Quality Americana

Dust is blowing as we navigate rough starlit trails. Our guide Tony is organizing a rescue as the sounds of cheers and guitars down the dirt road float into the night. A pickup truck just drove up onto a boulder in front of the Starlight Theater, the busiest restaurant in the ghost town. Once the startled driver is sent on his way, we follow Tony into the desert. A light in the distance was our introduction to the first hostel in Terlingua.

Late night at the Temple of the Bird. Photo by Tony Drewry.

Beautiful, Beautiful Texas

We caught up with owner Mike Minnick as he was preparing the hostel for Willie Nelson’s 92nd birthday. Musicians were settling in and a potluck was on hand for the festivities.

One of the most picturesque outdoor stages since Red Rocks sits beyond the covered outdoor kitchen and meeting ground. In front of the compound sits a retired tour bus with Willie Nelson enshrined on the side. 

The outdoor stage at the Temple of the Bird.

“It’s a 1953 Grayhound touring bus,” Minnick said. “A friend of mine got this bus years ago. I remember going out to her place on the ranch and she had just commissioned this girl to come and paint that Willie Nelson smoking a joint on the side of it, and that bus looks so much like Willie Nelson’s original touring bus.” 

A year later it was listed on a local forum for sale, and eventually Minnick was able to purchase this amazing piece of history. Somehow Tony was able to drive the bus through the impassable dirt road to the Temple of the Bird.

“Ulitmaltly I want it to be a green room for when bands come,” Minnick said. “I’ll have beds and things in there. It’s definitely the coolest thing on my property, it really stands out.”

The old Greyhound at the Temple of the Bird.

Tulsa Time

Minnick was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Houston.

“Since high school I’ve just kind of moved around a lot,” Minnick said. “I typically wouldn’t live anywhere more than a couple of years until I would get either bored or depressed and just want to go see what’s over somewhere else. I would go visit a friend and decide ‘oh I’m gonna live here for a while’ and a couple of years later I’m gonna go over here for a while and in between some of that I would take big adventures where I would sell everything I own and take off.” 

Minnick took a grand hitchhiking adventure throughout Canada in his 20’s between stints in higher education. 

“I’ve always kind of struggled with doing what I think is responsible and more following my heart and doing what’s fun,” Minnick said.

Fishing in Belize

College wasn’t the right fit for Minnick, as he struggled to look away from the dreams of adventure and travel. He joked that he didn’t have much to show for the various stints in college that took him from small-town Texas to Colorado. He soon left to help a buddy start a fly fishing resort in Belize. 

“I never had any fights with the guy or anything, but he used to kick his dog and that just used to really drive me nuts,” Minnick said. 

Although Belize is known for picturesque views and crystal clear beaches, the location of the resort was more akin to the murky water of the Gulf of Mexico. The insect per capita was also worse than a Louisiana bayou. 

“When the wind would stop there these sand flies would come out, and when they would come out it’s just the worst. It’s just misery. It would be hot and humid and these little gnats would come out and make your life miserable.”

They butted heads over the animal abuse, and Minnick soon took off for a Central American adventure, hitchhiking to Guatemala by using a notepad to play a rough form of charades with the locals.

“When people know that you’re in adventure mode and you’re not just trying to mooch off of people, people are super generous and wanting to give you rides, wanting you to stay with them for a night, wanting to feed you, they want to be a part of the narrative of what you’re doing. They want to take part in your adventure, which is something that has served me well in my life going forward from there.”

Austin Night Life

After that Minnick settled in Austin where he spent time bartending and managing night clubs. 

“That’s the longest I’ve ever been anywhere,” Minnick said about his decade in the Texas capital. “A friend offered me a Burning Man ticket and so I sold everything I owned, grabbed a little pickup truck so I could bring my dog with me. I just decided it’s time to shake my life up again.”

Craigslist Adventures

Minnick was inspired by the dreamers he met at the festival. They all desired a non-traditional lifestyle where people explored the country and found community. Looking for that next adventure, Minnick tapped into the world of off-app rideshare driving. 

“Back in the day Craigslist was a thing and I had an ad out there,” Minnick said. “I’ll go anywhere you want to go as long as I’ve never been there, and we split gas, and the more the merrier. That took me all over the country and eventually to Terlingua.” 

The truck broke down in the Far West Texas desert and Terlingua became Minnick’s new home.

“I ended up staying here for almost two years and I fell in love with this place,” Minnick said. “I only left here in 2013 to go do a four year bicycle ride with my dog and a rubber chicken named Charlie, and all over the country I compared everywhere that I went to Terlingua and I never found another community like this one. Eventually I wound my way back here and they’re gonna have to drag me out of here by my feet because this is hands down where I’m supposed to be.” 

He spent time working at a cafe and living out of the truck before he was given an upgrade by the locals. 

“Eventually I was offered a school bus to live in for free,” Minnick said, but the road kept calling his name and the bicycle adventure began.

Where’s Bixby?

Minnick mounted a large dog crate on the back for his sixty-pound pup Bixby and set out for his first trial run, riding from Houston to Arkansas for a family reunion.

“I found a cargo bicycle and I took a multi-day hike through the state park as a way to quit smoking cigarettes, and when I got back I put in my week’s notice and took off. I hadn’t been to a family reunion since I was fifteen years old, and I show up here in my mid thirties with a dog and a rubber chicken all sweaty,” Minnick said with a laugh. “It was a great way to reacquaint myself with all these extended family members that I hadn’t seen since I was a kid.”

Minnick was even able to take a hundred mile detour to visit his aunt and uncle. 

“I surprised myself at how well I did,” Minnick said.

Key West

His next plan was to ride from Maine to Key West, Florida. His journey got so much attention along the way that ABC News did a local story about him as he arrived on the island. It sparked the idea that the attention could generate donations, and Minnick set out to turn his journey into outreach for animal shelters. He would partner up with local breweries for events along the route and they raised funds for the community.

“This thing took on a life of its own,” Minnick said. “It was the most epic adventure I’ve ever been on. I doubt that I ever spend four years on a bicycle again, but It just completely changed my life in a huge, huge way. I could talk for days about all the adventures we had on that bicycle.”

Through all the towns and countries Minnick traveled to, he never encountered another community like Terlingua. He took some time off to care for his aging pup, and made plans to move back to the desert.

“It had been a few years since I came to Terlingua, but I decided to come back here a little over two years ago for my birthday, and right when I showed up all these people were like ‘where have you been? We love you. You belong here,’” Minnick said as he shed happy tears. “It was like this realization that it’s like ‘man it’s time to plan a route, this is that route, this is where you’re supposed to be.’”

Minnick got a small piece of desert property and thought he could offer short-term rentals. The idea grew at a rapid pace and he decided to build the first hostel in the remote town.

“There’s so many people that have really interesting stories and a lot of them started with ‘I broke down,’” Minnick said. “The people who are supposed to be here, end up here. You know what I mean?” 

The Temple of the Bird

The Temple of the Bird was a name given by our guide and local photographer Tony Drewry. They grew tired of the monotony of the friendly wave while going up and down the only main road in Terlingua, and one day Minnick just threw the bird at Drewry. Eventually it took off and everyone was throwing the middle finger as a form of endearment.

“I decided I’m taking the finger back,” Minnick said. “It doesn’t mean (expletive) you, it means I love you and I feel like I’m turning hate into love, that’s how I’m approaching it anyway, and so I’ve just really leaned into it man, and it’s kind of cheeky and good natured and everybody seems to be into it… maybe except my mom, but I feel like even she’s coming around.” 

Now locals have been giving Minnick various statues and pop-art that include the bird. Pictures of Johnny Cash and Willie fill up the meeting space. It’s become a real place for the community to gather and enjoy live music and plan projects. 

“I’ve just really been embraced in a really positive way,” Minnick said. “I definitely don’t take all the credit for the Temple of the Bird being what it is, it’s such a collaborative effort and I feel like the community has embraced it.” 

During our short stay, so many locals stopped by just to say hello and see what was happening in the town. There is a main structure that houses the meeting space, and Minnick has added shipping containers and camping spots for the travelers. It’s quickly turned into a compound that can house dozens.

Voices From Both Sides

They’ve held various fundraisers that range from animal shelters and first responder support, to border outreach for Voices from Both Sides that advocates for the Lajitas border crossing to be reopened. Its closing has disrupted a historic tourist industry and has broken up families that traveled across the Rio Grande. Advocates meet in the middle of the river once a year as a form of protest. They even held a Quincenera for a local pup that was turning 16. 

“I do a lot of pot lucks,” Minnick said. “I do a lot of sort of community minded, let’s break bread together, maybe have a drink, let’s get a band to come over… I’ve done that a lot and I feel like that really strengthens the community. I really, really enjoy that so much.”

The meeting space at the Temple of the Bird. Photo by Tony Drewry.

One of his first customers, Moon Dog, is skateboarding around the country much in the same way Minnick did on his bicycle before settling in the Terlingua desert.

“He’s skateboarding with a big like backpack with all his supplies on it, and when he gets to parks he’s hiking through them in a way that I don’t believe that I could physically do,” Minnick said. “I convinced him to stay for the Willie Nelson party, and tomorrow morning he’s going to skateboard down to Lajitas and then he’s going to walk through the state park, which is a hundred some-odd miles of just brutal Texas desert.”

Minnick helped him map out the water sources along the way to keep him safe. Moon Dog said he was part of a group building a statewide trail. 

“He’s sort of the gopher to get out and see if it can be done in a responsible way that eventually other people that maybe arn’t as physically capable as he is can do it.” 

Minnick said he has had many people stop by that are on bicycle tours as well.

“I’m the only Warm Showers host within a hundred miles of here,” Minnick said, “the next closest one is Marfa. I really enjoy people on those sort of adventures, and if you show up at Temple of the Bird on a bicycle, or on a skateboard doing something epic like that, I’m going to take care of you. I want you to be able to relax and catch your breath and also I want to be able to show you this incredible community.”

Mike Minnick, owner of the Temple of the Bird.

Minnick has reconnected to all of his friends that supported his journey with Bixby, and the Temple of the Bird has shown how tight the community is in this remote part of the world.

“I think the majority of people in Texas do not realize that this Texas even exists, and they should,” Minnick said. “I hope that they’ll come down and visit Terlingua and see what it’s all about and come give me the middle finger at Temple of the Bird. I’d love to share the love.”

Support

More information about the Temple of the Bird can be found here.