photography

by

The Horse Crippler Cactus

The Big Bend region of Texas is home to more than 60 species of cacti, giving Big Bend National Park the distinction of having more kinds of cacti than any other U.S. national park. Among them all, none has a more intimidating name than the Horse Crippler.


One look at this small but formidable succulent—with its broad, flattened shape and fierce spines—and it’s easy to understand how it earned its name. Hidden low against the desert floor, it was notorious for injuring the hooves of horses that accidentally stepped on it.

I have found several Horse Cripplers on our off-grid property just outside Big Bend National Park. They are surprisingly easy to miss because they hug the desert floor, blending almost perfectly into the sandy landscape. But the fact that this remarkable succulent thrives in the Chihuahuan Desert tells you everything you need to know—it is built for survival.


Unlike many other cacti, the Horse Crippler stays low to the ground. This helps protect it from the harsh desert sun and drying winds. When drought lasts a long time, it saves water by shrinking and sinking deeper into the soil. After a good rain, it fills up with water and rises a few inches, showing off its crown of spines again.

Like many of the cacti of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, the Horse Crippler produces beautiful blossoms － in particular pink to lavender blossoms with striking reddish centers. These showy flowers appear in the spring and attract a variety of native pollinators. I have not yet been fortunate enough to find one in bloom, but I hope to one day.

Even more remarkable than its beautiful blossoms, the Horse Crippler produces scarlet-red fruit. After the flowers fade, these fruits develop and often remain on the cactus for weeks. The fruit provides an important food source for birds and small mammals who help disperse the cactus’s seeds across the desert.


The Horse Crippler shows that even in the tough conditions of the Chihuahuan Desert, survival goes to those built to last, no matter their size. Its resilience is a sign of the wisdom of its Creator.

For those fortunate enough to see a Horse Crippler in bloom, it offers another lesson: remarkable beauty can emerge from a life built to withstand difficult environments. Perhaps that is true of people as well.

In the meantime, I’ll continue watching where I step while keeping an eye out for this remarkable little cactus. One day, I hope to find one wearing its crown of pink and lavender blossoms.

by

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.

by

The J & P Bar and Grill

Founded in 1883, Comstock is barely a wide spot on the lonely road from Del Rio toward the ragged and rugged Trans-Pecos region of Texas. It is located near the confluence of the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers and close to Langtry where the legendary Judge Roy Bean was “the law west of the Pecos.”

Originally known as Sotol City, the tiny town was later named after John Comstock, a railroad dispatcher for the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway. Today, Comstock has less than ten named streets and not many more residents. However, the nearby canyons hide a treasure worth seeing.

Nearby Seminole Canyon State Historical Park is home to some of the oldest rock art in North America — pictographs as old as, by some estimates, 4,000 years. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that ancient inhabitants of this region left a cryptic record of their existence on the walls and ceilings of caves along Seminole Canyon.


Comstock is also home to the J & P Bar and Grill, a place that is located at the spot along Highway 90 where you both enter and leave Comstock. Blink and you are likely to miss it.

On occasion when we travel to our off-grid cabin out in Big Bend, we will opt to take Highway 90 instead of Interstate 10. We enjoy this desolate route and the magnificent scenery that is the very definition of iconic cowboy country. When we do take this route, we try to time our travel so that we can stop for a bite to eat at the J & P Bar and Grill — the only place to eat in Comstock and a favorite of local ranchers and roughnecks.

Wherever I travel in Texas, I am always on the lookout for a great bacon cheeseburger. So, when I first traveled through Comstock I decided to stop at the J & P Bar and Grill — housed in a nondescript metal building just west of the intersection of Highway 90 and Highway 163.


The inside is one big dining area with a bar, clean restrooms, and Texas decor hanging on particle board walls. The staff is Texas-friendly for sure and the menu offers a lot of comfort food options, including a variety of burgers.


As usual, I ordered a simple bacon cheeseburger with mustard and mayo and veggies and a side of onion rings and a tall glass of iced tea. Of course, I always make sure I ask for crispy bacon because I think it is a crime in Texas and not a very nice thing to do to offer a paying customer limp bacon on a cheeseburger.


Well, my expectations were exceeded. The ciabatta buns held a half-pound of meat cooked to perfection and the onion rings were golden and crispy and oh so good. The taste of this burger is amazing and made me wish I had an extra stomach to eat a second or third helping. Honestly — one of the best burgers I have had in all of my travels around the Lone Star State.

Comstock and the J & P Bar and Grill are a long way from anywhere and, for most folks, on the other side of nowhere. But, that is why if you are ever within driving distance you should make it a point to make the pilgrimage to this eatery. The J & P is now one of the reasons I often alter my route from Katy to our cabin. It is just worth the stop and will make you feel good about Texas.