Big Bend: Heading Out

Sunrise in Cottonwood Campground

The next day dawned just as stunning. I was wondering if every day and night in Big Bend is this gorgeous. It was jarring though that sunrise wasn't until 8am. I packed up camp and headed back up the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. My first stop was at the visitor center. 

Castolon Visitor Center

It wasn't open yet but there were a couple outdoor exhibits on the cotton mining history. My next stop was Tuff Canyon. 

Tuff Canyon

Tuff Canyon

Tuff Canyon

There were 2 overlooks down into it but also a trail to walk through it which I took advantage of. You could see the power of flash floods that had coursed through and there was even a couple pools of water hidden away. The sun on Cerro Castellan across the way was gorgeous.

Cerro Castellan

I drove up to Burro Mesa Spur Road  and hiked the Lower Burro Mesa Pour Off. The trail leads to a dry wash but once you got there no signs existed as to where the trail went so I just hiked up a dry wash until it got too closed off. It's frustrating not to know where a trail goes but since it follows a wash I guess it doesn't make sense to mark it since any marker would just get washed out with the regular flash floods. I saw a few turkey vultures perched up above so I got out of there. 

My last stop was the Sam Nail Ranch. It is remnants of an old ranch and because the windmill is still working it is in a shady lush grove of trees. It was neat to be in a little oasis in the middle of the desert.

Trail to Sam Nail

Sam Nail Ranch

From there it was time to head out of Big Bend. I saw on the map that just outside the entrance was the Terlingua Ghost Town. I decided to stop by but as I drove through Terlingua I was rethinking that. The town is just...gritty. I did not get a good impression and when I got to the ghost town I saw it was a commercialized one where there were shops set up in the old buildings. 

Terlingua Cemetery

Nothing about it appealed to me so I got out of there as soon as I could. I headed out through Alpine and Marfa Texas. I stopped outside of Marfa at the Prada store. 

Prada Marfa

Melissa  had told me about it and I recalled seeing pictures of it. Apparently its an art installation and its supposed to be ironic to see a Prada store in the middle of flat nothingness. The store was kinda dirty so I just snapped a picture and continued on. I got back on the interstate and drove to Chamizal National Monument in El Paso. I didn't realize it was literally across the river from Mexico. It's kind of a neat park because its a living dynamic park that celebrates the Mexican culture with art exhibits and theatre productions. 

Chamizal

There was a small visitor center so I learned about the history of the border dispute. The bridge to Mexico is adjacent and all I could hear was honking horns so it wasn't a very peaceful place to relax. 

Driving across West Texas

By the time I got back to the ranch I had clocked about 1200 miles. It was such a spontaneous whirlwind road trip but I had the time of my life. I am sooooo thankful to Meris and Seth for giving me the opportunity. I had never just taken off like that but it was exhilirating and it was nice to travel with no expectations and just be impressed and awestruck by what I saw along the way. I think this is a turning point for "planning" my future endeavors.

Big Bend: Castolon

Santa Elena from a distance

I left Chisos Basin and headed down the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to Castolon. I stopped at a couple of the vistas along the way and they were all stunning. Rio Grande, Chisos Basin and Castolon are the 3 main areas of the park and they are all so different. The geology on the way to Castolon is so gorgeous. There are just random peaks and uplifts everywhere. It was getting hot again so I decided to cruise past my hiking destinations and set up camp at Cottonwood Campground. It's only 24 sites but only a couple were taken so I got my pick. I chose one in the shade, set up my tent, and had a siesta in the heat of the day. It was still 95 degrees when I set out into Santa Elena Canyon.
 It is the quintessential shot of Big Bend with the river going through a narrow canyon so I was excited to hike it. The brochure made it seem like it was an easy 45 minute walk and it was anything but. I got to the edge of the river and it looked like there was a sand trail off to the right so I followed it but it tapered off to nowhere. I went back to the river and saw several other people looking across trying to figure out how to get across.

Santa Elena Canyon

I could see switchbacks and railings on the other side so I waited and saw a group of guys coming down so I thought I'd see where they came out. Half came out of the bushes and took their shoes off and waded across the creek. The bank was pretty steep so I went down to where the other group came out. I still had to take my shoes off but this was wading through mud versus water. After I got across there was nowhere to clean off so I just put my shoes and socks back on my mud covered legs.

Mud!

 I then had to duck crawl through mesquite bushes until I finally came out at the trail. I made my way up the switchbacks and walked along above the river. I saw a raft going by. The trail descended to the banks of the river and it was all shaded among boulders and foliage so it was nice to cool down. Finally I got to the end of the trail. It was a great view and so quiet in the bottom of the canyon with sheer walls surrounding me.

End of the trail

After I cooled down I made my way back out. I decided to come out at the water crossing and hidden in the bushes was the sign for the hiking trail. The bank is steep and eroded down into the creek you have to cross so I had a hard time believing this trail is called out in the park brochure. At least wading across I could wash the mud off of myself. Altough the Rio Grande is a pretty muddy river itself but at least its water. I made my way back to my campsite and cooked up some soup for dinner and relaxed under another stunning sunset.

The Mazda in Big Bend

Big Bend: Chisos Basin

Sunrise

Sunrise

The morning dawned with a beautiful sunrise and I packed up and headed back into Chisos Basin. My first stop was the Lost Mine Trail. I read that the first mile was gorgeous but before I could start up the trail I noticed a black bear! I let him eat and he finally wandered far enough off that I set out.

Bear!

The hike was a gradual incline and the wildflowers and cactus were gorgeous to see. I learned so much flora at Geronimo that it was gratifying to be able to know what a lot of them were. The trail opened up at the one mile marker into one of the most gorgeous views I'd ever seen.

Lost Mine Trail

I sat on a rock and took tons of pictures and just tried to soak it all in. I finally got too windblown and had to head back down but it was a breathtaking hike and I'm so glad I did it.

Soaking in the sights

Lost Mine Trail

As I was making my way back down I had a family stop and say the bear was still there so I kept my eye out and sure enough he was right off the trail so I bushwhacked over to the road and got back in my car. The parking lot was already full so I'm glad I got down before it was too busy.

The Window

 At Chisos Basin I did the Chisos Basin Loop and the Window View trail. Both were short and offered nice glimpses of the Basin. It reminded me of a combination of Pinnacles in CA and Zion in UT.

Posing by The Window

The geology of the area is crazy to have this mountain oasis in the middle of the desert. There was WiFi at the lodge so I Skyped with Mom, Dad and Felix. I was trying to pan around and show them the view and Felix kept saying "where'd Aunt Kelly go!?" It was great to be able to see him and catch up while in the middle of a beautiful National Park.

Wildflowers on Chisos Basin

Big Bend: Rio Grande Village

My favorite sight on a road trip

Leaving Fort Davis I turned my car towards Big Bend. Big Bend is a National Park and has been on my list for a long time but its so remote that I never really was close enough to visit. Plus, as I mentioned before, I typically plan out my trips weeks or months in advance and know exactly where I'm going and what I'm seeing. It was frankly kind of scary to just hit the road and have nothing in mind but a destination. Plus a guest a few weeks ago said they left Big Bend early because they didn't really enjoy it so I was a bit leery. I was so glad to be proven wrong because it is now one of my all time favorite parks. I entered through the North Entrance at Persimmon Gap. I paid my fee ($25) and the ranger gave me a map and the lay of the land (i.e. it's hot). I decided to just drive and stop at whatever interested me.

Preview of coming attractions

My first stop was the Fossil Bone exhibit. Its under construction and will open in January 2017 but it had 2 sculptures of creatures that roamed here that were pretty scary looking. My next stop was Panther Junction where I checked out their small visitor center. Then I headed down to the Mexican border!

Road to hot springs

There was a stop called Hot Springs and I always enjoy a good hot spring so I thought I would head over. The road is gravel and VERY narrow in spots but doable in my car. I hiked out and followed a narrow trail between a cliff and very dense foliage.

Trail to hot springs

I could hear the Rio Grand but not see it. Finally I emerged at the hot springs and was sorely disappointed.

Hot springs

The first thing I saw was a dead frog in the springs. I think the river had flooded recently because it was running super high and the hot springs were very murky and the Rio Grande was rushing by its edge. I dipped my finger in to confirm it was warm and got out of there.

Road to Rio Grande

Sierra Del Carmen Mountains

I drove through a tunnel to the Rio Grande overlook. I was so impressed by the Sierra Del Carmen mountains off in the distance. They were so imposing. I drove down to the Rio Grande village where they have camping and a store but I wasn't planning on camping there because the ranger said it was really hot so I kept going to Boquillas Canyon.  There is an overlook where you can see right across into Mexico and I waved at some locals working over there.

Boquillas Canyon

I decided to hike the Boquillas Canyon trail because I wanted to see the narrow canyon. By the time I got there it was 104 degrees and I was feeling it. I rested and downed water and ended up going to the banks of the Rio Grande and dunking my hat and shirt in to cool myself down. I got back to my car and immediately cranked up the A/C. My skin was all splotchy and my face was red so I downed some Gatorade and wrapped my forehead in neck in wet cloths and finally got cooled down. I knew it would be hot but I wasn't expecting to boil like that.

Trying to beat the heat

Road to Rio Grande Village

I was over it at that point and just wanted to set up camp so I drove to Chisos Basin. The campground was full so I went to Chisos Mountains Lodge and was told they were sold out. Big Bend's busy season is November through April because the heat is so intense the rest of the years so I was not expecting everything to be sold out on a Wednesday in early October. I was discouraged and frustrated and frankly scared because I knew I would have to backcountry camp and I'd never done that. I knew I didn't want to drive all the way back to Rio Grande Village because it was far and way too hot down there. I noticed on my park map that there was backcountry camping off Grapevine Hills Road which was right at the end of Chisos Basin road so I drove over and lo and behold it was empty. It was a large clear space with a bear proof food container so I set up camp and cooked myself some dinner and organized my car because it was an absolute mess and was driving me nuts. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous. The funny thing is that I was out in the middle of nowhere with not a soul around but I did have 3G internet so I spent some time checking emails and posting to social media.

Campsite

The moon was bright so it was like a spotlight outside so that was comforting because I could potentially see any nocturnal critters. Luckily the only things I saw were a roadrunner and a rabbit. I didn't sleep most of the night because I had never done camping completely by myself before with no other people in the vicinity. I thought I would be so nervous but my lack of sleep that may have been more because of the heat (it was in the 70s). Also every time I got up to go to the bathroom I would gaze up at the billions of stars for a while. It was actually quite peaceful to have absolutely no noise or light pollution and I was actually quite glad I got to have such an experience.

Sunset

McDonald Observatory and Fort Davis

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had one hour to prepare for my unexpected road trip. I basically just threw everything I had into my suitcase and various bags, tossed them in my car, ate a slice of banana bread and left. In T or C Melissa bought batteries for her walkie talkies so we could chat on the drive. When Jess moved to Pagosa we also used walkie talkies on the drive and its one of my favorite memories so it was a blast to get to use them again. Since we lost an hour due to the time change, we had to pick up the pace towards the end to make it on time. We finally left I-10 to head out to the McDonald Observatory and there literally wasn't another car on the road. I wasn't expecting mountains so it was a pleasant surprise to watch the sunset over them.

Finally we arrived and checked in with 3 minutes to spare! I have never before been on a trip where I hadn't planned everything or at least had a very strong idea of what was going on. So it was an unexpected pleasure to literally just throw things in my car and show up at a place. Turns out the Observatory does Star Parties several times a week. Since it is in the middle of West Texas there is very little light pollution so there is a great opportunity to see some unique things. The moon was near full so that was putting off quite a bit of light but the host showed us several different constellations as well as an iridium flare and the Hubble Telescope breezing by. Then we were able to walk around to several different telescopes and gaze up. A couple were pointed at the moon and you could see its craters. The rest were pointed at star clusters that were hundreds of light years away. It was fascinating but hard to wrap your brain around the fact that you are looking at something so far away. Around the campfire at Geronimo Trail we often gaze up at the stars and guests ask us questions so now I have even more learning in my arsenal to share so I'm very glad I tagged along. Our campsite was at Davis Mountain State Park which was just down the road. With the bright moon we didn't need a lot of artificial light to set up my tent. I was worried it was going to be cold but it was only in the 50s so it was very comfortable sleeping weather.

Fort Davis

The next morning Melissa and I finally parted ways. As we were finishing chatting a gentleman got out of his RV and walked over to us and asked "can i do the unthinkable?" My mind immediately jumped to him committing a felony on us but he just wanted to ask for directions. It was weird to say our goodbyes in a gas station parking lot but I am so glad I got to spend a bit of extra time with her. And really, the walkie talkies just made the trip! Across the street from the gas station was Fort Davis. It is a massive fort that is very well preserved. Several buildings are restored and interpreted but many more are in ruins.

Ruins

I can't recall ever being to a fort this big or well preserved before. I stayed for over 2 hours learning about life at the fort. They had a great restoration of the post hospital that was fascinating about how they approached medical treatment back in the day. Also the cottonwoods were starting to turn and the whole fort was set at the base of the Davis Mountains so it was a very scenic place.

Scenic Location

Birthday Week

Meris and I have birthdays a day apart and this year we had an extra celebrant because our friend Melissa came to visit from TX!
For the past couple years Meris and I had been going to visit her in Austin but since I am now at the ranch and Melissa hasn't been to New Mexico in almost 6 years we decided the time was right for a visit. It's crazy to think we all met at Tarryall 11 years ago and are still friends all these years later. She was a breath of fresh air and it was so nice to see a friendly and familiar face. She also helped me out with all the chores (even cleaning!) which was a big plus as my ankle is still healing. We still had plenty of relaxing girl time though.

Meris and Melissa riding

On Meris' birthday we all went on a ride out to Beaver Canyon. I hadn't been out riding in a while so it was nice to see the leaves starting to change.

Distant aspens changing color

Beaver Canyon foliage

Meris and I took her to the Pottery Mesa another day. I didn't have much success with finding any arrowheads or jewelry like I did last time but we had a blast looking and also took a ton of selfies.

Pottery Mesa

I was sad on the day she was due to leave and then Meris came in that morning and asked if I wanted to convoy with Melissa to the McDonald Observatory in Texas. Melissa had planned was to attend one of their star parties. I checked online and there were still tickets available so I bought one. I was excited for a nice little getaway but then I looked up directions online and realized its only a few miles from Fort Davis National Monument and only 1.5 hrs from Big Bend National Park! So with that I was off on a 4 day road trip with an hours notice!

Ant Hill