A Journey to the Ancient Rock Art in Rattlesnake Canyon - Del Rio, Texas

In episode 11, I'm on assignment with photographer Justin Rex. We are near the border town of Del Rio, Texas in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands, one of the most significant archeological regions of Texas. Hidden in the desert caves and rock outcroppings are hundreds of ancient rock art panels with elaborate pictographs that tell stories experts are still trying to unravel. The site Justin and I venture to was donated to Texas Tech University in the 1980s and is one of the most important rock art sites in North America - if not the world. The canyon that protects this site is encased behind a locked gate and is only accessible by traversing a meandering and undulating hard scrabble road across private land. There is no easement, so permission must be obtained from the landowner to access Texas Tech’s property and the rock art panel.

 

This episode is broken into two parts. Justin and I chat in our Comstock Motel room the night before we journey to the site and talk about our expectations. We pick up the second half of the show the next evening, after our excursion into the backcountry of the Chihuahuan Desert, and talk about the canyon and the magnificent mural inside its walls. This is an experience where I my eyes were opened to a magical world in a place, I thought I knew. This is a more subdued episode, but we do find the time to talk a bit about Barry Corbin, and we review the only restaurant in Comstock, Texas - J&P Bar and Grill. It's the burger I've ever eaten. I don't make claims like that lightly. 

 

Full Zen Ahead