Day 69: Chisos Mountains and Castolon

After yesterday's excursions into the eastern part of Big Bend National Park, we were eager to explore new areas. Morning dawned clear and cool, with some low fog. It promised to be a great day for photos. We first ventured to the Chisos Mountains Visitor Center in the heart of the park. The Chisos Mountains are a mountain island surrounded by a sea of desert (in this case, the Chihuahuan, which continues southward into Mexico). They reach heights of nearly 8,000 feet, creating their own weather, which can change in minutes (as we discovered firsthand when dark clouds replaced blue skies in early afternoon).

Upon leaving the Chisos, we drove west and then southward to the Rio Grande at Castolon. Unfortunately, the final eight miles of road to Santa Elena Canyon was still closed due to the recent flash floods covering the road with mud and debris, but it was just as well. We barely made it back to our motel in Study Butte by dark and I took even more photos today (800) than I did yesterday (a mere 700).

Today we saw more roadrunners, deer, tarantulas, and even a Mojave rattlesnake, the most aggressive of the four types of rattlesnakes in this area. It was moving across the road, and as I drove past it actually struck at my SUV. We stopped and quickly walked toward it, hoping to get a good photo. By then it had already slithered into the brush, but it rattled and struck again when we got to within about ten feet. It was not a happy reptile!

We drove over 200 miles in two days in the park, and still didn't even travel all of the paved roads. Today we drove a total of 113 miles, bringing my trip total to 9,303 miles.

The Window.

The Window View Trail at Chisos Mountains Visitor Center.

Chisos Mountains Lodge is where we wanted to stay, but it was already booked by August.

Looking southwest from Sotol Vista.

The notch in the center distance is the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon, a 1500 foot deep canyon with sheer walls reaching all the way down to the Rio Grande.

Tuff Canyon.

Cerro Castellan (Castolon Peak).

Mule Ears.

Homer Wilson Ranch (now deserted).