Big Bend National Park

    

      Well, this is going to be a little experiment to try and save me a little time in the coming days.  We arrived in Rio Grande Village RV near beautiful Boquillas, Mexico yesterday, after Debbie again flashed her America the Beautiful card at the front gate of Big Bend National Park.  We traveled about 22 miles into the Coahilian Desert to our campsite, and after getting all set up, we discovered that there is no cell service or Wi-Fi in the campground.  I could go over to the camp store and use their Wi-Fi, but I’m going to try this experiment first.  I’m going to sit here at my campsite with a nice cold Rondacker, and type my blog in Word without the internet.

      If this works, I’ll drive the other campers nuts, because several have gone by and have seen my typing away, like the internet was sailing by over here at my site.  I’ll try the old cut and paste into my blog after I do get the internet back, and I’ll be right back on schedule instead of days behind.  I’ll import my pictures afterwards, and I should be golden.  Actually, this may prove easier to work with and being “on the line”!

     We arrived yesterday, entering the park just past noon.  We traveled down from Alpine, Tx on Texas Route 118, and it was a very pleasant journey.  There are only 2 ways to get here, the other coming down via Marathon, Tx on Rt. 385.    The volunteer guide at Fort Davis had told me that either route would work, and since I was already camping alongside Rt 118, I didn’t see any point in changing highways.  It was just about 100 miles from The Lost Alaskan to Big Bend Park Headquarters, and we poked along enjoying the sights and sounds of West Texas. 

     Here’s my first tip about camping at the Rio Grande Village RV Park.  When you arrive, you’ll find a wonderful Park sign directing you straight through the intersection if you are going to the “full hookups park”.  Don’t believe it!  We proceeded straight through the intersection as directed, down through the parking lot toward the campground, and just before entering, there was another sign directing us back to the store for “check-in” and “site-assignment”.  The store is located just beyond the intersection we were directed through.  Sure would have been nice to have a 2^nd sign, directing us to stop and “check-in”!  Not really a big deal, just a little factoid that may save some other poor soul a trip around the parking lot!

     Since we were camping so close to the Rio Grande, our unprotected border with Mexico, I just had to go down at take a look.  Since Bouquillo, a nice quiet Mexican town, was situated directly across the river, and there was a POE for legally crossing the border, I was sure there would be someone watching the river.  Debbie and I found a great overlook for the river, and within 2 minutes, we observed our first illegal entry into the U.S. from Mexico.  What a treat!  I hadn’t witnessed one of those since 1987.  Yup, everything is secure down here!  We decided to work our way back to camp, and start making our plans for tomorrow’s journey throughout the park.

     Today, we backtracked a few miles, and checked in at the Panther Junction Visitor’s Center.  We’ve found that it’s always a good idea to check the visitor center to ask questions of the Park’s Rangers, or check out the video play in the Center’s theater.  This morning we watched an excellent video describing the Park’s three diverse ecosystems.  Big Bend National Park has the Rio Grande River flowing along 118 miles of its most southern point, and border with Mexico. 

     Everything in this Park is dependent on water, whether it is rainfall or the river.  The Rio Grande has a starting point in Colorado, and flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico over near Brownsville, Tx.  Pictures on display at the Center show a mighty river flowing through Big Bend in the 1930’s.  There were even farms growing corn, cotton and melons thriving along its banks.  But agricultural demands along its path have drastically impacted the amount of water flowing through today.  Today, there are times when there isn’t enough water to allow paddling down the river.  Visible from our campsite are the magnificent cliffs of Santa Elena Canyon, which has been formed by the erosion of the Rio Grande.  But only half is in the U.S.  The southern most walls tower above the Mexican side of the border, and put on a beautiful display of changing colors as the sun sets each evening.   

    

     The second, and largest ecosystem in the Park is the Chihuahuan Desert.  Today we could see the prickly pear cactus growing pretty much throughout the desert.  But the video explained that the desert comes alive in the spring after just a little rain, and is abundant with color from numerous cacti’s flowers.  Some examples from brochures include the Desert Marigold, Claret Cup Cactus, Desert Willow, Ocotillo, and numerous others.  We’ve also heard stories of the Texas Blue Bonnets that bloom every Spring.  Springtime would be the ideal time to visit this area.  The most unusual aspect of the desert, is the remoteness and tranquility people can experience down here if they wish.  The Park is designed for hiking, not dirt biking, and it is very easy to find yourself all alone in a vast, vast desert setting. 

     In the center of the park is where the entire range of the Chisos Mountains are found.  The peaks of these mountains reach nearly 8000 feet above sea level, and are home to cougars and the Mexican Black Bear.  Douglas Fir, Arizona Pines, and Bigtooth Maple can be seen flourishing at the higher elevations.  The views down to the Chihuahuan Desert from the Chisos Mountains are amazing, and allows visitors to view the expanse of the National Park.

     Tomorrow, we’ll be traveling over to the Western side of the Park, and follow the Chisos Range down to the Rio Grande.  There appear to be numerous lookouts and vistas along the way, and it should be a pretty good trip.