It only takes me about 5 miles to warm up: it's all a slight uphill to the national park entrance where I stop to show my pass to the ranger. She is surprised to hear that I intend to reach Rio Village, 45 miles from here. I have memorized this stretch of the road, since we drove it two days ago, and I know fully well that it's uphill in my direction. There's nobody around, the road as well as the scenery around is all mine. I stop to take a few pictures here and there, including one to a tarantula that I almost hit. At the junction to the Chisos Mountains I hit 600 miles on my odometer and need to face a steep 10% climb for a couple of miles, my legs are already feeling mushy... I remember the words of my spinning instructor: "Embrace those hills" and I try to follow his advice. Slowly but surely I get to the top and the downhill after is total freewheeling at 35 mph. The speed limit here is 30 mph for cars. A while later a coyote jumps out of the sagebrush to pick up a road kill (perhaps a jackrabbit). He did not notice me before as I do not make engine noise, but as I approach he drops the prey and turns back. I slow down so he thinks his strategy over, picks up his breakfast again and runs across the street to enjoy his meal. What a chicken! From the Visitor Center at Panther Junction to Rio Village it's almost all the way downhill: 20 miles at 24 mph - I'm in heaven. I get to Rio Village faster than I had expected, exactly 50 miles and just shy of 3 hours. I wait for Petr. As I explore the surroundings I stop to observe a road runner for a while, then I notice a picnic table next to the visitor center. It's in a perfect position for me to lay down on top of it and take in the sun. This is how Petr finds me upon arrival.
It's noontime and I'm getting hungry. I jump into the shower, have lunch with Petr then we set off to visit the Boquillas Canyon along the Rio Grande. From the outlook you can clearly see the small village of Boquillas, Mexico. Then we hike up a hill to a lookout over the Rio Grande valley. Big Bend River Tours (www.bigbendrivertours.com), the outfitter we chose for our river trip yesterday, offers a variety of tours, among which a one-week river raft trip through 3 canyons (Colorado, Elena and Boquillas) and I know one day I will be back here to do just that. I am totally mesmerized by this park, well beyond my expectations. Sure, it's hard to get here, but it's well worth it. March is the best time to see flowering cacti and the heat is bearable. The campground in Rio Village is open only November through April. Avoid June, July and August if at all possible: it's hell here.
We leave the park late afternoon and we drive east towards Del Rio. Tonight we will sleep somewhere along the way.
My shadow on the bike.
Purple cactus.
Tarantula.
The hill.
The back of the hill.
I think this is desert willow, a sage-like brush with lavender flowers.
the mountains around the Boquillas canyon.
Road runner, by Warner Bros.
Boquillas Canyon.
Rio Grande.
A white flower, perhaps a white desert marigold?
The mesa, already in Mexico.
Yellow hichtia flowers, this is the plant with a promising future as a cure against cancer.
On our way out from the park.