Big Bend

Percy and I have been exploring the Big Bend area for the past couple days. The drive to the park passes through deserts and mesas, and roadrunners and giant tarantulas skirt across the roads. The rugged mountains of the park rise up out of the desert: 

I set up camp in the Chisos Basin, high in the mountains of Big Bend: 

The night was perfectly clear, but a bright moon hid most of the stars. I hit the sack early so I could rise before the sun, pack up camp, and explore the park. I figured that rising early would provide my best chance for viewing wildlife, and it did: 

Just after sunrise, we drove to a location I had identified the previous day as a possible bear site, and sure enough, I spotted a large black bear scurrying down a steep slope. Roughly 50 yards away, he was moving quickly downhill towards me. I managed to snag a couple photos before the bear got too close for comfort: 

Since the bear was descending near a large campsite, I reported the sighting to the ranger, and then I drove throughout the park, taking in the scenery. The landscapes are amazingly diverse: 

I made my way to the Rio Grande, and then I followed the River Road through Big Bend Ranch State Park. This road is gorgeous, and it features the most unique rest area I've ever seen (teepees with picnic tables on the far right): 

After visiting with the ranger for a while, I traveled 20 miles up the road to the Closed Canyon Trail, which is an ideal, shady spot for a summer hike. No more than 30 feet wide, it's also pretty picturesque. This is the view looking outwards from the mouth of the canyon:

After hiking deep into the canyon, Percy began sniffing around a large hole that had been dug into the gravel. I noticed some large, fresh, and unfamiliar scat (animal droppings) beside the hole. I figured it had to be a mountain lion - and we were more or less trapped in a tiny passageway - so I knew it was time to turn around and hit the road, which we did. 

On our way out of the canyon, some rocks fell from the ledges above, and after exiting, I spotted a herd of Texas Bighorns (? - I don't think this is right, but I don't have my guidebook w/ me right now ?) atop the ridge. 

Percy and I watched them hurry along the bluffs, and then we hopped in the car, proceeded through a Border Patrol station, and made our way to Van Horn, TX, a sleepy town along I-10, where we are resting now. Tomorrow, we're on our way to New Mexico, where we will be backpacking in the backcountry for a week or so.