Lajitas is sometimes refered to as the "country club of Texas." (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Un Viaje por el “Camino del Rio” (FM-170): Del Big Bend a Presidio, Texas-Ojinaga, Chihuahua

El día de hoy hablaré del recorrido que hicimos por otra parte de la región del Big Bend en nuestro camino hacia Presidio, Texas—y Ojinaga, Chihuahua, del otro lado del Río Bravo. Salimos temprano del pueblo fantasma de Terlingua, donde tomamos más fotos y desayunamos en un sitio que era sólo para turistas. Seguimos entonces por la carretera FM-170, conocida también como “Camino del Río” (The River Road). La FM-170 comienza en el denominado Study-Butte, que es la entrada al parque nacional del Big Bend. Ahí encontramos algunos hoteles, tiendas, una gasolinera y restaurantes; todo esto era esencialmente para los turistas del Big Bend.

The Rio Grande River near Lajitas, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The River Road

Lupita and I were sad to leave the magical mountain town of Terlingua but our journey across the border had to continue. We set course on FM 170, which is known as the “River Road” because it runs parallel to the winding Rio Grande River for 120 miles. The folks at the cafe in Terlingua told us that the road was one of the most beautiful in Texas, so we were eager to see it for ourselves. It didn’t take us long to reach the town of Lajitas, a resort town with an official population of 50 people. Just the day before, we had seen the majestic natural beauty of Big Bend National Park and the ghost town of Terlingua.