Day Four

The Chisos Mountains South Rim Trail

Our route was to hike from the Chisos Basin to the South Rim (6 miles and about 2500 feet of elevation) then hike down on the Pinnacles Trail (6.3 miles). We didn't bring our camera with us this day because the hike was already long and taking pictures slows you down. Plus we decided that we wanted to live each moment and view to its fullest rather than lose some of the fun trying to capture it. So, I googled images and found these pictures so you can see some of what we saw!

South Rim Trail - Chisos Mountains

We bought a book called Hiking Big Bend National Park. The book describes the South Rim Trail as "the classic hike of Texas. Although the trip is fairly strenuous, almost any Texas hiker worth his or her salt will someday try to hike to the South Rim. Few other hikes in Texas can surpass the quality and sheer quantity of views along the trail. On clear days, the views cover most of the Texas Big Bend country and far into Mexico." (30 miles away)

View of the southernmost Chisos Mountains from the South Rim

We had a blast on this hike. It kicked butt, literally and it was so beautiful! The weather was perfect - nice and cool. We had to leave the dogs in the car so the cold weather was welcome! When we got to the South Rim we stopped for lunch and enjoyed our tuna and trail mix right on the edge of a cliff with the most beautiful view!

The Window Trail

The second hike we did on our first day was called "The Window Trail". We opted to do this one at sunset because the "window" faces the West and you can watch the sunset. It was totally worth it too! We ended up being the only people down there! This picture shows the window. Of course, it is impossible to capture how grand the view was. We could walk up close to the edge because there was no water. I bet the water makes it so beautiful though!

Day Three - PART TWO

The Balancing Rock Trail

This is the first hike that we did when we got to Big Bend. It was so beautiful. I just made a slide show because it was too hard to pick which pictures to post!

Gettin' the Heck Outta Dodge Day 3 - PART ONE

And on the Third Day John and Andrea arrived at Big Bend National Park....

We arrived right around noon - but not before one crazy scary adventure...

We had about a 4 hour drive from Seminole Canyon State Park where we had slept Saturday night. Not far right?? - only this is West Texas where gas stations are few and far between. Our gas was close to empty and we had 15 miles to the next town. When we go to the next town - which was an intersection with three buildings and only one building that looked inhabited - we stopped at a store with a sign that said "gas, groceries, supplies". We went inside and there was a table right inside the front door with five people sitting at it watching a movie on a tiny television. One person - who was a young woman probably about 15 - asked how she could help us. We said "we need coffee, and gas" Her response: "Coffee is on the table in the back and gas is 23 miles to Sanderson".....!!!!!!! 23 miles?!?!? Cool. At this point things are really awkward because all we really wanted was the gas but now felt obligated to buy the coffee. We walked toward the back of the store......saddles, tackle equipment, maps....not seeing the coffee.....so, we had to ask again where it was and finally found it. It was a home coffee brewer that dispensed one cup at a time.....nevermind what it was - it was just embarrassing to have to ask for it again. We pay for the coffee ($.64) and go out to the car. Both of us are pretty nervous at this point with the tank being on empty for some time now and 23 miles to go. Let's just say there was a small awkward chuckle followed by 23 miles of silence! But, we made it to Sanderson and got our gas!

Arrival at Big Bend National Park.

As we drew near to Big Bend the landscaping was so beautiful. We decided it necessary to have the perfect soundtrack. The following songs were circulated repeatedly throughout the rest of the trip:

1. Ghost Riders in the Sky
2. Theme from "A Fistful of Dollars"
3. Theme from "The Magnificent Seven"
4. Theme from "For a Few Dollars More"
5. Theme from "Hang Em High"
6. Theme from "Bonanza"
7. Theme from "Gunsmoke"

These songs really made the trip! Here are a few pictures of us closing in on the National Park.

For the first time in hours - we start to see masses of earth protruding from the ground?!?! Are we in Texas?!



Pretty Desert Flowers

Chester peering out through the dry grass.

Charlie gets a bunch of burrs stuck in his foot - so sad.

This is the view from our campsite!!!! So pretty! We only wish we would have explored this part of Texas when we first came here!!