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.

22 February … Oh the Fresh Smell of the Desert

The rain that fell overnight and into the wee hours of the morning was over by the time we set off for BBNP.  Except for a small puddle of water, there was no visual evidence of the rain at the campground — the parched land had absorbed it all.  But the smell … oh that wonderful fresh smell of rain-washed creosote bushes that was wafting on the cool, still morning air.  And the scent was even more intense when we stopped to walk the short Sam Nail Ranch trail off the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.  If only I could have bottled the scent to take it home with me.

This image, from the head of the Sam Nail Ranch Trail, will forever
remind me of the fresh smell of rain-washed creosote bushes.

Our plan for the day was to drive the 30-mile (48 km) scenic road that ends at Santa Elena Canyon, stopping where and when the mood struck … walking a trail or two along the way.  We made more stops than we thought we would, and dallied longer at each stop than we anticipated … we just couldn’t help ourselves as there was so much beauty to enjoy along the way.

A punch of color on the Sam Nail Ranch Trail.

All that’s left of the ranch house the Nail brothers built using the
building techniques of the Mexican-Americans along the river.

The well the Nails dug still pumps, keeping the trees and shrubs alive,
and providing an oasis for the birds of Big Bend National Park.

Mockingbird	Golden-Fronted Woodpecker

One of the highlights of our drive was Sotol Vista, so named for the plant that was an important staple for the ancient peoples who once lived in the region.  The road guide said not to by-pass the overlook; the advice was spot on.  The expansive view from here is simply breathtaking, and the overlook has the added advantage of giving visitors their first — albeit distant — view of Santa Elena Canyon.

Panorama from Sotol Vista.

Part of the expansive view from Sotol Vista includes Trap and Goat Mountains on
the left; if you look really carefully, you can make out the crack in the distant
cliffs … that’s Santa Elena Canyon, with Kit Mountain in front and to the left.

A hazy, but closer look at Santa Elena Canyon …
14 miles away as the raven flies, but it’s 22 miles for us by car.

Sotol plants abound at the overlook.  Native Americans baked the heart of the plant for food, and
fermented and distilled it to make a potent alcoholic beverage … which is still made, by the way.

Our longest walk of the day was at the Burro Mesa Pouroff where we followed a dry wash to the end of a box canyon where the runoff down the lava-capped mesa has sculpted a chute.  We went hoping that the overnight rain would have created a waterfall for our visual pleasure, but alas the pouroff was dry.  Interesting to see nonetheless.

The trail to the pouroff goes in towards the distant formations, and then
turns right to follow a wash that dead-ends in a box canyon.

Panorama from the Burro Mesa Trailhead.

I bet the waterfall that comes gushing down the pouroff is quite the sight; but it’s dry today.

Heading back through the wash after we check out the Burro Mesa pouroff.

After a few more stops here and there, we found ourselves at the Castolon Visitor Center.  Many of the buildings here were constructed by the US Army in the 1919-1920 time frame.  The intent was to have a border outpost here during the Mexican Revolution, but the camp was never fully occupied.  The buildings were later used as a store and trading post by the Cartledge Family who farmed and ranched the area.

Castolon still has the same layout and feel as it did when the army built these
structures.  The Visitor Center is housed in the right hand side of the barracks;
a gift shop is in the left side.  On the far left is Garlick House; to its right is
Magdalena House (second from the left) … once a US Customs building, it now houses
an exhibit about the Texas Rangers and the evolution of border patrol practices.

We took advantage of the shaded picnic tables to have lunch at Castolon; peeked into the visitor center; wandered around the grounds; took in the exhibit at Magdalena House; walked down the hill to check out Alvino House; and simply enjoyed the cooling breezes for a while before moving to our next stop.

What’s left of the Cartledge Ranch outbuildings behind the VC/Gift shop.
In the distance is Cerro Castellan … the peak is formed by a high stack of volcanic rocks.

Images from the exhibit in Magdalena House.  Since it was often difficult to earn a living
any other way, illegal trade flourished on both sides of the Rio Grande.  Smuggling
sotol and other alcoholic beverages was especially profitable during the Prohibition.

Alvino House with a glimpse of Santa Elena Canyon in the distance.  Heading there next.

We knew that dallying along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive would mean that we would arrive at Santa Elena Canyon during the worst part of the day.  But since we planned to return early the next morning to actually do the hike in the canyon, we didn’t mind.  A quick stop at the overlook to check it out was all we did today.

View from the Desert-Mountain Overlook en route to Santa Elena Canyon.  Emory Peak,
which is a mile higher than the overlook, is 16 miles from where we are standing.

From the signage at the overlook, we get to see what Santa Elena Canyon looks like to a bird.

The light to photograph Santa Elena Canyon from the overlook is really bad in the
afternoon.  but knowing I can process the image in B&W, I click the shutter anyway.

When one enters BBNP from Maverick Junction, there are two ways to reach Santa Elena Canyon.  One is Ross Maxwell Scenic Road … 30 miles (48 km); paved.  The other is Old Maverick Drive … 12.8 miles (21.5 km); improved dirt.  We had gotten conflicting reports about driving the shorter road with anything but a 4WD vehicle, and had been unable to confirm conditions after the overnight rains when we entered the park before the gate was manned.  When the ranger at the Castolon VC said she had gotten reports that the road was in good condition, we decided to take this route back.  Our purpose was two-fold — see the scenery along the road; and determine if it was viable to return to Santa Elena Canyon the next morning via this shorter route.  The road turned out to be the smoothest of all the improved dirt roads we’ve driven in the park … and we loved the scenery bathed in the soft afternoon light.

Except for a few puddles in the dips in the road, Old Maverick Drive is bone-dry, and
the best maintained of the improved roads we’ve driven in Big Bend National Park.

Señor Luna, photographed in 1947 when he is said to have been 108 years old, raised a large
family in this jacal he built from rock, earth, and plant fiber at the edge of Alamo Creek.

The Big Bend Badlands from Old Maverick Drive.  The colorful clays that have been exposed by
erosion were deposited here about 70 million years ago … when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

What a day this first foray into west BBNP turned out to be … and the good news, we still had another day to return to see more of it.

23 February … Hiking in Santa Elena Canyon

The decision to drive back to Santa Elena Canyon by way of Old Maverick Road was a good one.  Familiar with the dips and curves of the road, we made really good time, completing the drive in 45 minutes.  The sun was just starting to light up the face of the cliffs out of which the Rio Grande carved the canyon, so we made a few photography stops, but otherweise drove straight through.

Because of the way the sun lights up the cliffs, Santa Elena is considered a morning canyon.

Yuccas are everywhere along Old Maverick Drive.

Everyone, including the Z’s, had been telling us how hot it can get in Santa Elena Canyon.  So we planned an early morning departure from the RV park to get to the canyon early, early … before the temps became unbearable.  We were on the trail shortly after 8:30a.  As luck would have it, we had a cool start to the day.  Winds gusting to 45-55 mph (72-88 kph) started blowing mid-morning as forecasted … hold onto your hats!  But by the time the winds really picked up and started whooshing through the narrow channel of Santa Elena Canyon we had hiked as far as the trail went; played around for a bit; had a snack with a view; and were ready to come back out.  Excellent timing.

A river runs through it!  Yet you can practically walk across to Mexico.
Welcome to Santa Elena Canyon … 17 miles (27 km) long and carved out of
the 1,500-foot (457 m) high Terlingua Fault Scarp by the Rio Grande!

The mesa on the Mexico side (left) is Sierra Ponce; the one on the US side is Mesa de Anguilla.

Scenes from inside Santa Elena Canyon.

View along the Rio Grande … looking out from Santa Elena Canyon.

As I photograph the canyon after our hike, Mary photographs Mui and me from the canyon trail.
[If you can’t see us, click the photo on the right for a larger version!]

We had planned to set up our portable picnic table and enjoy an al fresco meal along the banks of the Rio Grande after our hike.  But the winds put paid to that idea since we couldn’t open our umbrella for shade.  So we ended up driving up to the Castolon VC for a picnic instead.  Then we reversed yesterday’s itinerary, and drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive back.  This proved to be perfect as we got to enjoy yesterday’s scenery from a different perspective and stopped at different points along the way.

The Lava Necks Area is where one can find ...

… rock formations that are mistaken for petrified wood (close up of one on the right).  They were formed when lava cooled and hardened in vents that were probably topped with a cap-rock.

Can you see the old man trying to push the peak off the side of this
rock formation?  I made it easy for you to see it in the photo on the right.

Porsche Club Outing at BBNP.

I was hoping for better viewing light at Mule Ears Peaks in the afternoon, but no
can do.  An important Big Bend landmark, these peaks were formed by eroded dikes.

And that’s a wrap for not only Big Bend National Park, but for this section of the Big Bend-Borderlands area of Texas.  When we leave Lajitas tomorrow, we will be heading north, leaving the Rio Grande behind for a while.  Where will we be going?  You’ll just have to come back to find out ;-)

[For more images from the west side of Big Bend National Park, visit my online gallery.]

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