Luna’s Jacal
At the edge of Alamo Creek in Big Bend National Park, Texas, Gilberto Luna built this jacal which is made of rock, earth and plant fiber. It was a scorching hot day the afternoon we were here and I was surprised to find how cool it was inside the jacal. It must have been somewhat [...]
Mule Ears, Big Bend National Park
One of the more distinctive mountain formations in Big Bend National Park is known as “Mule Ears”. My husband insisted on calling them “Rabbit Ears” since there were so many jackrabbits in the park and we only saw a few mules. Please click the image to view a larger version. As we hiked along the [...]
Boquillas Canyon, Texas
In Big Bend National Park in Texas, Boquillas Canyon lies just a short drive from the campground at Rio Grande Village where we were staying. I love it when such majestic places are so close to the campground. We found an overlook where we stopped and cooked hotdogs on the barbeque before heading down to [...]
Chisos Mountains, Texas
I think the term “go big or go home” must have been coined in Big Bend National Park. This land of extremes is made of massive canyons, vast desert plains and rugged mountain ranges rising from the desert floor. It can be intensely hot during the day and freezing cold at night and during our [...]
Tequila Agave, Texas
Another plant common in southern Texas is the agave, known as tequila or blue agave. Technically it is an “agave tequilana” although in Texas it may be better known as a blue agave since Mexico has claimed exclusive international rights to the word “tequila” and even stipulates which regions of the country the liquor may [...]
The Prickly Pear, Texas
If there is one reason to wear long pants when you hike in the desert, it’s the prickly pear. They are everywhere and their spikes are very long and sharp. I cannot count the number of times I have been concentrating on making an image and I go to move my tripod just a little [...]
Ocotillo in Texas
This week I want to show you some of the interesting cacti I came across while in Big Bend National Park in Texas. This first one is an Octillo (although technically it isn’t a cactus but we’re not being that picky, right?). It looks like a cactus and it has those similar sharp spines – [...]
Grapevine Hills, Texas
This is Grapevine Hills in Big Bend National Park, Texas. You have to drive 7.5 miles on an extremely bumpy road that requires a high clearance vehicle or 4 wheel drive. It took a lot longer than expected because you have to drive so slowly. That’s why I always like to leave early for the [...]
Balanced Rock, Texas
Big Bend National Park in Texas is a love it or hate it kind of place. I heard a few people say they hated it. It’s a harsh landscape with jagged rocks big and small, prickly cacti, and thorny bushes. It’s a harsh environment too with hot hot days, cold nights and dry as a [...]
Postcard From Big Bend, Texas
Travelling in the National Parks in the USA I have noticed many of them have these really cool postcards. They are old fashioned cartoonish drawings of iconic locations in the park, often with an animal, and the park name in old fashioned lettering. I thought I would try to make a photograph that had a [...]
Photographing Mexico From Texas
This is actually Mexico. Photographing Mexico from Texas isn’t something I really thought about before. I’ve never been to a Mexican border town, and I still haven’t because they closed the legal crossings in Big Bend National Park. Up until a few years ago visitors to the park could cross over and visit the villages [...]
First Glimpse of the Rio Grande, Texas
I do like to mix things up a bit here on the blog and in my photography in general by trying out different things. A little lensbaby play, a few city scenes, maybe some close-ups of shells — but I can’t help but notice that the landscape shots get all the attention. When I put [...]
