Another glorious sunrise! “Red skies in morning, sailors take warning” Uh oh.

After breakfast and coffee, we took Argos for a walk to the trailhead about a mile away.

We broke camp and tried to meet up at the hot springs, but my new friends were leaving just as I pulled into the parking area. They said taking a dip was well worth the time, so I hiked in.

There were a number of people in the large open hot spring, so I couldn’t get a good discreet photo. I did get a snap tho of the hot spring run-off into the Rio Grande. Braver bathers than I would jump into the Rio Grande to cool off in the frigid waters, then hop back into the hot spring to warm up. I met some fellow travelers – a young couple recently graduated college and took off on a car-camping road trip from Philadelphia. They’d been on the road since early November and were having a grand time. That’s her leg I caught in this photo.

I didn’t see my new friends again, and since we had no cell phone signal there was no good way to coordinate. Just like most things, have to enjoy the moments as they happen.

My last campsite in Big Bend was called Ernst Tinaja.

It looks like this desolate spot, but the reason it’s a coveted site is it’s proximity to the trailhead, which is not even an 1/8th mile away. I meant to park with my truck pointed North to decrease the wind battering on the sides of my camper, but I forgot and ended up faced Westerly with the North wind hitting the side of my camper. Luckily, it died down early in the evening and I was able to get a decent sleep.

I didn’t go the whole 1.5 mile hike because of the impending storm (remember the “red skies in morning”? It held true) but I walked far enough up the wash to see some beautiful formations.
As I get braver I get stronger, and as I get stronger I get braver. It’ a good cycle.

What powerful force created this fissure in the earth?

It is an area of incredible hidden beauty and a unique view of the earth under the stark crust.

That night was rainy, but not so much that the dirt roads became treacherous.