Terlingua – The Big Bend is one of the most remote and remarkable regions of the Lone Star State. Natural, God-given beauty surrounds this desolate destination that draws in people from all over the globe. When you arrive to this part of the world, it’s good to set up a basecamp and a good place to do that……Basecamp Terlingua.
“Not your average tee pee, and a pretty cool place to hang out, I think” Tony Drewry said.
Tony Drewry is in charge of this 40 acre refuge with all sorts of strange structures. He is the gatekeeper to one of the most picturesque places to stay in these parts.
“This is a lot more work than it probably looks like,” Tony said. “You know, here we are, sitting in the desert by tee pees drinking beer.”
A slower pace of life is what they live by here because there’s really no need to rush. Enjoying your surroundings and solitude is the main reason to trek to Terlingua. At Basecamp, the accommodations seem native and rustic, but they’re really nice.
“Everything you need,” Tony said. “A king size bed, we’ve got some really heavy comforters for the winter months, we’ve got an electric blanket, we’ve got some supplemental heat. This skirt around the side actually keeps the dust from blowing in and things like that, because it is raised up at the bottom. Then this is also pulls out into a queen size bed, so you can sleep four in here. We get a lot of families that come through. Got a little nook for the books, got a coffee station, fridge. I mean, running water.”
Now if this view still isn’t up close and in your face enough, Basecamp has another option that’ll make you feel like you’re living in a bubble.
“I don’t know, bubble rooms, bubble house,” Tony said. “I don’t know what you want to call it.”
These unique bubble rooms are the only ones of their kind in the country, and they couldn’t be in a better setting.
“Pretty cool to be able to do a tour from the outside in,” Tony said. “Yeah, and it’s marine grade plastic. I mean, it’s tough. You can kind of punch on it.”
Made in France, Basecamp has two of the structures for rent that give you an eye-opening way to experience the outdoors.
“You lay there, you look at the stars, you watch the sunrise right over the mountains,” Tony said. “That’s the Chisos, you know, over in Big Bend National Park, and you can see it. Watch the sunrise in the morning. Man, it’s … You don’t even have to get out of bed. It’s pretty cool.”
Getting into the air bubble is sort of like getting into a spaceship.
“Step in here,” Tony said. “This is the airlock. We’ve got a little mini fridge, got some local books.”
Just like any other hotel room, you’ll find it all here.
“Then we’ve got a full bathroom in here,” Tony said. “A toilet, a shower, and the sink. I’ve taken a shower in here. It’s actually quite an experience. You got a nice little skylight there. Kind of your own little slice of the mountains there, and a really great place to wake up.”
As the sun sets on Terlingua and the night sky takes over the majestic beauty of the Chisos mountains, Basecamp lights up. However, it only lights up enough to see where you’re staying because the stars are the stars here.
“I’ve had a lot of friends come out here and stargazing, you know, hanging out for the weekend, and he’s like, ‘Man, it sure is cloudy tonight,’” Tony said. “And I’m like, ‘No, that’s the Milky Way, man.’”
A stay at Basecamp Terlingua is well worth getting a good night sleep on The Texas Bucket List.
“I mean, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this,” Tony said. “I really … It’s almost … You know, you wake up every day and you’re just like, ‘Man, we’re so lucky.’”