tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35884662917401954862024-02-19T02:05:29.214-05:00Every Day is Saturday !! the life and times of a couple of retired outdoor loversRich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-50652880937584118872018-06-17T15:44:00.001-04:002018-06-17T15:44:10.115-04:00March 1 - Carlsbad Caverns National ParkOur last full day in Big Bend wasn't really exciting and not worthy of a separate blog post. We did a little birding and got everything ready to go so we could get an early start in the morning. Our next stop would be the Carlsbad, New Mexico area so we could visit Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. We left the campsite before sunrise, but before we got out of the park the sky began to turn color. We found a safe place to pull over and spent about half an hour enjoying the sunrise and early morning light.<br />
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Our next camping spot was Brantley Lake State Park, just outside of Carlsbad. We arrived mid afternoon, got set up, and headed towards the lake to check out the birding situation. There were quite a few birds, but nothing we didn't already have. I did manage to get a better photo of one of the new birds we picked up at Big Bend - a Say's Phoebe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say's Phoebe</td></tr>
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The following day, we headed to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. There's more to the park than just the caverns, so we first stopped at the Rattlesnake Springs area to do some early morning birding. It did turn out to be a good birding spot, and I managed to get a bad shot of another new bird - a Bewick's Wren. This would be the last new bird of the trip, but I came away with 24 new ones which brought my total to 293 species since I began birding in 2011.<br />
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We got to the caverns about mid morning and decided to do the hike in from the main entrance, then take the elevator back out. I think this added up to about a 2.5 mile hike on the paved path which included the entire Big Room. I was surprised that they allowed us to bring our tripods in. The caverns are lit, but getting a correctly exposed shot without using the flash required 2-4 second exposures on average. I didn't see anyone else using a tripod and several people commented that they wished they had brought in theirs.<br />
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As with most natural wonders, words and photos do not describe how incredible the caverns are. I included the path and railings in some of the shots which helps to give some size perspective. Some of the 'rooms' we passed through are huge, and the Big Room is just beyond words. If you get a chance to go and can't do the hike in, take the elevator down to the Big Room and do as much of that as you can. It's worth the price of admission on it's own.<br />
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Below is a sampling of the photos I took. The lighting they have is kind of orange and not very natural, so I've toned that down a bit. I'm not really sure what colors the formations really are.<br />
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We finished touring the caverns around mid afternoon, so we still had time to take the one way gravel tour road that starts close to the parking area and ends on the access road leading up to the parking area. It was interesting, but nothing spectacular. After this, we headed back to the camp site.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-66212901685611063592018-04-27T17:36:00.000-04:002018-04-27T17:36:24.032-04:00February 26 - Day 12 in Big Bend National Park - Cattail FallsA few episodes ago I mentioned that a waitress gave us a tip about an excellent destination that isn't on the maps or mentioned on the NPS Big Bend web site. That was going to be our main destination for today, but first we revisited the Nature Trail in the campground. We only had 2 more days in the park and we were hoping for a new bird or 2 before we left. We didn't have any luck, so we headed towards the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.<br />
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The hike begins at a gated gravel road with no signs indicating anything is down there. We hiked for about 2 miles, passing another gate, then arrived at small oasis area. Here we found a creek that barely had any water in it. I was actually surprised that there was any water since this area is really suffering from a drought. The road also split here. One trail headed up towards The Window and the other led to Cattail Falls. There was also a big sign with a picture of Cattail Falls, some info about the area, and pictures of some of what we might see at the falls. A huge oak tree had made it's home here, so we took advantage of the shade and spent some time hanging out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsESG4yv4vsvrRiS5mcw1RinOjgPETBsdSm9tIPE73r6x6MF_DuV8s-mr13NiCvbSjOclDJ-uPgPQxQ99SnUiRtVb7kD0bb1zb4J-5LxDS5OQkCyISwiB7UyucMsYsPdjc65phcTOMkR1b/s1600/big_bend_np246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsESG4yv4vsvrRiS5mcw1RinOjgPETBsdSm9tIPE73r6x6MF_DuV8s-mr13NiCvbSjOclDJ-uPgPQxQ99SnUiRtVb7kD0bb1zb4J-5LxDS5OQkCyISwiB7UyucMsYsPdjc65phcTOMkR1b/s320/big_bend_np246.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the view from the beginning of the road</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHJbYCRCQjQxXjWmrqeoi3xH7z-0zBsnMKwGbS9Zhf7jW5Uyg_IVdrTVPEV7FHl_oXVXZ6y6kBOiLMxHFnkm2uBr1CfQKmEWdm8XOXgBAoTf7An_WGl4JwwKqoedjfNVcDl2a8sKtW8Wj/s1600/me_cindy220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHJbYCRCQjQxXjWmrqeoi3xH7z-0zBsnMKwGbS9Zhf7jW5Uyg_IVdrTVPEV7FHl_oXVXZ6y6kBOiLMxHFnkm2uBr1CfQKmEWdm8XOXgBAoTf7An_WGl4JwwKqoedjfNVcDl2a8sKtW8Wj/s320/me_cindy220.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy and me at the big oak</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2S0WpAmI5r5VTcy9RLMkIzRTin1wMzkPZJXQNVzp2TSq6981GawMT80VuhrR3SdrdUmb1j_tk63xs8BvjE39Hc4Mryv9lajkl_MvZgqRB5nkWBGq4dI4ajZ1wAQYHjjcRBtCgQARYbKD9/s1600/big_bend_np247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2S0WpAmI5r5VTcy9RLMkIzRTin1wMzkPZJXQNVzp2TSq6981GawMT80VuhrR3SdrdUmb1j_tk63xs8BvjE39Hc4Mryv9lajkl_MvZgqRB5nkWBGq4dI4ajZ1wAQYHjjcRBtCgQARYbKD9/s320/big_bend_np247.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder how many days out of the year the waterfall has that much water!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The trail from the oasis to the waterfall is about a mile and just about immediately heads into the usual desert environment we have been hiking in for most of the trip. As we got closer to our destination - Cattail Canyon - we began to parallel a deep and wide dry wash which I believe is Cattail Creek. The wash and trail narrowed as we approached the canyon and we began to see small pools. The pools began to get bigger and water flow from one to another was very apparent. The vegetation was now thicker and new spring growth was all around us, even though the trees haven't leafed out yet. We had to climb over and around a few large rocks at the end, but were now in front of the 80' Cattail Falls and the surrounding rock walls. The waterfall was barely a trickle, but I was very surprised that there was any water coming over the falls at all. There was a man leaving just as we got there and he was the only person we saw on the trail all day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRflv07NgVpBYyCdBxrvAkvvr6aVAOFhocMp50xbYH3ZXHFDkYUivafq8PoDkNEQl66gfczSYkJoi5_3FqLJZ2tIsVeDgdw9b8pmCR9QzDuIo3L4GCrHrU2vlaYA90QD-G5Gx9e-MFQbRi/s1600/big_bend_np248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRflv07NgVpBYyCdBxrvAkvvr6aVAOFhocMp50xbYH3ZXHFDkYUivafq8PoDkNEQl66gfczSYkJoi5_3FqLJZ2tIsVeDgdw9b8pmCR9QzDuIo3L4GCrHrU2vlaYA90QD-G5Gx9e-MFQbRi/s320/big_bend_np248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view approaching Cattail Canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenRWEvs-DR2Mnc54irGKNFUejZpfzqhTl3JUhWIS8JZayNaebTvECU_xsx8fKIRf7MKlS9LxdhOnWmFTaZGkiyf6AJtUMQc1V7TDGY1sKqfHVpX8vaCWFE_8-QFxZcGqPvTHAgc1ogA-G/s1600/big_bend_np252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenRWEvs-DR2Mnc54irGKNFUejZpfzqhTl3JUhWIS8JZayNaebTvECU_xsx8fKIRf7MKlS9LxdhOnWmFTaZGkiyf6AJtUMQc1V7TDGY1sKqfHVpX8vaCWFE_8-QFxZcGqPvTHAgc1ogA-G/s320/big_bend_np252.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the dark area is the trickling Cattail Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzy2xzZIpum587-kJv3Ntbcy-WI_uCHQCkcMEpqHBU75eJc-wPd6g23cNUswUL-dK9-KYJwQt_w5HWFQFUVqPgc64kDUuvSqtduKFu4Cht1a43lrlkA7xyTo6JufRNsK4sXW5lKGoeEWa/s1600/big_bend_np249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzy2xzZIpum587-kJv3Ntbcy-WI_uCHQCkcMEpqHBU75eJc-wPd6g23cNUswUL-dK9-KYJwQt_w5HWFQFUVqPgc64kDUuvSqtduKFu4Cht1a43lrlkA7xyTo6JufRNsK4sXW5lKGoeEWa/s320/big_bend_np249.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cattail Falls</td></tr>
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You can't see any water flow in the pictures above, but in the last photo you can see the pool in front of the falls. Since the waterfall didn't make a good photo subject, we began looking for any kind of life around this oasis. I joined <a href="http://inaturalist.org/">iNaturalist.org</a> a while back, and knew that some of the life I saw on our trip would be unique for me. Briefly, iNaturalist is a citizen science project where anyone from anywhere can enter observations of life - plant, animal, insect, etc. Here's a bit of what we saw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLT2Bp0nPs-88o-G6qjXHNoACpFMnl7GqnrbnDzmM2TZzFmpCEJ0hF-zjUYfoYAfyyFQEylgejkbffjxfeIltLVVYaASFDB_rt5LLZezbUJi864mE4OIpJQPZxdDhyphenhyphenW1WLn7S2KwJBUZs/s1600/azure_butterfly_tx1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLT2Bp0nPs-88o-G6qjXHNoACpFMnl7GqnrbnDzmM2TZzFmpCEJ0hF-zjUYfoYAfyyFQEylgejkbffjxfeIltLVVYaASFDB_rt5LLZezbUJi864mE4OIpJQPZxdDhyphenhyphenW1WLn7S2KwJBUZs/s320/azure_butterfly_tx1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Azure (<i>C</i><span class="SplitTaxon taxon species Insecta has-com-name no-parens" data-reactid=".0.1.0.2.0.1.0.0.1.$activity-25393771.1.1:$0.1.0.1.1" title="Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)"><i>elastrina ladon</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqsAqrAWqOmAah21C6jkPVE_giFSthnQ03i_u4QXWUrCT6RJSQjwuO9LhvqoxR8p8g0G8TIYwPnFkHkyg0asXBb2Djp1GDNIsesS6blVHUVGETOV0JAyEiGtWZIIe4qD6txUTu7ghD42Z/s1600/damselfly5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqsAqrAWqOmAah21C6jkPVE_giFSthnQ03i_u4QXWUrCT6RJSQjwuO9LhvqoxR8p8g0G8TIYwPnFkHkyg0asXBb2Djp1GDNIsesS6blVHUVGETOV0JAyEiGtWZIIe4qD6txUTu7ghD42Z/s320/damselfly5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Springwater Dancer (<span class="taxon taxon-94566 species Insecta"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Argia plana</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAgX4t7E6C_X_pT2cM91ZJ2UlsycMWOwKtk-ISfDmUTRZA322bwxoeZybH7pHILuvRVGSTbM3bLjvV3t8C_peS5YxLv1B11Xgu-JaLFzlMXO0nr9j6v7QuJ3GRxiT4KFjgTUMhK-5VaNr/s1600/maidenhair_fern_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAgX4t7E6C_X_pT2cM91ZJ2UlsycMWOwKtk-ISfDmUTRZA322bwxoeZybH7pHILuvRVGSTbM3bLjvV3t8C_peS5YxLv1B11Xgu-JaLFzlMXO0nr9j6v7QuJ3GRxiT4KFjgTUMhK-5VaNr/s320/maidenhair_fern_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Maidenhair Fern (<span class="taxon taxon-63916 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Adiantum capillus-veneris</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxXVxEleZDLhRx4mWRwKr2_chTEMz67dxJxX8ojnKZOtXQJN_p4rz67nTFvjbRkxUp7j-6WEUjUf7j4iCoxgzbd4cGay_E9C2jiCu7YhyphenhyphenEw8mSjQXnE5rY027_XLO5WXAB5000Vw8Zf5d/s1600/leafwing_butterfly_tx1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxXVxEleZDLhRx4mWRwKr2_chTEMz67dxJxX8ojnKZOtXQJN_p4rz67nTFvjbRkxUp7j-6WEUjUf7j4iCoxgzbd4cGay_E9C2jiCu7YhyphenhyphenEw8mSjQXnE5rY027_XLO5WXAB5000Vw8Zf5d/s320/leafwing_butterfly_tx1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropical Leafwing (<span class="SplitTaxon taxon species Insecta has-com-name no-parens" data-reactid=".0.1.0.2.0.1.0.0.1.$activity-25441721.1.1:$0.1.0.1.1" title="Tropical Leafwing (Anaea aidea)"><i>Anaea aidea</i>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYGBgm828pWN4_1E_ltM4N0m0r57jt-hY4zx4fFJXlThxwfsIQIaW7ol1o4Vg3fUnhyphenhyphenrTDc35A0lcqGb2CZcp_vJP2B2TH7UHeDxulLFBGVxBphAaLZ40urG7IJcdvA8ldbl2dqf9M3F4/s1600/wasp_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYGBgm828pWN4_1E_ltM4N0m0r57jt-hY4zx4fFJXlThxwfsIQIaW7ol1o4Vg3fUnhyphenhyphenrTDc35A0lcqGb2CZcp_vJP2B2TH7UHeDxulLFBGVxBphAaLZ40urG7IJcdvA8ldbl2dqf9M3F4/s320/wasp_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comanche Paper Wasp (<span class="taxon taxon-313498 subspecies Insecta"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname subspecies"><i>Polistes comanchus <span class="rank">ssp.</span> comanchus</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pdkLzBfzqB1DerdwxHw9ysjVOFwaGBRCy1daAUHU3msm9vs1yqW9Nb1HiezHjWQqHfpsgq7TsXeFrnfYIv4TO78jPfo66zn3VhBk0vJNcqtJDHBeH6pKtvu4wqdpjtLEoiP8ErZlyNIh/s1600/cedar_sage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pdkLzBfzqB1DerdwxHw9ysjVOFwaGBRCy1daAUHU3msm9vs1yqW9Nb1HiezHjWQqHfpsgq7TsXeFrnfYIv4TO78jPfo66zn3VhBk0vJNcqtJDHBeH6pKtvu4wqdpjtLEoiP8ErZlyNIh/s320/cedar_sage2.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Sage (<span class="taxon taxon-168395 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Salvia roemeriana</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was now late afternoon and we had a 3 mile hike back to the truck. This is a place you just do not want to leave. As we started out we couldn't help ourselves and stopped for some shots of the first pools we saw before getting to the falls.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-82235198033348161922018-04-23T13:44:00.003-04:002018-04-23T13:44:57.061-04:00February 25 - Day 11 in Big Bend National Park - Chimneys TrailWe hiked the Chimneys Trail today which turned out to be an excellent hike and destination. The Chimneys are a "series of prominent volcanic dike formations" according to the NPS web site. The hike is almost a 5 mile round trip, but isn't that difficult since there isn't that much elevation change. We got an early start hoping to catch a sunrise along the way. The sun did rise, but the skies were clear. We stopped anyway as the sun began to clear the mountains, then again when we spotted some interesting side light.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HjnXxsmTKK4iQrec2zkl3N7TYCiLpAyLCgTNUa6Hp8kKoMDDxAhOkLsheiGzmuwPGtf8J_OFuWAW4QS7R5yWh_8bKKInITgGM-UmaE39W7VocoSD3ADf8oYSXuIKDuSssFlZFvVlPr21/s1600/big_bend_sunrise3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HjnXxsmTKK4iQrec2zkl3N7TYCiLpAyLCgTNUa6Hp8kKoMDDxAhOkLsheiGzmuwPGtf8J_OFuWAW4QS7R5yWh_8bKKInITgGM-UmaE39W7VocoSD3ADf8oYSXuIKDuSssFlZFvVlPr21/s320/big_bend_sunrise3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGu0ghYDTCN8nKO4Ra8KKFBUgnDxZFJMBTze_tcmv9z0ASm5pD6qfd0U0l9enkZxhPKQHv8gFQEuxvh_saUt1A9sVwLsT5WNxf1JoeuR_mmnv3QYix0-A2ZfSKarI28-mXW2MWIpmag9T0/s1600/big_bend_sunrise4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGu0ghYDTCN8nKO4Ra8KKFBUgnDxZFJMBTze_tcmv9z0ASm5pD6qfd0U0l9enkZxhPKQHv8gFQEuxvh_saUt1A9sVwLsT5WNxf1JoeuR_mmnv3QYix0-A2ZfSKarI28-mXW2MWIpmag9T0/s320/big_bend_sunrise4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were the first vehicle at the trail head again and actually didn't see anyone else until we were almost ready to leave. The entire trail is through desert vegetation, so there wasn't really any interesting geology along the way. We did look for plants we hadn't seen yet, more reptiles (nope), and birds along the way. We spotted what we are pretty sure were Scaled Quail, but didn't get a picture, so won't count in as a new bird. Below are a few shots stating from the trail head to when we got to the Chimneys. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0clr5Brvkjo8tvILBrfEkGVFumNKt6O3pqACEl0PaqpMj34v8JWqm3HRntfs6dH3FUTKsx15Anr8BoX5WB-7-Hq_q7jL-mES5c9sPV5uDQfQaEuxkkxHN4qLWMslJxfyLdi2a8dz4rjtf/s1600/big_bend_np220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0clr5Brvkjo8tvILBrfEkGVFumNKt6O3pqACEl0PaqpMj34v8JWqm3HRntfs6dH3FUTKsx15Anr8BoX5WB-7-Hq_q7jL-mES5c9sPV5uDQfQaEuxkkxHN4qLWMslJxfyLdi2a8dz4rjtf/s320/big_bend_np220.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view towards our destination from the trail head</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblmmNKR4A5FdwZAgw9PMfKdnQeknaLHA5v2YND3f80_jDdqWzgy5ZWdOw9sN_UJQPbhRWXYaTNGMvUtruqa-IC6s3J-zDLGKBrxcbscgprKiBlRGvrDnYAK7l8vkHaqeL-_rSIprByXG0/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblmmNKR4A5FdwZAgw9PMfKdnQeknaLHA5v2YND3f80_jDdqWzgy5ZWdOw9sN_UJQPbhRWXYaTNGMvUtruqa-IC6s3J-zDLGKBrxcbscgprKiBlRGvrDnYAK7l8vkHaqeL-_rSIprByXG0/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx22.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy shooting a Yucca along the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCQFJtFwSR5TXYMtiW5xKla-klCib8j79aC6m6Ey2VOXJb4KzFW0AkcgOlpbcAbu1dJ_XK4tXqL5qmGs0JMfrpxWYyD37rCropA3b5XXzhXfkXpOCttE9PYThCj7amHqRoYmY_lFHn4Uf/s1600/big_bend_np222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCQFJtFwSR5TXYMtiW5xKla-klCib8j79aC6m6Ey2VOXJb4KzFW0AkcgOlpbcAbu1dJ_XK4tXqL5qmGs0JMfrpxWYyD37rCropA3b5XXzhXfkXpOCttE9PYThCj7amHqRoYmY_lFHn4Uf/s320/big_bend_np222.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Chimneys in view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m4PCsTddDTBg7UKlnLCJPEuMQzm7SCgSY3k-BcycYjNYKinv9G2B8VAK8Cfkia8r5w9wPcrf-Svb0wt4LaGchNWE2bZ1uzAzseZWX8yZS-QAfHPOsMDtivG4SJYZEMfKdD4-rs9Xyc4b/s1600/big_bend_np224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m4PCsTddDTBg7UKlnLCJPEuMQzm7SCgSY3k-BcycYjNYKinv9G2B8VAK8Cfkia8r5w9wPcrf-Svb0wt4LaGchNWE2bZ1uzAzseZWX8yZS-QAfHPOsMDtivG4SJYZEMfKdD4-rs9Xyc4b/s320/big_bend_np224.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Chimneys with Santa Elena Canyon in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJd0huNtxgZIX9GAjd8-KJbnprk17M5e-trv43K1fITFWMaGTZUCEbY8HVWnskXQfRdmEgC0obIxYsudqfZIDx3fNCUsmpY_fydmK04nZEtcqnELVCEJ1uuJHannNLWFQzRpzVK6j8vYS/s1600/big_bend_np226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJd0huNtxgZIX9GAjd8-KJbnprk17M5e-trv43K1fITFWMaGTZUCEbY8HVWnskXQfRdmEgC0obIxYsudqfZIDx3fNCUsmpY_fydmK04nZEtcqnELVCEJ1uuJHannNLWFQzRpzVK6j8vYS/s320/big_bend_np226.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just about there!</td></tr>
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The NPS web site has a picture of an arch on this trail, but so far we hadn't noticed one. We continued up the trail between the 2 rock formations and that's when the arch came into view. It's not a big one, but still very cool. Short scramble trails lead up for a closer view of the rocks and arch. Here's a bit of what we saw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8E-QVoFaC4KRAvMf4Lulcx0XaCxaVSgrIqRrr06z6kEJSAyv_2MtGx9RYkZEbC8Aden1f1ACrBudWCfaSxuBwWR2SNZUu50rIiGFHcNldS358JNJUi5E25YYT_sP21MTdToRPL0yx7Jy/s1600/big_bend_np228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8E-QVoFaC4KRAvMf4Lulcx0XaCxaVSgrIqRrr06z6kEJSAyv_2MtGx9RYkZEbC8Aden1f1ACrBudWCfaSxuBwWR2SNZUu50rIiGFHcNldS358JNJUi5E25YYT_sP21MTdToRPL0yx7Jy/s320/big_bend_np228.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GZAJtcp8IV5hx-WY0pCxl7ym5C382RfIAEWBKxBUX7mYqRpdQeKw6K3sJ7wlHQCBlgvZ-Og6miCObXq9LndZH18qEHZTflTkoPXTdcE4jZ-kYX61YN6LpVk9cHOVItHZ-xjyXrgEs2B8/s1600/me_cindy204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GZAJtcp8IV5hx-WY0pCxl7ym5C382RfIAEWBKxBUX7mYqRpdQeKw6K3sJ7wlHQCBlgvZ-Og6miCObXq9LndZH18qEHZTflTkoPXTdcE4jZ-kYX61YN6LpVk9cHOVItHZ-xjyXrgEs2B8/s320/me_cindy204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy and me in the arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqRCrrYPdvYfJwhOeF5WTSNMdMvN18PyLjgSj7AYm33C5Sflq-umsg3weUP0eSOXbwOH0P2cKANCw_ll5CKg15GXs4BW9Q8qWwmOD5jW_rB4L0Wpyj9Ah_b0l-TH89lr-MmDb0OVd3tm8/s1600/big_bend_np229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqRCrrYPdvYfJwhOeF5WTSNMdMvN18PyLjgSj7AYm33C5Sflq-umsg3weUP0eSOXbwOH0P2cKANCw_ll5CKg15GXs4BW9Q8qWwmOD5jW_rB4L0Wpyj9Ah_b0l-TH89lr-MmDb0OVd3tm8/s320/big_bend_np229.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from the other side of the arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGANkB2-H9DTUPRcK6mp3srypkcI5LRGmMoO6vkNihhqIAVIMZGWfyTWVPkISKQG5mXkehVk86jvUzn_HMeaJ6Sw-2XHtIhIhG3iP2CS_XysKjN8dE5Hpd5BDUEQkOPEJfT7gKgM-9_XM/s1600/big_bend_np230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGANkB2-H9DTUPRcK6mp3srypkcI5LRGmMoO6vkNihhqIAVIMZGWfyTWVPkISKQG5mXkehVk86jvUzn_HMeaJ6Sw-2XHtIhIhG3iP2CS_XysKjN8dE5Hpd5BDUEQkOPEJfT7gKgM-9_XM/s320/big_bend_np230.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking towards Santa Elena Canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIyrdhkbtfm45XJAWrHlXmd7v23gfykqBjCORbAie4i7BT01qiOpOgW6m9lTmnelVdZ1SEI_akPbekJGYfZQk84i7VHs-03pITcpRnZna3FuQiUiQmfI_ZU8Utxliszleho3pbnV2m0RD/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIyrdhkbtfm45XJAWrHlXmd7v23gfykqBjCORbAie4i7BT01qiOpOgW6m9lTmnelVdZ1SEI_akPbekJGYfZQk84i7VHs-03pITcpRnZna3FuQiUiQmfI_ZU8Utxliszleho3pbnV2m0RD/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx23.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking back towards the parking area and beyond</td></tr>
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The Chimneys also offers the opportunity to see Native American artifacts and markings on some of the rock walls. We weren't sure exactly where to look, but found some of what is there.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0dJUVqLM0_OTFETZgw-1ZuWGLR4_NsFCkw7E0dQdwuKPXiu8TZaAEmMq6nbAoX6eLnPXugp1jvDEPT9UYXIl6xATa1bY-PaB_t80qiHKSsAFpVGYcNu6oloFysPh08wv5fIKp4ldayse/s1600/big_bend_np234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0dJUVqLM0_OTFETZgw-1ZuWGLR4_NsFCkw7E0dQdwuKPXiu8TZaAEmMq6nbAoX6eLnPXugp1jvDEPT9UYXIl6xATa1bY-PaB_t80qiHKSsAFpVGYcNu6oloFysPh08wv5fIKp4ldayse/s320/big_bend_np234.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It appears that this ledge was used for something in the past.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPFHSFmGOm8i_sGG92i_HyU_rZuhN7FXqP489XNu38tWKIOw-1P5zjSrvki16MMlT3lQzavmuJHQHhUUKGbu2fP4WP_hrhZ2iZ-bijG30eBOlZ_FM2K41NYOztn-KI702N7Xlk_uWMqCU/s1600/big_bend_np235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPFHSFmGOm8i_sGG92i_HyU_rZuhN7FXqP489XNu38tWKIOw-1P5zjSrvki16MMlT3lQzavmuJHQHhUUKGbu2fP4WP_hrhZ2iZ-bijG30eBOlZ_FM2K41NYOztn-KI702N7Xlk_uWMqCU/s320/big_bend_np235.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a different angle of the ledge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhawzRR-oCmY0lQ-JZeCHY86UkuPydKy33m0cbgmz0nXLnY15e81gk6hpnfYOyBHMDR9rflfN5my3jOw0Bi9QHfk5OjUKvy4MSoRJfDoxP27gauXX-p3QM5htk62I67Y7wIdMIJbn3IRN/s1600/big_bend_np232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhawzRR-oCmY0lQ-JZeCHY86UkuPydKy33m0cbgmz0nXLnY15e81gk6hpnfYOyBHMDR9rflfN5my3jOw0Bi9QHfk5OjUKvy4MSoRJfDoxP27gauXX-p3QM5htk62I67Y7wIdMIJbn3IRN/s320/big_bend_np232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer examination of the wall reveals carvings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jKZheZ6JjJM8tPwdKO43VHGjx4pOVFpMKXksaa9_Caon4xuu5zSfetdtrrU9Xjno5MGh-5-dLjDiujV45OVgdogYlAOg8aL-t-g2ClKXZBRb9_evhqnecsne_YV1IVjFZIcSeMiILvsN/s1600/big_bend_np237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jKZheZ6JjJM8tPwdKO43VHGjx4pOVFpMKXksaa9_Caon4xuu5zSfetdtrrU9Xjno5MGh-5-dLjDiujV45OVgdogYlAOg8aL-t-g2ClKXZBRb9_evhqnecsne_YV1IVjFZIcSeMiILvsN/s320/big_bend_np237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stone artifact</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uFfM7QHkYuk1qGbgce0R0eoU4SncoEf6gvzzS5bSCqFT9STDkGNN1pqUzjmdN-Us3P8ahQ9BkkrvpfwTEVJaYzC2j4RMJyRSea4Gx36PJcaFgN8vc7q1ZoiyqRwy5JKPcHoHZqeWiED6/s1600/big_bend_np238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uFfM7QHkYuk1qGbgce0R0eoU4SncoEf6gvzzS5bSCqFT9STDkGNN1pqUzjmdN-Us3P8ahQ9BkkrvpfwTEVJaYzC2j4RMJyRSea4Gx36PJcaFgN8vc7q1ZoiyqRwy5JKPcHoHZqeWiED6/s320/big_bend_np238.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another stone artifact</td></tr>
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It was now early afternoon and we took our time on the 2 1/2 mile hike back to the truck. As we were leaving I snapped some shots of the large rock piles where we found the artifacts. Once we got back to the trail head, we both agreed to head back to the camp site and relax the rest of the day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWFhEzEN-dAlHMdJmeDwtJVIDx0Fbosvg1bg20rL6wF2Nmv2TlfEziWzeZK6uL2GPQtLGe-QOr3WAqZxJcqM08-HrzE2eoLEqnC5VP83u6n9CVS7V8wuyABfskxkB86ditgmGxDZh7dvO/s1600/big_bend_np243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWFhEzEN-dAlHMdJmeDwtJVIDx0Fbosvg1bg20rL6wF2Nmv2TlfEziWzeZK6uL2GPQtLGe-QOr3WAqZxJcqM08-HrzE2eoLEqnC5VP83u6n9CVS7V8wuyABfskxkB86ditgmGxDZh7dvO/s320/big_bend_np243.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbBtXGMAE64WzbZhQY682rubslF5XJhrjslaT8sHoBWks96VsiDczES1zAnXlBXrTSbQcB6ySKNFaD9B0UgOf64ZuxxrUL-LSAKRvtayFY9rG_go8Eb_46bwCCWVoxv-kP4K0oFkp18Tm/s1600/big_bend_np245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbBtXGMAE64WzbZhQY682rubslF5XJhrjslaT8sHoBWks96VsiDczES1zAnXlBXrTSbQcB6ySKNFaD9B0UgOf64ZuxxrUL-LSAKRvtayFY9rG_go8Eb_46bwCCWVoxv-kP4K0oFkp18Tm/s320/big_bend_np245.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_1072432720"></span><span id="goog_1072432721"></span><br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-2105070909773751872018-04-15T20:49:00.001-04:002018-04-15T20:51:50.123-04:00February 24 - Day 10 in Big Bend National Park - Tuff Canyon and a sunsetWhile researching things to do in Big Bend and the surrounding area, Cindy came across something called the Terlingua Ghost Town. Terlingua is a small town not too far from the west entrance of the park. We decided to make that our first stop of the day and also planned to eat our big meal of the day in that area so we wouldn't have to cook later at the camp site. Terlingua isn't a very big place, but it took us a while to find the ghost town. When we did, we discovered it was no more than a tourist trap and not the photo op that we thought it would be. The general store there did have a lot of souvenirs and local merchandise if that's what you happen to be looking for. We did find an excellent local Tex-Mex cafe called the Chili Pepper, so the trip wasn't a total bust. The waitress also gave us an excellent tip about a spot in the park that isn't on the maps called Cattail Falls. More on that in a future post. Near the west entrance to the park is one of the standard national park signs, so we stopped on the way back in to get a picture. I had the 10 second timer on and caught Cindy holding her hat just as a gust of wind was trying to blow it away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcDz5PqaBIz1LsQNb2hHxZn99LEZxIlsrSl9l7oaGQsi1Aqawa_wjp-w9fqXDyExoiHxekFhQi1509IsEriHcPvLLij7iIY5mSqfFCXzdnKx-vUGRIEqRNvuXFNQQrmDP7U9r2zPAZYKW/s1600/me_cindy215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcDz5PqaBIz1LsQNb2hHxZn99LEZxIlsrSl9l7oaGQsi1Aqawa_wjp-w9fqXDyExoiHxekFhQi1509IsEriHcPvLLij7iIY5mSqfFCXzdnKx-vUGRIEqRNvuXFNQQrmDP7U9r2zPAZYKW/s320/me_cindy215.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next on the list of activities for the day was a short hike to 2 old homesteads on the Dorgan-Sublett Trail which is in the SW area of the park in the Santa Elena Canyon area. Apparently the Dorgan and Sublett families had a fairly large farming operation in the area in the early 1900's. The first stop on the trail is what's left of one of the old farm houses, but I didn't find it interesting enough to take a picture. Surely this would be a good spot for a lizard to hang out, though. If there was one, it saw me coming and ran for cover. The next building on the trail was where the farm hands lived. No cold blooded creatures here either, but some mean looking wasps had taken up residence. The trail ends at what's left of the Dorgan house with nice views of valley.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the Santa Elena Canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Paper Wasps</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKFAwxgHf6zIqGPfrEur2YyInzp9I2wBbv7B_xYOj3jNUhevh_eze1xSZGsi7TDwMIikfPzBxCDqTrZXUMZVR6Z4U3WeiVwnc8wIaNbTwjcfmXzfQPOPE-FOEztS44Q8W6t2B4KBevFqv/s1600/big_bend_np205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKFAwxgHf6zIqGPfrEur2YyInzp9I2wBbv7B_xYOj3jNUhevh_eze1xSZGsi7TDwMIikfPzBxCDqTrZXUMZVR6Z4U3WeiVwnc8wIaNbTwjcfmXzfQPOPE-FOEztS44Q8W6t2B4KBevFqv/s320/big_bend_np205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">valley view with the Rio Grande River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-4V6GfbzqyfLj6bI21ZpwLIjIjXdRrnNxATFhoG1AxkMMLQB1ZZNCJgd-KEheEA4jvLLmi-_bRL3UDR2lG3Gn320uP6lY272hpm1tpMWgkpfJnJovIZeo7LPqfDII3Lfl6QdMOftVr-Y/s1600/big_bend_np206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-4V6GfbzqyfLj6bI21ZpwLIjIjXdRrnNxATFhoG1AxkMMLQB1ZZNCJgd-KEheEA4jvLLmi-_bRL3UDR2lG3Gn320uP6lY272hpm1tpMWgkpfJnJovIZeo7LPqfDII3Lfl6QdMOftVr-Y/s320/big_bend_np206.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another valley view</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Dorgan house</td></tr>
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Our next stop was just up the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive for the short hike into Tuff Canyon. The whitish rock making up the walls of the canyon is called tuff, which is welded volcanic ash. The hike begins with view points down into the small canyon, then descends into the canyon itself. As we got to the bottom of the trail just before the canyon, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. "Nobody move!!" It was a little lizard trying desperately not to be seen. Slow movements getting the camera ready - don't look it in the eye! - snap, snap, snap, and I finally have my first reptile shot! I had no idea what it was and didn't care if it was the most common lizard around.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdLVyUdys302UbIuacxznNLGBMx-zi_SyvOGUv4Pjd00_4ZwHYI2Gtb3SrO3rkLquMIX8ye2cgddT7xZxoDLvoGG58zsbXbqEHHWFKudEG2CjLU6caL77vk4TBOj14BwzRbmOarCySR_n/s1600/greater_earless_lizard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdLVyUdys302UbIuacxznNLGBMx-zi_SyvOGUv4Pjd00_4ZwHYI2Gtb3SrO3rkLquMIX8ye2cgddT7xZxoDLvoGG58zsbXbqEHHWFKudEG2CjLU6caL77vk4TBOj14BwzRbmOarCySR_n/s320/greater_earless_lizard2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Earless Lizard (<i>Cophosaurus texanus)</i></td></tr>
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Feeling quite satisfied, we continued hiking up the wash into the canyon. This canyon didn't have the 'wow' factor that the Santa Elena Canyon had, but it was still very interesting. There were numerous holes of various sizes hollowed out of the walls - I'm assuming from water gushing down through the canyon over the years. I was able to get into one which held a large rock that wasn't prone to erosion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsL13ZXrrlitRuFjHOBBS4iW_tFKU6kWSKQg5PUZl_UY9JgSRzlcAC1yzBOw2FBtXzEjzpKyT-ujwyejKmwoF_P08R1HCKqUF95ktnQPvtj56BySEloBwhZ-4aBXIYNXZongUShebkhkb/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsL13ZXrrlitRuFjHOBBS4iW_tFKU6kWSKQg5PUZl_UY9JgSRzlcAC1yzBOw2FBtXzEjzpKyT-ujwyejKmwoF_P08R1HCKqUF95ktnQPvtj56BySEloBwhZ-4aBXIYNXZongUShebkhkb/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">note Cindy in the picture for perspective</td></tr>
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From here we went back to the campground to get cleaned up, then headed back out again in hopes of catching a colorful sunset. The place we chose was just a few miles up the road and had views to the west plus a view of the Sierra del Carmen mountains to the east. We were hoping the late afternoon light would look good on the mountains. The sunset wasn't quite what we hoped for. As the sun set, the clouds dissipated and became focused closer to the horizon, but that area was very colorful. It was still really pretty and a great way to end the day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking towards Sierra del Carmen</td></tr>
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-79156810382509402822018-04-09T21:12:00.001-04:002018-04-09T21:12:24.336-04:00February 23 - Day 9 in Big Bend National Park - Grapevine Hills Trail to Balanced Rock<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQIF1jaCVpLNJhpc1LFcUfef7x7mCGxc1pHU82IvbPFkdJqUjv3uActfeX3psr8e2a2znYRErQ0PvrAubvrDXscoZKGUkfYQzRINxbE3XEAc_oM-efOOWjyXFox61XzkKFe3CPaEkmTql/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQIF1jaCVpLNJhpc1LFcUfef7x7mCGxc1pHU82IvbPFkdJqUjv3uActfeX3psr8e2a2znYRErQ0PvrAubvrDXscoZKGUkfYQzRINxbE3XEAc_oM-efOOWjyXFox61XzkKFe3CPaEkmTql/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beginning of the Grapevine Hills Trail</td></tr>
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The Grapevine Hills Trail is a 1.1 mile (one way) out and back hike that ends at what's called the Balanced Rock. Trail reviews stated there are also lots of other very interesting large rocks in the area, so we were eager to see for ourselves. The trail head is 6 miles down the gravel Grapevine Hills Road, which is 3.3 miles west of Panther Junction. We didn't set an alarm to get a really early start, so there were a couple of vehicles at the trail head when we arrived. The above shot is Cindy heading down the trail from the parking area.<br />
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The trail wasn't really exciting to begin with as far as the landscape goes, so we kept our eyes peeled for birds and the elusive cold blooded creatures that are rumored to inhabit this park. The first 3/4 or so of the trail follows a wash and is fairly easy hiking. The scenery did get more interesting as we progressed. Here are a few shots.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxq5mHrVIkS-_GJxMYDCk1TSnf7hVgHWkapAHgMfAtRh-Yor4wnqaGYIboow4lt_pgbB0VAuqdnQLI5fGK9UInCkgBSCJHn1J5cW1tEHGBxW4o66dyUEWd8BTnOCkHTfSx9cdcJoLSPFC/s1600/big_bend_np175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxq5mHrVIkS-_GJxMYDCk1TSnf7hVgHWkapAHgMfAtRh-Yor4wnqaGYIboow4lt_pgbB0VAuqdnQLI5fGK9UInCkgBSCJHn1J5cW1tEHGBxW4o66dyUEWd8BTnOCkHTfSx9cdcJoLSPFC/s320/big_bend_np175.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You may notice that there <u>still</u> aren't any reptile shots. I may get skunked on this trip 😢 About 3/4 of the way into the hike, the trail began to climb Grapevine Hills towards the Balanced Rock. Grapevine Hills is an exposed laccolith. According to Wikipedia, "<span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB">a laccolith is a sheet intrusion (or concordant pluton) that has been injected between two layers of sedimentary rock. </span><span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB"><span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB">The pressure of the magma is high enough that the overlying strata are forced upward, giving the laccolith a dome or mushroom-like form with a generally planar base." So there you have it. The bottom line is the geology here is fascinating and different from anything else we've seen so far.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJEWevENh4Prs6nkEKjOrZcugmegzAwvr4lnTrdOCh51HUJ9oY3f4i6LrtOyhn2YkQ9ULaNgDSWuOJ7OBKxtrZuGOxXVjTofXFLUejMuwQgwq4W_oCnWBQMgZb47a-wmnsZzA12X4LRRv/s1600/big_bend_np180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJEWevENh4Prs6nkEKjOrZcugmegzAwvr4lnTrdOCh51HUJ9oY3f4i6LrtOyhn2YkQ9ULaNgDSWuOJ7OBKxtrZuGOxXVjTofXFLUejMuwQgwq4W_oCnWBQMgZb47a-wmnsZzA12X4LRRv/s320/big_bend_np180.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22AyPi_AVAOUtNfwwPqUyvvaceuYkIjLlfDy80OCO3JwN6OQeGSoAzuybwns9kc53XdvY1rf52eh4640OT2Bg_TuHq1k1VNSnyiwt7fN6p7dgCP7A6qMM7pCl5H6KM1lKY95JOvxBNsO6/s1600/big_bend_np178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22AyPi_AVAOUtNfwwPqUyvvaceuYkIjLlfDy80OCO3JwN6OQeGSoAzuybwns9kc53XdvY1rf52eh4640OT2Bg_TuHq1k1VNSnyiwt7fN6p7dgCP7A6qMM7pCl5H6KM1lKY95JOvxBNsO6/s320/big_bend_np178.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMJzUFLuzM5F89JHkIdxysm7oOzoYef0o1YGIKGSN5IHWkTN-_hCMoM0RsJK4XBkgYtOOdgFmra9B1pN_Gs1ct-SfN15YcAJd6ko8q0tyQh1D54vzjy-mHh9qzCsbBX1qqdafVqeHqPDb/s1600/big_bend_np181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMJzUFLuzM5F89JHkIdxysm7oOzoYef0o1YGIKGSN5IHWkTN-_hCMoM0RsJK4XBkgYtOOdgFmra9B1pN_Gs1ct-SfN15YcAJd6ko8q0tyQh1D54vzjy-mHh9qzCsbBX1qqdafVqeHqPDb/s320/big_bend_np181.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">interesting tree along the trail</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWzFFvCqHGmxsc7UVbQNIG1MZiriiSYaNEwt7RxJF75tF96EHmtbS5Ga8Q2mJqTsAXZYGuEsvX9z1GYeBkKWC0HujBTZivIwrWU58A2FK1xzRUwnWPM5atL5lxQYCcRyxuGbUhwTA8gX8/s1600/big_bend_np176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWzFFvCqHGmxsc7UVbQNIG1MZiriiSYaNEwt7RxJF75tF96EHmtbS5Ga8Q2mJqTsAXZYGuEsvX9z1GYeBkKWC0HujBTZivIwrWU58A2FK1xzRUwnWPM5atL5lxQYCcRyxuGbUhwTA8gX8/s320/big_bend_np176.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view back down the trail</td></tr>
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When we got to the end of the trail at Balanced Rock, we had it all to ourselves. All the people that beat us to the trail head passed us as they were heading back to the parking area. The rock is a pretty big boulder to be balanced the way that it is. For scale, I have a picture of us behind it, then a few more shots of it from different angles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIMxMg5gj9z10pu6ZwnFSpOAXlJx9c5DrUZmy1-oUBWSP9zSy-xIC7tcHJz6Sr_xsSLBbRuheaUHNLVt58T26RZaOjKvxLSwNa2C9D-SgMu6z3GfRu7Xn4PA-SBOdcZBWl3uEZwbct1cr/s1600/me_cindy212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIMxMg5gj9z10pu6ZwnFSpOAXlJx9c5DrUZmy1-oUBWSP9zSy-xIC7tcHJz6Sr_xsSLBbRuheaUHNLVt58T26RZaOjKvxLSwNa2C9D-SgMu6z3GfRu7Xn4PA-SBOdcZBWl3uEZwbct1cr/s320/me_cindy212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0njXWfZX10aDY_MGziOcmImKFwucPxExBUonMZPePrCuWx6iSgKSROGdGo5UGn72SyyJ7ciuWq4pnlLAF-mJLnn7jSG-yoDtxnJW1Ali-7YUZiCx3aRQxttShZYAFo52eLmfP1mElM0hN/s1600/big_bend_np185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0njXWfZX10aDY_MGziOcmImKFwucPxExBUonMZPePrCuWx6iSgKSROGdGo5UGn72SyyJ7ciuWq4pnlLAF-mJLnn7jSG-yoDtxnJW1Ali-7YUZiCx3aRQxttShZYAFo52eLmfP1mElM0hN/s320/big_bend_np185.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYiWMShuIYxtLZgtIVm6Z4Iw8EtCoR7OGHiDB4BF4Fk3n_QyZzpRwbwr7W6Z3pMogzEjYeLsyl-R16e8gKvXPOueQNyM1PxW-1o0RIoU0tFC7tUaBxdds_rUlT3rBhIrdN0Cf8cfrO1w9/s1600/big_bend_np186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYiWMShuIYxtLZgtIVm6Z4Iw8EtCoR7OGHiDB4BF4Fk3n_QyZzpRwbwr7W6Z3pMogzEjYeLsyl-R16e8gKvXPOueQNyM1PxW-1o0RIoU0tFC7tUaBxdds_rUlT3rBhIrdN0Cf8cfrO1w9/s320/big_bend_np186.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OjQUyMBPaBC7D3PAyv5MUHHWtiZnnlbhh1pZ2caK8FMv6xQL8zKxhAhPGqBGrAUfYbfS-_E6ZqoHWpJ5xf9sGyiEYN9rxQKG7NqQV77PchEPKkBTuN074dQFbz9DIbWAao45niuvVnww/s1600/big_bend_np188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OjQUyMBPaBC7D3PAyv5MUHHWtiZnnlbhh1pZ2caK8FMv6xQL8zKxhAhPGqBGrAUfYbfS-_E6ZqoHWpJ5xf9sGyiEYN9rxQKG7NqQV77PchEPKkBTuN074dQFbz9DIbWAao45niuvVnww/s320/big_bend_np188.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG5NxbGY0HuASIsy4Q4QzTUSIzc5xBBeVDXQjGJV8NHIxXPmILSk7cVd207L2A3np1C9kT-F5spSB6136vBt9zW6oeThZWRPP9e3jmJQwgrbKJjJb-YWbbusLyFTGl5bhz0nr_YMX80mg/s1600/big_bend_np189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG5NxbGY0HuASIsy4Q4QzTUSIzc5xBBeVDXQjGJV8NHIxXPmILSk7cVd207L2A3np1C9kT-F5spSB6136vBt9zW6oeThZWRPP9e3jmJQwgrbKJjJb-YWbbusLyFTGl5bhz0nr_YMX80mg/s320/big_bend_np189.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB"><span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB">From our vantage point on the hill, we could see more people heading up the trail towards us, so I got all of the Balanced Rock shots I wanted before they showed up. Once they arrived, I looked for other photo ops. Here are a few.</span></span><br />
<span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB"><span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoILAMh-T-gK-OCLh7xNMbkxljxufpuhPBJPN9YarJzyTaEowcWKWnVLv6LxnAiEBRB5jGQrK7QEhCsqo1Fe5k6oicTTQidxEK4UWYnBC4bdUxH9dQWv7vupnJMBrbKFj4x1IXEkx9tQw/s1600/big_bend_np195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoILAMh-T-gK-OCLh7xNMbkxljxufpuhPBJPN9YarJzyTaEowcWKWnVLv6LxnAiEBRB5jGQrK7QEhCsqo1Fe5k6oicTTQidxEK4UWYnBC4bdUxH9dQWv7vupnJMBrbKFj4x1IXEkx9tQw/s320/big_bend_np195.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">folded rock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHQ5vkyC12imySnIeQLxnvjwgft8-Sb-08zYxCFX4f4-3Acr1lf4XMZUxNftTxC0yqrrqKZqwDUJOB65fr9D6dyGBnwMxmp5aIFNduTqKFY_y7h4KmBrKhKmnJnoPXcSXs8ovVrkUjtCi/s1600/big_bend_np191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHQ5vkyC12imySnIeQLxnvjwgft8-Sb-08zYxCFX4f4-3Acr1lf4XMZUxNftTxC0yqrrqKZqwDUJOB65fr9D6dyGBnwMxmp5aIFNduTqKFY_y7h4KmBrKhKmnJnoPXcSXs8ovVrkUjtCi/s320/big_bend_np191.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this yucca is about 6-7' tall</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwD97aob7ZwAqBw6MrWzyIHKjjmriIlZoW8q0CFFVanXRAlxU_R8H9dDDWZil7iYhGo6NX38aQO-M6wjMXnraft3DI91b2H5ag8n9JbFfnoAEOHxMzzpRanOGU2wMLcz2xuFCVrx7m5Zu/s1600/big_bend_np196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwD97aob7ZwAqBw6MrWzyIHKjjmriIlZoW8q0CFFVanXRAlxU_R8H9dDDWZil7iYhGo6NX38aQO-M6wjMXnraft3DI91b2H5ag8n9JbFfnoAEOHxMzzpRanOGU2wMLcz2xuFCVrx7m5Zu/s320/big_bend_np196.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess this would be considered balanced also</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DDOspZEaUf6gcMBUVvbAifcZHeEisKKq5IjRJfZK3LUuaeUurHqL-RUWgqgAD41HiqR9YcJcYklo3OKUOPOPjNSAVoihc9m5XOBPoNwSc1k4ziqjsokD2LCeb61L8R-b-_9uq6DidVMH/s1600/cactus_skeleton_big_bend5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DDOspZEaUf6gcMBUVvbAifcZHeEisKKq5IjRJfZK3LUuaeUurHqL-RUWgqgAD41HiqR9YcJcYklo3OKUOPOPjNSAVoihc9m5XOBPoNwSc1k4ziqjsokD2LCeb61L8R-b-_9uq6DidVMH/s320/cactus_skeleton_big_bend5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another cactus skeleton</td></tr>
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<span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB"><span class="st" data-hveid="64" data-ved="0ahUKEwir5vmwrq7aAhWN3FMKHRFFBXYQ4EUIQDAB">More people showing up was our cue to head back to the truck. We stopped by the Chisos Mountains again to do a loop trail that was supposed to be good for birds, but didn't have any luck. From there, we decided to head back to the camp site and relax the rest of the day.</span></span>Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-42724623080840046332018-04-01T21:28:00.000-04:002018-04-01T21:28:56.355-04:00February 22 - Day 8 in Big Bend National Park - Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off Trail<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGk-T8n6QbkqE4LWDnTbegyduBdDWiMJHvX1ZZ_QWRIHzNzEil4kRXXn-D9wsCFk62xp02fhhQGf3WmVzu4LqLGAEexxH-1j-p0A-unklqONqIDE9wp9uULuUnuR9Cxx08sijJDVt6F0pc/s1600/big_bend_np143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGk-T8n6QbkqE4LWDnTbegyduBdDWiMJHvX1ZZ_QWRIHzNzEil4kRXXn-D9wsCFk62xp02fhhQGf3WmVzu4LqLGAEexxH-1j-p0A-unklqONqIDE9wp9uULuUnuR9Cxx08sijJDVt6F0pc/s320/big_bend_np143.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">morning light in Big Bend</td></tr>
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A few days ago Cindy and I hiked the Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off Trail. The map also shows an upper trail that begins from a different trail head that almost meets the lower trail, so we figured it came out somewhere above the dead end box canyon. The trail head is about an hour from our camp site, so we got a fairly early start to be sure we got a parking spot. Along the way, I thought the early light looked good on the mountains, so I stopped for a quick shot (above).<br />
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We were the first vehicle at the trail head and actually didn't see anyone else on the trail the entire day. Cindy said she had seen that Big Bend was our least visited national park. Even though the campgrounds remained full, the park gets very little day use visitors because it's so far from civilization. Today's trail is a 3.8 mile round trip out and back hike.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYStF1gcDPC3ZHq_nVz1zhWq7oU54sY4D_lVVBJX3LBHVNrAdMnZL-LKLX-IzDL3Mt0uOqGAM6wftB-Mck1jF19or-5b77dTXvob6lq_qJy4ujnOpvMmqE5oWa2sZJEdlT_BJpFRgDfMdU/s1600/big_bend_np144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYStF1gcDPC3ZHq_nVz1zhWq7oU54sY4D_lVVBJX3LBHVNrAdMnZL-LKLX-IzDL3Mt0uOqGAM6wftB-Mck1jF19or-5b77dTXvob6lq_qJy4ujnOpvMmqE5oWa2sZJEdlT_BJpFRgDfMdU/s320/big_bend_np144.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the trail head</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMW-Lic_f_WmK_pF0YNf75OcpQkGtziatxtuXuS7cMFtDuafqnr5zjrlig4XnWrmvod_C_gRnEKD0frvo6RyrIeRV07afydo-CUSgcvPVSMZXIwK7Q_6-JM-_W9Ckc8A0D8xc2dgdlujh/s1600/big_bend_np145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMW-Lic_f_WmK_pF0YNf75OcpQkGtziatxtuXuS7cMFtDuafqnr5zjrlig4XnWrmvod_C_gRnEKD0frvo6RyrIeRV07afydo-CUSgcvPVSMZXIwK7Q_6-JM-_W9Ckc8A0D8xc2dgdlujh/s320/big_bend_np145.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the first section of the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Gx1vzKWKxJtJESDocBbR4reMn8TH3WTB2e3zDMjOT7FPZnNz_Bx2XIO2XIImB2eBrW3Hu4YcmspDnOSBi9KR2EqlfBmvxP0h2eHaNWbU9jUv0OhNiYj4WMTW0swRuRDMGICtmf7XYsBq/s1600/big_bend_np147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Gx1vzKWKxJtJESDocBbR4reMn8TH3WTB2e3zDMjOT7FPZnNz_Bx2XIO2XIImB2eBrW3Hu4YcmspDnOSBi9KR2EqlfBmvxP0h2eHaNWbU9jUv0OhNiYj4WMTW0swRuRDMGICtmf7XYsBq/s320/big_bend_np147.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the trail leads down into a small canyon</td></tr>
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The trail began as just a hike though the desert, but got more interesting when we got to the area shown in the 3rd picture above. We were now hiking along a wash through a small canyon. Again, I kept my eyes peeled for any signs of reptile life, but I didn't see a thing. The geology along this section of the trail was really interesting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXy6wWvDwE_H__cU5IKicSSpjAUMK9kvCRPyPSduofTPadPUUuFbezxQg43a4l9n_ELATyXxUbRwcloicfrcAjbrwaPPRTKRXmJIOwBt2AGvYNUskK2p9mrtfJ3V2tg0ZxqRf-eDFHMj4w/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXy6wWvDwE_H__cU5IKicSSpjAUMK9kvCRPyPSduofTPadPUUuFbezxQg43a4l9n_ELATyXxUbRwcloicfrcAjbrwaPPRTKRXmJIOwBt2AGvYNUskK2p9mrtfJ3V2tg0ZxqRf-eDFHMj4w/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMQ74FuMeFMtp4jdpo5PS7H1T1jRxIrNKTHe_eWhijof5w6zxmMYKXc77nkndswlaqDPPZdw8CbxF38-VDuCIbY4ZQE6dyroZl38bQEDyD2mbP9rCd9HUzOHSNcXZQQjVNp3cFD483J2C/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMQ74FuMeFMtp4jdpo5PS7H1T1jRxIrNKTHe_eWhijof5w6zxmMYKXc77nkndswlaqDPPZdw8CbxF38-VDuCIbY4ZQE6dyroZl38bQEDyD2mbP9rCd9HUzOHSNcXZQQjVNp3cFD483J2C/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy's heading in to look for some snakes</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cqQaveqKE6mfL-NMXN_Efzwh1XGe1BKcAvj4u3JCfHPFDLIMHYNBDpcVLM-VuRyjvuME16LWq6WMwr08eo60kEIRpLO3b0b7qWvk4RMsbogNYLtXMxmT8AK2eRefC3xCszzzFojePsLc/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cqQaveqKE6mfL-NMXN_Efzwh1XGe1BKcAvj4u3JCfHPFDLIMHYNBDpcVLM-VuRyjvuME16LWq6WMwr08eo60kEIRpLO3b0b7qWvk4RMsbogNYLtXMxmT8AK2eRefC3xCszzzFojePsLc/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We took our time along this section of the trail just to make sure we didn't miss anything. I'm sure we did, but we saw more that most people would have. Instead of babbling on about it, here are some more pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVeZO0isDqaBarMRzFIQdGLC5ZWmamx9zqzi2c_W7fzYUk0uCNDtBE34RCuZZ-qTb73OAC93566XLXvRZQJ4hvnOXBnFas9Z6clHevygLk2XvCHXWy_rK4TXjK8CG2Yj7ygZcTx3T1aHv/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVeZO0isDqaBarMRzFIQdGLC5ZWmamx9zqzi2c_W7fzYUk0uCNDtBE34RCuZZ-qTb73OAC93566XLXvRZQJ4hvnOXBnFas9Z6clHevygLk2XvCHXWy_rK4TXjK8CG2Yj7ygZcTx3T1aHv/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAWFIMK3ac9JAxnpCfxmnh0IhBStVEicS9j-TKthpdkYOYREDHS2A91NLxAkDhwmkeEloGsiQO5yrwL6vdV13qCofnZanRfad9zpljgKdA2C8JS-ToFOzwXvNw0BACSrt0qblzEG7qo79/s1600/big_bend_np151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAWFIMK3ac9JAxnpCfxmnh0IhBStVEicS9j-TKthpdkYOYREDHS2A91NLxAkDhwmkeEloGsiQO5yrwL6vdV13qCofnZanRfad9zpljgKdA2C8JS-ToFOzwXvNw0BACSrt0qblzEG7qo79/s320/big_bend_np151.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some type of crystal-like rock</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIFc0-m9gYgOGbsBKxUODGmalhlrsCOTUAp0Csqc4n7RnljedbRpIZNbez5Ade9kMv1dAgQpZysEdx73PRskEUac7rUWi9kehM7rn2lAPRn9kRTbcvS_69YAoemgkMnhYzutz_qYjxCpO/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIFc0-m9gYgOGbsBKxUODGmalhlrsCOTUAp0Csqc4n7RnljedbRpIZNbez5Ade9kMv1dAgQpZysEdx73PRskEUac7rUWi9kehM7rn2lAPRn9kRTbcvS_69YAoemgkMnhYzutz_qYjxCpO/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRln9M6rmFMIwhwQqWvAIs2TY28EMmluZdUeBXT2Qg9b9RODcenyCA697FqBKEJ2s7ZsScdiG1zpWCocDBtjdMMpPoNi3p7WIVCIWpxrvqOzehBFVGKnUrxz1YkeM2wwWy95QhxxUDKkl/s1600/cactus_skeleton_big_bend3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRln9M6rmFMIwhwQqWvAIs2TY28EMmluZdUeBXT2Qg9b9RODcenyCA697FqBKEJ2s7ZsScdiG1zpWCocDBtjdMMpPoNi3p7WIVCIWpxrvqOzehBFVGKnUrxz1YkeM2wwWy95QhxxUDKkl/s320/cactus_skeleton_big_bend3.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close up of a cactus skeleton along the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqFAlIJVNGwJWodw6OAKdlG87QX6Z8nU_XzKdEskgAPjNJ9FtDmM2qIpeFojnQfOQXx41hrxYIX1Ci_BVeSt7eRL4bhrsyNqmULIx_oX3zo0dc3APiovyPtvQvAHFKtO1ecmAIKvol38O/s1600/big_bend_np153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqFAlIJVNGwJWodw6OAKdlG87QX6Z8nU_XzKdEskgAPjNJ9FtDmM2qIpeFojnQfOQXx41hrxYIX1Ci_BVeSt7eRL4bhrsyNqmULIx_oX3zo0dc3APiovyPtvQvAHFKtO1ecmAIKvol38O/s320/big_bend_np153.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an unexpected arch along the trail</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sIZ7QLimGzHXd_LUsWrt4lteMRBx6rFGtgn07gg4uLe-J_Yd8j6OBKPl-GaEI3kuQ7T2c_ufjgu_l2wl-Dc6iB-q75oUhrUrhbt0zixYFx_MaGQWgWqef9KkdSplYM8SbtBQdeRtkzgN/s1600/big_bend_np156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sIZ7QLimGzHXd_LUsWrt4lteMRBx6rFGtgn07gg4uLe-J_Yd8j6OBKPl-GaEI3kuQ7T2c_ufjgu_l2wl-Dc6iB-q75oUhrUrhbt0zixYFx_MaGQWgWqef9KkdSplYM8SbtBQdeRtkzgN/s320/big_bend_np156.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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When we finally made it to what we thought was the end of the trail, we ran into a road block. I was expecting to be at the top of the pour off. Instead we were at the top of a 20-25' drop with no safe way to get down. The rock was just too slick and there weren't any hand or foot holds. We later found out that the pour off was just around the corner from where I'm looking in the next shot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TDaCujgtAnqos2FGeCXJrAB5Qav6fl1446avl72H5kAVH-_GMURPjvGPVBH7EH3hKUMiB2RDlWGtgqy6NlQV7UZ4bftK1WYfiXxDZG8zzWo0JIU5UFjC8pTbWVS-RrHwl8fVB7PRCn_z/s1600/me_big_bend2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TDaCujgtAnqos2FGeCXJrAB5Qav6fl1446avl72H5kAVH-_GMURPjvGPVBH7EH3hKUMiB2RDlWGtgqy6NlQV7UZ4bftK1WYfiXxDZG8zzWo0JIU5UFjC8pTbWVS-RrHwl8fVB7PRCn_z/s320/me_big_bend2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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We were in no real hurry to get back to the truck, so we spent more time shooting and looking on the way back. Here's a little of what we saw.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcu14LnW7kdMuYkgO1ZiG2XL0eCBvuZGnPr6dQppcZ9RP0Mc00MjPi0FiflETIayOxIgetboi199R8sfiywxb1m9kq0K-KSKtCipWgUU7nS5ms7pJwyeGXOR76likWzjOxEERf-41IknM/s1600/big_bend_np160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcu14LnW7kdMuYkgO1ZiG2XL0eCBvuZGnPr6dQppcZ9RP0Mc00MjPi0FiflETIayOxIgetboi199R8sfiywxb1m9kq0K-KSKtCipWgUU7nS5ms7pJwyeGXOR76likWzjOxEERf-41IknM/s320/big_bend_np160.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AX6jpGITTTHX22hdVw8-YdOvDxO1gujZ7BiSUV_8zvdfqUzXwlHzNXcSyBoxinnIlguZBI3cmBI0AaSNUbFcKWAFAc2zQq2E2JdW7Jetc_ae_bFm-iHiPJJ1yRWxkVB8pH58GdgHgCiH/s1600/big_bend_np161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AX6jpGITTTHX22hdVw8-YdOvDxO1gujZ7BiSUV_8zvdfqUzXwlHzNXcSyBoxinnIlguZBI3cmBI0AaSNUbFcKWAFAc2zQq2E2JdW7Jetc_ae_bFm-iHiPJJ1yRWxkVB8pH58GdgHgCiH/s320/big_bend_np161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprfWmaVbysPUOgesO7lqivLVbhEzsWGaMtlV5WSLGAfnlVL7s5uSdoVLoC9qWPX50OOy5jpdD4cBhSmZDbhyphenhyphenpxD4BE91o35RAGyO905gCA0ezCJD0r2dHzk6fWo3k_cOIRyzouG7cIiBO/s1600/cactus_big_bend15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprfWmaVbysPUOgesO7lqivLVbhEzsWGaMtlV5WSLGAfnlVL7s5uSdoVLoC9qWPX50OOy5jpdD4cBhSmZDbhyphenhyphenpxD4BE91o35RAGyO905gCA0ezCJD0r2dHzk6fWo3k_cOIRyzouG7cIiBO/s320/cactus_big_bend15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaaBo5IsDJ_aFOVuwKQQf5Magk_QjjrZxqACPfmQUI4QdfEu9QW2-Z_qdfZBXhxk3VrZvWm46zVVki_GD2PHbsWb9LJqxWHNBnVB3CpTb4a4e3kZtlcUsMd_6k-huiFKLJmFxVdIlmWt3/s1600/me_cindy211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaaBo5IsDJ_aFOVuwKQQf5Magk_QjjrZxqACPfmQUI4QdfEu9QW2-Z_qdfZBXhxk3VrZvWm46zVVki_GD2PHbsWb9LJqxWHNBnVB3CpTb4a4e3kZtlcUsMd_6k-huiFKLJmFxVdIlmWt3/s320/me_cindy211.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatbLrRNlzOlGPvSU5vAukUWWXwwOJWJG8Y_um9jbE7ZWTHtfTSqOAsZFgArTCTdYXRiXQsxRWGv1uqTTKT0lbAIr2xbHLAr7MCj54BOzeRObFk0zPSEwomJ1iCLMYFBxe4ab1tlq4cwo5/s1600/big_bend_np164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatbLrRNlzOlGPvSU5vAukUWWXwwOJWJG8Y_um9jbE7ZWTHtfTSqOAsZFgArTCTdYXRiXQsxRWGv1uqTTKT0lbAIr2xbHLAr7MCj54BOzeRObFk0zPSEwomJ1iCLMYFBxe4ab1tlq4cwo5/s320/big_bend_np164.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We got back to the camp site at a decent time, ate dinner, then decided to head up to the nature trail look to see the view from the top. It was a pretty good way to end another great day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FrBb8RHHZe5SgX0HSFJNsZ2a9-gvxSDW8xj9WGj5FuwRNFqSIkucJQbfmc9bke7Y94WNgsmozjj1GKlKXjQL5d7SIlUlGUGCY5wpNC5XriyEF6ecuS58wm7LosvbKL6qWvmYhZEa_NKr/s1600/big_bend_np166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FrBb8RHHZe5SgX0HSFJNsZ2a9-gvxSDW8xj9WGj5FuwRNFqSIkucJQbfmc9bke7Y94WNgsmozjj1GKlKXjQL5d7SIlUlGUGCY5wpNC5XriyEF6ecuS58wm7LosvbKL6qWvmYhZEa_NKr/s320/big_bend_np166.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the campground - the back is from a controlled burn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLzdUHRSHHBvLIruKdQVk91cf_Q_ZLloe_d-nPFi4zHgGMYQSAY_r67VmNu6LhauyMwWNjYS3EoSBfXM9UaCUX7JKpCLXudN2-aZ-JgyfJg3G7GJ53UNPkzGv6u1ZdFJfexeXItkmzVCg/s1600/big_bend_np167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLzdUHRSHHBvLIruKdQVk91cf_Q_ZLloe_d-nPFi4zHgGMYQSAY_r67VmNu6LhauyMwWNjYS3EoSBfXM9UaCUX7JKpCLXudN2-aZ-JgyfJg3G7GJ53UNPkzGv6u1ZdFJfexeXItkmzVCg/s320/big_bend_np167.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view into Mexico</td></tr>
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-55631456373348375622018-03-24T19:53:00.000-04:002018-03-24T19:53:44.197-04:00February 21 - Day 7 in Big Bend National Park - Dagger Flats Auto Tour and Boquillas CanyonWe were pretty worn out from yesterday's paddle trip, so we took it easy today. There's a gravel road on the map called Dagger Flats Auto Trail which sounded like it might be have good birding possibilities. We've done really well on seeing new birds so far (21 to date), but kind of so-so on getting good photos to post here.<br />
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The NPS Big Bend site lists the Dagger Flats road as 7 miles one way, ending in a small valley full of giant dagger yuccas. We were expecting to come across some pull off areas along the road with interpretive signs or something similar, but it's basically just a ride through the desert on a road that ends in a small valley full of giant dagger yuccas - just like the web site said. We were very surprised that we didn't come across very many birds at all. The road was in decent shape most of the way, but there were a few places that might have been trouble for a 2WD car.<br />
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We still had a good time despite it not being what we expected. The small valley was indeed full of giant dagger yuccas along with other desert plants covered in sharp, pointed obtrusions. Below is a bit of what we saw.<br />
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While we were stopped, I also kept an eye out for reptiles, but came up empty once again. One good thing was that there was no one else out there or on the road until we got about halfway back to the pavement. From here, we headed back to the campground to eat our big meal and figure out what our next move would be.<br />
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We still had plenty of daylight left, so we decided to hike the nearby Boquillas Canyon Trail. It's a fairly easy 1.4 mile out and back hike that ends in a canyon with views of the river along the way. The winds had really picked up during the day and unfortunately there's a lot of sand along the trail near the river. We got sandblasted along the way and didn't really enjoy this one as much as the other hikes. I guess we were spoiled from the outrageous scenery we had seen the day before, so this probably isn't a fair assessment of this part of the park. Here's what I shot when I wasn't picking sand out of my teeth.<br />
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From here we just called it a day and headed back to the campground to chill for the rest of the day.<br />
Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-9486382627523178432018-03-21T17:02:00.000-04:002018-03-21T17:02:25.072-04:00February 20 - Day 6 in Big Bend National Park - Paddling the Santa Elana CanyonCindy and I had been keeping an eye on the weather forecasts for the last few days trying to decide which day would be best for our paddling trip on the Rio Grande River into the Santa Elena Canyon. A couple of days ago, we decided on today, so yesterday we stopped by the Chisos Basin visitor center to get our permit. Permits are free, but required by the park. The park ranger went over all of the rules including the one about not setting foot on the Mexican side except in case of emergency.<br />
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We left our camp site early in hopes of being the first boat on the river - and we were. We didn't see anyone else on the river until we started heading back -
and we only saw 5 people total. Two were on paddle boards (I got then on
video) and 3 were in canoes. The put in area is the same place as we began the hike a couple of days ago. The boat we have is the inflatable Sevylor Colorado. I bought it several years ago before Cindy and I met and I guess Coleman has since bought them out since all the links take me to the Coleman site. It looks like the design has changed somewhat and the current model doesn't come with some of the accessories I got. It's a good fit for us since it packs fairly small deflated and fits easily in our travel trailer. It took us about 30 minutes of prep and inflating, then we were off!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IE-GukhOZ1Wd-2cN1FGzXyolnOnqJOrm-Bo04v826VtJ5XmnQOQDy7FfEI42FdcQue0gpuZfXSa_ksX41Mvs-Mpe8XJ4NNkeBIc7s2IJaFxRVxNGSZaQS73IN0EJXk3BYSjTX6s1oD-A/s1600/sevylor_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IE-GukhOZ1Wd-2cN1FGzXyolnOnqJOrm-Bo04v826VtJ5XmnQOQDy7FfEI42FdcQue0gpuZfXSa_ksX41Mvs-Mpe8XJ4NNkeBIc7s2IJaFxRVxNGSZaQS73IN0EJXk3BYSjTX6s1oD-A/s320/sevylor_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our Sevylor Colorado</td></tr>
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The plan was to paddle up river to a place called Fern Canyon, then float back down to this same put in spot. The paddling wasn't too bad to begin with, but as we got a little deeper into the canyon, the head winds picked up and we had to work a little harder to keep our forward momentum. River levels were very low and there were sections of river all along the way where it was easier to just get out and pull the boat.<br />
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There were several places to get out along the way and we took advantage of most of them. We were in no particular hurry, and the only deadline we had was to be out by dark. Plus, the scenery is so spectacular through the canyon. Who would want to hurry?! The park web site says the canyon has walls up to 1500' high, but I don't want to guess how high this section is. Cindy and the boat are in a few shots for scale. The next shots below are from our stop with a view of Smuggler's Cave in the background. The cave is on the Mexican side of the river and if you Google for images, you should see pictures of people that have climbed up to it. That wasn't happening today.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking up river towards Smuggler's Cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smuggler's Cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking down river from Smuggler's Cave</td></tr>
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There was one spot between here and our destination - Fern Canyon - that was particularly difficult for us to get past. The river splits into 2 riffles with an island in between. I was able to pull the boat up along the edge of one of the riffles to the top side of the island. We waded out as far as we could trying to stay in the middle of the split water flow, and then hopped in the boat and paddled as hard as we could to break free into calmer waters. The current was strong and the head winds turned the boat around twice and sent us back down one of the riffles. Strong winds and inflatables aren't a good combination - along with our inexperience as paddlers. We were almost ready to give it up, but decided to give it one more shot - and we made it! I think if Cindy hears "paddle, paddle, PADDLE!!" one more time, there will be a paddle deposited somewhere the sun doesn't shine 😬<br />
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We got to Fern Canyon early afternoon. At least we figured it was Fern Canyon (we confirmed later that it was). It's not like there are any signs or anything. The only thing we knew was the canyon was on the Mexican side - and this one was. We pulled up on the American side a little past the canyon and explored the area a bit, trying to see what was around the next bend. I crossed the river and went back to Fern Canyon to see if it could be explored. (I know, the ranger said not to go on the Mexico side and I'm sorry - I'll try to do better next time.) A larger boulder kind of blocked the mouth of the canyon. I could have climbed over it to continue, but figured our time might be better spent enjoying the rest of the river. The next photo is looking back towards Fern Canyon.<br />
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From the same spot as I took that shot, looking to my right is what's called Arch Canyon. I didn't know that until we got back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExBGZB7T79UU6rvNQYHW4EOCtfgevtu9fwPDqP76b7ST-MA96fmZArslz4AyF879GM4RZaOMg3DD6bQ5mgJHtxAUwU0StabrWtf-30k9eVibbbNr9gI09ojXhdkHnaM5Sqe_3lyGTgblF/s1600/big_bend_np129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExBGZB7T79UU6rvNQYHW4EOCtfgevtu9fwPDqP76b7ST-MA96fmZArslz4AyF879GM4RZaOMg3DD6bQ5mgJHtxAUwU0StabrWtf-30k9eVibbbNr9gI09ojXhdkHnaM5Sqe_3lyGTgblF/s320/big_bend_np129.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arch Canyon</td></tr>
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I also took some video both while we were stopped and while we were floating back down river. I haven't processed that yet, but will post it to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/waterfallrich" target="_blank">my YouTube Channel</a> when I do. We hung around this area for quite a while before deciding that we should head back. Floating back down was obviously much easier and quicker than paddling up. We stopped on the way back down also to take advantage of the afternoon light and to extend the experience as long as we could. These next photos are our last stop which is just beyond the point in the canyon you can get to by hiking the trail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUK4DjMyoQwTlaR-0Dv8lAYrqG-nkpIDOT_7x118j8mTmZZRnq3ZEL2vf764pw02i6ZqzHJfZgVZY6ZTYPvhjfUYHPy6fBVkaS_-lBjrthdZQZlqMXyrAL5388g6hVCEC2jPE288Srsed/s1600/big_bend_np133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUK4DjMyoQwTlaR-0Dv8lAYrqG-nkpIDOT_7x118j8mTmZZRnq3ZEL2vf764pw02i6ZqzHJfZgVZY6ZTYPvhjfUYHPy6fBVkaS_-lBjrthdZQZlqMXyrAL5388g6hVCEC2jPE288Srsed/s320/big_bend_np133.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking down river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99e-EmS-JWiYAAokQkFca51Q7MXdr8-rTn8mSjzvWU52XVElssPfYj1LRqfjhUkjCugfOiI5btq9qfT7wEHyzDD0fz8P2-11zmMJtqLa6jkFwg3gNhpQZ6j725XTCnIWSu9oP3qbI3GaR/s1600/big_bend_np135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99e-EmS-JWiYAAokQkFca51Q7MXdr8-rTn8mSjzvWU52XVElssPfYj1LRqfjhUkjCugfOiI5btq9qfT7wEHyzDD0fz8P2-11zmMJtqLa6jkFwg3gNhpQZ6j725XTCnIWSu9oP3qbI3GaR/s320/big_bend_np135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking down river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0LoHKuwjoW052l1jVF-LrLfMhKUG8uR1SZU2Dt_io0UYUdLmb_atw5e8P2r4NHF5tYPtRgOvnwsv0W3zcmzSMYcaus91P2LzPWuv69Emw0goJPc5jwZu2ypQb_1DezptgXuBFLx-8akr/s1600/big_bend_np134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0LoHKuwjoW052l1jVF-LrLfMhKUG8uR1SZU2Dt_io0UYUdLmb_atw5e8P2r4NHF5tYPtRgOvnwsv0W3zcmzSMYcaus91P2LzPWuv69Emw0goJPc5jwZu2ypQb_1DezptgXuBFLx-8akr/s320/big_bend_np134.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking up river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cYB4v0l2ZrCxCm6U3N6stSyOP_GUD2DE96ejklMrped5EYFvRN7O-2cbMuR0g7apFUEVxCC7Xtw7oGjWZdKUDVd7PxrKm_UuIy9pVfg5VHOz5E5ElLm5pXlCMQEv1U3M2_bOr3KxMPiJ/s1600/big_bend_np136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cYB4v0l2ZrCxCm6U3N6stSyOP_GUD2DE96ejklMrped5EYFvRN7O-2cbMuR0g7apFUEVxCC7Xtw7oGjWZdKUDVd7PxrKm_UuIy9pVfg5VHOz5E5ElLm5pXlCMQEv1U3M2_bOr3KxMPiJ/s320/big_bend_np136.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking up river</td></tr>
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We still had a lot to see in the park over the next week, but looking back, this was definitely the highlight of the trip! Do it if you get the chance.Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-3560336256510393372018-03-19T20:41:00.000-04:002018-03-19T20:41:02.235-04:00February 19 - Day 5 in Big Bend National Park - Window TrailToday's hike took us back up to the cooler temperatures of the Chisos Mountains. The Window Trail got good reviews online and we were eager to see what it had to offer. There was also the possibility of seeing the Acorn Woodpecker which was high on our list of birds we wanted to photograph.<br />
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The trail is a 5.6 miles out and back and descends through Oak Creek Canyon before ending at the Window. We got to the trail head just as the sun was beginning to peek over the mountains and were greeted with this beautiful scenery as we began the hike.<br />
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As the trail descended, the scenery changed from open views to a more closed in canyon. The oak trees were still bare from shedding their leaves last fall, but there was still plenty of interesting desert plant life around.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy heading through the canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Havard Agave</td></tr>
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The Havard Agave must be an amazing plant to see in bloom. The remaining stalk on the one above was 15-20' high and felt as hard as a tree branch. The agave can grow for 100 years and only blooms once in it's life time. Once it blooms, it dies.<br />
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The trail began to get really interesting as we closed in on the Window. The trail became bedrock as it headed down next to a series of potholes that still had some murky water in them. In the second photo below, you can see how they chiseled stairs out of the rock. I got better pictures of this on the way back up. Just after this, a short rock climb offered up a glimpse of our destination.<br />
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The Window is a narrow gap in the mountains at the top of a pour off with a slim view of the desert below. The rock floor is super slippery, worn smooth from millions of years of water rushing over the pour off. It's a good thing the water doesn't flow year round, or this view wouldn't be possible. In the second picture below, a guy has slid down into a pothole to get a better view. Death awaits the person that is stupid enough to go any farther. I had to check out that view also and the 3rd picture is the view I had. Getting into the pothole wasn't too hard, but getting back up the slick rock was tricky.<br />
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As I mentioned above, I took some shots at the potholes area. The geology here was amazing and the park did an excellent job with the stairs.<br />
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On the way back we decided to hang around the area of the oaks to see if we could spot one of the Acorn Woodpeckers. Oaks have acorns and Acorn Woodpeckers must like acorns - made sense to us. Well, our hunch paid off and we soon spotted a pair of the unusual looking birds. Note the acorn in the hole in the second shot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Acorn Woodpecker</td></tr>
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It was mid afternoon when we got back to the truck, and we decided to head back to the campground and chill the rest of the day. Some dark clouds moved in after we got back, and there was a very brief shower, but it was enough to produce a nice double rainbow across from our camp site. What a great way to end another wonderful day in one of our country's beautiful national parks!<br />
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Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-64921667322206312762018-03-16T20:30:00.000-04:002018-03-16T20:30:29.763-04:00February 18 (part 2) - Day 4 in Big Bend National Park - Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off TrailAfter finishing the Santa Elena Canyon hike, we stopped at the nearby Castolon visitor center. There are some older historic buildings there that Cindy wanted to shoot. I didn't shoot any of the buildings, but stayed busy looking for any reptiles that happened to be around. The park boasts 56 species of reptiles, but so far I have seen a grand total of zero - and I've been looking wherever we go. I didn't spot any here either so I grabbed a shot of some scenery before we headed up the road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxzqJRCJsGmUBLCORRKZ2m-YxgXmo7mrZhSbQ_hj7k7LLrxG_gkZXaJqtZ2LbE82sr9TOFF1cl2euNOyZRGvLs0FEt1eHbDT0b3Pfc7MuP31tXc5bnMmw2cg8buWzrsHohfBB21hA_yMA/s1600/big_bend_np75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxzqJRCJsGmUBLCORRKZ2m-YxgXmo7mrZhSbQ_hj7k7LLrxG_gkZXaJqtZ2LbE82sr9TOFF1cl2euNOyZRGvLs0FEt1eHbDT0b3Pfc7MuP31tXc5bnMmw2cg8buWzrsHohfBB21hA_yMA/s320/big_bend_np75.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the views from the Castolon visitor center</td></tr>
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It was dark when we were in this section of the park earlier in the day, so now we were able to see more of the beauty the park has to offer. The first area we stopped at was near Tuff Canyon (which we hiked on a later date). The rock in this area is unusual in that it was a very light color, made from volcanic ash or tuff. You can see it in this next photo.<br />
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Just up the road from this is a scenic pull off that includs the rock formation called Mule Ears. A little farther up the road was the parking area for the Mule Ears Spring Trail. We didn't hike this trail, but pulled in for the views from the parking area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYmDjpiB9wjA7wskI2O0CO4sK4adMSODhbljU2Z63DEavZUhBTgcp15TsgVWRhTa90tpjlCW5iHkC-1Cxf-TxqKo0BF-YOOz-o7T8LMu2WjE9E-7-JFmx0ipjUSa8TqWT19QXXRcixLGy/s1600/big_bend_np79.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYmDjpiB9wjA7wskI2O0CO4sK4adMSODhbljU2Z63DEavZUhBTgcp15TsgVWRhTa90tpjlCW5iHkC-1Cxf-TxqKo0BF-YOOz-o7T8LMu2WjE9E-7-JFmx0ipjUSa8TqWT19QXXRcixLGy/s320/big_bend_np79.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mule Ears view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmPbSN63oGDRvRE9OlqRuu1mNPQbknkAvKvxAXR91hLR6KRFbqAMwAM8CcAXvnVHHMkzoh5aPBUwTHhi5n6djmJRrDiFjpgSGkV_B-8mJw-kgEx0_9MdtqQLIav6ns8ZlqkZCd-bJCvIq/s1600/big_bend_np80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmPbSN63oGDRvRE9OlqRuu1mNPQbknkAvKvxAXR91hLR6KRFbqAMwAM8CcAXvnVHHMkzoh5aPBUwTHhi5n6djmJRrDiFjpgSGkV_B-8mJw-kgEx0_9MdtqQLIav6ns8ZlqkZCd-bJCvIq/s320/big_bend_np80.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mule Ears view</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the Mule Ears parking area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwemf5sI9HZocawGfiYnFIVDGW5Po8B6yjUqQmfTICx34yCwj6PI-ljet52sT30wn6ruTd2TKtwYZ_C8lzD35WCT4P47Hki95gEyw1oiO9EjHkZJkBkVXVYFPz2_dglx8e2ybvZQVGT2D6/s1600/big_bend_np82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwemf5sI9HZocawGfiYnFIVDGW5Po8B6yjUqQmfTICx34yCwj6PI-ljet52sT30wn6ruTd2TKtwYZ_C8lzD35WCT4P47Hki95gEyw1oiO9EjHkZJkBkVXVYFPz2_dglx8e2ybvZQVGT2D6/s320/big_bend_np82.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mule Ears Spring Trail</td></tr>
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Our next hike was the Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off Trail which is just a little farther up the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive which is the name of the road in this section of the park. The trail is an easy 1 mile out and back that ends at a very interesting box canyon. There are excellent close up views of some very colorful rock formations and more interesting desert plants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BPf1GfzrOvPW-582GjJWw61dMSFRR1FQ0SaZBqJf23DjjEyckvaPBBKZL-wsjUS9hOl1_f_3xrLLmU2OjrJ8ydzqM1IZ4ht1a_F8zJRWyiiomiycampAhzqFeS2foBsK_q54v9E5dY-v/s1600/cholla_cactus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BPf1GfzrOvPW-582GjJWw61dMSFRR1FQ0SaZBqJf23DjjEyckvaPBBKZL-wsjUS9hOl1_f_3xrLLmU2OjrJ8ydzqM1IZ4ht1a_F8zJRWyiiomiycampAhzqFeS2foBsK_q54v9E5dY-v/s320/cholla_cactus2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree Cholla (<span class="taxon taxon-273618 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Cylindropuntia imbricata</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLuTAcZvi_M1fyEJO4TfwC-llX4KNUenhi41sQFzFwpYrfQoSUAeIrq1MVHBXaD0XRl6VRGw4JV6jSnTEF2iKEUQAwIk8fIv7i6V6x1z_DxZofJ_AbyHYENiIiZxRl6_NZbKEqZUPBEyw/s1600/yellow_wasp_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLuTAcZvi_M1fyEJO4TfwC-llX4KNUenhi41sQFzFwpYrfQoSUAeIrq1MVHBXaD0XRl6VRGw4JV6jSnTEF2iKEUQAwIk8fIv7i6V6x1z_DxZofJ_AbyHYENiIiZxRl6_NZbKEqZUPBEyw/s320/yellow_wasp_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Wasp (<span class="taxon taxon-121218 species Insecta "><i><span class="sciname">Polistes flavus</span></i>) </span></td></tr>
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The trail ends in a box canyon that is home to a 100' high pour off that shows how powerful falling water can be. This must be an amazing place after a big rain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstOTtLnjACffmpS6P-x2_v6NhvYghz_Qf41E6XPPDXigc7YOD6cbg07XA5yb2_MZU-FQ37MSzb6cv8R4FmKqmHG4ZXNU0lQF4xSEoabwT8-ZX0_2BSFnJCAv6yGqcAkFbbnFt7vNFzAMd/s1600/big_bend_np91.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstOTtLnjACffmpS6P-x2_v6NhvYghz_Qf41E6XPPDXigc7YOD6cbg07XA5yb2_MZU-FQ37MSzb6cv8R4FmKqmHG4ZXNU0lQF4xSEoabwT8-ZX0_2BSFnJCAv6yGqcAkFbbnFt7vNFzAMd/s320/big_bend_np91.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The last picture stop of the day was at the Sotol Vista which has excellent expansive views of the section of the park where we had spent the day. There are more trails in this area and we would return on another day! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJL2FA2KnWFxlJXPcTmXEzv9h446xBCiCXrdNnlHpFf1IJ_12iRLMz60fyUL2Z9zN0I3bz_Po6sw44BCZy39IreLjYBdboxitYp8HETzvKlmpyX5QdWOpTq1UIWB113ygfpi6VCuybpbcp/s1600/big_bend_np96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJL2FA2KnWFxlJXPcTmXEzv9h446xBCiCXrdNnlHpFf1IJ_12iRLMz60fyUL2Z9zN0I3bz_Po6sw44BCZy39IreLjYBdboxitYp8HETzvKlmpyX5QdWOpTq1UIWB113ygfpi6VCuybpbcp/s320/big_bend_np96.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">views from Sotol Vista overlook</td></tr>
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-5774119324903836612018-03-14T20:16:00.000-04:002018-03-14T20:19:10.881-04:00February 18 (part 1) - Day 4 in Big Bend National Park - Hiking Santa Elena CanyonI took a lot of pictures today, so I decided to make this a 2 part post.<br />
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We brought our inflatable canoe with us on the trip in case we got the chance to do some paddling on the Rio Grande River. The intention was to paddle up river into the Santa Elena Canyon, then float back down to where we put in. There's also a trail that leads into the canyon, so we decided to hike it first so we could check out the put in area and see a small sampling of the scenery on foot.<br />
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The canyon area is on the opposite end of the park from where we were camped, so we got up early and headed that way. We arrived just after sunrise and were greeted with some nice early morning light. The first picture below is looking down river from the mouth of the canyon and the second is looking into the canyon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunrise on the Rio Grande River</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking into the Santa Elena Canyon</td></tr>
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The trail is an out and back and listed at 1.7 miles round trip. It begins by switchbacking up for some better views looking both ways.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBdcr8dIEPznIzRo8jaZmaxB1Vw7eQuQGKgt9HwGy_XeEZTjP7S3kVFxLxhttEFTjJXwm7CZpTZYz5higj8lbybH7w_pdz1DSVJXDCr24V2yvsbszhKjk539_j7KSvlCagkYyYkQuFHPk/s1600/big_bend_np58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBdcr8dIEPznIzRo8jaZmaxB1Vw7eQuQGKgt9HwGy_XeEZTjP7S3kVFxLxhttEFTjJXwm7CZpTZYz5higj8lbybH7w_pdz1DSVJXDCr24V2yvsbszhKjk539_j7KSvlCagkYyYkQuFHPk/s320/big_bend_np58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">note the 2 people on the trail for scale</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUv3Jxx0LGMYKtv3YuUoLri6_ReYGJ53NaUqc5fDtHDvPEx7-WZyG9AFMPePlnNH7QVuNt8oXv1UmN0YZFo1YOSppzZkbEd6mCoV7qdG-CzCixie4eWS6WraBpBYw14wAc3HJVMzVEA4-a/s1600/big_bend_np64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUv3Jxx0LGMYKtv3YuUoLri6_ReYGJ53NaUqc5fDtHDvPEx7-WZyG9AFMPePlnNH7QVuNt8oXv1UmN0YZFo1YOSppzZkbEd6mCoV7qdG-CzCixie4eWS6WraBpBYw14wAc3HJVMzVEA4-a/s320/big_bend_np64.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The trail then heads back down to river level, continues for a bit longer along the river, then ends. The only way to go any farther is to wade, swim, or paddle. This is an amazing area and a must see if you go to Big Bend. I could go on and on about how beautiful it is. Hopefully these pictures will do it justice.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce4LdfgnK16x-LE6GZudNqt_dNZuMrvUB56fwrYegZzarOEZnPPUUsB4OxvTgmLCavsuAwWMmTr36z6p9GboX5F3J-lHmtY2J3By4ry6t4yx1OQRh7Bxm7yVOY8zjBIf3WSdX4HYq9A_B/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhce4LdfgnK16x-LE6GZudNqt_dNZuMrvUB56fwrYegZzarOEZnPPUUsB4OxvTgmLCavsuAwWMmTr36z6p9GboX5F3J-lHmtY2J3By4ry6t4yx1OQRh7Bxm7yVOY8zjBIf3WSdX4HYq9A_B/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnF0dXj8lRT8INPp0HYfGV3GNOdDzuzkUAL0r3ELB49U4tRB10W57qjGSQqiY4M8oPPbSauyqQRwAglC91TXGa5UbgJQdcAzm8kvkOjtxoyJXKFekTUkGybTMLHbZfD8NIj8b5fa5Ab_0/s1600/cindy_big_bend_tx3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnF0dXj8lRT8INPp0HYfGV3GNOdDzuzkUAL0r3ELB49U4tRB10W57qjGSQqiY4M8oPPbSauyqQRwAglC91TXGa5UbgJQdcAzm8kvkOjtxoyJXKFekTUkGybTMLHbZfD8NIj8b5fa5Ab_0/s320/cindy_big_bend_tx3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking back up into the park from back at the beginning of the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIEHfTJ8mFOM3N7kgAab6nHpMtzlmm6aesODlrW-YqFYYA-qT-4gEooCAM4jWgtS15-1CcTeZZzCaTGQLsH6LEEVAq3HVRbJ5UHtzZeLGAfmBSJ7CZG7OZqgp65UrJM8DcOOy57ZM0xCT/s1600/big_bend_np70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIEHfTJ8mFOM3N7kgAab6nHpMtzlmm6aesODlrW-YqFYYA-qT-4gEooCAM4jWgtS15-1CcTeZZzCaTGQLsH6LEEVAq3HVRbJ5UHtzZeLGAfmBSJ7CZG7OZqgp65UrJM8DcOOy57ZM0xCT/s320/big_bend_np70.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hoping this would be us in a couple of days</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There's a lot more to see on this side of the park and it was still early, so we headed towards out next destination - the Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off Trail. Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-71685169480732058522018-03-12T19:53:00.000-04:002018-03-14T20:19:29.204-04:00February 17 - Day 3 in Big Bend National Park - More Birds and SceneryWe started today out with a stop at the Rio Grande Overlook to see if we could catch a nice sunrise. Cloud cover on the horizon blocked out the rising sun, so we moved up the road for another visit to Dugout Wells to check out the early morning birding situation. By now the clouds on the horizon were gone and we were treated to some nice light on the distant mountains.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dugout Wells</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dugout Wells</td></tr>
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Two ravens were in a tree at the parking area, so I snapped a photo of them before they flew off. I already had the Common Raven, but Chihuahuan Ravens (which I didn't have) are known to be in the area also. It wasn't until I got back that I was able to ID them as the latter - another new bird!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrQNXkxoCdA-3JbfOxpuuZJXy3VTlfDGhb4s6JvXwVokD-ZQilGRLmh86qy_HUybAIbH5NrwSdU5B0D7hhcPsSUnjKWRd0kfH4AcgDDM6Z-DQL95TldBLbyRB3-9ncH603aioHIK02FoZ/s1600/chihuahuan_raven1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrQNXkxoCdA-3JbfOxpuuZJXy3VTlfDGhb4s6JvXwVokD-ZQilGRLmh86qy_HUybAIbH5NrwSdU5B0D7hhcPsSUnjKWRd0kfH4AcgDDM6Z-DQL95TldBLbyRB3-9ncH603aioHIK02FoZ/s320/chihuahuan_raven1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chihuahuan Ravens</td></tr>
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The differences in the 2 different ravens is very subtle, but a reference said the Common Ravens were found in the higher altitudes of the Chisos Mountains. I also post 'observations' on <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/people/742138" target="_blank">iNaturalist.org</a> and the ones I shot were confirmed as Chihuahuan Ravens. I also got some pretty bad shots of 3 other new birds to me - White-winged Dove, Lesser Goldfinch, and a Lark Bunting - while we were at Dugout Wells. We also spotted a Black-tailed Jackrabbit and I snapped a couple of different Prickly Pear Cactus plants which is just a very small sampling of the plant life here.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqvV5xlrBU8RZkI2z4gYZFfh7z01oxxSZH1ua2jXzEj66macA8G5RSPDta7XFzuhrmJMsG0Ye9vdFAXA4h8Ao7j83WXldC1Nx0mjmBGfdrM5JsqcF-3LtXaVtHx19_cDM9Uav-YBUw668/s1600/jackrabbit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqvV5xlrBU8RZkI2z4gYZFfh7z01oxxSZH1ua2jXzEj66macA8G5RSPDta7XFzuhrmJMsG0Ye9vdFAXA4h8Ao7j83WXldC1Nx0mjmBGfdrM5JsqcF-3LtXaVtHx19_cDM9Uav-YBUw668/s320/jackrabbit1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-tailed Jackrabbit (<span class="taxon taxon-43130 species Mammalia"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Lepus californicus</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O-DdLHgPoPita1pxLWa6JC4azFNgwBSQh-snBgVWzWMAXXVKzIpVTj8mXXcQBU_u-vaoJsq-Fw0GvusMWvrlDWrhQuux-pBYR787Zoa4OUglV4ZhmN9YXFsNc9G7feJFfF5942La6j72/s1600/prickly_pear_cactus_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O-DdLHgPoPita1pxLWa6JC4azFNgwBSQh-snBgVWzWMAXXVKzIpVTj8mXXcQBU_u-vaoJsq-Fw0GvusMWvrlDWrhQuux-pBYR787Zoa4OUglV4ZhmN9YXFsNc9G7feJFfF5942La6j72/s320/prickly_pear_cactus_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blind Prickly Pear (<span class="taxon taxon-165900 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Opuntia rufida</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e9EpNtphs4aYhhyphenhyphenU0ZDXG94gxTjmLwDxS1S1taeM30PQ3dcvdEq1NAEsNyFLJ_e6q08hd4TLw1K_4xxZ-joqdvodL9YGmwvUtDnK-QdMNiiFj9I4Gur7b50PcMPhqm7fqIOlDafEiJWK/s1600/prickly_pear_cactus_big_bend4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e9EpNtphs4aYhhyphenhyphenU0ZDXG94gxTjmLwDxS1S1taeM30PQ3dcvdEq1NAEsNyFLJ_e6q08hd4TLw1K_4xxZ-joqdvodL9YGmwvUtDnK-QdMNiiFj9I4Gur7b50PcMPhqm7fqIOlDafEiJWK/s320/prickly_pear_cactus_big_bend4.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Texas Prickly Pear (<span class="taxon taxon-78264 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Opuntia engelmannii</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From Dugout Wells we headed back down the road towards Rio Grande Village and stopped at the Hot Springs to hike the loop trail. We figured there would be a good possibility of seeing birds there and we weren't disappointed. Most were birds we had already seen, but one wasn't - a Canyon Wren! We checked out the view by the river, then the petroglyphs on the cliffs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQf9UQSPhvofdjqxgwAxYYb5C90mTAdUN_izUDx4qY2Pi1Eb3PwSzphxhgeCLwCMuw8LhyHTuDoo0N1tIlYR3M7Zylnpelk-oNUOMXuVmuei2MaCNlPu1gt1utRbFTQ2eqTqf8MMJTOqw/s1600/canyon_wren2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQf9UQSPhvofdjqxgwAxYYb5C90mTAdUN_izUDx4qY2Pi1Eb3PwSzphxhgeCLwCMuw8LhyHTuDoo0N1tIlYR3M7Zylnpelk-oNUOMXuVmuei2MaCNlPu1gt1utRbFTQ2eqTqf8MMJTOqw/s320/canyon_wren2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon Wren (<span class="st"><i>Catherpes mexicanus</i>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnXOlTpDrUjrsAQjJ-p-fXmLl57tFN9sFpaxF8K_vyGoMCKO7Md3uqoXyeUecx51xkjTbVzM15UIf7KqM9_mkpWcQA8kIJ08DzUNTMuSq3w5gXoRD0Me2fBbzuOuvgyjyXDYlH83wIkRx/s1600/big_bend_np34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnXOlTpDrUjrsAQjJ-p-fXmLl57tFN9sFpaxF8K_vyGoMCKO7Md3uqoXyeUecx51xkjTbVzM15UIf7KqM9_mkpWcQA8kIJ08DzUNTMuSq3w5gXoRD0Me2fBbzuOuvgyjyXDYlH83wIkRx/s320/big_bend_np34.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view by the Rio Grande</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5j3d5Bz_o5PTTF6ioEHsTYSaBugZlWd4ZdTaXdI0Wp0LQNI67zRIIlk_8xu46WsfSY6h6bWxQ00TeqcD6p_Ol3aS8zBJDRXTL4hOj3qP9FLkcllNlASqfwr93eOJ9l1Q_5dfYwvGw9cF/s1600/big_bend_np39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5j3d5Bz_o5PTTF6ioEHsTYSaBugZlWd4ZdTaXdI0Wp0LQNI67zRIIlk_8xu46WsfSY6h6bWxQ00TeqcD6p_Ol3aS8zBJDRXTL4hOj3qP9FLkcllNlASqfwr93eOJ9l1Q_5dfYwvGw9cF/s320/big_bend_np39.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">petroglyphs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvQ2vuWUERtDWgAoa9kYPoERPA4kLUpKVa78He4mVlUq-ttyHCRqSH3NhmumWnw0O8Rp0cgwwcmJoHf-dgT6ilkdWVfEZpaDfXFRoUL2zaOSVCYycEhhL0rty_fxgamNcntTmJVGjEVSw/s1600/bird_nest_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvQ2vuWUERtDWgAoa9kYPoERPA4kLUpKVa78He4mVlUq-ttyHCRqSH3NhmumWnw0O8Rp0cgwwcmJoHf-dgT6ilkdWVfEZpaDfXFRoUL2zaOSVCYycEhhL0rty_fxgamNcntTmJVGjEVSw/s320/bird_nest_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bird nests on the cliffs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The trail we picked to hike here was the Hot Springs Historic Trail which is a 1 mile loop with outstanding views of the Rio Grande River. The trail passes by the Hot Springs and the 'pool' was already filled with people, so we didn't stop. From the river, the trail heads up for the views, then circles back to the parking area which was full by the time we got back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujyi6Ee6hrFvobnviow55eTt3tpSE8YMgWWxsNg-QvX5hsvNaAhtpqBZ5_O2A_UwVWlW5HmrmmDXiPMNLjqfffyRoDO4xtjzo1TRI_8a4TBuUU5-h6npa2IeG2jBk4CDpLmOoLd7fKJlE/s1600/big_bend_np42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujyi6Ee6hrFvobnviow55eTt3tpSE8YMgWWxsNg-QvX5hsvNaAhtpqBZ5_O2A_UwVWlW5HmrmmDXiPMNLjqfffyRoDO4xtjzo1TRI_8a4TBuUU5-h6npa2IeG2jBk4CDpLmOoLd7fKJlE/s320/big_bend_np42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXxS__4db-dRPTW7UfSQxYD_u60-3e7zjhIPmOTxk5KVhkxuulZlZQwc8VG6yAeTLyd1AOyBd28lFM-uw2gkTw4WaJ8xkHuXyOTPY-P7_xJmEl7s9IvxqFNiLUgy39stEkAU9lXab5wvf/s1600/big_bend_np46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXxS__4db-dRPTW7UfSQxYD_u60-3e7zjhIPmOTxk5KVhkxuulZlZQwc8VG6yAeTLyd1AOyBd28lFM-uw2gkTw4WaJ8xkHuXyOTPY-P7_xJmEl7s9IvxqFNiLUgy39stEkAU9lXab5wvf/s320/big_bend_np46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HlHa6iW7DMvIafgt00THokn85dtsfl-6_tF0HhE1V0f_kYJ9nn9sTgwvguVVTO5YY_1bfSRhnwX9Ltzar1L75SsKI-u3XiSuMbXtHns7tCmtDRSXUP9QUOEIWP62ZnSrPTJIOI52-HIl/s1600/big_bend_np47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HlHa6iW7DMvIafgt00THokn85dtsfl-6_tF0HhE1V0f_kYJ9nn9sTgwvguVVTO5YY_1bfSRhnwX9Ltzar1L75SsKI-u3XiSuMbXtHns7tCmtDRSXUP9QUOEIWP62ZnSrPTJIOI52-HIl/s320/big_bend_np47.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJhT-KinhxxPjrFQtZb5HPiUUtl-Pxpx0_XALuJaydYZdAgDGVoHhqFMsmq_760DFAWAJs1geS7SxkyklXYgQcZ-xsU-G2LHjlkNgdChsOJAyk1w5kqk3xI3cwEizpbsz2T1q-VMBXIq2/s1600/yucca_big_bend3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJhT-KinhxxPjrFQtZb5HPiUUtl-Pxpx0_XALuJaydYZdAgDGVoHhqFMsmq_760DFAWAJs1geS7SxkyklXYgQcZ-xsU-G2LHjlkNgdChsOJAyk1w5kqk3xI3cwEizpbsz2T1q-VMBXIq2/s320/yucca_big_bend3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torrey's Yucca (<span class="taxon taxon-170397 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Yucca torreyi</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82C-HaiJaczX-hdUVwXWtHS_4RUmMD2qxKpksjHOLZ7fLtyLxbxwtfYq1HR7vr7TqSnn_kbH0oNTXBydpHF8e1j_-UKu7qyIaYfq1FdGpBF0CQ2DyDaHiIQs4vS2sVqTcVMLGtSV9Bsr4/s1600/cactus_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82C-HaiJaczX-hdUVwXWtHS_4RUmMD2qxKpksjHOLZ7fLtyLxbxwtfYq1HR7vr7TqSnn_kbH0oNTXBydpHF8e1j_-UKu7qyIaYfq1FdGpBF0CQ2DyDaHiIQs4vS2sVqTcVMLGtSV9Bsr4/s320/cactus_big_bend1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiny Hedgehog Cactus (<span class="SplitTaxon taxon species Plantae has-com-name no-parens" data-reactid=".0.1.0.2.0.1.0.0.1.$activity-22588559.1.1:$0.1.0.1.1" title="Spiny Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus dasyacanthus)"><i>Echinocereus dasyacanthus</i>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduzVxlWel1L5N8XED7Stvtq5LrKjsU59jBJF5h_3BpEbev_rpPavdKSViSiyGSAMUllpKIOBqh3BM-UkWbuTS34h-ROwvwtp-Uw0EkIAKUo3SdecgTu97OMX1J0SEXspc5xI9awWaX4Cn/s1600/cactus_big_bend2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduzVxlWel1L5N8XED7Stvtq5LrKjsU59jBJF5h_3BpEbev_rpPavdKSViSiyGSAMUllpKIOBqh3BM-UkWbuTS34h-ROwvwtp-Uw0EkIAKUo3SdecgTu97OMX1J0SEXspc5xI9awWaX4Cn/s320/cactus_big_bend2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turk's Head Cactus (<span class="taxon taxon-162934 species Plantae"><span class="othernames"><span class="sciname"><i>Ferocactus hamatacanthus</i>)</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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By now, it was mid afternoon and it was hot! Cindy suggested heading back to the campground, then back to the Nature Trail down to the river for a swim. That idea was hard to argue with. When we got to the river, 2 ladies had brought their chairs and were sunbathing, so we just headed up river a bit to our own private swimming hole. The 1st picture below is at the river, the 2nd is of the Del Carmen Mountains on the way back, and the 3rd is a coyote we spotted that had just strolled through the campground - nice.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pgWMQnufYNUDkW4XinixI00P0dew13C76marda2Zjtv7lthYB-CBxcSPGNrcrBykqW9pIkHkUihE-XTvHTxneYQhju47pt8QpRTMFjsGDbE03pSP9OkE8CHc4POXHLKm99OR_3tKO48V/s1600/big_bend_np50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pgWMQnufYNUDkW4XinixI00P0dew13C76marda2Zjtv7lthYB-CBxcSPGNrcrBykqW9pIkHkUihE-XTvHTxneYQhju47pt8QpRTMFjsGDbE03pSP9OkE8CHc4POXHLKm99OR_3tKO48V/s320/big_bend_np50.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio Grande River looking into Mexico</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5HF7IXjd8pSut0z-KXC1_ZyiG6GjP8mfohab3JElOKqB29wbyPZ_DSQauSotCsp5qpXsCZ94u0cxhaBc5WwPNnk-zz9kZun5vtG11QxdsOSy7qVKQSbR5AKr5r_4LQePjhoN06D-c6HI/s1600/big_bend_np52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5HF7IXjd8pSut0z-KXC1_ZyiG6GjP8mfohab3JElOKqB29wbyPZ_DSQauSotCsp5qpXsCZ94u0cxhaBc5WwPNnk-zz9kZun5vtG11QxdsOSy7qVKQSbR5AKr5r_4LQePjhoN06D-c6HI/s320/big_bend_np52.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Del Carmen Mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbos5IPdf7ySiYOSOf4kU15kL010EZzKiSZ1q96Gd6Tum9wyKzPXrSZlY16yuCFa5jH3o3CWqnO1lxxbleMygvO8ASSaF7PLtg8MW2NenEZoqE29b6ftH4PhPEsFzw0dZkCYlVdu6bjOj/s1600/coyote_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbos5IPdf7ySiYOSOf4kU15kL010EZzKiSZ1q96Gd6Tum9wyKzPXrSZlY16yuCFa5jH3o3CWqnO1lxxbleMygvO8ASSaF7PLtg8MW2NenEZoqE29b6ftH4PhPEsFzw0dZkCYlVdu6bjOj/s320/coyote_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coyote</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-33385353250814617732018-03-10T19:36:00.001-05:002018-03-12T19:59:05.148-04:00February 16 - Day 2 in Big Bend National Park - Birds, Wildflowers, and Mexican TrinketsWe decided to spend most of day 2 of our trip looking for birds. There's a nice nature trail leading from the Rio Grande Village campground, so we began there. The first part of the trail passes through a wetlands area that I assume is spring fed. The park had done a controlled burn a few days before we got there, so a lot of the area normally covered in reeds was charred nubs. There was still enough reed area to provide cover for some birds and we spotted what looked like a Swamp Sparrow and thought we heard a Marsh Wren. I didn't get pictures of either, but I did look down at the right time and spotted a Virginia Rail! This wasn't a new bird for either one of us, but it was a big surprise to see one here. It's not very common, but passes through the park during migration. My only other pictures of this bird are really bad, so I was happy to get better ones.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJzq7ElKD97xE_HhzURJquWdmqwrIS-YynSD0CVS_W3tNQdAMNaGtidVguFujB3lXIg4ImDNChjVqvigkqa9bAhHGzIVxofS9yceNEQysKcmIKvLKqp2-BE6Vmp0iBJEG_OYHqFEByRJ4/s1600/virginia_rail18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJzq7ElKD97xE_HhzURJquWdmqwrIS-YynSD0CVS_W3tNQdAMNaGtidVguFujB3lXIg4ImDNChjVqvigkqa9bAhHGzIVxofS9yceNEQysKcmIKvLKqp2-BE6Vmp0iBJEG_OYHqFEByRJ4/s320/virginia_rail18.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMv-5mPhELHLJCFUrczv8eVVhVTyxDG7VOmv8kHJc8TZ5l0e_OAmpWv9AxwGj-3zuBOSmQluX9qvrOEWZ4oEGLYrwQvypHVm2dN4dHjORHfKKMY5lb7GY6hR9LIm6RXyLEX5ioW93jCXF/s1600/virginia_rail22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMv-5mPhELHLJCFUrczv8eVVhVTyxDG7VOmv8kHJc8TZ5l0e_OAmpWv9AxwGj-3zuBOSmQluX9qvrOEWZ4oEGLYrwQvypHVm2dN4dHjORHfKKMY5lb7GY6hR9LIm6RXyLEX5ioW93jCXF/s320/virginia_rail22.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Rail</td></tr>
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The trail leads out of the wetlands area and offers 2 choices - a loop trail that gains elevation and has views of the surrounding area, or an out and back down to the Rio Grande River. We chose the latter hoping more birds would be hanging out around the water. We struck out on the birds, but had a nice view of the river and saw a few wildflowers.<br />
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We had read in the park newspaper that we might come across home made items from the Mexicans in different area. Apparently they sneak across the river at night and set up the goods. The newspaper warns that it's illegal to buy these items, but I guess people do it anyway. We came across the first of several of these set ups very near the river and had no idea whether someone was keeping an eye on it or not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4U-K4INOcjfFYRajh0O8rQSh3c-pNcKiSMXs4LBjUtIpiNe2-ZstgGvDM7a6ciXY29eJvkRmQu692wODMjVj2WmopI8SaQ9JoJF8w-8GUhnJwCk_eY7m1OP0vFFk3mdKa5hNt8ZENXxf/s1600/big_bend_np23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4U-K4INOcjfFYRajh0O8rQSh3c-pNcKiSMXs4LBjUtIpiNe2-ZstgGvDM7a6ciXY29eJvkRmQu692wODMjVj2WmopI8SaQ9JoJF8w-8GUhnJwCk_eY7m1OP0vFFk3mdKa5hNt8ZENXxf/s320/big_bend_np23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-v566QSwqTeNaUX2pN5jpF8jFed8TKT3E26CESXq70tiSVikGWpmrpvXwmwnSJ0Bz_GErQq77z1tIp7eO5Yp82mAcuKxkEQE2tXaAAJ9Q1Sm-QiuhhNkjtVy-x3QwfoKFDX8HPXDRGrNF/s1600/big_bend_np25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-v566QSwqTeNaUX2pN5jpF8jFed8TKT3E26CESXq70tiSVikGWpmrpvXwmwnSJ0Bz_GErQq77z1tIp7eO5Yp82mAcuKxkEQE2tXaAAJ9Q1Sm-QiuhhNkjtVy-x3QwfoKFDX8HPXDRGrNF/s320/big_bend_np25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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River levels weren't very high and it would be very easy for someone to swim or wade across, but we never felt uneasy or really even gave it a second thought any time we were near the river. The river scene was nice, so we hung around a bit shooting the wildflowers we found. I was kind of surprised to find what looked like a lupine. After we got back I found out it's called Big Bend Bluebonnet (<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Lupinus havardii</i>) and read that all species of <i>Lupinus</i> are considered the Texas state flower.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCLBVm1u9HywTHszqp75uBHhiCxTYICUGcFwMpmWLAUzyp2vi8LYZaGCXzdU7L1kxhjGHAOAxJJfYV9oZBySMqL2Hzvhw9vtqE5gt8uHs-XTNiaBNWgfLnVq3fdHlIEqSE4BWQlFhEfuX/s1600/big_bend_np22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCLBVm1u9HywTHszqp75uBHhiCxTYICUGcFwMpmWLAUzyp2vi8LYZaGCXzdU7L1kxhjGHAOAxJJfYV9oZBySMqL2Hzvhw9vtqE5gt8uHs-XTNiaBNWgfLnVq3fdHlIEqSE4BWQlFhEfuX/s320/big_bend_np22.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Rio Grande River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyC2x1xQRnO7b6xRTjq1vMYNY6NF4LUwsA7oQxPZpD0aaCiWsmJr687TsohzvkYeuk-QmcYJ5FFFJ6BnVDWabyZce3cxGWSQNE6vzDqgAHlLOfObi8jSQJ-p6TPAVYsfby2CovBBmmh2x/s1600/big_bend_bluebonnet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyC2x1xQRnO7b6xRTjq1vMYNY6NF4LUwsA7oQxPZpD0aaCiWsmJr687TsohzvkYeuk-QmcYJ5FFFJ6BnVDWabyZce3cxGWSQNE6vzDqgAHlLOfObi8jSQJ-p6TPAVYsfby2CovBBmmh2x/s320/big_bend_bluebonnet1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bend Bluebonnet (<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Lupinus havardii</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_pdcprA7UD1ga4FXeTgevY8-DZwLiLYaqF_FvJfAo2EMJyROOt1_WwIkT1W2aWSweuncAR3mL8KQSA-24CjK4OyZTbMm6DwZw4X8_gcNLTqVnUhRQmbAKRjiRAjyEejW3SsRs-ncpQhM/s1600/big_bend_bluebonnet2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_pdcprA7UD1ga4FXeTgevY8-DZwLiLYaqF_FvJfAo2EMJyROOt1_WwIkT1W2aWSweuncAR3mL8KQSA-24CjK4OyZTbMm6DwZw4X8_gcNLTqVnUhRQmbAKRjiRAjyEejW3SsRs-ncpQhM/s320/big_bend_bluebonnet2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bend Bluebonnet (<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Lupinus havardii</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxM8G3ehntC2xp4LTuKzt6wLfYgaFNyqbUz9Awx2vEIU-SuzVy5KDucVknUSfJURkaqkzeSKdwMdOyaWKu4EmEedeEzbIfILaggaJHkdD1qHpVXexuo8TmZKXi2HDn68H9PZ7mHPMvEOB/s1600/bicolor_fanmustard1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxM8G3ehntC2xp4LTuKzt6wLfYgaFNyqbUz9Awx2vEIU-SuzVy5KDucVknUSfJURkaqkzeSKdwMdOyaWKu4EmEedeEzbIfILaggaJHkdD1qHpVXexuo8TmZKXi2HDn68H9PZ7mHPMvEOB/s320/bicolor_fanmustard1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bicolor Fanmustard (<span class="st"><i>Nerisyrenia camporum</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8Eo0bVxUTQYUGtcg4g0OLXCPNZjFt5EbqIXSfsB-ferGUD6NyQKvfndQ9GA4FHqkSchQTC5W9OKtXMGAFNrP5SrOA8n-4NuDZPwRquWsIjPkYKQQEaw5jdETVHxg5h6ci68H1M9QzMwp/s1600/purple_mat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8Eo0bVxUTQYUGtcg4g0OLXCPNZjFt5EbqIXSfsB-ferGUD6NyQKvfndQ9GA4FHqkSchQTC5W9OKtXMGAFNrP5SrOA8n-4NuDZPwRquWsIjPkYKQQEaw5jdETVHxg5h6ci68H1M9QzMwp/s320/purple_mat1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="SplitTaxon taxon species Plantae has-com-name parens" data-reactid=".0.1.0.0.0.0.0" title="purple mat (Nama hispida)"><a class="comname display-name " data-reactid=".0.1.0.0.0.0.0.0" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Purple Mat</a><span data-reactid=".0.1.0.0.0.0.0.1"> (</span><a class="sciname species secondary-name" data-reactid=".0.1.0.0.0.0.0.2" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self"><i>Nama hispida</i>)</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">We saved the loop part of the trail for another day and headed back to the campsite. On the way back I snagged another shot of a roadrunner. I kept the camera handy once we got back to the campsite and was glad I did. We had heard that the Vermilion Flycatchers frequented the campsite and one showed up while we were getting ready to head out again. We already had this bird, but not one this brightly colored!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnNrkFWc8VSpelT7rzrDra0SdRfqupQHaQvLy3lAamT397MuYzj9nI_uCTx06dTN3g3-uYOdmJhnHHHBRzzecnS6baeqi5Z008OSpXaTE8UZz8txRMLmvxcHWgpRYGWdEsROXGbdDSpKl/s1600/roadrunner3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEnNrkFWc8VSpelT7rzrDra0SdRfqupQHaQvLy3lAamT397MuYzj9nI_uCTx06dTN3g3-uYOdmJhnHHHBRzzecnS6baeqi5Z008OSpXaTE8UZz8txRMLmvxcHWgpRYGWdEsROXGbdDSpKl/s320/roadrunner3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Roadrunner (<i>Geococcyx californianus</i>)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-MeVwfHIb4jp33he52985TR5BGC6bBQ1hymtyg6mJwV4jlpzMAgl7GUZ-IRnvpYoxQcAB-4QV0CWfKk6W6Wf5OfpKUb2IdNIQKrFaZUv12Oyjpv9KQEGDBMGLM2Y8ICYaIQpXhK80M1t/s1600/vermilion_flycatcher5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-MeVwfHIb4jp33he52985TR5BGC6bBQ1hymtyg6mJwV4jlpzMAgl7GUZ-IRnvpYoxQcAB-4QV0CWfKk6W6Wf5OfpKUb2IdNIQKrFaZUv12Oyjpv9KQEGDBMGLM2Y8ICYaIQpXhK80M1t/s320/vermilion_flycatcher5.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vermilion Flycatcher (<span class="st"><i>Pyrocephalus obscurus</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Our next birding spot was a place called Dugout Wells. Cindy had read that this was a good birding spot - probably because it's a little desert oasis spot with a spring. The area was once a small community, but all that's left is a windmill. The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail is also at this spot. It's an easy 1/2 mile loop hike that gives you an excellent overview of life in this part of the desert. Plant life is abundant here, but most of them have sharp pointy things all over them and we really had to pay attention as we hike the trail. We got several new birds here including a Verdin, a Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrow, and a Pyrrhuloxia and saw quite a few more species of birds that we already had. We also spotted a Desert Cottontail Rabbit that was kind enough to sit still for a minute or two. Not all of the bird shots were good, but they were good enough to get ID's. We had really wanted the Pyrrhuloxia - a type of cardinal - so were pleased with that catch.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPE_23sNsVYiIdBdshkflHrV_CXI3omr-CCAFUgbcz4oVa2k_Eu2Ywqlt2j7ivgYtV6iPK9eZGN9-HM-FlHrQAAe9FjjcNbYz9OjcxqNOZGiIjm4_V5tZgL2SZNXtcwvpbtylCKiONeD6/s1600/pyrrhulloxia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPE_23sNsVYiIdBdshkflHrV_CXI3omr-CCAFUgbcz4oVa2k_Eu2Ywqlt2j7ivgYtV6iPK9eZGN9-HM-FlHrQAAe9FjjcNbYz9OjcxqNOZGiIjm4_V5tZgL2SZNXtcwvpbtylCKiONeD6/s320/pyrrhulloxia1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyrrhuloxia (<span class="st"><i>Cardinalis sinuatus</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKDUUL3nU2UgjNRHdkJMAK1la5ScjDIuQ7mmfnSQ7FyhUD9i1duRW_UBA9_4wOb2xLGBco9PfG6CSXiBArMQeIR8gpirMCocU2XN1chq4MwuBFH2xF5ceEjauRcMwYL490Bn927EwSlQC/s1600/black-throated_sparrow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKDUUL3nU2UgjNRHdkJMAK1la5ScjDIuQ7mmfnSQ7FyhUD9i1duRW_UBA9_4wOb2xLGBco9PfG6CSXiBArMQeIR8gpirMCocU2XN1chq4MwuBFH2xF5ceEjauRcMwYL490Bn927EwSlQC/s320/black-throated_sparrow1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-throated Sparrow (<span class="st"><i>Amphispiza bilineata</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wUXcPvAt0BDH7nkHT1jgpiFzqlVItPC0v9fGnkCM8CiKgmo48F8FGfUfN2ue5_Ou7Kc5gAz98r36vH8dZoCBIKiZCz2CkSMyCg0D16q6DL3leJGlL4OlqO4FBqLsTsFfGsSQ8Gw07JS1/s1600/cactus_wren1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wUXcPvAt0BDH7nkHT1jgpiFzqlVItPC0v9fGnkCM8CiKgmo48F8FGfUfN2ue5_Ou7Kc5gAz98r36vH8dZoCBIKiZCz2CkSMyCg0D16q6DL3leJGlL4OlqO4FBqLsTsFfGsSQ8Gw07JS1/s320/cactus_wren1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cactus Wren (<span class="st"><i>Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYRvRVgA6JjBarw92Q7sXiKgn89wtobwM-rO8Z9zmpqBurRgW4FafbK_dvuLOZ4irEa8AXdKsOrVZXBExo0tSYO5Ef67DKTBkm3J8o-ySTb70OBsdlTiUAgn60S-d4R_qMMqXerC6Gcu-/s1600/rabbit_big_bend_tx1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYRvRVgA6JjBarw92Q7sXiKgn89wtobwM-rO8Z9zmpqBurRgW4FafbK_dvuLOZ4irEa8AXdKsOrVZXBExo0tSYO5Ef67DKTBkm3J8o-ySTb70OBsdlTiUAgn60S-d4R_qMMqXerC6Gcu-/s320/rabbit_big_bend_tx1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert Cottontail (<span class="st"><i>Sylvilagus audubonii</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">From here we headed up to the Panther Junction visitor center to see what they offered and to probably get some ice at the nearby little store before it closed. We averaged about a bag of ice a day due to some of the hot temps we encountered - especially at the lower elevations. It was in the low 90's several of the days we were there. I did manage to pick up another new bird while at the visitor center - a Curve-billed Thrasher - so I was now up to 9 new birds in 2 days! After this, we returned to the campsite and called it an evening. Tomorrow would be another scenery day.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_OOMfrdS5b5wTLI5NRFoW4KNIffTg6z4LGsSsaGaQwpIumHBwcoin4Le8YahuGC-84Z_RnzuVxQ2YgAEq0c2Afe5uUGD5zJ8ZLsxVIjhjFsZJzt-6g7QZkQSlhat-_iNUvfCBrGeMVDh/s1600/curve-billed_thrasher2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_OOMfrdS5b5wTLI5NRFoW4KNIffTg6z4LGsSsaGaQwpIumHBwcoin4Le8YahuGC-84Z_RnzuVxQ2YgAEq0c2Afe5uUGD5zJ8ZLsxVIjhjFsZJzt-6g7QZkQSlhat-_iNUvfCBrGeMVDh/s320/curve-billed_thrasher2.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curve-billed Thrasher (<span class="st"><i>Toxostoma curvirostre</i>)</span></td></tr>
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Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-11159776597657439182018-03-07T21:44:00.000-05:002018-03-07T21:44:11.520-05:00February 15 - Day 1 in Big Bend National Park - the Lost Mine TrailI've decided to make another attempt at posting trip reports to this blog, but can't promise that I'll keep it up. Cindy and I just got back from a 2 week trip to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm" target="_blank">Big Bend National Park in Texas</a> and I need a place to post pictures for friends and family to see! So anywho...<br />
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We had been planning this trip for about a year now - well actually Cindy does the planning because she's good at it - and were almost thwarted by the bozos in DC threatening another government shutdown a couple of days before we were supposed to leave. Cindy's research indicated a good time to go would be in February due to the weather at that time of the year. She made reservations at the campground in Rio Grande Village in the park 6 months ahead of time to assure we would have a spot. It's a good thing she did, because the campgrounds were full the entire time we were there.<br />
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We left home on February 12 and took 3 days to get to Big Bend, making stops at state parks along the way. We got to our camp site late afternoon on the 14th and just chilled the rest of the day. A nature trail leads from the campground and we did take it to try to catch a sunset. Below are a shot of our camp site and the sunset we saw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJSycPAKPo9MVhJSifSQLVwjWK-n9c3pMSNrIYkpYSPnDhpuFbpUKXPsw0Y8N3ggWW_a3U89bzMxhyfjmhWgVJ1Z5iUo2m1kZQjAT0kNtmryvvbSL6JKwn-2WVigbDMAta3fRuEsvqexv/s1600/truck_trailer12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJSycPAKPo9MVhJSifSQLVwjWK-n9c3pMSNrIYkpYSPnDhpuFbpUKXPsw0Y8N3ggWW_a3U89bzMxhyfjmhWgVJ1Z5iUo2m1kZQjAT0kNtmryvvbSL6JKwn-2WVigbDMAta3fRuEsvqexv/s320/truck_trailer12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">camp site 89 - our home for the next 2 weeks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZEx0X1mXrNx-wQV3EKa6xQaTNWKjhy6flz7SC-flsJycjKxOlRDGi_tXUB23JpGbXEMj_tDbCflkPkwcJAzzKAQkacojx_yeXSn3uTibuOl2KFeSsa7E1PmLutMYqKbB6FYIXjBdK1c2/s1600/big_bend_tx_sunset5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZEx0X1mXrNx-wQV3EKa6xQaTNWKjhy6flz7SC-flsJycjKxOlRDGi_tXUB23JpGbXEMj_tDbCflkPkwcJAzzKAQkacojx_yeXSn3uTibuOl2KFeSsa7E1PmLutMYqKbB6FYIXjBdK1c2/s320/big_bend_tx_sunset5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset on day 1</td></tr>
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We picked the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains as our first full day hike since the forecast highs in the lower elevations were to be in the high 80's. This trail is 4.8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1100'. The reviews said there would be excellent views and the birding would be good. We knew before we left home that we had a chance of adding some new birds to our life list and couldn't wait to begin looking!</div>
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Parking is limited at this trail head, so we got there early and had no trouble finding a spot. It wasn't very long after we hit the trail that we got our first new bird - a Mexican Jay! It's not a great shot, but it still counts. Very soon after that we pointed the cameras at some movement in the trees and fired away at what turned out to be a Black-crested Titmouse which is very similar to the Tufted Titmouse we have at home here.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsA0-9iVx4bqt6MK00e8onykp-U-F9BFAFTQV3oZSg0PEo6zjCIh8OpTfzIbRnStD-akQW0tdgPZGm9Zy0YkLJL1acaHfcl_mMwNhcwzTPIjdWjGOz_TuYjobzPzw2n_zwBHKj1C-hCSC/s1600/mexican_jay1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsA0-9iVx4bqt6MK00e8onykp-U-F9BFAFTQV3oZSg0PEo6zjCIh8OpTfzIbRnStD-akQW0tdgPZGm9Zy0YkLJL1acaHfcl_mMwNhcwzTPIjdWjGOz_TuYjobzPzw2n_zwBHKj1C-hCSC/s320/mexican_jay1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Jay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB73ldYJAH2QUo7Xbh_6xUCjxVr6BvQ7HkVWIk7A-eiuuIEKuxsqL9JQsmdvELAEbEGikoh5HtyWxw3QUJhCqZCjEi_Om55gdoLMszAekPtMppP96ajtjxjc5h7WNyHktCpp5Nt-iw3OfO/s1600/black_crested_titmouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB73ldYJAH2QUo7Xbh_6xUCjxVr6BvQ7HkVWIk7A-eiuuIEKuxsqL9JQsmdvELAEbEGikoh5HtyWxw3QUJhCqZCjEi_Om55gdoLMszAekPtMppP96ajtjxjc5h7WNyHktCpp5Nt-iw3OfO/s320/black_crested_titmouse1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-crested Titmouse</td></tr>
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Big Bend NP is part of the Chihuahuan Desert, but don't let the term desert fool you. The park is full of life and the plants and animals within are amazing. The Lost Mine Trail offers a great sampling of the plants and trees of the desert mountains which include different cacti, native grasses, yuccas, oak and juniper trees. We were hoping to see some wildflowers on this trip also, but many of the plants are still dormant at this time of year. We did manage to see a few though! Below is a small sampling of some of the plants along the trail. Big Bend is home to 3 different kinds of agave. The first picture below is the Havard Agave (<em>Agave havardiana</em>) which must be amazing when it blooms. The 2nd picture is a Lechugilla (<em>Agave lecheguilla</em>) which is the indicator plant of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is found in all portions of the Chihuahuan Desert from Texas and New Mexico to south central Mexico, but not found anywhere else. The last is the first flower we saw, but the plant is actually a flowering shrub - <span class="SplitTaxon taxon species Plantae has-com-name no-parens" data-reactid=".0.1.0.2.0.1.0.0.1.$activity-22406501.1.1:$0.1.0.1.1" title="Bigelow's bristlehead (Carphochaete bigelovii)"><a class="comname display-name " data-reactid=".0.1.0.2.0.1.0.0.1.$activity-22406501.1.1:$0.1.0.1.1.0" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Bigelow's Bristlehead</a></span> (<span class="SplitTaxon taxon species Plantae has-com-name no-parens" data-reactid=".0.1.0.2.0.1.0.0.1.$activity-22406501.1.1:$0.1.0.1.1" title="Bigelow's bristlehead (Carphochaete bigelovii)"><i>Carphochaete bigelovii</i>)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyTFkre10LCX40TQh-lP4cE-MF6D8ngA-yBL6NWJS63Y3WBtOs64c4yvAHO2DEz4TyCGV-wreAqCJv72eT-VvjhIyaiXI7rBf0z3PFiCNdn_thDeqkjujXNarBTrZMUp686Jsq5prOG7K/s1600/agave_big_bend1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyTFkre10LCX40TQh-lP4cE-MF6D8ngA-yBL6NWJS63Y3WBtOs64c4yvAHO2DEz4TyCGV-wreAqCJv72eT-VvjhIyaiXI7rBf0z3PFiCNdn_thDeqkjujXNarBTrZMUp686Jsq5prOG7K/s320/agave_big_bend1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Havard Agave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99Upmjglg7D606Vq3cKS-NxtLTtlcFDHR8A2XWrPKcslD1v1jc6rdFir383IxkhxVIqb8-iWQaNANMn7LcwC2zpZ60qnZce0aK0ffKtNOE31pkXE9Yo7fhE8J-qiFQ12JA9xyKTvT8H-P/s1600/lechuguilla1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99Upmjglg7D606Vq3cKS-NxtLTtlcFDHR8A2XWrPKcslD1v1jc6rdFir383IxkhxVIqb8-iWQaNANMn7LcwC2zpZ60qnZce0aK0ffKtNOE31pkXE9Yo7fhE8J-qiFQ12JA9xyKTvT8H-P/s320/lechuguilla1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lechugilla</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSblqBzdoXjC-LWycRLKepw71nvhofkcBIu9My5sIWH1q4txNCd4vZJXdBhMpJEqiPH5bAE6rNMc7aSnWL_OT3ohv7KxT69hx49cZUHHrFve2n3LxVX8x_SIIeprq7U6GZOqOcgjfNvRQ/s1600/bigelows_bristlehead2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="650" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSblqBzdoXjC-LWycRLKepw71nvhofkcBIu9My5sIWH1q4txNCd4vZJXdBhMpJEqiPH5bAE6rNMc7aSnWL_OT3ohv7KxT69hx49cZUHHrFve2n3LxVX8x_SIIeprq7U6GZOqOcgjfNvRQ/s320/bigelows_bristlehead2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bigelow's Bristlehead</td></tr>
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About a mile into the hike, the views started getting good and got better as we switchbacked up the mountain. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpj_MK8RHBDey6PPmWGQabdowRCMIXH3f7syiv9qQG-RSwQzMdThqIQVJO5csaD2R5qVfyMVmJ8pI94Iy06AFSVxYK3xKRPx9chtXf3aHLsfsqEcgm3_ORGRK3J6poVwIPmLhMZK7lM6V/s1600/big_bend_np1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpj_MK8RHBDey6PPmWGQabdowRCMIXH3f7syiv9qQG-RSwQzMdThqIQVJO5csaD2R5qVfyMVmJ8pI94Iy06AFSVxYK3xKRPx9chtXf3aHLsfsqEcgm3_ORGRK3J6poVwIPmLhMZK7lM6V/s320/big_bend_np1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A short spur trail leads out to the view in the last shot above. Another couple was already at the end and as we waited for them to clear out, our 3rd new bird of the day appeared - a Greater Roadrunner! We were really hoping to see one of these and we ended up seeing several on the trip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLbjI8Y1PfpJw_Zez2jCmOan9FSnZgZs7lbuqzYypoqj-sE8044X5LkT6xQIHGXrlV8SS6KZD-EAWzGYGNGImY7zXYMLlYG6K0zupqY3GCpV0SmFSMw5QnH83j1Jj4Z56BxKVP38bKirQ/s1600/roadrunner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLbjI8Y1PfpJw_Zez2jCmOan9FSnZgZs7lbuqzYypoqj-sE8044X5LkT6xQIHGXrlV8SS6KZD-EAWzGYGNGImY7zXYMLlYG6K0zupqY3GCpV0SmFSMw5QnH83j1Jj4Z56BxKVP38bKirQ/s320/roadrunner1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Roadrunner</td></tr>
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The trail got steeper as we continued up and the views got better. The next shot is a trail shot looking back at a group of hikers that was closing in on us, and the 2nd one looks back towards the Chisos Basin and The Window which is another excellent hike we did on another day,</div>
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By the time we reached the top, the wind had really picked up and it was tough holding on to our hats - and camera gear. The views were absolutely outstanding, though. We met a man who was painting and I don't know how he managed to hold on to all of his stuff. This hike really set the tone for just how excellent this trip would turn out to be. Below are 3 shots from the top. You can see the man painting in the far left of the 1st shot.</div>
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Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-69692667958284984872016-08-28T17:58:00.003-04:002016-08-28T17:58:37.803-04:00August 11, 2016 - Twin Boulder Falls, Pisgah National ForesstSince the creek levels were higher than normal, I decided to revisit a waterfall I hadn't been to since 2005. In 2003, Cathy, KT, Harry and I decided to explore an off trail section of Right Fork in the Pisgah. The Daniel Ridge Loop Trail passes by part of this creek, but we wanted to see what was up creek from where the Daniel Loop Trail leaves the creek. Since there's no trail, we decided to just wade and rock hop our way up as far as we could. Long story short, we found a lot of nice cascades, then an excellent 50-60' free falling waterfall. We passed through 2 huge boulders just before the waterfalls, so I named the falls Twin Boulder Falls. That's not an official name, but it didn't have a name and I thought it deserved one. There was no other info about it that I could find at the time. I never added this to my web site since it was off trail and I was hesitant about sending tourists into the danger zone.<br />
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When Kevin Adams was working on the 2005 edition of his North Carolina Waterfalls book, he contacted me and we exchanged info on waterfalls one of us had and the other one didn't. He didn't have Twin Boulder Falls, but was only using official names for his book, so he called it the waterfall on Right Fork. Fast forward to 2016 and the 3rd edition of Kevin's NC Waterfalls book. This time he decided to use unofficial names, so if you have either book you can look it up for specific directions.<br />
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In the current book, the description says that enough people have been visiting this waterfall that a crude path can be followed from the main trail all the way up. I decided to give this a try and skip walking the creek to save time. The hardest part of this was when I first left the trail in the 3rd switchback. I got down in the gully mentioned in the description, but missed picking up the new trail until I had already climbed over some fallen trees and gone down a steep bank. Once I found the trail, it was fairly easy to follow, but blocked by more fallen trees that I had to climb over before crossing the creek.<br />
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Once I made it across the creek, the trail was easy to follow for the most part - just like Kevin says in his book. I didn't realize it until I got back and looked at the GPS that I had gained 1280' in the 2.8 miles it took to get to the waterfall. I didn't bother to stop along the way to shoot the smaller cascades, but began shooting at the 2 boulders. The waterfall was looking good today and turned out to be a good choice for the day's activity. First the video, then the pictures.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bBsRF2qfGG4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bBsRF2qfGG4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the twin boulders</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Boulder Falls</td></tr>
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On the way back I stopped at a smaller no name waterfall that's visible from part of the Daniel Ridge Loop Trail. It's maybe 10' high and pretty nice in the right conditions.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-89944954626358943382016-08-28T13:33:00.001-04:002016-08-28T13:33:59.883-04:00August 9, 2016 - Cedar Rock and Grogan Creek Falls, Pisgah National ForestToday seemed like a good day to visit more waterfalls, so Cindy and I headed back to the Pisgah NF. Cedar Rock Falls and Grogan Creek Falls were both on my list for better video, so that's where we headed. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/cedar_rock1.htm" target="_blank">Directions to both of those waterfalls can be found on my web site here</a>.<br />
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Our first stop was Cedar Rock Falls and I was disappointed to see that there was more water in the creek than I had hoped for. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy being at the waterfalls when shooting conditions aren't ideal. With Cedar Rock Falls, I just couldn't get to a couple of the places where I wanted to shoot from, so I didn't get all the video and stills I had wanted. Here are a couple of shots I did get. I'll make a return trip to get video some other time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Rock Falls</td></tr>
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A couple of dead trees have fallen into the picture since the last time I was here. There are also several old dead hemlocks still standing around the waterfall, and when those fall, the place will be a mess.<br />
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There's also an upper Cedar Rock Falls, but we decided to save that for our last stop of the day. Our next destination was Grogan Creek Falls which is about a mile up the trail. This waterfall is small also, but has a lot of character with the small ledges that make up part of the waterfall. Grogan Creek was flowing high also, but the waterfall was looking pretty good.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grogan Creek Falls</td></tr>
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I've been here before when the creek was very low and I like the full look much better. It's hard to believe just how loud this waterfall was today. I did shoot video here, but there wasn't enough footage to put together a decent length video, so I'll go back at some other time in lower flow, shoot some more, then combine the clips from both days. This is a really nice spot and I highly recommend going here. The 2 mile hike is fairly flat for the most part and not many people visit this waterfall.<br />
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After soaking in the scenery here, we headed back the way we came and did stop at upper Cedar Rock Falls. It's right at a nice primitive camping spot, but requires a short scramble down a steep bank to get a view. This waterfall isn't as high or nice as the other 2, but is worth a stop if you are at this point on the trail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper Cedar Rock Falls</td></tr>
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-49377263844797169902016-08-22T21:27:00.001-04:002016-08-22T21:27:21.312-04:00August 5, 2016 - Slick Rock Falls - Pisgah National ForestI've been revisiting some of the better known waterfalls for updated photos and trail conditions, and also to try to get better video that I can use on my web site. I'd like to have a video of each waterfall I have on the site, but going back to all of them will be a major task. Today I picked Slick Rock Falls to begin with. I thought I'd be in and out in no time, then move on to another waterfall. I should have known better.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/slick_rock1.htm" target="_blank">Directions to Slick Rock Falls can be found on this page of my web site</a>. The waterfall can be seen from the forest road, but a very short hike up to the waterfall is necessary to get photos. I had the waterfall to myself which is always nice. Before anyone else showed up, I headed behind the falls to the cave area so I could get those shots without people. I spent quite a bit of time back there setting up shots and waiting for the sun to be covered by clouds.<br />
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From there I moved to the front of the waterfall, snapped a few quick ones and shot some video while the sun was hidden. It was directly above the waterfall at this time of day. I had just put all of my gear away when the sun broke out of the clouds and illuminated the light mist that was coming from the spray of the waterfall. I couldn't see this with the sun behind the clouds. I quickly got the gear back out and began shooting again. The still images weren't turning out like I wanted, so I switched to video. The sun kept going in and out of the clouds, so I ended up staying here another hour. Here are the photos from that position, but be sure to check the video below also.<br />
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I headed back up to the side view of the waterfall you first get when approaching the falls from the trail. A few people began to show up, so I chatted with them while patiently waiting for the kids to get out of the picture. I spent about 45 minutes more in this area and figured I had milked everything I could from the waterfall on this day. Instead of going anywhere else, I just called it a day and headed back to the house.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-82736691911802879912016-08-20T15:19:00.001-04:002016-08-20T15:21:59.614-04:00August 3, 2016 - Courthouse, Cody, and Chestnut Falls - Pisgah National ForestI've been wanting to get back up to the Courthouse Creek area all summer, but was holding out until water levels were higher. This summer's drought has really had an effect on the creeks. I was surprised by the higher levels I saw in Lake Toxaway the other day, so I thought today would be a good day for Courthouse. Plus, someone had posted on FB that a huge dead hemlock had fallen at Courthouse Falls and I was eager to see just how much of the view of the waterfall was blocked.<br />
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I only saw 1 vehicle along FR140 as I made my way up to the Courthouse Falls trail head - my first stop of the day. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/courthouse1.htm" target="_blank">Directions to Courthouse Falls and Cody Falls are on this page of my web site</a>. There was no one here either and skies were still overcast - excellent shooting conditions. I noticed that the forest service had added orange trail blazed to the blue ones that were already there. The orange was now for the Courthouse Falls Trail and the blue was still the Summey Cove Trail. Before arriving at the base of Courthouse Falls, there's a view of the waterfall though the trees that I like to shoot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAm-X3Qd4Ivm-sswlel726W2UYre6tSSs85ieDT4M6kQFIE9JwE1MxO3b-S6i8FX2ESWxzENpl6YFRx9riXROLMtdo_loUZL5LAHw_i8Crov3RAICOrSjgQUiq0Gf2PaPqxFK0yd0Jpku/s1600/courthouse143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAm-X3Qd4Ivm-sswlel726W2UYre6tSSs85ieDT4M6kQFIE9JwE1MxO3b-S6i8FX2ESWxzENpl6YFRx9riXROLMtdo_loUZL5LAHw_i8Crov3RAICOrSjgQUiq0Gf2PaPqxFK0yd0Jpku/s320/courthouse143.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courthouse Falls from the trail</td></tr>
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That view was still good, but I could see the big downed hemlock through the trees and shrub. A set of wooden steps leads from the end of the trail down to the base of the falls. When that hemlock fell, it damaged part of the steps, but not enough to make them unusable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_JeD6jrYUpQGDo3CvJhM7vq6KcOkuQhIa8EJdqG3BZloP2REAM9XgsTSyz_q_w0aKYCWtjdPTnhMPUlT91xna2KkxtlYzynRpWxfeOld8jvmQiVwe7S3V3UFURF4Gsbw9rY4qlgDyGjz/s1600/courthouse151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_JeD6jrYUpQGDo3CvJhM7vq6KcOkuQhIa8EJdqG3BZloP2REAM9XgsTSyz_q_w0aKYCWtjdPTnhMPUlT91xna2KkxtlYzynRpWxfeOld8jvmQiVwe7S3V3UFURF4Gsbw9rY4qlgDyGjz/s320/courthouse151.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the damage done</td></tr>
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I didn't get a good close up shot of the damage, but maybe you can tell from that shot that most of the damage was done to the lower section. My favorite spot to shoot Courthouse Falls from was a big rock in the middle of the creek. This is what it now looks like from that rock.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the rock</td></tr>
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The hemlock also brought down a couple of younger live trees, so their branches and leaves are among the litter. My guess is that all of that mess will be there for a while. It'll take a huge flood to wash all that out of the picture. But - there is good news if you have a wide lens and don't mind standing in the creek. I took these next 2 shots with a 10-18mm lens on my Sony a6000 and was standing in the creek just in front of all the debris.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTjjxVm3nFQaKQItI9JCBd5wJjbai1g2lod7COOI6Rz_QzQnyolXan5NXg12igbdVMC52DUfg7HFXp7hgvgZuW-5rORXme1XWmaFVpvJeBNWn1e5csJglP7KiFVltzpsbNTou8ncyp8DZ/s1600/courthouse145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTjjxVm3nFQaKQItI9JCBd5wJjbai1g2lod7COOI6Rz_QzQnyolXan5NXg12igbdVMC52DUfg7HFXp7hgvgZuW-5rORXme1XWmaFVpvJeBNWn1e5csJglP7KiFVltzpsbNTou8ncyp8DZ/s320/courthouse145.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courthouse Falls</td></tr>
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I spent quite a bit of time here and thought I got all the shots and video I wanted. My next stop was Cody Falls which is just down creek from Courthouse Falls. The waterfall is a short distance up Mill Station Creek from it's confluence with Courthouse Creek. I hadn't been to this 25' high waterfall since 2005 which is a real shame. Courthouse Falls can get crowded, but very few people go to Cody Falls. One reason could be that there's no trail to it. The sure fire way to find it is to wade and rock hop Courthouse Creek down to Mill Station Creek, then head up to the waterfall. There's also a way to cut down the steep bank from the Courthouse Falls trail, but you have to come out at exactly the right place or you'll be on the rock cliff surrounding the falls. My plan today was to take the creek down, then find the best place to head back up so I could describe that way in my directions to the waterfall.<br />
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Following Courthouse Creek down wasn't an easy task task today since there was a lot of tree debris in the creek. I made it to Cody Falls and was very pleased to see that no logs had washed into the waterfall. The sun was now in and out of the picture, so I spent quite a bit of time waiting for cloud cover, but it was well worth it. The waterfall is in a small little cove and the wide angle lens came in handy here also. The water flow wasn't as high as I expected, but that didn't turn out to be a bad thing.<br />
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The sun was out enough at times to really bring out the red color of the rock without washing out the entire scene. The green moss just added to the beauty. This is such an awesome little spot! Getting back up the bank wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I ended up at exactly the right spot back up on the Courthouse Falls Trail and have that updated description of how to get down in case you don't care to creek walk.<br />
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The last stop of the day was Chestnut Falls which is accessed from a different spot along FR140. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/chestnut1.htm" target="_blank">Those directions are here</a>. It had been a few years since I'd been here also, but more recently than 2005! The trail is still in good shape, but this waterfall could have used some more water. I took a few shots, then the skies really darkened, so I put all the camera equipment away and prepared for the rain. After 15 minutes, there was no rain and the skies lighted, so I got everything back out and continued shooting. Soon after that, the skies cleared completely, but by then I was about done for the day. Below are a couple of photos of Chestnut Falls, then a video including all 3 waterfalls.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-81745183793814727752016-08-19T17:14:00.001-04:002016-08-19T17:14:38.433-04:00August 1, 2016 - DEW Falls and White Owl FallsToday I decided to revisit 3 waterfalls I hadn't been to in a while - DEW, Johns Jump, and White Owl Falls. All 3 are very close and don't require much hiking. You can find directions to all 3 falls on <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/thompson1.htm" target="_blank">this page of my site</a>. All 3 waterfalls are small, but nice to visit and make good photo subjects with the right conditions.<br />
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I began the day at DEW Falls and had the waterfall to myself. It wasn't supposed to rain until later in the day, but late morning the skies were already fairly dark. I had just started shooting when the first rain drops began to fall, so I quickly got the camera back in the bag and pack and covered the pack. I had just got my poncho on when it started raining harder - and harder. Since it was warm out, I really didn't mind. Actually, the photos turn out better when all the rocks and foliage are wet and you use a polarizing filter to cut the glare. After almost an hour of steady rain, it let up enough for me to get the camera back out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DEW Falls</td></tr>
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I could have stayed longer, but I got a late start and didn't want to be out all day. The skies were also showing signs of clearing - not good for photography - so I opted to skip Johns Jump Falls and head to White Owl Falls. White Owl is one of my favorite small waterfalls. I really like the way the water flows over the rock. Back in 2010, a live tree fell over right in front of the waterfall ruining the chance of any good shots. People slowly sawed away at the limbs until now all that's left is the trunk on the left side of the falls. I got lucky here. The skies stayed overcast just long enough for me to get a few shots and video. Once it cleared, I was done shooting for the day and headed back to the house.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-78237544557821831552016-08-10T20:07:00.001-04:002016-08-10T20:07:28.916-04:00July 18 & 28, 2016 - Bennett Cove Falls, No Name Falls, and Poundingmill Branch Falls - Pisgah National ForestBack in 2007, my friend Bernie Boyer spent a lot of time exploring the creeks coming off the south and east sides of the Pisgah Ridge. Some of the creeks already had named waterfalls that were nice, but there was no documentation on what was on the other creeks. It turns out that there was a lot to be seen. Bernie was retired at the time - and I wasn't - so he would go out looking during the week, then take me to what he found on the week ends. I added the pictures to <a href="http://www.pbase.com/waterfallrich" target="_blank">my PBase galleries</a>, but didn't add the waterfalls to my main site since they were all off trail. Now that Kevin has added these waterfalls to his new book, I'm going to revisit them so I can add them to the site. If you have Kevin's book, these waterfalls are listed on page 185.<br />
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On the 18th, I set out Bennett Cove and Cherry Cove Falls. Unfortunately, this area has been in severe drought lately and the small volume creek in Bennett Cove was really low. Bennett Cove Falls was still very pretty and serene, but nothing like when I was there in 2007. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/bennett_cove1.htm" target="_blank">Directions to the creek and waterfall are on my site here</a>. Most of the hike to this waterfall is along a gated grassy forest road, then a lesser foot path to the creek, but getting to the waterfall requires off trail traveling. This isn't for everyone, but if you want to really increase the number of waterfalls you visit, you have to do it. There are some really beautiful waterfalls to be seen.<br />
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There are a couple of smaller sliding waterfalls on the way up the creek to the main one, but nothing worth showing with puny water flow. Bennett Cove Falls is about 25' high in 2 sections and sits in a beautiful little cove. I shot some video, but there really isn't enough for a full video, so I'm saving it until I can get back to some of the other waterfalls in the area and combine the footage into one video. For now, here are a couple of shots. If you click the link above, you can see photos from 2007 when the creek had more water in it.<br />
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After leaving this waterfall, I headed over to the unnamed creek in Cherry Cove. This is one that I didn't get to when Bernie did his recon in 2007. Unfortunately, fallen trees now cover the waterfalls and I didn't even take any pictures.<br />
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July 28 - I decided to head back to this area today since there's been more rain. I messaged my friend Brenda Wiley to see if she wanted to join me and she happily accepted my invitation. <a href="http://www.brendajwiley.com/" target="_blank">Brenda has a great web site where she chronicles her adventures</a>. I had asked if she had anyone else she wanted to invite and she mentioned a hiking companion of hers - Mark. He was also excited about going and we all met at the Pisgah visitor center and left from there. I had planned to hit Poundingmill Branch Falls first, so that's where we headed. Unfortunately, the rain we got wasn't enough to help the creeks out, but the waterfall was still nice anyway.<br />
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Both Brenda and Mark were excited to have seen it. It's hard to tell from this photo, but it's about 40' high. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/poundingmill_branch1.htm" target="_blank">Directions to this waterfall are here</a> and you can also see a picture of the waterfall from years ago. From here we headed over to what Kevin is calling No Name Falls in his book. The creek that the 2 waterfalls are on doesn't have a name and either does the cove that's they are in. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/no_name_cove1.htm" target="_blank">Directions to the creek and waterfalls are here</a>, but I don't have any pictures from this day to show you because I didn't take any. There was barely a trickle coming over the waterfall. There are pictures from my 2 previous visits at that link, however. When we where walking through one of the fields to get to the creek, there were sunflowers in bloom. I had never seen one in the wild, so I had to snap a picture.<br />
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Neither Brenda or Mark had been to Bennett Cove Falls, so I took them back up there while we were in the area. The waterfall looked the same, so I skipped pictures and just enjoyed the scenery and the company. It was a real steamy day, so we all got soaked in the falls before heading back to the vehicle.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-64333850550083893442016-08-08T20:05:00.003-04:002016-08-08T20:05:46.479-04:00July 15, 2016 - Little Bradley Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cindy's grandson Salomon has been with us for a week during his summer vacation and today was his last day here. We had him out hiking and waterfalling every day except one. He really liked going to waterfalls, so I thought he would enjoy Little Bradley Falls where he could play in the water and climb on the rocks. Plus, I hadn't been in a while and I've been wanting to get back for updated photos and video. Directions to the waterfall can be found on my site here - <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/little_bradley1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/little_bradley1.htm</a><br />
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We got to the parking area around 9:30. Some folks asked if we knew where the waterfall was, so I invited them to hike along with up. They were from the Raleigh area and were up for a long week end. When we got to the falls, a group of women were just finishing up rappelling down the waterfall so I didn't get a chance to get any photos. At least they were now out of the way, though.<br />
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Salomon got in the water almost immediately. The folks that joined us on the hike didn't stay long and we ended up with the waterfall to ourselves for about an hour. After close to 3 hours there - and quite a few more people showing up - we headed back to the vehicle. A good time was had by all. Below is some video I shot, then a few photos.<br />
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Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-34024149413989314062016-07-14T16:39:00.000-04:002016-07-14T16:39:02.588-04:00July 6, 2016 - Big Bradley Falls from belowA good part of this area is in severe drought conditions which has been hindering my waterfall activities lately. I have a long list of waterfalls I want to revisit and new ones from Kevin's book that I want to see, but I want to photograph them with good water flow. Big Bradley Falls was on my list for a revisit, so I decided to do the hike from below to make sure my directions were up to date. I hadn't been since 2009. It's a good thing I did, because a lot has changed. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/big_bradley1.htm" target="_blank">The directions and more info about the waterfall can be found on my site here</a>.<br />
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I parked at the same pull off along Green River Cove Rd that I did in 2009 because there was very little room to park at the gamelands gate back then. Now there's a parking area with enough room for probably 8-10 cars - and there's an info kiosk that wasn't there before. The beginning of the hike is the same. It's along a gravel/dirt service road that parallels the Green River through the valley. There's a good view back at the mountains on the opposite side of the river and lots of summer wildflowers this time of year.<br />
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I had decided to save shooting the wildflowers for the way back until I got to the old log cabins. I saw a flower growing there I had never seen before, but it looked more like a leftover bulb type flower from the days when this was somebody's home. I had to stop and shoot it - then a couple of others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Boone' Gladiolus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolina Wild Petunia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heliopsis or Helianthus?</td></tr>
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The 'Boone' Gladiolus was the flower I stopped for. I didn't find out what it was until I got back and had some help with my Facebook pals. <a href="http://cumberlandgal.blogspot.com/2015/07/exploring-cades-cove-with-ma-and-pa.html" target="_blank">Dana has a good write up in her blog about some of these in Cades Cove</a>. There were quite a few other varieties in bloom also, but I didn't want to spend too much time on the wildflowers.<br />
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From here I thought I had it made as far as the directions go, but something had changed. From the field at the homestead, an old road heads back into the woods for a short distance, then I thought I remembered it ending at Cove Creek where I had to cross. Now there are a couple of wildlife fields planted with soybeans and corn that I'm pretty sure weren't there a few years ago. I looked along the edge of the creek for where the old road crossed, but saw no signs of it at all. After goofing around here for a while, I decided to head along the edge of the fields to see what was at the end. Here I found a trail heading into the woods that I followed until it came to the creek. I had to cross through the creek to pick it up on the other side and from here a narrower trail marked with flagging tape led the rest of the way to the base of the waterfall.<br />
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I'm not sure if this is an 'official' trail, but I kind of doubt it. It's fairly easy to follow, but is steep and tricky in places where it's narrow and drops off quite a ways down to the creek. I passed several smaller waterfalls and cascades along the way that I remember from last time, but didn't bother going down for shots. By the time I got to the base of Big Bradley, the sun was creeping into the scene and making shooting difficult. Pictures of the waterfall can look crooked because the right side of the falls - the main flow - is diverted to the right at the top and flows more to the right before reaching the base. I still need to rehike the trail to the top area of the waterfall where there's an overlook. I hope to get that done before the end of the summer.<br />
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Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-76598184464929084222016-07-09T17:01:00.000-04:002016-07-10T19:11:20.942-04:00June 28, 2016 - Big Bearwallow Falls, Pisgah National Foresst<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernie, Harry, and me at Big Bearwallow Falls in 2007</td></tr>
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Bernie found this excellent waterfall back in 2007 and took Harry and me there shortly afterward. It's really close to NC215, but not visible from the road and down a very steep bank. I kept it off of my web site for the longest time because there's no trail to it, but decided to add it and had to go back to get specific directions. <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/big_bearwallow1.htm" target="_blank">I have those posted here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kadamsphoto.com/catalog/north-carolina-waterfalls-book-p-32.html" target="_blank">Kevin also added this waterfall to his new book</a>, so I used the mileage he had for the pull off on 215. Odometers can vary from vehicle to vehicle, so my 2.6 miles put me at the pull off he talks about walking 75 yards up the road to begin the hike from. I could tell that this was the one because of the trash that had been thrown over the guard rail. Since there's no trail, I just hopped the guard rail and descended to the creek. I remembered Bernie taking us up the bank to an old road on the opposite side of the creek, so that's the way I went. I just couldn't remember how far down the waterfall was. I finally found it and ended up spending over an hour there shooting stills and video and enjoying the waterfall. I could hear traffic up on 215 and I'm sure very few if any of the people know that there's a waterfall here.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bearwallow Falls</td></tr>
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-1148984606448849742016-07-08T20:11:00.003-04:002016-07-08T20:11:55.003-04:00June 27, 2016 - waterfalls on Sam Branch and in Wash HollowIt's been years since I have been to the upper reaches of Sam Branch and I thought today would be a good day to do it again. Water levels in the area are down due to a lack of rain which would make the trek a little easier since a good portion of this is a bushwhack up the creek. There's a lower waterfall on Sam Branch that <a href="http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/sam_branch1.htm" target="_blank">I have directions to on my site here</a> and this is the same point from which I began the hike today. Wash Hollow Falls is also accessed from this same parking spot.<br />
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It rained a bit before I got to Sam Branch which made the going very slippery. I don't give directions on my site to the upper waterfalls on Sam Branch, but as soon as you cross the creek heading towards Wash Hollow, there's a really steep rock face to climb, then a steep section of muddy and slippery trail to get up. Not many people go up here, so it's not really much of a trail.<br />
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This trail ends not too far up, so it was soon time to hit the creek and start climbing boulders. This is the 1st area I got to that was photo worthy.<br />
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The cascades in the first photo are small, but the upper drop in the second photo is about 10' high. Not too far above this is another waterfall - maybe a 15 to 20 footer.<br />
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I finished shooting it and was getting ready to find a way up past this when it started raining like crazy. It let up a bit after about 10 minutes, but I had to decide whether or not I wanted to continue. The forecast called for on and off storms all day and I had no way of telling what was in the area. I opted to play it safe and head back down. This was really disappointing as the wet rocks make for excellent photos. The wet really brings out the colors in the rocks, especially if you add a polarizing filter to the lens. Wet rocks are also really slippery and I'd like to enjoy my retirement a bit longer before I die.<br />
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Of course, once I got back down, the sun was peeking in and out of the clouds. Since I was already here, I went over and checked out Wash Hollow Falls. The flow of the falls was way down, but the rock wall was wet and colorful.<br />
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I spent about an hour here shooting before the next storm hit - and it was a gusher. I was scurrying around putting gear away to keep it dry and got soaked in the process. After about 15 minutes huddled under my poncho, the rain let up again and it was time to head back to the car. I got to Sam Branch Falls and just had to stop for one last photo. I'll try again for the upper stuff on a drier day.<br />
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I shot some video along Sam Branch, but I'm going to wait to put together a video until I have footage of more of the creek. For now, here's what I shot at Wash Hollow Falls.<br />
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<br />Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3588466291740195486.post-25509900605697480872016-07-02T13:29:00.003-04:002016-07-03T14:55:13.066-04:00June 16, 2016 - Back to Roan MountainWe considered getting up early today and heading up to Roan for a sunrise, but I'm glad we didn't. We got up to Carvers Gap around 8AM and low clouds were really obstructing the views. As we headed towards Round Bald, we passed several photographers heading towards their vehicles that were done for the day. I was thinking that it was a little too early to be giving up!<br />
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By the time we headed off Round Bald, the clouds began to lift just a bit, then a little bit more.<br />
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Our destination today was Grassy Ridge which is about a 3 mile hike one way. In a good year, the rhododendron display can be superb - much better than if you just stop at Jane Bald. We were beginning to see some blue skies as we took the Grassy Ridge trail off of the AT. On the way up is a rhododendron tunnel and we had to stop for a shot. Then I had to stop for another shot looking back over the tunnel.<br />
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The blooms really pick up the farther out you go on Grassy Ridge and it looked like we hit it right at peak bloom. The skies really began to clear once we got to the good stuff on the ridge.<br />
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The trail ends (behind us) a little bit farther than we are in the next 2 shots, but I've been there before and the views from here are better. We were surprised at the few people that we saw in the 2-3 hours that we were here. That will probably change this coming week end since it's Rhododendron Festival week end. I'm so glad we don't have to put up with the week end mobs any more!<br />
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Rich Stevensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05255923707417294201noreply@blogger.com0