Read more about the article Chisos Basin – Big Bend National Park
Windows View at Chisos Basin

Chisos Basin – Big Bend National Park

The hub of Big Bend National Park activity is found at the Chisos Basin area which is surrounded by the Chisos Mountains. In fact, many visitors explore nothing past this area with its visitor center, campgrounds and lodge. We even had trouble finding a parking place.  We enjoyed the view of the Chisos Mountains while eating our picnic lunch. Surprisingly, the mountain range is not the tallest in Texas. That honor belongs to several summits in Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Davis Mountains State Park.

There are two trails with the name Windows. The Window Trail is 5.6 miles so we weren’t taking that one. The other is the Window View trail. It’s paved and considerably shorter at 0.3 miles.

The trail was so short that one of my daughters and I decided to walk the 1.8-mile Chisos Basin Loop Trail. I liked that it took us into the basin and we could enjoy walking among what we had seen from above on the Lost Mine Trail. Even though it was the same Chisos Mountains, the lower altitude vantage point made a difference. (more…)

Read more about the article Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and Santa Elena Canyon – Big Bend National Park
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and Santa Elena Canyon – Big Bend National Park

Another “must-do” activity is the 30-mile Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Named after the first superintendent of the park, the road takes visitors along the western side of the park to the Rio Grande.

Since we had gotten most of our hiking completed, the drive was a nice way to rest and stop at several historic sites. We learned that large ranches dotted the area before the government began purchasing the land for a national park. We passed the Sam Nail ranch which only consisted of one wall and later we went to the Homer Wilson ranch overlook. (more…)

Read more about the article Lost Mine Trail – Big Bend National Park
Mailboxes for all the residents on Terlingua Ranch Road

Lost Mine Trail – Big Bend National Park

We started our morning waking up before the sunrise and grabbing a quick bite of breakfast at the Bad Rabbit Cafe located at the Terlingua Ranch where we stayed. Walking back to our cabin, dawn lit up the area around us and we were amazed at the beauty of our surroundings.

As we drove on the 17-mile road back to Hwy 118, we noticed a row of mailboxes lined up for all the residents on the street. It’s actually a pretty efficient way to deliver mail and newspapers. Since we had arrived after dark the previous evening, we couldn’t see many of our surroundings. (more…)

Read more about the article Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas

Our ship was Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. Although older than most ships in the fleet, it offered everything we wanted.

First of all, I liked that there were only about 2,000 passengers on board. Every once in a while we started recognizing people just walking around. In addition to the gym with treadmills, machines and weights, an outdoor track wrapped around the upper deck above the pool area.

(more…)