Return To The Trans-pecos
The last day. Almost time for the Boys from Illinois to break camp, pack up the vehicle and head for home. Our schedule was set for us to depart in the evening, so we would road cruise the Juno road north on our way out of Texas. By late morning we turned out of Seminole Canyon State Park for good, stopping at the river access park along the Pecos River Bridge to goof around for a few hours.
We chased merriami here and there amongst the rocks, and managed to spot a Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) in a mesquite tree. An old boat ramp cut into the cliff face gave us access to the canyon floor, where the Pecos River used to run wide before the Amistad Dam was built. Walking down the incline, we saw many merriami scampering over the rock faces, some gray, some a tan color, depending on what color the rocks were.
A Western Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris baileyi) skittered out from under foot and dashed across the roadway, clambering up on a boulder to watch me with a cocked eye. It disappeared into oblivion when I got too close, no chance of getting a picture of it. Another lizard for another day, another reason to return to Texas.
We had a leisurely late lunch at Emilio's place in Comstock - cold Lone Star and hot chili con carne (we recommend Emilio's if you're ever in the area). We lazed about the small cafe for an hour or so, wishing the sun wasn't sliding towards the end of our time here. It was going to be one helluva long drive back home.
Afterwards, we headed north up the Juno Road; we had one last daylight photo shoot with our Diamondback from two days before. As with the other rattlers, it was a chore getting this snake to pose in one spot - all it wanted was to get away from us. Finally we were done with it and watched as it slithered off into the chapparal at the exact spot of capture. There is much satisfaction in returning these creatures to their world after a brief meeting.
I'd like to be able to say that this last night's road cruising was the climax of the trip, but the truth was, we didn't see a thing on the road. Our herp trip was over. As we headed back to Illinois, we all agreed we had little to complain about. Sure, we hadn't seen any Graybanded Kingsnakes, but that species was a bit of a longshot. We had seen many new species of herps, and a nice variety of rattlers to boot. The gorgeous desert country was to our liking.
When will we return to the Trans-Pecos? It may be a while - we have trips to Arizona and Okefenokee swamp lined up for the next several years. We will come back when we can. There's more for us to see!
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