View from our campsite...

... in the Chisos Basin at Big Bend National Park.



Hubs and I both loved this wildly beautiful, desolate place long before we ever met. So on April 29, 2001, we got married on a trail at Big Bend. This was our backdrop. Gorgeous, no?

We spent our wedding night at the Gage Hotel, then headed back down to the park for several nights of camping. In my next post, I'll describe our scary -- yet amusing -- encounters with the wildlife. For now, however, here are a few photos from this trip:

This is where we usually stay before heading down to the park and then again on our way back to civilization. We're here right now, actually:



In the next photo, you're now in Big Bend, looking across the Rio Grande and down on the Mexican village of Boquillas. For many years, the park service turned a blind eye to the many illegal crossings made by tourists. For a few dollars, a Mexican man would take you across the river. For a few more dollars, another would drive you up to the village in a beat-up truck. Hubs and I spent a wonderful day there in 2001, stuffing ourselves on Mexican food and hanging out in a ramshackle bar, downing beers. After 9/11, however, Homeland Security decreed that this was a dangerous practice and the crossings stopped. Boquillas, already poor, was devastated. Many people left, unable to make a living without the tourists. Each time we come back to Big Bend, Hubs and I check check the former crossing, hoping it has perhaps reopened. But the road down to the river remains gated.



Here's Hubs, standing by the Rio Grande.



And here's me:




We saw these *shudder* everywhere. I don't mind snakes. But spiders, especially hairy ones? Ick.



Still, they're nothing compared to the javelinas. But more on that next time. Right now, there's a Mexican beer calling my name...