Big Bend National Park

Been off grid for several days now in Big Bend National Park so I’ll just do a running post starting at where we left off on Sunday the 19^th.  Also just noticed the map isn't working.  Will get it back online soon I hope.

Monday 20 April  - Left Colorado City for the run to Big Bend, the first hurdle being the  40-mile stretch from Midland TX to Odessa TX which happen to be the home of George W Bush as well as about 400,000 Dodge Ram pick-um up trucks belonging to an equal number of decidedly rough looking oil well workers.  And this is just the support center, not the actual oil wells which would probably triple the above numbers, excluding the number of Bush’s.  (Or actually maybe not.)

Anyway, we shortly cut south across the Texas scrubland for Fort Stockton, the last town of any size before the 150 mile run to Big Bend.  There is little of note on this stretch except some pretty fancy yard art outside of Imperial TX, and a “DANGER – POISON GAS” sign posted at the entrance to every dirt side road along the way.  From twinge in my nose, that would be sulfur dioxide from the oil wells.  (Ever try to hold your breath for an hour?  Fortunately even the 2-lane roads are 75  mph.)

Don't Wanna Get Sued (or shot)

Stopped in Ft Stockton for lunch, which we chose based on the number of aforementioned pickups in the parking lot.  I was a tad out of place in my sneaker sandals and REI cargo pants.  (Food was good and with only a mildly upset stomach the following day, my stomach's fault, not the food's.)

The scenery starts to pick up on the final 80 miles to the park having hit the peak of the desert wild flower season with a riot of colors everywhere. 

Ocotillo In Bloom

 Also reassuring (or not) was the presence of a Border Patrol truck hiding behind every mesquite of any significant size.

Was Gonna post a picture of a BP truck but decided
not smart to be stupid so early in the trip.

First choice campground was full so we ended up at a nearby alternate 20 more miles up a dead end road.  Early enough for an evening walk along the Rio Grande. Pleasant weather of 70’s with a light overcast and a good breeze.  In several places along the trail, Mexican made crafts were set out for display and purchase on the honor system.  Left unattended presumably by local residents across the river to avoid being picked up by Border Patrol and transported 40 miles up-river for processing, deportation, and a LONG walk back home..  

Crafts for sale along the trail.   The snake is fake (I think).

End the day was watching a buzzard stalking the absent neighbor’s campsite looking for a free meal.

Good Night from Rio Grande, Big Bend.

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Beep Beep!!

Tuesday 21 April  -  Up early with the morning doves.  (I hear they are tasty).  Also a road runner poking around our site.  Ate breakfast at a desert overlook on the drive back to our original preferred CG and some hiking in the Chisos Mountains Basin area.  Snag an awesome site just as someone else is leaving in the morning.

View out the back window at our new campsite.

Today’s itinerary is a 4 hr (for us) hike from the campground to "The Window" which where all of the water from this high basin exits at a several hundred foot high “pour-over” waterfall.  (However, it being a desert, there is no water, so it’s just a really nice hike through the canyon.)

I leave Val at the trailhead for a few minutes “nature stop” and return to find her mumbling something about a $^!#&;$?  #$%&$!?  BIG snake that just slithered across the entrance to the trail.  Since I wasn’t there to verify, it doesn’t count.

The next encouraging sign (literally) instructs you on how NOT to get eaten by any of the two dozen mountain lions and the occasional bear that inhabit the area.  Essentially it says DO NOT RUN, pick up small pets, look big (???), yell, and throw rocks, (and presumably the aforementioned small pets).  I already knew this so I was prepared with Val’s favorite flavor of bear spray.  Fortunately none of that info, nor the bear spray, was required and we had a quiet, uneventful hike.

Snakes?   Pftttt.  Bring Um On!

NO!  I'm NOT backing up one more step.

End Of Day.   Lots of stars tonight along with a crescent moon right next to Venus??

Good night from Chiso Basin CG.

Brad and Val

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This Wasn't The Working One

Wednesday 22 April – Up early and a short run down the road to turn on the generator for toast and coffee.  (No generators allowed in the CG.)  Drive south for about 40 miles to the far south end of the park.  A couple of short hikes along the way.  One to an abandoned homestead in the middle of nowhere.  There was still a working windmill with running water, making a small oasis of shade trees around the adobe estancia foundations.

A little further down the road, a fairly deep wash with some interesting geology and some interesting lizards.  (I'm pretty sure you're going to see LOTS of lizard pictures before this trip is done.)  

Didn’t go very far as there was some overcast and the debris from past flash floods was well up the sides of the walls.

Lunch outside a general store in Castolon, a “town” little changed since the early 1900’s. (Except for the fact that they had Blue Bunny ice cream sandwiches in the little freezer.)

Eight miles further to the goal of the day, Santa Elena Canyon, where the Rio Grande has cut a slot through a massive limestone uplift creating a narrow canyon with 1,200 foot shear walls on both sides.  You can hike a ways into the canyon with the trail ending on sandy beaches before the walls drop straight into the river with no shoreline.  A perfect end to a pretty warm hike.

OK - So Who's Carrying Me Back

Back to Chisos for another night and tomorrow on to El Paso for the start of the next leg of the trip.

Good night again from Chiso Basin

Brad and Val