Lost my Heart in West Texas: Listicle April 14, 2026
- aobriendvm
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Just came back from a quick trip to west Texas to visit Big Bend National Park and it's been on my mind ever since.
Fave desert views: those wide open spaces, man. My eyes thirst for that. Big Bend is in one of the four deserts in the US: the Chihuahuan Desert, which is the largest desert in North America.
2. Fave plants: prickly pear. I love love love love prickly pear cactus. There are over 150 species and happily at least one species is native to Maryland. They were starting to bloom down in Texas and I learned that their fruit (the pear) is also called a tuna. If that alone doesn't make you love them, then you have no soul. Also picked up some prickly pear honey, prickly pear jam, and prickly pear syrup. Come on over if you want a prickly pear margarita.
Fave big book: Lonesome Dove. Seemed fitting to bring along the western saga to end all western sagas on the trip to Texas. I've been reading this behemoth off and on since Christmas and I finished on the flight home. After 850 pages you'd think I'd be just about sick of it but nope, I was sort of sad that it was over. Now I need to watch the mini series. Highly recommend the book if you like westerns. This ain't no Louis L'Amour romp, I can tell you that, and I do love some Louis L'Amour.
Fave new plant: ocotillo. This was a case where once you see them, they're everywhere. These shrub-like plants are somewhat unremarkable until you see their tubular edible red flowers at the tips.
An ocotillo bloom Credit A O'Brien 5. Fave time to ride a bike on the C&O Canal: ok, enough of Texas, back to Maryland. Early April is the best time to get out on the C&O Canal. Things are really starting to bloom yet the Potomac is still visible through the trees. Most importantly, the bluebells are everywhere and that makes me very happy.
Bluebells on the canal Credit: A O'Brien
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