A desert garden in Big Bend
Chisos Mountains lie in the heart of Big Bend
The Rio Grande River winds its way along the U.S.-Mexico border
The Balanced Rock formation is located in the Grapevine Hills area in Big Bend. We camped in a backcountry campsite so we could do the short 2-mile hike to the formation at different times of the day.
The trail to the Balanced Rock
A view of the Balanced Rock from the other side
Sunrise at our backcountry campsite in the Grapevine Hills
We hiked off trail to an area where someone told us there were archeological artifacts. Native groups have inhabited Big Bend since 9000 B.C. There are lots of artifacts scattered over the mesquite desert in Big Bend. At this site, we found some piles of rocks arranged in a straight line. Archaeologists don’t know what they were used for, but perhaps for some kind of ceremony. Or, since rabbits kept getting trapped inside them, they guessed that maybe they were used as rabbit traps!
In the distance are the Rosillos Mountains.
A stone well-worn from grinding mesquite or other seeds.
This row of rock piles was found in the same area as the grinding stone.
In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.
A backcountry campsite in Big Bend- David actually got the windmill to work!
