One of my friends did a double take a little while ago when I mentioned that I thought Big Bend to be in my own back yard, and I didn't consider it such a trek to drive the 500 miles to get there. I seem to be more accustomed to driving at least 1000 miles to get to where I'm headed, and most of the drive seems to be involved in just getting out of Texas. Luckily I love to drive, especially the back roads, and it's a real treat to be where I'm going in the course of a single day, (if I have to hurry), even if I am still in Texas.
I've been going out to the Big Bend since my first excursion in 1968. I laugh now to remember that trip - going out with my boyfriend of the time, borrowing my parents' huge boat of an Oldsmobile, and pulling a U-Haul trailer behind that, both filled with all manner of camping gear, and my dog. Suffice it to say I travel a bit leaner now, with new aspirations for each adventure, mostly of the photographic variety. I was always taking pictures, I just didn't know I was a photographer way back when.
I've had several exceptional adventures out there. One memorable one was when we woke up to fog in the Basin, thinking it would be a crushing blow to our plans for the day. We soon became totally captivated by the experience, and it gave me a new appreciation for the rewards of an unexpected outcome. The magic was in what you couldn't see.
Recently I was able to get to some of those places I'd been hearing about for quite some time, mostly through several fellow travelers who see my work at art shows, and tell me where I just have to go. That's how I came to finally lay eyes on Ernst Tinaja and Cattail Falls, a couple of the relatively unknown places at Big Bend, at least to the casual tourist. I was lucky enough to meet up with a new friend, "Ranger Doug," who is a fellow shooter and writer and works seasonally out there. He offered to take me on those back roads where my trusty steed of a van can't get, and show me the way to the special places. I was wild about the folded rocks at Ernst Tinaja, and equally smitten with the hidden water oasis of Cattail Falls. Most of Big Bend is a mix of desert vistas, lots of thorns, some respectable mountains, (though not much of the pine tree variety), and various encounters with the Rio Grande. But there are also the unexpected treasures, and I was grateful to experience them.
I still have lots left to see in Big Bend, so there will be more, soon as I have time for a bit more than a day trip.
