Wanderlust UK – September 2019

112 wanderlust.co.uk September 2019

TEXAS

ARKANSAS

NEWMEXICO

OKLAHOMA

MEXICO

Rio

Gra

nde

Rio

Gra

nde

RedRiver

RedRiver

BigBend

NP

Caprock

Canyons

SP

PaloDuroCanyon

SP

GulfofMexico

Davis

Mountains

Abilene

Amarillo

AUSTIN

Brownsville

CorpusChristi

Lubbock Dallas

ElPaso

FortWorth

Houston

Laredo

Marfa

SanAntonio

Terlingua

Waco

TheAlamo

0 300km

A

fternearly 45

minutesofgently

ascendingthe

LostMineTrail,

Iturnedthecorner

tobegreetedby

thetopographicalgloryofJuniper

Canyon.Thisrockywonder,set

deepinBigBendNationalPark,

soonbecameoneofmyfavourite

viewsinthewholeofTexas.

Layersofmountains–each

aslightlydi“erentshadeofpastel

colour–stretchedacrossthe

landscapeasfarastheeyecould

see.Spikydesertcactipunctured

thescenetosetthemoodand,

bestofall,therockformation

besidemehappenedtobeshaped

likeachiselledarmchair.Iquickly

settledintomythroneofnature

andsoakeduptheastounding

sceneryfornearlyanhour.

Whatstruckme–beyondthe

magni™icentvisualcanvas–was

theutterlackofanyhuman

interference.Therewerenomotor

sounds;thereweren’tanytelephone

lines,planesorscrapsofpaper.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2012, Big Bend National Park was named an International Dark

Sky Park, and it is said to have the darkest measured skies in the

lower 48 US states, making it perfect for stargazing.

It was highly possible that little had

changed here since my spot had

been similarly occupied by the

region’s indigenous inhabitants

thousands of years ago.

For that blissful hour, I let my

eyes and thoughts wander and

disperse across the colossal

untouched Texas landscape.

I spent the next few days exploring

Big Bend’s other natural wonders,

from traversing the mighty Rio

Grande River and relaxing in its hot

springs, to marvelling at sheer

vertical canyon walls, to savouring

the delicacies of West Texas at

the park’s dining lodge.

Occasionally, I’d see a Texan

basking in Big Bend’s rugged

beauty. True to form, they’d politely

smile and o“er a friendly “Howdy”

while acknowledging that we were

fortunate to be sharing such an

experience. But there was no

denying that the glory of Big Bend

o“ers the perfect gateway to

explore this wild state, yet it is far

from the only wonder to be found

here, as visitors soon discover. ⊳