Beautiful Big Bend
The first National Park of the trip did NOT disappoint!!
Our campground – Rio Grande RV Park – was right along the Rio Grande. Every place we went, we could see the river between the US and Mexico. It was extremely remote. We had some Wi-Fi at the camp store but there was no cell signal.
We were there for Inauguration Day and the last day of MK’s 13.5-year role as database administrator at white house custom colour. From every ending comes a new beginning.
The grand beauty and pure silence in the 800,000-acre park was a truly staggering and awe-inspiring experience.
We saw beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the mountains. It was so incredibly silent that one early morning while watching the sunrise I thought I could hear the grass waking up.
To get to the hot spring, we had to drive on a narrow uncomfortable dirt road. But the moon was full and the hot spring was about 105 degrees followed by a dip in the cold Rio Grande!
“J.O. Langford’s impressive bathhouse is long gone; today the spring is contained by the foundation remains of the bathhouse, on the north bank of the Rio Grande. Relish a primitive bathing experience while enjoying unparalleled scenery.”
Soak in the Hot Spring – Big Bend National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Alan said that we are so close to Mexico he could throw a rock and hit it. And so he did. This is Alan walking to Mexico across the mostly dried river. It’s easily crossable in many parts, however, then you end up in a barren 800,000-acre mountainous place with rattlesnakes and no water.
Chisos Basin is found at the end of a long windy road rising over 2000 feet above the desert floor. It has a lodge, restaurant, campground, visitor center, gift shop and miles of hiking trails. We just came for the Window View Trail during sunset. The photo does not do it justice as it was magnificent.
As usual, there are challenges and maintenance. We lost of taillight cover somewhere during those 1500 miles we drove to the southern border. Alan replaced the taillights while our camp buddy, the roadrunner, picked up random dog food pieces.
