As we left the hills of the New Mexico, we came to a vast flatness that was western Texas. We had been through Texas earlier in the trip but just passed the panhandle via Route 40 and no more. Our destination for the day was Big Bend NP and with very little knowledge of what to expect, our minds were blown as we entered the park in the late afternoon. When we first entered the park, in our naivety, we were planning on finding one of the backcountry campsites and posting up for the night. We got to a location with no rig present and in the waning light, we set up our gear for a sunset dinner. Just as the food was about to go on, a transit van turns down the long dirt track and I see it slowly come into the spot we were squatting at. The young couple politely explained that the site was theirs for the night and we were to vacate. Fair is fair so we packed up our gear and quietly drove into the darkness that now surrounded the landscape.
The Subaru headlights shone a limiting visibility in front of our vehicle and cloud cover prevented any source of moon or star light. Eventually, we came upon the main visitor center which featured a big sign of updated campground status's. The decision was made to trek down to the Rio Grande Village even though it was about 20 miles up the road, our options were very limited at this point. The campground was packed but we managed to find a decent spot in a tree'ed cove to settle for the night. With dinner prepped and the tent set, we could finally set back and relax after a minor stressful day.
The next morning, we traveled to the Rio Grande Village visitor center to get some info. With a warning of high winds on the horizon, we made the decision to stay put at the Rio Campground for our remaining time at Big Bend but plopped our rig and gear at a different sit with superior coverage from wind and weather. Feeling adventurous and the day still being young, we put on our swimming gear and headed out to the hot springs which were a short drive and walking distance from the grave; lot. The wind at this point had picked up voraciously and even one of the phragmites that lined the Rio Grande riverbank struck me and left an abrasion on my arm. The hot spring was reached easily enough and was a popular spot for many travelers in the park. We set into the ~90 degree waters with about 4 other folks but over the course of our dip, about a dozen came and went, ranging in age from 20's-75+. The pool sat adjacent to the Rio Grande which rushed by with such force from the rains upstream. Some soakers reported the pool had been flooded earlier in the week and that the fine silted bottom was due to the overflowing river banks. As much as I wanted to spend the rest of my life in the warm waters and NOT brave the whipping winds above, we were reluctant to don our clothes and move on.
Our next stop was the Chisos Basin in the center of the park. To access this area, you need to drive up a fairly steep incline which winds through the jagged peaks. With the weather being on the bleak side, we decided to only hike a 'short' trail. The suggestion was made for Lost Mine which was highly rated and would work for our desires. Parking was limited but with few other hikers at this spot, we basically had the trail to ourselves which meant we could sing, joke, cavort, and take our sweet time on the dozen or so switchbacks needed to summit the trail. Although the weather was overcast in the region, once we reached the summit, we could see past its gloomy shadow and down into the valleys surrounding the Chisos. It was quite breathtaking and worth the efforts spent achieving the trail.
The next day, we were given a recommendation from a couple who we met in the visitor center parking lot. These vandwellers were on the road just like us and gave the hot tip to check out Upper Burrow Mesa, a lesser known and not even map-worthy hike that followed a river bank through some canyons and ending at a dry waterfall. It was a great short hike to start the day off. We then drove all the way down to the western portion of the park to see the Santa Elena Canyon. It was incredible to see the difference in elevation between the hot springs where Mexico was a stones throw across the water and the Santa Elena crossing where you were met by a rock wall hundreds of feet high. No need for a Trumpwall there. This busy attraction had us hiking with groups of other nature lovers, one of which was named Tom A. Now you might think, how in the heck does he know this fella so well? As the story goes, we were working our way through the canyon and as we turned the corner, we noticed a middle aged man facing a rock wall with his hand lifted and then spots us, scurries down the path to his friends, and acts the fool. When we get to the place of his suspicious behavior, the only thing of noticing on the rock face was a freshly carved 'Tom A' inscription. NO ONE ELSE has defaced the rock there and this bloke felt the need to make his mark. Well by golly, Liz and I did our civil duty and waited in the parking lot to see these jokers get into their car. We took the plate and vehicle description along with our photos of the defacing and the perps and brought the 'evidence' to the local visitor center. We were able to track down a park officer who took the matter very seriously with our written testimony of the event and collected our evidence with attempt to fine said Tom A. After that point, we had no further contact from the officers so it is unknown if Tom got what was coming to him but I sure hope karma catches up with that fool.
Upper Burrow Mesa Trail
Santa Elena Canyon
BOO YOU 'TOM A'
Our final morning in Big Bend was spend packing up camp and moving on down the road. A quick stop at a new Fossil Bone Exhibit on the northern route out of the park got us in a giddy mode for more road trip.
And of course, Ziggy had to leave his mark in the desert.
Our journey that day was spent in transit headed full speed home. The layover for the night was in Del Rio Texas at a medium sized campground with a bunch of full timers who were enjoying the beautiful weather and sunsets that Texas had to offer. This $4 campsite stole our hearts and we ended up spending an additional day just resting before hitting the road to Padre Island National Seashore outside Corpus Cristi.
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