Balmorhea State Park: Perfect for R&R

Saturday, 27 February 2016
Balmorhea State Park Campground — Toyahvale, Texas
Temps: Hi 79F (26C) / Lo 30F (-1C)

Our plans have changed.  We were going to stay at Balmorhea State Park five nights, but we have reduced the number to three.  Two reasons: (1) high winds forecasted for Monday … we prefer not to be on the road in gusty conditions; and (2) four sites will become available at the Fort Bliss RV park tomorrow … no one is scheduled to leave on Sunday or Monday.  Since that is our preferred campground for the El Paso portion of our trip, we will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning.  That means we won’t get down to Fort Davis or to the Observatory … all the more reason to return to this part of Texas at some point in the future.

In the meantime, let’s get caught up before we start another chapter of our travels.

Big Bend National Park … the West is Different from the East

Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Maverick Ranch RV Park — Lajitas, Texas
Temps: Hi 63F (17C) / Lo 36F (2C)

This is our last day in Lajitas.  We move on tomorrow.  We debated doing a couple of hikes off El Camino del Rio, but decided we would be better served taking care of pre-departure chores.  We won’t have a sewer hook-up at our next stop, so laundry was a top priority as well.

We spent the past few days exploring the west side of Big Bend National Park (BBNP).  Very different from the east side … can’t put my finger on why exactly, but Mui and I agree we liked this side of the park more.  Maybe it has something to do with the color of the formations, which reminded us of some of our favorite haunts in Arizona and Utah.

Exploring Texas from Lajitas … A Week Flies By

Sunday, 21 February 2016
Maverick Ranch RV Park — Lajitas, Texas
Temps: Hi 78F (26C) / Lo 52F (11C)

I know … I need to stop saying that time is flying by … but it is … and that’s a fact.

Hard to believe that it was a week ago that we left our site at the Rio Grande Village RV Park on the east side of Big Bend National Park to continue our explorations further west.  What a send off we had … thanks to wispy clouds, a gorgeous sunrise colored the beginning of our easy travel day.

A glorious sunrise bathes the sky in a pleasing array of colors.                           

Big Bend National Park … East Side … Final Hikes Before We Leave

Sunday, 13 February 2016 (Part III)
Rio Grande Village RV Campground — Big Bend National Park, Texas
Temps: Hi 75F (24C) / Lo 39F (4C)

Two days of reporting left to complete our week-long stay at Big Bend National Park (BBNP) … one of which is the day I skipped in the previous post about our activities in and near the Chisos Mountains Basin.  The second day, which ended with an explosion of color, was … well, you’ll just have to read the story to find out more about it.

Big Bend National Park … East Side … the Chisos Mountains Basin and More

Sunday, 13 February 2016 (Part II)
Rio Grande Village RV Campground — Big Bend National Park, Texas
Temps: Hi 75F (24C) / Lo 39F (4C)

The previous post covered the first three days of our visit to Big Bend National Park (BBNP).  Now for the story of exploring the Chisos Mountains Basin (and more) here on the east side of the park.

10 February — Balanced Rock & Chisos Mountains Basin

BBNP is big … very big … 800,000+ acres (324,000+ hectares) big.  Ideally, we would have moved to the Chisos Basin Campground to explore the basin and mountains, but the road to this campground is limited to RV’s no more than 24 feet in length — we don’t qualify.

Chihuahuan Desert landscape from the road to Dugout Wells — Nugent Mountain (left) and the Chisos Mountains.

So, we stayed put at the Rio Grande RV Campground, and drove the 30 miles (48 km) or so to explore the Chisos … with a few other stops en route.

Big Bend National Park … Exploring the East Side

Sunday, 13 February 2016 (Part I)
Rio Grande Village RV Campground — Big Bend National Park, Texas
Temps: Hi 75F (24C) / Lo 39F (4C)

Big Bend is a land of strong beauty — often savage and always imposing.
… Lon Garrison …

A week of exploring the “splendid isolation” that is Big Bend National Park (BBNP) has flown by in the blink of an eye.  Tomorrow we move west to explore more of what the barren landscape of the Borderlands has in store for us, including more of BBNP.  But first, I need to get caught up on what we did this week.

Sunrise at Seminole Canyon before we head to parts further west.

We left Seminole Canyon State Park on 7 February — after enjoying a most colorful desert sunrise.  The sun took forever to break over the horizon in this land of unlimited flatness, but it was worth the wait.

White Shaman & Law West of the Pecos

Saturday, 6 February 2016 (Part II)
Seminole Canyon SP Campground — Comstock, Texas
Temps: Hi 67F (19C) / Lo 35F (2C)

After two great days of activities at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site (post here), we went off today to explore what the area has to offer outside the park boundaries.

But first, I had something special I wanted to experience — sunrise at Maker of Peace, that wonderful sculpture that stands near the visitor center and overlooks Seminole Canyon.  In describing the symbolism inherent in the sculpture, Ranger Tanya had mentioned that if we stood in the right place at the right time during sunrise we could capture the sun within the circle below the bird.  It turned out to be a very serene — spiritual really — experience in the quiet solitude of the desert.

With a great deal of patience, I managed to get the shot I was looking for … and a few others to boot.  I already posted my favorite in the teaser post for Seminole Canyon … here are two more.

Mui and I wait patiently for the sun to be captured by the circle under the bird.

[If you’d like to see more of the sunrise photos, start with this one in my online gallery and click through to the others.]

So, on with our day outside the park.

Seminole Canyon: Two Days of Exploring the State Park

Saturday, 6 February 2016 (Part I)
Seminole Canyon SP Campground — Comstock, Texas
Temps: Hi 67F (19C) / Lo 35F (2C)

We had a great time at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site (SCSP).  Could have used a week here … that would have given us a few extra days to relax in the peaceful environment in which we found ourselves.  But since we did not have that luxury, we just crammed everything we could into the 3½ days we stayed at the state park campground.  If you haven’t been, add Seminole Canyon to your travel plans.

Teaser: Seminole Canyon State Park & Historic Site

Saturday, 6 February 2016
Seminole Canyon SP Campground — Comstock, Texas
Temps: Hi 67F (19C) / Lo 35F (2C)

We had a fantastic time at Seminole Canyon.  I plan to do a summary write up, but for now …

Maker of Peace at sunrise…
or should that be Makers of Peace since Mui is mimicking the sculpture.

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