Nine Nights at Big Bend - Take 2

February 11, 2019

It was a breezy cloudy morning at Big Bend National Park, so we wore long sleeves and pants to hike the Grapevine Hills Trail. The trailhead is accessed by driving 6 miles down a rocky one-lane road across the desert. The Mini prevailed o’er rocks and dips. The hike is only 2.2 miles round trip, easy walking on a wide, sandy, flat wash running between walls of sculpted rock with smooth rounded rocks scattered on either side of the trail amongst the yuccas and creosote. Those granite-like boulders reminded us of the rock formations at Joshua Tree National Park in CA. At the last 1/4 mile of the Grapevine Trail, the sand ended, and the trail climbed up over rocks – big rocks and boulders.  That part was a bit challenging as it required rock scrambling at times, kind of crawling on all fours, over the pile of rocks that led up to the trail’s climax – a large boulder mysteriously balanced between two big upright rocks, a remnant of the workings of erosion.

A short distance from the campground entrance road, part way around the back side of Casa Grande mountain, is the Lost Mine trailhead. Our day for hiking that trail started out cool, 55ish, but sunny and sky-blue, a close to perfect day weather-wise. Lost Mine is a nicely maintained, very popular 4.8-mile round trip trail with many board-supported steps to help climb the continuous incline, switchback after switchback to the top of Lost Mine Mountain.  The panoramic views from the trail as we hiked along were spectacular.  At one point, we looked down -way down- on our Chisos Basin campground. The trail’s endpoint (technically not a summit because we were on a high ridge on the north side of Casa Grande mountain) at 6,850 feet elevation, felt like a summit. The rocky slab ridge- top gave us a top-of-the-world view of Pine and Juniper Canyons. We found a place to sit down to eat our apple slices and roasted peanuts before making our descent.

Accessed across from campsite #18 at Rio Grande Village Campground, the Rio Grande Village Nature Trail is one we do every year we’re at Big Bend. Why? I love the views of the Rio Grande River from the limestone hill that juts above the river. I love seeing the brightly painted houses in the Mexican town of Boquillas on the opposite side of the river, and I love waving to the senor who is sitting across the river working on his beaded scorpions and roadrunners and carved walking sticks that he will place on “our side" (during the night?) for us to look at and purchase if we like. We usually pick out one or two of the items that are laid out on the sand near the river, put our money in the box, and wave to the craftsman. He smiles and waves back.

If it's beautiful views of the Rio Grande you're looking for, hike the first part of the Daniels Ranch to Hot Springs Trail.  The whole trail from Daniels Ranch near Rio Grande Village to the 105-degree spring is a 6-mile round trip excursion, and we didn't do that.  However, the first part of the very narrow trail winds steeply up the side of a limestone cliff a half mile or so to a most amazing viewpoint.  The river is narrow here and as you stand clifftop looking across to the clifftop in Mexico, you marvel once again at the inanity of wall building.

             

Nine Nights at Big Bend National Park - Take 1

February 10, 2019

the Window

For nine nights, we camped at Chisos Basin, the campground tucked into the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park.  We can do that now with our 24’ Siesta. It handles the steep elevation change and the hairpin curves leading up to the campground just fine.  Last year, our first year owning the Siesta, was our first year staying in the shadows of Casa Grande, Mt. Emory ad Mt. Ward.  We loved the mountain energy, but only had three nights to spend there. This year we extended our stay by 6 days so were able to experience a few more hikes in the park, a couple more high-clearance- only drives in the improved, raised Mini that we tow, eat dinner at the Chisos Basin Lodge, and just in general soak in the clean mountain ambience at this 4000+ feet elevation.

First up was the Window Trail, a hike we’d done last year, and we’d liked. The Window refers to a notch between two mountains, allowing a glimpse through the mountain range surrounding the campground area.  It’s a landmark of the Chisos Basin area, and I gather from the signage at a vista on the short, paved Windows View trail near the lodge that watching a summer sun set in the Window notch is a must-do activity. From the campground, the 4 and 1/2 mile out- and- back unpaved, rocky, stepped Window trail follows a draw descending through Oak Creek Canyon to the top of the Window pour-off. The trail descends 450 feet over 2 and ½ miles.  Yes, that means the walk to the pour-off is all down and the trek back to the campground is all up. But it’s a beautiful walk through yuccas, prickly pears, cedars and live oak, along the draw, which did have a little water in it at the end of the canyon. The series of stone steps ingeniously built into the large boulders alongside the gurgling stream as it tumbles over rocks to the Window opening, is a work of art created by the CCC in the 1930s.

The Pour-off

Old Ore Road

The next day we tried out the Mini on the Old Ore Road. We wanted to put to the test Michael’s fall project of replacing springs and tires and raising the Mini three inches to give it more ground clearance. There are several back-country roads in Big Bend Park that require four-wheel drive or high clearance to traverse them. Occasionally on these roads, are marked primitive campsites for those campers who prefer the true silence and dark sky of the park. We did fine for 10 miles or so, bumping along, ever so slowly on this one-lane path, through the creosote and sage shrubs, to the section of the road where Michael had heard it deteriorates. It did. By deteriorate I mean the rocks became more like protruding boulders with the distinct possibility of scraping bottom as you edged over them unless your ground clearance is much greater than ours. So, we decided to turn back and not chance any damage. The fact that we’d gone as far as we did proved to us the Mini’s backcountry road worthiness. Besides, Michael got to talk with the owner of an outfitted Unimog truck camped at one of the campsites (speaking of ground clearance,) and, at the Ernst Tinaja primitive camping area, I spotted a vermilion flycatcher.

Camped at Chisos Basin

January 2019 - Cruising the Texas Gulf Coast

For 2 ½ weeks the Texas Gulf Coast was our picture window view.  After leaving Michael’s sister’s home in Ft. Worth on January 13^th, we drove to Galveston Island and began a leisurely crawl down the Texas shoreline. From Galveston Island to Quintana Beach County Park near Freeport, to Magnolia Beach near Port La Vaca, to Goose Island to Port Aransas, we spent 2 or 3 nights in each location. At Galveston, Magnolia and Port Aransas one can park right on the wide flat Gulf beach and become one with the sounds of the surf.  Dogs are permitted on Texas beaches, and Nina made sure we enjoyed our daily walks ala stick-throwing, ball-tossing fests, along with the sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, morning fogs, and ever-present bird activity.

Not that the weather was always beach perfect. On January 19^th, parked at Quintana Beach County Park, I wrote in my journal, “The wind doth blow! All day now – 27 mph listed on my weather app, but gusts are higher. This after an angry patch of severe wind and torrential downpour moved over us a 4:15 this morning.  It only lasted 8 or 10 minutes, but I was on high alert.  The Siesta rocked like a rowboat in the wake of a speed boat.  The cover over the slide-out flapped wildly.  Michael remained motionless, but with a couple of violent gusts I was on the verge of waking him. My good old weather app reassured me. I could see we were amid a narrow strip of bright orange weather. It would pass over quickly – and it did! Calm returned. However, an hour or so later the wind cranked up again and blew like gangbusters. The silver lining to this is that all the lingering clouds blew out to the Gulf and we’ve had a perfectly blue sky with bright sunshine all day. Warm? Not really. For a while this afternoon I set a chair on the west side of the Siesta, a sheltered spot for sitting and reading.  It was fairly pleasant --- with jeans, a fleece, a jacket and socks on, never mind the noisy clacking of the dead palm fronds in the palm trees near us or the freight train rush of the gusting wind.”

But, oh, those 60s-something sunny warmish days we have had! How we appreciate them as we keep in touch with our family and friends in sub-zero Michigan and Iowa!

Alaska Trip - Haines

 July 19 – 21, 2018

Kluane Lake

From Valdez, we drove north on highway 1 to Tok, stopping on the way at Wrangell-Mt. Elias National Park Visitor Center. Next door, the displays in the Ahatna Cultural Center centered on the important role that salmon played in the lives of the local Athabaskan tribes throughout their history.

Our stop in Tok for gas and groceries was our second time there, so in a way it completed our irregular “circle” round Alaska.

From Tok, the road (#2) heads southeast to Haines Junction, leaving Alaska on the way for the Yukon Territory. A highlight on that stretch was Kluane Lake (in the Yukon,) a very large glacier-fed lake that is now rapidly receding (20 feet in 2 years) due to a shrinking glacier changing course and creating zero run-off into the lake. Near the lake we stopped at Thachal Dhal Visitor Center (Sheep Mountain) The slopes of very large hills behind the center are the winter grazing area for hundreds of Dal sheep that live in the Kluane National Park.

Between Haines Junction and Haines, we stopped along the side of the road to watch 2 juvenile golden eagles soaring above us with their white spotted wings and white on their tails. That was a first!

Chilkot Lake 

After driving back into Alaska, just outside of Haines on the Chilkat River, we stopped at the Bald Eagle Preserve.  Many eagles nest in the area and are especially visible in late fall after their young have fledged and they are gathering before migrating. I spotted four eagles perched in trees above the river, and then 3 in another area, and then 2 in a different                                                                                    location. They’re around.

We spent 2 nights in Haines, AK. We decided to try to get a spot on the car ferry that runs from Haines to Skagway, 15 miles across the narrow inlet of the upper Lynn Canal. From Skagway we could drive north on the Klondike highway to Carcross and the Alaska Highway instead of driving back out of Haines on the same road we drove to get there. We found out we could get a stand-by ticket for a crossing in two days, so we decided to take our chances on that.

We camped our first night in Haines at Chilkat Lake State Rec Site. The road into the Campground runs along the beautifully aqua Chilkat River where lots of fishermen in chest high waders stood in the water casting their lines.

The next day we moved to Oceanside RV Park, a private RV parking lot right on Portage Cove on Haines’ waterfront. The weather cleared, and the sun came out, revealing the mountains that enclosed the very calm cove. We had a perfect afternoon for sitting and watching the pair of belted kingfishers who hung out near us and the bald eagles that frequented that side of the cove. The next day we toured the town, drove the water front roads that extend out from the town, bought salmon at a fish processing plant and, following Nina’s ever friendly lead, got to know our camping neighbors from Germany. In fact, we rode the ferry with them to Skagway on Friday and camped with them that night at Conrad Yukon Government Campground near Carcross.

Main Street, Haines

And then it was time to head east into British Columbia.

Eagle on a rock near Haines

Eagle on a rock near campsite

Fort William H Seward in Haines 

Sheldon Museum

Portage Cove, Haines

Driving onto the ferry for Skagway

Our new German friends

Good-bye to Haines

Alaska Trip - Valdez

 Our time spent in Anchorage consisted of camping on two different occasions at Eagle River Campground which is part of Chugach State Park. The town of Eagle River is a suburb northeast of Anchorage and it’s a handy place to stop going and coming from the Kenai Peninsula. Our second night there was after we’d toured Whittier and Portage Glacier. My sighting of Mama Moose and her baby in the campground is why I’m including a mention of it.

Lake Louise

The next morning, we visited the Ulu Factory in downtown Anchorage. The Ulu is a curved knife originally designed and made from stone by the Athabaskan natives. Now, of course, the blade is made of steel and it is mass produced. From the factory, we walked to Ship Creek and watched several fishermen casting their lines. We drove the downtown harbor residential area full of interesting upscale modern homes and condos. And then we made our way to 5^th Avenue which is Highway #1 and away we went northeast out of town toward Palmer and the Glenn Highway.

It’s 187 miles on the Glenn Highway to Glenallen where we wanted to head south to Valdez. It’s a beautiful drive with the Chugach Mountains to the south and the Talkeetna Mountains off to the north. And where there wasn’t construction going on, the road was good pavement. Not so the 19- mile road to Lake Louise north of the Glenn Highway, 29 miles shy of Glenallen, where we decided to turn off and camp for the night. It was 19 miles of frost-heaved, patched, roller coaster road lined with stunted black and white spruce trees. Lake Louise is a beautiful setting, however, and we enjoyed our night there, despite the mosquitoes.

Valdez

Located on a fjord where the 5,000-foot-tall Chugach Mountains rise from Prince William Sound, the town of Valdez (population: 4011) sits at the base of Keystone Canyon, a 3-mile long gorge through nearly perpendicular slate walls sporting the Horsetail Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

We drove into town on a Sunday and had a leisurely look around since most of the shops on the boardwalk near the marina were closed and there was little traffic. In fact, we just parked by the marina and ate our lunch in the Siesta while watching people walking to and from the fish processing facility not far away, and as we gazed at the variety of boats moored in the marina. Across the street was an incredible stand of blooming lupines!

Dayville Rd camping

View on Dayville Rd

We camped that night on Dayville Rd. which is across the Sound from the town of Valdez. This public road has wide paved turnouts overlooking the Sound for RV parking and fishing from the bank a few steps away. The Michigan couple parked next to us spend several days every summer there fishing and canning the fish they catch before moving on to other fishing areas in southern Alaska. A short distance up the road is the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery. Sea lions hang out there to catch and devour pink salmon flopping about at the fish weir. Bears are prevalent in the area, too, so we read. And Monday morning a small one rambled out of the shrubs by the Siesta just after Michael left to walk down to the bathroom. The bear was out on the road by the time another camper alerted Michael to it.

Part of the fascinating beauty of the Valdez area is the dramatic climate changes, from sea level fjord surrounded by mountains and glaciers up through Keystone Canyon, continuing 25 miles north of Valdez to Thompson Pass at 2,805 feet. That’s high enough at this northern latitude to be above tree line and home to several different blooming sedums and other tundra plants. And 4 miles beyond the pass is Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site, a National Natural Landmark.

Bridal Veil Falls

Keystone Canyon

Tundra at Thompson Pass

Tundra

Tundra

Worthington Glacier