Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, April 2017

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Got to Big Bend at about 7:30am. Time for some great shots and watch the sun rise.
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$10 buffet at the Chisos basin. Awesome value
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After breakfast, I came to meet 2 senior retied couples admiring my truck and one wife asked if she could take a picture. I said sure. They just said it looked cool and asked if I was attending any special event. I said no. Then we talked a bit and the 2 men got in the front seat of the truck they were driving while the 2 women got in the back and they left.
 
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After breakfast, it was time to head to Panther Junction to get my park pass.

The dirve from Chisos basin is very scenic and I needed to take a video of my truck on the road. Well, I do what I always do. I just looked around for someone that I feel could help out. So, I met these 2 guys about to leave and head my same way. I asked them for their help and they said no problem. So, I put my gopro on their windshield and they followed me on the 6 miles trip on the curvy road from Chisos basin. I will have to post that video very soon.

I thanked them for their help after the 6 miles run and we parted ways.

Here is a pic of the guys who helped me. I looked and saw them behind me and saw the mountain and thought that would make a great picture, so I took it.
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Off to Panther Junction to get our park pass. I got it for free since I have the annual pass.
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Miniature plan of Big Bend State Park
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From here, though we had already eaten I had plans to taste a local bbq place that I have read a lot of good things about. Since I am a bbq connoisseur, I decided to stop by and buy the least I could just for a taste. He did not disappoint for being the only bbq place out there. A little greasy, but on task. I gave him a B! Stop by for some bbq for sure. Very friendly owner.
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With a full stomach, time to rest. We went to the hotel. Unfortunately, we are too early. So, not until another 3 hours befor ehotel can be ready. We decided to head to Big Bend State Park. And took some few videos along the way and then went a bit off some beaten path.
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Today has been a pretty fun and relaxing day. First off, offroading on Old Maverick Road to get to Santa Elena. The road is so well maintained and so easy, every kind of vehicle is on the road. The road is quite busy.
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The road is so easy. Any car does it. Saw 3 cars with street tires. Here is one of them. Just zooming on this 13 miles stretch of road.
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Got to Santa Elena Canyon
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Just saw these guys taking a 48 hours expedition. They are kayaking up the river to camp, spend the night and kayak back down the next day.
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Then it was time to drive to Boquillas Crossing to go over to Mexico for lunch. You can cross for free by swimming or walking through the lake, like we saw a family of 4 do or you can ride what they call the International Ferry and pay $5 per person for a round trip. Which we did.
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When you get over, you either walk almost a mile to town or you get on one these burros or you get a ride in a car. $5 round trip. We took a car.
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Yummy lunch in Boquillas. Very friendly people. They get their business from the tourists from the US. It was parked full today with Americans.
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Mexican Immigration offce, Boquillas, Mexico. You just go to the office in the trailer on the ride side of the pic. Get your passport stamped when you get there and when you are leaving from there.
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New solar farm in Boquillas that provides them electricity. This is a great improvement to them because they were really suffering with no electricity for the longest.
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Today decided to take a long trip from Big Bend to Big Bend SP, Presidio, Shafter Ghost Town, Marfa, Fort Stockton and the McDonald's Observatory. Great drive on 170. The McDonald's observatory was a treat. You should go check it out if you are into astrology. Great teaching experience. And when you attend the tour like I did, the ask for volunteers to come and operate the large telescope. Pretty cool.
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We had this girl from Minnesota as our tour guide. She was so good and had a bubbly personality. She has been working with the observatory less than a year now and she has been in Texas less than a year now. She was so good, though we heard we are not really allowed to tip, people could not help but tip her and thank her for the tour.
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Panoramic view of Santa Elena Canyon
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Panoramic view of Boquillas Crossing. Standing on the Mexican side
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Panoramic on highway 170 between Big Bend NP and Big Bend SP. Sorry it is upside down, don't know why.
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