Rio Grande River | Travel USA

Big Bend National Park Entrance at Maverick Junction

From the tip of southern Texas, we traveled northwest along the Texas/Mexico border to the “bulge” of southern Texas. It is appropriately called “Big Bend” because that is where the Rio Grande River makes a huge bend toward the southeast and then bends back to the northeast. In the crook of this huge bend is Big Bend National Park.

Spring was a perfect time of year to visit before the heat set in. It was still chilly at night, and not many cacti or wildflowers were blooming yet except for a few bluebonnets (the Texas state flower) that were starting to bloom by the roadside.

We stayed in an RV park in the town of Terlingua (Ter-ling-gwa), a little town that got its start in the 1880’s when “quicksilver” (mercury) was found in the area.

The first thing I noticed was how vast this area is that Big Bend encompasses. You can see the purple mountains in the far distance, and somewhere beyond those mountains is the Rio Grande, and beyond them is Mexico. Though it is only #15 on the list of the largest national parks, Big Bend National Park is over 800,000 acres, and is larger than Yosemite National Park.

There are plenty of things to do in Big Bend NP including scenic drives, day hikes, river trips, bird watching, fishing, horseback riding and stargazing. Speaking of stargazing, Big Bend has the darkest night skies of any national park in the lower 48 states and is designated an International Dark Sky Park.

The Big Bend NP website has suggestions for scenic drives. We drove on all the paved roads in the park. The Ross Maxwell Scenic drive took us to Sotol Vista where we had a view over the entire valley. The notch in the distant ridge is where the road would end. That is where the Rio Grande cuts through steep cliffs at Santa Elena Canyon.

Santa Elena Canyon at the end of the road.

This is the “notch” in the faraway ridge you were looking at in the last photo. But first, some sites along the way.

We stopped at the Mule Ears Overlook. You don’t have to have much of an imagination to see the “mule ears”.

Tuff Canyon and Castalon Peak were other stops.

Near the end of the road, there is a massive mountain of rock wall that makes a natural barrier at the border of USA and Mexico.This is where the Rio Grande cuts through the rock and becomes Santa Elena Canyon.

Rock walls on the border make a natural barrier.

The Rio Grande is a favorite place for those who like to kayak and canoe down the river. It’s also a favorite spot to watch the sunset, as it sets between the two walls.

We brought a picnic supper with us so we could wait for the sunset. But instead of staying at Santa Elena Canyon, we started making our way back along the same road, stopping to photograph the “golden hour” effect on various mountains and hills.

The sunset did not disappoint.

The next day we packed a lunch and drove to the high country of Big Bend on the Chisos Basin road. In less than 6 miles, this road climbs over 2,000 feet above the desert floor to an elevation of around 4,500 feet. As the road gained elevation, the desert flora soon gave way to drooping junipers, gray oaks and the tall Douglas firs and Arizona pines. The air was notably cooler.

The road ended at the Chisos Mountains Lodge and the Chisos Basin Visitor Center. The parking lot was full, so we turned around and went back home.

Our third day of exploration took us to Panther Junction where we turned onto the road to Rio Grande Village. This 20 mile drive descends nearly 2,000 feet in elevation on its way to the Rio Grande. Along the way we drove through a tunnel, and stopped for a view of the Rio Grande from above.

Looking out across to the Rio Grande, we could see the mountains on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. Nearby, we saw a spineless prickly pear cactus and other native plants.

Down by the river is a campground, but the sites had no hookups. Even in early March the weather was quite warm. A generator would be a must.

We drove to the Rio Grande river overlook at Boquillas Canyon. Curiously enough, a sketchy-looking man was there selling trinkets and souvenirs to tourists for a high price. I’m not sure if he was from Mexico or the USA. There were three vehicles parked on the other side of the river and a canoe pulled up on the opposite bank. It’s hard to tell why the vehicles were there, and if they had anything to do with the peddler.

Rio Grande River at Boquillas Canyon Overlook

Another day we visited the nearby “ghost town” of Terlingua. The town is now a tourist trap more than a ghost town. A few old buildings and ruins could be seen. We visited a general store next door to the Holiday Hotel and the Starlight Theatre. We strolled through the old cemetery and then bought supper-to-go at the Rustic Iron BBQ.

On the way home, I took a peek in the Quilt store in the town of Terlingua. Two little ladies were sewing away. The owner said she has 14 quilters working for her. When I asked how she ended up in the middle of nowhere, she said, “The warm weather!” “Yep,” I said, “That’s why we’re here.”

Big Bend National Park was better than I anticipated. I found myself wanting to visit again someday because there’s so much more to see.

During January and February of 2022, we stayed for several weeks in Harlingen, Texas, which is located in the Rio Grande Valley or RGV at the very southern tip of Texas. The Rio Grande Valley is not really a valley, but a river delta. It is a popular place for “winter Texans”, people who want to escape the harsh winters of the northern United States.

Having stayed in this area previously, we already explored many of the museums and sites to see. This time we added another place to our list of places we have been: The Sabal Palm Sanctuary.

The drive to Sabal Palm Sanctuary took us right down along the border. We saw miles and miles of the border wall. To get to the Sanctuary, we had to drive through an opening in the wall. There was a Humvee with National Guardsmen at the gate. They allowed us through both ways without a problem.

The plantation house is like stepping back in time. Ray took this photo, but I changed it to black and white to get a feel of the place in 1892.

The Rabb Plantation House of Sabol Palm Sanctuary

When Frank and Lillian Rabb built the house, it had a commanding view of the Rio Grande River and the steamboats that docked there. Today, the river has since changed course and the view is quite different. We walked some of the trails of the more than 20,000 acres and saw the old river bed.

The veranda of the Rabb Plantation House

Inside, the rooms had been restored to their former beauty. The polished mahogany wood staircase in the entrance and the antique mirror showed the grandeur of previous days.

Two fireplaces with mirrors and detailed engravings were decorated with more antiques. I doubt that they were used much since the winter weather is so mild in south Texas. However, while we were there, the sunny, warm days were few and far between. We had more rain than sunshine.

The antique lamp on the living room table caught my eye. Electricity didn’t come to the RGV until 1929 and oil lamps were beautiful as well as useful.

Although the lamp shown below has a cord, it was much later before electricity arrived and lamps like this were used in the plantation house.

In addition to the antique furnishings were these beautiful stained glass windows and doors.

Other items that interested me were an old telephone and calculator. The first telephone exchange didn’t develop until the early 1900’s and in 1913 the city complained that “the telephone service rendered for several weeks has been totally inadequate and demoralized for several weeks, and no improvement in sight.”

After touring the plantation house, we made our way through the garden. It was winter, so the flowers and many other plants were dormant. I could imagine what it looked like in spring and summer with butterflies fluttering around the fragrant flowers.

Past the garden were the walking paths lined with palms. The Sabal Palm Sanctuary protects one of the rarest ecosystems in the United States. The Sabal Palm Forest once covered 60,000 acres along the banks of the Rio Grande River. When the Spaniards first explored the river, they found miles upon miles of dense palm forest. Today, less than 30 acres of the Sabal forest are left, some of which are protected by the Sanctuary. Today, much of the Rio Grande Valley is mostly agricultural.

Previously, the land in the Rio Grande Valley was used for raising cattle. The soil was too dry for crops until 1910 when irrigation and centrifugal pumps came along. By 1910, there were 50 steam-engine pump houses along the Rio Grande River that watered one million acres of farmland.

We walked on this walkway where Rio Grande River used to flow.

The pathway eventually led us back to the Plantation House.

When I visit historical places like this, I imagine what life would be in those times. One thing that I’m thankful for today is that we have air conditioning. Those summers in the RGV would have been stifling in the humidity and the heat!

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