Being a vagabond has its rewards. Each year, as I drive between Georgia and the Pacific Northwest to take advantage of the seasons, I explore the scenery of this vast country. Due to a side trip to southern California, this year's return trip took me close to the Mexican border.
While I have no formal "bucket list,", Big Bend National Park ranked high among the places I wanted to visit. Looking at the maps, I realized that this might be my only chance to go there. Big Bend is not conveniently located along any major travel routes. Visitors must deviate more than 100 miles south from Interstate 10 to get there. It's worth the side trip.
View from Highway 118 northwest of the park
Looking to the right of the previous view
Personally, I find I-10 to be an unsatisfying route as it traverses New Mexico and western Texas. Sure, you can make great time (until the Construction Gods abruptly squeeze three lanes down to one near El Paso). But the mountains are too distant to have a great impact on the traveler. I like my mountains up-close and personal.
Wrapping up a long drive from Tucson, I found a motel room about two hours east of El Paso, in the town of Van Horn. The next morning saw me zipping along US 90 towards Marfa and Alpine. It was 108 miles to Alpine, and I was still 80 miles from the park entrance! Big Bend is not a place you stumble upon and happen to explore. Getting there requires a bit of planning. And be sure to fuel up when you're in one of the towns, because it might be a long way to the next gas pump.
Since I entered the park from the northwest, this diary will focus on the western portion of Big Bend.
Map courtesy National Park Service
The settlement of Study Butte lies just outside the park. When I arrived there, I was torn between staying in the local motel, or finding a campsite in the park. The nights are long in late October. But I'd had a run of bad luck with stinky and noisy motel rooms (excluding a pleasant stay in Van Horn). Plus the weather was nice, and the location at the extreme western end of the Central Time Zone meant that darkness would not arrive until about 8pm. I decided that camping was my best option, and made my way to the park entrance.
Entering the park on Highway 118.
At the pay station, I asked about campground availability. Cottonwood camp along the Rio Grande River had open sites. I drove east towards Castolon - Santa Elena Junction, taking the time to get these pics:
Looking east along park road towards Chisos Mountains.
Clusters of prickly pear cacti.
Upon reaching the junction, I turned south on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Now I was beginning to get up-close and personal with the mountains.
Looking east towards Chisos Mountains
Zooming in on the volcanic fins
Rock walls seem to randomly run through this terrain. A marker explained that magma once forced its way upwards through cracks in the rock strata and then cooled and hardened. Over the millions of years, the weaker rock eroded away, leaving the volcanic fins that we see today. Young-earthers will have to come up with their own explanation.
Ward Springs trailhead
View along Ward Springs Trail
The autumn afternoon was hot, with intense sunshine. Ward Springs Trail looked inviting, but tomorrow morning would be better for hiking.
Abandoned buildings of Homer Wilson Ranch
Despite the remote location, Big Bend is far from pristine. The park is dotted with abandoned ranches and other evidence of settlement.
Cholla cactus
Skeleton of cholla cactus at Homer Wilson Ranch
Looking south from Homer Wilson Ranch
We are now roughly halfway to the campground. In Diary #2, I will pick up from there.
Technical note: As I assembled these pics, I've noticed that the DKos image uploader does strange things to some of the pics when it compresses them. Any suggestions for making the posted pics truer to the originals would be appreciated.