Texas: Big Bend's beauty makes a long drive worth it
We published our last travel journal in March 2020 and then stopped because of the pandemic. After being fully vaccinated and with fun places to visit reopening, we decided to hit the road again. We took a trip to Colorado to see family members and toured interesting sites along the way. Our west-bound route began on I-10 in Baton Rouge with our first stop in San Antonio, Texas. We also visited Big Bend National Park and Gaudalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas.
We visited the Alamo and Riverwalk in San Antonio to complete an authentic Texas road trip.
Big Bend National Park is one of the National Park Service’s hidden gems. Its remote location keeps the number of visitors relatively low.
Big Bend provides an excellent place to visit if you want to see wide-open spaces and experience the Chihuahuan Desert.
Cacti and dry grass dominated the landscape in Big Bend.
Rock formations and prickly pear cactus enhance the beauty of Big Bend.
Linda shot this photo while falling backward and landing on a pile of rocks. She is a committed photographer.
A trickle of water ran through the bottom of a small canyon in the middle of the desert.
Six volcanoes erupted centuries ago in this area and left behind petrified white ash, which gives the impression that a snowstorm has recently coated the area.
Big Bend gets its name because the national park is located on the north bank of the Rio Grande River where it makes a big turn. The trees and cliffs on the south side of the river are in Mexico.
Sunset darkened the landscape at Big Bend as we ended our long day of driving to get there and see the sites.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is much more convenient for travelers, especially when combined with nearby Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
El Capitan is the most prominent landmark in the Gaudalupe Mountains, but Gaudalupe Peak behind it is the highest point in Texas at 8,751 feet. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to climb it.
Guadalupe Mountains offer hiking trails for visitors with the energy to climb to the top of these mountains. A large water supply is required.
Linda found the wall of the abandoned Butterfield Overland stagecoach station a good place to take a break from hiking.
Guadalupe Mountains became our last wilderness spot to visit before driving through a fierce thunderstorm to exit Texas in El Paso and begin our New Mexico adventure.