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Published: March 4th 2009
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Big Bend National Park
The entrance into a dry hot national park. Our National Parks pass is coming in handy. Greetings from Big Bend National Park encompassing more than 800,000 acres in southwest Texas. For more than 1,000 miles, the Rio Grande forms the international boundary between Mexico and the United States. Big Bend National Park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States.
The landscape is amazing, ever changing and filled with different wildlife, like run roaders, lizards and cactus. It got very hot, 98 degrees fahrenheit, but our day started with a visit to the visit centre and then into the car to drive to the Chisos Mountains Basin to take in the spectacular mountain views. From there we drove along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive which will give you a taste of the Chihuahuan Desert and will lead you to the Rio Grande. There are ranches you can visit along the way, the Sam Nail Ranch and Homer Wilson (Blue Creek) Ranch. There are remains of their ranches from the different times they tried to settle in Texas and how they made their mark on the landscape.
A highlight of the day was the long drive into Santa Elena Canyon—one of Big Bend’s most scenic spots.
Cactus
In the park we saw not only green cactus but purple as well. Amazing! At the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive we decided to take Old Maverick Road, a 13-mile gravel road. It was a shorter way back by half except it was recommended for high clearance vehicles. We and Percy the Pontiac decided to give it a go; we would turn around if we couldn’t make it. Slowly Slowly we went. Just like a gravel road back home. We passed a few cars, trucks and even a Honda Civic that did it. We knew we could make. Our little red car was a little dirty but we made it.
We drove out of Big Bend and onto Marfra to see the Mafra Lights. The Mafra light's first published account was written in 1957, and this article is the sole source for anecdotal claims that the lights date back to the 1800s. Reports often describe brightly glowing basketball size spheres floating above the ground, or sometimes high in the air. Colors are usually described as white, yellow, orange or red, but green and blue are sometimes reported. The balls are said to hover at about shoulder height, or to move laterally at low speeds, or sometimes to shoot around rapidly
View from Window Trail
You think Stephen looks snappy, thats because he is wearing his NEW t-shirt. Thanks Clair. in any direction. Sightings are reported occasionally and unpredictably, perhaps ten to twenty times a year. There are no reliable reports of daytime sightings; the lights seem to be a nocturnal phenomenon only. We are not too sure if we saw anything but we weren’t alone. We meet an old man who had visited Mafra three times in hope of seeing something, but still no luck. Keep your eyes open.
We’re on our way to Fort Worth, Texas for a few days and I’m sure it will be a ball.
Thinking of you.
Love Stephen and Michelle.
xoxo
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Sarah
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So jealous
Wish I was still travelling - but then again I have no money! So gotta work!