Road Trip 2025: Day 24

This wind this morning was fierce but comfortable. Breaking down the tents was a challenge. We wanted an early start because we are headed down to Big Bend, the last big national park on our trip. When my alarm sounded, I woke up confused and disoriented. I was in a deep sleep and dreaming. It was a troubling dream, but I don’t remember it clearly enough to convey it.

Options for food on a Sunday in rural Texas were slim. We stopped at Penny’s Diner in Alpine, Texas and that was a mistake. We waited for over an hour for our food and when the cook still hadn’t put our food on the grill we walked out. We then went down the road a bit and ended up at Magoo’s. We should have gone there first.

We arrived at the Panther Junction Visitor Center some time in the early afternoon. The three rangers there were so friendly and engaging we ended up chatting with them for over an hour. One of the rangers is an Eagle Scout from Massachusetts. The rangers have been all over the country touring and working at national parks. Collectively, they’ve been everywhere including Alaska and Hawaii. We all compared stories, shared photos, and debated over who experienced the most scenic campsites.

Luckily, we were able to get a campsite in the Chisos Basin section of the park. Once we set up our tents, I was eager to go for a hike. No one wanted to join me. The heat was negatively affecting Kati. As for G3, I can’t say definitely why he chose not to come. I hiked the Lost Mine Trail, a trail that was built during the Great Depression by the CCC. It was just under five miles round trip with 1,100 feet of elevation gain. When I started the hike—at 5:20—it was 104 degrees, but I brought lots of water.

I enjoyed the hike, even though I was alone. It reminded me of all those trips I took abroad before G3 was born. I always wanted to travel, and when I couldn’t find someone to join me I went alone because it was better to travel solo than not travel at all. Hiking, I suppose is the same. Better to experience the hike and the views alone than to sit it out. And the views were gorgeous. The craggy Chisos Mountains rise up out of the desert. There were cacti along the trail, and so many bugs of varying sizes and colors. Some were big, much bigger than anything we have at home. As I gained elevation, I could see more of the mountains around me, and out, way out in the distance, the Rio Grande. Right on the other side of this park is Mexico. I wish we had brought our passports.

The temperature dropped when I reached the peak of whatever mountain I was on and a comfortable breeze picked up. The hike down was cooler. Kati and G3 were waiting for me when I finished. We then drove over to the Window View Trail. It’s only three tenths of a mile, but it takes you to a viewpoint to watch the sun set. It was cloudy, but the sort of clouds that enhance a sunset instead of detract from it. As the sun dipped behind the mountains in the distance, it lit up the clouds a fiery orange and red.

Back at the campsite, I ate a dehydrated meal for dinner. G3 and Kati had eaten at a food truck earlier, but there wasn’t anything at the truck that I liked. Kati kept me company and we shared a really bad box of wine. The night is perfect. The half moon is up, the stars are out, and the mountains are silhouetted against the sky. The cicadas—if they are cicadas—and other insects or animals are playing their nighttime lullaby and the breeze has ensure a comfortable temperature. I wish there were trees to hang my hammock because I really don’t want to go into my tent.