The Best I Ever Had: Morning Coffee
Big Bend Ranch State Park: Papalotito Colorado, an open hilltop with a fire ring and a view of La Mota Mountain
The following piece, was published on “Old Ones Dream” February 25, 2013, and as updated here, a piece in “Magnolia Elegy: Place In the Edisto Fork” April 14, 2022.
La Mota as the sun was setting.
On February 16, 2013, in the afternoon, I set up camp at Papalotito Colorado—an open hilltop with a fire ring, and a rustic wooden sunshade, and a view of La Mota Mountain (Elevation 5000’+). I was alone in this area of Big Bend Ranch State Park, in the northern reaches of the Chihuahua Desert and in sight of the mountains across the Rio Grande in Mexico—and that is real “alone”—except for Mountain Lion, Javelina, and a Bighorn Sheep restoration project. I saw evidence of Javelina.
My drive south from Marfa that day was into the desert every mile of the way. I was surrounded by scrub, including various sizes and shapes of cacti and creosote bushes. I set up camp, and found all of my necessary gear present. I was proud of my trunk full of good dry mesquite wood compliments of Rocky. All systems worked, but the ground was quite resistant to tent pegs.
I fixed a pretty good supper that included pork chop, cabbage and onions, and quinoa—thanks to The Get Go natural food store in Marfa. The temperature dropped fast, I got into my 15-degree sleeping-bag to read and went to sleep immediately. The night was cold and long, and the coyotes were frisky. The low was about Fahrenheit 30, but my water did not freeze. In the morning it was rough getting out of the sleeping bag and rekindling the fire, and putting on the coffee.
La Mota and the coffee
The coffee was Sumatra Gayo Mountain from Big Bend Coffee Roasters in Marfa, but it may not have mattered what it was—it was the best I ever had. I drink Dark Sumatran coffee to this day.
The tent and the hills to the west