MULE EARS SPRING…BIG BEND

Wednesday, February 14 – We continue to have wonderful weather here in Terlingua, Texas, and Big Bend National Park. We also can't get over the beauty of Big Bend NP, and the number of different environments in the various parts of the park. We experienced this changing environment and geography up close today on the Mule Ears Spring Trail.

The Mule Ears Spring Trail is a desert hike to a small spring with spectacular geology and magnificent mountain and desert views. It is rated moderate in difficulty in the trail guide. There is very little overall elevation gain, 254 feet, but we were continually traveling up and down short grades the entire length of the hike. We traveled 4.4 miles with 12,811 steps according to our “Map Your Hike” app.

See the mule ears.

Like most of the hikes in Big Bend the trail surface is quite rocky. This hike was unusual in that the trail surface changed numerous times during the hike. It started out with a rocky surface of rocks ranging from small to about 6” in size. It then switched to small sandy gravel, and later we had to maneuver over rocks the size of basketballs and then through an area of volcanic slate type rocks. And this surface changed back and forth throughout the hike. There were the ever-present trail stairs and numerous switchbacks.

What really surprised us was the change in geology. As we moved back in the mountains and closer to the spring, the plants appeared to increase in size and variety, numerous types of cactus, shrubbery, grasses, and small trees. And everything looked so fresh, green, and healthy. We were told that the spring continues its flow underground, and near the surface over a large area in this part of the park. It was so beautiful.

Ocotillos are beginning to bloom.

The spring appears just past a stone structure used in the past as a stone corral. It is among some very large boulders and was trickling out of cracks in the stone wall of a mountain. It is surrounded by ferns, cactus and many beautiful plants, as discussed above. This is truly an oasis in this dry desert and mountain environment. We were very quiet and the sound of the water flowing over the rocks was mesmerizing.

Difficult to see, but this is where the water trickles down.

We paused here for a light brunch and enjoyed some cool water from our water bottles. It was getting pretty hot under the blazing sun, even though the temperature was only in the high 60's. Tomorrow we'll each carry a second bottle of water.

Mule ears.

Snack time.

We then headed back toward the trail head. We were reminded why we like to hit the trail early as we passed numerous hikers just heading out. We joke that it must be getting closer to noon because the youngins are appearing on the trail. We really enjoyed this hike. Because of the changing geography and beautiful surroundings, we feel this hike was one of our most enjoyable hikes in the park.

We have one more big hike planned for tomorrow so come on back and enjoy the day with us!

We are now back in Houston at the Elks Lodge. Because we didn’t have WIFI for ten days, we are way behind in our posts. We are going to continue to post our adventures as we experienced them. We will eventually get caught up.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

SANTA ELENA CANYON AND MORE

Tuesday, February 13 – We began our day here in Terlingua, TX, by heading back in the west side of Big Bend National Park. We had several stops planned along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. This is a 30 mile stretch of paved road taking us to Castolon/Santa Elena. It is known for some of the grandest views in the park. It didn’t disappoint.

We decided to drive the complete scenic drive making Santa Elena Canyon our first stop. This hike is an easy trail of 1.7 miles hugging the mountain cliff along the Rio Grande River. It is amazing how the river carved this gorge through the mountain. These cliffs must be 300 feet or more high! After crossing Terlingua creek by way of a small board that probably wasn't even needed, we climbed a set of switchbacks and stairs to an overlook area about 100 feet above the river.

Marsha gingerly crosses the roaring Terlingua Creek.

Time to climb.

We then followed the trail back down to the river's edge until we reached the end of the trail about a quarter of a mile back in the canyon. A easy hike but full of amazing scenic views!

End of the trail.

A little beauty along the way.

Looking back towards the Chisos Mountains.

Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff was our next trail. Another easy hike of 1.1 miles.

Pretty easy trail.

The hardest part of this hike is the dry river bed we needed to maneuver down. It is tiresome to walk on the gravel in a riverbed, similar to a soft sandy beach.

Lots of debris from the rushing waters.

The trail ends at the bottom of the dramatic Burro Mesa Pour-off. This would be best described as a dry waterfall. It is where the mountain waters spill over the mountain edge to eventually reach the Rio Grande River. We imagine it's been some time since water was pouring over that cliff in this dry desert environment.

Because the mesa is capped by hard lava, the runoff sculpts a sheer
chute instead of a leisurely stream canyon. 100 foot pour-off.

Our last stop of the day was the Sam Nail Ranch trail. Another short and easy trial less than a mile in length. The trail runs through the brush back past a working windmill to the site of the former ranch. This is a popular birding area due to the combination of water and shade.

Remains of ranch house.

View from the Nail’s front window.

We then headed back to BJ's Campground to relax for the remainder of the day. Another enjoyable day with awesome views and beautiful weather with temperatures in the mid-seventies.

Y’all come back tomorrow to venture with us on the longer Mule Ears Spring hike.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

MOVED TO THE WEST SIDE OF BIG BEND

Monday, February 12 – We moved on this morning checking out of Big Bend National Park. We moved over to the west side of Big Bend pulling into BJ’s Campground in Terlingua, TX. We drove straight across the park exiting on the west end. It was an uneventful drive, but a little slow going because the speed limit in Big Bend is 45 mph and strictly enforced.

BJ’s Campground is nothing to write home about. There are 20 pull thru sites with full hookups and with a picnic table at each site. The sites are gravel, and the street is gravel, pretty dusty in the dry South Texas environment. Many of the RV'ers staying here are regulars that return each winter.

Site 11

Looking right. The white building at the end is the restrooms and laundry.

Looking left.

Outdoor gathering area.

After setting up in Site #11, we jumped in the truck to check out two of the nearby towns. Our first stop was Lajitas, TX. This is pretty much an upscale area primarily centered around a Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa. The neighbor here at the RV park said it has recently changed hands after the developer spent a great deal of money and was unable to make it profitable. The “must see” here is the golf course pro shop. It is filled with very interesting mounted longhorn cattle heads and amazing horns. Very unique!

Pro Shop.

Cool horns.

We couldn’t find the greens on the golf course.

We then stopped at Terlingua. It is an eclectic little town of mostly bars and restaurants. There is a trading post type touristy stop called the Ghost Town. We stopped and enjoyed the unusual items offered to the tourists. We plan on stopping back to enjoy the bar/restaurant at another time.

We then returned to the RV Park to relax for the of the day. Again, the weather remains outstanding with today's high of 71 degrees after a low of 37 degrees last night. Temperatures vary by about 15 degrees depending whether you are down by the Rio Grande River or at higher elevations. We have numerous adventures planned for the west side of Big Bend NP, so stop back and enjoy the area with us.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day.