The "campground with plug ins" was fine. Not as picturesque as the previous one but we don't spend a lot of the daytime there anyway. The AC was nice to have again.
We drove to Chisos Mountain Basin where there is a lodge by the same name. The basin is in the centre of a small (20 miles across) mountain range. It's a strange experience going from cactus to pine trees in the space of a few miles. Bears and mountain lions inhabit this "cooler" area. We didn't see any.
We haven't seen a lot of wildlife at all for that matter. Roadrunners are plentiful though, beep, beep. I hope to get a picture of a Javelina (hav-ah-lee-na), they are supposedly abundant here.
The Chisos mountains were formed several hundred million years ago by numerous volcanoes. You can still see the core where the molten lava has solidified. Must be hard stuff to still be around after that long. The highest peak rises to 7800 feet.
It is said that geologists can't decide whether Big Bend is a geologist's paradise or nightmare. There is so much going on with rock formations it boggles the mind. Here's an example.
We did a little hiking yesterday. We discovered an interesting phenomenon here. Wherever the trail comes close to the river you will find a small display of trinkets or souvenirs. The Mexicans place these things along the trails, with a tin for the money. It works on the honour system. They come by periodically, probably at night and collect.
You can often see them across the river, watching. The park discourages visitors from buying this stuff as it is considered contraband. And if the "shop owner" is caught on the US side, he goes to jail. Border Patrol vehicles are everywhere here.
The wind in this area is very unpredictable and strong. It was blowing hard on Sunday when we arrived and then diminished. That night it came up again in serious gusts. But that didn't compare to last night. Wow! Again very strong, starting at midnight and gusting to at least 40 mph. I'm starting to understand why nobody puts out their awnings here.
Its a little cooler today, a nice change. We moved again today, about 60 miles, to a little town called Lajitas, which is just outside the western end of the park. Found a great RV park called Maverick Ranch. It's part of a quaint (golf) resort which looks like an old western town. It has a pool, restaurant, bar and a bakery and much more. And it has easy access to some of the attractions of Big Bend's western side.
We took a short drive along the river this afternoon. We found a dried up creek bed called "Contrabando Creek", which we followed to the Rio Grande, 40 yards away, and of course, Mexico on the other bank. It is only 30 feet wide here and only inches deep. I guess that is how Contrabando Creek got it's name.
You won't believe what we've got planned for tomorrow. The CR-V is going off roading....
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