4/21 - Big Bend National Park

Tuesday, April 21– Waking before dawn for a change for a reason I wasn't used to – COLD! It was pretty chilly before dawn, and I watched the sky get light and the desert birds chirping long before I got out of the sleeping bag. Tyne was feeling a little better and she went for a quick dip / shower before we headed out. A hot cup of coffee and we were again moving towards Big Bend.

Well over a hundred miles still lay before the isolated National Park. We passed a border checkpoint, proved our citizenship and then counted 15 patrol vehicles on the dirt road running along the highway, looking for footprints.

To break up the drive, we stopped at the biggest town along the way, which wasn't much at all. Stopping in the "Big Bend Tourist Info" center, we were greeted by a very nice old lady. I had walked in just wanting to pick up a map and stretch my legs, but she had us talking about where we were going, pointing down at maps and saying things like "check out this town here" and "We did farming in this area of New Mexico here." Dazey howled from the heating car, and we were summoned back outside and onto the road.

Finally entering Big Bend, we bought the $80 National Park Pass, giving us access to them all for a whole year. It was approaching 100 degrees, and felt hotter than that in the sun, so we chose a few shorted hikes and started out. We went to a cottonwood oasis in the middle of a yucca and cactus dessert. The oasis had a natural spring underneath, allowing a heavenly patch of shady trees, a must have in an area this hot.

We drove on to the bottom corner of the park and got fuel. With no other choices, I bought $17 worth at $2.57! Enough to get out of the park at least and back to reasonable prices. A couple of bikers asked what kind of dog Dazey was, and asked where we were headed next. He suggested a couple places to see, and we parted ways.

Over at Daniel's Ranch just a few hundred feet away, we had a lunch of a couple sandwhiches and some pretzels, then walked down to the river. It was hot and I hadn't bathed yet that day, so I stripped down to my boxers and jumped in. I swam across the shallow and somewhat murky river and stood up on foreign soil. "I'm in Mexico, and all I have is my underwear!"

After another scenic drive, we headed down to Hot Springs. A short walk along the river took us by an old building that was a store and some stone houses. This area had been inhabited for many years, and petrogliphs tell stories of the ages as you walk along between the tall river grasses and a cliff wall. Finally down to the spring, 105 degrees being pumped from a "fossil water" deposit underground. Eventually the water will run out, but for now many people soak in the mineral rich bath. An old foundation still sits on the hot spring, at one time a hotel and bathhouse stood here, and people had to pay to use the waters. After a swim in the river and in the pool (Dazey included), we moved on to our final exhibit of the day.

Lost Mine trail is up in the cooler mountains in the center of the park. It takes you up through a canyon and offers magnificent views of the park and surrounding mountains. A little cooler up here, but still pretty steamy as we climbed up. The day was getting late so we only went to the first mile marker for a nice overlook.

We were going to camp in the park, but was disappointed to learn that a $14 camp site had no running water or showers, no shade and neighbors. No thank you, we headed out of the park.

Checking out a couple side dirt roads, we finally found one that went over a little hill, then past a perfect spot. Sitting in the shade of the van, the sun sank quickly and it started to cool off. We cooked a dinner of rice mixed with refried beans and a green pepper and shared the bottle of rum.

A hour later we were on top of the van, looking at the incredibly brilliant sky. The milky way was murky like the Rio Grande had been, and there was as many stars as there was Mexicans trying to cross it. We enjoyed the bottle a lot, did some great talking and really got to know each other. Tyne and I were becoming great friends! We slept in the 4 man tent that night together; I slept hard and I slept good.

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