March
24 – 31, 2018 Special Edition: Our Big Bend Adventure
Saturday:
The truck is loaded and
we are eagerly anticipating our departure for West Texas in the
morning. Brian and I have been home since our last big trip that
ended in early October. Brian had minor eye surgical procedures
spread over a few months and I had brain surgery to remove a benign
meningioma that was discovered two years ago during an ER visit in
Homestead, Florida. All is well now for us to travel and reconnect
with the wide open spaces of Big Bend National Park. We are
especially excited about this trip because our son, Mark, and his
family are going with us. It will be the first national park visit
for our grandchildren: Logan (age 5), Caleb (almost 4), and Araceli
(just turned 2 years old last week).
Sunday:
The drive to Big Bend
National Park from our home southeast of Houston is almost 700 miles
so we decided to drive halfway and take frequent playground stops
with the kids and stay in a motel in Junction, TX. It was about
10:00 a.m. when our little caravan of two pick-up trucks headed out
from our driveway. We spotted bluebonnets and other wildflowers
along the interstate west of Houston in the usual locations. We
drove up state highway 71 from Columbus to Austin and found a safe
place to pull over and take pictures of the kids in a patch of
bluebonnets. As usual, it was hard to get all three to smile at the
camera at the same time.
After checking in at the
motel in Junction, we made the short drive to South Llano River State
Park for a pleasant hour on the trails. We found a bird blind and
did some bird watching (hummingbirds, titmouse, cardinals, and
others).
Monday:
Three hours from Junction
to Fort Stockton without stopping as the kids napped in their
carseats. Picnic and playground time at a nice park in FS before
heading south to BBNP. If you are unfamiliar with that stretch of
highway, there is only one small town, Marathon, between FS and the
north entrance to BBNP. We did not stop at the BBNP entrance sign
for pictures because the kids were sleeping and we still had another
50 miles to go before arriving at our Rio Grande Village campground.
The picture below was
taken four days later on our way out of the park:
We set up camp while the
temperature was still in the 90s and cooked dinner. Krystal and I
walked around the campground with the kids and spotted a group of 12
javelinas. The bear box at the campsite had a caution message about
bears and javelinas. Cloudy skies prevented any star-gazing and the
heat made it difficult to fall asleep.
The boys help Mark and me pitch the tent
Celi seems to enjoy her first camping trip.
The campsite had a great tree for little boys to climb.
Tuesday:
Camping breakfasts taste
soooo good so we fueled our bodies before setting out to explore the
park. First stop of the day was the visitor center at Panther
Junction to pick up Junior Ranger booklets, postcards, and a copy of
a children's book, The Three Little Javelinas. The park film
was very good, as usual.
Our first hike in the
park was on the Grapevine Hills Trail. The kids loved bouncing along
the 7.5 miles of bumpy gravel road to the trailhead. Kitted out with
binoculars, we set out for Balanced Rock just over a mile
away. Cloudy skies meant comfortable hiking weather. The kids did
well and had a great time climbing on the rocks (their daddy did,
too). This grandma came prepared with snacks in her hip pack so we
ate them while sitting under the balanced rock. On the hike back to
the truck, I heard a rock fall and looked up to the ridge and saw
some big horn sheep silhouetted against the sky. The animals below
the ridge were hard to spot they were so well camouflaged.
setting out on the Grapevine Hills Trail
Grapevine Hills Trail
Caleb and Mark
Mark and his daddy ham it up for the camera.
Mark and his boys
Grandma doles out snacks
Below Balanced Rock at the end of Grapevine Hills Trail
looking south from Balanced Rock
Bumpy gravel road back to
the main paved park road and then the lovely drive up into the Chisos
Mountain Basin. Brian and I camped up there in 2009 and it is cooler
and forested up there.
We had our picnic lunch
there and then made the short walk on the paved Window View Trail.
The hike to “The Window” pouroff is quite steep so we will save
that for a future trip. Back at Rio Grande Village, we loaded up
with quarters and headed for the showers. It's been many years since
I helped small children to take showers in a campground, but Krystal
and I managed to get the two youngest kids cleaned up. Again, no
star-gazing because of cloudy skies, but more comfortable sleeping
temperature.
view of "The Window" in the Chisos Mountains
Celi and the bear box at the campsite
Wednesday:
The sky cleared off
during the night and I woke up before dawn in time to see stars
fading from the sky. The morning was cool and sunny as we enjoyed a
pancake and bacon breakfast. Our plan for the day was to make the
60-mile drive to the other side of the park to get our first view of
the Rio Grande and hike into Santa Elena Canyon. We made a quick
stop at Panther Junction to mail postcards and use toilets. We saw
the west side of the Chisos from the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. We
could see the V-shaped “Window” in the mountains very well.
Our first clear day and a good view of the Chisos
We found a picnic table
at the parking area for Santa Elena Canyon Trail and ate lunch. A
roadrunner casually strolled by our table. Although the close
proximity of animals in a picnic area is due to their scavenging for
human food and not desirable, it does give small children a close-up
look at them. We set off down the trail and were soon on the bank of
the Rio Grande. The hike involves a series of switchbacks and steps
that take you up about 80 feet above the river before entering into
the canyon itself. It was a sunny day and any little shade was
appreciated. At the end of the trail where further hiking into the
canyon is impossible, Mark, Krystal, and the kids took off their
shoes and waded into the shallow water. They walked across to touch
the canyon wall on the Mexico side. The water was only thigh-deep on
Logan so they were able to negotiate the slow current safely and
splash around.
next to the Rio Grande, Santa Elena Canyon behind us
looking down river from the Santa Elena Canyon Trail
Logan examines a rock for fossils
Mark's family wading in the shallow river
on the Mexico side of the river
coming back
Santa Elena Canyon - the canyon walls are 1500 feet high
At last, we had a clear
night sky to look at the almost full moon and constellations (a
Junior Ranger activity).
Thursday:
Clear skies overnight
made for a cold morning – about 40 degrees! Hot chocolate and warm
blankets for the kids until the morning sun came up and warmed the
air. A morning hike into Boquillas Canyon not far from the
campground until we came to a shaded portion of the river and a rock
for climbing, of course. We saw people riding horses on the Mexico
side of the river.
Boquillas Canyon - standing on rocks is a must!
Another visit to Panther
Junction where Caleb and Logan showed their Junior Ranger booklets to
Ranger Daphne and received their badges. Ice cream treats from the
camp store followed to celebrate. Our last hike in the park was a
short one to Hot Springs and a soak in the 105-degree water right at
the edge of the big river. We saw some petroglyphs along the trail.
Making the Junior Ranger promise with Ranger Daphne
proudly wearing Junior Ranger badges
soaking in the Hot Springs
Full moon flooded the
campground with light so no flashlights were needed to walk around.
The campground hosts were gracious and let us view the moon through
the telescope they had set up next to their RV. A perfect ending to
a great day.
Friday:
Our last morning in BBNP.
After the tent was taken down and all gear stowed away in the
trucks, we were on our way. Before leaving the park, we stopped at
the new Fossil Discovery Center and enjoy the still-cool morning air
in the desert. Just before leaving the park boundary, we stopped at
the Big Bend National Park sign for pictures. Quite a few other
people waited their turn for pictures. The park will be quite busy
now that the 3-day Easter weekend has begun. Our Big Bend Adventure
has come to an end, but we were already thinking about a return visit
someday when the kids are older. Some day I want to hike the South
Rim Trail up in the Chisos Basin and make the Mule Ears Trail hike.
Fossil Discovery Exhibit
T rex had some mighty big teeth!
special play structures in "The Boneyard"
BBNP is so vast and varied
that I can understand how some people feel drawn to visit it every
year despite the remoteness, or because of it. We have come to love
the deserts of the U.S. If you are prepared and know how to deal
with its challenges, the desert is a beautiful part of God's
Creation.
Saturday:
After a return stay at
the motel in Junction last night, we decided to separate from Mark's
family for the return drive to Houston. They planned to visit one of
Krystal's relatives in San Antonio and we wanted to make geocaching
stops. We made our way home on back roads between San Antonio and
Houston. Total distance traveled this trip: 1700 miles.
Our next adventure: We
plan to leave in late May and head to Alaska for most of the summer.
