Thread: Seminole Canyon State Park, Comstock TX

We took advantage of the longer weekend to make the drive to the border. 2 years ago we camped @ Seminole Canyon but were rained out. The rain held out and we had a nice time.

With the truck loaded, we took off after getting out of work Friday 5pm. With traffic and a gas stop, we arrived at the park well after 9. I made camp, put the already sleeping kiddo in his bed, made a phone call to alert the house sitter (husband) that we made it safe and sound, then went to sleep.

We awoke to calm, partly cloudy skies and a nice sunrise. The ranger stopped by to gather our information since we arrived to late to check in. He was a really nice guy. Ranger Johnson told us about the tour offered at 10 and 3. I told him we were actually taking the 12:30 White Shaman tour which is off the property but led by the same guide. He said it is really nice and a special treat. He also noticed how much my son enjoyed playing with sticks and rocks. Ranger J invited us to find him when we returned from the tour to play with some primitive weapons, which young boys would have used to hunt with.

We weren't going to get much further until we got some gas. The closest gas was in Comstock, 9 miles from the park. At $3.39/gallon, I got 2 and drove 32 miles to Del Rio to top off @ $2.67. We visited Amistad's visitor Center, watched a dvd about rock art, completed the Junior Ranger Program, bought some stuff and headed back towards the park. There is a nice picnic area overlooking the Pecos river bridge so we went there for a quick lunch break before driving across the street for the 12:30 tour.

Our guide met us at the locked gate of a ranch with another couple also joining us in their minivan. We three drove in about a mile and a half to a parking area, signed a waiver, and we were off. At the top of the ridge, before descending, a replica village with 4-5 huts, fire pits, and baskets full of tools and arrowheads were on display. My son thought they were really neat, entering each one to see what was inside. He found an Atlatl. This is a wood handle which was used to launch a large spear through the air. We would be taught proper use back at the park.

The path was very overgrown with narrow, steep, loose rocks. It took about 30 minutes to reach the cave/shelter. If you've ever seen the cliffs along the east side of the Pecos by the bridge, you know how high they are. The cave we were sitting in was about half way up, on the right hand side from the bridge. It was about the size of a large living room. It was used for ceremonial use only. Researchers think he natives used Peyote in the ceremonies to induce visions and these visions were painted, once they sobered-up. It felt strange to be sitting in the same place the natives did hundreds of years ago. We hung out for about 30 minutes before returning up the hill.

Back at the park, we stopped by the office to visit with Ranger Johnson. He showed us the proper use of a rabbit stick and atlatl. At the campsite we got out the pocket knives to clean up some Sotol stalks we gathered on the drive to Del Rio to be used as walking sticks for the Cub Scouts. As the afternoon passed, a storm was brewing. The tent was zipped up tight, ready for rain, staked down, ready for wind, and had very little inside. I wanted to have dinner cooked, eaten and cleaned up before the storm arrived. Just as the burner was turned off, the down drafts hit. We jumped in the truck to eat. I could see the tent flattening out with each burst, popping back to shape when it slowed. Then the poles snapped, they broke thru the tent and rain fly, the front 2 corner stakes came out and it was a flapping mess. I jumped out and stood on it. I couldn't pull it back into place. I pulled the coolers out to help hold it down. A couple from across the loop came over to assist in wrangling the remains of my tent. We pulled up stakes and got a room in Del Rio. It was early enough that I could have gotten another tent at Wal-mart but honestly, with the heat, and rain, a motel with a pool looked great.

After enjoying a continental breakfast, we returned to SCSP for the 10 am Fate Bell Shelter tour. There were about 12 people taking this tour, including 2 couples who were in line behind us at the motel getting rooms, and the couple who helped us dismantle our tent. There were some older folks taking the tour and they weren't looking very well when we got to the bottom. That might be the last time they try something like that, but at least they did it and took pictures. There were 2 areas they showed us. What made this so real was what the guide told us. The Natives would bring rocks up to the shelter to use for cooking, and made mats to sit and lie on. When they used up the resources, they moved on, leaving the rocks and mats behind. When they returned again, they would add another layer of mat and rock down. The shelter floor must have been 50 feet deep. When they can determine a way to clean the drawings without damaging them, they will try to excavate the rubble to reveal more drawings buried below. You could see grass sandals, arrowheads, and mats in the rubble and dust. Really cool stuff.

Back in town we swam for a few hours then relaxed in the room. Dinner out and a stop at Wal-Mart completed our big day.

Monday am was rainy. We originally wanted to go to Alamo Village for their Labor Day festival but as was passed thru Fort Clark Springs, it was pouring so we kept driving. We did stop at Landmark Inn in Castroville. Then stopped at 2 of the Missions, and completed the Junior Ranger program. The remainder of today we just chilled out.