Day 3 - the Amazing Cloud Day
I had grand plans for leaving the cabin early (~5:30am-ish) and driving to some place outside the Basin to photograph the sunrise. The rest of the gang would catch up with me around 9am and then we'd all go hike somewhere.
But that didn't happen. I torqued up my left leg somehow on the previous day's hike, and it was killing me all night long. I slept badly and woke up feeling less than average. Sucks getting old.
I decided to just limp my way outside the cabin and photograph the sunrise from inside the Basin. I managed to make the climb on top of our backyard boulder again (in the dark) with camera gear and breakfast. Mom had cooked up homemade cinnamon rolls before the trip (my grandmother's recipe), and I'll tell you that eating those while sitting in the Basin and watching the sunrise summed up to a religious experience.
So, without further commercial interruption, here's the sunrise:
the Basin sleeps
the clouds catch color over Casa Grande
the start of the Amazing Cloud Day
The Window in Pastel
B&W Version
Casa Grande MorningAfter the sunrise and the appearance of the most amazing, wonderful clouds I'd ever seen in Big Bend, I proceded to pack things up and head down the boulder. Everyone else was awake by then and eating breakfast on the back porch. Little Henry showed up down below and yelled "Daddy!". He started to climb up. "NO!", I shouted, but that did not deter him. Mom walked over and helped him up towards me. She lifted him barely high enough so that I could grab his hands. I pulled him up top, and we sat on the house-sized boulder together.
I showed him the fantastic nearly-unobstructed view of the Basin. I know I had complained about not having a back-porch view of the Window from our cabin, but the views from atop the boulder were the best.
Henry was very excited and scrambled around the uneven surface of the boulder's top. We walked from one end to the other and all around.
On the backside of the boulder, I found a sloping ledge that headed downwards to the ground. Little Henry got his first hands-on lesson in rock climbing. I went first - slowly - and let Henry follow me. I helped him each step of the way, guiding his feet and hand placement and coaching him on where to place his body. He faltered only once near the bottom but I always kept a firm hand-hold on the way down so that I could grab him and hold him 100% in case he slipped.
I'm sure the people in cabin #102 thought I was nuts for letting a 3 1/2-year old climb about 15 feet above the ground, but Henry just knows what to do. He's got the monkey gene just like me.
We all re-grouped and set off for our morning hike - the Basin Loop Trail.
The group strained up the steep Pinnacles Trail. We stopped frequently to rest and check out the flowers and insects. The air in the Basin was nice and cool but humid.
purple flowersWe stopped for a long break at the junction of the Loop and Laguna Meadows trails. Henry took great delight in filling my hat with rocks. I know he wants to be a racecar when he grows up (not a racecar
driver, but an actual racecar), but he's definitely headed towards something in geology.
Where's my hat? Oh, Henry has it.There were flowers everywhere. The Basin was prettier than any man-made garden. My parents said later that this hike was their favorite part of the trip.
green spider, yellow flowerAfter the hike, we had lunch at the Lodge. My mother-in-law had to leave afterwards. She had to be back home for work the next day (Monday).
We left right after lunch to start our afternoon tour of the west side of the park. We drove down Ross Maxwell with the intent of stopping at all the easy places (Sotol Vista, Burro Mess Pour-off, Tuff Canyon, etc.), but Henry finally decided to take a badly needed nap. We skipped everything, let him sleep, and drove straight to Santa Elena.
The road was open all the way to the trailhead, but the trail was closed. We walked down until it became really muddy. Terlingua Creek was swollen with brown muddy water and the Rio Grande was flowing at a pretty good clip.
A group of rafters came through the canyon. They waved and I yelled hello. "How's the river?", I shouted. "Great", they responded.
Santa Elena - fisheye viewWe retreated to Castolon for ice cream. The day had grown hot and it was a little more humid than normal. I got an ice cream sandwich with the intent of sharing it with Henry, but he did not want any of it. He went after my wife's popsicle instead. He ate so much of it that she bought a second one.
ice cream at CastolonI walked around some taking photos. The large amount of green grass seemed unreal. We had been seeing a lot of grass in the park, much more than usual, and this area slightly north of the Castolon store was just unreal.
Is this Big Bend?Maybe this is what Big Bend looked like +100 years ago before overgrazing? If it wasn't for the familiar shape of Cerro Castellan, I wouldn't know where this photo was taken.
B&W versionAfter we cooled off in the shade of the Castolon store porch, we headed up to Tuff Canyon. A massive thunderhead grew in the west and started to obscure the sun. Despite the cloud cover, the air seemed hot and heavy.
Fisheye view of Tuff Canyon
B&W - Tuff CanyonWe decided to skip Burro Mesa Pour-off. Everyone was tired, hot, and ready to get back to the cabin. We did stop at Sotol Vista, however. This stop was an easy one.
Temps were about 10 degrees cooler at the vista as compared to Castolon. The sun was obscured partly by the storm to the west and there was a good breeze going. It was quite pleasant to be outside.
My mom and stepdad sat under a small tree and enjoyed the view. I walked around with my camera and with Henry in tow. He wanted to go with daddy.
Sotol VistaIf you're wondering why a lot of these photos are in black and white, it's because the lighting conditions were kinda blah - colors were dull and flat. If you combine that with good cloud formations and a strong, well defined subject, then black and white photos work quite well.
As I photographed the sea of muted green, I noticed a flash of orange nearby. A bizzare grasshopper flicked between clumps of grass and sotol. It was brillantly colored and I chased it down for a good pic. I tried to get Henry interested, but some nearby rocks grabbed his attention.
psychedelic grasshopperOn the way back to the Basin, we stopped for a pee break (for Henry of course
at the base of the steep 10% grade just a few miles west of PJ. The little valley here was a sea of lavender. The purple sage was in full-blown bloom.
purple sageWe made it back to the Basin close to 6pm. We hung out on the back porch and had a picnic dinner of sandwiches, chips & salsa, and beer. It was great to be there with my family, sitting in the cool shade and watching the reddish peaks glow in the late afternoon sun. I wish that moment could have lasted forever.
Afternoon in the Basin with cold beer & family - does life get any better?Little Henry became very restless after dinner. Everyone else was pretty tired (mom & stepdad are over 60 and my wife is 8 months pregnant, so you can't blame them for being exhausted). So, Henry and I set off for a walk.
We hiked down the cut-off trail between the Pinnacles and Laguana Meadows Trailheads. Golden light filled the Basin. Henry bounded along, stopping frequently to check out insects, lizards, and, of course, rocks. "Daddy, daddy!", he shouted when he found something interesting. He was excited to be free and exploring the treasures of the Basin.
The light was amazing. The whole place glowed. The yellow flowers along the trail looked like gold. I really wanted my camera, but then I realized it was time to be with my son. Sometimes I just have to force myself to turn the photographer side off and focus on what else is happening. He and I were having a good experience together, and as I embraced that (and forgot about taking photos) I realized what a great memory we were creating.
He yelled, laughed, and giggled his way down the trail. His voice carried into the still, cool air. By the time we made it around to the Window View Trail, probably the whole Basin knew that some little kid was having a great time.
I put him on my shoulders and started to point out things. "Casa Grande", I said to him as we stood in the parking lot facing the massive rock. He was happy to be in Big Bend.
We walked back to the cabin just as the sun was setting. I climbed up the boulder for the last shot of the day.
Window sunsetOne more segment is next - Day 4. Actually, it's a partial day since we left the park about noon, but I have a ton of pics
Stay tuned...
