The rainy weather was going to be with us for another day. The drive down to Big Bend was about 1 1/2 hours. There were very few people on the road. Even though it was a two lane road, the speed limit was 75 mph. That seemed reasonable. There were a couple trucks hauling livestock, but that was it. The terrain is desolate. It is cattle country and we saw some cows at pasture, but the foliage didn't look that good.
After clearing the entrance booth (thank heaven for senior passes) we stopped at the Panther Junction for some information and saw their movie. It was a good one. Sometimes they get too preachy but this one was not that way.
Our objective for the day was the Chisos Basis which is the mountainous central part of the park. It is an elevation of about 5400 feet. As we drove up the road we ended up in the fog, and that was pretty much what was there. There was a very good ranger at the station (volunteer, actually) who gave us lots of information about things to do. We decided to have a go at a 1.8 mile loop trail and that was enjoyable, but there was no scenery because of the fog.
We headed out to Terlingua where we are going to stay for three nights. The hotel was primitive. We went on to Terlingua Ghost town and looked around. It is famous for its annual chili cook off. Other than a restaurant and some gift shops (always gift shops!) there was not much going on. We headed to a diner in Study Butte and got some take out dinner then called it good.
Today's photo is one that Ginny shot at the Terlingua grave yeard. Kind of spooky. She really gets better photos than I do.
|