Big Bend National Park

Alpine, Texas

Weather: low 38 degrees in Marathon, high 65 degrees in Alpine, dense fog early, then clear skies

The fog was so heavy this morning that we held up as long as we could before leaving Marathon. By the time we had traveled about 20 miles to the west, the fog went away and it was blue skies the rest of the day.

There were not any problems with where we were staying in Marathon, but the little town didn't do much for Carolyn or me. Now, you have to understand that Carolyn is not much for aimless shopping or buying just for the sake of it. But, she likes to know that there is something available in the event she wants it, and there wasn't much of anything in Marathon. I wonder what her reaction would be if we were ever able to make it to Alaska?

Alpine is only about 31 miles west of Marathon, and we made the drive in about 45 minutes. I think that was about the shortest move we've made. There is a certain beauty to the landscape around Marathon, but it is more spectacular around Alpine. Also, there is a little more shopping, so maybe Carolyn will be okay with being here for a few days.

I had so much to tell about yesterday that I decided to split it into two days. Today, I'll pass on what happened on our trip down to Big Bend National Park.

We left Marathon about 0900 hours yesterday, taking US 385 about 40 miles to the north entrance to the park. Once we entered the park, we still had about 28 miles to drive to get to the park headquarters at Panther Junction. The first 20 miles or so of the drive were through typical high desert terrain, with rocks, cactus, creosote bush, and other plants we didn't know the names of. The first place we stopped was to read a display about the US Army using camels in the area, and one of the routes they took, which was through Dog Canyon, the entrance of which is shown below. Most of the vegetation seen in the picture is creosote bush, which the camels thrived on.

After Dog Canyon, we continued on our drive to the park headquarters, with the landscape gradually climbing and changing.

The park headquarters has a landscape that looks out over the park to the north, with a backdrop of mountains behind the headquarters. The park is so remote that most of the employees live there. The majority of the park housing is located at Panther Junction. Total area of the park is more than 800,000 acres, with it fronting 244 miles of the Rio Grande River to the south. Since the park is so remote, they only average about 300,000 visitors a year. That's amazing, considering the beauty that's available here.


Since we knew that we had to be careful how much we did because of Carolyn's vertigo, we decided to go to the Chisos Mountains and the Chisos Basin before we did anything else. That was almost a mistake because the altitude increased so dramatically in just a short distance. Plus, the road was winding and up and down. It is definitely not the road to take a big RV, and there are signs cautioning people not to do it. Within a short distance as we were climbing, the vegetation began changing to trees, such as cedars, oaks, and pinons. And, the mountains became more spectacular around each corner.

Eventually, we reached the high point on the road to the Chisos Basin, and began our descent into the basin. The slope on the road had to be 12 to 15 degrees, very steep. I was even happier we were not pulling an RV at that time. In about five minutes, we were down in the Chisos Basin in the heart of the Chisos Mountains. Man! What a beautiful place to see and be. I don't think there's a picture that could give justice to how beautiful it is there. I would never have dreamed there was a place like this in Texas. It looks more like something found in Wyoming or Colorado.

Chisos Basin is located at 5401 feet high, but Emory Peak, at 7825 feet, the highest point in the park, is not far away.

After leaving Chisos Basin, we decided it might be best to go home, since Carolyn's vertigo was showing signs of acting up. She does the best she can, considering how incapacitating the vertigo can be, and we've learned the warning signs that an episode might be coming on. It was still almost 80 miles back to the RV, and we didn't want to do anything that might cause her to feel worse.

The only thing of any note that happened on the way home was that we had to stop at a Border Patrol station to answer questions about where we had been and whether we were US citizens. It wasn't a bad experience, and we were glad to see that there is some attempt being made to control illegal immigration.

It was a busy day, but it was eye-opening. We never imagined the park would be so beautiful. If possible, we plan to go back before we leave this area.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Marshall, Texas: Athens Of Texas

Not all who wander are lost.