The Conversation

Adventure Location: Big Bend NP, Texas
Plans: Meander the park

Brain: WOW that was fun this morning.  Lunch is over so get in the Truck and let’s go!

Body:  HOLD IT RIGHT THERE FOOL.  I am tired, my knee hurts, my back is aching and I want a dose of ibuprofen and a nap.

Brain:  Forget it there are adventures to be had, trails to walk, roads to ride and sights to see.  Get moving.

Body: NO FOOL.  Ease off or I will make you REALLY SORRY!

Brain: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzz.

Later in the afternoon.

Brain: Can’t you go for a short walk on a nature trail here at the campground?

Body:  I guess that will be alright if we take our time.  My new hiking shoes will get to work out some.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail is the name of the trail.  To set the stage bring water you will need it.  Do not go in hot weather!

The trail starts innocently from the campground and crosses a pond on pontoon decks and walkways.  Oh so nice and pleasant.

Then you get across and find the side of a hill and turn left to follow it around for a few feet.  Suddenly the tone of the trail changes with this first set of stairs.

 You get to climb and then climb some more.  The trail becomes a standard rocky trail with great views of Mexico to your right.  Eventually you come to a split in the trail with the sign saying loop trail to the left and spur trail to the right.  Take the spur trail. 

 Body: This is not a gentle nature trail like I was expecting!

 Brain: I am as surprised as you but since we are here I am glad you brought water.  May I have some please?

On down the spur trail is some holes worn in the rock at lots of places.

Here is a close-up of the hole in the rock.  These were made by folks grinding vegetation into a form that could be cooked to be eaten.  That certainly looks like a lot of work to make a hole like this.

We move on down the spur trail toward the river.  In a short while we are walking in river deposited gravel then sand.  Suddenly right there in front of us is the Rio Grande again with Mexico on the other side.  It certainly is lonesome like down here.

That was nice but it is time to head back to the loop trail.  While coming out of the river bottom my eyes keep looking for a short cut to save distance and intercept the loop trail past where the spur trail cut off from it.  In only a few seconds my eagle eye for lazy man trails spots a path up the hill that will save several hundred yards of walking.  Notice that the folks on the trail are headed up to the top of the hill.  We catch them up on top in a little while.

The spur trail to the top is taken.  Up top is two sign explaining things about the area.

The view is worth the climb up to the top.  A picture back down toward the campground makes a statement made in the blog a few days ago silly.  Comfort Castle is not about a mile from Mexico, it is about a thousand feet from Mexico.

Body:  Brain I am going to make you pay for this “little walk”.

Brain protesting:  The brochure did not mention mountain climbing and a death march across the desert in it.  At least you have to admit it was a pretty good way of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM’s brain.