Big Bend National Park, Jan 18, 2016

 Sunday, January 18, 2016

Woke about 7:00 this morning, 31 degrees.  We decided to go up to the local store/Laundromat/showers/gas station this morning and indulge in nice hot showers for $1.50 each.   This is also the only place around that has any kind of wi-fi signal….still no cell phone coverage, though.   Picked up emails and Greg sent a few, then we began the drive to the other end of the park.

Stopped first at Dug-Out Wells, an old homestead site that is one of a few oasis in the park.  A early settler dug wells here which still produce a bit a water to support a few trees and other growth.  This attracts quite a bit of wildlife, so we walked the trails and enjoyed the sunny morning.   Saw cardinals, house finches, black fronted sparrows and more. 

Cardinal

Black fronted sparrow

House Finch

 There were many quail on the ground and though I tried walking around them to get a photo, they flowed like water across the desert and into available brush – always just a second or two faster than me.  Also spotted a few jackrabbits.  The ranger says there is an abundance of rabbits this year, which means there is also an abundance of coyotes.

Ate some breakfast and then continued on to Paint Hills Road, which we knew nothing about but decided to try.  It wasn’t too bad till about 3 miles in, when the High Clearance Only sign made us turn around.  There were a few primitive campsites along this road, but not much else other than cacti.

Next stop Croton Springs Road.  Not sure what to expect here, but it turned out the trail was a dry wash which had a lot of interesting rocks.  Some were incredibly layered, others looked volcanic.  We climbed a small hill but couldn’t see any spring, so hiked back to the Trek., where we enjoyed an orange.  An orange is just an orange, but when you are hot and thirsty it is a delicious, juicy delicacy – yum!  The ranger later told us that the Spring is unreliable and not flowing this time of year.

We made a few short stops at old homesteads and vistas.  This part of the park  is rather hilly, with interesting rock formations and canyons. 

Old Sheep ranch down there

Next stop was the Castalon Visitors Center where we chatted with the ranger.  Also spoke with a  young couple from Rhode Island who were going cross country – final destination California as attested by the surfboards on the roof rack!

A short distance further and we reached Cottonwood Campground where we will camp tonight. 

Beautiful day, a little breezy but warm in the sun.  We are near the river in the midst of a grove of cottonwood trees which are still holding on to many of their leaves.  We relaxed, had a late lunch and met many of our fellow campers, as the big attraction here was a pair of Great Horned Owls perching nearby.  Beautiful big birds who let out an occasional whoo….

Our fellow campers were from Denver, several from British Columbia, a single girl from Switzerland who was traveling the US for 6 months with a tent, and a couple from Washington State.   Lots of discussion of routes and things to see….

No generators allowed here, as there were none allowed at Rio Grande the previous two nights, so I have been cooking on the little propane stove. 

THE STARS AT NIGHT….ARE BIG AND BRIGHT!!!  (clap clap clap clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!