to Big Bend Ranch.
The Schedule: Participants meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 13, at Fort Leaton State Historic Site three miles east of Presidio on FM 170. Each person will need to provide his own lunch on Friday. On Saturday at the ranch, photographers will go into the field to take scenic and candid shots. The last morning is reserved for a discussion about what to do with the hundreds of photos that have been taken. After lunch on Sunday, participants are free to take photos on their own anywhere on the ranch before heading home.
To register for the workshop:• call Big Bend Ranch State Park at (432) 229-3416
• for more information, call Carr at (281) 486-8070 or send an e-mail to jcpic@sbcglobal.net
Labels: Big Bend Country
posted by Paris & John @ 4:34 PM
Fredericksburg
