My parents introduced me to travel at a young age. Finances didn’t always allow our family of six to fly or stay in hotels, but camping provided us access to affordable adventure. Twice we went on “Wild West” campaign trips where we would drive two days westward from Ohio and then spend time exploring national parks. Those adventures created memories I’ll cherish. They also instilled in me a travel bug I cannot shake. My husband and I are trying to visit as many national parks as possible now, traveling around in a tiny van during vacation. We don’t know the meaning of “that’s too far to drive” and have seen so many wonderful things. Two remarkable moments from Big Bend National Park in Texas stand out. In the first, we were waiting at the border crossing, which we mainly did as a lark, when I turned around to see a former Ohio-based coworker also at the tiny checkpoint. The world is vast but sometimes so small. We walked across the Rio Grande into Mexico together, catching up. The second moment happened in the middle of the night. I woke up to use the restroom and climbed out of the camper without my glasses to walk blurry eyed to the bathroom. I didn’t need glasses to see the Milky Way so bright and vivid above me, making me realize just how vast the world is. What I love about my visit to Big Bend National Park is how, in the span of 24 hours, I had such opposing views of the world being both small and large. Travel helps you understand how you fit into the world, and I’m forever grateful for those experiences.
Sincerely,
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park features broad expanses of Chihuahuan Desert shrubland and grassland interspersed with smaller areas of high-elevation woodland in the Chisos Mountains. Rugged rocks and deep canyons along the Rio Grande are among the park's most striking features; wetlands and springs add to the park's biological diversity. Visitors can explore the rugged trails, seek out the colorful array of birds and wildflowers, and spread out on a blanket after dark enjoying some of the darkest night skies in the country.
State(s): Texas
Established: 1935
“They protect the world I so want to explore”
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