Terlingua Chili Cook Off
For the second year in a row, the Chisos team headed out to West Texas for the annual 2024 Chili Cookoff in Terlingua.
Terlingua, right outside of Big Bend National Park, has been a favorite outpost in West Texas, but the Tolbert Chili Cookoff gave the team a new reason to make the trek out West.
Every year, cowboys from all over Texas get together at the Tolbert Chili Cookoff to raise money for ALS research - a mission we shared about after last year's event.
This year, the entire Chili Cookoff raised over $75,000 for ALS research and we’re happy to be a small part of it.
There's nothing like Cowboy Camp in Terlingua. If you’re thinking about coming out next year, we recommend it. Here’s some other memories of the trip.
JP Gets His Worn In Boots
Juan is a veteran that's been fighting ALS for the past few years. Last year, he did a sit down comedy routine and the team noted that his cowboy boots were a little too clean for spending a week out at Cowboy camp. This year, we surprised Juan by wearing in his boots ahead of time and gifting him with his very own pair of Terlingua-worn-in cowboy boots.
Nightly Dancing and Two Stepping
Every night, there was live music and two stepping. Some of the team used their Chisos boots as their go-to dance boots and cut up the floor.
Evening Conversations Around the Fire
Maybe Will's favorite activity. Every night allowed for long conversations and cowboy stories around the campfire.
Hosting the Friday Night Dinner at Cowboy Camp
While each camp at Terlingua hosts different activities, on Friday our Cowboy Camp hosted the Friday night dinner and fed over 300 people with all the donations going directly to ALS.
Sunsets on the Ridge
Every sunset we scrambled up the ridge to catch the sunset. There's nothing like a West Texas sunset.
Day of the Dead
The festival coincides with the Day of the Dead festival. With Terlingua being so close to Mexico, this annual tradition carries over to the ghost town and we did a walk through the Terlingua cemetery alit with candles.
Late Night Star Gazing
When the fire went out, the West Texas sky is one of the best places to watch the stars in the entire US.
Zach Powell won the Chili Cookoff
The reason we're all here! Zach Powell ended up winning first place in the Chili Cookoff and won a pair of Chisos in addition to his first place prize. Congrats Zach!
Every year, Cowboy Camp embodies the best of the Texas spirit, community, camaraderie and taking care of one another the cowboy way. We can’t wait to do it again.
See ya’ll in Terlingua next year.
- The Chisos Team
