Snake Proof Boots

Because my recent camping trip generated more photographs than a single post should be required to hold. Because I already filled up my flickr account and don’t wish to upgrade to the premium version. Because it allows me to split up the work of photo editing into manageable chapters. For all these reasons, I will be present my Big Bend pictures as a day-at-a-time series.

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about (well, more than usual), Big Bend is a national park in west Texas that is so stunningly gorgeous one can easily forget they’re in Texas at all. Thomas and I went there earlier this month. This was only my second encounter with camping (unless you count cabins, which you shouldn’t). I will attempt to compare/contrast with camping trip one (beach camping during Labor Day weekend 2010) whenever possible. And now, please join me in recalling Day 1 of this historic 4-day vacation…

Big Bend is an eight-hour drive from Austin, so Day 1 began early. We were on the road from 9am until seemingly eternity. The goal was to make it to the campground by 6pm or so, set up the tent, and then fit in one hike - the scenic Window Trail -  from where we might just barely catch a spectacular, grueling-drive-compensating sunset. Not pictured here is a stop for lunch in Fredericksburg and various Odyssey-esque perils bent on keeping us from our reward, such as:

1) Wind gusts that nearly blew our little rental car off the highway (I’m not kidding, Texas winds are serious business…more on that in Day 4).

2) Being pulled over by the Brewster county sheriff for speeding (no ticket issued, setback time = about 15 minutes)

3) A broken-down car whose occupants flagged us down perhaps 20 miles before reaching the park entrance (our rental car contained tools that allowed them to install a spare tire), setback time = about 30 minutes.

By the time our tent was assembled, we needed to move fast if we were to catch a glimpse of the long-awaited sunset. The trail was about 4.5 miles round trip and our time-keeping device informed us it was already nearly 7pm. It was a brisk walk.