The Magic of Paint Rock Texas

      There are times when you know an event is going to be incredible. I was sure of that as soon as I got off of the phone with Cora, the owner of the Paint Rock Pictographs, on US Hwy.  83 in Paint Rock Texas. The last words she spoke to me on the phone were fresh in my head. "Now you make sure you get lunch at the Grocery. They have the best burgers you have EVER had!" I promised her my lunch would be eaten there, and she assured me she would check.

     I had been to Paint Rock 2 weeks earlier for a quick ride on the motorcycle to check out my new GPS and get a few photos of the town. I had been blessed with great weather, and on my ride home, I was already planning my return, to see the pictographs. I hit the web, found the number, and our date was set.

     Heeding Cora's advice (warning) I decided to stop at the "Paint Rock Grocery and get the burger basket. As soon I walked in, I knew I was in for a day to remember. The clerk, was being cordial, but I knew she was only taking an order from a stranger, the 3 men at a table around from the counter were talking, but in a hushed voice only they were going here. As I reached into my wallet to pay, the clerk suddenly ignored me and bellowed out "Hey miss K!" I had never met Cora in person, yet I knew her nick name was "K". I turned around and said "Hey Miss Cora!" She grinned from ear to ear, and greeted me with "Well hello Mr. Professional Photographer!" Cora then proceeded to tell everyone in the store about my mission to ride from Mexico to Canada on my motorcycle, recording history with pictures and video, and writing a book. (I had told her I was only thinking about writing a book). She picked up her lunch and was off to the ranch. Her parting words were "See you in a little bit. I can't wait to read your book!" The mood of the building changed in a heartbeat. The clerk called me Hun as she took my money. The 3 men in the corner began to talk in normal voices about the weather, and the upcoming storms.

     It was then, the magic hit, a 4th man joined the group, and was asked if there was ever a car dealership in Paint Rock. He explained that the only dealership was an Essex dealer, where the precinct build is. I saw my chance and asked "The White Building across the street?" He replies "Yes" and the stories began to flow, One man explaining where the 2 roundhouses were located, only to be outdone by the statement of where the Undertaker worked. Now a contest of memories and wills were afoot. Stories of gunfights, building, where the stagecoach used to go to I was in heaven.
45 minutes disappeared quicker then the hamburger, and I was off to the ranch to meet Cora

The Campbell Ranch has not change much in 100 plus years.

   It is only a short drive North on 83 to get to the gate. As you drive over the bridge, you can see the cliffs on the North side of the river,  jutting out over the tree-line, the beige rocks standing out, shining in the sun as they have for thousands of years. When you open the gate and cross the cattle guard you realize, this is a place that time has not forgotten, but a place time has refused to alter. The lone dirt road leading to the Ranch House her Grandfather built in the late 1800's is still there, some addition and changes have been made, but the spirit is still there. from the wagon sitting out side, to the furniture her grandparent brought to the area time has been kind and passed this ranch by.
            
     Cora is not your typical 88 year old woman. Time also seems to have passed her by.  Her bright eyes, quick wit and charm is something you will enjoy. The stories of the past flow from her like water from a glass. She never pauses to remember, unless she is talking about her family. It is then that her eyes soften, and you realize the weight of 88 years in Texas are not weighing heavily on her or have taken their toll, but the time is a true sense of pride and honor for her. She loves her life and what she has done. Not only her years as a school teacher, but as a caretaker of the pictographs. They are everything to her and she is as passionate about them today as her grandfather was when they purchased the land in the early 1900's. Her family photos that hang on one wall of the cabin are a testament of her love of family and her desire to share it with others.

Coras' Family

Coras' Mother

     Once Cora greets you at the Cabin, The Journey begins. Her stories about the past come to life. Her time as a teacher served her well, and she is able to cater the stories and information about the area to keep everyone engaged and interested. This particular day I was joined by a family of four from Buffalo Gap, and two Texas Poets Laureate.  Cora knew why I was there, so I just stayed as far back as I could trying to take in the presentation, and watch the people around me. Cora immediately began to focus on the children, engaging them with stories and simple questions. She realized that the young boy was bashful, so when she talked to him, she smiled in a grandmotherly way that quickly made him feel at ease. It was obvious his older sister had much better things to do so Cora used the importance of women and their role in the world to get and keep that young lady engaged and interested. Cora is able to work an audience like a well seasoned comedian. She even made sure she engaged me during the show (Presentation), by explaining how discovery of places like Paint Rock actually came to be. "The Indians most important need was water. So they knew that animal needed water as well, so they would follow the animal trails, because they knew that it would lead them to the water, and intact, that is how most of our roads came to be, including US Hwy 83!"

It seems as soon as her presentation started it was done, and you are on your way to the pictographs. The drive is short but it felt like an eternity to get there. The scenery along the way reminds you that times were hard back then and you begin to wonder how people made it from one place to another in one piece. As you get closer to the pictographs, You begin to feel different. My excitement was replaced by a sense of reverence and calm. The closer you get the intensity builds. It becomes palpable and is almost overwhelming. As I stepped out of my truck, I knew that this is one of those special places on earth, the sanctity of this place and it's history will envelope you like no place has. I stood there in awe of what I was seeing.  It transforms you in a way that is hard to describe. I grabbed my gear and was off to shoot. 

     Cora has a small unspoken rule about being down at the pictographs. As she is talking and guiding you though the points of interest you are not supposed to just wander off. But after a few minutes, I began to walk away. One of the Poets Laureate was going to "herd me back" but Cora stopped her. For some reason she knew that I was captured by the moment and it was best to leave me alone. Her years of life gives her an instinct that just seems to work. As I walked along the formations, taking pictures, I was taken aback by the different types, styles and positions of the pictographs. The way the sun illuminates each one in a different way is amazing. What you see at 2 O'clock is not what you see fifteen minutes later. There are several pictographs that were placed to interact with the sun during the the two equinox's and the 2 Solstices. One in particular had my eye. We were close to the equinox when I was there, so this particular one was close to telling it's story. On this pictograph, you see 3 people, along with a heart and a liver. At firsts glance the people seem to be positioned in some strange way, and yet when the sun passes by them during the equinox the story unfolds. The light creates an angled hill, lighting the way for the man to ascend to meet the gods. We have all seen something like this on TV and you are probably impressed by the event. I will tell you when you see it first hand, and watch it unfold infant of you, It is emotional in a way that is hard to explain. I was overcome with the visual effect but then, it becomes more than that. There was a sense of just how little we really know about or planet and the things around us. You realize that with our technology and our "intelligence" we have lost something along the way. We have lost us. We have lost our ability to truly connect to our world in a way that isolates us from our own selves. We read about global warming and the damage we are doing to our planet, yet global warming is a bargain to what we are doing to ourselves and our souls. We look to so many things to find inner peace and tranquility. We hunger for the unity of our minds our hearts and our souls. We read books, watch Dr. Phil and even allow ourselves to be medicated to reach that spot. We all seem to think that reaching that peak of inner calm and peace is a complicated near impossible journey. It is not Chinese Math. It is not Rocket Science. It is not Chinese Rocket Science. The answer is so simple it becomes hard. It is life. And this what my Journey along Hwy 83 is all about. So I ask the question. What is you Journey? What will be your Hwy 83?