It was a glorious day in Fort Stockton and perfect weather for our drive to Big Bend National Park.
Welcome!
Welcome to the Discovery Exhibit
Driving to Big Bend National Park Texas
En route to prelude as to what was to come inside Big Bend National Park!
Seeing this US Border Patrol stop was a first for us. The southern edge of Bend National Park boarders Mexico!
Gave the Jeep a good breakfast fill up in the cute little town of Marathon Texas.
As we are driving we were reminded about how desolate Texas highways can be. For the first half of our hour and a half drive the scenery consisted of desert and an occasional ranch with more dessert. When we got to Marathon we looked for someplace for lunch, but there was nothing. Good I brought a big thermos of coffee. But we figured we better feed the Jeep. We would definitely not want to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere with no cell service!
Persimmon Gap Ranch is just outside of Big Bend.
A few miles outside of Marathon and the landscape had take a dramatic turn. There were mountain peaks popping up and surprising us everywhere. Every couple of seconds one of us would shout out “Look at this” Look at that”. The magnificence was mind blowing. But the mountains on our drive to the park was a mere prelude as to what was to come inside of Big Bend National Park Texas.
Big Bend National Park
Prehistoric History
Los Caballos is a mountain range of deformed volcanic rock.Here’s is some background on how these mountains were created. Following the Age of Dinosaurs, the upland habitat of Big Bend was doubted by periods of intense volcanic activity. The distant Chisos Mountains are a remnant of one of these volcanoes. For many thousands of years, the volcano remained dormant until sudden explosive eruptions periodically brought it to life.
Between eruptions, rivers and streams formed at the base of the volcano. This riverbank habitat was rich with life, including many types of strange and unique mammals. Fossilized remains of some of the animals are still found today in the rocks that were once on the bottom of these sand rivers over 45 million years ago.
Todaythe volcano is no longer active. All that remains of the ancient mountain is the eroded core that forms the Shisos Mountains. Teaching 7,825 feet at their highest point, The Chisos Mountains tower above the exposed river rock that forms the hoodoos in the badlands.
Los Caballos
Los Caballos is a mountain range of deformed volcanic rock.
Mountains for miles!
Los Caballos consists of highly deformed rocks in the Ouachita fold belt fold best after erosion had arecuced the highlands and a later submergence lowered the area. , a northeasterly trending range, uplifted about 275-290 million years ago. The intricate folding is shown by whitish rock bands – called caballo (the Spanish world for horses) – exposed on both sides of the highway.
Following the dinosaur age this region was dominated by intense volcanic activity. You can see there results in the Chisos Mountains seen in the distance. That high peak is known as Santiago Peak, elevation 6521 feet!
The northwesterly trending del Norte-Santiago Range, which is the southmost extension of the Rocky Mountains, forms the southwestern skyline. The rocks of this range were deposited in a sea that covered the Ouachita fold belt after erosion had reduced the highlands and a later submergence lowered the area. Santiago Peak, named for a local man who was killed by Indians and buried beneath the peak, is the high, flat topped mountain. It was once a mass of molten magna that cooled and hardened underneath the earth’s surface and was uncovered by later erosion.
The del Norte-Santiago Range uplifted and folded 40-60 million years ago, is not half the age of the Ouachita Fold. This is a remarkable fusion of “old” and “young” mountains. This is unmatched at any other site in North America.
Natural watering place
A very cool dinosaur sculpture
Dinosaur fossils
The desert landscape is beautiful and so different than lush South Florida
A natural watering place in prehistoric times, as evidenced by artifacts found at Big Bend National Park Texas. Used later by Indians and Spaniards on the road from northern Mexico.
Double Mills
These look like hundreds of tiny volcanos along with some large eruptions.
We found “purple mountains’ majesty”!!!
As Maravillas Creek developed from a draw into a water channel, the old water hole vanished. About 1900 an early rancher, George Miller, dug two wells and put up twin windmills. After that the site was call Double Mills
Some of the mountains were almost black.
And it wasn’t just the mountains that were stunning. The canyons too our breath away!
It became a campsite for ranchers driving cattle and horses from Mexico or the Chisos Mountains to the railroad in Marathon. It was also a great place for wagon trains of ore and for U.S. troops on border patrol to camp out.
And here you can see just how spectacular this park is.
And more of that stunning canyon was seen on our way out of the park.
After taking in the majestic beauty of Big Bend for most of the day, we suddenly realized we had not had even a bite to eat. So we high tailed it out of the park in search of good eats!
