Trip to Big Bend (2008)
This page is a summary of the jumpingfish weblog entries that talk about our trip to Big Bend National Park in 2008. We took this trip in March, during Ben's spring break. We stayed at the Chisos Mountain Lodge for six nights.
The entries were written after the trip was over.
The list below is mostly in chronological order, from earliest to latest. Thus you can roughly follow our trip from top to bottom.
- A Morning Departure in Our Usual Way (Day 1) We don't end up leaving very early in the morning.
- Chuck (Day 1) A conversation in the hotel parking lot in Fort Stockton.
- West Texas Windmills (Day 1) A new wind farm east of Fort Stockton.
- Arriving at Big Bend (Day 1) Driving into Big Bend from the north, Trudy gives us a geology lesson.
- The Persimmon Gap Draw (Day 1) Our first hike in the Park.
- Big and Bright (Day 1) A black sky full of stars.
- We Had a Plan for the Day (Day 2) In which we get ready for our first full day in the park.
- What Happened to our Plans (Day 2) Our plans for our first day in the Basin were doomed from the beginning.
- Maybe Next Time (Day 2) On contemplating hiking canyons and climbing slopes off the beaten path.
- Oak Spring Trail (Day 2) Our hike to the Window took us up part of Oak Spring Trail.
- What Happened at the Window (Day 2) Our trip to the Window.
- Lost Mines Trail (Day 3) Our hike up Lost Mine Trail.
- Bear's Gate (Day 3) A hike we took down an unmarked trail that started from the side of the road.
- What Are The Chances (Day 4) We run into our neighbors in the middle of the desert.
- Burro Mesa Pour-off (Day 4) Our hike to the bottom of Burro Mesa Pour-off.
- The Two Sides of the River (Day 4) The contrast between the US and Mexico side of the river viewed from Castolan Village.
- No Alarm Bell Sounded (Day 4) We go to Santa Elena Canyon.
- Tuff Canyon (Day 4) We hike down into white-walled Tuff Canyon.
- The Call of the Chisos (Day 4) It's time to return to our hotel room in the Basin after a long day.
- To The South Rim (Day 5) We hiked from the Basin up to the South Rim, and I didn't need to turn back early.
- Back From The South Rim (Day 5) The hike back and how my feet felt.
- Time to Make the Eggs (Day 6) Sitting in the cold shadow of Casa Grande in the morning.
- Dugout Wells (Day 6) We stop at Dugout Wells and stand under the Cottonwoods in the middle of the desert.
- At Rio Grande Village (Day 6) We lunched and napped and read a book in the shade under tall trees.
- The Dune at Boquillas Canyon (Day 6) I thought I remembered a sand dune at the canyon from my last trip, 25 years ago.
- Spring was about to Leap (looking back) We got there just before spring, but it was just about to arrive.
- Canyon Wren Song (looking back) The song of Canyon Wrens was with us everywhere.