BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

For years now we've been passing through Texas without taking the time to visit Big Bend National Park.  We finally had the opportunity to drive off the beaten path for a two-night stay and I'm glad we did.  Two days before arriving they had serious rain and hail but when we arrived the sun was shining and the temperatures were in the high 80's. Thank you to Denis for watching the weather and making plans accordingly.

The park is huge, almost 802,000 acres and borders on the U.S.-Mexico border on the Rio Grande.  It was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976, however, the park was established in 1944.

This roadrunner ran to greet us when we arrived

We stayed in the 100-site Rio Grande Village Campground and it was spacious, quiet and very dark at night, great for star gazing, which we did.  I spotted a javelina, wild boar, but was not quick enough with the camera to get a picture.  We decided to take short hikes, an hour or less each, making it easy to see different areas of the park.  The wildflowers and cactus were in bloom and the colors of the desert were beautiful.

On the nature walk to the Rio Grande overlook we spotted these guys sunning themselves

Beautiful colors

He was posing 

Is it just another vulture or possibly a Golden Eagle?

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about our latest challenge with the motor home.  Not a biggie but an irritation.  Our parking brake won't hold and when we park going uphill the coach rolls backwards. Denis called our mechanic and thought we had the solution but in the process he snapped off the piece that connects to the transmission and now we can't shift from park to drive or reverse. So every time we needed to shift I'd sit in the drivers seat with my foot on the brake and hubby would climb underneath the rig and manually shift.  We solved that problem by finding a welder and got the piece welded back on and voila we can shift again.  However, the parking brake issue is still there and may still there until we meet up with our mechanic.  Remember the movie with Robin Williams, RV?

Mexicans cross the river by horseback to illegally sell their crafts on the U.S. side

The border crossing is closed  two days a week so we didn't get to visit the Mexican town of Boquillas - Interesting fact, when 9/11 occurred this crossing was closed  for ten years and the town didn't survive without U.S. tourists.  The borders our now opened and the town is slowly recovering with a couple of restaurants, bar and lots of craft vendors

We're sitting in the 104 degree hot springs.  The rushing, muddy Rio Grande is right behind us

Many years ago, this little oasis within walking distance to the hot springs had a small hotel, store and rooms that people could visit, rest, relax and soak in the hot springs

That's all folks, thanks for stopping in to say hi.