And We Thought Florida was big!

Monday December 8 2008

Big Bend National Park, West Texas, USA

This morning we got up before sunrise in our tent in the Chisos Basin campground of Big Bend National Park—over 800,000 acres of pure wilderness. Land of the mountain lion and black bear. We ate a Spartan but tasty breakfast and headed down the trail to ‘The Window’. At a little over 5 miles round trip, Debbie wondered whether Mathew would be able to make it. However the first half was all downhill—a 980 foot vertical descent into a canyon paradise of pinyon pines, prickly pear cactus, orange skippillary butterflies, and scarab beetles. We even came upon water, a beautiful stream as we came to a slickrock entryway to the Window. So, what was the Window? It was a gap in the mountains that looked out over the Texas desert below—from 6000’ feet up. While perfectly safe from a distance, should one get too close, there’d be less to buy for Christmas. But we made it out. I promised Mathew I would carry him on my shoulders (and I did) up the steep parts. But let me tell you I don’t know how many four years olds could have made that journey as well as he did. He made his Mom & Pop proud.

After getting back to camp, we ate lunch, drank water, finished packing, and headed out. We headed out Texas Hwy 118 west from Big Bend and up through some incredible Rio Grande carved country. And, now, As I write this we’re traveling through a section of Texas just west of Marfa on Texas highway 90. Don’t know Marfa? Ever heard of James Dean? Elizabeth Taylor? The Movie ‘Giant’? Well, kiddies, Giant was filmed right there in Marfa. We just finished traveling some of the most magnificently rugged, desolate mountains of Texas’ Big Bend region and are now on our way to Carlsbad New Mexico for some bats.

Late News: Just when you thought you weren’t going to see anything but cactus and roadrunners, we happened upon a pecan orchard in Lobo Texas. Very windy!

More Late News: We’ve just crossed over I-10 onto Texas hwy 54 north at Van Horn Texas. Another hour and we’ll nearly be in New Mexico and Mountain Time Zone (set your clocks back kids!). Still no cell phone reception.

More More Late News: We enter New Mexico at 4261 miles with a temp of 57F. Although we THOUGHT we’d driven more in Texas than in Florida. Simple fact is that we probably drove about 7 miles FEWER.