Winter Trip 2015: Sea Rim State Park

Fri. Feb. 13: Marv managed to wake himself and then me about 7:00. We wanted to eat breakfast and have the camper down and ready to hitch up by 8:30 in time to make the Woods Bird Hike—and we did it! The same couple was leading the hike that began at the bird feeding station at the other end of the drive on which we were camped. It was a large group which made it a little unwieldy to walk along together and get much information (at one point we passed another park volunteer who quipped, “Hey, what happened to the wheels of your bus?”) The leaders, Jane and Les Halls, were disappointed in the number of birds we were seeing but we did manage to add a few new ones to our list. When we left the group just before 10:00 many others did too and as we pulled out of the park we saw they were down to just a handful of people. It was another very long day of driving, including about an hour just getting around Houston. We stopped at a Subway for lunch and once mid-afternoon at a McDonalds to get online and post a couple of entries on the blog and do some other things. We missed a turn near the next park so we went about 6 miles out of our way but eventually found our way to Sea Rim State Park, which was a delightful surprise. Marv had made a reservation here when Village Creek St. Pk. was full. It is mostly a day use area right on the Gulf shore, but last year they added 15 water/electrical sites. Only about 10 were taken when we arrived and so we got one beside the shore with only a low dune between us and the water. There was a steady wind and the temperature was down to about 55° but the sun was shining. We set-up and then walked down to the beach to watch a good sunset, where, once a girl and her dog left, we had the beach to ourselves as far as the eye can see. As it got dark we made kielbasa and beans with a big tossed salad for dinner, called Marv’s mom, and did dishes before watching another The Newsroom on the computer, looking forward to a full day in this nice park.

Sunset

Our campsite, taken from the nearby pier over the dune

Sat. Feb. 14: HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! The temperature only got down to the mid-fifties so it was quick to warm into the sixties with a sunny sky for the day. We tried to eat breakfast at our picnic table but the mosquitoes drove us inside. As the breeze came up the mosquitoes became less of a problem so we walked to the end of the camping loop to access the beach, walked up the shoreline to the picnic area, took the ¾ mile long marsh boardwalk and then returned to the camper making it a two mile hike. The boardwalk was really impressive and we saw lots of coots, ducks, and ibises, but none of the alligators we were cautioned not to “tease”. As we relaxed and checked email we found out from Ann that MSU had a basketball game. We could get it with Spartan Access on my phone so we sat in the sun and listened to the first half. We made lunch during halftime and ate it outside as the second half began. Unfortunately, the later it got in the game, the poorer our signal got until we lost it entirely, just as OSU tied up the game. Since we couldn’t get the rest of the game we drove the truck over to the “Marsh Unit” of the park and inflated our kayak to paddle the shortest (1 mile) of their three marked paddle trails through the marsh on the north side of the park road. The trail was very shallow and we were warned by a dad and son just returning that they couldn’t get into the small lake at the end because of the mud at the entrance. The stiff breeze was to our backs as we set out, seeing a Great Egret and then following a Great Blue Heron down the straight waterway. Sure enough when we got to the lake we barely managed to enter it before we became hung up in the mud. We sat for a while enjoying what we could see of the lake and the peaceful setting. We managed to get out of the mud and began the paddle back, this time into that wind. It never felt like we couldn’t make it, but it was a challenge to keep moving. The Great Blue Heron again proceeded us most of the way, letting us get within about 20 yards before flying a bit further ahead each time until it took off and left. We finally returned to the truck, found out that MSU had beaten OSU 59-56 when Denzel Valentine hit a 3 pointer with 3.5 seconds left, and dried off and deflated the kayak before going back to the campsite. We both really needed to wash our hair, which we had left to do at Sea Rim before we found out that it has no bathrooms with water. We managed to do it using our outdoor shower and leaning over a large tub to catch the gray water, which we poured down our drain into the holding tank to dump later. It actually worked pretty well and we were glad to learn that we have that option when needed. We read in the sun for a while and as it began to cool off, we drove the truck on the beach as far as we could go before pilings in the sand stopped us. After a short walk on the beach we returned to the camper to make spaghetti to finish off a Vegetarian Day as the sun set. We watched one Newsroom and couldn’t resist watching another, leaving just the final episode of the good series.

Ibis (note the curved orange beak distinguishing it from an egret)

Paddling the marsh water trail

Great Blue Heron takes off

Looking around at the lake while bogged down in the mud

Marv with the marsh water trail behind him

Cleaning our inflatable kayak

Driving on the beach

Another nice sunset at Sea Rim

Winter Trip 2015: Goose Island

Wed. Feb. 11: Ann and Shelby packed up and got on the road by about nine and we followed after housecleaning the camper. We stopped by the headquarters/museum to watch their video and then turned right on US90 and drove, and drove, and drove. There is no good way to get to Goose Island State Park near Corpus Christi from Seminole Canyon so the GPS did the best she could to straighten out the path. This involved many miles of Texas FM (Farm to Market) roads that were sometimes narrow and bumpy but luckily had little traffic and went around most towns. We stopped for a Whataburger at lunch since we had heard so much about them. It was a big burger and pretty tasty but they didn’t have a side salad to go with it, which we would have preferred. We drove past a few highly irrigated and green produce farms but mostly passed by miles and miles of dry, scrubby ranch land. As we neared Corpus Christi the desert landscape became more coastal and green, with some wetlands with standing water as we passed the Aransas Bird Refuge and we saw more waterfowl. Arriving at the State Park at nearly 6:00 we were told that we could only have one night because they were reserved full for their big Mardi Gras celebration this weekend. They said we could take any open site and settle up with them tomorrow. Then if any reservation didn’t show we could move to a different site. We set-up on #130 and then drove to the nearby pier. Although the sun had set it was nice to walk far out on the long, long pier, greeting fisherfolk who were set up for an evening of fishing. There was a stiff breeze but the temperature was still about 70 so it was very pleasant.  We had a good strong phone and 4G signal so we sat in the truck, turned on my phone as a hotspot, and went to the Texas State Park site where we found there were 5 reservations left for Goose Island. We paid for one for tomorrow night and planned to settle up in the morning. Back at the camper we made soup with veggies, and pretzel crackers with peanut butter for a light supper. Since we don’t know if we will have to move tomorrow we didn’t get much out and there is shaky phone and internet at the site so we read and typed until bedtime.

Thu. Feb. 12: Goose Island is all about the Birds so we made like Birders. First thing in the morning we went to the campground headquarters to see about our registration. Luckily the online reservation had gone through which allowed us to stay in the same site and they applied our 3^rd of 4 coupons on our Texas State Park Year Pass, assuring that we were going to easily pay off the $70 it cost us. Since we were already out we decided to join the 8:30 Shore Birds hike, led by a couple from Michigan who are the February Bird Hosts. They helped us identify dozens of birds we wouldn’t have seen otherwise, including a loon (they don’t give their haunting call while in Texas), a Caracara, and a flock of five Roseate Spoonbills that flew overhead. An hour and a half later the hike was going strong but we hadn’t eaten breakfast so we left early and had hearty pancakes at the camper. We hiked for about a mile on the two Birding Trails in the campground but really didn’t see a whole lot of birds now that it was mid-day. We then stripped the bed and loaded the truck with everything to do laundry in town in the evening. Near the campground there is the 1966 Texas State Champion Live Oak Tree, which they just call the Big Tree. After admiring it we drove around the cattle field across the street and, just as we had five years ago, we found a flock of endangered Whooping Cranes. There were 8 of them along with 8 or 10 Sandhill Cranes and we watched them for a long time, especially thrilled when two flew in and landed.  They are beautiful in flight! We continued on to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, which is nearby but the entrance turned out to be about a 35 mile drive. We stopped by the information center and then drove their loop drive, nine miles of which was one-way. Along the way we climbed their observation tower and took a couple of short trails. By the end we had seen a Mama javelina cross the road with three babies, a wild hog beside the road, and many deer. There were also two alligators in a small fresh water swamp near the entrance. It was much later than we had anticipated by the time we got to the small town of Rockford across the causeway. We did badly needed grocery shopping and eventually found a laundromat, around 7:30. We were pretty hungry by then but felt we had no choice but to get the laundry done, which finished up at nearly 9:00. When we were able to look for a restaurant, everything that had been recommended to us was closed. In desperation we went to a KFC where they were out of many things, despite being open until 11:00. It was a very disappointing meal but we suffered through and returned to the campground where we found ourselves locked out! A frantic phone call to the emergency number on the sign eventually revealed that the person who checked us in neglected to tell us that the padlock combination for the green lock (one of the three padlocks) was on the back of our windshield pass. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back to the camper and put away the laundry and groceries. 

A windy and chilly morning Bird Hike on the pier

Goldfinch

A Great Egret with a Great Blue Heron behind it

Roseate Spoonbills in flight

Whooping Cranes

Coming in for a landing

Three Whooping Cranes with smaller gray Sandhill Cranes

The view from atop the Lookout

Our shadows on the marsh below

State bird of Texas: The Moockingbird

Winter Trip 2015: Seminole Canyon

Mon. Feb. 9: First thing in the morning we all dressed quickly and by 7:45 we drove up to the Lodge to eat their Breakfast Buffet as the sun began to light up the desert floor as viewed through the Window. When we had eaten our fill we walked the short Window View Trail before returning to get ready to leave. Marv had packed the truck while I made dinner the evening before so we took down the camper and were ready to leave at the same time as Robertsons. We drove out of Big Bend using the north entrance and stopped briefly at the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center before exiting. We both bought some gas in Marathon at $2.50 and then filled up at Sanderton for a more reasonable $2.09. Marv and I bought green chili pepper meat burritos at the gas station/café to eat on the road. They were HOT but tasty! There was very little traffic on rolling US90 and it was cloudless and around 80 the whole way with a slight headwind. Arriving at Seminole Canyon State Park about 3:30 we got two campsites with electricity and water near each other. The campground has no shade trees but large campsites and ours were both on the outside of the loop so they looked out over the desert. We had a weak Roaming phone signal and there is free but very slow Wi-Fi near the restroom so we felt like we were getting back to civilization. After setting up we relaxed in chairs and talked at our campsite as the sun set. Marv and I had leftovers in our camper before we walked up to Ann & Shelby’s to play “3-13”, a card game, before showers and bed. 

Sunrise in the Chisos Basin

Sunrise in the Chisos Basin

Peggy, Marv, The Window, Ann & Shelby

Tue. Feb. 10: After Marv and I had a simple breakfast of Raisin Bran to use it and our milk up, all four of us piled in Robertson’s van to drive up to the Museum/Store for the 10:00 hike into the Canyon. There were 72 fourth graders just unloading in the parking lot but a Volunteer came out to assure us they had their own program and wouldn’t be on our hike. One group was in the Museum so we couldn’t look around much but then our tour began so it didn’t matter. A Volunteer Ranger named Kevin was our leader. People are only allowed into the Canyon with a guide and only under certain weather conditions. We had a perfect day for our hike--another cloudless sky, temperatures in the 60s and rising, and a pleasant breeze. Kevin stopped several times to give us information as we began our descent into Seminole Canyon. He was extremely knowledgeable and, although we had done the hike 5 years ago, his delivery was so exceptional it was wonderful to hear him tell the story of the pictographs and petroglyphs. He told us some new information that a renowned expert is postulating as her Ph.D. book. Since our last trip here she thinks she has “cracked the code” for the meaning of these 8,000 year old images and feels that they were drawn during a sort of confab of the nomadic people who visited the area regularly. And they also now think that the people (who aren’t claimed as ancestors by any local Native American tribes) may have descendants in a reclusive tribe of people in mid-Mexico. The strenuous climb down and then up into the natural shelters of the Canyon was well worth the exertion and we were happy to have done it again with such an excellent guide. We returned to the campers for lunch and a short rest then we rode our bikes 6.5 miles on the Rio Grande Trail along the triangle formed where the Canyon meets the Rio Grande. From several lookouts along the rim we could see across the canyon to the Panther Cave, which is not accessible right now because of the low water levels. It has a 9 foot panther drawing and a whole panel of other petroglyphs which we had to enjoy with binoculars. Marv and I were shocked by the low river level. Last time we were here the Rio Grande was very wide, reaching from side to side of the towering rock walls on the American and Mexican sides because there is a large reservoir just downriver that backs up beyond this point. Now both sides of the river have wide swaths of willows growing in the shallows along the cliffs. The return trip was mostly uphill on the rocky two-track road so we were all pretty tired when we returned. After a brief rest we got together for tortilla chips with cream cheese and corn relish dip and guacamole as the sun set over the desert. For dinner we had spaghetti with sauce that had cooked all day in the Crockpot and a big salad. It all tasted wonderful after all our exercise! A last card game of Golf finished off the evening.

ReElaxing at our campsite

A local artist made this sculpture as a
representation of several major pictographs

Kevin explains what we're about to see

The overhang/cave ahead is our destination

What looks like blue paint here is actually black.

Biking on the Rio Grande Trail

Panther Cave is across the water filled canyon 

Close-up of Panther Cave with the 9 foot panther on the right side

The Rio Grande with willows in shallows on each side

Winter Trip 2015: Chisos Basin at Big Bend National Park

Fri. Feb. 6: We ate breakfast, packed up and took showers and still managed to leave Rio Grande Village by soon after 9:00. After another stop at Panther Junction to call for reservations for a river trip we drove up 2000 feet above the desert floor into the Chisos Mountains, through the pass, and over the gap dropping into the Chisos Basin campground. This was a favorite spot for us when we came to Big Bend six years ago so we were happy to find two sites together in the small campground of about 50 sites. There are no electrical sites and they have changed most of them to “No Generators” for which we are grateful. We can get what electricity we need from our solar panel, which is silent. After setting up and getting a good lunch we set out to take the Window Trail. This is an iconic hike in the Chisos Basin. It drops down 450 feet in elevation and is over 4 miles long. It was sunny and in the seventies as we descended, with some shade trees at times to relieve the heat. The pay-off comes at the end where one can view the desert floor far below through a “window” between the high peaks that serves as a pour-off for a small creek formed by nearby springs. There was very little water in the creek as we crossed over it several times and climbed up and down steps along the rock banks and built by the CCC before the area was established as a National Park. Even though there was no water going over the pour-off, the slippery flowstone kept us safely back from the opening itself. The return trip is all uphill and is why it is considered a “moderate difficulty” trail. The sun was getting low so it was much shadier but it’s still a pretty rugged climb. We made it back in time to catch our breath and grill pork chops (us) and kielbasa (Robertsons) on our grill which we enjoyed with potato salad that I whipped up. In the evening we took a quick trip up to the Chisos Basin Lodge to use their internet sitting on the porch and overlooking the campground. It was getting colder as we returned to our respective campers to read.

Campsites in the Chisos Basin

On the Window Trail

Large Agave (Century) Plant with last year's bloom

Marv climbing the rock stairs into near the pour-off

The Window with the desert floor far below

Ann. Shelby, Peggy & Marv in front of The Window

Marv with a mature Agave plant

Casa Grande as the sun sets

Long shadows as the sun sets

Sat. Feb. 7: It got down to the high thirties but we stayed warm enough to sleep well. The sun took a long time to come up over 7300’ Casa Grande, the high rock formation behind us in the basin. But the air temperature rose steadily so that by the time we had eaten breakfast and left the campsites in our truck it was into the fifties. We stopped on our way back out of the Basin to do the first mile of the 4.8 Lost Mine Trail. This trail starts at 5600’ elevation and leads upward along the northern slope of Casa Grande to a wonderful lookout over Juniper Canyon that has one of the finest views in the park. The return trip is all downhill, which is certainly our preference when hiking! From there we drove back to the Maverick Junction entrance to the park where we stopped to eat our lunch on the truck tailgate. We left the park and drove to Study (Stew-dee) Butte, about 2½ miles away. We bought gas for $2.65 (which was even more than they were charging in the park!). In years past we would have been thrilled with the price, but for this trip we were more used to paying $1.80 or so, so it hurt a bit. In Study Butte we went to Big Bend River Trips where Andy loaded the four of us, and another couple named Chelsea and Sean, into a big van and took us into Big Bend Ranch State Park, which is the biggest and least visited Texas State Park, west of Big Bend. After driving almost an hour on El Camino del Rio, which National Geographic lists as one of the 10 most scenic drives in America, and giving some brief instructions we put in 4 canoes for a trip on the Rio Grande. The outfit also does raft trips but the river is too low for the rafts right now.  It was 80° and perfectly clear with a brilliant blue sky as we set out. We soon entered Dark Canyon, where the towering cliffs shaded the river completely. There was a stiff wind to our backs which pushed us along but also tried to turn us around sometimes, and kept us from getting too warm. We stopped once at a long stretch of rocky bank on the Mexican side of the river where a snack is sometimes served but Andy felt it was too windy there so we walked the shoreline for about 15 minutes and then got back in the canoes. We had about four stretches of rapids that added just a zing of excitement but nothing too harrowing and Andy waded into the river each time to push errant canoes into the channel, if necessary. Piping Plovers, Swifts, Towhees, and Sandpipers wheeled in the air around us and it was wonderful to be in the awesome canyon on such a spectacular day. We saw many Big Bend Sliders (turtles) sunning themselves on the rocks in the river. Between Dark Canyon and Madera Canyon there was a low-banked stretch of the river.  Two spots along the river have the grizzly remains of vehicles that had driven off the hilly El Camino del Rio (17% grade in one spot!) and down the hillside. One driver lived and one didn’t. We successfully made it through a Class 2 rapids and then pulled over at our take-out point, which is a primitive campground for the state park. Andy loaded up the canoes and drove us up the hill to an overlook of Madera Canyon where he set out a snack of apples, oranges, crackers, cheese, peanut butter, jelly and three kinds of cookies. It all tasted pretty wonderful! Ann and I got some pictures nearby of Big Bend Blue Bells. We returned to the outfitters at 5:30 and drove back into Chisos Basin. After cleaning up a bit we drove back up to the lodge and had a nice dinner to top off our wonderful day.

Ann with the backside of Casa Grande beyond her

Juniper Canyon

Unloading Canoes 

Approaching Black Canyon

Black Canyon

Big Bend Blue Bonnets

Sunset through The Window

Orion again

Sun. Feb. 8: It hadn’t gotten as cold overnight and the day warmed quickly as the sun rose. This was our day to drive the thirty mile Ross Maxwell scenic drive on the west side of the park.  There are many opportunities along the way to read interpretive signs and take hikes but we pretty much drove straight down to Santa Elena Canyon. Terlingua Creek joins the Rio Grande just in front of the canyon and often times it is so wide and swift that there is no access to the canyon. But we were lucky to find it completely dry so we could just walk across the creek bed. At the mouth of the canyon there are 81 steps, 13 ramps, and some rocky paths up over the towering rock sides then one descends the other side down to the water. We walked as far as the trail took us over grassy areas and giant boulders into the steep sided canyon until the canyon walls ran straight into the Rio Grande and there is no way to go further. It was noticeably cooler in the canyon and so we tarried for pictures and to look for the Mexican Beaver who lives in the bank and had been busy cutting tender saplings that grow along the trail. As we hiked out Shelby said that the path had been the worst one yet (he’s sort of afraid of heights and trails that drop off on the sides with no guard rail) but the rest of us had loved the quiet, serene canyon. The trip back included a stop for ice cream at the Visitors Center at Castolon, which is in a store that has been there for over one hundred years. We also took short hikes at Tuff Canyon and Mule Ears viewpoint, where Marv went farther up the trail that the rest of us. It was in the eighties and the sun was relentless. Combined with our longer hike in the morning we were pretty wrung out. We still had a couple more places we planned to stop when we got the Sotol Vista Overlook. As we surveyed the area a pair of backpackers came up the trail from the abandoned Homer Wilson Ranch far below. Matt and Clay had been out since Saturday and hiked about 23 miles so far. They had planned on one more day but the heat and exhaustion led them to give up on the last 8 miles ahead for Monday. They were going to try to flag down a Ranger or someone to drive them back to their car at Chisos Basin. So instead we crammed them into the back seat of the truck with Ann & Shelb and made only one more stop on the way, to see the Window from the west side. We dropped the grateful boys at their car by the Lodge and returned to our campsites for dinner, sunset through the Window, and a hot game of Dominoes in our camper before bedtime.

The mouth of the Santa Elena Canyon
Note the steps going up the right sidde

View from the high point on the trail

Boulders near the end of the trail

Santa Elena where it narrows to become impossible to continue

The Rio Grande leaving the Canyon

The steep hillside

The Chisos Mountains from the desert on the west side

Torrey Yucca blooming in the campground

Casa Grande in the sunset