Texas Sojurn – Big Bend Natioanal Park, Part 3

On our last night, we chose a campsite not far from the park entrance, which allowed us to leave early and make our way home.

It was also conveniently located near a well-known hike we wanted to see and could make a larger loop with cross-country travel.

I had one last chuckle driving on the dirt road to the trailhead. We saw an SUV that was literally off-road and stuck. I asked what we assumed was the mother if she was OK and if she needed food, water, etc.
The woman said she was fine, had a cooler full of food and drinks, and thanked us for stopping. She also added that her children stayed active and seemed to enjoy where they found themselves stopped. She rolled her eyes and said, “My husband wanted to see the road less traveled.” She added that even as we spoke, her husband sought someone to pull them out.

Assuming everyone seemed in good spirits, we left and are sure we know how this whole story even transpired. (We have a big SUV! OF COURSE WE CAN GO HERE! Oops.) and that some jeepers coming by would be more than happy to use the winch they convinced their partner they absolutely needed to purchase, too. All is well that ends well?

With this story added to my permanent repertoire, we went to an area about one mile from the trailhead that seemed better than jockeying for a parking spot.

It allowed us to enjoy a quick lunch, see some wildfire, and enjoy an excellent view.

We made our way to the trailhead, which seemed busier than the amount of hikers we encountered. Again, I suspect the opportunity to take vehicles out on a dirt road with a scenic overlook proved the more prominent attraction than the hike itself.

This choice of parking made for a pleasant hike that did not seem as busy as the number of vehicles indicated.

The red rocks and canyon walls reminded us of the Moab area we call home.

And we even saw some rock images, too.

The arch, the main attraction of this trail, did not interest me as much as the landscape, which reminded me so much of my adopted home.

We soon reached a saddle with a faint cairned route off the main trail.

A family started following us from above, and we had to tell them not to follow us and that we were intentionally off the main trail.

We soon found a place out of sight from anyone looking in our way and continued to follow an old series of cairns, pack stock, and deer trails.

We saw signs of packstock along the trails and later learned that the US government constructed another nearby military fort in response to the Mexican Revolution.

A last bit of cross-country travel brought us back to the main road, our vehicle, and then our campsite.

We then drove up the road, found our last campsite for this Big Bend trip, and enjoyed one final sunset in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Another early morning let us grab some gas and do one last hike in Big Bend—a hike you can access outside the park boundaries near Study Butte but within the park itself.

The hike features rock images, more canyon scenery, and (crucially) a still-flowing water source.

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lithics

This area gets relatively little visitation but is gaining more popularity as Study Butte becomes a destination in its own right. It has the same arc as Moab, if in miniature.

Spring with early 1900s construction.

We ended our hike, stopped for resupply in Alpine, and then drove to Davis Mountains State Park.

We also stayed there three years ago and found this transitional grassland area in the desert an enjoyable visit again.

Though this was a shorter visit, we did some hiking in the late afternoon.

We also enjoyed the hot showers included at every Texas state park.

A last quiet evening of 13 days straight of sleeping in a tent, a drive back to Grants for a hotel room, and we made it back to Moab.

We enjoyed our “gift of time” and are already planning our next bit when we can again spend so much time under the stars, sipping hot chocolate and seeing the Milky Way every night.

These trips, seeing the photos, and writing the reports reinforce our gratitude for finding each other. In the years ahead, we will continue to enjoy these moments that bring us so much contentment. I look forward to seeing new sunsets together; I can’t think of anything better.

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Lloyd F Rushton
Lloyd F Rushton
17 days ago

Thanks for sharing. A fascinating part of the world.