Yes, you read that right – we have an apartment. It is apartment 215B on Chino Drive in the Bobcat Loop at Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas. The last time Laura and I moved into an apartment was in 1985 when we moved into a great apartment in an old barn in Rehoboth, MA. We think it might have been the only apartment building at the time in that small, rural, New England town. Our first child, Dylan, was born there. We were 22! We had a cat named Zeus, soon to be followed by our second cat, Hera. (Sorry Nick, you were not born yet!) That was a long time ago. (And in great coincidence, as I write this, I am listening to the Deer Tick song – a great Providence band, Smith Hill, which is where our apartment immediately prior to Rehoboth was!!)
So, you ask, how did this come about?
As we have travelled towards Big Bend and our first volunteer position, we earnestly spoke to everyone we met who had volunteer experience to pick their brains and learn what we could. One important common theme we heard was that volunteer experiences vary greatly, that you should learn as you go, and as volunteers, you are providing a valuable service, AND, if the experience is not great, speak up!!!
So, we arrived at Big Bend on Sunday afternoon. It was an amazing journey here. It is like being at the end of the Earth! The access road to the park is 67 miles. There is nothing but desert along those 67 miles. Don’t think there was a lot before those 67 miles either – there was a small town (1 block) and then 40+ miles more to the next small town. Basically, it is a 100+ mile drive to get to the park.
We were a few days early for our assignment. We were placed at a temporary site about half way up the mountains – about 3700 feet, at Panther Junction. It was a nice location with great mountain backdrops and we had limited cell service and a bit of internet via our mobile hotspot. The next day, we were given a tour of the park and our intended campsite at Chisos Basin.
Basically, Chisos Basin is a 30 million year old volcano. And the visitor center and our campsite was in the cone of the ancient volcano. All very cool and the site was amazing. Think about being surrounded by jagged teeth left over by the rim of the tall, sharp, peaks left behind.
But, then there are the details. The visitor center, where we are working, is at 5400 feet. Our campsite is at 4600 feet, about a mile walk or bike ride up or down, depending on the time of day, a rather step incline/decline. (Don’t start thinking wimps – you try it twice a day in desert climate!) Most people who take this volunteer position come with a tow car on their RV for such circumstances, to drive back and forth – we carry bicycles! Other factors included the following: there was no cell or internet service at Chisos Basin; staying at Chisos Basin put us farther away from most of the other places in the park we wanted to visit; Panther Junction, where we stayed at a campsite the first night, is where the post office is; and, if we wanted to use national park vehicles, they were garaged at Panther Junction. Small kicker, we saw another volunteer with their own national park vehicle.
What is the Bob Dylan line, ‘I did what any hobo sailor did – I jumped into line hoping that I was not late??’
We asked if we could move back down to the Panther Junction campsite we were in our first night. We would have some cell/internet service – god willing, we would be closer to other parts of the park we would like to visit, we would save wear and tear on the van – major factor, and then there is access to the national park vehicle issue.
Well, the gods did us one up. Because as I write this, as was indicated above, we are indeed in Panther Junction. But we are not in a campsite. We are not living in a van! We are now in an apartment for the first time in nearly 30 years! (Laura says I should add that it is free – complimentary!) Yes, 4 walls. One bedroom. Large living room. A bathroom! Kitchen, AC, – you get the picture. The apartment is in good shape – clean, fairly modern, in good repair, did I say clean – very important to us.
We got the keys to the apartment at 5:30 PM on Thursday. We worked diligently until about 9:00 PM and had moved in fully. Did I say it was a furnished apartment and in real good shape?
Which brings me back to an important point and I am sorry a common theme in these few short weeks we have been on the road – the unknown road ahead.
Prior to 3 weeks or so, we had never been in Texas. We have never cast our lot into the wind. We haven’t had an apartment in 30 years. We haven’t seen the many things or experienced the many things we have been so fortunate to be part of, and now we have an apartment!!!!!!!
Life is not so bad!
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| Just a few of the beautiful Scenes in the Park |
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