New Exhibit at Big Bend

Various bulletins we had seen declared that a new fossil exhibit was going to open in Big Bend National Park on January 14, 2017.  At one of the visitor centers we inquired as to how it was progressing.  The ranger said, "It has opened already - you can go check it out."

  

We drove about eight miles up the road and found it in the desert.

The Big Bend area was once covered by a huge inland sea.  There have been many important and unique dinosaur fossil discoveries here.

We will not bore you with its scientific name, but experts have found the remains of this crocodile-like creature down here that was so big and tough that it would prey on Tyrannosaurus Rex!  Wow!

The four species of rattlesnake in the park don't seem so scary anymore.

The Exhibit had lots of bones on display as well as huge wall murals like this above showing dinosaurs that roamed here.

Here Karen made Bill pose next to a skull to see who looked more fierce.

Along the Rio Grande

On Thursday we saw the biggest fluctuation yet in a daily temperature.  The morning started out at 36 degrees at the Rio Grande Village RV Park in Big Bend, and rose to 80 before the afternoon was over.

This is what the Rio Grande looks like just down from our campsite.  At this point it is not much wider than the Manistee River where we live.

Along one of the hiking trails near the river we came across the sight above.  There are a number of finely-crafted, small bead figures near the coffee jug and a pretty, well-carved, painted walking stick on the left.  All had a small price tag with the money intended to go into the jug on an honor system.   Obviously, the seller was from Mexico.  Bill bought the walking stick and paid the full price of $10 into the jug.

Later in our hike, Karen took this picture of a horseback rider (on the right).  We watched as he/she rode across the river and  climbed up the bank into Mexico.  We do not know if the rider was connected to the money jug or not.

Karen took this photo at the end of the day.  Out here in the desert it cools down quickly in the evening and the stars are brilliant after dusk.

We Explore a Few Trails at Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park consists of 1200 square miles of high desert, mountains, and river country with the Rio Grande on its south border.  It is off the beaten track in a remote part of Texas and not as visited as many other national parks.  It is named for the almost 90 degree turn the Rio Grande River takes from flowing southeast to flow northeast.

We watched a couple of movies about the park on Wednesday at two of the visitor centers.  We also took a scenic drive and hiked a few of the shorter trails.  In the picture above you can see the Rio Grande River below, and Mexico beyond.

The park is larger than the state of Rhode Island.  This break in the Chitos Mountains is called "The Window"  We did see a Roadrunner and one nice long snake.

On our afternoon hike Karen got to try out her new "bandi" that her daughter, Becky, gave her at Christmas.  It worked well at holding her phone and camera as she hiked the desert and mountain trails.

When we drove up to the higher elevations the desert changed to forest and we saw this white-tailed deer.  We had a good day exploring Big Bend.

Out of Del Rio - Into Big Bend National Park

On our trip west on US-90 we had to stop at our second inspection station.  You see lots of Border Patrol down here by the border.  They were proud of their drug-sniffing dog and told us we could take his picture.

The RV campground in the National Park that has hookups is very small and crowded with only 25 sites. We were lucky to get one for two nights.

Our campground may not be special, but the scenery around it certainly is.

We plan to explore and hike on Wednesday.

A Lucky Bicycle Path Find

Monday, January 2, 2017 was another warm and sunny day down here in southwest Texas. Bill decided to take his bike back to Moore Park to explore the bike path while Karen wanted to do another load of laundry and stay closer to the RV park.

The bike trail at the park in Del Rio was scenic and fun to ride but it turned out to be only about 1-1/2 miles in length.  Also, there were quite a few pedestrians to steer around, and many were walking dogs.

This house across the stream from the bike trail was super.  Notice how the stone steps lead right down into the water.  How sweet and cool that must be on a hot day in summer!

So, with the disappointment of such a short bicycle trail, Bill had to do some exploring outside of the park... and found this place nearby.  Ah Ha.

A closer inspection disclosed this sign out at the road.  See the first sign to the left.

So....

Bill found 18 holes worth of beautiful, smooth, paved cart paths behind the club house.  Better yet,  there was no one around to tell him not to ride them!

The country club had apparently just recently closed as there were still ball washers out like this.  The cart paths and bridges over the streams were great fun to ride, and on these trails there were no pedestrians or dogs.  What a find and what a great place to explore!

Bill rode for a couple of hours and racked up over eight miles.  He did not see another soul on the course.

New Year's Day in Texas is a "Walk in the Park."

The weather on Sunday turned beautiful again so we took a drive into town to explore a municipal park in Del Rio.  

The name of the place was Moore Park and it had two clear, sparkling streams rushing through it.

The park had excellent paved walking/biking trails and well-crafted landscaping along the creek banks.

There was also this dam to control the water flow before it continued on to meet the Rio Grand River downstream.

Pictures of the park on the internet show the streams full of swimmers in the summer, even though the park includes a large swimming pool with a water slide.  The park was much nicer than we expected, so we plan to return again on Monday with our bicycles.  (At least Bill does)

Happy New Year

Karen and Bill spent a rather calm New Years Eve watching the Fiesta Bowl on TV while having a few drinks.  They did not quite make it to midnight before going to bed-but it was close.  

Broke Mill RV Park was quiet except for a few minor fireworks.

Karen agreed to pose with one of her favorite Christmas presents she received this year.  It is a Samsung Galaxy Tablet that Bill gave her to replace her old Nook.  Now on the long stretches of Texas roads she can play Candy Crush and check her email, etc., etc......

....and Karen got this picture of Bill celebrating the New Year after the Fiesta Bowl!  Perhaps he did have a drink or two too many!!

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(Just Kidding - actually the figure above is a sculpture at Seminole Canyon State Park depicting the famous pictographs there)

We hope 2017 is good to you.