The night was very cold and extremely windy. We woke up and took care of our business and got ourselves ready to go. A lesson was learned at this stop...don't leave the fridge hooked up to the dc battery, as it drains all of the power. We woke up to a dead battery in our car...not a good start to the day, for sure.
Knowing that once we were in the park there would be little access to the outside so I made sure I texted my sisters and the kids just in case they tried to reach us. I also picked up last minute groceries at Walmart and we made sure we filled up the tank with gas right before getting into the park.
That weather followed us to Big Bend National Park. I had fallen asleep while Wilson was driving and when I woke up it was almost white outside. The ground was frosted over. The frost did not continue but it was a surprise for us as we expected temperatures of around 65°-70°. We arrive at the Rio Grande Villages Campground to set up in camp in the cold and wind...we actually kept the heat on in the camper.
We spent three nights at the Rio Grande Villages and then moved on to the Chisos Mountain Basin Campground ($14/night Senior Pass price $7/night) where we spent another two nights. Our time here was incredible! Wilson and I spent some time by ourselves which was a good thing. Travelling the way we have can feel a bit stifling at times and personal time is something that we need to be more cognizant of. We also need to recognize that even though we are on the road all of the the things that we carried with us prior to taking off are still with us....this stop has been good for us for a variety of reasons.
Views from Rio Grande Camp - Sierra Del Carmen Mountains:
If someone thinks that there isn't beauty or life in the desert they are completely wrong. I love this park! There is beauty everywhere that we look....even after walking in the desert for hours I still was able to see the beauty. While here we did a few different hikes and a scenic drive through the park. We had our longest hike here, 6 miles (round trip). Our goal was a hot spring, where we soaked for an hour, adjacent to the Rio Grande, prior to turning back. It felt good to have been able to complete this. We also took a little hike to the Santa Elana Canyon, which was breathtaking!
At this park we were warned about the wildlife again. We did see a coyote on our drive in and Javelinas (they look like wild boar, but are more closely related to a rhinoceros) in the campground, roadrunners, and jack rabbits. We didn't see any bears, big horned sheep, or mountain lions....although everything is basically beige and tan so I'm not sure that they weren't there and we didn't see them :)
I took a lot of pictures so will devote the next post or two to just those.
Leave Kerrville Walmart 8:34 am
Rte. 27W►10W►385S
Gas - Love's $1.89/gal (exit 385S to the park)
Arrive Big Bend, Rio Grande Campground -3:30 pm
Miles traveled - 400
I do say, yes there is much beauty there. Well, glad no creature encountered you😊
ReplyDeleteJavelinas are related to the rhinoceros? I hope you looked that up and didn't just know if from some high school biology class! All my time living in Arizona I thought they were 'wild pigs'.
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