Our final day in the area was spent outside of the National Park. We began in Terlingua/Study Butte, TX. Boy, was I thankful that we stayed in the park once I saw the nearest city and its accommodations! It was the strangest place I'd ever seen--hands down. This former mercury mining town was abandoned in the 40s and repopulated in the 70s. I suspect this is where old hippies retired. :) They are self-described as an active community of artists, musicians, and free thinking individuals. Below you will see remnants of the Perry School.
This town once had a butcher shop, ice cream parlor, etc. Now it is a series of piles of junk (in my opinion). Life here for it's current residents is far from extravagant. These are some of the ruins that are scattered amid the Ghost Town Walking Tour.
We continued along 170 to
Big Bend Ranch State Park. This road followed the river through the southernmost part of the state park. We went as far as La Cuesta (Big Hill), which is the steepest paved grade in Texas.
On the return trip, we stopped at Contrabando. It is a movie set in the state park right on the Rio Grande River. All of its buildings were created for films. Some of the movies that have been filmed here include "Streets of Laredo", "Gambler V", and the
Brooks and Dunn video "My Maria". This view looking west along the river is within Contrabando.
This town once had a butcher shop, ice cream parlor, etc. Now it is a series of piles of junk (in my opinion). Life here for it's current residents is far from extravagant. These are some of the ruins that are scattered amid the Ghost Town Walking Tour.
We continued along 170 to Big Bend Ranch State Park. This road followed the river through the southernmost part of the state park. We went as far as La Cuesta (Big Hill), which is the steepest paved grade in Texas.
On the return trip, we stopped at Contrabando. It is a movie set in the state park right on the Rio Grande River. All of its buildings were created for films. Some of the movies that have been filmed here include "Streets of Laredo", "Gambler V", and the Brooks and Dunn video "My Maria". This view looking west along the river is within Contrabando.
