Wrapping Up Big Bend National Park

Posted from Willis, TX
(Click on Pics to Enlarge)

I've decided to combine Days 2 and 3 in Big Bend National Park into this one blog. With that being said, Big Bend NP definitely deserves multiple days to even scratch the surface when visiting this fairly large park.

On our second day into the park we visited the Chisos Basin area and wound up finally at the Chisos Basin Visitor's Center. The first part of the drive has some spectacular scenery.

The visitor's center at Chisos Basin is in a developed area with restaurant and even a lodge.  We took a short hike on the Windows Overlook Trail from the Visitor's Center.  This trail is handicapped accessible and only a short distance to the overlook.

The "window" is an area in the rock face which allows a great view of the valley below. In the following picture the "V" is the window.

A short distance back up the Chisos Basin Road and we were at the Lost Mine trailhead.  The full Lost Mine Trail is about 4.8 miles roundtrip, but due to time constraints we decided to hike up to the Overlook which was about 2 miles roundtrip.  Several nice views of Casa Grande Peak can be seen along the trail.

Here's our little group at the Overlook Point on the Lost Mine Trail.

The views from this area were certainly worth the hike up.

By the time we got back to the trailhead it was lunchtime.  We drove back to the Visitor's Center and had a nice picnic in one of the covered pavilions nearby.

Additional photos from Day 2 in Big Bend NP can be viewed in our Google+ Albums.

Our third day into Big Bend NP was probably my favorite day.  We hiked several trails and the views along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive were spectacular.  Just onto the Scenic Drive we came upon the remains of the Sam Nail Ranch.  This was an example of an early ranch in this area in which the desert was partially transformed by the planting of fig and pecan trees. This old windmill actually still works and provides water for this little "oasis" in the desert.

There's not too much left of the adobe ranch house today.  All I can say is these early settlers must have been hardy souls.

The first trail of the day was called Upper Burro Mesa Pour-Off Trail.  There was first a short hike thru a relatively flat area leading to a rocky gorge area.

Many more photos are included in our Big Bend Day #3 of our Google+ Albums.  Please be sure and take a look.

Driving further along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive took us to higher elevations and more scenic vistas.  In the far center of this picture is the remains of the Homer Wilson line camp which was part of the Homer Wilson Ranch.  The buildings in the Blue Creek Canyon have not been used since 1945.

A. roadside pull off allowed a view of Mule Ears Peak in the distance. The peaks are actually much larger than they appear from this vantage point.

The Tuff Canyon Trail was only a short 3/4 mile hike, but it gave you a nice look at the dry canyon and the sheer walls running up each side.

As far as I'm concerned, the real gem of this entire Scenic Drive lies at the end in an area named the Santa Elena Canyon.  The trail begins at the Rio Grande water level, heads up to give some great views of the canyon walls, then descends again back to the river level.

The canyon walls in this area stretch to a height of 1500 feet.

This view from one of the higher observation points on the trail show Mexico on the right side of the river and the United States to the left.

The river is a popular place to kayak and canoe.  These folks are taking a guided tour down the river.

As we were hiking back to the trailhead we saw a fair number of Mexican Marines training (or eating lunch) on their side of the river.  A few of them are visible walking along the trail, on the far side of the river, in this picture.

As I said before, Day #3 was my favorite day in the Park, but I certainly enjoyed all of them. If you decide to go for a visit, allow several days for exploration.  Get off the roads and explore the trails.  There are trails of all lengths and difficulty levels to enjoy.

To view additional Day #2 pictures, click here to view our Google+ Albums.

To view additional Day #3 pictures, click here.

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For anyone who has read this far I need some advise on the "readability" of  our blog.

I changed the way I display pictures in this blog posting from the way I normally display them.  In today's blog, I placed the pictures beneath the associated text. In previous blog posts I've usually wrapped the text on either the right or left side of the pictures.

Question:  Which format do you prefer?  Please feel free to leave a comment below. I'm always looking for ways to make the blog easier to read.

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Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

Leaving Casa Grande and Heading East (Slowly)

Posted from near Ingram, TX
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We left our winter home at Palm Creek Golf and RV Resort in Casa Grande, AZ on April 15th.

We'll eventually be heading to the east coast and northeast for the summer months, but that's no reason not to slow down and visit some areas along the way.  We've been traveling with our friends Paul and Laura for the past two weeks and having a blast.

Paul suggested that he'd like to visit the Big Bend National Park area in southwest Texas, so we decided to tag along.  (Thanks guys for putting up with us!)

We both like to drive short days and miles, so we stopped at the SKP park in Deming, NM the first night, then at Desert Willow RV Park in Van Horn, TX the next night. Nothing special at either park, just nice places for an overnight stop.

Our Site

Our destination to visit the Big Bend National Park and area was Maverick Ranch RV Park in Lajitas, TX.  A nice park, probably the nicest in the area, and great for exploring the area. If you've never been to this area bring plenty of groceries as choices are limited and expensive. The area is beautiful, however.

Beside the pool

We visited the Lajitas Golf Resort (part of the RV park) across the highway.  I don't golf, but the course has beautiful surroundings.  The resort has a lodge, restaurant, bakery (great cinnamon buns), and other amenities.  Our RV park has a nice swimming pool with great natural views.

We explored the Big Bend National Park on three different days.  This is a very large park, so multi-day visits are a must.  We attempted to visit a different part of the park each time after first orienting ourselves and picking up valuable information at the Panther Junction Visitor's Center.

Lunch at Rio Grande Village Visitor's Center

Each day we packed a picnic lunch and ate at a different area within the park.  As already stated, the park is very large.  The first day we headed down toward the Rio Grande Village area and hiked along the Boquillas Canyon Trail.

Rio Grande and Mexico behind

At the overlook, Mexicans across the Rio Grande River have set up spots to sell their wares.  They are pretty trusting, because the cash container is unattended.

Boquillas Canyon

After a short trek up the trail we made it to the edge of the Rio Grande River.  Due to the steep canyon walls, the wind was really blowing in this area.

I wondered why the name Big Bend National Park. I learned that the park got its' name from the "big bend" the Rio Grande River makes in this area.

Hot Springs with Rio Grande behind

While in this area of the Park we decided to take in the Hot Springs near the Langford Ruins.  After a short trek, we dipped our toes into the remains of the springs. The temps were about 104 degrees, but very soothing after doing a bit of hiking.

So as not to make these next few blog posts too lengthy, I've decided to include a few pics around the Park, then split our adventures up into several future posts.

Boquillas border crossing gate

Petroglyphs along the Hot Springs Trail

To view many additional pictures for Big Bend National Park (Day 1) just click on this link to go to our Google+ Photo Album.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!