Travels of Geo Nova: The Trans Pacos

Big Bend National Park and Beyond

Big Bend is absolutely in the middle of nowhere. The last town before turning off to Big Bend consists of about 3 buildings and the park boarder is some 70 miles down the road. Once we entered the park it is about another 50 miles to the Reo Grand Village campground. We chose this campground not for it’s beauty but for the relative comfort that it affords. They provide electricity therefore air conditioning is possible if needed, and it was! One day it reached 97 degrees along with the intense radiant effect of the southern sun. Hot! The scenery is spectacular and wildlife abounds in this apparently inhospitable environment. For the most part the ecosystem is Chihuahuan Desert. The only exception is the Chisos Mountains, extending over 8,000 feet above sea level.

The majority of our time was spent hiking through the desert. On the first full day Diana thought that I had a plan to kill her. We did a 7-mile hike to a hot spring along the Reo Grand River. It was not flat. We had to hike up and around a canyon to get back to the river. At this point the river is anything but grand. At the hot spring we met a couple from Maine and hiked back to Reo Grand Village with them. We then gave them a ride back to the parking lot at the hot spring to retrieve their camper.

In addition to the wildlife side of the park there were ruins from inhabitants of the area during the 19^th century; most certainly were a very hardy sort. Another one of our hikes we climbed 1,400 feet to a peek overlooking the Chisos basin and surrounding desert. All told we managed not to kill Diana but got to identify 18 new species of birds. In addition we saw Mexican and Mule Deer, a Ringtail, multiple lizards and several snakes including a diamond back rattler.

Our next destination was Fort Davis Texas, about 150 miles north and a little west of Big Bend. As a reference if we drove due north from here we would be in the state of New Mexico. This area has many things to offer. The area is centered on the spectacular Davis Mountain range. And yes the state park had abundant hiking trails where we managed to see several additional new birds bringing our new bird sightings up to close to 50 new species from Texas.

Another high point for us was our 2 visits to The McDonald Observatory, an arm of The University Of Texas in Austin. The first visit was a twilight program followed up by viewing celestial objects through their telescopes. We saw a galaxy 20 million light years away. Another great view was of the Planet Jupiter, showing its rings and 4 Galilean Moons. The daytime program was centered on the concept of the Universe and our Sun in particular. We then got to see 2 of their research telescopes. One is an old one, 1998, being refitted for a new project that is a combined project between 5 universities from both the US and Europe. It will truly become a world-class piece of equipment.

On a historical note we visited Fort Davis, a National Park Site that is the best example of a frontier fort from the westward expansion period of American history. The primary mission for the fort was to protect the settlers and the Gold Rushers of the mid to late 19^th century. All David could think about was Rin Tin Tin. Remember that one!

Lastly and not necessarily least was a trip to a local Microbrew. We had to travel to the town of Alpine Texas, 27 miles away to obtain diesel fuel for our next leg of our adventure. No diesel in Ft Davis. It just so happens that Alpine is home to Big Bend Brewing Company. I must say they produce a very fine IPA and are real nice folks to boot.