Jave(lina) nice day
Terlingua, Texas: This morning, while DT
was out on his morning jog (and while I was still sleeping) he came across
two javelina trying to cross the road. Javelina (hav-ah-leen-a), or
Collared
Peccary, a relative of the South American tapir is sometimes called a
wild pig (but, it isn't). The two javelina DT came upon this morning were
already quite upset as neighborhood dogs were barking at them, farmers were
driving tractors down the road they were trying to cross and then - to make
matters worse - some old dude came plodding by, huffing and puffing on his
morning run. The javelina snorted. They jumped around and then they headed
back into the desert. My Driver was undeterred and continued on his course.
And,
please do not report this to the IRS, but DT made 35¢ on his run this
morning. First he found a dime and later he claims he was running at such a
slow pace he could see that the coin shining on the pavement was a New
Mexico quarter minted in Denver.
After adjusting our spending plan, we loaded up the bus, attached the Honda
and drove 80 miles south, still on the
Texas Mountain Trail (Highway 118) to Terlingua, Texas. Terlingua is a
teeny little town of just a few hundred people. The town seems to support
travelers going into, or out of,
Big Bend National Park.
We saw only about ten cars, trucks or RV's on our drive today and every
single one of them waved to us.
DT had chosen the RV park in Terlingua based on internet reviews and
comments from people camping next to us in Alpine. There are few choices in
the area if you want full-hookups. All sites are in the sand. We are in the
desert. We are camped next to fellow Oregonians - all is well.
After "brunch", we headed into
Big Bend National Park
to spend the afternoon sightseeing and deciding which parts of this massive
800,000-plus acre park we would like to explore. The park sits at the bottom
of western Texas, with the Rio Grande River serving as the US-Mexico border.
The entire park is in the Chihuahuan Desert, with elevations reaching from
1,000 feet to over 7,000 foot mountain peaks. Most of the park lies in a
valley between the Chisos Mountains and the Sierra Del Carmen Mountains.
Plant and animal life is diverse and abundant. First we stopped at the Park
Headquarters Visitor Center in Panther Junction and then headed southeast to
Rio Grande Village.
Much of the park looks like this - Sierra del Carmen
Mountains in the background
We spent most of the afternoon around the
Rio Grande Village area. We toured through the campground -
a rough haul for a big rig, but we were surprised to see
many huge 5th wheels (and several 40-foot motorhomes) all
the way down here. (We are weenies.) With the Rio Grande
acting as the border, virtually all the views here are of
Mexico and to the little village of Boquillas, Mexico. We
hiked down to where the Rio Grande carves a narrow canyon
through the sand stone. It was about 80° when we started our
hike!
The Rio Grande
Desert Marigold
DT takes a shot of the narrow canyon
Boquillas Canyon
Boquillas Canyon
Pretty sure this is a female Desert Cardinal (Pyrrhuloxia -
Cardinalis sinuatus). Photo by DT
(A reader tells us it is probably a male.)
Another view of the Rio Grande - left is Mexico, right is
USA
By the way, as we began our hike into the
canyon, we noticed this sign:
Huh? Maybe the National Parks Service just wants you to shop
in THEIR stores?
But, when we hiked down to the river, we
noticed a little convenience store had been established by
vendors from across the river. Goods are left on display and
are offered for sale (on the honor system) along the trail.
For Sale
Walking sticks
Scorpions
We didn't purchase anything... but still found this little
enterprise interesting.
So, we started back to our motorhome. Dusk
was falling. Few visitors remained in the park. But there
were many javelina! We came upon about a dozen javelina
along the roadside. When they were not crossing the road,
they were chomping on prickly pear cactus.
Why did the javelina cross the road?
This dude (or dudette) was much lighter-colored than all
her/his friends/relatives
Do you ever just wonder: what was G-d thinking when he came
up with these ugly critters?
Enough fauna - how about some flora... of
the prickly pear variety?
Prickly Pear Cactus
Prickly Pear
Purple Prickly Pear Cactus
Prickly Pear paddle
Large prickly pear with the Sierra del Carmen mountains in
the distance -
the Boquillas Canyon goes through the Sierra del Carmen
mountains
Sierra del Carmen foothils
The Sierra del Carmen Mountains
Sierra del Carmen Mountains at sunset
And the Chisos Mountains at sunset
Sorry to post so many photos again today. Everything in Big
Bend National Park is just so beautiful, vast, huge, immense, colorful,
different... well, you get the idea.
We arrived back to our RV long after dark. I made a lovely risotto
(beef-free, even if we are in Texas) and a caprese salad. Until my next
update (and we have a huge day planned in the park tomorrow), I remain, your
Big Bend correspondent.
RV Park:
Big Bend Motor Inn & Oasis Campground - Dusty parking lot with
full-service hook-ups. Some 50 amp sites. Your best bet in the area,
especially if you have a Big Rig. We paid $29.