Big Bend National Park, Texas
The
Big Bend area is a great Snow Bird area. The national park is located
right along the Rio Grande, with Mexico just across the river. The
weather is comfortable, even a little too warm at the Cottonwood Campground,
but you're not driving through snow and ice. It's partly mountainous
and very rugged with excellent scenery.
In the 1800's, when the first cowboys drove cattle westward, they were attracted by grass that grew belly high on the cattle, even though it's in the desert. The grass was rich in protein and cattle fared very well upon it. Many years of overgrazing a land that had only a small amount of rain quickly destroyed it for ranching. The cattle ate the high grass, and when it didn't regrow, they nibbled lower. The grass died, and with it vanished the soft cushion of hay that received the rain, protecting the loose soil below from being splashed away by the hard falling drops. The grass also slowed the runoff so that it had time to sink into the soil to nourish the growing grasses. The rain soaking into the ground also fed small springs, which dried up, or became unreliable after the grasses died. Roots that at one time bound the soil together no longer could do that job, and the soil washed away badly with each severe desert storm. Deep ravines developed, creating the land as you see it today.
Since
the grass grew so well, it was assumed, incorrectly, that agriculture
would be successful. Several farmers planted cotton, and one
enterprising man built a cotton-gin. Anyone who camps in the
Cottonwood campground passes by the ruins of the mill.
Several small settlements grew up, like the one at Glenn Springs.
Small ranches encircled this little village that survived because
it sat near the only waterhole in miles. In the early 1900's a man
built a factory employing about 60 people. They extracted wax from
the candelilla plant that was abundant in the area. It was hot work
requiring boiling the plant in water along with some sulphuric acid,
and skimming off the wax. The end of the settlement began with a fierce
raid from Mexico that killed several and wounded more. Falling prices
for the wax finished the settlement. That was a good thing. To harvest
the candelilla plant it was necessary to pull it out of the ground,
roots and all. The result was denuded soil, and serious erosion. Some
areas are now recovering, but it has taken many years.
 Glenn
Springs is on a 4WD trail that leads south towards the Rio Grande.
It's the River Road, in name only. There are few views of the river,
but you can reach the water by taking one of the many rough trails
that leave the main road. Here and there you will come upon an old
stone wall, sometimes even the outline of a cabin remains. Now all
is quiet, and in season may be surrounded by vast numbers of desert
flowers.
There is a rare, hostile beauty here. It's nice to visit, but it's
difficult to imagine living here. Lots of hard work was involved in
re-arranging the stones so the farmers might find a new place to put
in a seed… which might not grow anyhow because of the shortage of
water. It's all gone now, with the exception of a few foundations,
and a faint trail across the desert. People lived here, and they died
here, as evidenced by the untended gravesites in a small cemetery
near an abandoned home.
The site of the Mariscal Mine shows one of the most durable of man's
efforts to live and work in the Big Bend area. The concrete ruins
dominate the side of a dry valley, a massive chimney punctuating the
skyline. They dug in this park for cinnabar, from which mercury is
extracted. At first they transported the ore on burro pack trains
for several miles over daunting country to Terlingua for refining.
Eventually they built a refining plant on site. The bricks for the
kiln were also made here. To fire the kiln they burned anything that
would burn. Now the nearby hills are bare, with only a few plants
covering the bare soil.
 The
River Road has some of the most striking scenery in the park. From
higher vantage points you have magnificent vistas south, down across
the desert to the river and beyond to the high rampart, Sierra San
Vincente, in Mexico. To the north, you see the chocolate browns of
several different mountains The River Road is an all day 4WD trip,
even though it's only 51 miles long. It's rough and rugged, and you
are not likely to find it crowded. We saw about 4 vehicles that day,
but you do have to be careful on the abundant blind corners and hills.
The two major campgrounds are mostly non-hookup. Cottonwood CG does
not allow generators, and will offer you a pleasant, quiet place to
visit. Be aware that in this park, there many miles between facilities
so plan ahead to give yourself enough time to visit this wilderness
park.
Big Bend National Park is many miles from civilization, and a great
place for birding. Go, and enjoy it.
Happy RVing!
For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled
the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has
seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in
several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western
novels.
In the “Touring North America” scenic tour series, James brings a new
concept in Scenic Travel Books. The premise that several Minitours can
be created so they interlink, makes it possible for the potential traveller
to chain several Minitours together to make a longer trip. The maps, coloured
photographs, and descriptions help you plan your trip, and enjoy your
progress along the route.
Visit James at www.stonesstravelguides.com.
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