Big Bend National Park is at the end of the road, both literally and figuratively. The park is one of the least visited in America, both due to its extreme weather and remote location. Molly and I chose to visit in late March and enjoy a desert spring. Even so, upon arrival our first afternoon the daytime high soared to 90F. However, the weather soon changed and by the morning of our second day we were dealing with 40F, clouds, and 35 mph winds.
Why the title … hiking into history? Quite simply you do see history. Erosion in the park reveals eons of rock strata, but even our base location in a town right outside the park entrance is a former ghost town. We stayed in Terlinqua where residents enjoy their “end of the road” existence, and some people watching will yield 1960’s throwback culture. In Terlinqua, Texas if you want the modern world you are in the wrong place. The park has rescued the former ghost town, but nary a neon sign or chain store / restaurant is found. Rented lodging is often in nice tents or trailors. Molly and I actually had a small cabin not much bigger than our bed … with access to a bath house … no running water or bathrooms in the cabin.
I started my first day at 4:00 a.m. Big Bend is a certified Dark Sky location. I hung out on the main highway 4 miles out of town till 5 am photographing the Milky Way. I never had to move for a car. In these two photos I am seeing millennium of light … the first shows the highway lit for 2 seconds by my flashlight … the second is a selfie with clouds starting to move over the Milky Way (and moon glow rise)
Should you vist the park be prepared to hike, but as the warning signs stated … be off the trails by noon or risk dangerous heat conditions. As we experienced winter temperatures, we were lucky enough to hike throughout the day, but one still needed plenty of water.
One interesting note even with the cooler conditions, the desert was alive at sunrise, but appeared dead later in the day. At this overlook named Donkey Ears where we watched the sun come up, in the pre sunrise conditions we heard lots of birdsong, bees, saw jackrabbits and coyotes. However, when we returned three hours later there was dead silence. Desert wildlife including birds become dormant during the day … seeking whatever shade is available.
Pre-Dawn at Donkey Ears (lots of singing birds)
Sunrise Images (flowers and buttes)
Our return to Donkey Ears was to enjoy the desert bloom. The cactus were flowering, and there were even bluebonnets along the roadside! Early spring is a fantastic time to visit a desert … nights can be chilly but the landscape is unusually alive with color.
One lone Pyrrhuloxia and a Jack Rabbit popped (hopped?) out of the cacti to show themselves during our mid morning hike.
When we reached the ranger station, I found this Say’s Phoebe hiding from the wind … in a reserved spot. No other birds need even dream of visiting.
St. Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande
Big Bend National Park and Texas Hill Country: Archival Content
