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Day #3: Big Bend National Park
Location: Big Bend National Park, South of Marathon & Alpine, TX
Date: Monday, October 15, 2001
Weather: Beautiful!
Activities: Camping, hiking, photography, wildlife watching, stargazing, relaxing
Submitted by: Shannon Moore
A New Day
- 8:30 AM: We woke up leisurely again this morning and went to the Rio Grande Village store when it opened at 9 AM to purchase ice, water, Dr Pepper and a dark-colored bandana to protect Justin's already-sunburned neck (baseball caps don't provide ample sun-cover!) We returned to the trailer to offload supplies and plan our day, using the National Park Service handbook and brochures (3 for $5.00) we purchased yesterday at the Chisos Basin Visitor Center:
Big Bend National Park
Official National Park Handbook (#119)
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From Left to Right:
Hiker's Guide to Trails of Big Bend National Park,
Road Guide to Paved & Improved Dirt Roads of Big Bend National Park,
Road Guide to Backcountry Dirt Roads of Big Bend National Park
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Still in exploratory mode, we headed down Rio Grande Valley Drive towards Panther Junction and stopped at Dugout Wells to hike the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, a .5-mile round trip. Like the Sam Nail Ranch we visited yesterday, Dugout Wells still has a working windmill which keeps a small patch of trees and other vegetation thriving. Amidst the uniformly brown and dark green desert landscape, these small pockets of greenery near water sources are visible many miles away.
During the hike, we observed curve-billed thrasher, Northern mockingbird, an unidentified lizard, numerous species of cacti (see photos). Like the rest of the park's signage and brochures, we learned a lot about the desert, three different types of prickly pear cacti (blind, Englewood and purple-tinged), history of old farm settlement and other wildlife of the area. Photographed various mountain peaks from trail, framed by cacti and other desert plant life.
Experience more Texas travels
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