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I made it back from a week in the Big Bend country. I spent a day and a half in Big Bend Ranch State Park and the rest of the week in Big Bend National Park. No matter how many times I visit I just cannot get enough of the place.I also finally happened past Monahans right near twilight so I was able to photograph sunrise on the dunes. In the past I always seemed to be there about 2pm, but after spending the night in Big Spring I got there right about 7:30am and went in to catch sunrise.Here is one of the dunes at twilight.
The red tips of a blooming Ocotillo in Big Bend National Park. The spring brings wildflowers, blooming yucca, flowering cactus, and of course that endless west Texas landscape.I am on the road to Big Bend tomorrow. It is spring and the desert is calling!See ya!
Volcanic Tuff and rock near Cerro Castellan in Big Bend National Park.This scene is fro the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive as it winds around Cerro Castellan on the way to Cottonwood Campground. As you can see the road goes right through the tuff.This is part of the volcanic history on the western side of Big Bend.
Old adobe ruins in Big Bend National Park.The ruins sit on a hill overlooking the Rio Grande. The big cliff wall behind them is in Mexico.The light on these ruins is fantastic in the morning and it is also a great place to visit by moonlight.
The glow inside Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park.A friend I took a canoe up into Santa Elena Canyon. The canyon is deep and narrow. It also gets some wonderful light in the afternoon as one wall will light up and the other one will glow from the reflections. This is the view only a few hundred yards into the canyon, it gets better and better the farther one goes. For the full experience, you need to take a raft trip through the entire canyon.
A dry creek bed in Big Bend National Park. With a few exceptions, the waterways of the Big Bend region are mainly dry washes that only see water during the brief and often violent flash floods of the rainy "monsoon" season. Then they fill rapidly and roar with water, shutting off roads and racing to the Rio Grande. But for most of the year they are bone dry.This is one such wash not too far from the Cottonwood Campground as it crosses the road. It is wide and gravelly. In the distance one can prominently see Cerro Castellan, the remains of a volcanic peak and the Chisos in the distance.
A hidden desert oasis in Big Bend National Park. There is a waterfall, nice shade, flowering plants, etc at this location. I once saw a mountain lion here too. It was all of 40' away from me. Quite a great moment and neat animal to see up close.This is the base the falls in the dry winter season. As you can see there is still a seep of water spilling down the rocks and a pool at the base. The water cascades down over some rocks into several small pools under tall trees before it seeps back into the ground the you return to the desert. All in all this is maybe an two acres of oasis in a harsh land.Keep these places pure. Tread lightly.
Another wide screen pano of the Chisos Mountains. This view is from the north near Tornillo Creek. One can see home of the hoodoos along the creek in the middle distance.It will soon be Big Bend season again as I will be leaving for the park in just a couple of weeks. Cannot wait-spring in the desert.
I made it back from a week in the Big Bend country. I spent a day and a half in Big Bend Ranch State Park and the rest of the week in Big Bend National Park. No matter how many times I visit I just cannot get enough of the place.
