Big Bend 2008 Vacation Day Three

Yesterday evening Leslie and I hiked part of the way down to Mule Ears Peak. Check out the picture and you'll be able to see why it's named so. It's so serene out here. This morning I hiked a trail on the desert floor, and was amazed at the plant life. I'll bet it's a real sight to see when the plants are blooming in the spring.

The big story today is that Leslie went on a 30 mile bike ride down one of the main roads here in the park! Both of us left early this morning, Leslie for her bike ride (read "marathon") and me for my wimpy 3 mile hike in the desert. You have it all here at Big Bend: mountains, desert, and river. This is our third time to come to the region.

It looks like we're in for a lot of rain later today, but that's fine. I heard Austin had some rain today. I hope Wimberley got some too. Tomorrow morning we will begin our trek home. We'll arrive home in time to pick up our kids from church. They've been at Student Life Camp in Shawnee, Oklahoma all week.

Big Bend 2008 Vacation Day Two

This morning Leslie and I went on a 16 mile bike ride along a long stretch of relatively flat road. It's amazing to look out at the vast expanse of desert that makes up a lot of this national park. For the first half of the ride, we had the wind against us, with the mountains in the background. Obviously, the ride back was more pleasant. Last night we hiked some more, bringing the total to 6 miles of hiking on the first day.

Later this evening, we'll go and explore a different section of the park, taking in some new views. We'll do a little more hiking and biking. What else do you do at Big Bend? Besides the bear, we've seen a rattlesnake, some javelina, deer, rabbits, skunks, and some of the biggest insects you can imagine! Are there any entomologists who can identify this creepy insect? I took a picture of this interesting 3.5 - 4 inch bug yesterday afternoon. Actually, I wanted to get in front of it to take the picture, but was afraid it might attack me! Hey, I'm no fool.

The weather has been warm, but pleasant, especially in the mountains of Big Bend where we are staying. During the summer, it's smart to do your outdoor activities in the early morning or evening before dusk. We're doing just that! Hope everyone back home is doing well.

Big Bend Vacation 2008 Day One

It’s Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008. Leslie and I are at Big Bend National Park, and having a wonderful time! Yesterday, at 2:30 a.m. our kids left for Student Life Camp in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I got to pray for everyone on the bus right before they left. Then I went home and went back to sleep. About 10:30 a.m., after packing the van, Leslie and I were off to Big Bend. It took us about 10 hours to arrive here, including the stops along the way.

It’s funny. I thought Leslie might enjoy going to the Dallas/Fort Worth area for something different this year, so I suggested just it as a vacation idea. We never go to the DFW Metroplex for vacation. It’s usually for some conference. But Leslie wanted to go to a quiet spot where we could get some hiking and biking in, and reconnect. We’ve had such a busy summer already, and have been meeting each other coming and going. So I was happy that she wanted to do this. Truth is I’d rather be in Big Bend than Dallas/Fort Worth any day of the week!

It’s in the middle of the afternoon, and we just got back from a 4.5 mile hike on the Window Trail here in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend. Now when you go on a hike in a state or national park, you always hope to see some wildlife. Well, today certainly did not disappoint. On the way down to “the Window” we saw black bear scat right in the middle of the trail; and it was fresh! We just continued on down the trail.

Once we came to the large opening in the rocks called “the Window,” we encountered a group of college-aged students. They were members of the Environmental Corps, which is an extension of Ameri-Corps. They were here to do improvements on some of trails here in the park. Thank God for people like this who take care of these park and wilderness areas.

On the way back to the trailhead, we noticed the Environmental Corps members standing in the trail, looking up in a tree. The leader of their group pointed up to the branches. There was a beautiful black bear with her two cubs! We must have been 25-30 feet away. It was pretty exciting. I’ve included a picture of the momma bear here. I’ll check in either later today or tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

West Texas Trip

Recently I took a group of senior adults to West Texas. How exciting is that!!?? When you say "West Texas" that "covers a lot of ground." But we visited one of the most beautiful regions in the entire state. I'm speaking of the Fort Davis/Big Bend area. We had about 25 people in our group, including our church members and their friends and relatives. OK, I have to be honest for a moment. I took this group of seniors out to this region because I went with my family a few years ago and loved it. I figured if we had such a wonderful time out there, why shouldn't others?

The most memorable part of the trip was probably the Star Party we attended at the McDonald Observatory. If you've never been to the Observatory, let me encourage you to go as soon as you can. It's a guided tour through the night sky. And the people directing the tour are thorough experts. The following day we went back for a solar viewing to see what was happening on our nearest star, the Sun. Of course, we were watching a live telescope view of the sun that was filtered and showing on a screen in an auditorium. Afterall, we weren't stupid enough to actually look at the sun!

We also viewed the Marfa lights. These are strange and defy description. But no trip to this region would be complete without a viewing of these mysterious lights! We arrived just before sunset and it took about 45 minutes before their was any activity. But then the lights "came on." Unfortunately, a haze in the sky prevented us from seeing them more brightly. For history, we visited the Fort Davis National Historic Site. Buffalo soldiers figured prominently here in the latter part of the 19th century. They protected settlers from Apache and Comanche raids.

Visiting Big Bend National Park was an optional side trip. Ten of us went there one afternoon. I guided them straight to the Chisos Mountain Basin, where they were treated to some of the most scenic views in all of Texas. The mountains out there, rising from the desert, are majestic and awe-inspiring.

We stayed three nights at the Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park, taking up 13 rooms. The Indian Lodge is a unique structure that was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the Roosevelt administration, as part of the "New Deal." Since it was built, several additional rooms have been constructed. But the additions were built to look like the original hotel. All of our state parks owe a great deal of thanks to members of the CCC for building the original state park buildings and structures that we have come to love and admire today.

Leslie had to work during this trip, but I was glad my children could go. It was particulary gratifying to hear the seniors commenting on how well behaved and friendly my children were. So, all in all, we had a wonderful time out in West Texas. I know I organized this trip for a large group of people, but gosh, it kinda felt like a vacation too!