I'm writing this blog from memory on October 25th, 2020. After hiking Guadalupe Peak I departed from the national park and made my way to the Davis Mountains. My plan was to camp at the Davis Mountains State Park and then wake up early in the morning, head over to the Nature Conservancy's Davis Mountains Preserve for their open weekend and hike up Mount Livermore for the first time.

I had never driven south out of Van Horn towards Marfa and I was treated to the infamous Prada Marfa installation that I've seen over and over again on social media. When I stopped there I took some photos from across the street and watched a train approach. I was feeling playful and gave the train conductor the universal toot toot sign with my right arm and he obliged me with the train whistle out in the middle of the desert. I was also intrigued by a large blimp which turned out to be a Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), a border patrol surveillance system. This was also my first time to really admire the Marfa Grasslands that I've always heard about. Beautiful and vast desert grasslands.

I made it to the Davis Mountains State Park in time to check out the bird blind (I didn't see any Montezuma Quail) and still had time for a sunset on Skyline Drive which is always a treat. While I sat up there I watched an army of ants devour an M&M and then proceed to carry the remains towards their nest (macro video posted at the bottom of the page).

Before heading into the preserve the next morning I stopped by the Madera Canyon rest area right next to the preserve where my good friend Romey was camped out. It was his birthday (his tradition is to spend it here at the preserve) and I had picked up a book (In the Shadow of the Chinatis) as a gift while I was in Marfa.
I checked in to the preserve and said farewell to my friends so I could begin my quest to climb Mount Livermore, aka Baldy Peak. I had never been that far back in the preserve because usually limited by my vehicle but the truck I rented was perfect for the task. I used my mountain bike to tackle the jeep road past the closed gate and was hoping the strenuous pedaling up hill would pay off on the descent. A nice treat was the Greater short-horned lizard who was super cooperative for a photoshoot.

I left my bike just below the steep climb at Bridge Gap and then took a nice rest and snack break at the shelter there. After Bridge Gap I made some friends, Robert, Bruce, and Cliff who were making their way towards the top. Robert is from Fredericksburg and with the Friends of Enchanted Rock group and Bruce is an old retired pastor, impressively limber for his age. I enjoyed some conversations and then decided to pick up my pace while they continued at theirs. 
I approached the base of the peak and found the sign for "Baldy Peak". I think I knew there was going to be a scramble but didn't quite know what to expect. It was fairly technical as far as hiking goes and I wasn't super comfortable doing it but I sure wasn't going to make it this far just to give up. I made it up the scramble and enjoyed the panoramic views but didn't stay too long - I'm always anxious with a down-climb looming.

This first image is what the scramble looked like. Maybe a 5.6 on the yosemite scale. I wasn't sure Bruce was going to be able to do it but I was happy to find out later that they all did, and I'm still impressed. I didn't waste any time booking it down the mountain and I met one more person, Ron, who was a "high pointer" from Chicago. I made it and back to my mountain bike and held on for the thrilling descent. 

The hike was 6.3 Miles round trip, 2000 ft of elevation gain and thanks to bombing down hill on my bike I completed the hike in 3.5 hours.

Flora and Fauna!

That's the end of this 2019 summer trip to West Texas! I enjoy revisiting beautiful places and likewise enjoy being able to discover new things in the places you've been countless times. Cheers.

On Wednesday I finished my site visit for work, went back to Van Horn for lunch and then trucked on over to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. I've been here at least four times that I can remember, and summited Gaudalupe Peak twice. The first time with my brother in March 2009 and again with my friend Derrick in March 2012. My third and fourth trips here were already blogged about! Now here on my fifth visit I was aiming to reach Guadalupe once again, and this time it was solo.

I knew I wasn't going to attempt any hiking at high elevations in the afternoon I arrived because we're right in the middle of summer monsoon and afternoon thunderstorms occur almost every day. I perused the park map and brochure and was very interested to check out Smith and Manzanita Springs (duh, I love springs). The Smith Spring loop was about 2.5 miles roundtrip and I decided to go counter clockwise to swing by the lower Manzanita Spring first. Manzanita Spring was almost entirely surrounded by reeds and not much to see. You can hike around to the trickling outlet and while the views of the spring itself certainly aren't grand, they're situated in the foothills of a beautiful backdrop. The hike continues toward the Smith Canyon draw and you very quickly go from shrubby desert to wooded canyon slopes. Soon you're completely under the canopy of large madrone and pine trees (note that little madrone bonzai growing out of a boulder). The draw was bone dry but then I started to hear the trickling of water and all of a sudden a beautiful clear pool appeared with a tiny little waterfall next to large boulders and a great big tree. The spring is only guarded by a slim handrail so friendly remember to leave no trace and stay on the trail folks! A short stream extends beyond the first main pool, trickles down a few ledges and disappears underground just as fast as it arrived. I looked at my surroundings, half-expecting to see a mountain lion, and wondered just how many animals come to drink from those waters every night. I made my way through the rest of the loop and heard the rumblings of thunder so I picked up the pace to get back to my tent and throw its rain fly on. The rain never hit my campsite. The last two photos in this set were from my campsite, number 1 at Pine Springs campground. I almost convinced myself to check out Devil's Hall after my spring hike but decided to save my energy for the big hike up the peak in the morning. I ate goldfish, laid on the picnic table, and watched the Blue Grosbeak and Rufous-crowned Sparrows hop and sing around the campground instead.

Here are some critters from this first afternoon in the Guads. Robber Fly, Giant Agave Bug, tiny little ant that covered everything at my campsite, and a Texas Brown Tarantula caught crossing the road.

My big day was here. I woke up well before sunrise, got everything ready to hit the trail. Guadalupe Peak is the highest peak in Texas at 8,751 ft, the trail "is rated strenuous, with 3,000 feet of elevation gain. The round trip distance is 8.4 miles, and generally takes 6-8 hours". I'm a few years past my peak trail blazing days and feel a bit out of shape but I was eager to put my body to work. 
The views got better and better as I hiked and I enjoyed reminiscing about my previous hikes on this trail as I passed recognizable features. I passed three parties on the way up, chatted with a few of those folks, and also enjoyed a nice long break at the meadow/campground about two-thirds of the way up where there were lots of birds and breezes to take in.

I reached the peak in about 2.5 hours and felt great. I was all alone up there and knew I had about 15 minutes before the next group would catch up. I signed the hikers log, took a few photos in all the directions, and found a nice north facing ledge to do some relaxing and reflecting - But then I got stung on my leg by something that I never saw! I don't normally react severely to stings and bites but for safety's sake I decided to start hiking down right away. I didn't have any issues and was able to focus on photos of plants and flowers. I made it down in about 2 hours and the whole hike took just about 4 hours and 45 minutes, and I'm very proud of that. I'm no ultra-runner/hiker but it feels good to shave 1-3 hours off the average time. I changed my clothes, ate a few snacks, and got on the road back to Van Horn with a cheeseburger on my mind. I made one last stop at the roadside overlook to get a nice shot of El Capitan also. The prominent face of El Capitan often hides Gaudalupe Peak when approached from the south and the backside of El Capitan can be seen from the peak as the "mitten" shape in the third image below.

 Flowers, trees, and a crazy fly from the hike up the mountain! I have all of these, and more, on iNaturalist.

Here's a fun throw back to 19 and 22 year old Stephen at the top of Guadalupe Peak. I just turned 30 in July and hope to climb Guadalupe Peak again when I'm 40.

On Tuesday, after I finished my bike-hike at Seminole Canyon, I made my way up to Balmorhea State Park and the world's largest spring-fed swimming pool. I've adored Balmorhea State Park ever since my first road trip to West Texas with my dad and brother right before I started college in 2007. It's a must-do anytime you're driving along I-10 between Fort Stockton and Van Horn. The refreshingly cool waters (72°-76°F) are the perfect contrast to the brutal Chihuahuan desert surrounding it. A true oasis. Also, which I have only more recently grown to appreciate, there are beautiful and rare fishes to observe up close and personal. The San Solomon Springs in Balmorhea were originally the 9th largest springs in Texas but are now more reliably the 5th or 6th after Goodenough (3rd), San Antonio (6th), Hueco (7th), and Comanche (8) springs have decreased/ceased.

These Headwater Catfish which are often considered a species of special concern, are supposedly "genetically pure" which I suppose means other headwater catfish can hybridize with the similar Channel Catfish. They can still be found in clear headwater streams of the Pecos and Rio Grande river drainages while they are noted to be extirpated from other Hill Country and Central Texas basins. I get a kick out of the swimmers at Balmorhea who always comment on the "HUGE" catfish and when little kids pretend they're afraid of them. I'll admit it can be a bit intimidating when they decide to part from their typical wall cruising and make a bee-line towards you. Something nipped my foot on this swim which I assume was one of these guys but they aren't anything to actually be afraid of.

These little Pecos Gambusia are a federally endangered species found in a handful of springs in this area. They're threatened by hybridization when the common Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) gets introduced and when over pumping/drought causes any springs they inhabit to go dry. I'm not sure if any of the other gambusia species are currently present in the Balmorhea Pool but I did observe two obvious colorations of these gambusia but I'm assuming they're all Pecos Gambusia.

The second federally endangered fish in the pool is the Comanche Springs Pupfish! (What a fun name) They were first found and described in Comanche Springs in Fort Stockton but the springs went dry in 1955 and these fish are now only found in the springs and creeks connected to the Toyah Creek system fed by San Solomon, Phantom, and Griffin springs that are all within about 3.5 miles of each other. Fortunately, these pupfish are very prolific in the springs and streams they do inhabit. They breed year-round and reach sexual maturity in as little as 5 months. The males are the more colorful spotted fish with the flashy white tail and the females are more brown and speckled. I observed many instances of mating with the male hugging up against the females and shaking rapidly to impregnate the females. The males also appeared to be very territorial of small 1-foot areas, chasing everything away from their little throne.

By far the most abundant fish in the Balmorhea pool is the Mexican Tetra. These silver fish are noted to be native in the Rio Grande basin, which is here, but have been introduced and naturalized throughout much of Texas and our surrounding states. They are definitely abundant in the San Marcos River for instance and they particularly like swift currents but form large schools in a variety of habitats. They have a black stripe that gets darker towards their tail and the breeding males have a yellow to orange-red anal fin which can be pretty striking. The schools seem highly interested in swimmers, perhaps looking for handouts, and will pause inches away from you.

The Spiny Softshell Turtle is pretty unique compared to other turtles and have a soft shell as their name implies. They're very flat, have a long pointed noise, and fully webbed feet. I've always heard that these guys are relatively aggressive so I made sure to keep my distance. I'm not sure what level of chomping damage they can inflict and don't want to find out! If you watch the video (and pardon the camera noise) I thought it was interesting that the turtle seemed to go under the vegetation and hide right after I stopped recording.

Not pictured here but there are three other endangered species at balmorhea pool, two snails and a small amphipod. I don't think the snails below are either of those endangered species. I also don't know what kind of crayfish I saw. The last bug I found sucking on my back with its proboscis. It doesn't seem to be a kissing bug, which caries chagas disease, but it's definitely a true bug. I was sitting in the shade by the pool and felt something stinging/pinching on my back. I put my hand back and felt a bit of a squish and slowly took my shirt off to find that guy. What a jerk! Even if it was a kissing bug, the disease spreads if the bug poop enters your bloodstream. This usually happens after wiping or swatting a kissing bug and simultaneously getting the poop into the wound the bug had just created. Since I had a buffer with my shirt I wasn't too worried.

If all of those critters don't make you want to dive into Balmorhea, the beautiful water and light certainly will. The reflections above and below the surface are mesmerizing.

Jess thought it was funny that I snorkeled in my shirt but what a great way to avoid using sunscreen which pollutes the water, and avoiding sunburn! Here are a couple silly iterations of me.

After Balmorhea I had to get back into work-mode and prepare for my Culberson County site visit where Texas Land Conservancy protects over 20,000 acres. This last group of photos are from the next day in the areas in and around my site visit but best suited for this blog entry full of critters.
Jess and I commute a lot and always notice "vultures on a pole", and that morning I found the holy grail of vultures on poles and thought it was worthy of a quick photo.
The burrowing owl was found very close to where I found one the first time I visited that property. I suspect it's the same bird and is always a really cool animal to see! I was also delighted to spot my first ever Pronghorns (not photographed), the fastest land animals in North America!
What really took the cake that day was my first ever Texas Horned Lizard!!!! Texas Land Conservancy's mascot is the Texas Horned Lizard, we've been putting them all over our content and merch but I had never seen one in my entire life. Many people in Texas remember the horned lizards from their youth but fire-ants and other factors have drastically reduced their populations. I originally spotted it on the road while going 40-50 mph and you can see how camouflaged it was! I think I only saw it because it moved a few feet but I had a strong suspicion of what it was. I turned the car around and sure enough he was still sitting there. We had a nice little photoshoot after I encouraged it off the road and it was more precious and charming than I could have imagined. When was the last time you saw a Texas Horned Lizard?

Thanks for making it all the way down here! This blog was a little more nature-facts and less story but I hope you enjoyed the photos and videos!

Every year my work schedule plays out a little differently but it always includes a far west Texas site visit in Culberson County and takes me very close to the Guadalupe Mountains (I can usually see the mountains in the distance during my site visit). Last year I waited until the Fall to make the trek just so I could swing by McKittrick Canyon and experience its autumn leaf change for the first time. This year I knew I wanted to swing by the Nature Conservancy's open preserve weekend at the Davis Mountain Preserve and also decided to put Seminole Canyon State Park, Balmorhea State Park, and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park on the itinerary.

​My first day on the road started with a work site in Bandera County (a strategic piggy-back to efficiently fit work and vacation together) on my way to Seminole Canyon State park in the afternoon. Temperatures were scorching, at least 106°F and I knew there wasn't any escape from the heat in the State Park so I moseyed around the nearby Pecos River Bridge to clock a little more AC-in-the-car-time before going into the park.

The Pecos Highway Bridge was built in 1957 and is the tallest highway bridge in Texas at 273 ft. There is also an older railroad bridge further upstream that was taller than this highway bridge, at least in previous iterations if I understand correctly. Before the high bridges were built the trains followed a narrow path along the bluffs of the Rio Grande River and through two tunnels which have long since been abandoned. Here is a great write-up about one of the tunnels.

I finally drove over to Seminole Canyon State Park but the headquarters were closed for the day and I didn't see a single other person around. I don't think this park is very popular during the summer. After I got my campsite selected and registered I took a short walk behind the visitor center as the sun slowly lowered and the east-facing hillsides became shaded. After I had done some slow hiking in the 106°F sun the shaded hillside felt amazing. A few moments later the wildlife began to stir. I became instantly excited once I saw a White-throated Swift. We see Chimney Swifts all over San Marcos and in the Hill Country so these beautiful White-throated Swifts found in the west were a welcomed delight. I then began to notice cave swallows and they were all circling closely overhead as they left their canyon roosts. There was a small draw straight below me (and the bigger Seminole Canyon to my right) and I noticed a couple of vultures leaving their shelters from this draw as they aimed for the canyon gusts. It appeared to be a family of 5 turkey vultures, 3 immature birds with black heads and 2 adults with the typical red heads. They all rose higher and higher together to take advantage of the beautiful evening as the heat waned and I imagined the immature birds were still learning the ropes and mastering how ride the wind. Black-throated Sparrows, Canyon Wrens, Cactus Wrens and others were all calling and singing to make their final statements of the day. I sat and soaked it all in, the birds, the warm breeze, and the special feeling you get when you're close to prehistoric painted shelters. Humans lived in and around these canyons many thousands of years ago. I felt totally at peace and happy to be there. One special note on the cool statue behind the visitor center, this statue is inspired from one of the nearby cave paintings and I love how it brings the cave painting to life, turning the mystical being/message/story into something completely tangible.

My route to Presa Canyon was mostly on the easy jeep road and along some easy singletrack for the last third. My next destination was going to take me along the whole canyon ridge and the trail condition/difficulty was an unknown factor. I actually had a scare about half way through this second stretch when I noticed my back tire rubbing against the bike frame. I had plenty of water so I would have survived being stranded on foot but it wasn't a situation I wanted to be in. A flat tire or any malfunction could put me in that spot really quick. My short scare was resolved by just opening up the quick release and realigning the wheel which had apparently shifted from some rocky off-camber stretches, and I made sure to clamp the wheel tighter than it was. I didn't have any problems after that but I was spooked enough thinking about having to walk all the way back. I finally made it to the lower overlooks, not quite on top of the Rio Grande but I could see it (I chose not to go any farther). There were a couple overlooks and one of them points directly at the Panther Cave shelter with a famous panther image depicted. As the sign suggested, I could actually see the back half of this panther with my binoculars across the river so that was pretty cool. I could also see the dock that helps access the cave and the chainlink security fence completely blocking it off from trespassers. The water in these images is all backwater of Lake Amistad. The lake was formed in 1969 and sadly submerged a number of cave painting sights, canyons, and even the third largest springs in the state, Goodenough Springs. That's just behind Comal and San Marcos Springs in size/flow.
I wrapped up my bike-hike by taking the quick jeep road back and spent an hour in the visitor center reading and learning about the history of exploring and settling this region. It was all thanks to the windmill and the railroad.

Here are a few plants and critters from these two days. I decided to leave the carcass out of the story leading up to Presa Canyon. I could have tried to convince myself it was some sort of omen but I was just interested in the natural history of it and didn't think twice about it in the moment. I think it's a skunk.