Tim Speer's Blog - Posts Tagged "big-bend"
The Window
Author Mary Lasswell once wrote, "I am forced to conclude that God made Texas on his day off, for pure entertainment, just to prove that all that diversity could be crammed into one section of earth by a really top hand.” The same could actually be said for that not so little corner of Texas known as Big Bend. In Big Bend you will find lots of desert areas, with more species of cactus than I could easily list. But you will also find steep walled canyons; and mountains with Junipers, Pine, and alpine meadows. Wildlife ranges from rattle snakes, javelina and roadrunners; to white tail deer, mountain lions and black bears. Big Bend contains the second highest peak in Texas, Emory Peak with an elevation of 7,825 feet. In the far eastern part of Big Bend, down by the Rio Grande River, the elevation is just over 1,800 feet. The difference in temperature between the two can exceed twenty degrees Fahrenheit. The scenery is as spectacular as it is varied.
Big Bend is located along the Mexican border in far southwest Texas, and gets its name from the big curve the Rio Grande River makes there. It’s out of the way of anywhere you would want to go. If you end up there, it’s because you intended to go there.
Located roughly in the middle of Big Bend National Park, is a small group of mountains known as the Chisos Mountains. It is here that you find the alpine meadows, and Emory Peak. Leaving the main road, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, one begins a slow ascent up into the mountains. As the road approaches the crest of Panther Pass, it makes a big hairpin curve. About a quarter-mile later you hit the crest of Panther Pass at an elevation of 5,770 feet. As the road begins its descent, it takes a series of switch backs. Rounding the first hairpin curve, the area known as “The Basin” comes into view below. The Basin is a roughly oval-shaped meadow area in the central part of the Chisos Mountains. It is surrounded by rugged mountains made up of reddish colored volcanic rock. When hit by the early morning, or late afternoon sun, these mountains actually appear to glow. Looking to the left, at the east end of The Basin, one sees the side of Casa Grande, a 7,170 foot, sheer faced mountain, that seems to stand guard over The Basin. And then, looking out to the west, at the far end of The Basin, you begin to see it...The Window.
The best views of The Window will come when you have completed your descent into The Basin. Topographically, The Basin slopes downward from east to west. A small, usually dry stream bed runs through the middle. Once carrying more water, this stream cut a canyon through the west wall of the mountains. The result is a prominent “V” shaped gap that gives one a view out to the surrounding desert, and smaller mountains. Here, in the middle of one of the most diverse places on earth, the mountains, the desert, and the sky all come together in one grand view. It’s truly a masterpiece created by the Master Creator.
The view through The Window is absolutely breathtaking. Just the same, in a park full of spectacular views, The Window may not be the most spectacular of them. But it is the most compelling. You cannot drive into The Basin without looking out through The Window. If you camp in the campground there, when you come outside of your tent or camper, you will look out at The Window. If you stay at the Lodge, when you come outside of your room, you will look out at The Window. The restaurant at the Lodge has a big picture window along the western wall. The view, of course looks out towards The Window. If you eat there, you will spend half your meal looking out at The Window. And, if you have any type of camera, you will most likely take a picture of The Window.
Call it the ultimate picture window. As if its view weren’t compelling enough, its location at the west end of The Basin provides for some spectacular sunset views. This helps ensure that it is probably one of the most photographed features in the park. However, I’m not sure that it wouldn’t still be the most photographed even without the sunsets. As you move around The Basin, and the surrounding mountains, either by car, or by foot on the many trails there, you are constantly given a new perspective of The Window. Each one just as compelling as the other. But it doesn’t end there. Come back to the park some day and, if you have a camera, you will very likely take even more photos of The Window. I have been to Big Bend so many times over the years that I have lost count. At least thirty, and quite possibly over forty. And I'm not sure that there were any of these trips on which I failed to take at least one picture of The Window. If there were, there weren’t very many. And, it usually rewards me with something a little different each time.
Whenever I go to Big Bend, I’m always filled with anticipation, waiting for that first view of The Window as I descend into The Basin. And whenever I leave, as I drive out of The Basin, I’ll always stop at that last hairpin curve for one last view of The Window. As I drive down the mountain, I pray two things. The first is to thank God for having been able to see such a beautiful piece of his creation. The second, is that I may someday, again be able to come back.
Big Bend is located along the Mexican border in far southwest Texas, and gets its name from the big curve the Rio Grande River makes there. It’s out of the way of anywhere you would want to go. If you end up there, it’s because you intended to go there.
Located roughly in the middle of Big Bend National Park, is a small group of mountains known as the Chisos Mountains. It is here that you find the alpine meadows, and Emory Peak. Leaving the main road, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, one begins a slow ascent up into the mountains. As the road approaches the crest of Panther Pass, it makes a big hairpin curve. About a quarter-mile later you hit the crest of Panther Pass at an elevation of 5,770 feet. As the road begins its descent, it takes a series of switch backs. Rounding the first hairpin curve, the area known as “The Basin” comes into view below. The Basin is a roughly oval-shaped meadow area in the central part of the Chisos Mountains. It is surrounded by rugged mountains made up of reddish colored volcanic rock. When hit by the early morning, or late afternoon sun, these mountains actually appear to glow. Looking to the left, at the east end of The Basin, one sees the side of Casa Grande, a 7,170 foot, sheer faced mountain, that seems to stand guard over The Basin. And then, looking out to the west, at the far end of The Basin, you begin to see it...The Window.
The best views of The Window will come when you have completed your descent into The Basin. Topographically, The Basin slopes downward from east to west. A small, usually dry stream bed runs through the middle. Once carrying more water, this stream cut a canyon through the west wall of the mountains. The result is a prominent “V” shaped gap that gives one a view out to the surrounding desert, and smaller mountains. Here, in the middle of one of the most diverse places on earth, the mountains, the desert, and the sky all come together in one grand view. It’s truly a masterpiece created by the Master Creator.
The view through The Window is absolutely breathtaking. Just the same, in a park full of spectacular views, The Window may not be the most spectacular of them. But it is the most compelling. You cannot drive into The Basin without looking out through The Window. If you camp in the campground there, when you come outside of your tent or camper, you will look out at The Window. If you stay at the Lodge, when you come outside of your room, you will look out at The Window. The restaurant at the Lodge has a big picture window along the western wall. The view, of course looks out towards The Window. If you eat there, you will spend half your meal looking out at The Window. And, if you have any type of camera, you will most likely take a picture of The Window.
Call it the ultimate picture window. As if its view weren’t compelling enough, its location at the west end of The Basin provides for some spectacular sunset views. This helps ensure that it is probably one of the most photographed features in the park. However, I’m not sure that it wouldn’t still be the most photographed even without the sunsets. As you move around The Basin, and the surrounding mountains, either by car, or by foot on the many trails there, you are constantly given a new perspective of The Window. Each one just as compelling as the other. But it doesn’t end there. Come back to the park some day and, if you have a camera, you will very likely take even more photos of The Window. I have been to Big Bend so many times over the years that I have lost count. At least thirty, and quite possibly over forty. And I'm not sure that there were any of these trips on which I failed to take at least one picture of The Window. If there were, there weren’t very many. And, it usually rewards me with something a little different each time.
Whenever I go to Big Bend, I’m always filled with anticipation, waiting for that first view of The Window as I descend into The Basin. And whenever I leave, as I drive out of The Basin, I’ll always stop at that last hairpin curve for one last view of The Window. As I drive down the mountain, I pray two things. The first is to thank God for having been able to see such a beautiful piece of his creation. The second, is that I may someday, again be able to come back.
