We had heard and read wonderful things about Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas, so it was one of the must-sees on our trip. By the time we arrived there on Friday, March 5th, we were noticing more than changes in the topography and plant life. We were changing, too! Breathing was a little more difficult, for lack of a better word, as our chests felt heavy - but not the heaviness you might have experienced in very humid conditions. Maybe our lungs were working extra-hard to screen out all the air-borne particals we were breathing in. Regardless, breathing actually felt different.
Our skin was much dryer, too, and felt almost foreign. After being in Big Bend for only a day, our eyes felt gritty, our hands were very dry and had taken on a whitish cast, and we just felt dusty - again, for lack of a better word. It was like we had taken on an extra layer, of dust, which could not be shed. Trying to brush it off, felt like sand on sand. Showers and moisturizer helped, but only for a very short time. Karen's (plastic) eyeglass lenses were sandblasted, resulting in allover fine scratches and a large splotch in the middle. The pads of Barkley's paws got rougher and turned a grayish white. The dry weather, and possibly the sand, seemed to help his toe heal. It was now always dry, and the end of it was finally sealed to the elements. Now wait a minute! Dry . . . sand . . . . We were in the desert! The Chihuahuan Desert, to be precise.
We stayed in the Big Bend RV Resort in Terlingua, about five miles outside the National Park.
Terlingua Ghost Town, about 10 miles outside the National Park, was sort of a hippie town, with pop-art flowers painted here and there, a fun approach to buildings, and nice folks just hanging out and smiling.
Kathy's Kosmic Kowgirl Kafe features heated dining and has great sandwiches!
The Terlingua Cemetery is still used.
Other than the fantastic mesas, the first formation we saw in Big Bend National Park was this one, at the Fossil Bone Exhibit parking area. We thought it looked like a dog's head in profile, but we found no mention of it anywhere.
The bluebonnet (lupine) is the official state flower of Texas. Bluebonnets dotted the sides of some of the park's roads.
We slowly bumped along about 10 miles of Old Maverick Road, with its washboard surface which was so terrible that Barkley wanted to bolt out the window! With 3 miles of Old Maverick to go, we saw a Park Ranger flying along in a pick-up. When Bill matched the ranger's pace, we seemed to glide over much of the road.
The park's Panther Junction Visitor Center is fantastic, with educational exhibits, helpful rangers, and a nice shop. We love the National Audobon Society's field guides, so added two books to our collection. The Field Guide to the Southwestern States covers plants, animals, geology, the night sky, and a few other subjects for Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The Field Guide to Wildflowers: Western Region provides much more information on many more flowers than the Southwestern guide could, with all the other topics it addresses. Both books have come in handy many times on our trip, as field guides and nighttime reading material!
Luna's Jacal is one of the exhibits on Old Maverick Road. A sign states that "Gilberto Luna raised a large family in this small house called a jacal." The floor of the house is dug into the ground a foot or two.
This is Santa Elena Canyon in the park. Mexico is on the left, the United States is on the right, and the Rio Grande is in the middle.
Tree tobacco on the Santa Elena Canyon Trail:
The end of the trail:
A tight fit on the trail:
Ringtail tracks near the river on the trail:
The view leaving the Santa Elena Canyon. Bill is looking across the Rio Grande at Mexico.
Cerro Castellan:
Bill looking over Tuff Canyon:
March 7th sunset looking across TX-118 from our RV park:
