Fiesta!

You are cordially invited to attend a free open house & celebration on Saturday November 14, 2009 at Sauceda in Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Big Bend Ranch State Park welcomes a new era of family recreation & outdoor adventure opportunities. Come celebrate & experience some of what is available at Texas' premier primitive wilderness park. Free entry, free camping (reservations recommended - phone 432-358-4444), attendance prizes, & activities for all ages. Come early, stay late for special guided hikes, bike tours & events on Friday and Sunday. Let us know you're coming & double your chances of winning by sending us an RSVP.

Saturday, November 14 - Schedule of Activities at Sauceda:

Schedule subject to change.

Continuous Activities from 9 am - 5 pm:

• Buffalo Soldiers Living History Encampment
• Hands-on Archeology - featuring flint-knapping, rope-making, native plant uses, tasting table & more
• Desert Camping Demonstration Site & Desert Survival
• Dutch Oven Cooking
• Book signing - River Road Vistas by Bill McLeod
• Student Art Show - Presidio High School
• Self-Guided Hike on Sauceda Nature Trail (with trailside docents)
• Booths featuring:
  • Big Bend National Park
  • Big Bend Regional Sierra Club
  • Center for Big Bend Studies
  • Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute
  • Davis Mountains Education Center
  • Fort Davis National Historic Site
  • Marfa Public Radio
  • Museum of the Big Bend
  • Museumscapes
  • Native Plant Society of Texas - Big Bend Chapter
  • Natural Resource Conservation Service
  • Nature Conservancy of Texas
  • Texas Master Naturalists – Tierra Grande Chapter
  • Texas Mountain Trail
  • Trans-Pecos Water Trust

All of Saturdays "Continuous Activities", except for the Self-Guided Hike, are generally accessible to the mobility &/or visual impaired.

Early Bird Tours (7:30am departure from Sauceda Ranger Station, return at approximately noon):

Advanced registration RSVP required for all Early Bird Tours. Due to the early departure time for these tours, we recommend registering for free camping in the park on Friday night, or arranging lodging in Presidio, Lajitas, Terlingua or Study Butte.

• Birdwatching with Mark Lockwood
  Take a half-day tour and observe birds in some of the diverse habitats found at Big Bend Ranch State Park. We will visit riparian as well as desert habitats. The primary destinations will include Ojito Adentro and Las Cuevas. This will be an excellent time to encounter fall migrants as well as early arriving winter residents. Some of the birds we will be looking for include canyon, Bewick’s and rock wrens, hermit thrush, curve-billed and crissal thrashers, a wide variety of sparrows including black-throated, orange-crowned, yellow-rumped and Townsend’s warblers and with a little luck a wider variety of migrants. This birding walk will require short hikes of up to 1 mile and will not be strenuous.
• Solitario Geology Tour with Dr. Kevin Urbanczyk
  The famous Solitario is the signature landscape feature of Big Bend Ranch State Park. The ongoing effects of volcanism, weathering, erosive rains, runoff and groundwater have combined to expose and shape the landform that park visitors see today. Visit the interior of this immense eroded volcanic dome and learn about the 36-million years of geologic history that is revealed here. This tour involves driving over rough terrain (transportation provided) and short off-trail walks.
• Rock Art Tour with Tim Roberts
  Moderately difficult 3-hour tour to red pictograph site in Leyva Canyon, below Cinco Tinajas; hiking distance is approximately 1.5 miles from Cinco Tinajas Trailhead (3 miles round-trip); hike includes traversing one large hill. Pictographs include anthropomorphic (human-like) figures, zoomorphic (animal) images, and geometrics. Most of these figures probably date to the Late Archaic (3,000 – 1,100 years ago) and/or Late Prehistoric (1,100 – 475 years ago) periods. Historic (post-A.D. 1535) horse and rider figures are also present.

Scheduled Activities (1st come, 1st served basis):

• Guided Short Hikes - Departing at 9:30 am, 10 am, 10:30 am, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, & 3 pm:
  • Ojito Adentro - Stop at the Ojito Adentro trailhead on your drive to or from Sauceda and join an interpretive guide for a 1.5 mile, moderately strenuous 2 hour hike that will take you from dry desert scrub into moist riparian woodland. You’ll experience a wide range of plant and animal life along the way, from cacti to Rio Grande cottonwood; roadrunner to vermilion flycatcher. The trail ends in a shaded grotto, where a pour-off and the presence of permanent water remind visitors of the importance of water in the desert.
  • Cinco Tinajas - Stop at the Cinco Tinajas Trailhead on your drive to or from Sauceda and join an interpretive guide for a 2 hour guided hike on this mile-long, moderately strenuous loop trail. Cinco Tinajas lies in a narrow slot canyon that contains a tributary of larger Leyva Canyon. Over millions of years, erosion has formed five (cinco) interconnecting pools (tinajas) that are vitally important to desert life.
• Horseback Riding Tours - Ages 7 and up, departing from Sauceda Corrals at 9 am, 9:30am, 10 am, 10:30am, 11 am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2 pm, 2:30 pm, 3 pm, 3:30 pm & 4 pm. Lajitas Stables (www.lajitasstables.com) and Big Bend Ranch State Park will provide guided tours of less than 1 hour duration. All tack provided. No experience necessary.
• Jeep Tours - courtesy of Far Flung Outdoor Center (www.farflungoutdoorcenter.com) - Departing from main road near Sauceda Ranger Station/Visitor Center at 9:15 am, 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 2:15 pm, & 3:15 pm:
  Approximately 1 hour duration over rough roads.
• Mountain Biking Tours on Horsetrap Trail - Departing from Sauceda Ranger Station/Visitor Center. Groups will be organized depending on skill level and depart on a staggered schedule from 9 am to noon and from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Desert Sports (www.desertsportstx.com) and Big Bend Ranch State Park will provide guided tours for beginning to intermediate riders. Some bikes and helmets provided; bring your own if you can. To arrange special tours or routes for more advanced riders, e-mail dan.sholly@tpwd.state.tx.us or phone 512-389-4866.
• Complimentary BBQ Lunch, Program, & Attendance Prizes from 12:00 noon to 1:30pm - Texas BBQ with all the fixin’s (thanks to Lajitas Resort and the Lajitas Capital Partners) plus a tribute to Bob Armstrong and Andy Sansom, who were responsible for the establishment of Big Bend Ranch State Park over 20 years ago. Attendance prizes include a $500 Academy gift card and a $450 gas grill and a number of $50 gas cards! Must be present to win. One chance per family - or double your chances to win by providing an RSVP in advance & receive two tickets per family instead of one.
  Please help us plan by providing an RSVP for the BBQ lunch. We want to have plenty of food and seating available!
• Concert by cowboy singer-songwriter Dennis Jay & Live Radio Broadcast by Marfa Public Radio from 1:30pm to 2:30pm - Listen to some great music by cowboy singer-songwriter Dennis Jay in an old-time variety show atmosphere, including remembrances by some notable “voices of the Big Bend.” Live Radio Review broadcast by Marfa Public Radio.

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Pre & Post Fiesta Special Guided Trips at Big Bend Ranch State Park on Friday & Sunday

Don't limit your Big Bend Ranch State Park adventure to just one day! Join us for special field trips on Friday, November 13 and/or Sunday, November 15.

Rio Grande Rafting (offered at 1/2 price for Fiesta participants):

• Friday, November 13 - offered by Far Flung Outdoor Center. Join experienced river guides for an interpreted, scenic Rio Grande float. This trip will take you through the open, mountainous country of Big Bend Ranch State Park (Madera to Grassy Banks). Perfect for families with young children. No experience necessary and all equipment provided. Snack included. Meet at 9:15am at Far Flung Outdoor Center, 2 miles west of Hwy 118 and FM170 junction in Study Butte. Trip 2.5 – 3 hours in length. $35. Contact outfitter direct (www.farflungoutdoorcenter.com or 1-800-839-7238) to register and mention that you are a Fiesta participant. Offered by advanced reservation with prepayment only.
• Sunday, November 15 - offered by Big Bend River Tours. Enjoy the rugged, peaceful beauty of Big Bend Ranch State Park on this quiet river float (Madera to Grassy Banks). If water is high enough, rafts will be used, if not participants will canoe. No experience needed and all equipment provided. Bring a water bottle and wear clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy (no denim please, as it is too heavy when wet). Meet at 8:30am at Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center, Lajitas. Trip 2.5 – 3 hours, $35 (half price), snack included. Contact outfitter direct (www.bigbendrivertours.com or 1-800-545-4240) to register and mention that you are a Fiesta participant. All fees must be paid in advance; trip costs are not refundable once the reservation is made.

Free Guided Field Trips (RSVP required) - All trips leave from Sauceda Ranger Station:

• Friday, November 13 - Rock Art Hike from 10 am to approximately 3 pm (moderately difficult, wear sturdy hiking shoes, etc., water & lunch.) - Half day rock art tour to site 41PS169 in Arroyo Segundo. Rock paintings at this site are located in one of five rockshelters. These shelters overlook an intermittent drainage in the southeastern part of the state park. The pictographs include a number of miniature black, red, and white monochromatic figures of horses and riders, insects, humans or anthropomorphs, and various animals. Images of horses and riders indicate that at least some of the paintings at 41PS169 date to the Historic period (the Historic period begins in A.D. 1535 in the Big Bend region). The recovery of a Late Prehistoric Perdiz arrow point from one of the rockshelters at 41PS169 suggests that some of the rock art on the site may also date to this time period (ca. A.D. 900 - 1530). Some figures show similarity to pictographs on other sites that have been attributed to sometime during the broad Archaic Tradition (ca. 6500 B.C. - A.D. 900).
• Friday & Sunday, November 13 and 15 - Birdwatching with Mark Lockwood (moderately strenuous, wear sturdy shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, bring binoculars.) - Take a half-day tour and observe birds in some of the diverse habitats found at Big Bend Ranch State Park. We will visit riparian as well as desert habitats. The primary destinations will include Ojito Adentro and Las Cuevas. This will be an excellent time to encounter fall migrants as well as early arriving winter residents. Some of the birds we will be looking for include canyon, Bewick’s and rock wrens, hermit thrush, curve-billed and crissal thrashers, a wide variety of sparrows including black-throated, orange-crowned, yellow-rumped and Townsend’s warblers and with a little luck a wider variety of migrants. This birding walk will require short hikes of up to 1 mile and will not be strenuous.
• Friday & Sunday, November 13 and 15 - Backcountry Tour/Hike - Madrid Falls to Fresno Canyon from 9 am to approximately 5 pm (moderately difficult, wear sturdy hiking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, bring water & lunch. Intermediate hiking skills & good conditioning required. Mostly down hill travel. Off trail, rough terrain for portions of trip.) - Travel via 4 wheel drive vehicle (transportation provided by park) from Sauceda Ranger Station to Madrid Falls area. Hike approximately 4 miles down Madrid Canyon to the old Madrid house, and on to Fresno Canyon. Return via 4 wheel drive up Fresno Canyon along the historic 'freight road'. Great vistas, geology, history, and archeology.
• Friday & Sunday, November 13 and 15 - Mountain Bike Tour - Mexicano Falls from 9 am to approximately 4 pm (Intermediate riding skills and excellent endurance required.) - Travel from Sauceda to Mexicano Falls, 24 miles round trip, mostly double track 4x4 road. Big country, great views, side trips possible, including Madrid Falls if there is time. Road can be rough in places. Some bikes and helmets are available. To discuss special trips for the more extreme e-mail dan.sholly@tpwd.state.tx.us or phone 512-389-4866.
• Sunday, November 15 - Rock Art Hike from 9 am to 4 pm (Moderately difficult, wear sturdy hiking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, at least 2 quarts of water & lunch. Intermediate hiking skills & excellent endurance required.) - Strenuous all day tour to what is probably the largest pictograph site in the Big Bend region (site includes at least three different styles of pictographs, as well as a few petroglyphs), located in Auras Canyon; hiking distance is about 6 miles round-trip from the nearest point on the main park road, through rugged mountainous/canyon terrain. Some of the earliest rock art in the state park, probably dating back to at least the Middle Archaic (5,000 – 3,000 years ago) period or earlier, is located at this site. This site also contains rock art that probably dates to the Late Archaic, Late Prehistoric, and early Historic periods. Among the Historic images is a horse and rider figure.

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RSVP:

Let us know you're coming & double your chances of winning by sending us an e-mail RSVP. Your RSVP will entitle you to receive 2 tickets per family/group instead of 1. Must be at least 16 years of age to win.

RSVP by calling 512/389-8908 from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday - Friday or by e-mailing Big Bend Ranch State Park.
In your e-mail please provide:

• Your name
• Phone number
• E-mail address
• City of residence
• Number of adults
• Number of children under 12 yrs.
• Indicate the activities you are interested in:
  • Guided short hikes
  • Jeep tours
  • Horseback riding
  • Mountain biking
• Indicate if you are wanting to make required reservations & how many for:
  • Early Bird Tours, Saturday, November 14:
    • Birdwatching
    • Rock Art Tour
    • Geology Tour
  • Pre-Fiesta Field Trips, Friday, November 13:
    • Birdwatching
    • Rock Art Hike
    • Backcountry Tour/Hike – Madrid Falls to Fresno Canyon
    • Mountain Bike Tour – All day - Mexicano Falls (will you be bringing your own bike)
  • Post-Fiesta Field Trips, Sunday, November 15:
    • Birdwatching
    • Rock Art Hike
    • Backcountry Tour/Hike – Madrid Falls to Fresno Canyon
    • Mountain Bike Tour – All day - Mexicano Falls (will you be bringing your own bike)

Remember, you can double your chances in the attendance prize raffle by letting us know ahead of time that you are coming - receive two tickets per family instead of one!

For free campsite reservations, phone 432-358-4444.

Thank you & we hope to see you there.