Big Bend National Park: part 1, week 1

fish fossil found in the park (I don't think I want to swim in the same waters he swims in, just sayin')

After what seemed like a really long dry spell, it was time to head towards another National Park.  I'd really been missing them and was eagerly anticipating our arrival. We continued west to Amistad National Recreation Area in Del Rio. (Sidebar: my nephew, Conrad, was stationed at Del Rio twice while he was in the air force. I thought it was of particular interest to see where he'd spent a portion of his life while in the military.) Then we continued the next day for another full day of driving to our campground in Big Bend NP, Rio Grande Village, near the eastern entrance to the park. We were miles and miles from anywhere and hoped that we had the right groceries and supplies to see us through.  Let me just comment one more time … Texas is a really BIG state!

While we've been incredibly fortunate timing wise for much of our trip, it wasn't ideal while we were at Big Bend. Texas and the area states had spring vacation while we were there, so it was crowded (and noisy) and in addition to that it was also hot! The daytime temps were well into the 90s. You know temps like that, especially in March before I've had a chance to acclimate, give me the vapors. Haha.  But we managed. 

Big Bend (like Texas) is a very large park with about four main areas of interest: Rio Grande Village area, Panther Junction area, Chisos Basin area and Cerro Castolon area with miles of desert in between. One of the ways we tried to beat the heat was to head up to the Chisos Basin and Mtns, which, at 5500’ to 7800’, was cooler. We spent a couple of days exploring and hiking up there on the really hot days. Of course, we weren't the only ones with that idea … so we had to wait in line to get up there, (the parking in Chisos Basin is limited) but once we were there, it was worth it.

We also explored the Rio Grande River. It borders a good portion of the park and had several good trails for viewing and getting your feet wet. One day we crossed over to Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico and spent an afternoon in the tiny village across the border. 

One of the things that I didn't expect, but turned out to be a highlight for me, were the birds. Big Bend is a birders paradise with up to 450 different species of birds in the park over the course of a year! It's at the far western edge for the eastern birds, the far eastern edge for western birds and the Rio Grande features highly in the travels of migratory birds. I saw and heard lots of new birds, including a pygmy owl that sang us to sleep almost every night, (even though I never did manage to actually spot it).

On to pics …

Campground wildlife:                             free roaming cattle, 

javelinas,   (note: javelinas are a collared peccary. And what, you ask, is that? Well, they look like they could be in the pig family, but they are not, even though they are sometimes referred to as “new world pigs”. They are "even-toed ungulates" which means they are actually related to sheep, goats and deer.  They are located primarily in South and Central America, but their range does extend up into Southwestern North America.

and gophers!

The Rio Grande,

sunset 

and the crescent moon greeted us on our first night at the park.                          (Note how the crescent moon is a bottom sliver. I don't think we ever see it that way in Vermont. It's always a side sliver. I thought that was interesting.)

a couple of images

The Chisos Basin and Mountains 

Big Bend is the only national park to have an entire mountain range, the Chisos mountains, within its border. We went on several hikes in this area, some short and one longer one, the Lost Mine Peak trail, that took us up onto the other side of the mountains, where it was greener and cooler. That was a beautiful hike.

another sunset … they were stunning

a few of the birds from Big Bend 

Golden-fronted Woodpecker 

Curve-billed Thrasher 

Ladder-backed Woodpecker 

Rock Wren

Ash-throated Flycatcher 

Vermilion Flycatcher (male) (the golden fronted woodpecker and vermilion flycatchers hung out in a couple of trees right around our campsite)

Vermilion Flycatcher (female)

Mexican Jay (gorgeous bird. We saw this on the lost mine peak trail at the top.)

Roadrunner 

We spent a day crossing the Rio Grande and visiting the little village of Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico. It is part of a shared international park, but true confessions, we didn't do any hiking, just eating, drinking, some shopping and exploring the little town.

Not knowing what to expect, we hired a boat to ferry us across to the other side. As it turns out, the water was very shallow and our ferryman just walked beside our boat. Haha. We were met on the Mexican side by children selling woven bracelets and men offering services as guides with rides to the village by truck or by riding a mule. We opted to walk the ¾ mile track which, with the sun beating down and walking in very soft sand made the distance seem more like 3-4 miles to me and I started to  question our choice. Martin thought it was fine.

The welcome sign

The livelihood in the village seemed to be primarily centered around tourism. Mules and horses were raised and trained for tourist transportation, and market stalls selling goods and handcrafted items were set up at nearly every house. There were some chickens about and, of course, dogs, everywhere...  I have a true confession about the dogs ... Not only were they were everywhere but, surprisingly (to me), most of them were  these little small dogs, kind of like …. ... chihuahuas. Ok, so sometimes I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer!  Haha!                                                                            mules outside houses

The school looked bright, well tended and new.

I was fascinated by the whole experience and a very generous store keeper let me come in and take some pics of what he had in the store. He tried to sell me some vanilla first, apparently it's cheaper in Mexico, (note the big bottle), but when I said I just wanted to look around, he said I was welcome to take pics. 

Speaking of food, we had an authentic Mexican lunch. Well, Martin did, I had a plain cheese quesadilla.

Main street 

I asked this little cutie pututie and her mom if I could take her pic. They said yes. She's standing in front of her mom's stall. No matter what is different or challenging between countries, cultures and peoples, we all share in the same basic humanity that can be uplifted by the joy of seeing a smile on the face of a child … 

And a love of ice cream!                          This is the ice cream truck that made the rounds as we were finishing up our day. It even played a tune.

The road between the village and the river.

Beautiful burganvillia 

At the end of the day, the mules head for home by themselves, heeding the internal pang of hungar.

This one is questioning whether to make a break for it … freedom, adventure, or … ???

but then reconsiders. Food. It always comes down to food, maybe another day for adventure … Yes. Food today, adventure tomorrow! 

Crossing back over. We decided to cross the river on foot on the way back. Just seemed like the thing to do.

And welcome back to the US and customs. ❤️

The Rio Grande 

In this arid area the river is the life source. It provides transportation, commerce, water for plants and animals, water for growing food and it provides nourishment for the soul with its multiplicity of beauty.

While some of the animals seemed to cross over and were equally comfortable on either side of the river,

we came upon a herd of goats on the Mexican side where the river acted as a natural barrier.

goat with reflection 

reaching for the stars (or at least the most tender greenery)

And this guy was the shepherd of the flock

one of my favorite shots

The cactus were just starting to blossom. 

Prickly pear.

a wild horse 

One evening we hiked up to an overlook on Ernst Ridge for the sunset.

Another day we hiked up through a wash to see the Ernst Tenaja rock formations and potholes. They were quite spectacular. To get an idea of the scale, that is Martin just to the right of center.

It was made of these gorgeous layers of pink rock.

Heading back out we found treasures of a different sort

Verdin

Stunning ocotillo against a brilliant blue sky

Life in the desert is hard. We came upon this while driving along one of the back roads.

And life in the desert is also full of beauty

There were several bands of horses roaming about, but they usually weren't too far from the river

Black Hawk 

 flying off

black vultures in synchronized dance

Village of Boquilla del Carmen, nestled under the Bouquillos mountains 

Best sunset spot. A short hike from our campsite. A nightly trek for many of the campers.

On the way down,

going through the rushes

Turkey Vulture claiming the recently departed camper's campsite. (They were our neighbors 😱)

Next stop: Big Bend NP continued, week 2, Cottonwood campground, the southwest side: more prickly pear in bloom, new vocabulary to learn, more heat, more isolated, less crowded, abandoned properties, still no electricity.