Big Bend is such a beautiful place. The variety in the landscape is stunning. From deep river gorges to high mountaintops, this park seemingly has it all. The part of the park that I enjoyed the most during my visit was along the River Road, a remote backcountry road that requires a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle. There are several very cool backcountry vehicle campsites that I would love to return and camp at.
The photos shown here are from the Buenos Aires and Black Dike campsites. The riparian zone here is stunningly beautiful. Even in early March it was amazingly green, and I could heard birds calling everywhere. The temperature was in the mid 80's which felt really nice coming from cold snowy weather just a couple of days before. I can't wait to go back someday and hopefully take a trip down the river.
The river road is definitely an adventurous drive. In some places the road is somewhat smooth but for the most part its pretty rugged and very rocky. Due to the rain that fell daily during my visit, there were several spots along the road that were very muddy as well. But what a great way to experience the park! Big Bend was experiencing record visitation while I was there, but the majority of those visitors are clustered in the more popular parts of the park. I spent 3 days on the backcountry roads and saw less than 10 other vehicles.
I had a really hard time narrowing this series down. I wanted it to be fewer images but I also wanted it to convey a sense of the weather progression I experienced each day at Big Bend. The most memorable part of my visit was the daily buildup of afternoon thunderstorms. Around 1:00 PM each day I would start noticing clouds building on the horizon.
All afternoon the clouds would build and build and I would hear thunder rumbling in the distance. By around 5:00 to 6:00 PM the showers would hit. Sometimes just a few drops, other times a deluge of rain. By the time sunset rolled around the storms would be breaking and the color show as the sun dipped below the horizon was simply unforgettable.
The mornings in Big Bend were unforgettable... I'm already dreaming of going back someday.
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Now that I've been back home for a while, it's time to start sharing some images I made with my "real cameras" on my trip. Everything I've posted thus far were shots taken with my phone but I have a collection of higher-quality images I'd like to share as well, including some night photos which of course are my favorite thing to shoot!
This first set of photos comes from Nebraska, on day two of my trip. If its sandhill crane season when I'm traveling through Nebraska, I always have to stop and spend some time watching the cranes. They are such beautiful birds and one of my absolute favorite of nature's creatures. I arrived in the Platte River Valley late in the evening in the middle of a snowstorm. I had been driving for a couple of hours in wet, slushy snow so it really felt good to finally pull in and park for the night.
The next morning was beautiful as I drove around the farm fields watching the birds. The light layer of snow made everything prettier (in my opinion) than the normal brown that dominates the landscape this time of year.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. The Cathedral Valley Loop is one of the most fascinating drives I've done in the southwest. The scenery along this route is just unbelievable. This overlook of the South Desert and Jailhouse Rock was one of the coolest views along the entire loop.
Utah is literally loaded with surreal landscapes. This is one of them. The Bentonite Hills near Capitol Reef National Park.
Flashbacks to Utah from last spring... and craving the endless intrigue of the southwestern landscapes. This is a photo of Factory Butte near Hanksville.
