daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
Our last day at Big Bend was spent hiking the iconic Santa Elena Canyon. The canyon is always stunning, and this time there was someone in a canoe enjoying the Rio Grande. It looked so fun!
The canyon was a perfect way to end the trip to Big Bend. But there was one more thing that we were looking forward to: burgers at Pepito’s Cafe. It was so good!
Our one full day in Big Bend was a busy one! After a quick breakfast and camp breakdown, we headed over to the Hot Springs. The water was clear and warm, and we took advantage of the cool river to alternate between hot and cold. The healing waters of the Rio Grande felt so good!
Next up was a hop over the border at the Boquillas Crossing for lunch at Jose Falcon’s. My chile relleno and beer was great. It was very different from the kind we get in Austin.
Fuelled up on Mexican food, it was time to burn those calories on the trail. We’ve never hiked The Window Trail in the Chisos Basin, so that was our destination. It was such a cool trail when ends at a viewpoint which is the actual Window. Such a great view, and we chatted with a few other hikers who arrived at the same time. Very cool vibe with the cool air flowing into the canyon, and Mexican Jays joining us.
Our campsite for the evening was Robbers Roost, a backcountry site that you need a high-clearance vehicle to reach. Because it so remote, the sky is super-dark and it’s perfect for astrophotography. Unfortunately, the winds were very strong this weekend, so there was a lot of dust and haze in the air. That made shooting the Milky Way (which was just over the horizon) difficult. But the dust did make for nice sunset colors!
And guess what? The Lyrid meteor shower was just starting up, so we got treated to a nice show!
It’s nice that my friend and I like photography. Dark skies in Big Bend are a highlight of the trip for sure, and we stayed up until 3 am taking photos. So fun, and nice way to end an awesome day.
Today is day one of a camping trip to Big Bend National Park. My buddy and I have camped out here a few times before so the itinerary was a mix of our favorite trails and a couple of new ones.
We took my friend’s Jeep which meant we could visit a remote trails and stay any of the backcountry campsites. It really opens up the park to more activities!
Our first trail was the Grapevine Hills Trail to Balanced Rock. It was my third time hiking this one, and every time has been great. It’s a short trail, but the rock formations at the end are super cool!
Next up was a drive to Ernst Tinaja. On the way we stopped at an old cowboy gravesite. I’d love to know the story behind this person. Or perhaps it’s better left to the imagination. 😃
The tinaja was really interesting, with layered canyon walls and plenty of fossils in the exposed limestone. Another short hike with a big payoff. Recommended if you have a high-clearance vehicle.
We were treated to some awesome skies and storm clouds on the drive to our campsite. Luckily we didn’t get any rain. But the photos were much better because of the clouds.
When we reached the Rio Grande Village campsite we were greeted by a pack of friendly javelina. And by friendly, I mean they weren’t aggressive. The pack of 13 javelina just slowly moved their way through the campground, looking for grubs and other goodies. So cute! 🐗
We set up our tents, had dinner and then settled in for the evening. It was a long day on the road, a couple of nice, short hikes, and wildlife in the campground. Oh, there were also a few wild horses walking around the campground. So funny and unexpected! 🏕
Today we did a hike in Halawa Valley to Mo’oula Falls. It’s one of our planned highlights of our vacation and we were really looking forward to it.
But first we needed some breakfast so we headed into town to pick up some goodies and coffee at Kanemitsu’s Bakery and Coffee Shop. The pastries were delicious!
The drive to Halawa Valley follows Kamehameha V Highway east for about 26 miles, and is really narrow for the last few miles, with tight turns, so drive slowly and carefully!
We were told to bring some snacks or lunch to eat at Mo’oula Falls so we stopped at Mana’e Goods & Grindz at mile marker 16. They opened at 8am, and we got there right before. Mana’e has a pretty big menu of local food and when we asked the lady taking orders what would be good to take on the hike, she suggested the bento, and wrapped it up securely with plastic wrap so it be okay in our backpack. Thank you Mana’e lady!!!
We arrived at Halawa Park and met our guide, Greg of Halawa Valley Cultural Tours, who was friendly, funny, informative, and passionate about educating people about Hawaiian culture, and specifically Halawa Valley.
At around 9:30 am, we proceeded on the tour to Greg and his father’s residence where we participated in a welcome ceremony. The whole time, the interesting information kept flowing and we could really feel the value of the tour. It’s well worth the price.
The hike up the valley to the falls was not too difficult nor long, but there are a couple of water crossings and your feet will most likely get wet. I suggest some water shoes or hiking sandals. The weather for our hike was perfect, with lots of sun, and a gentle breeze to keep us cool. There were lots of mosquitos, however, which attacked me when we stopped walking for our water breaks, so I recommend bringing mosquito repellant and using it liberally.
When we reached the falls, Greg jumped into the 30-foot-deep pool for a swim, and a few of us followed. The water was cold, but not unbearable, and I was able to swim to the base of the waterfall. It was awesome. Make sure to bring a swimsuit!
After that, Mariko and I broke out the bento and had lunch. It was a wonderful experience!
The hike back to Greg’s residence was quick because it was downhill, and there were less breaks and I believe we reached our car at about 3 pm.
I 100% recommend the Halawa Valley Cultural Hike. We expected it to be a highlight of our vacation, and it didn’t disappoint!
Today was the day of the big hike up to the top of Texas. At 8,751 feet (2,667 m), Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in the state, and a popular destination for hiker’s hoping to cross off an item on their bucket list.
We started on the trail first thing in the morning and reached the peak after about 4.5 hours of leisurely hiking, with plenty of stops for picture-taking and video. It was really nice to take in the incredible views. And the views from the top were stunning. Once again, we were fortunate to have perfect weather, with cool temperatures, light winds, plenty of visibility, and wispy clouds. It was awesome!
After we finished the hike, we enjoyed another nice meal at camp, but unfortunately, the clouds rolled in and the stars weren’t as clearly visible as the previous night. That was fine because we were pretty tired from the hike and climbing into our tents early was just fine. 😀
Here are the Strava tracks in case you are interested!
