Saturday, October 24, 2020 - We drove from Sanderson, Texas to Paisano RV Park in Study Butte (Near Terlingua), Texas. The drive took about four hours and went quite well. We decided to continue past the town of Marathon and continue on to Alpine (on -90) before we turned south to the Terlinqua area. This would put us on a better road (I-118) going into the Terlingua area. We did have on pretty tight turn in the town of Alpine onto Highway 118. We were cutting it a little close to a pickup that was at the stop sign, but the driver was nice and backed up a little to make it easier for me.

After we arrived and set up the trailer, we decided to take a drive to the Big Bend Ranch State Park. The entrance to the state park is about 15 miles from where we are staying and near the town of Lajitas, Texas. We had tried to get into an RV park in Lajitas (Maverick RV Resort), but they said that they did not have space for us. We took a drive through the Maverick RV Park and found it to be about half full. Maybe they had some limitations due to the Covid virus. We then drove to the visitor center for the state park and got some maps for hiking trails in the area. We then took a drive for about 15 miles into the state park along the Rio Grande River. It is very pretty country and we planned to spend some more time there later in our stay in this area.

Sunday, October 25, 2020 - We decided to visit Big Ben National Park first of all. As it turns out, we are only about three miles from the entry to the National Park. The park is quite large with a distance or about 50-60 miles from one side to the other. We decided that we would start the day by taking a drive to the Santa Elena Canyon area where the Rio Grande River cuts through the rock canyon separating Mexico from the United States. This road is called the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and is named after the first park supervisor at Big Bend National Park. Ross Maxwell was a geologist who in initially explained how the park was formed. Along the way we came to the Sotol Vista Point where you can see the entire basin and into Mexico. A full ten miles away is the Santa Elena Canyon where the Rio Grande River cuts a narrow channel though the up-lifting terrain and cuts a canyon that is 1500 feet below rim of the surrounding terrain. On the way to the the canyon, we stopped at the Cerro Castolon area which is a large peak in the middle of the valley. We then continued on to the entrance to the Santa Elena Canyon where there is a 1.5 mile trail into the canyon. We decided to take this hike into the canyon. The hike was a little challenging at the beginning with steep ascents and steep slopes. Once over the first quarter mile of the hike, we entered that canyon and the trail was much easier. We managed some very nice photos and we did see a good-sized turtle along the shore. There are rafting trips through the canyon and we plan to take one on Wednesday; assuming the weather is not too cold. A major cold front is moving into our area and the winds have already begun to blow.

After our hike at Santa Elena Canyon, we decided to go to what is called "The Chisos Basin" for another hike. You actually climb over 2,000 feet in just eight miles to the top of a pass and then drop down into the basin made by the Chisos Mountains. The terrain is entirely different in the basin compared to the surrounding desert. There are mountain lions, deer, and bears in this area. There are also large oak trees and some pines. There are also several trails to hike in the basin. One of the trails is the Window Trail Loop which is about two miles long. We decided to take this hike. After the hike and a little bit of ice cream from the park store, we began the drive back to our RV. Just after leaving the parking lot at the Basin, we came across a large black bear and two cubs. Sure was fun to watch them walk along the road. We decided to go back to the National Park tomorrow to hike the trail to "Mule Ears."

Monday, October 26, 2020 - We drove to the National Park and the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. About 15 miles into the scenic drive we came to the parking area for the hike to the Mule Ears Springs. This is a four mile hike with and elevation change of about 900 feet. The day was cool with temps in the 50s when we started, and temps that climbed into the low 70s by 1:00. It was a great hike and the trail was well marked. It was not too challenging and descended into and out of several washes along the way. We encountered humming birds along the way and a few birds. It was extremely interesting to see a natural spring in the middle of the desert. Where the spring began there were pools of water, trees, and even bamboo plants. After the hike, we decided to travel to the Panther Junction Visitor Center. The Center was closed, but there were several park rangers on duty to answer questions and help with any issues a visitor might have. They have also created a very nice cactus garden area where you can get the names of the different cactus varieties found on our hikes. We then decided to travel to the very south-easternmost part of the park to the Rio Grande Village area. As it turns out, most of the Rio Grande Village area was also closed. The Hot Springs were not open either. We drove to a picnic area in the Villages area and had our picnic lunch. They have a small RV park there too power and water. We checked it out. There is also a place where you can go to take a boat ride (a $5 row boat trip) across the Rio Grande to the the small Mexican town of Boquillas. You have to have a passport to do this. Once in Mexico, you can walk for a mile or take a taxi into the small town of Boquillas where you can dine at one of its two restaurants or do some shopping. As it turns out, this opportunity was not available today and the entire boat ramp area was closed. We decided that we did not want to make this trip anyway. In its place, we decided to take the 1.5 mile hike to the entrance of the Boquillas Canyon where the Rio Grande River cuts a narrow path between the 1200 foot tall sides of the channel. It was extremely windy since a big cold front that is covering the entire center of the country is entering the area, but we took the 1.5 mile hike and enjoyed it. We also saw wild horses and mules next to the road. That was fun. After the hike, it was back to the RV to plan tomorrow's activities and to take a break.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020 - We awoke to low temperatures in the 30s and some wind, although it is diminishing. Just north of us in the town of Alpine a winter storm watch is expected with possible snow. We will be driving through Alpine in two days as we head back to El Paso. The weather is expected to warm up a little for our drive to El Paso. Today, we have started the day by doing some house cleaning and "re-organizing." I have to go get some more propane too. We plan for a trip to the state park today and a couple of possible hikes. We will see since it is a bit chilly (to say the least).