Needing to fill up the gas tank and wanting to explore Balmorhea we drove to town. It is a very small, run down, junkyard of a place. There is a linear park along the highway separating the “main” street in which the irrigation canal runs and they have a few small displays about the area.
We ended up driving about 10 miles to find an over-priced gas station.
The springs run into a lake a few miles away which I wanted to see. The map shows a road around the lake then heading cross country in the general direction of the campground so we plan on taking that. The road to the lake heads out the side of town so we drove through the ten total blocks of the town and onto a small asphalt road for about three miles to the lake.
Strange lake. Signs as you approach saying you have to go to the store at the lake and buy a permit to fish, bird watch or picnic and there’s a $100 fine for not doing so. Since the roads I was traveling were labeled as county roads I wasn’t paying for a permit to drive on them. The lake is rather large with trailers around it in several areas. Sign said campsites were available.
Apparently it’s a private lake and someone owns the entire thing. As I drove around there were sporadic campsites all around as well as a few mobile home village areas. So we start around the lake, stop and snap a few pictures, see the permit store and keep going. A little ways ahead it becomes readily apparent that this is a manmade lake. The road crosses along the EDGE of the earthen dike holding back the lake. It’s probably 25’ wide but there’s a steep and long drop-off on the downhill side and the lake right at the uphill side. Of course an opposing truck came while we were crossing thankfully they were on the downhill side.
The roadway turns to well graded gravel after the lake. As we proceed past the mobile home areas, there are more campsites and the road is getting narrower, assuming because of less traffic. As we pass the last mobile area, the road becomes one lane servicing the few remaining campsites. According to the map the road then heads away from the lake, towards my campground.
Even before the road turned away, it was clear this not a regularly traveled roadway. A lot of considerations needed to be made – this shows up as a road but is clearly crossing private grazing land since we had already passed cattle, the road looks like a decent two track and I’ve got four wheel drive, a full tank of gas, half gallon of water and 5 or 6 hours of daylight. We hit the gas and creep along taking in the feeling of being in the middle of Texas in a BIG field.
The ‘road’ starting becoming a little less defined as we crossed a couple small washes and multiple routes had previously been used. Following the tightly zoomed GPS closely I was able to tell when I got off track and tried to head back towards the route. At this point all the paths have become too narrow for the truck so the prickly bush that can survive in this desert is scratching along the sides. Scratches are like battle scars that add character – right? Four wheel drive was obviously engaged since once you’re stuck it’s often too late. Made it back on track and followed the best looking trail which took me off course again. Well I can’t see a reasonably wide enough trail in the correct direction, look at the map and realize we’ve made it maybe 15% of the way on the “road” according to GPS and decide we need to go back.
Turning around was a real treat but we got it done and bounced our way through the washes and along on the road until we neared the lake again. Passed a calcium chloride truck oiling the road for dust on the way out. Thinking of that, I’m sure it was obvious to anyone who was looking from a distance where I had been driving from all the dust I was kicking up in the field. Had to pass another opposing vehicle on the dike, this time with me on the downhill side then high tailed it passed the store and back towards town.
When we got onto the highway, the truck was pulling BAD to the right. Immediately I assume something must have gotten knocked out while we were off road. I check the pull a couple more times with similar results and start wrapping my mind around needing to get an alignment. The road curved around and there was another straightway so I checked the pull again and it ran straight as an arrow. Suddenly I remember we’re in the middle of prairie and there is a STIFF wind blowing. Whew! Didn’t screw up my truck.
Balmorhea Springs State Park was constructed by the CCC and is the largest swimming pool around a natural spring in Texas, with a surface area of something like an acre and a half. Over a million gallons an hour flow in to the pool. It stays between 72 and 76 degrees all the time and has two protected species of fish and other creatures living in the pool and canals leaving the area towards farmland to be used as irrigation. There are elaborate canal systems here along many of the roads with big gates on offshoots. Since this is what the park is about, I’ve got my mask, snorkel and fins with me and I’m here I decide to check it out.
It’s in the mid eighty’s with about a 20 mile an hour steady wind. Not entirely warm but I figure it’ll be alright once I get in the water. As I arrive at the pool, it’s deserted and I have the run of the place. The pool is 25’ deep circle with two long straight rectangles at 90 degrees from each other. One end is a poured bottom at 3-4 feet deep, the other is a natural bottom between 15 and 20 feet deep. The wind was blowing towards the deep end, where there was a small shelter I hoped may break the wind so I went there. I jumped in and put the snorkeling gear on. It was a VERY cool experience. Crystal clear water, natural bottom, hundreds of little fish hanging out a couple inches below the surface and bigger fish cruising around down low. I would love to tell you that I completed my original plan of swimming the perimeter of the pool but the water was way closer to the 72 degrees than the 76 and there was no relief above the water because of the wind, which was also creating waves. I lasted a few minutes and swam about half of it before making the call. The wind was cold while wet. Made dinner and turned in shortly after dark.
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