big bend

Monday 18^th October Marathon to Chisos Basin

Good night in Marathon Motel despite trains running all night.  Leave about 11 after guided tour of butterflies with Mac, lovely sunny day again although cold overnight.  About 30 miles to park entrance and another 30 to Panther Creek visitor centre. Lots of interest points on the way including a grave of a young mother who died at 31 leaving 3 young children. She was the wife of the schoolteacher at a tiny settlement 8 miles from their homestead, he must have ‘commuted’ across the desert by horse. She died after giving birth to her last child and wanted to be buried in the desert, a very sad story , one wonders what happened to the family. The desert really is very beautiful here with the backdrop of the Davis and Chisos mountains. We see prarie dogs scampering about but they are too shy to get photos. Interesting visitor centre with mock ups of mountain animals in the Chisos, mountain lions, black bears, javelinas, jackrabbits, coyotes and many insects as well as tarantulas.  Go on a cactus walk to help identify the different types, very well done.  Up into the mountains and our lodge in the basin.  Through the pass at 5500feet and look down into the basin with the backdrop of mountains around it  -  a really stunning sight.. Have picnic lunch looking through ‘window ‘ to plains and Christmas mountains. Set off on basin loop trail as check in not till 4. 2 mile circulr path and we start upwards. *&degrees but very dry air, plenty of pine and scrub for shelter. A tarantula on the path ahead of us! It stops in some grass and watches us, huge hairy spider but not as scarey as I thought. Got some good photos, both thrilled to have seen one. Round 2 more bends in the trail and another one! This does not stop and a little larger than the first. Back to lovely room with a bed like ours at home! Down to ranger centre for meal with sunset on the mountains and moon over Emory Peak behind us. What a day!

Tuesday 19^th October  Basin to Castolon

Stop at only gas station to fill up and take coffee with us to have at first view point Nail family homestead. The plain we drive through used to be quite fertile until overgrazing and the drought of the 30s. One family’s attempt at the good life in the 20’s. An adobe hut, water mill – still clanking away – and some fig and pecan trees all that remain. The clank of the pump would have finished me! On to  a trail through a tufa canyon. Very hot but the steep walls give some shade. Huge boulders of basalt and granite thrown up by the volcano are buried in the tufa, ash compressed into rock. Lovely colours of different rocks washed through the canyon over hundreds of thousands of years.  Castolon  an original one horse town and still is. Hot and bleak, dominated by a high peak and overlooking the muddy, unimpressive Rio Grande. Mexico is very impressive – 1500 feet high cliffs across the river to a plateau which is the chihauhuan desert. A coyote crosses the road as we head down to the river. All thoughts of a canoe paddle go as we look at the uninviting water. Along the bank to  Santa Elena canyon where the river has cut a 1500 foot gorge through the limestone, very impressive sight.  Drive back after a late picnic lunch and enjoy the view from outside our lodge. Good meal again – one steak between 2 – each with a bigger portion than UK average, no wonder so many people in the US are overweight!