I think desert and I think cactus. Not so much in the Chihuahuna Desert.  There are many prickly pear cacti, three or four types even, but the predominant plants are yucca.  The drive to Dagger Flats introduced us to yucca big and small, beautiful and bedraggled. Elevation changes of only a few hundred feet created an environment different enough to support entirely different species.  Regions of volcanic rock interspersed in the huge expanses of limestone create another variable.  The result, an amazing diversity of plants in this seemingly forbidding place.

Our contact at the Judge Roy Bean Saloon and museum/Texas Information Center was pretty vehement about our trying the Pecan cobbler at the Chisos Lodge.  Good call.  It was delicious.  The view from the Lodge restaurant was pretty good too.  I recommend the stop.

The river has carved a grandiose cut though the Sierra Del Carmen Mountains to create Boquillas Canyon.   The ribbon of water disappears around a bend as the canyon walls become so steep that even the most brazen trailblazer is forced to give up.  A couple donkeys graze on the Mexican river flat.  Rock wrens busily probe crevices and eroded holes for tasty tidbits.  A Mexican national serenades each newcomer in hopes of a bit of coin into his collection jar on the US side.  There are more trinkets for sale here too.

Old Ore Road wonders for 26 miles across the open desert diving into and back out of gullies and across rock strew open spaces.  Mostly it is a “jeep road” but lucky for us the first 5 miles from the south were graded 1 ½ years ago (that is recently here). Kent gingerly guided the Focus along those precious graded miles to Ernst Tinaja (earthen jar in Spanish) and we had a great hike back into a canyon filled with wildly folded rock layers and smooth sided pools.  We stopped when we reached slick rock pour-offs that exceeded our very novice rock climbing skills.   It was well worth the 45 minutes it took to get there.

He wondered around the outskirts of the campground this morning and again as we were having dinner.

It is all about wide open spaces. From a wind buffeted rock perch high above the campground we watched sunset and full moon rising against the backdrop of the Sierra Del Carmen Mountains.  Just as the orange faded, really big bats suddenly appeared circling above us.  A bit creepy but cool.  Darkness surrounded us then a soft glow lighted the very edge of the cliffs.  We waited.  Odd how one might get anxious awaiting a moon rise.  It does this every day.  Still, it was wonderful anticipation.  A tiny peek of bright white appeared then it seemed to just pop up into the sky.  The shimmery light threw long, sort of spooky, fun shadows.  It was magnificent.

Blue iridescent spider eyes added a interesting twist to our walk back down the trail. They shimmered like sequins in the LED headlamp.  They seemed to be everywhere.  That was definitely TMI for me.