Big Bend National Park

This was the first view we had of Big Bend National Park.

Our first stop inside the park was the Panther Junction Visitor's Center to get our entry pass.  We have the senior, life-time card which gets us entry into all federal parks, monuments, etc. at no charge.   When Carol turned 62 we made sure we got one and at that time it costs $10.  Today I saw a man purchase one just like it but the cost was $80.  It is still a bargain because most of the larger parks cost $30 or more to visit.  Visit three or four parks and you are already ahead.  Of course, masks were required and they would accept no cash for any purchase.  Covid strikes again!

While there we walked a short nature trail.  Many different cactus were displayed along the trail with information about each one.  We had been seeing this cactus and found that it is a candelabra cactus.

Our first hike of the day was the Hot Springs Trail.  The road to the Hot Springs was not paved but was very bumpy and rough.  It was a two-mile narrow road that descends down a rough narrow wash.   At one point the road hugged the edge of a canyon with only one lane on each side of the canyon.  Thankfully, Carol has a steely calmness as he traversed the road.  Once we  got to the Hot Springs and took the hike, the road was worth driving.

 

In the early 1900's Mr. O.D. Langford came from Mississippi to this part of Texas and found a hot springs that remained at a constant 100 degrees.  Being an astute businessman, he built a motor court and Langford Bathhouse.  He charged 25 cents to soak in the hot springs and $1.00 a day to stay in the motor court.  The picture above is the motor court.

We saw the nests of swallows high on the side of the cliff.  It looks like quite a village of birds.

The trail leads along high cliffs and the Rio Grande River.

This is what is left of the bathhouse.  The water is still 100 degrees and we saw people with bathing suits testing the springs out.

This was the office for the business and it was also a post office.

The 1.2 mile trail led to the hot springs, along the Rio Grande, and up the side of a canyon.  We saw many beautiful views of the river and landscape.  At the top was the remains of the house that Mr. Langford had built.

As we rounded the last bend on the trail, we were glad to see our car and that the trail's end was within sight.  At the bottom, we sat at a picnic table under the shade of huge cactus and enjoyed a snack.  It was a good hike and well worth the drive back to the trailhead.

Along this trail and another we partially took were items for sale.  The items were made by the people of a town on the other side of the river called Boquillas.  Before Covid, you could, for a fee, take a canoe or donkey from the American side to the Mexican side and the town of Boquillas.  You could shop there and have a meal and then return to the US.  That has been discontinued because of Covid.  Covid strikes again!  The people are very ingenuous in that they manage to bring their goods across the river and lay them out along the trails along which visitors to the park are hiking.  There were four different places on the hot springs trail where goods were displayed with a can and sign that said, "for donations."  However, the items were all marked with a price.  Carol brought a walking stick and I brought a bead trinket.  Later, Carol read in a park brochure that it is illegal for us to have purchased something in this manner.   We talked to a park volunteer about these enterprising Mexicans and he said that the park personnel are aware of it and sometimes will confiscate the merchandise and tell them to stop selling things but they always return.  He said things are hard for the people of the village because this is the main source of income for them.

We assumed that these canoes brought the Mexicans to the park.  We did not ever see them.

It is hard to see but when we looked across the river, we could see a small hut that we figured belongs to some of the people who came across the river.  Maybe they keep their canoes there.

At the second trail, the men who had the stuff for sale were sitting by their displays encouraging us to buy something.  We told them that we had already purchased something from the Hot Springs Trail.  They said that competition was very strong.  These fellows road horses and donkeys across the river.  We heard one of the fellows offer to take a picture of a lady on the his horse.  

This road had a tunnel.

The grasses on the sides of the road were so pretty and brought a splash of color against the greens and browns of the canyons and mountains.

We got back to camp around 4:00 p.m. and enjoyed sitting outside and relaxing.  In the late afternoon the door side of our camper is in the shade and it is so nice to sit outside and relax.  We were able to watch this sunset tonight.

The moon had a beautiful glow around it.  

Today, we saw what the eastern side of Big Bend had to offer.  Many of our pictures were of the Rio Grande River.    Tomorrow we plan to take a drive that goes down the middle of the park.  There are a few hikes we plan to take.    The temps today were in the lower 90's but it didn't feel hot.  Tomorrow, it is supposed to be cooler.   We turned off the air conditioner because the wind is blowing briskly and seems to be cooling things down.  Should be a good sleeping night!