Hiking

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The Bandera General Store

No road trip through the Texas Hill Country would be complete without a stop in Bandera. Located along the Medina River approximately 50 miles northwest of San Antonio, Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County. It sits where the rolling Hill Country meets the rugged Edwards Plateau.

Bandera takes its name from nearby Bandera Pass, which appeared on maps as early as 1842. Bandera is the Spanish word for “flag” or “banner.” Although the name’s exact origin remains uncertain, a popular account says Spanish settlers and Apache leaders met near the pass to make peace. According to the story, they placed a flag on a hill to mark the boundary between their territories.

The town was founded in 1853. Its early settlers included Polish immigrants who helped establish the community and built St. Stanislaus Catholic Church. One of Bandera’s earliest industries was the production of cypress shingles made from trees growing along the Medina River.


After the Civil War, Bandera became an important staging area for cattle drives heading north along the Western Trail. By the late 1870s, this route had largely replaced the famous Chisholm Trail as the principal trail north. Millions of cattle traveled the Western Trail before expanding railroads, barbed-wire fencing, and the closing of the open range brought the great cattle-drive era to an end.

Today, Bandera calls itself the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” Given its history as the start of the Western Trail, it has earned the title. Cheryl and I enjoyed our visit to Bandera. The downtown area has a vintage-western character all its own and is a fun place to explore. It’s easy to park, stroll the sidewalks, browse the unique stores, and enjoy a place where the spirit of the Old West still feels very much alive.


Our main reason for visiting Bandera was to explore the Bandera General Store at 306 Main Street. Historical sources differ on whether the building dates to 1907 or 1921, but it has certainly enjoyed a long and colorful past. Over the years, it has housed a dance hall, movie theater, saddle shop, feed store, appliance store, and Western-wear shop.


Like many of the historic stores we visited during our Texas Hill Country road trip, the Bandera General Store occupies one of the coolest old buildings in town. Its original wooden floors and pressed-tin ceiling remain, filling the store with vintage character and offering visitors a connection to Bandera’s colorful cowboy past.


The Bandera General Store offers a wide assortment of Western and Texas-themed merchandise, including cowboy boots, hats, clothing, souvenirs, antiques, books, toys, and home décor. It also carries locally made jams, jellies, honey butter, spices, salsas, and hot sauces. We enjoyed browsing the store’s interesting selection and even picked up a couple of things for our cabin—along with some old-fashioned candy for the road.


One of the store’s coolest features is its 1950s-era soda fountain. Pull up a seat and enjoy Blue Bell ice cream, milkshakes, malts, floats, sundaes, sodas, freezes, or a classic banana split. The welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere makes this a great place for kids—and kids at heart—to enjoy a cool treat.


Cheryl and I really enjoyed our visit and appreciate how Bandera works to protect its unique history and character. This heritage is a special gift for everyone who lives in or visits the town. We hope Bandera keeps its one-of-a-kind spirit and continues to share its story for many years to come.

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The Garven Store

Cheryl and I spent an amazing week driving the back roads of the Texas Hill Country in search of old country stores. We discovered so many interesting places and so much history along these quiet two-lane roads. After a few days of exploring, we set our navigation for Mountain Home, a small community south of Interstate 10 and home to the Garven Store, one of the historic stops on our list.

Mountain Home is a small, unincorporated ranching community in northern Kerr County, located at the junction of State Highways 27 and 41. Settled around 1856, it received its post office and name in 1879, briefly becoming known as Eura in the early twentieth century. Ranching has long been the foundation of the local economy in this rugged part of the Texas Hill Country.


When we made our initial list of historic country stores to visit, the Garven Store easily made the cut. Everything we learned about the store convinced us that it was a must-see stop on our Hill Country trek. The historic Garven Store is located at the remote intersection of U.S. Highway 83 and Texas Highway 41 near Mountain Home. The store traces its roots to Scottish immigrant William Burney Garven and his son Edward, who purchased ranchland along the historic Rocksprings-to-Kerrville trail.

In 1932, Edward built the original store on his ranch beside Highway 41. When his son Clarence left the following year, Edward’s wife, Lettie, took over its operation with the help of ranch hand Gene Roberts.

In 1948, Edward and Lettie’s daughter Myrtle and her husband, George “Bill” Dowdy, assumed responsibility for the store. Their son Billy remembers a time when customers arriving after hours could take what they needed, write down their purchases, and leave payment on the counter. That was definitely a different time!

When U.S. 83 was constructed through the area in 1952, the store building was moved from its original location to the crossroads where it stands today. In 1998, Billy and Shirley Dowdy began operating the Garven Store, continuing five generations of family involvement. Over its long history, the little store has survived economic changes, highway construction, and the challenges of its isolated Hill Country location.


When we stepped through the double screen doors, we were not disappointed. The front part of the store remains much as it was when first built, with worn wooden floors, sturdy old shelving, a counter where generations of customers placed their purchases and exchanged money, and an original candlestick telephone mounted on the wall. The whole place felt as though decades of history were still lingering in the air.


Today, the Garven Store proudly boasts that it has “the best dang jerky in Texas.” Of course, we had to put that claim to the test. For such a little store, it offers an impressive selection, and Cheryl wasted no time choosing several varieties for us to sample. Our conclusion: They are telling the truth in their advertising. The jerky is truly outstanding.


In addition to their great selection of homemade jerky, they offer a large selection of pickled products bearing the Garven Store brand. And if you need an affordable pocket knife, they have a selection in pick-and-grab boxes next to the cash register. The addition on the back side of the store has refrigerated coolers with a variety of drinks and a few simple grocery items.


The Garven Store has remained open for nearly a century, and we hope it will welcome travelers for many more years. Places like this are more than convenient roadside stops; they are living museums of Texas history. Country stores once played an essential role in rural communities, providing farming and ranching families with groceries, supplies, news, and a place to connect with their neighbors.


The next time you are traveling from here to there, take a closer look at the map and add a stop along a back road. Find an old country store, historic site, or other hidden place worth exploring. We are fortunate to have so many Texas treasures tucked away along quiet country roads. I promise you, the extra time and miles will be worth it.

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Pipe Creek General Store

While Cheryl and I were driving down Highway 16 on our Texas Hill Country road trip, I spotted the Pipe Creek General Store and Dance Hall out of the corner of my eye. Curious, I turned the truck around to take a closer look. I’m really glad we stopped.

Honestly, we hadn’t planned to visit the Pipe Creek General Store because we had not heard about it. But that quick glimpse made us turn around, and I’m so happy we did. This Hill Country spot turned out to be a real find.


Pipe Creek is a small community in eastern Bandera County, about nine miles east of Bandera on State Highway 16. It was settled around 1870 and named after the nearby creek. The town started as a ranching and farming community, and it still has a peaceful, rural feel.


When we walked into the store, a young woman named Melissa greeted us warmly and happily answered my questions about the place and its history. Like many old general stores, the Pipe Creek store has a rich history dating back to 1911, when E. B. and Carrie Keefe established the first store on the property.


A dance hall was added in 1930, becoming a popular gathering place for dances, movies, and skating. The present store was built in 1936 when Highway 16 was widened. After decades of serving travelers and local families, Bruce Martin purchased the property in 2014. Martin restored the property and grounds, taking pains to preserve its historic 1930s-era character.

Places of historical interest need people like Bruce Martin. Preserving old places requires vision, personal commitment, and a great deal of respect for the past if old buildings are to be saved and given a new life.


Martin did more than restore the Pipe Creek General Store and Dance Hall; he preserved a community gathering place and an important part of Hill Country heritage for future generations to experience and enjoy.


Today, the front of the store houses an inviting boutique stocked with a wide variety of merchandise. The original wood floors, period cabinets and counters, rustic décor, and vintage cash register preserve the building’s historic character and add to the charm of this special place.


The dance hall next door and the three acres behind the store provide welcoming venues for celebrations of life, baby showers, weddings, and family gatherings. Everywhere you look, something interesting catches your eye—remnants of the past that make it easy to imagine the quieter, slower pace of life enjoyed by previous generations.


Communities need gathering places. Big cities may have them in abundance, but few can compare with the small-town stores and venues that connect us not only with one another but also with the generations that came before us. That is why places like the Pipe Creek General Store and Dance Hall matter—and why preserving them for future generations is so important.


I am so glad that a passing glance while driving through the Texas Hill Country led us to the Pipe Creek General Store. If you find yourself anywhere near Pipe Creek, it is well worth taking the time to step inside this charming time capsule and be transported to a simpler era—even if only for a few brief moments.


As Cheryl and I drove away, we talked about how much we hope places like the Pipe Creek General Store will still be around a hundred years from now. The busier and more complicated our lives become, the more we need places that invite us to slow down and remember where we have come from.

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My Buffalo Patrol Flag

There is no denying that I am absolutely captivated by the beauty of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. It is rugged country. Iconic cowboy country. Breathtaking country. It is not for everybody—and that is okay.

There is a saying out here in the wide part of the Lone Star State, where the sprawling Chihuahuan Desert paints the landscape as far as the eye can see: From the outside looking in, you don’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.

As hard as I try to put into words what I feel when I am under the Big Bend sky, I can never quite explain it.

My love for this part of Texas began when I was a member of Boy Scout Troop 68 in McAllen. Our troop was very active, and I enjoyed every hike, campout, and opportunity to learn some new kind of bushcraft.


In 1972, our troop leader, Mr. Connor, told us that we would be attending Buffalo Trails Scout Ranch in the Davis Mountains. As a South Texas boy, I had never seen mountains. The thought of traveling to a place called the Davis Mountains was beyond exciting.

We made the long trek from McAllen to Buffalo Trails in a yellow bus without air conditioning—in the middle of July. It was incredibly hot. But most of us lived in homes without central air conditioning or, at best, with a window unit, so the heat was tolerable. We were too excited about the adventure ahead to complain.


I was the patrol leader of the Buffalo Patrol. Before our trip, I asked my mom if she could help me design a flag for our patrol.

She did much more than help.

She surprised me with what I—and everyone else in Troop 68—thought was the coolest patrol flag ever.

The buffalo-looking hide and horns, the hand-lettered design, and the Camporee award ribbons made our flag one of a kind. We displayed it proudly at Buffalo Trails and later carried it to every campout and jamboree.


That long journey from South Texas to the Davis Mountains was one of the greatest adventures of my boyhood. The opportunity to see and camp in the mountains stirred every adventure molecule in me.


We crossed the Pecos River on the coolest bridge I had ever seen. We stopped in Langtry to visit Judge Roy Bean’s famous “Law West of the Pecos.”

And then we arrived at Buffalo Trails.

Wow!

I was in Boy Scout heaven.


The entire adventure—from McAllen to the Davis Mountains—was a dream come true. It was my first exposure to the vast and beautiful country beyond the Pecos. Years would pass before I returned, but when I finally did, the landscape stirred dormant memories and brought them vividly back to life.


I could never have imagined in July 1972 that I would one day own a small piece of acreage in the magnificent Big Bend region. It is a place where Cheryl and I now find rest—and where we have the privilege of giving other boys opportunities to enjoy their own Big Bend adventures.


Today, at seventy years of age, I still have my Buffalo Patrol flag. It hangs above the door of our guest cabin. Every time I see it, I smile.

I think of my beautiful late mother and the care she put into designing and stitching it together. The ribbons have faded with the passing years, but the memories they hold remain vivid.

I am grateful to have this treasured reminder of my childhood still. It reminds me that boys need adventure—and that adventures can help mold boys into men of courage, character, and conviction.

Thanks, Mom, for my flag.

It will always remind me of you—and of the adventures you and Dad encouraged me to have.

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The Adventure Classroom

This past week, Cheryl and I hosted our fifth annual Big Bend Adventure for boys from the Brookshire community and their mentors. Brookshire, located west of Houston, has the highest percentage of fatherless homes in the greater Houston area.

We host these campouts in partnership with The Hangar, a ministry of Eyes On Me, a Christian nonprofit dedicated to mentoring, discipling, and serving at-risk youth and their families.

Eyes On Me is very intentional about investing in the lives of boys in the communities they serve throughout the greater Houston area. They understand that boys are often wired with tremendous energy, curiosity, and a natural instinct toward exploration and risk.


The outdoor adventures they organize for these boys in locations around Texas and Colorado provide a healthy outlet for that energy. Getting boys into environments where they can hike, climb, swim, and explore allows them to stretch themselves in positive ways and push their limits safely.

These experiences give boys an opportunity to channel their energy into purposeful action while learning resilience, courage, and responsibility—qualities that will serve them well as they grow into manhood.


The boys enjoyed two days of adventure in Big Bend National Park, where they hiked, climbed, and scrambled across boulders. This year we added a couple of new experiences. We took the boys to Red Bluff, a beautiful place near our cabin, to hunt for arrowheads. Then we visited a spring-fed swimming hole along Terlingua Creek, where the boys enjoyed a cold swim in the desert.


We also planned a day of work around the property. The projects we assign require the boys to work cooperatively to complete a task. This year they pounded in more than 80 t-posts along a fence line. It was hard work that required taking measurements, learning the difference between level and plumb, clearing brush, and driving posts into the earth.


These adventures do more than create memories. They help shape young men.

Throughout Scripture, God often formed His people in wilderness places. Moses spent years in the desert before leading Israel. David learned courage in the hills while tending sheep. Elijah encountered the voice of God in a cave. Even Jesus began His ministry after forty days in the wilderness.


The wilderness has always been a classroom where character is formed.

When boys step away from screens and other distractions and enter the wide spaces of God’s creation, something important begins to happen. They discover that they can endure discomfort, overcome challenges, and accomplish things they once thought were impossible.


Many of these boys come from homes without a father present. Experiences like this allow them to spend meaningful time with mentors who model courage, responsibility, and faith. Around a campfire, on a trail, or sitting beneath a sky full of stars, conversations happen that simply do not happen anywhere else.

We are grateful for ministries like Eyes On Me that are investing in the next generation of young men. And we are grateful for the mentors who give their time, energy, and hearts to walk alongside these boys.

Sometimes the most important work in shaping a young man happens in the adventure classroom — on a trail, around a campfire, and under a canopy of stars.

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Back in the Desert

After celebrating Christmas with family, Cheryl and I packed up the Tundra and headed to our cabin in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert. Over the course of a year, we never spend as much time at the cabin as we would like. But that is what makes the time we do get to spend there all the more special.

For the first time in years, I had a very short list of projects. That was okay, because I wanted some quiet space in which to do some reading and writing before leaving the country again in a few days. There is no better place than the desert for me to de-stress and refresh my always-in-motion soul.


One small project on my list was extending the pavers in our outdoor kitchen and picnic area all the way to the west side of the cabin. A big part of the reason for this was to cut down on dust—although dust is always part of life in the desert. It is ever-present and respects no barriers. It always finds its way in and defiantly settles on every surface.


I brought pavers from home but knew I would need more to finish the project. So after off-loading what we brought with us, we made a trip to McCoy’s in Alpine to purchase the rest. While there, we decided to stop for lunch at Magoo’s Place, known for its home-style cooking.

In all the years we have traveled through Alpine on our way to the cabin, we had never stopped to eat there. However, Rita, my new assistant, highly recommended it. Her husband’s family has deep roots in Alpine and Big Bend and knows all the good places to eat.


After leaving McCoy’s, we drove the short distance to Magoo’s Place only to find it packed for lunch. We stopped anyway and scored the last available table. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger, and Cheryl ordered a BLT—both with hand-cut fries and tea. We were not disappointed. Every bite was delicious. We agreed we would not miss future opportunities to eat at Magoo’s.


As we usually do when we visit the cabin, we scheduled fellowship time with our neighbors. We always enjoy hosting cookouts with s’mores around the campfire. It’s always good to reconnect with our friends in the desert and get caught up on the latest happenings under the Big Bend skies.


I also had time to take a long ride on my mini-bike, exploring the roads around the cabin. There are 1,100 miles of roads on Terlingua Ranch, so there is no shortage of places to explore. But my electric mini-bike keeps me closer to the cabin, where I can make it back before draining the batteries. I had a great time riding in the cool air with views of the surrounding mountains and mesas.


I added another piece of décor to the cabin as well. While visiting Dad, I came across one of my grandfather’s old cigar boxes. This one is different from the others he gave me to store small childhood treasures. It is wooden with a hinged top and a small latch. The name of the distributor in Mission, Texas, is etched on the side. I placed it next to an old photo of my grandfather on his ranch in Duval County.

Adding nostalgic touches to the cabin makes it an even more special place to visit. We want Dos Arbolitos—our place in the desert—to always be a sanctuary, a place of rest and refreshment. We know we are stewards of this place only for a season, and that one day someone else will own it.


We pray that whoever owns our small slice of geography in the Chihuahuan Desert long after we are gone will enjoy it as much as we do. We continue to work hard to make it an inviting retreat. We have made many improvements over the years, but the most important thing is not what we have done in the desert—it is what God has done to refresh us in the desert. That is why we are always happy to make the long drive back to our little slice of heaven in the desert.

Happy New Year from Dos Arbolitos deep in the heart of Texas.

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Manna in the Chihuahuan Desert

Last November, Cheryl and I hosted the first retreat at our cabin for the men from the Manna House. This Christ-centered residential recovery ministry for men addicted to alcohol and drugs is located in the small town of Brookshire. The year long program is designed to lead men to be set free, set apart and set on fire.


The Manna House guys arrived early Thursday afternoon. I rode my electric mini-bike to Little Burro Country Store at the intersection of Highway 118 and Legions Road to meet and escort them the final three miles to the cabin. I have sure enjoyed riding my mini-bike along the dirt roads around the cabin. So much fun!


The guys wasted no time in setting up their tents and getting situated. In the meantime, James and his sous-chefs, Doug and Chris, started meal prep. Prior to their arrival, my friend Kyle and I built a special table for Dutch oven cooking. James is a master of Dutch oven meals so I wanted to improve our outdoor cooking area for him to work his culinary magic.


As in the previous year, we gave each of the men a hydration backpack along with all sorts of miscellaneous gear for day-hikes: first aid kit, emergency whistle, space blanket, caribeners, flashlight and headlamp, compass, paracord bracelet, and more. We sat around the campfire that first evening talking about hiking and preparation for wilderness survival.


The guys enjoyed several hikes on the two days they visited Big Bend National Park. Each night we sat around the campfire for a debrief on the day. So much fun to hear about how much they enjoyed the park. And, of course, the guys lingered around the campfire until the stars and the Milky Way filled the night sky.


The best part of our time out west was the day Raul and Timothy were baptized in the Rio Grande River. Having a relationship with Jesus is essential to their recovery and to taking that first step to be set free, set apart, and set on fire. Having all of the guys witness their baptism made it all the more special.


I am grateful for the Manna House and their commitment to help men in recovery. Over the past twenty years I have met so many men at the Manna House whose lives were changed for the better, who arrived in a state of despair and desperation and left with a new hope and a new future.


Cheryl and I consider it a blessing to host these men at Dos Arbolitos, our little slice of heaven in the Chihuahuan Desert. Our prayer is that God would bless us with many more years of good health to continuing hosting outdoor adventures for boys and for men and helping them to connect with the One who created the beauty of Big Bend.

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Introducing Boys to Adventure

My days of adventuring started when I was a kid growing up in the small South Texas town of Mission. Our mesquite-shaded backyard, accented with broad stands of prickly pear growing out of hard-packed dirt, was where I first felt the thrill of adventure. I climbed and fell out of mesquite trees, harvested crispy and lifeless cicada shells clinging to gnarly mesquite branches, stalked birds with my air rifle, and made my first campfire in that big backyard.

My thirst for adventure is still strong six-decades later. But what really adds to my excitement is introducing boys to adventure. When Cheryl and I purchased our first tract of land in the Chihuahuan Desert outside of Big Bend National Park, we dreamed of developing it as a basecamp for adventure — especially for boys and dads, boys without dads, and families.


This past week we hosted our fourth annual Big Bend Adventure for boys from the Brookshire community and their mentors. The Brookshire community, located west of Houston, has the highest percentage of fatherless homes in the greater Houston area. We host our campouts in partnership with The Hangar, a ministry of Eyes On Me. This Christian non-profit exists to mentor, disciple, and serve at-risk youth and their families.

The boys arrived mid-afternoon on Sunday. Their first order of business was to select a campsite and pitch their tents. For many of the boys, this was their first time to set up a tent and to sleep outdoors. One boy spent the first night sleeping on top of his sleeping bag because he did not know that he was supposed to unzip it and crawl inside. The temps dipped to 26-degrees that night. He learned a valuable lesson and was much warmer on his second night.

On the first night around the campfire, we gave each boy a hydration backpack and all sorts of survival gear — first aid kit, headlamp, flashlight, emergency blanket, whistle, compass, paracord bracelet, and other cool outdoor stuff. We explained why each piece of gear is important and then used that item as a metaphor for a spiritual lesson.


The boys enjoyed two days of adventure in the national park. They hiked some beautiful trails and saw some remarkable scenery. This was the first time many of these boys had visited a national park. They enjoyed every minute of hiking and boulder scrambling and dipping in the Rio Grande River.


We also set aside one day for the boys to do tasks around the property that can only be accomplished by cooperating with one another. We talked to them about the importance of doing any assigned task well and why their work is essentially their signature.


This year the boys pounded t-posts along what will become a new fence line, fastened the horizontal pieces to cedar posts to make H-brackets and then tensioned those brackets with smooth wire. As in years past, they did a truly remarkable job on their assigned tasks.


James Meredith returned once again to serve as lead camp cook. James met with some of the boys to plan and execute meal prep. Every meal was so good. It was great to see some of the older boys step up to help with the meal preparation — a great way to learn responsibility.


My favorite time is always our evening campfire time. The boys sat around the campfire and listened to testimonies from our friend Rene, aka 211, from El Paso. He shared his powerful story of spending years in prison and falling in love with Jesus. He is a great mentor and a powerful speaker.


My friend a fellow staff member Bobby Cooley shared his emotional story of growing up in a broken home. Bobby is a testimony to the transforming power of the gospel. God rescued him from a childhood so crazy and that was leading him down a path that would have destroyed him.


A young man who goes by the name Nephew was released from prison 36 days prior to the campout. He shared his story of being shot on the streets, almost dying, going to prison, and having a life-changing encounter with Jesus who transformed his life.


As a result of listening to these campfire testimonies, five boys placed their faith in Christ and asked to be baptized in the Rio Grande River. Remarkably, on the day of the baptism, a visitor to the park who witnessed the baptisms asked questions and then placed his faith in Christ for salvation and was also baptized.


Once again, Cheryl and I felt reaffirmed in our commitment to make our place available to serve the purpose of God in our generation. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to God for the ministry of The Hangar and all of the boys and mentors who spent the week with us under the magnificent Big Bend skies. To God be the glory for the things He has done.

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A Chihuahuan Desert New Year

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. Time seems to fly by faster and faster the older I get. I told a friend that at my age I can’t afford to kill time because time is killing me. I have to make the most of every day.

Once again, Cheryl and I celebrated — or rather slept through — the transition to the New Year out at our off-grid cabin. With a waning moon, the stars were definitely big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. And the nights were cold out in the Chihuahuan Desert where the creosote offers little protection from the north winds.

We headed to the cabin after spending a couple of days with my 95 year-old Dad down in South Texas. Still in great health and with a mind as sharp as ever, Dad is my hero and inspiration. He is an eternal optimist and has remained curious about the world — although he is now resigned to exploring new places by way of his favorite travel shows.

We were excited to meet the Perry family, friends from church, staying at our guest cabin. This was their first visit to Big Bend National Park and they had some fun days planned for their girls. We had the opportunity to share a pleasant night around the campfire before they headed back to Katy.

As always, we had a list of projects, a truck full of materials, and only a few days to make a little more progress on our off-grid paradise. So, we wasted no time.


The first thing on my list was to start on the outdoor cooking area under the solar porch at our guest cabin. The plan is to build half walls clad in corrugated tin to serve as a wind block. I built a cooking counter out of recycled lumber and coated it with spare urethane. I will complete the half-walls on our next visit and then lay pavers to cut down on the dust.


I recently created a shadow box to display my Cub Scout knot board. I made this knot display on March 27, 1967 when I was a member of Pack 60 in McAllen. I recently found it in a box of stuff up in the attic and thought it would be a fun addition to the guest cabin.


I also replenished our firewood supply at the cabin. A couple of weeks ago, my friends Mike and Jeff invited me to join them at Jeff’s father-in-law’s ranch in Navasota where a big, old pecan tree had crashed to the ground and was destined for the burn pile. The three of us spent a morning cutting and gathering firewood for the cabin.


Cheryl tried something new on our little Blackstone grill. Since we don’t have an oven at the cabin, she used the grill as a makeshift oven and baked some really delicious cookies — lots and lots of cookies. We were so encouraged by the success of this experiment that Cheryl will try her hand at making pizza on the Blackstone on our next visit. I am absolutely ready for that!


The rest of our time was spent catching up on a lot of general maintenance items. I installed new light fixtures and added shelves to our (former solar equipment) closet in the main cabin. I also serviced our propane heaters, mouse-proofed our outdoor toilet and shower area, and completed a few others miscellaneous things on the list. Always something on the list.


The weather was amazing. Pleasant days, amazing sunsets, really dark and cold nights, and the soothing and therapeutic silence of the desert. This is a gift — a wonderful gift from God. We are excited about the the year ahead and the opportunity to spend many more days in the embrace of the Chihuahuan Desert and vast Big Bend skies.

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Trailer Parks, Motels and Prison

When we purchased our Big Bend property six years ago, Cheryl and I dreamed of developing a place where we could escape to relax and enjoy the outdoors. We also wanted to have a place where boys and fathers and families could visit to connect with God in the magnificence of His creation.

For the past three years we have hosted a Big Bend adventure for boys from Brookshire — a community with the highest concentration of fatherless homes in the greater Houston area. We have offered this retreat in collaboration with The Hangar Unity Center, a Christian non-profit in Brookshire that exists to mentor and disciple at-risk youth and their families.


Last week, we hosted men from The Manna House in Brookshire. Manna House is a residential recovery program for men addicted to alcohol and drugs. Their year long program is built around three objectives: to lead men to be set free, set apart and set on fire. My friend Ryan Orbin, the new executive director of The Manna House, and I have been dreaming about this adventure for the last year.


The Manna House guys arrived on Thursday afternoon. That evening, we sat around the campfire and gave all of the men their very own outdoor gear, including hydration backpack, first aid kit, compass, whistle, emergency blanket, flashlight, headlamp, and more. We talked about the importance of shared adventure with other men and why alone is dangerous.


Most of the men in the group grew up in tough circumstances and never enjoyed outdoor adventures. So, they were both anxious and excited about going to Big Bend National Park to hike and to enjoy the magnificent views of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Chisos Mountains.


The guys hiked the Lost Mine Trail and the Window Trail at the park and later visited Santa Elena Canyon and the Hot Springs Trail. For many of the men who had never hiked, the trails were challenging. Every man, however, pushed through and completed each hike.


As we enjoyed a meal around the campfire while the sun dropped below the mountains and mesas to our west, one of the guys said that this adventure had exceeded his expectations. He said that his eyes were opened to all he had been missing. “All I have ever known,” he said, “is trailer parks, motels and prison.” And then he remarked that he wanted to stay close to God and finally start living. What a testimony to how God used this shared adventure in his life.


While the Manna guys were on the trail, my neighbors Joe and Lisa spent a couple of days working on the solar infrastructure for our guest cabin. They erected the iron framing that will hold the solar panels in front of our guest cabin. They also added three Lithium batteries that will power the guest cabin and our main cabin as well.


My friends Selim and Rafa, along with a couple of the Manna guys, dug a 150-foot trench between the cabins where we buried the power cables that will connect all of the structures on the property. These solar power upgrades will ensure that we have enough power to carry us through even on days that are overcast.


We concluded our time by inviting our neighbors to join us for a meal followed by a star party led by my friend Yogi — the local guru of Big Bend night skies. He is better than Google and is passionate about sharing his love for the night skies out here in this wide part of Texas.


One reason I enjoy working hard on projects every time we visit the cabin is knowing that what I do will bless the family, friends, and guests who will visit in the future. We are stewards of our little place only for a short while. We want for our short while to make a difference by blessing others. We are thrilled that the Manna House men had the opportunity to experience and enjoy the magnificance of Big Bend.