Overnight on the South Rim

Thursday night I decided that if I was going to get some "overnights" in I'd better hop to it! So I consulted with Steve Ehrman and decided that of the two campsites available up on the South Rim, Southwest 4 would be the primo site, so I booked it and up I went. Stopped in at the Basin store and my friend Molly cracked me up when she said, "I've always wanted to take a photo of someone like you into REI and tell them to make me look like that!" So here you go Molly. I think you can do better with all the young, buff hikers who we see coming in to tackle the Outer Mountain Loop - just sayin'!

One of the views from the south rim as the shadows are beginning to lengthen.

Sometime recently, Steve said that he and Tina were talking about the most over-photographed places are the dead trees along the south rim. So what am I offering up? Lots of dead trees!

Ouch!!! Please visitors, don't do this kind of stuff to the beautiful plants. What part of "leave no trace" do you not understand?

Wow - I never knew pine trees did such cool, pretty stuff like this. Sigh.

More dead trees!

And one more for the record!

I love havard agaves, so here is my favorite grouping along the south rim.

I had a hard time sleeping up on the rim - probably because the ground was hard and I do not have a good sleeping pad. I'm not sure I could carry much more equipment or water, though! My back was telling me that I was at my max capacity, so I'm rethinking big overnight hikes like this. . . Had breakfast at the Lodge, got advice from Maria on how to fix our permit printer at Castolon, showered & showered & showered - now time for a nap! Going to see the play "Reefer Madness" with Joan tonight. :-)

VIP Tule Mountain Hike & the 2016 Highland Games!

Last Wednesday Steve & Tina led the big volunteer group to the Tule Mountain area. There were the remains of two old houses and what used to be a very big tank and lake! Everyone who had been to the lake last year asked me if the ducks were still there, but unfortunately the water levels were down drastically from last winter and there were no sign of ducks.

The lintel still in place of this homestead. These were the tallest, most intact walls I've seen on a stone house in the park.

Alas, the dregs of the lake.

Lake inhabitant posing for photographers. I believe it is a Big Bend leopard frog.

This last Saturday was the Highland Games! Here Joan Spalding and Claudia Arnberger with her stuffed dog Spot, demonstrate proper attire for the games. Although the cast of characters has changed from the last time I was here, the spirit of competition and frivolity is the same! Contestants paint their faces with fearsome looking war paint, wear kilts (underwear mandatory!) and compete in timed and distance games such as the "Ghost Rider", "Crotch Rock", "Tree Climb" "Tug of Love",

Daisy Welch instructs Jimmy Duke on the rules of "General Havoc".

Tug of Love contestants prepare to lose!

The winners discuss strategy.

War paint and sunscreen are applied.

Steve Blythe checks out the PVC bow and dowel arrows he and Daisy made following You Tube plans! What an awesome job they did organizing everything!!

And the winners are . . .!

Bill Gorney (left)  from Dispatch, had the most fierce growls and wackiest faces ever!

Katherine uttered something like, "I think this is some sort of mistake."

While Lydia yells, "This is the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!"

Hayden, our youngest (and only!) child competitor this year. Friend, Hazard, was there but didn't compete.

Below is a blast from the past (April 6, 2013) best overall warriors, Raymond Skiles and my good friend who wants to remain anonymous. Whoo hoo!

Real Rain Tonight!

February 21, 2016 - Tonight we have lightning and thunder and real rain hitting the rooftops! Maybe it will be measurable in the morning. First precipitation since 3" of snow in Cottonwood December 27 (nearly 2 months ago)!

Cottonwood Nearby Sights

In the mid-90s today, so the hike was hot but here are some of the sights just down from our trailer park. :-)

Golf ball sized cactus

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!