Kate and I flew into El Paso and then road tripped out to Big Bend. Who knew that it would've been almost the same commute if we drove to Big Bend (BBNP) as flying. Driving is about 10 hours, while flying there takes about 2.5 hours plus a 5 hour drive... and that doesn't include the 2 hour pre-flight shenanigans and all that.
Well on our way out there, we got a chance to see some really cool things along the way. First off, we met up with one of our friends in El Paso so that it was a 3-person road trip. Then we drove into the night to stay at Fort Davis. There we met a very odd yet cool man that was in charge of the campgrounds we stayed at. He encouraged us to go see the Marfa Lights despite it being a 30-45 minute drive and it being 11:30 at night.
Off we went on our short drive (as we were in West Texas, where anything under an hours drive is pretty much next door) and saw something that may never be explained completely.
 |
| See those odd lights that look like headlights... those are the "Marfa Lights" |
Next up, we attempted to get out and see the McDonald Observatory. We were pumped because we thought we would be able to see the sun up close and personal (well as personal as you can get while still on Earth). Unfortunately, there was a power outage due to high winds... another time I guess.
So without further ado, we made it to Big Bend!
 |
| Big Bend-over |
Upon arrival we decided to stock our bear boxes with the food for the trip before the rest of the gang got to our campsite.
 |
| What good is a bear box, when you have other creatures to look out for? |
We got a chance to do a quick hike as well on what is called "the Window."
 |
| Slick rocks at the window |
 |
| Sunset looking at the window |
That night was awfully chilly. There were some extremely high winds that made the sleep quite unpleasant. We survived though, but we did hear of another campsite that lost two tents due to the high winds. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to have campfires because of the extreme dryness/drought that the area has been in, so we had to rely on extensive layers of clothing in the evenings and early mornings.
The next day, we embarked on an ambitious goal of hiking Emory Peak, which is the highest peak in Big Bend.
We really got a chance to see the beautiful countryside and mountains/hills. Its just so interesting to see how the terrain and vegetation changes so much.
We made it to the top, and had to do a class 3 scramble! It was awesome.
 |
| Route to the summit |
 |
| We made it! |
The next day we were able explore more of BBNP and go closer to the Mexican border along the Rio Grande. We had a chance to relax in a really nice natural hot springs and just enjoy the beautiful weather. After we made it over to a cool picnic area along the Rio Grande and ate some lunch.
 |
| Life was thriving near the river |
After lunch we went out for a neat little hike that was basically carved out by the Rio Grande called Boquillas Canyon. It was a pretty hike, and we even saw some native Mexicans performing for us.
 |
| Boquillas Canyon |
We finished up our adventure with a very nice dinner with a group of women we befriended who had a chef-cooked meal. All in all, a fantastic trip with some truly beautiful sites!
If you'd like to see a few more photos, here is the link.
With that, thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment