Big Bend National Park

We finally made it to Big Bend National Park on March 11.  We spent two weeks exploring the park.

Views of the Rio Grande Valley near Rio Grande Village.  Lots of green around the river.

Lots of javelinas in the campground our first evening.

The Chisos Mountains are in the center of the park, ranging up to 8000’ above sea level.  They are the core of an ancient gigantic shield volcano.

Most of Big Bend is an ancient sea bed older than the volcanic and uplifted mountains.  They have found lots and lots of fossils.  The following photos show recreation of some of the fossils found made from casts of the original fossils.  The original fossils were removed from the display due to vandalism.

Photos from our hike to Lost Mine Peak in the Chisos Mountain.

Photos from our trip across the Rio Grande to Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico.  The river was so shallow we could walk across.  We did have to go through customs when we came back to the US.

Our hike to Boquillas Canyon.  Boquillas Canyon is on the east side of the park.  Believe it or not the river slices right through these mountains.  The river was there before the mountains were created by uplift, so the river had a head start.

Photos from my hike at the Historic Hot Springs on the Rio Grande.

Our hike to Ernst Tinaja.

          Giant Clam Fossil (at least 12” across)

Sunset at our last evening at Rio Grande Village.

Then we moved to Cottonwood Campground on the west side of the park.

Photos of the Sam Nail Ranch.

Photos of the Homer Wilson Ranch

Photos of Santa Elena Canyon on the west side of the park.

Some of the flowering cacti and volcanic features on the west side of the park.

Our hike to the bottom of Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff.

And photos of our hike to the top of the Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff.

More volcanic features and sunsets.

Our hike in the Grapevine Hills to Balanced Rock.

Onward to New Mexico with one overnight stop in Van Horn, TX, and dinner at Hotel El Capitan.


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