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Published: August 27th 2005
The destination for this trip was Big Bend National Park, Texas. Located right on the border with Mexico its landscape is a mixture of mountain, extinct volcanoes and desert and low semi arid vegetation. To my surprise the park has recently enjoyed significant rains, so much so, that the landscape appeared to be changing.
The national park is a good eight hour drive from Austin, probably too long for anyone to do on their own, but in the end we made it. To share in this trip I had a local friend who was looking forward to going back to the park after almost ten years. It took us more than one hour to drive through the park to the motel. The last several hours of the drive were dominated by larger and larger mountains and plains as far as the eye could see. The big sky was also dramatic with the passing through of the afternoon storms.
Waking up in the national park and taking short morning walks before it became too hot was a real change of pace. While in the park we did the typical things of short hikes, horse riding and drives to the local
tourist sights. Riding a horse over a mountain and across a ridge was the best thing we did. A classic wild west experience. Something I had to do in Texas.
The hike out on the first day gave a spectacular view out from the Chisos Mountain to Mexico. From here all you could see was more wilderness and mountains to the horizon. Only at night did streetlights reveal the presence of a few small towns within these barren and inhospitable regions.
On our first full day in the park we came across the border police. Our plan was to do the hike and then go off to see a few of the local sights by car. It did not occur to me that we would be crossing so much distance or that we would be passing through any checkpoints. Starting each day in the middle of a national park with beautiful mountains and wildlife, lets you forget the realities of the outside world.
When we came across the checkpoint, we had already travelled for a fair distance along winding roads and it was getting a little dark. At the checkpoint I needed to prove my identify and
that I had entered the country legally. The fact that I have travelled frequently through several airports helped them find me in the system and after some further verification we were able to pass. I was lucky and I will not be making that mistake again.
Who do you think would be eligible to run a tiny country town? Well the list of ever hopefuls must be increasing, because we entered a town called Lajitas where the mayor was a goat. This was the place we went horse riding and some of the photos below show the town.
Where am I now?
I have just spent a few more days back in New York to recover. Nothing like the chaos and energy of a big city to help me refocus. I have also just bought a CD of Adiemus. With its invented language and sometimes tribal pipe music, I wonder am I missing Rachel’s music. That is not possible is it? Maybe it just reminds me of her. I am currently on the train from New York to Boston and will be heading up to the beaches for a few days. I figure I have to get to
see these holiday retreats like the Hamptons…then its off to Canada finally!
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Kahne
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horse riding
You didn't say you'd been horse riding.... cool!!! Did everything look like it was out of 'road-runner' like I said it would. I reckon the catoons do justice for the desert.. :)