Fulltime RV couple traveling the United States in our 2018 Tommy Bahama 27FBQ Airstream!
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Today we plan to do the first three of many hiking trails here in the park. We'll start with the ones rated easy and work our way up to the ones rated moderate.
We took a lot of photos, but with poor to nonexistant internet we'll only be able to share several from each hike.
Still there are plenty, so go make some popcorn, grab your favorite beverage, and settle into you favorite chair to watch the slideshow. ENJOY!
DAY 3
Our hike started with just a little bit of an uphill challenge.
But once we reached the first crest it seemed to just keep going further up.
When I arrived at a fairly level spot I turned to see how Tricia was doing behind me.
She was fine. She had been stopping to take photos, so I just kept on moving forward.
With a quarter mile left to go I arrived where the trail really started going up, scrambling over boulders and such. I decided to wait right here while Tricia continued on.
The far away view from halfway up the final slope.
Here is where Tricia photographed these odd looking rock walls.
You have to be on continuous alert for these prickly devils along the edges of the trail.
Still a lot more climbing to do from here.
Finally the payoff for having hiked all the way to the end! A view of "Balanced Rock".
From the summit the trail back to the parking lot looks deceivingly easy.
When you get back to ground level you realize just how far you have to go to get back to the parking lot, even if it is all downhill.
One step at a time, that's how I do it! Look, I can see the parking lot from here.
Now it's only 6.4 miles of gravel road to get back to the smooth paved roadway.
This short trail was all about getting a closeup view of the different species growing in the desert environment. This is the Ocotillo Catus.
A close up of the prickly stalks, devoid of leaves at the present time of season.
A view of the hiking trail and Chisos Mountains in the background.
The lone windmill bringing water up to the surface of the desert.
Two varieties of the Prickly Pear Catus can be seen in this photo.
Up close Prickly Pear Catus.
The windmill again with ROVER in the background next to the pit toilet house.
Not sure what this one is called but it obviously should be avoided.
One more shot of the very abundant Ocotillo Catus.
Not sure how a palm tree found it's way into the desert?
This trailhead is just across the driveway from our campsite.
It starts out with a trio of metal bridges over a pond like area that is filled with an invasive species of river cane.
The first of many unmanned Mexican souvenier stands along the trail. Someone will come across the border at night to collect any monies made and replenish the supply.
The trail goes up to a 360° sunset viewing spot on the flat top mountain next to our campground.
From the top you can see the Rio Grande River and the campground to the west.
Here is a closeup of our campsite at the trailhead.
To the east you can see the Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen is the distance.
Also to the east is a beautiful flat top mountain range.
But now back to the reason for this hike, tonight's sunset over the Rio Grande River.
One last view from ground level before darkness settles in.
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW
Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.
Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.
Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.
WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?
1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow. 2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size. 3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the full resolution size photo.
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