rio grande road bliss in texas

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Road bliss!The remote border between southwest Texas and Mexico is among my favorites.  It follows the Rio Grande and dips down into Texas’s big bend (following the river), entering several of the least visited parks in the nation: Big Bend Nat’l, and State, Parks. TX Farm Road 170 has to be the most beautiful border-hugging road, as it curves, winds, and rollercoasters over the Rio Grande’s many tributaries and washes.  It is so remote, during an early visit I spotted a speed limit posted in kilometers, not miles.  Enjoy the ride.  [please hover over images for captions]

US Border Patrol checkpoint on US 90, SW Texas
US 90 heading south
HiWay Café, in Marfa, TX, has seen better days
Jesus Catholic Church in Shafter “Ghost Town,” a former silver mining town, current pop. of 11
The Rio Grande with Chihuahua, Mexico on far side
The Rio Grande, now in the Big Bend State Park
Rental car at Big Bend picnic stop
Texas Farm Road 170 is one of the most beautiful and remote border-hugging roads in the U.S., rolling like a roller coaster over all the Rio Grande’s tributaries
An abandoned "Contrabando" movie set right on the border, where John Sayles' 1996 movie "Lone Star" was filmed
The Rio Grande looks full, the riverbanks green, after steady recent rains
In the dry washes along TX FM 170, flood markers warn how deep flash floods can get
Lajitas, TX cemetery
Road bliss!
In Terlingua, TX, this sub conning tower is known as the Only Submarine West of the Pecos
TX 118 heading back north as night falls

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About Ben

Ben Batchelder has traveled some of the world's most remote roads. Nothing in his background, from a degree in Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard to an MBA from Wharton, adequately prepared him for the experiences. Yet he persists, for through such journeys life unfolds. Having published four books that map the inner and exterior geographies of meaningful travel, he is a mountain man in Minas Gerais, Brazil who comes down to the sea at Miami Beach, Florida. His second travel yarn, To Belém & Back, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. For more, visit www.benbatchelder.com.