Roadtrip to Texas from Colorado
The year was 2004, and five of us college sophomores from the University of Colorado, Boulder, had just spent a long weekend in Austin, Texas, playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament.
Months prior, we had studied the maps and plotted this epic spring break road trip. At the time, Big Bend National Park looked like it was practically on the way home from Austin. How could we NOT go? (Spoiler alert: the park was seven hours out of the way.)
Ultimate Frisbee Tournament turned into an Ultimate Adventure
Once we finished our games, we threw on slightly cleaner clothes and drove west. Still, hours from the park, the one person in our group with a smartphone realized she had no signal, leaving us with no way to access the online map we had been relying on.
We pulled over at a farm and got directions to the nearest gas station, where we purchased what kids today would consider a comically large road atlas.
Making our way through West Texas gave us veritable ‘middle of nowhere’ feelings. The park’s entrance was a welcome reprieve and we bustled into the ranger station to secure a backcountry camping permit.
The Discovery of Big Bend National Park's Unique Scenery
I looked up at the piercing blue West Texas sky and then at my dusty desert surroundings. We had left the wildflowers a few miles back: bluebonnets, yuccas, ocotillo, and bicolor mustard, persisting beautifully despite the surprising March heat.
Next came the junipers, creosote shrubs, and brown desert ferns. Then came the cacti, so many cacti (Graham club cholla, feather pea bush, blind prickly pear, Texas false agave, and more.)
Finally, we saw the Rio Grande River, or the ‘lifeblood’ of Big Bend National Park, meandering across the desert floor.
Rio Grande Rive — A Desert Oasis
The muddy water moved at an unhurried pace, seemingly choosing to save its energy in the noonday sun. I, too, was trying to save my energy and carefully persisting.
Drawing in a deep breath and exhaling in an open-mouth-tongue-out dog pant, I considered jumping into the water. Sure, it was opaque with mud and debris, but I bet it still felt refreshing.
I drew in another deep breath and caught a whiff of something foul. It was the unmistakable nostril-searing stench of burning plastic, and it was nearby.
Big Bend Camp Cooking
I traipsed to a clearing where my friends were making lunch. One friend scrunched her face toward me apologetically, holding my new pot and stove aloft. They had put the plastic lid on the bottom of the pot, where it melted against the stove’s flame.
The whole ensemble now resembled a toxic black cauldron. I waited for the char to cool and then tried to scrape it off with my pocket knife, without success.
Our lunch of Spanish rice was half-cooked and tasted like what I imagine a GI Joe toy would taste like, but…it was still edible and gave us some much-needed calories.
The Debate to Stay or Go
Now, we were very far from home and unsure of what to do next. A quick assessment revealed that we had more than enough dry food and water left.
I caressed the backcountry permit tied to the outside of my backpack, which seemed to whisper, “Stayyyy.” The ‘splendid isolation’ that Big Bend is known for worked its magic on us, and we agreed to camp for at least one night.
The Discovery of Even More in Big Bend National Park
The spring sun set quickly, dropping through soft orange sherbet hues toward the horizon. We strained our eyes, searching for javelina and other animals, and were rewarded with sightings of Western Pipistrelle Bats flying overhead.
With the sun now gone, it felt like a heater had been switched off, and the temperature quickly plunged to 40 degrees. Jumping into our sleeping bags, we prepared to watch the sky’s nighttime show.
International Dark Sky Park Comes Alive
It is one thing to read in a brochure that Big Bend National Park is known as an outstanding place for stargazing, but it is quite another to marvel at the brilliant tapestry above in person.
Closing our eyes felt like a crime against the star-studded canopy above! There were more meteors than I could possibly count, and my eyes teared up taking it all in (unclear if it was the cold temperature or the emotion of the vast heavenly expanse).
A Rocky Start Turned into An Epic Texas Trip
While our stove/food situation did not improve, we ended up staying for several more nights, and the wondrous round-the-clock sights of Big Bend National Park more than made up for it!
Travel with us to Big Bend National Park
If you, too, would like to stargaze in a dark sky sanctuary, consider joining AGC on our next Big Bend trip. (We promise the food will be delicious, and no pots or stoves will be burned!)
