Big Bend Road Trip - Day 5

Route:	Sonora, TX-to- Big Bend National Park
Miles Today:	330
Total Miles:	1,902

Isn't it supposed to be hot in Texas? It wasn't particularly hot today. When we left Sonora this morning, it was 57 degrees. That's not too bad until you factor in the -20 degree adjustment for riding and it gets cold.

We entered canyon country and ran for a good time through what i will name "buzzard canyon". There must be tasty carrion in the canyons because that is where all the buzzards are. Some of them were very reluctant to leave what they were dining on and once caused a serious braking situation to avoid them.

All the rain over the last few days in this area caused a road closing on our route and we had to divert to Lake Amistad. This was surprisingly close to Mexico - mere miles away according to the locals. So close, in fact, that we had to pass through a Border Patrol inspection station after we headed north on Highway 90. At this point in the day, we basically rode into the desert. Very little traffic and high speed limits (70/75 mph) made for easy riding. People warned me about the dreariness of West Texas, but this was the best day yet. The open road, little traffic, and a completely unfamiliar terrain mode for good riding. I stopped to take the following picture because it really captured the description I gave above. Note the lack of traffic. The bikes in the picture belong to our group.


Shortly before this picture was taken, we stopped at the Judge Roy Bean Museum in Langtry. Old Roy was a colorful character from the days when Law Enforcement was a very different job than it is today. Follow the previous link for more information about Judge Bean.


Parked outside the museum:


The museum also had a cactus garden and wandered about for a few shots. The following plant was unknown to me, but is the Blue Agave. If you don't know this plant, you are certainly familiar with what is made from it: Tequila.


I took this picture at the museum as well:

We are not in Kansas anymore. This is not Virginia:

After stopping for lunch in Marathon, TX. we made the final 70 mile ride into the park.


The ride into the park was striking enough, but the final miles up to the Chisos Mountains Lodge was simply spectacular. I took a few shots of the surrounding hills, but I fear that they will not do the actual site justice.

Soon after we arrived, we heard that a group of javelinas was feeding near the lodge and I managed several shots before they wandered off. They are not as docile as they seem and can bowl you over if they get spooked. Here is a sample photo:



Finally, here are the promised samples of the surrounding hills. These were taken at Dusk, but they will give you an idea what we are surrounded by.





Things seen from the road:

• A lone buffalo - also known as a Bison to non-indigenous peoples.
• Buzzards - lots of them.
• Snake in the road that managed to avoid death by slithering and weaving through the group.
• Border Patrol agents.
• Wonderful open road

Final note: I just went outside to walk around and the sheer silence up here was actually unsettling.