The drive to this park went through some beautiful countryside.
The nearest town of any size is Del Rio. The area is sparsely populated, no cell service or TV signals. Sitting at the top of the canyon, we had a view of desert and gorgeous skies. It was also very quiet. Oftentimes campgrounds can be a bit of a zoo, but the campers here were respectful of the solitude.
The park has a guided hike to view ancient pictographs. We were interested, but the day dawned cloudy and drizzly so we hit the road instead. On our way out of the park, we saw a section of the original roadbed for the Southern Pacific railroad.
Langtry, Texas
Driving west on US 90, we spotted a sign for the Judge Roy Bean museum. We quickly exited the highway to find ourselves in Langtry. The state has preserved the original building that was Judge Bean’s saloon, pool hall, and courthouse. Judge Bean was the Law West of the Pecos, as proclaimed by the sign over his establishment. Court sessions usually were held on the porch, with recesses for the judge to serve his clientele indoors. The jury was selected from customers in the saloon. Judge Bean owned one law book, but it was seldom consulted. The usual penalty for infractions was a fine of whatever cash was on the person of the guilty party, and the judge pocketed the fine. It was not uncommon for drunks to be tied to mesquite trees in the yard until they sobered up sufficiently to stand trial. He truly was a colorful character; his Wikipedia entry makes entertaining reading.
