Big Bend and White Sands

My trip back to Phoenix was quite eventful. There was a huge winter storm the day I was supposed to leave (we got 3 inches of sleet!), and I could tell my dad thought I should wait one more day to leave. But that would mean missing out on the hot springs in Arkansas, and I'd already stayed one day longer than planned, so I left anyway. I had a bad feeling about it, and sure enough, got in an accident 10 miles from my parents' house. It wasn't my fault; another car spun out while attempting to change lanes and there was nothing I could do to avoid hitting her. It was like slow motion as I crashed into her, and my main thought was, "Dad's gonna say 'I told you so...'" 

Attempt #2 at getting on the road was successful, and I decided to drive through Kansas. I had never been, and I could collect a stamp in Topeka. I visited Brown vs. Board of Education National Monument and learned about this important Supreme Court decision. I learned that they purposely chose a case from Kansas because they didn't want it to turn into this big North vs. South thing. Also, Kansas had an interesting situation- the kids were only segregated in elementary school, and the buildings really were equally nice.

I spent the night in Oklahoma City and arrived in a very foggy Texas the next day. I was not expecting fog! Luckily, it cleared up by the time I got down to Del Rio (right on the Mexican border) and camped at Amistad National Recreation Area. I generally detest dams and am not excited to visit those sites, but this one was nice because I was so excited to camp for the first time in three months. I sleep better in my car than in my bed; I've got that system dialed in. And it makes me so happy to wake up in the middle of the night and see the stars. I also enjoyed having these views from my campsite:

The next day I FINALLY arrived at Big Bend, after several years of failed attempts. A dream come true!

My first hike was the popular Window trail, which leads down through a canyon to a 200 foot dryfall. 

(Looking down canyon towards the Window)

The canyoneer in me was laughing so hard at the stairs carved into the stone so people could avoid getting their feet wet in puddles. 

(Stairs on the left)

(More stairs on the left)

And when I got to the dryfall, I immediately started looking for bolts; someone HAS to have rappelled that. It's such a beautiful view!

I was too nervous to get close to the edge. The rock was very slippery, and my 5.10's don't make a difference on that kind of rock. A group got there after me, and some teenage boys went right up to the edge. The teacher in me was freaking out. I should Google how many deaths have occurred there...

Interesting. Can't find any. I don't believe it. That spot is an accident waiting to happen.

Anyway, this was a fun easy hike that I enjoyed. I met some nice people along the trail and there were a lot of surprised reactions that I had come to Big Bend alone. Sometimes I forget that traveling alone is not the norm.

I spent that night (New Year's Eve) in the tiny town of Marathon, TX. It was too cold for camping at Big Bend... well, for me, anyway. I don't like to camp when it's below freezing. There's a reason I chose not to go to FreezeFest this year! I stayed in an adorable hotel that I would highly recommend, the Marathon Motel. The girl at the desk was so sweet and tried to talk me into going to the town dance that night, but I just couldn't. There's a limit to my bravery.

I was disappointed to find Big Bend covered in freezing fog and sleet the next morning, which caused me to alter my hiking plans. I ended up doing a scenic drive through the park and a short hike down Santa Elena canyon. This place was so beautiful! This was one of those hikes where I was just really, really happy the whole time, despite the cold.

This may be weird, but I love seeing the colors of different rivers. The rivers that come from glaciers on Mt. Rainier are milky. The rivers in northern California are clear. The rivers in Illinois are muddy brown. And the Rio Grande was a deep murky green, like the color of an old pop bottle.

I drove through the ghost town of Terlingua, which was crazy crowded! A nice man informed me there was some kind of annual auction/celebration going on. After scoping out the crowd, I really wanted to hang out. But once again, I'm just not brave enough. They looked like my type of people, but standing around by myself was just too scary of an idea. My friends always think I must meet so many people in my travels, but the truth is, I'm pretty shy and keep to myself. And I wish I could be braver, because imagine the stories I could have had from this trip about dancing with a cowboy or meeting a badass vagabond at the Black Eyed Pea-Off. Maybe I'll work on that this summer in Colorado.

I spent that night in Alpine, TX and awoke to my car completely covered in ice. Seriously, WTF, Texas??

I made a quick stop at Fort Davis National Historic Site.

And then I visited White Sands National Monument, a truly amazing spot. These white sand dunes just appear out of nowhere! I brought my own sled and had a blast sledding down them. I was worried I'd look like a weirdo (a 30-something woman sledding by herself), but I found a little area all alone and acted like I was about 8 years old. The only problem was when I hit a bump and went flying off... As I laid there in the sand, struggling to breathe, I felt VERY 33. But that didn't stop me from doing it again. :)

It's so white, you almost forget it's sand! Until you have a hard landing. Sand is not as soft as snow. 

White Sands is only about 6.5 hours from Phoenix, so I was home that night. I could have traveled for one more day, but this trip involved a lot of driving (5,000 miles), so I was pretty tired. And now I am looking forward to my next adventure- spring break in Utah.