Big Ben National Park and on to San Antonio.

 


Monday we arrived at Big Bend National Park after a catch up visit in Marfa, Texas. In Marfa we also visited a restored frontier Army Fort where Buffalo Soldiers (with white officers) were stationed to police the frontier mostly against the Indians. Neither of us has visited Big Bend NP previously and quickly discovered it was well worth coming this far south.

This big chunk of mountain stood over our campground in Big Bend. We watched the sun go down on it and we waited for the sun to come up over it.  In order to spend two nights in Big Ben NP we had to make two different reservations for two different camp sites.  To stay in NP during the pandemic only reservations are accepted.  Reservations for parks like Big Bend are made months ahead.  Traveling on a loose itinerary as we are has a tendency to exclude us from this process.  But once again local knowledge came through and we made two different reservations for single nights.  


So after we moved to our new site on Tuesday morning we headed out for the Window Trail. We hiked out and back taking several hours as it is mostly all down hill going and mostly up hill coming back,  Over two hundred up steps! You can see the window in the distance between the w and the T on this trail sign.


As you see from this picture the trail not only follows a presently dry river but also uses the river bed.  The CCC was a part of Big Bend NP and the campground we stayed in was an old one on top of the mountain.  It was restricted to tents and small RVs and a good portion of it was closed down.  While we had a hard time getting two nights, there were camp sites around us that were not used the nights we were there.  It would seem that the reservation system either does not encourage cancellation or people forget about a reservation they made six months ago.  


Wednesday morning we again headed east looking for a place to have the oil changed and tires rotated as we had passed the 10,000 mile mark of our journey.  We tried Marathon but finally ended up in Del Rio at the Ram dealership.  We spent the night at Amistad National Recreation Area, a reservoir that straddles   the boarder between U.S. and Mexico and serves both areas not only with water but campsites and boating.  By the way, we have yet to see any wall but have passed through plenty of Border Patrol check points. Several times, we have witnessed what looked like Border Patrol processing individuals at the side of the road.

With the car 🚘 already for the next 10,000 miles we headed into San Antonio and a return visit with Pan’s brother and his dog Mutley.


Comments

  1. Sally O.December 6, 2020 at 10:51 PM

    Tried to post a comment before but got frozen out. I am breathless at all you have seen and accomplished. Glad you are getting to see friends every once in awhile. It seems you are headed back towards Florida. 19 numbers are up but our governor apparently doesn’t believe in prevention or intervention. All are trying to stay safe and healthy. The next week or two should show us the result of the Thanksgiving holiday. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay happy. Keep on heading east. Miss you.
    Sally

    ReplyDelete

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