A Winter in Big Bend National Park

(Upon arriving at Big Bend!)

When Mike first mentioned that he might apply for a 3-4 month winter detail at Big Bend National Park in Texas, my mind jumped to the reasons that it couldn't possibly work. Jasper is in school, right? Well, actually he's live-streaming this year due to COVID-19. I have to be in Michigan for my job, right? Well, I'm already working virtually due to COVID, so what's the difference between doing it from Michigan or the middle of a national park in Texas? 

Mike applied for the detail, and we got more and more excited about the possibility over the next 10 days, at which point he was offered the position! Not only would this be a chance to live and work in a different park, in a very different region of the country, but it was also a temporary promotion for Mike!

We had less than 3 weeks to plan this adventure, but managed to create lists of supplies we'd need to bring and tasks to ensure that our home would be safe during the snowy months of our absence. We needed to fit all of our supplies (backpacking equipment, my work computer/printer and supplies, Mike's uniform and work equipment, and EVERYTHING else!) into our beloved (but admittedly smallish) Prius, so we were very particular in our packing. It all fit! We've done many long distance road trips with "Thunder" (the car) and it's always accommodated all of our needs. (And Toyota's not even paying us to say that!!)

We planned to depart on Thursday morning to head to Mike's mom's house, but a winter storm was predicted overnight, so we hurriedly packed up, said goodbye to our home, gave an emergency key to our neighbor, and drove to Marquette on Tuesday evening. The adventure had begun. At this point, we could stop thinking of all the things on our “to do” list, and just enjoy each day.

Every day, we drove about 8 hours. Jasper was very enthusiastic about keeping track of license plates as we drove across the country. In the end, he documented plates from 42 states. Each new state was a matter of celebration.

After 5 days of driving, we crossed the border into Texas. The landscape changed quite dramatically as we passed through areas with greenish hills and then through long stretches of dry and dusty towns filled with oil trucks and refineries. It was unappealing, to say the least. I told myself that no matter how bad it was, we knew we'd only be there for 3-4 months! 

 

But finally we started to see mountains in the distance, and the scenery became more and more dramatic. Big Bend is a surprisingly green desert. We wound our way for about 20 minutes from the park headquarters in Panther Junction up into the Chisos Basin, and we were astonished by the beauty that surrounded us. The dramatic rock formations, trees, and changing deciduous leaves near the rocky peaks were just stunning. 

                                            (Casa Grande, as viewed from our house)
 

After moving in to our "new home," we took a family exploratory walk and just soaked in the beauty of the sun setting on the red rocks that surrounded us. Each step revealed new views, new plants, the possibility of new wildlife. We actually saw a black bear and two cubs wandering through our neighborhood, and upon closer inspection, LOTS of huge piles of scat.

The next morning, I took a little walk down the road into the empty group campsite. I was awaiting the first glow of sunlight on the cliffs above, and wasn't disappointed. The smell of creosote filled the cool air and gradually the abundant bird life made itself known, flitting from one desert bush to another and breaking the silence with their calls. This winter is bound to be FULL of wonder and beauty.

 

  (An acorn woodpecker in Big Bend's high mountains.)