Hoo Doos & More

Had a most wonderful day hiking with friends Steve, Tina & Jennette exploring some of the best places in Big Bend. It was once again up in the 90's but we took our time and enjoyed shade whenever we could find it.

Hiking up through canyons of tuff (hardened volcanic ash) on our way to the few remaining hoodoos in this part of the park.

It was such a treat hiking with one of the leading park interpreters, Jennette Jurado, who also happens to be in charge of the visitor center where I am volunteering. She would probably be disappointed to know that I forgot the name of this beautiful flower which is endangered.

We do not know whether this ladder with nails is from the ranger or ranching days in Big Bend. Maybe it was used to get to a honeycomb?

The birds, flower, budding cactus and these shells were from the way up to a ranching era tank (an area stacked with rocks or dirt to hold water usually for farm animals). This is just one of hundreds of shells which littered the banks of the tank. Within the last few months the tank had held a lot of water, but now was almost empty. What is remarkable is that Jennette had never seen this type of shell in the park!

The last place we explored was an area known for huge, magnificent blocks of petrified wood. Millions of years ago the Big Bend area was home to dinosaurs and lush vegetation. Under the right conditions when the trees (plus animals) died the minerals took the place of the cell contents and formed these awesome creations.

 The end for today!