The Long, Winding Path to Kermit Sandhills

Update 6/14/2013:
Kermit sandhills is transformed.  There are now picnic tables with covers, full RV hook-ups, and a number of buildings.  Flags are required for ATV riders!  They've even planted some trees.  Weekends, the lot is attended by a guard.  Entrance fee is $10/person.  The most up-to-date info seems to be Kermit dunes Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kermitdunes.  Or call Jimmy's Liquor, they are still the owner/operators (number below).




Notice Kermit Sandhills / Dunes riders:  ownership has changed hands once again, as of 2/11/2012.  The nice website from the previous owners, at http://www.kermitsandinc.com/, lists a couple of phone numbers but one is disconnected and the other goes straight to voicemail.  Try Jimmy's Liquor on 302 on the way out of town toward Odessa.   (432) 586-9282.  Tony or Steven.

Photo from Duneguide.com

Yesterday morning in the frigid east wind and 25F cold, I set off to Odessa with my two Hondas in the back of the pickup.  Gathered Josh at his apartment and we set off, wind at our backs, down Kermit Highway to Kermit, TX.  After a quick stop at Lowe's (the food store, not the hardware big-box) we continued 10 miles NE to reach the entrance to the sandhills.  Regular readers know I've been riding here several times before, and I always find the gate open or unlocked, especially on weekends.  But not this time!  The gate was really and truly locked.  I called the two numbers listed on the website with no luck.  So we drove back to town, looking for a motorcycle shop.  No such place in Kermit, so I pulled into the local auto parts store and explained our situation to the clerk.


"The sandhills?" said the clerk.  "Nobody rides out there after the shooting incident."  "Ah..." I said, a bit taken aback.  I didn't know about the shooting incident.  "Know where I can find the owner?" I asked.  "Oh," replied the clerk.  "He's in jail.  Isn't he still in jail?" the clerk queried a customer who had just entered the store.  "I reckon he is" replied the customer.


So the owner(s) were in jail.  I asked the clerk if he knew where we could get more information, if there was anyone who could help us get access to the Sandhills.  "Oh, [the owner's] sister works over at McCoy's..." and he explained how to find McCoy's, which turned out to be an upscale furniture/furnishings store on the main square in Kermit, right across from the county courthouse.  


McCoy's was closed.  The sign said it would open at 10 am, and it was 9:58 am.  The thick chain wrapped around the door handles, and the absolute lack of any activity in the area made us very much doubt this opening time.  I fired up the Tacoma and put it in reverse just as a small pickup pulled up next to us.  An older lady got out, walked slowly to the entrance of McCoy's and began unlocking the chain on the door.  I got out and asked her if the Sandhills owner's sister worked there.  It took a few attempts (because I was saying his name incorrectly), but she finally said "Oh, I'm his mother!".  She didn't mention that her son was in jail, but she did inform me that he had sold the Sandhills.  Sold them to "Tony", the owner of the liquor store "down on 302"...


Down to 302 we went, and we found the liquor store, "Jimmy's".  Walking in, we were greeted by a rather large guy.  I told him we were looking for Tony.  "I'm Steven, Tony's brother.  Can I help y'all?" was his response.  I asked about the Sandhills and Steven suddenly lit up.  "Heck ya, go out there and ride!" he said.  "We're fixing the place up, adding electric and sewer and cleaning it up".  He gave us the 4-digit passcode and off we went, back to the Sandhills to ride.


The dunes are different every time I ride them.  This time was no exception.  Recent rain and snow had soaked into the dunes, creating a moist sand layer.  Then strong West Texas winds had dried the surface sand and blown it around, creating the dreaded "puffed sand" areas where it's easy to get stuck (typically on lee slopes, but not always!).  On the windward (east) side of the dunes, in many places the bare moist sand was exposed, making for decent traction -- but not as good as I expected.  On the crests of many dunes were wind-scalloped troughs and mounds of dry sand, making for bumpy and sometimes treacherous riding.


It was not a "fast" day.  We kept getting stuck, bogged down in the soft sand piles right next to the firm, moist sand.  The sand conditions changed every 10 feet and it was never clear what was over the next hill.  The riding was difficult.  I rarely got out of 2nd gear for more than a few seconds.  Josh didn't have goggles and sand in his eyes took its toll.  After about 1.5 hours of riding Josh had had enough.  


We did a few more loops then picked our way pack to the truck, loaded up and headed home.  


The temperature was just below freezing, with a 20 kt east wind.  We both agreed that from now on we're fair-weather dune riders.  Minimums of: light wind and 50+ degrees.  


It looks like in the future Kermit Sandhills will be a nicer, cleaner place with better camping spots and bathrooms.  I look forward to many more riding trips to the dunes... on warm, calm days.  With the new camping facilities, it might make sense to pull the pop-up camper out and spend the weekend.


For those of you looking for the new owners, try Jimmy's Liquor on 302 on the way out of town toward Odessa.  406 E State Highway 302, (432) 586-9282.  Ask for Tony or Steven. 

The Big, Big Bend

Big Bend.  Permian Basin Outing Club trip for January 2012.  I took Friday off work and spent the morning packing up and running some errands.  Then off to Big Bend via Fort Stockton and Marathon in the blue Tacoma.  

I was driving a bit fast, wanting to beat the setting sun to the trailhead.  Radar detector on, but I came up over a rise and - bam - my detector lit up and screeched.  I slowed down but it was too late.  Saw the cop far ahead by the side of the road.  Thankfully I didn't get a ticket...

Driving through the park at 45 mph (the speed limit), I enjoyed the wonderful harsh-yet-soft contrast of the late winter afternoon light.  Hard to imagine I've gotten "sick of" this park before.  Here I was again and everything looked new and wonderful.  For a long time I just enjoyed the view, cruising along with the windows down (72 degrees!).  Finally I stopped to snap some photos.  Looking all around, thinking how great it would be to be in the sky.  Soon!

Tac with Chisos Mts

Nice light

We were to park at the Chimneys trailhead and hike in and meet... somewhere.  I turned toward the south and was greeted with a wall of spectacular, nuanced rock.  The sinking sun made everything pop with contrast and detail.

A little farther and I passed a group of deer lounging near the road.

Arrived at trailhead and packed up my new Gossamer Gear backpack for the daunting three-mile hike to the Chimneys.  Ironically, this was my very first (or second?) backpacking trip ever.  I was here back in 1998 (?) on my first packing trip with friend Steve B. and two other students from GVSU.  We drove to Big Bend straight from Holland, MI, stopping only for fuel and bathroom breaks.  Arriving in Big Bend was like arriving on Mars -- an experience that led to me returning to the desert for grad school a few years later (the Sonoran desert that time).  In my wildest dreams I never imagined I'd be living in west Texas over a decade later.  

Starting off down the trail.  Sun slipping away.

The sun sets behind the Chimneys.  Where's the camping group?

Just after dark I crossed between the Chimneys on the trail and spotted headlights bobbing around in the desert.  I'd found the group.  I cut across the desert and found a flat-ish spot to pitch my tiny North Face tent, which I bought in Minnesota just before riding RAGBRAI in ~2003.  After making some tea I wandered over to a little group of PBOC-ers who were huddled around a tiny gas-powered lantern.  It served the same purpose as a campfire, giving the group a focal point and something to gaze at.  Several familiar faces and a few new ones; PBOC is growing a little bit.

It wasn't long before everyone turned in for the night.  Winter nights tend to be early ones when camping out.  I slept like a rock.

Morning view from tent

Looking WSW toward the Rio Grande

Chimney - actually appear to be a tilted sill

Looking W along the chimneys

Home.  Santa Elena Canyon visible in background.

In the morning after a certain amount of milling about, most of the group set off cross-country to the NW to find some springs.  We located them and found running water, lots of salt and alkali deposits, several deer carcasses and some large trees.  Also remnants of cowboy occupation.

An extra-pink cactus

Corral at the Old Wet Spring

PBOC-ers

Meandering down along the canyon, I finally decided to strike off on my own, west, to intersect a road.  I never saw it and eventually gave up, turning 180 degrees and going east.  Rounding a hilltop I suddenly came upon the rest of the group.  One intrepid hiker went off on her own and the rest of the group headed east in the general direction I was going.  We found the Chimney trail and followed it back to camp, which we could see from several miles off.  Back in camp, we saw some campers hanging out on one of the chimneys.  I was a bit wiped out from the 8-mile cross-country hike so I hit the tent to get out of the (hot) sun and nap.  

After a nap I went and explored the main Chimney, which houses several interesting paleo sites.

Pictographs

Stick-sharpening marks

Matate

Saturday evening was coming on and I was hungry.  Several campers floated the idea of hiking out to the vehicles and driving into Terlingua for a meal.  My plan was to work on my land north of Terlingua on Sunday.  So I quickly packed up camp and hiked out with the group.  We hit Long Draw pizza west of Terlingua -- I've never been here, it's always closed when I drive past.  After dinner I said good-bye to the PBOC-ers and ended up heading west into the state park to camp at Upper Madera.  I just slept in the truck bed.  Sunday morning I had a lazy breakfast in Terlingua and then drove the 30 minutes to "Andy's Ranch" in the Solitario part of Terlingua Ranch.  Mission for the day: clear a drive-able path to the cabin site I'd selected in December while visiting the land with Debi and Mary.  

I worked almost non-stop for nearly five hours moving rocks, chopping down plants (as few as possible) and picking up pokey bits from the "road".  In the end, I cleared a pretty good 4x4 "road" about 75% of the way to the building site.  The remaining obstacle is a small wash cutting down the hillside.  Crossing this wash is going to require the construction of a culvert, which I will build of piled local stone.  That is probably going to be a two-day job.  Then I will be able to drive up to the building site, and I can begin the rather large job of ferrying various supplies to the location: cement mixer, generator, tools, water tanks, water, fuel, etc.

Impressive, eh?  No?  Hey, this was a lot of work!!

It felt good to work moving rocks on my own property.  It's like my childhood dream of building a "fort" is finally being fully realized.  All the raw materials are there; it's just up to me to move them around, assembling them in the correct configuration to create what I want.  There is something very empowering about that, and the empowerment is very addictive.  The following few days at work all I could think of was getting back down to Big Bend and working more on the road project, specifically the culvert.

The intensity of the sun faded and I looked up, realizing it was late afternoon.  I tossed the pickaxe and shovel in the truck and hopped in for the four-hour drive back to Midland. 

  

Arroyo Seco Videos

Really feel like you were there!  One forward-facing and one backward-facing video.

Forward facing

Backward facing