Behind the Scenes on Recent Big Bend Trip

I've emphasized the photos and locations in my posts about the badlands I visited. But I wanted to show you a few other aspects of my trip just for fun.

Big Bend National Park is a long way from anywhere. For me, living in Houston, it takes quite an effort to reach the park. From my house to the center of the park is well over 600 miles.

The Looong Drive
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I decided it was best to spend the night in the areas I was interested in photographing. It allowed me to spend more time shooting and be present for all lighting conditions from afternoon until the following morning. Plus it's interesting and worthwhile to shoot the same area both in afternoon/eve and morning light.

Packing, managing, and carrying all the gear I would need was quite an effort. Anyone who has done overnight backpacking will appreciate what's required and the hardships encountered when you forget just one, little item.

It's also hard to overcome that spoiled desire for a cold beer or frozen margarita late in the evening. A few hours of sweating and hiking will bring about strong cravings that just can't be satisfied easily way out in the desert ;-)

Goin' Hikin'
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I know, looks like I packed a little too much :-) But that was for my first night only. I took less junk... er, gear the second and third nights.

The areas I visited were not accessible by any trail. There were no campgrounds at my destinations. I expected to see no one during my hikes, and I didn't. I was "way out there" in every sense of the term. My life was completely in my hands and help was far away.

Of course this is what I wanted. The solitude and time alone in the desert by itself made the trip worthwhile. I need this type of experience to reset my spirit and soul and remind me what is most important in my life (my family).

Making an Early Breakfast
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Aside from spending great amounts of time photographing, tending to the necessities of life alone in the desert required a lot of work. Making/breaking camp, eating, cleaning, and packing/repacking gear (especially when camping at a different spot each day) occupied a lot of time.

But after all the required activities of my plan, I still found a few moments here and there to sit back and really connect with my emotions and savor the experience.

A moment to relax
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Having a camp chair was awful nice too.

Campin'

While we were in Del Rio over the Christmas holiday, Henry and I went camping out at Lake Amistad one night. It was a daddy/son camping trip, our first real one since he and I camped in the backyard last year.

We passed a pretty good time. The weather wasn't ideal - the skies were gray and the temps were pretty chilly (low 40's, but the wind was blowing pretty good).

About 3am we both had enough of the cold (our tent was not blocking out the wind effectively, even with the rain fly on), and I put the air mattress in the back of our RAV4. We climbed inside and enjoyed a wind-less sleep the rest of the night.

Henry hunts for rocks to throw into the lake.

Henry and daddy kick back and enjoy a few cold ones (Capri Suns & Fat Tire)

Henry warms by the campfire and makes a good-night phone call to momma.

Many thanks to the kind rangers at the Amistad NRA headquarters. They were very helpful and friendly to us. They even gave Henry a Jr. Ranger badge, which he proudly wore. And thanks also to the camp host (at the San Pedro campground) and his lab (Montana). They were very kind as well and even checked up on us.