I didn’t want to get up this morning. I didn’t sleep well and really just wanted to stay in bed. I could see the morning lights bleeding through the camper windows, so I opened one to peek out. Holy cow the sky was gorgeous!

I leapt out of bed, shoved my feet into shoes, grabbed my camera, and ran outside.

Some days I wake up and just feel like driving. At first I felt like I should leave Big Bend because driving around the part and not – getting somewhere … “making miles” seemed like a waste of gas and time. But then I realized that the drive is scenic and to enrich my knowledge, and that is okay. “Accomplishing” something doesn’t have to be the goal.

And I saw some great sights!

My two favorite creatures so far this trip are roadrunners and quail. Such funny creatures!

I took a drive to the more Eastern side of the park and saw kayakers putting into the Rio Grande. It was a perfect day for it too – temperature in the 70’s, no wind.

And a giant rock wall border.

I went to the Ranger Station to see if there was a different campsite available tonight just for a change of scenery. Every car-camping spot in the park was booked! I overhead a couple trying to figure out where to stay that night. I invited them to camp with me at my Twisted Shoe site, and we caravanned out there.

When we arrived at my very out of the way campsite I was surprised to see three young men set up there. They had a backpack site reserved up past the trailhead, but when one of their cars couldn’t make this “high clearance only” road, they parked far back and hiked up the road. They saw this empty campsite late in the afternoon and thought perhaps no one was coming so they set up.

I invited them to stay and we could all share the site and have a mini-party, but they decided to forge on to their official spot a few miles further.

They packed up and went their way. My other two new friends and I shared a nice chicken salad dinner and watched the unexciting sunset over a bottle of wine.