Hiking the Bend

Our first morning at Big Bend showed a lot of promise.  The trail head for the Window Trail began right just to the side of our campsite.  Front row seats.  Didn't even have to get in the car.

Nothing goes quickly camping, though, at least not for me, and it was 10am before we hit the trail.

We'd done our research on the native wild animals.  Not that I had much too worry about from the furry set.  Our trio reverberated warnings for a traveling mile's radius.  The bears and cats probably

had their own Little Boy Junction where they met occasionally for updates on how to protect themselves in case they came upon one of our own.  "Do what you can to avoid them at all costs.  They are unpredictable and often are hurling or stabbing things with sticks and stones they pick up along the way."

It was a gorgeous day; clouds giving way to a clear blue sky.

We'd seen what we thought was Big Cat Scat at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Center on the way down and definitely saw plenty of bear scat on our hike here.  Later I read that the bear population was on the rise and up to 20; but from the sheer number of bear scat we saw that seemed impossible.  Either old numbers or a single bear with lots of energy and digestive issues, I thought.  

I'd wondered what had inspired the Window name.  When we got to the end, I knew.

Wow.  It was gorgeous.  You can't see the view beyond, but it was captivating.  I imagined people for hundreds of years coming to this same spot.  Look how worn the rocks are.  

We returned for a late lunch at the campsite.  The boys were getting confident using the camp stove by this, their third meal.

Then we set out for Santa Elena Canyon, where Texas meets Mexico; the Rio Grande.  The drive, an hour through Big Bend, was mile after mile of gorgeous.

We walked on a path beside the River through a narrow canyon.  

As we drove away, we were treated to a fantastic farewell scene.