Alamito Creek

One of the few public places in the Big Bend area I had never visited was Alamito Creek at the end of Ranch Road 169 that begins 7 miles south of Marfa. So I set off to visit it today. There's 25 miles of blacktop on 169, then it turns into a dirt road. Along much of the blacktop one can see a string of cottonwood trees along Alamito Creek about a mile away. (Alamito means "little cottonwood.")

I had understood the spot I wanted to see was quite a ways past the end of the blacktop and down the dirt road so from Alpine I drove my pickup instead of the car.

There were no signs along the way to indicate anything. On a map, and Facebook posts, the place (located in the center of Presidio County) is called Plata, and there are ruins there. I didn't see any signs, and only one ruined adobe structure, which isn't unusual to see anywhere in the Big Bend area. I was expecting a mini-ghost town. So when I left the blacktop, I continued on..  and on... The road got worse and worse until, after about 25 miles of torturous road, I ended up at Bandera Ranch's posted gate. Headed back and messaged a friend who told me what to look for. (Although I never saw another human being on the trip, I had some cell service.) The habitat was right at the end of the blacktop. Could've saved myself 50 miles of agony. Well, now I've seen that road and won't have any reason to want to go back. Here is the place I missed stopping at. The RR tracks run near the blacktop here. You have to turn off the blacktop to access it.

The ponds are inside the greenery on the right side of the above photo (view looking north). Below is the tank that's just barely visible in the above photo. The water comes from an artesian well nearby. It's a lovely place and definitely worth the direct trip there. (Not sure if my scenic route was worth it or not.) I wish I had taken photos of the ponds. Next time.

The two ponds are fenced off, apparently due to some sensitive species there, but there's water in the adjacent ditch along the tracks. I sloshed around in it and found a few common odes. Nothing unusual. It was quite an adventure though.

Alamito Creek begins in the Davis Mountains and flows to the Rio Grande, 78 miles away. Overgrazing in the 1800s ruined the land in that area. I saw work being done to clear brush at many places along 169, probably to be planted into grasses. I wouldn't expect that much work and expense to be undertaken without some benefit. While today Alamito Creek is dry most of the year, it once flowed more regularly.

The best ode of the day was one I think might be a Mexican Amberwing. Not good enough shots to tell, unfortunately.