Way Out West

Had a wonderful week with Dennis on our trip out west!  We started out by driving to Odessa on Saturday night.  We then attended services at the Pecos church and met quite a few new friends.  Ron and Melissa Box were kind enough to take us and the Hays family out for dinner.  We enjoyed our time visiting and getting to know their family.  Then we followed Joe and Leanne home to Carlsbad for a couple of nights.  Their kids happened to be out of school Monday, so they all accompanied us to the caverns.  Dennis and I hadn't been since we were both kiddos.  It was as beautiful as I remembered!  There weren't many people there, and it happened to be free admission for Veteran's Day, so it turned out perfect!

At the park entrance

Taking a rest

We left early Tuesday morning and headed back to Texas.  We followed along the edge of the Guadalupe Mtns. in southern NM and then headed to the Davis Mtns. in Texas.  We enjoyed the beautiful sites along the way and ended up at our destination for the night in Alpine.  I loved this town!  I want to return sometime and spend more time exploring!  That evening we headed back into the mountains to attend a "Star Party" at the McDonald Observatory.  It was amazing!  The stars were so bright, we were able to view an awesome meteor streak across the sky, and we viewed the "stripes" on Jupiter through one of their telescopes.

Our cabin in Terlingua

After a leisurely Wednesday morning, we headed down into Big Bend country.  My "skills" at finding unusual accommodations is still intact as is in evidence by our cabin I rented in Terlingua.  At least it was clean, although it had a strong smoky odor.  It was in the perfect location, tho, for viewing both the state and national parks.  We spent all Wednesday afternoon, until dark, viewing the Big Bend Ranch State Park.  The road is sandwiched between the south border of the park on one side and the Rio Grande River on the other (which is bordered on the south side by even more mountains on the Mexican side).  As the sun started to set, we parked our car and hiked back off the road a ways to try to view some wildlife.  We heard car doors, and as we approached our car on our return were greeted with the sight of the border patrol checking us out!  They decided we weren't illegal, so they waved and went on their way.

We found this bluebonnet blooming...in November!

We spent all day Thursday going through the Big Bend National Park...such a HUGE, diverse piece of wilderness!  It includes vast Chihuahuan desert, the beautiful oasis of the Chisos Basin, and the lush wetlands of the Hot Springs along the river.  My favorite was the Chisos Basin...such a gorgeous place.  We even saw a bear!

"The Window"

"Our" bear - he enjoyed a nice long sunning while all the guests at the Chisos Lodge watched!

Today was a long day of driving home, but we made it safely.  It was good to be back and see Ricky.  I'm looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight!  The past week was one I'll never forget:  the quietness and beauty of God's creation...away from the interference of man.


Ps 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.