Point #25- Big Bend National Park

To obtain this point: One must hike a trek to feel the vastness of Texas in Big Bend National Park.

While researching Big Bend, I started feeling like a wayward high school girl wanting to date the bad boy on campus. The more I researched, the more un-inviting it sounded. The more un-inviting it sounded, the more I wanted to go visit.
This process all started when I came across the official website by the National Park Service and was dumbfounded at how un-inviting the NPS makes Big Bend sound. I can see why it is such a poorly visited park. Here are a couple interesting facts as advertised on the official Big Bend website:
- The remains of a 50 foot crocodile with 6 inch teeth was found there in the 1940s.
- Big Bend is one of the least visited National Parks with about 300,000-350,000 people a year. This is up from its first year of 1400 visitors (most of whom were probably lost).
- There are multiple drug smuggling lines that run through Big Bend...so don't buy anything from a guy in a old van selling 'white powder'
- Multiple caves in the park are said to be haunted by ghosts or are locations of smuggled treasure (but there is no 'real' treasure).
- Because of deteriorating air quality, the spectacular vistas are limited to due to haziness on most days (seriously, this is on their website trying to attract guests)
- Mountain Lions, Mexican black bears, box turtles, and jack rabbits are some of the unique residents of Big Bend.
- Cell phone service often does not work inside the park
- Mariscal Mine (a mercury mine) is listed in the National Register of historic districts and one of the best preserved mines in Texas. Remember that mercury (AKA quicksilver) is the element that is the basis for the phrase 'mad as a hatter'.
- Big Bend became a national park one week after D-Day in 1944...I hope FDR did not spend much time mulling over this decision because I figure he had other things on his plate like the largest World War ever and the worse economic depression in recent history.
- Big Bend is the location of the largest area of protected Chihuahuan Desert in the US
- The tarantula is the largest spider in Big Bend and occasionally seen crossing the the road to find a mate...which leads to the obvious question: Why did the tarantula cross the road?...errr, nevermind.

A quick summary from the Big Bend Website why to visit:
Enormous pre-historic Crocs, drug smugglers, ghosts, fake buried treasure, black bears, Tarantulas, quicksilver, few visitors, no cell phone service, and more cacti/bats than any other National Park all in the middle of the desert with crummy views...I think the National Park Service needs another PR person for their website, but like the bad boy in high school, it is irresistible to me!

A special thanks to the fine folks at the NPS:
http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm

Addendum to Post #25: Big Bend part II

Okay I could not pass this up because I was a little harsh on the Big Bend Public Relations director in the last post, but it is even worse when I re-visited the main website.

Here is the first thing you see on their official website:
Current issues affecting visitors-
1. Bear activity in the Chisos Mountains...beware
2. Road/Trail Closures due to flooding...including trails washed away and launch sites for river tours destroyed.
3. Trail closure due to Peregrine Falcon mating season...they were endangered so we cannot watch these falcons make baby falcons
4. Death of visitor in Rio Grande Village by heart attack

Here's the advertisement directly below the visitor update box:
"A land of strong beauty—often savage and always imposing."

Okay so here are my revised reasons to visit Big Bend from the official website:
Bears are running rampant, floods are destroying everythings, visitors from Kansas are dying unexpectedly, and you can't even see the rare peregine falcon...enjoy your visit
-Big Bend Public Relations Department

Again, I think they need a new PR guy...

Addendum Part 3- Those Beautiful Vistas
I so I guess in addition to a new PR guy, they also need a couple new environmentalists, scientists, and anyone with common sense. The fine Texas Commission on Environmental Quality plan has set a goal for clear vistas at Big Bend National park by the year 2155. Yes, that is 146 years from now. Here's link to the Houston Chronicle article:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6281355.html


Let's put this into prospective--> My son is 5 months old right now. He does not even crawl! Neither he nor his son will probably ever see a clear vista at Big Bend. HOWEVER, we have a PLAN to clean the air for my grandson's son when he is roughly 75 years old, who will be able to see those beautiful views of 100 miles of dessert and complete nothingness...seriously, dude, seriously! The views even sound like they suck...they are dessert! It is not majestic mountains, clear beaches, or waterfalls. They are dessert.

Another prospective--> What was happening 146 years ago...1863: The first farm in the homestead act was claimed in Nebraska (my old state!), The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abe Lincoln, The Battle of Gettysburg occurred, and Sam Houston died.

Well, anyways, I am happy to hear that we have a rock solid plan for Michael the IVth to have a splendid view of desserts before he dies...continue to good work out there in Big Bend National Park.

Point #24- The Texas Coastal Birding Trail

To obtain this point: One must spend time listening, looking, and observing birds in the Texas Gulf Coast.
- My personal preference would be to see the whooping cranes in Aransas National Wildlife Preserve, but any of the Texas Coastal Birding Trail would be enough to get this point.

Birding might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Texas, but folks from all over the world come to our fair state to catch a glimpse of some of the most rare species. With its location and abundant coast line, Texas is a haven for migrating birds from the North, coastal birds, or subtropical birds from the south. On this trail you can spend some time outside enjoying the abundance of Texas coastline and see egrets, herons, Spoonbills, green jays, or chachalacas.

Some of the best spots for birding include Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (also the Rockport area), World Birding Center (multiple sites in the Valley), Anahuac National Refuge, High Island, or Bolivar Flats.

According to a Houston Chronicle article, here are a couple places to see some birds:
1. Great Egret- High Island
2. Pileated Woodpecker- Big Thicket National Preserve
3. Wood Duck- Armand Bayou Nature Center
4. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher- San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
5. Black Skimmer- Matagorda Bay Nature Park
6. Whooping Crane- Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
7. Roseate Spoonbill- Port Aransas
8. Brown Pelican- Corpus Christi
9. Crested Caracara (I have no idea what this looks like:)- Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
10. Great Blue Heron- South Padre Island
11. Great Kiskadee- Weslaco
12. Finally...the elusive Green Jay- World Birding Center




Here's the article:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/travel/texas/features/6307529.html

Picture from the www.worldbirdingcenter.com

Enjoy Texas...and did you know that there are over 600 species of birds in Texas?