It may have been more than a month since our pretty epic West Texas Vacation. But now that I’ve finally gotten around to sorting through all of pictures, GoPro footage & editing the little video below, it’s like reliving our wonderful trip all over again.
The first day we spent in Big Bend consisted of a whole lot of hiking and one of the fanciest campsite dinners we’ve ever created.
We had even bigger plans for our second day: canoeing the Rio Grande River!
Patrick and I scheduled a half day canoe trip for the afternoon, so we were able to spend the morning sleeping in & relaxing at our cozy campsite.
We had a lot of time to plan for the trip, so a ceramic percolator & coffee cups we’re definitely on our packing list.
There may have been way too many coffee grounds in my cup, but when you’re in the wilderness coffee is coffee. 🙂
Also, there was absolutely no way we were going to go on a camping trip without breakfast tacos.
We like to mix half a pound of spicy ground chorizo, half a dozen eggs & cheddar cheese together for the perfect breakfast taco recipe. We also think spicy salsa makes one heck of a topping.
I do loooove the food people like to eat deep in the heart of Texas!
We were also surprised by how quickly the landscape changed!
Hello, legit desert!
We booked our canoe trip with Big Bend River Tours, located just outside the “Ghost Town” of Terlingua, which was only about 15 miles from the Texas/Mexico border.
We had some time to kill, and were naturally thrilled to explore a ghost town.
Because how often do you get to explore a ghost town?
However, it didn’t feel very ghostly.
Far from it in fact. There was even a farmer’s market with several pop up shops inside! The locals were as nice as can be!
Turquoise earrings desert souvenir: check!
Terlingua is associated as a ghost town because there are still many homes and structures intact from the late 1880s. Back then, this place was popping and home to many miners. Apparently when the mine went under, everyone just left, leaving their homes behind.
Today, we get to see a glimpse of what life was like back then through the remnants of their decaying & deserted buildings.
It’s pretty cool how the ruins are not really regulated. There are no fences and visitors are encouraged to explore and discover.
The century old Terlingua Cemetery was also part of the ghost town, and filled with the resting places of the many miners who once inhabited this area. It’s so interesting to me how different cultures honor their dead. The Terlingua Cemetery had no marble statues or engraved tombstones like we’re accustomed to seeing.
Instead, the deceased were honored with handmade crosses & simple stones. Even a hundred years later, the locals still like to leave paper flowers and candles on the graves.
It sure makes for an interesting sight to see.
as a very early anniversary present. We were too nervous to bring our big camera on the river, so I’m so glad that we had the GoPro to get the pictures and video below. 
Seriously, we are never ever camping with out this camping stove again! It is a game changer. Especially when compared to the many food fails we’ve had on past trips.
On another note, we are also never ever camping again without real pillows and an air mattress! It only took us 5 years of camping mishaps to finally get it all of these things right. 🙂
