Texas' vast territory offers a wide variety of landscapes. One of those is the Big Bend, sort of an "elbow" poking south towards Mexico, filled with rugged vistas, colorful people, and unique stories. Rising mountains are far off in the distance as we turn south from Alpine to go exploring.
With camp set up, we looked around and saw rugged beauty off in the distance. This is the view from our new front yard.
The next morning, Oscar & I went for a walk to explore our local environment. There's a strange beauty about this place that tends to grow on you as you saunter over the pathways in the hills.
Lack of rainfall has resulted in many cactus plants being under stress, causing them to shed the usual green color of chlorophyll.
Visibility was unlimited and standing at this overlook, we could see for countless miles.
As we worked our way back to camp, Oscar noticed a low, man made object in the distance.
Being curious, Oscar ran over to it and yelled back "Hey Pete, it's a grave!!" Sure enough, he had come across the burial site of Robert K Savidge, aka - Walking Bob.
It seems Bob owned this part of roughhewn landscape and loved it so dearly he had one of his friends bring over a tractor with a hoe. Bob supervised as a hole was dug and oriented exactly where he wanted to be laid to rest, when the time came, that is. Well that time came a few short years after the digging. Mournful well wishers brought Bob's casket to the resting place only to find the hole was too small . . . folks in this neck of the woods have learned to be flexible so another back hoe was brought in as they patiently waited with Bob. The hard rock earth was too much for the back hoe . . . soooooooooo . . . one of the mourners said he had an idea and hopped in his Jeep and went to his house to get some dynamite to remedy the situation. Everyone stood back as the grave was expanded with a bang! Unfortunately the Good Samaritan's Jeep was too close to the boom and its soft top was riddled with holes from flying rocks.
Oscar paid his respects to Walking Bob, a friend of all around these parts whose walking legend and burial story will live on and on . . .
6 comments:
Great story with beautiful photographs! My kind of country!
The blog is very good!
Congratulations!
www.my-minsk-artur.blogspot.com
How did you hear about "Walking Bob's" grave site? Is it public land that you camped on? We have been to Alpine and the surrounding area several times and plan to visit/camp in the area with our Casita in the future. That looks like a nice area to visit.
Donnette,
I heard of it through a friend. You can find it at vacationrentals.com
Click on Texas, go to Terlingua, and it's the Christmas Cabin. You can rent the cabin, or simply hook up your trailer outside. Full hookups are $30 year round at this time.
Easy access to the National Park.
No, this is not public land. It's private land. No doubt Pete and Oscar were on my property at some point in their wanderings, as I own the valley below Walking Bob's homesite. I am always happy to share the beauty of 'my' little corner of the Big Bend, as long as people "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints." We all trespass on each other's property now and then, as we follow rainbows and rattlesnakes to glimpse what's over the next ridge. It sounds like Pete was an appreciative guest. BTW, Bob was a friend~ thank you for respecting him and his story.
Kathy,
Thank you for sharing the beautiful vistas that can be seen from your property with Oscar and me as we meandered through. It was a unique experience to come upon Bob's resting place . . . a perfect setting for one who wandered this territory, so close to the earth, befriending and being befriended by others.
Pete & Oscar
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