What is Your Most Amazing Moment in Big Bend?

[Casa Grande]

A sunset?  A lion sighting? Did you finally get to see that one animal you've been waiting for? or was it something way too unexpected....

August 1999

It was night.  I was sitting with my friend Alex and two of his sons at Paint Gap #3.  Alex and I were drinkin', havin' a good time just after the sunset.  It was dark and breezy.  I was facing northeast, alex northwest, Zane was facing the east and Shea his 2nd born son was facing southwest.  Suddenly, Shea lifted off his seat as if someone had lit a firecracker under his ass and said, "holy sh1T! What the *&k is that!" He was pointing in my direction......

(to be continued) post some of your own and i'll continue this story....  :D

[RichardM]

Mine would have to be looking out over the South Rim at the desert bathed in moonlight.

P.S.  I know what you saw!
Click Here if you want to cheat! (Richard, mister smarty pants!)

Ok, so I'll wait for you to finish your story before reposting my link.

[billh]

As I reflect they are subtle. I think the one that stands out was over 10 years ago. We were camped at KBar. My two sons (14 and 17 now) were young and they were sleeping in a small 2 person tent. I was reading to them. We lay down in the tent and I read them a book as they snuggled in their bags. the tent faced roughly NE. It was cold, as it was November. As I read I noticed that the horizon to the east was very bright. I continued to glance to the East as the Horizon looked as if there was a city out there. As you know, there's nothing to the NE of K Bar. Nothing but desert that is. I wondered if it was a fire. After about 30 minutes I realized it was the full moon, breaking the horizon. eventually there was nothing blocking it, there were no mountains or hills obstructing it, and it looked like you could walk straight towards the moon. The boys fell asleep and I stood mesmerized as the Moon cast shadows across the Chihuahuan desert. Wonderful moment, I'll never forget.

bill

[Casa Grande]

Alright Richard!

And, on a side note, those are both wonderful sights!

[RichardM]

That picture (to be revealed to the rest of you later) was probably taken within a few minutes of your sighting.  Personally I was standing out in my condo parking lot here in Clear Lake observing it while talking on the phone with my Mom who was watching it in Austin.  Of course, it helped that I knew it was coming.  Dad was busy watching the news report on tv and nearly missed it.

[Cygnus]

Like most of us, my first trip sunk that hook that keeps me going back to Big Bend year after year.  While plenty of things struck me as magical, awe-inspiring, and beautiful, the thing that was most impressive to me was the stars.  I had camped a lot up to then, but never in a place with so little pollution (at least at the time).  It was a new moon and there were so many stars it was difficult to make out the constellations that had been so easy to recognize at home.  And the Milky Way was completely defined - an impressive swath of billions of points of light.  Even before the stars came out, the sky gave up one more unusual sight - satellites.  As the sun sets, the satellites are still high enough to reflect some light and for the first 30 minutes after sundown, you can just track man-made moons zipping across the sky.  Today, this is still the only place I've been able to see this so clearly with the naked eye.  

As I've returned each year since, it seems like I can see fewer and fewer stars.  While this is a bit saddening, it makes that first experience all the better.

[01ACRViper]

hard to decide between 2 different things: standing on elephant tusk, knowing that only 4 other people had been up there in the past 4 years. looking up at the south rim from that height and all the way down to mariscal canyon and the rio grande is an amazing sight. and of course my other  great moment was my lion sighting  :oops: i don't think anything will ever top being 10 feet away from a 100 lb cat that thankfully decided you wouldn't be a good meal :lol:

[Casa Grande]

man, those are all fantastic!  

...continued....

So, as I jump up out of my seat and look behind me and up, I see a large "fire contrail" shooting across the sky!  It was fast, but not as fast as a falling star and it never went out, it just kept on going....after about 30 seconds of awe struck silence, none of us had a clue what it was.  None of us where waiting or expecting it so it was a complete surprise for everyone.  About 15 minutes later, the space shuttle landed in Florida.

The next morning at the Panther Junction it was all the talk at the water spigot... :lol:

Ok, Richard, you can post it now...party pooper.

[RichardM]

Click on the pic for image details.

[Casa Grande]

yup..nice pic of it too :)  ok, so i guess it wasn't august, but july, 27th to be exact  :lol:

[randell]

I guess it'd have to be watching the sunset for the first time from the South Rim right after I proposed to my wife.  The sunsets from the South Rim are the best and I can't think of a better place to propose.

[chisos_muse]

I've thought about this one all day, as I read it from work.....I've finally come to the conclusion, after visualizing many beautiful, exciting, awestruck moments......that I have to visit BIBE alot more, because my MOST AMAZING moment, well it just hasn't happened yet...... 8)

[Roy]

With a bullet.  Sorry David, no way anyone can top that.  And the photo is pretty great, too.

[Lance]

This was in the late 80's. It was my wifes first trip, and as we were driving out of the Basin, directly across fom the trailhead of the Lost Mine Trail, we saw it. Walking slowly across the ridge, about 50 yards away, a black bear. Stopped the car in the Lost Mine Trail parking lot. Sat in the car watching him amble about for about 5 minutes. So close you could hear him grunting. Was able to get out the video camera and catch a few minutes on tape. After he shuffled over the ridge, we excitedly drove down the road and stopped at teh ranger station and showed them the tape.

[Casa Grande]

awesome, Lance...any chance you can get a clip converted for the web? know many would love to see that!

Roy, i agree, Randalls is pretty damn cool.