National Park Diary: What's Your Nickname?

I am pretty tired, but figured I'd better get something posted before I forget it all. I got my motorhome door fixed, the 30 amp plug rewired and a leaky water drain valve fixed before making the trip into the park. A wonderful law enforcement ranger gave me an escort up the mountains and down into the Chisos Basin campground. Yikes! I could only manage 35 mph up the hill so things are not looking too good for any Rocky Mountain trips in the future. I was not scared at all after I began the drive but even though I used the lowest gear to wend my way down into the Basin the brakes still smelled really hot.

My cohosts, Steve & Stephanie are absolutely wonderful! When they arrived here 6 weeks ago there was no one here to show them the ropes and they learned the job from the manual and paperwork left by the previous hosts. Steve has been living in pain all that time. He was injured on the trip to Big Bend and, unfortunately, they will be going home this Friday. But they have started a fun tradition that I intend to carry on! The most memorable campers automatically get a nickname! They have christened Bob Marley, Drunk & Drunker, Drunk & Drunker 2, Stinky, Home School, Ricky Gervaise, Carol King, and The Hippies.

Stephanie is incredibly quick witted so it challenges me to sharpen mine. Friday night some of our campers were very noisy so I spent extra time going around and shushing folks. I knew I was going to have problems with a young couple on site 17 as she pretty much ignored me when I asked them to keep their voices down. I was in the shower a little after 10:30, trying to sleep by 11:00 and debating whether I should put on my uniform again and trek up the hill to ask #17 to pipe down again. I didn't do that, lay there praying that people in the next campsites would say something, and was eventually thankful when, at 11:32 peace and quiet finally fell over the campground.

Still awake at 12:15 a.m. I was startled to hear a woman's voice ,"No!", "Oh!". My first thought was, "Gosh, not a domestic dispute at this time of night! What will I do?" In a moment the utterances turned into rapturous, LOUD moans of delight and I knew we had a domestic event of a more pleasurable nature, so to speak. And AGAIN at 12:23 a.m. Then once again, peace and quiet until morning. It took me a few moments, but I dubbed the woman on #17 Meg Ryan. ("Ahem, waiter? I'll have what she's having!" from Sleepless in Seattle.)

Bless her little heart! (We ARE in Texas so that phrase is appropriate.) She did not realize that the acoustics on that site amplify every little sound emanating from there and bounce the sound clear across the campground.

Besides the down-side of the job - having to bird-dog folks to follow the rules - it is very enjoyable. The people who come to Big Bend regularly have wonderful stories to tell and love chatting with us camphosts. I only worked 3 days so far but met many young people who were here for the wedding of a couple who had met and fell in love here and were now being married at the amphitheater this weekend.

I also spent a lot of time listening to the stories of a couple who had raised 5 girls and 5 boys and always brought them here. They were sitting at "their" campsite and she told me of the day her husband had taken all but the youngest child on a hike and while she stayed back at camp with the baby. Within moments of the family's departure, mom was clearing the picnic table of breakfast dishes and preparing to wash them when baby became excited and pointing for mama to look. So look she did! And as a big rattlesnake slithered up under the picnic table, mama grabbed the baby and jumped up onto the table. There she waited all day long, no rangers came by, the rattlesnake resting peacefully under the table until almost dark when the rest of the family returned to rescue her.

On my day off yesterday several of us had a fun lunch at the home of park people who live up in the Terlingua Ranch Area. David and Reine live way up the side of a big hill and they have been building their home bit by bit. It has grown so much since I last saw it and they had even installed a big bubble tub this last week. So much fun to visit with them and enjoy brisket, everybody's special pot luck dishes, magnificent views of the desert, and cooling breezes on their big front porch.

Today I hiked the Window Trail and a portion of the Oak Springs Trail. I was out for 4.5 hours and took many breaks to rest my back. I make real good use of my trekking poles to support myself. It irks me somewhat that I cannot go at the pace I used to but the hike was sure nice despite all that. (By the way, I am so glad I had the surgery to remove the neuromas last September! My feet are almost as good as new!)

Birdie, don't eat the poop on the rock! Oops, too late. She nibbled.

Back in the hiking mode!

A white, fuzzy spidery creature, about 1/2" long that I cannot find a match for online.

The Window - where the ancient caldera that is the Basin opens up onto the surrounding desert.

Even though this photo and the next are not great, you may get a sense of the huge drop in elevation from the Window. The little white smudge is the water tanks that store water pumped to the Basin. The green smudge above and to the right of the white tanks is Oak Spring I believe.