Days 9 & 10 - Big Bend National Park, Texas

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Morning Sunrise over the Chisos Mountains

We arrived at Big Bend National Park in the afternoon and swung by the visitor center before heading to our camp site. Right away, we felt the heat — it was a scorching 98 degrees at our Rio Grande campsite! As we were getting situated, Steve caught sight of a road runner zooming around (beep beep) and got a short video before it scurried off. We settled in and Steve excitedly pointed out another wild animal sighting just outside the door to our RV…a cow! 🐄😂 Here's the road runner video...

Originally, we had planned a late afternoon hike, but with the temperature hovering in the high 90s, we decided to ditch the idea until the next morning and instead lounged in our lawn chairs, witnessing cows, horses, and donkeys doing some serious lawn maintenance for the park service. It turns out these farm animals cross the Rio Grande from Mexico (no passport required) for a change of scenery, and their owners come round them up eventually. Throughout our stay, they paid us no mind, as if we were just invisible spectators. As we would see in person the next morning, Mexico was just steps across a very shallow Rio Grande River. The area has been experiencing a two-year drought.

We did our homework on Big Bend before visiting, but surprisingly not many folks were buzzing about this National Park. We almost passed on it because of its secluded location and our crazy schedule. Wow, were we pleasantly surprised by how much we loved it! It quickly dawned on us that we won't have enough time to check off our increasing list of must-dos in this park. Big Bend is massive, nestled in the remote mountain wilderness of Texas and part of the Chihuahuan desert. The Rio Grande acts as a natural border between this part of Texas and Mexico, adding to the park's unique charm. The biodiversity here is wild - plants and animals are living on the edge of their northern and southern territories. Our campground was situated at a lower elevation near the Rio Grande, but the park spans the entire Chisos Mountain range. 🏞️

Upon our arrival, we attended a riveting evening chat with a park ranger and whipped up a delicious dinner. The following day, we strolled along the nature trail and dabbled our feet in the river, marveling at the nearby marsh. From an overlook, we caught a glimpse of the Mexican city of Ojo Caliente before hopping back into the RV and trekking to Santa Elena Canyon on the other side of the park.

This colossal canyon, shaped by millions of years of flowing river water, straddles the border between Mexico and the U.S. We hiked the Santa Elena trail looking deeper into the canyon. Post-hike, we drove up into the high reaches of the Chisos for a well deserved dinner at the lodge.

Cruising around the park was like flipping through a never-ending photo album of breathtaking views. Just when we thought we had seen it all, Mother Nature threw in a little plot twist on our way back to camp. What started as a gentle breeze quickly turned into a wild gale. Thank goodness we weren't roughing it in tents!

Next stop ~Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico!

JLE Cat, Chisos Vista, Chisos Mtn Pic, Me at Santa Elena Canyon (Mexico Left, Rio Grande Middle, U.S. Right), Invertebrate Fossils, Bedrock Mortars For Food Prep, Rio Grande Nature Trail (U.S. shore, Rio Grande Middle, Mexico Right), Low Braya Plant