Day 45: Big Bend

We were hoping to start our day early today, but when we hooked up at the Stillwell Park and RV Store we noticed that our refrigerator was flashing “LP” which means low propane. Propane is important because it actually keeps our fridge running, our stove working, and our grill grilling. Since we were low we needed to get some sooner rather than later. Well, twenty minutes north of Big Bed is not the best place to try and find propane. Jordan left to go hunt some down and ended up driving 1.5 hours before he found some in Alpine, Texas. He didn’t get home until about 11:30 so the kids and I had a slow morning around the RV. Once he got back, we loaded up in the truck and headed in to Big Bend. Our first stop was some picnic tables near Dugout Wells. Since the kids and I had a late breakfast we weren’t hungry so Jordan was the only one who ate. The rest of us just swatted flies away. At one point, a bug bit me and it hurt pretty badly. I looked around and all I saw were flies so I assumed it was something else.

Our first hike was the Rio Grand Village Nature Trail hike. It is a short hike. The temperature in the car read 97. I thought high in Big Bend would be in the low 80s in mid October, but we caught some bad luck and happened to be here during a heat wave. We were about 1/3 of the way through the hike when Lucy sat down on a bench and said “I got to find a way for you guys to stop taking us on hikes.” I laughed and acknowledged the heat made it a lot more uncomfortable to be outdoors. But we were determined and kept going. About 2/3 in to the hike of the sudden Lucy declared she wasn’t going any farther. She just stood there and it was obvious she was not about to budge. I thought about forcing her to finish the hike, but honestly, it was really hot and I decided to not push it. Jordan headed back with her and Hudson and I continued on. We only made it another 5 minutes before he decided he was ready to head back, too. I was disappointed, but I couldn’t blame him because it was 98 degrees.

We decided that we shouldn’t do any more hikes, but Jordan found a place called Balanced Rock that seemed like a short walk to a lookout point. Big Bend is HUGE and it took us 45 minutes, 20 of which were down a very unimproved road, to get to Balanced Rock. When we got there, we realized that this was actually a hike (2.2 miles to be exact) and not an overlook. Jordan thought this particular rock structure looked really cool said, “we can do it!” and with that, we began down the trail. I can’t even find a metaphor that would accurately describe how hot it was. Walking on the surface of the sun or walking through fire sounds appropriate, but doesn’t still quite grasp how hot we all were. We would find some shade under rocks here and there, but there were always flies and I soon realized that it was in fact a fly that bit me at lunch. I’m not sure where the phrase “harmless as a fly” came from, but flies are not harmless in west Texas. They hurt. A lot. Hudson couldn’t decide if he wanted the shade of the rocks or to keep moving in the dreadful heat so the flies couldn’t get him. To say we were miserable is a massive understatement. At this point, I can’t remember why we kept going, but we did. We finally reached the top of a steep climb and I saw a sign that said “Balanced Rock .25 miles.” I looked at little Lucy and thought, no way she is making this. I told Jordan he was losing us and she and I sat down in some partial shade.

The boys returned shortly, but then we had to make it back to the car. Jordan and Hudson are almost always about 15-20 feet ahead of Lucy and me. She was moving even slower than normal and looked really, really red. When she told me she “had throw up in my mouth,” I knew she was most likely suffering from heat exhaustion. I made her drink more water and then picked her up and carried her the better part of a mile back to the car. I want to say something here about how I’m glad we pressed on or how important it is to be persistent, but honestly, it was too hot to be doing what we were doing. I think the lesson is more along the lines of knowing when to call a spade a spade and walk back to your car. We were all exhausted, sweaty and, in Lucy’s case, on the verge of getting sick. I really wanted the kids to love Big Bend, but this first day was not winning anyone over. In fact, I kept thinking, “oh my gosh, we have to come back here again tomorrow.” Big Bend Day 1 was a bust.

Until next time…

Sarah