Big Bend: My Trip in Pictures

My trip to Big Bend National Park was probably one of my most relaxing active vacations. Active in that we did something every day (usually a hike or two) and relaxing in that it was low-stress and high-fun. I flew into Dallas on a Friday night, and our two-car, six-person caravan left early Saturday morning for Marathon. That tiny town was nice, and I had a tasty chicken fried steak, but the highlights were to come. Throughout the trip, it was striking how different every day was in activities and scenery. Big Bend is considered three parks in one: mountain, desert, river -- and we did all three!

Our first day in Big Bend, we hiked the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains, 4.8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1,250 feet (to 6,850 feet above sea level). It kicked my butt a little toward the end; I just don't have the stamina to keep a steady clip going up, up, up. But the views made it all worth it.

Here I am at the top of the trail! Well, what we thought was the top until we noticed one of the guys had gone even farther. False peak! Still, it was a good excuse to break and munch on trail mix.

The next morning we ventured south of the Chisos to the Rio Grande and a trail at Santa Elena Canyon, which Ansel Adams famously photographed:


Oh, okay, I guess his photo is better. I also took the opportunity to ham it up on this trail:

I'm modeling my Best Hiking Outfit (which technically doesn't include the fleece): REI Sahara long-sleeve shirt, North Face shants.

Next we headed to the desert to hike the Chimneys Trail. I gotta say, this was my least favorite hike (tricky, uneven, gravelly surface, blazing sun, view that didn't change much). Thus, no photos. Although my light and venty hiking shirt did come in handy in the heat. Our last hike of the day was to the Burro Mesa Pour-off (kinda like a waterfall, but less flowy?). No water at the pour-off this time of year, but, oddly enough, along the way there were hippopotamuses:

Don't worry, we were able to rescue Suzie from this one. Before the sun went down, we took the requisite proof-we-went-to-national-park pic:

Can you tell we just jumped off the sign? That's why I look like a doofus.

Tuesday was our float on the Rio Grande, with a stop at a hot spring. The canoeing was placid -- they even warned us not to paddle a few times, otherwise we'd go too fast. More great views, as well as a not-entirely-legal stop on the Mexico side just to say we did it.

And the hot spring was, uh, hot. I slid into the c-c-cold river a few times to balance things out, then just had to stay out. See the riffles at the top of the photo? We paddled through that! And what better way to cap off a day of floating than with ...

$1.50 margaritas! This is my No. 2, which Suzie had to help me with. They were strong! And not too sweet, just like Sue likes 'em. Could the day get any better? See for yourself:

This is the view from the house we stayed in in Terlingua, a few miles west of the park. After watching the sunset, we had delicious steak, mashed potatoes and grilled onions from Cafe Suzie: West. Yum! Sadly, we had to leave Terlingua House and Big Bend the next day. Happily, there was more great, unexpected stuff to come. On our river guide's recommendation, we took FM 170 west (a.k.a. River Road), which from Lajitas to Presidio is considered one of the most scenic drives in the United States. Couldn't argue with that:

This photo of course doesn't do the views justice. That slip of water on the left side is the Rio Grande, and in the background are the Chisos Mountains, where we were schlepping a few days prior. This is the only shot of all six of us! Then we headed into Big Bend Ranch State Park, home to my favorite hike of the trip, in Closed Canyon:

The narrow walls of the canyon created gorgeous U-shapes as you looked ahead, and there were often dips where you had to scramble down (or up) rocks. I loved doing this. Too bad it's only 1.7 miles round trip -- I coulda scrambled all day.

With a lot more driving, we made our way to Fort Davis, where we stayed the next three nights. Got into town just in time to see the lunar eclipse!

Hardly any light pollution + the eclipse meant the stars were shining with a vengeance. It'd probably be easier to list what we didn't see; here are my highlights: the Milky Way, Orion's bow (or shield, depending on whom you ask) and Sirius (the whole dog shape, woof!).

The next day (Thursday), we did a hike that ended at Fort Davis National Historic Landmark.

Mmm, deserty -- but still so much plant life! Here you can see the hose of my hydration pack. Lugged a ton of water with us on our backs, but it was fun to suck on the hose as though it were a giant straw. That night we went to the nearby town of Marfa for dinner: surprisingly good pizza and great dessert (pistachio ice cream!). Mmm, dessert.

Friday brought my second-favorite hike of the trip, the Modesta Canyon Trail, at the Chihuahua Desert Research Institute. Here we are in the canyon part, where I felt right at home. Below is shot from the non-canyon part (reminds me of a dancer holding her foot):

That night we visited McDonald Observatory, part of the University of Texas at Austin (hook 'em), for a Star Party. Our guide had this awesome laser that pointed all the way to the stars, and he traced several constellations for us -- I just hope I remember 'em the next time I'm gazing. He also pointed out the Hubble Telescope, which just happened to travel across the sky during his presentation, and we saw a few meteors -- amazing!

And here I am with Javier the javelina on the looong drive back to Dallas on Saturday. Thanks to Eric for doing all the driving, and to him and Suzie for organizing such a fantastic trip!

Postscript: Javy adapts to life outside Texas and the beasts in his new home ...