Our plan to go south to escape the polar vortex soon went awry. After leaving Mesilla we headed to southwest Texas and after taking a brief look at Marfa (think Giant, Dancing Lights, and Donald Judd) camped in Alpine, about 100 miles north of Big Bend. That night temperatures plunged into the low 20’s and would remain close to freezing the next few days. We stayed in the park the second night and winds were steady at 30-40 mph. Winter had finally caught up with us after two months and 8000 miles of great weather.

Many road travelers think that outside of Austin and BBQ in Lockhart, Texas is just a long haul to get through ASAP. Big Bend will dispel  that misconception. The Chisos Mountains stretch for hundreds of square miles on both sides of the Rio Grande River and give this desert environment a majestic ambiance. Historically, the area was fertile ground for dinosaurs and early mammals, and hundreds of fossils have been found here. We hiked the Old Mine Trail and other areas and caught some great views.