Today I drove 272 miles traveling roundtrip from Alpine, Texas to Big Bend National Park.
I am spending a second night at the Holiday Inn Express in Alpine, Texas.
In my king suite.
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A hearty hello, Today was Big Bend National Park day. Big Bend is one of the most remote national parks in the continental United States. I had to drive 100 miles south of Alpine just to get to the park. I set out a few minutes before sunrise which was at 7:41 this morning.  I spent a lot of my time on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. It's about 65 miles roundtrip to explore the whole thing, which I did. It was another beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky as usual. I could have used a cloud or two however. The sun often interfered with what I wanted to photograph. Below is the Sotol Vista which is about midway down the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.  The park is home to more types of birds, bats and cacti than any other national park in the U.S. including more than 60 species of cactus, 1,100 species of plants, 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, 75 species of mammals and 3,600 species of insects.  The park is huge, it encompasses an area of 801,163 acres.  Lots of cactus in the park.  The Ross Maxwell route is named for Big Bend National Park’s first superintendent and geologist who served from 1944-1952 and laid out the route to highlight the more spectacular geologic features on the west side of the park.  That's Tuff Canyon in front of the butte, but I do not know the name of the butte.  Big Bend National Park is about the size of Rhode Island and while all but two percent of the park is desert, the landscape is extremely diverse.  Below is Santa Elena Canyon. All that rock is in Mexico. The Rio Grande runs directly in front of it.  I found the pretty flower below on a cactus. Vicki, I expect to see it as your new cover photo on Facebook.  The picture below was taken at the Mule Ears Overlook, but it's not the Mule Ears. They were into the sun.  While many people participated in the decade-long struggle to create Big Bend National Park, Everett Ewing Townsend stands out for the level of dedication and tenacity he displayed in making it his lifelong goal. He is remembered today as the "Father of Big Bend National Park."  Believe it or not, Big Bend is home to over 1,000 species of plants.  After I finished with the Ross Maxwell Drive it was time to explore Chisos Basin Road. The road climbs the Chisos Mountains and tops out at 5770 feet above the sea level. As this scenic, winding road rises over two thousand feet above the desert floor, it offers breath-taking vistas of the mountain peaks and the erosion-formed basin area.  By driving into higher elevations you're more likely to spot lions and bears as well as white-tailed deer amid juniper trees and pinyon pines. Unfortunately I did not see any bears or mountain lions.  The Chisos Basin Road is a very scenic journey with sharp curves and switchbacks. It’s one of those unforgettable stretches of road that unfolds before you in a series of vistas and experiences. The drive is an excellent way to experience the transition between arid desert and cooler mountain habitats.  As I come to the end of today's pictures I'm running out of dialog to go with them.  The picture below was taken from the Panther Junction Visitor Center. This was the last place I visited before leaving the park.  It was a 272 mile roundtrip journey from Alpine, Texas where I am spending a second night tonight. It was a fun day. This evening I retrived my dinner from the Pizza Hut next door.  That's it for today. Tim |
Covers 272 miles as I drive roundtrip to Big Bend National Park from Alpine, Texas. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
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