In December, Cody and I packed up the car once again and made our way to Texas for my next assignment. We had some time off and took advantage of it by visiting family for Christmas and going to yet another national park with some friends.
Big Bend National Park is located in the southwest horn of Texas, near Terlingua. The Rio Grande borders the southern edge of the park and during non-Covid times, you can catch a ferry into Boquillas, Mexico. You also need a valid passport. Unfortunately for me, it was Covid times, and I also don’t have a passport (which is a thing that needs to change this year!). For more information on that, check out this page from the National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/visiting-boquillas.htm#:~:text=Visiting%20Mexico%20through%20the%20park’s,November%202%20%2D%20April%2030).
We ended up staying in Alpine, TX, which is about an hour outside the park. It snowed the night before we left, so when we got there the ground was covered in stuff that I came to Texas to avoid. They got 10 inches of snow! In the dessert!
Over the next few days we drove in and out of the park, going on little hikes, checking out trails that weren’t closed due to weather, and hanging out at the cabin playing games. Cliff and Lani did an awesome job planning for this trip and making sure we had all the food we needed. Also, another round of Love Letter, please?
If it’s not on your list already, add Big Bend to your must-see list. The dessert is starkly beautiful. The Chisos Mountains jut out of the ground. It’s pretty amazing to see how the Rio Grande has carved out the canyon. There are also a ton of areas that are perfect for star gazing. I would recommend going when the Milky Way is visible, but it’s awesome regardless of the time of year. Big Bend is an International Dark Sky Park, which means that it is one of the darkest places in the United States. Perfect for all you astrophotographers out there.
After Big Bend, we spent a little time exploring San Antonio, so in the next post I’ll talk about that, and about the time we spent in Texas on assignment! Until then, stay safe and stay healthy!
ShutterbugRN Travels 