Big Bend and Dark Skies: 3 Roadrunners, 1 Rattlesnake, a Tarantula and a Billion Stars

We arrived in Terlingua Texas, the gateway to Big Bend National Park, provisioned up at the General Store in Study Butte and slowly traversed up the winding and rocky path to Camp Elena for some glamping under the stars of dark sky country.

The night was clear. So clear, we elected not to light up our fire pit for fear of ruining the stargazing.

Dusk, sunrise and 4am-ish

The next day, we headed into the park. I’d used AI to plan our itinerary, and it recommended the Ross Maxwell scenic drive, the Santa Elena canyon hike, stargazing and the Windows Trail in the Chisos Mountains.

The road (the Ross Maxwell one) all the way to Santa Elena was closed due to recent flooding (as were several others in the park) making that hike inaccessible without a 4 wheel-drive vehicle but the ranger at the Visitor’s Center recommended Boquillas Canyon as an alternative, so off to the alternative we struck.

Boquillas. After a short, steepish climb we descended down to the Rio Grande with Mexico but a stone’s throw away. We assumed that the vendors were Boquillenos from Boquillas del Carmen Viejo who must cross the river daily on horseback to sell handmade crafts, souvenirs and snacks along the pathway to the canyon. After a short walk along muddied and dried out washes we arrived at the canyon for stunning views of the river and cliffs with high up caves where pre-historic residents produced and stored food.

Desiring to dip a toe (or finger) into the muddy waters of the Rio Grande, I made my way down on to, what appeared to be solid ground, to perform the digit dipping and wound up nearly ankle deep in mud in my brand new tennis shoes. So my souvenir of the trip wouldn’t be a trinket from one of the caballeros but some free, Rio Grande mud caked on my feet.

The Nature Trail. From Boquillas Canyon, we ventured towards Rio Grande Village to check out the nature walk which provided views of the river, the town of Boquillas across the border and we caught sight of a road runner swiftly retreating as though we were Wile E Coyote. Fortunately, no anvils or TNT were in sight.

Ross Maxwell Drive. Most of the road was open and we went as far as we could, stopping off periodically at short trails or overlooks. It was, in a word, stunning.

The colors of the desert danced before us: yellows and oranges, purples and reds, whites, greens and a myriad of browns all splayed out for our enjoyment. We were amazed by the amount of plant life which thrived in such an inhospitable appearing environment as we wound our way along ridges, over hills and out to the old Costolon Village and back. Well worth it. Turns out, AI was right.

Along the Ross Maxwell Drive

The Windows. The next day, I returned to do more hiking. I began in the Chisos Mountains with the Windows Trail. The Chisos Mountains are completely enclosed within the borders of the National Park, which is somewhat unique as National Park mountains ranges go. Arriving early, it was almost cool at 5400 feet as I started off and descended through the canyon, knowing that, as the sign said, every step down was a step back up on the return. The signage at the head of the trail warned me that I was in black bear and mountain lion country and, being alone, I chose to fire up a playlist of country faves whilst I descended. Fortunately, no bears or cats crossed my path, only a huge tarantula who received a wide berth.

The “window” at the end of the trail is popular at sunset but I was arriving just as the sun was hitting it from the east after rising and, being nearly alone, provided a tranquil spot to drink some water, eat an orange and enjoy the view of lower mountains and the desert.

Sun coming into the canyon and the window at the end of the trail

Mule Ears. The day before, we’d stopped at the Mule Ears overlook during our drive and I returned in order to take in some rugged desert landscape on the Mule Ears Springs trail, which crosses rocky hills, down into dry riverbeds and washes. Having spotted a rattlesnake crossing the road from the relative safety of our vehicle earlier, I was on alert for them and also for javelinas not wanting to tangle with either after the brush with my tarantula earlier.

About two and a half miles out, the trail was overgrown and difficult to discern so, not wanting to get lost alone in the desert, I turned back. A little divine intervention likely telling me it was time to go do my Portuguese homework.

A first-time visitor might be surprised by the plethora of flora and fauna in this seemingly inhospitable climate. There are more than 450 species of birds, 1,200 kinds of plants including more than 60 types of cacti living in Big Bend, one of which, the Ocotillo, looks more like a Dr Seuss creation than a natural one.

The park is home to 75 types of mammals including the aforementioned black bear, mountain lions and javelinas but also 20 species of bats, coyotes, foxes and bobcats, deer and feral hogs, rabbits and other forms of varmints. I was glad that, aside from my tarantula and rattlesnake, we only encountered birds and several harmless lizards on my and our walks.

Big Bend is one of the least visited National Parks in the USA, being so remote, but (in my opinion) is one of the most beautiful. It is named for the big bend in the Rio Grande River, which forms the natural border with Mexico to the south. About 118 miles of the US-Mexico border runs through the park. Speaking of the border, the U.S. Government has proposed building a border wall through the park which has a lot of local opposition as evidenced by the plethora of yard and window signs in the towns of Terlingua, Marathon and Alpine and surrounds. One read “we support border security, but not this way” which seems to be the local sentiment. If the “pro-wall” folks are here, they are either pretty quiet or significantly underfunded.

Meteors and a final Road Runner. During our last night a meteor shower was forecasted, so at various points throughout the night, when we awoke, we’d venture out to gaze at constellations, and watch meteors tumble through the sky. And like the Eagles, if you “want to sleep… in the desert with a billion stars all around” Big Bend National Park and Camp Elena is just the spot.

As we headed out of Terlingua and bid adios to our luxury tent at Camp Elena with the panorama of Big Bend and the Chisos Mountains stretching before us in the early morning light with ocotillos dancing along the roadsides, a final roadrunner dashed across our path wishing us a safe journey home. Beep beep.

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