River Road East

We began our next off road exploration along a very long road that wound along the Rio Grande River, which makes up Big Bend National Park’s southern boundary, and is also the boundary between the US and Mexico.  Ironically, we never actually saw the river the entire time we were on this road!

On the Road

I like this image of the morning sun putting our Jeep in shadow in the image of the landscape.  We are on the road, following the east portion of this road.  The entire road is about 50 miles long, and at a certain point, it gets extremely rough and is not recommended for inexperienced off-roaders, which we are!  But, we are off to explore the first 19 miles of this road!

Desert Colors

I find that I’ve become a big fan of the colors of the desert landscape.  Growing up in the Midwest, I always thought the desert was just a sandy sort of brown – period.  But, it’s full of many shades of color, and wonderful rusts, tans and even greens!  Not to mention the blue sky, of course!

Dinosaur Rock

As we were driving along, I noticed this rock seemed to look like a dinosaur laying down.  Hopefully, you, too, can see it in the large rock formation in the center of this image.  It’s kind of like that game we’d play at kids, seeing shapes in the clouds overhead!

Interesting Rock Wall Texture

At one point, in the area where we drove, there was a small community called San Vincente, TX.  Altho none of the homes remain, this texture is most likely the remains of an earthen dam that held back the waters that sometimes would flow thru an arroyo after a rainstorm.  This dam held back the waters and protected that long ago settlement.

Close Up Texture

Here’s a close up of the texture of the dam.  I don’t know what caused what looks like large ropes of twine in the dam.  Who knows?  Maybe it actually was rope or twine!  It looks like very meticulous work.

Roadside Plants

All along the road, from time to time, we would see these very green yucca plants.  I just love the vibrancy of the green against both the rocky hills and super blue sky!

Enjoy!