The first two diaries explored the western part of Big Bend National Park. Today's post will cover the eastern portion. The tour begins near the entrance at Persimmon Gap, proceeds south to Panther Junction and southeast to Rio Grande Village, and ends with a side trip to Hot Springs. That's not the way I went, but it will make more sense to show the pics in that order.
I will save the more spectacular Chisos Mountains for later, despite earlier promises to the contrary.
Lone peak east of Hwy 395, outside of park.
North end of park. Map courtesy National Park Service.
The Santiago Mountains angle along the northern park boundary. US Highway 385 slips through a low point known as Persimmon Gap before settling into a long flat stretch. I suspect that most tourists stop at the Visitor Center and then move on, knowing that more interesting terrain lies ahead.
Santiago Mountains west of Persimmon Gap
As the mountains rise from the flatlands, wavy terrain beckons the curious. A geologist would have a field day here, literally. A description of the park's geology can be found on the park's website.
Undulating terrain at base of mountains.
Some of this unforgiving desert was once grassland owned by ranchers. Overgrazing and flash floods ate away at the vegetation and soil, leaving the brushy terrain we see today. The Park Service is experimenting with methods of restoration, but undoing such damage in a fragile place will not happen overnight.
Grass once grew where scrub now dominates.
North of Panther Junction, stray rock formations poke out of the flat terrain.
Rock formations emerge from the flats.
Panther Junction, being more or less centrally located within the park, has a Visitor Center, plus the park's only gas station. Don't pass it by if you are even slightly low on fuel.
East end of park. Map courtesy National Park Service.
Southeast of Panther Junction, the land near the road is no longer flat. One gully after another streams away from the highway. Yellow flowers dot the landscape.
Irregular terrain near Panther Junction.
The Dugout Wells site is a short distance off the paved park road. One settler took advantage of water near the surface here. Little remains now besides the windmill, and a tangle of trees and brush that stand in contrast to the sparse desert vegetation nearby.
Windmill at Dugout Wells.
Typical desert vegetation at Dugout Wells.
From Dugout Wells, the highway gradually descends towards the Rio Grande. A tunnel graces the approach to Rio Grande Village. The tall rock formations beyond the tunnel are across the river in Mexico.
Tunnel near Rio Grande Village.
At an elevation of 1,850 feet, the village is certainly in a different climate zone than 7,832-foot Emory Peak, the park's highest point. At the time of my visit (late October), the air near the river was hot and rather humid. It was probably 95 or 100 degrees. I was glad that I had not planned to camp there. As I drove through the campground, a roadrunner held still long enough for me to take this picture of dubious quality.
Roadrunner in the shadows.
A short trail leads to a viewing area in the wetlands adjacent to the river. This rabbit took the time to read the posted rules. He found the prohibitions against leaving the trail and consuming vegetation especially troublesome.
All visitors must comply with park rules.
Wetlands viewing area at Rio Grande Village campground.
Now it's time for the final stop on today's tour. A short distance upstream, reached by a rather rough stretch of gravel road, is Hot Springs. At one point the road splits into one-way single tracks. Long vehicles are strongly discouraged.
The road splits to stay out of a flood prone wash.
According to the Park Service, this layered rock is called the Boquillas Formation.
Layered rock at Hot Springs.
In 1909, J. O. Langford homesteaded the area around the hot spring, eventually developing a motel and post office. More info about Hot Springs is available here.
Today's visitors can bathe in the 105 degree water adjacent to the Rio Grande. Given that the air temperature was not much cooler that when I was there, the idea of immersing myself in hot water did not appeal to me. A few people were willing to give it a try.
Hot Springs.
The cliffs lining the river bottom provide excellent habitat for mud nests. Indian pictographs, plus a few later additions, survive in protected locations.
Swallow nests on overhanging cliff.
Pictographs on cliff.
There was once a small community at Hot Springs. The site is now a Historic District.
Abandoned building at Hot Springs.
I hope you have enjoyed today's journey. Now that you've seen all the sights, you don't need to actually go there, right?
Previous diaries in this series:
Photo Diary #1
Photo Diary #2
The Police-Stating of America: On a Dark, Lonely Road in Texas
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