I also took a Big Bend newbie out to camp this past week...had always explored BB in the fall until now. Stupidly, we arrived at Chisos Basin last Wednseday without a reservation.....but i will say that even though the gate staff said the campground was full *and* the sign on the road said no camping vacancy at Chisos Basin, we found two sites open. One was the handicapped site next to the bathroom and across from the camp host, so that's only good if you have a placard. The one remaining site, #28, was something of a Charlie Brown site (no shelter, right on the road, serious hardpan, fire ants, very little footprint for tents,) but it beat having to turn around and head back. When the wind and weather hit Friday night, though, we packed out and left the site for someone else (after paying for three nights) -- we simply weren't equipped Lessons learned/reinforced....(I knew better): pack for every weather and reserve ahead, or at least have a fallback plan. But people do bail so don't assume that every reserved spot will be filled. I would also suggest checking in (ideally in the early afternoon) with the campsite hosts -- they do daily surveys and keep tabs of no-shows. Another thing to keep in mind is that not every site in the Basin is reservable, which I didn't know until this trip.
Amen for that siter...live & learn . That is how we turn wiser in the mountains, by personal experince...and of course, now thru BBC: Reading & Sharing. That is the name of the game.
I went over to a private dam , this past weekend (April 5-9th). My relatives : brothers in law, nephews & nieces were laughing because they said i had brought the whole house with me. it wasn't much:
(2) Coleman airbags (queen & single)
(2) -35ºF sleeping bags
(1) Coleman bed cover (queen size)
and my Ozark Trail Tent, plus my cooking battery. That was it. ...oh yes, and lots of dry clothing.
Well by Friday when the rains came in , the temps fell down to
5ºC, and they were having
WET sleeping bags,pillows and leaking airbags, who was having the very last laugh :?: ...just guess.
.... :lol:
Forgot to mention, i took a great book as well and while i was reading in my toasty very comfortable sleeping bag..i took 3-4 hours of siesta. Best relaxation i have had in my whole life.
