Big Bend State Park, Texas

I’m sitting on a single bed in a cubicle of the Sauceda Ranch bunkhouse. 

If I were a cowboy fifty years ago, I’d have shared this space but there are just a few of us here and I have the whole cubicle to myself.  It’s a hall with ten cubicles each with two single beds each.   

The other woman sharing the our half of the bunkhouse is packing up to go home after her weeklong photography workshop.  Through the thin walls, I hear the dozen men in their separate bunk room hall preparing for the day.

Sunset on the ranch

It’s been an interesting few days here at Big Bend RANCH State Park in way WEST, not South Texas.  Even though the map shows it is very south, just north of Mexico with on the Rio Grande River keeping the border, I am assured it is west. 

Yes, that's the mighty Rio Grande.  And Mexican mountains on the other side. 

And yes, it's a bit isolated

When I was planning my trip, I called Texas state park reservations and was assured there were a couple of spaces available here in the bunkhouse.  Why the limit, I’m not sure- clearly there are spaces for plenty more. But my new friend and I are very grateful not to share the small and spartan communal bathroom with eighteen other women! 

The bucket has reserved water to flush the toilets- obviously, electricity goes out occasionaly.

Spartan?
Maybe not with this fabulous towel rack.

The sweet reservation gal reminded me that this is a remote park. I said yes I knew that but I had my heart on seeing that part of the country. So I picked my dates to visit and she began to read her script.  “Have a full tank of gas before you leave the nearest town, there is no fuel at the ranch.  The road is 27 miles of gravel, drive slowly and allow for at least an hour and a half. “ ( Hmm.... ok, I drive that distance on gravel in Wyoming but it doesn’t take ME that long.)

“There is no cell service within the park. Be sure you are prepared- bring plenty of water (standard precaution in the West), and gloves.  Know how to operate your jack and make sure your spare is inflated.  And carry a rock bar in your car.”

Whoa- you lost me on that last one!  What’s rock bar?  Turns out it’s a long crow bar to pry rocks out of the way so IF (by implication, WHEN) you break down on the “undeveloped” road, you can dig your car out of the sand and huge rocks and change the tire.  In my new-to-me Lexus SUV.  Maybe not.

After talking to three different women employed by the state to promote state parks and who warned me this is as close to the edge of the universe as Texas can get, I spoke to a nice man from the park itself who assured me that people with low clearance vehicles come all the time.  I decided to take my chances.  No surprise there to my faithful readers. 

One caution I heard was tall ocotillo cactus will line the road and rip the paint right off my car- hence the ranger’s 4wheel drive with “desert pin striping”.

Custom desert pinstriping reflects the sunrise.
We took the ranger's car on our park tour. 

The road into the park was fine- a little rough but when I caught up with a big 4-wheel drive pickup truck, I just determined to stay with him and not be alone on the admittedly very, empty road. Later I met the driver and told him I had decided he would be my guardian angel and if I broke down, I was honking my horn and screaming my head off.  He was just impressed that I could drive keep u with him on that road.   And we were going all of about 25, with bursts of 30 mph.

The only road in and out.

Words can’t describe the immensity, the isolation, the beauty and the amazing geology of this area.  So…I’m going to add a few links (as soon as I return to the land of internet service).  I only wish I could have flown over this wonderland.  Instead, I took a full day tour with Blaine Hall, the most informative park ranger I have ever encountered.  As he explained the geology (his specialty), biodiversity and history I was educated, entertained and grew in respect- not only for the hardy souls who carved a working sheep ranch out of this wild and wooly land but also for this highly educated ranger, a former Mobil oil geologist who now carts tourists around.  And cooks our breakfast on his turn.  

Living large in Texas! 

And avoiding these babies.