A deeper Dive Exploring the Desert

As mentioned in a previous post, Andre & I spent Wednesday and Thursday of  last week having a great time traipsing all over the park with Ranger Rob getting an oral history lesson as we explored some infrequently visited sites and locations around the park.  In our travels, we spent time looking at petrified wood, Indian artifacts, dinosaur fossils, rock formations, random pictographs, remnants of old homesteads and numerous old cemeteries in remote locations were ranchers and early inhabitants once lived or worked the land.

We also saw our share of desert animals along the way.  Here are some interesting photos from the explorations.

Pictograph or Graffiti? Circa 1959

Round-tailed Horned Lizard

 

Sea Shell on the desert floor
 (Remnants of a long ago time when this park was an ocean seabed)

Heading out to find the San Vicente Cemetery

  Many graves are represented by a simple cross with no personal identifiers

 

 

Just one of the many beautiful cacti growing among the rocks

 

Large petrified log

 

 

 End view of the petrified log

 

 

 Ranger Rob holding a Western Coachwhip (Red Racer) pulled out of a Sotol plant

 

Bullet casings found near the historic Castolon site

 

Cemetery near Castolon (with Ocotilla growing through the stones)

 

 

 Exploring the Canyon Crevices

 

 Ranger Rob surveying his desert

 

 Stopping to chat with a few Rangers on a work detail (cleaning out a hay barn)

 

 

Andre & I with our friends Angie & Rob Dean

 

 

It was a wonderful couple of days and we enjoyed spending time with some great Big Bend folks who we now consider friends. We will miss this park!

Approaching the End of a Chapter (Andre)

Well, it’s been three months since we arrived in Big Bend National Park in West Texas. It has been an amazing times in so many ways here, some we are sure to not fully understand or appreciate until we are somewhere down the road. Of course, we do anticipate coming back sometime. We have developed great relationships with the park and the people here and have been invited back, something we are sure we will do at some point.

Now, back to the end of this chapter…..

We originally signed up to stay from May 1 until July 31. We were offered, and accepted, to stay until the end of August. (We have a family wedding in RI in September that we are looking forward to getting back for and to visit with family and friends.) But our plans have changed a bit and we will be leaving in a few weeks, on or about August 12^th.

Having time to sit here, think, and reflect, our still-evolving plans have continued to evolve, not a surprise. Before hitting the road, we envisioned that short of us finding a big bag of money on the side of the road, we would ‘workcamp’ periodically to earn some money to fund our ongoing adventures. (Workcamping usually involves something like working in a campground or other similar location, for a period of time, 1-3 or more months, in exchange for a free RV site and some pay, usually not too much).  As we are planning to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail next spring and summer, we thought the upcoming winter months would be a good time to earn some money.

While we are likely to workcamp at some point, we got some different ideas for the immediate future. In talking with some other ‘full-timers’ we are thinking to work for shorter periods of time but for more pay than is typically available through workcamping. So, Laura is looking at a seasonal accounting position in the Tampa area for a few months this winter. The pay would be much better than workingcamping; it would be near Laura’s mother who lives in Florida; and we hear there is not much snow down there either! And, I am sure that I could find something to do down there too.

Which brings me back to why were are leaving Big Bend in the middle of August. Laura has an interview for the seasonal accounting position the third week of August so, leaving on the 12^th would give us time for a leisurely drive back along the Gulf Coast to Florida.

Not exactly what we had envisioned, but as we are learning, being able to make plans, change plans, and evolve is a very important part of the fun and adventure!

 

An interesting couple of days

Well, this has certainly been an interesting week for us. We started the week with an unexpected, albeit amusing, van repair. The excerpt below from the repair bill is pretty self-explanatory.

It turns out that during the 8-9 days that we had not moved the van, a family of rodents (mice or pack rats presumably) had moved into our van's engine, making nests, storing food stuffs (mesquite beans by the pound, prickly pear cactus pads, etc.) and basically chewing through many hoses, wires and lines, including our brake lines!  We even found large pieces of wood, making us wonder if they were planning on building some kind of structure - perhaps a nice three bedroom with a porch? Here is a photo of just one of the piles of stuff we pulled out of the engine.

Luckily Andre noticed right away when we started driving the van that something wasn't right - or it could have been a more serious calamity. As it was, we called for a tow to the nearest auto repair place in the next town and they fixed it the next day. Apparently, it is not an uncommon problem around here! At least we got to see how a tow truck would tow our van.

 

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week we spent both days riding along with Ranger Rob, his wife Angie, and a local teacher in the park's TRT (Teacher Ranger Trainee) program, doing some in-depth exploration of the park. They have been researching Big Bend cemeteries and related history for a teacher program that will take place here in the fall. It was a fantastic couple of days in some more remote sections of the park - I'll post some really interesting photos from that in a separate entry.

We capped the week off on Friday with a rafting trip through Colorado Canyon in the Big Bend State Park with Far Flung Adventures, another local outfitter that runs river trip in both the National and State park here.  It was our first time rafting and we had a great time. The river was quite high and rather muddy but that didn't stop us from jumping out into the Rio Grande to cool off along the way!

Andre taking a swim in the river as we floated

Our lunch-time stop on a grassy bank

 

Although there were a few small sets of rapids along the way, it was generally pretty calm rafting throughout the 11 mile canyon trip and we saw some great scenery along the way. We got off the river at about 2:00 and were back at our apartment in time to see a wild storm roll in and watch the lightening, winds and deluge of rain from the porch of our apartment. Andre hurried to cook an early dinner in case the electricity went out but we never lost power.

 

The final bit of adventure was just this morning. We were on our way up to the Basin Visitor Center for another work day when we noticed what looked like a dog moving along the side of the road up ahead. It was this coyote, who was acting very odd and disoriented and did not seem to be very afraid of us or our car when we slowed down to investigate it. 

 

 

We feared for a moment that it might be rabid, but soon realized that it had actually been injured. It was bleeding some in it's hind quarter and was pretty roughed up, either from a car or maybe from some kind of larger animal? It ran off eventually but was staying close to the road so we called it in to dispatch to let them know there was an animal situation, as an injured animal could potentially become a danger to visitors. We heard later that they sent a ranger out to look for the coyote but we didn't hear anything further. Sadly, he looked pretty injured, so I'm not hopeful that this story had a happy ending. Just one of the not-so-cheerful realities of life in a wild park.

Big Bend Summer Reading (Andre)

Well, believe it or not, before we left on this adventure, it had been a LONG time since I just read a book for pleasure. (Okay, that took some admitting!) Many years actually. Since I did so much work, besides my day job, the reading time I did have was usually given to professional reading – books, articles, and journals to keep me current in the world of education. Certainly I read, and still do, newspapers and magazine for pleasure, but to sit down with a whole book. That did not fit into my former life.

How a change of circumstances can set a new course…….

 For one, we now ‘work’ in a bookstore – the visitor center we staff has a good supply of books on the history, flora, and fauna of Big Bend. Additionally, there is a larger visitor center in the park that has even more books. And, there is a small lending library in the park. Secondly, I no longer have multiple jobs as I did back home, just to volunteer in the park 4 days a week allows for more time for such pleasures. Further, we are in a new world, so wanting to learn about this place has increased the desire to read. And, as you might have caught from previous posts, we don’t have TV here, so even more reason to read!

 What follows are the books that I have read in our 3 months here in Big Bend. As you peruse the list, you might notice a common theme or two. (By the way, the list does not include many pamphlets, guides, field books or other similar materials we have ‘consumed.’)

 

Amon Carter, The Texan Who Played Cowboy For America: This was a great biography of Amon Carter who lived in the first half of the 20^th century and was the publisher and founder of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It tells the story of a person who mixed the newspaper business with his passion of selling West Texas as the best place in the world, certainly better than Dallas. He was instrumental in the establishment of Big Bend and was the person who presented the deed to the park lands to his friend FDR on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

 

Beneath the Window, Early Ranch Life in the Big Bend Country:  This is a first person narrative written by a woman (Patricia Wilson Clothier) who spent the first 14 years of her life living on a ranch in what is now Big bend National Park. She lived here in the 1930s and 40s and recently died. She writes of the joy of growing up in this beautiful, isolated, and at times harsh environment.

 Big Bend, A Homesteader’s Story: This is a first person narrative of J. O. Langford who bought, sight-unseen, several parcels of land in the Big Bend area in 1907 that contained hot springs on the Rio Grande. He purchased the land for his failing health and as a hoped-for source of income for his family. He set out to stake a claim to this land with his pregnant wife and 3 year old daughter and all their belonging loaded in a wagon pulled by two burros! They did okay, established a house, small bathhouse, and lived here for more than 30 years. 

 Big Bend National Park and Vicinity, Images of America: This is a book in the series “Images of America” that tells the story of small towns across the US largely through pictures and local lore. This edition was written by a park historian and chronicles those who lived in the area of Big Bend prior to the establishment of the park in 1944 and how the park has changed over the years.

 Boquillas Crossing: This is a novel written by a local wildland firefighter and yoga instructor – how’s that for a combination. This is a fictional recounting of one man’s journey to the Big Bend area in the 1920s to work in the a local mercury mine who gets entangled in the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa, the US Army, and eventually falls in love and marries a woman from Boquillas, Mexico.

 Empire of the Summer Moon: This was a highly recommended book on the history of the Commanches as well as a great source of insight into the often bloody and violent collision between the Commanches and first the Spanish and then Anglos pushing south and west into Commancheria – the land of the Commanches, basically southwestern Texas to Oklahoma and west into Colorado. The Commanches are described in the book as one of the most violent tribes of native Americans – one that defeated the Apaches and Spanish and took until the late 1800s for the US to ‘tame.’ The Commanche War trail which was used to raid the Mexican lands south of the Rio Grande each September goes directly through Big Bend National Park.

 I’ll Gather My Geese: This is another first person narrative of life in the Big Bend area prior to the establishment of the National Park. The author, Hallie Stillwell, is somewhat of a legend in West Texas as a frontier woman who wore pants, killed animals, and worked as a cowboy on the ranch she and her husband ran just north of the Rio Grande and just east of the park. At 20 years of age in 1918 she married her 40 year old husband and moved from the small town of Alpine, Texas to a ranch that still bears her name. Hallie died in 1997 at the age of 100. In the book she reflects on the challenges and wonders of living in this part of the world.

 The Naturalist’s Big Bend: This is a short overview of the plants, animals, insects, reptiles, birds, geology, and all things that combine to make Big Bend National Park. The book describes and discusses the volcanic origins of the area, the many species of wildlife that inhabit the park, and the various ecosystems that comprise Big Bend.

The Story of Big Bend: This is a history of the Big Bend area and how Big Bend became a national park. The short story is that by the 1930s Texas still did not have a national park and people in the surrounding towns (Alpine, Marathon, Sanderson, Study Butte, etc.) felt that a national park would bring needed economic activity to the area! It also didn’t hurt that there were amazing mountains, deserts, and river valleys to share with America. Nor did it hurt that during the Depression, ranchers who lived in the area that was to become Big Bend National Park were eager, mostly, to sell their land as drought and the dust bowl era had squashed many dreams and hoped-for futures.

As you can gather, I have been immersing myself in learning about Big Bend and the Big Bend area. It has been a fascinating opportunity to go from knowing very little about an area to gaining a working knowledge. Which leads to an interesting question.

Laura and I were walking in a cactus garden at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas a few weeks ago. We were talking about how we could recognize many of the cactus species in the garden even though we could not have named many a few short weeks before. Which led me to thinking, if you did this (consume lots of information and knowledge about a local area) many times, is there a limit to how much a brain can hold? We may spend some time exploring that question!

Another Big Bend Rainbow

A few photos from a few nights ago. These were taken from our front porch.

 

 

You won't see this in Rhode Island....

As you know by now if you've been checking in on our blog with any regularity, every day here at Big Bend holds the possibility of something interesting or unusual. Here are a few photographs from the last few days when we were out and about in the park...

 

 

Mother Javelina (Collared Peccary) with baby crossing the road while we were out walking. The baby's hair was a dark pinkish tan color and fluffier than Mom's dark, coarse, furry covering. The next morning while running, I ran into another mother Javelina with two tiny babies. This one crossing the road in the above photo was followed shortly after by another adult male. Dad perhaps?

 

 

 

Ran into this Greater Roadrunner down at the Rio Grande Campground in the Eastern section of the park. Although these Roadrunners are plentiful here, they are difficult to capture on film as they really do move very quickly!

 

 

This print is likely that of a Mountain Lion. We photographed this just at the edge of the Rio Grande in the same area of the park where we photographed the Roadrunner. There is a chance that it was made by a large Bobcat, but after comparing three different prints to our references in the Visitor Center, we believe it was a Lion.  Usually you would not see the claw marks on a print like this - just the pads - but it was in very soft sand at the water's edge

Just another week at the "Bend"........

Adaptations, Or Making Do (Andre)

As you know, we left RI in a snowstorm in a van on a cold, February Saturday afternoon. All that we had to live off of were the contents of the van, things we might find along the way, and our ingenuity. Well, we are happy to report that each of the three, what we brought, what we have ‘found’ and what we could figure out have served us rather well – so far!
 

While traveling in the van, we learned to live and eat small and enjoy it very much. Meals were typically quick, convenient, and not requiring of much preparation or ingredients. Hanging around in the van usually included reading, listening to the radio (we really have appreciated satellite radio with many channels from around the country including news channels), or if we were in signal range, catching some local television on a small 12 inch TV. Of course, most of our entertainment came from exploring the many new and different areas we found ourselves in.

Once we got to Big Bend and got our own apartment (you may remember this was a surprise, we anticipated living in the van while we were here), we had to pick up ‘our game’ a bit. First we now had a full kitchen with a full size stove, fridge, sink, cabinets, etc. We were able to scrounge some things that others had left behind and that we were able to borrow including a dish rack, some spices and other cooking ingredients, and a microwave. As you will see by the picture below, our cooking pans still are our backpacking pans that we purchased nearly 20 years ago. (The small camping tea pot is a new addition and the skillet is from our former home.)

 

 Now that we had an apartment, and there is no television signal for a hundred miles, the 12 inch TV from the van didn’t offer much in the terms of entertainment when we wanted to just hang around. So, we got a bit creative. As you can see from the picture below, what we set up really is a ‘component’ system! The 32 inch TV came from a community room in the park that is not currently in use. The wonderful TV stand is two chairs we scavenged from the laundry room. We use Laura’s old computer which has an S video output to stream movies from a hard drive that Nick sent us loaded with more than 200 movies. And, when we really want to push boundaries, we can watch things on the Internet through an Ethernet connection that then streams to the TV.

 

 

 Of course, these are only a couple of the many ways we have made do (quite well we think) living in this surprise apartment on the road. We had no mop or pail to clean floors, fortunately there was one in the laundry room. We use the mattress topper from the van to ‘smooth’ out some of the less comfortable parts of the double bed that was in the apartment. Our camp chairs became our front porch chairs. And certainly we have done some ‘re-purposing’ – this extension cord worked for this need, this bowl could serve for that, these towels worked for ……..

 As we are starting to think about leaving Big Bend in the coming weeks, we will take with us further confirmation that anything is possible and that adventuring down the road is just one big, interesting, and ongoing adaptation!  

 

 

Changing Temperatures (Andre)

 

We understand that things are pretty warm back home – sorry to hear that! Ninety plus degrees and humidity for several days can be a real trial. Hope everyone back east is staying cool. We understand that things are supposed to cool off soon.

Just passing along some rather unusual weather from this part of the world – Big Bend. The long-term forecast for the week that just passed called for cooler and cloudy weather. We really didn’t believe it since in the 3 months we have been here, our experience has been that you can wake up and pretty much assume it will be hot and sunny each day. As you have been reading, hot typically means weather here is west Texas that ranges from 90-105 or more degrees.

Well, this week it has indeed been different. High temperatures for Monday through Friday here were in the low 70s and only hit 90 for the first time today! (We have worn fleeces several times this week while out hiking.) We haven’t seen much sun all week either – it has been consistently cloudy all day every day this week! And, it has actually rained several times this week. Not all day or multi-hour rains like are common in New England, but spurts of rain for 15 - 60 minutes that cool things off and help contribute some to the ongoing drought.
 

Wall of rain dropping down into the desert from the cloud center - taken just a few minutes ago

When we first got to Big Bend, we told people here that we would bring colder weather and rain since both seemed to follow us on our journey from RI to Texas.  And they were very happy to hear that since to people out here, cold and rainy is exciting times. Now they are really starting to believe us!

ICS Training (Andre)

One of our goals or plans for this adventure was to try new things as opportunities presented themselves or as we could secure these opportunities. Since we have been in Big Bend, we have come to learn, and this is not surprising, that the park regularly conducts several trainings for park staff. The trainings have ranged from analyzing and cataloguing natural resources, implementing environmental policy, operating chainsaws, airplane security, and many more. It took us awhile to become aware of these trainings as they are not usually directed or intended for volunteers. Once we heard about the trainings however, we asked if we might participate. And they were more than happy to include us!

So, this week we participated in an ICS training course that was offered for park staff. ICS stands for Incident Command System. This is a management/organization system that was developed in the 1970s after several serious and deadly wildfires in the California and then further developed and mandated after 9/11 for all ‘incidents.’ (An incident is any natural or human disaster (flooding, terrorism incident) or significant event that requires complex structures and handling (presidential visit, memorial event) and may involve one or more local, state or national agency.)

The training we participated in (ICS 100 and ICS 200) were basic and intermediate level trainings. There are quite a few additional trainings - ICS 300 through 800 plus role-specific training for roles within the ICS system – public information officer, division leader, incident commander, etc. During ICS 100 and 200 we were introduced into the ICS system, its organizational structure, roles, responsibilities, operational systems, etc.  This training is designed for ‘single resources’ and how they fit within the ICS system. A single resource within the ICS system is the individual person with specified skills – firefighters, police, EMT, finance, logistics, planning, and the like.

Basically how the ICS system operates is that when there is an incident, everything from a car accident, house fire, hurricane, power plant accident, or presidential visit, the person or persons in charge initiate the ICS system and determine the level of incident – Level 1 is the most significant (major hurricane) to a Level 5 (small house fire). The level of incident dictates the amount of staff, resources, and roles are required and dispatched to the incident. Since (hopefully) everyone is trained in ICS, the organization and management for the incident then precedes along the established practices of the ICS system. We are told, and as you might imagine, that how well the system works varies based on the individuals involved, their level of training, and their adherence to the system. But we are also told that when implemented the system has saved lives and helped to efficiently handle many and varied incidents.

How do we fit into this you might ask? We aren’t sure. But, we are now aware of ICS and trained in it. We will look for additional training in our future travels (both ICS and beyond). We were given some contact information by the instructor to inquire about possible trainings and possible roles. We have already anticipated that we will volunteer for agencies such as the Red Cross that would appreciate this background (groups like the Red Cross look for full-time RVers to volunteer at disaster scenes since they are mobile and do not need housing). And, who knows what else.

On a side note, it was really interesting to be in a learning/professional role once again. It has been more than 5 months since we did anything like be in or lead a training, something we did quite often in our previous lives. This experience certainly sparked many memories and conversations about where we have been and where we are going and what awaits us down the road!

Hiking our way through Big Bend

Andre and I are settling back into our normal routine here at Big Bend after the boy's visit.  We were happy to learn that they made it safely back to Pittsburgh after a great trip here to West Texas as well as a brief side visit to Rocky Mountain National Park and Boulder, Colorado. We had a fairly uneventful couple of days in the Visitor Center and completed another work week on Monday (we generally work Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday).

As we've noted in other blog entries, we are slowly working our way down the long list of hiking trails in the park and have now hiked on the majority of the trails here in the Chisos Complex and in many other parts of the park. There are a few long routes across the desert floor that we will likely not get to during our time here, primarily because of the temperatures (these are multi-day loops and routes that are not recommended during the summer months due to the excessive temperatures), but for the most part, we have succeeded in exploring a respectable portion of this vast park.  Here is a list of the trails we've hiked so far.

Basin Loop
Boquillas Canyon
Boot Canyon
Burro Spring
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail
Dorgan House
East Rim
Emory Peak
Ernst Tinaja
Grapevine Hills (Balanced Rock)
Hot Springs Historic Trail
Laguna Meadows
Lost Mine
Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off
Panther Path
Pinnacles Trail
Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
Sam Nail Ranch
Santa Elena Canyon
South Rim
Window Trail
Window View Trail
Dog Canyon
Mariscal Canyon (partial)
Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off
Ward Spring Trail

Still on the list to do are:

Colima Trail
Daniels Ranch to Hot Springs
Juniper Canyon
Oak Spring
Tuff Canyon
Mule Ears Spring
Chimneys
Pine Canyon

Some of these we may not get to for logistical reasons (they are only accessed via other longer trails or are not loops and involve dropping a second car at another location), but we are going to do our best to cover them if we can.  Not listed are a few more remote primitive trails that, though they are named trails, are infrequently hiked and/or too logistically challenging to get to with no secondary vehicle and a primary vehicle that cannot be driven on many of the non-maintained back roads.

That said, we do try to take advantage of the times when we have a park vehicle to explore as much as we can. Often this will be after work - not the ideal time to hike, as it is often 100 degrees or more - but we take what we can get!

On Sunday after work we did one of these such hikes, spending about 2 hours hiking out to explore the Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off . Much earlier in our time here in the park, we had hiked out to the lower part of this pour-off and enjoyed seeing the almost cylindrical formation carved out by gravity and millions of years of water. The upper and lower portions of this formation are two separate hikes because the steep drop off makes it impossible to get from one part to the other; one must be approached from a higher elevation via a different approach trail and access point.

Here are some photos from Sunday's hike.  By the way, this one too was at 100 degrees as well!

Approach trail through desert

 

Desert trail turns to canyon trail

 

Interesting rock formation visible from inside the canyon

 

Scrambling down into the last flat pocket that forms the bowl before the pour-off

 

Looking over the edge to the drop below

 

A closer view from the edge

 

View as we climbed back up out of the bowl for the return hike

Fantastic Visit with the Boys, Part 2

Yesterday I posted about the first half of our 6 day visit with the boys. Here is the second half of my recap of our much-anticipated family reunion at Big Bend. We continued to enjoy beautiful weather and a moon-less dark sky that provided for excellent star gazing night after night.

After hiking on both Saturday and Sunday, we decided that Monday would be a good day to switch things up and get on the river. As Andre and I had just had such a great experience doing the Santa Elena Canyon boomerang trip, we decided to do the same trip with the boys (minus the hired guide). Although the river levels were about a half a foot lower than the previous week and we did have to do a bit more getting out and pulling the canoes on the way up the canyon, it was a fantastic day and we all enjoyed it.



  Andre & Dylan taking a break

 

 

 

 

All in for a swim after lunch 

 

After a great day on the Rio Grande, we cleaned up and headed out of the park to Terlingua for two-for-one burger night at the Starlight Theatre. We enjoyed some local live music while we ate, then headed out to the porch where we had another drink and watched the evening wind down. Before heading back to the park, we walked across the parking lot to a small park/barbecue area that had a horse-shoe pit for the boys to play a few rounds. 

 

 

Winding down on the porch outside the Starlight Theatre

 

On Tuesday we eased into the day, enjoying a leisurely home-cooked breakfast before heading out to explore the unpaved back roads in some of the more remote area of the park.  We borrowed a high-clearance vehicle and spent a few hours exploring River Road and the Mariscal Mine, an old quicksilver (Mercury) mine that produced mercury from 1900 to 1943.

 

The mine, now abandoned but open to park visitors to explore, stretches high up the side of a mountain and includes remnants of some of the miner's homes, the brick kiln, the Company Store, Condensers and furnaces from both the early and later periods of the mine, as well as the actual closed up mine shafts all around the site where the mercury-bearing ore cinnabar was mined. 

 

We were on our way back out of the remote area by about 12:30 and had a picnic lunch under some shady trees at one of the park campgrounds. By that point, we had all had more than enough sun for the day and spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting in the A/C in the apartment watching movies and hanging out.

 

On the agenda for Wednesday was a trip across the river to Boquillas, Mexico. After a leisurely morning at the apartment, we gathered our passports and headed to the Boquillas Crossing.

 

Lunch at Jose Falcones Restaurant



 

 

Boys enjoying an after-lunch shot of Sotol at the town bar

 

Our final adventure on Thursday morning was a hike down to the "Window", the one hike at the Basin that we hadn't yet done together. The 3.6 mile round trip hike leads you right into the mouth of a pour-off offering amazing views onto the desert floor below. As you can see, the boys enjoyed relaxing when we reached the end of the trail!

 

 

After the window we headed back to the apartment so the boys could eat lunch and pack up for the next leg of their trip (Colorado). It was a thoroughly enjoyable week!