Santa Elena Canyon and a wasp conspiracy against BJ

Wednesday 16 February 2011
In the Big Bend National Park we did the Santa Elena Canyon hike. The Rio Grande emerges flowing north from the sheer cliffs of Santa Elena Canyon and we hiked the west (USA) side headed south into the canyon. It was shady and cool in the canyon. The Rio Grande is a big stream at this point. So how did it dig straight down through hard rock and dig a canyon as deep at the Church Office Building in SLC? In the Big Bend Park there are two other mountains the Rio Grande has cut through like a hot knife through butter. My theory is that the mountain ranges slowly rose up while the Rio Grande cut through them. The river is probably older than the mountains. I just don't see how a suddenly draining lake could have cut such sheer cliffs. It must have been done very slowly as the mountains raised up.

The Chisos Basin part of the park was high, tree covered, and cool compared to the surrounding deserts. But BJ got stung by a wasp there (she must have a target painted on her when it comes to wasps). At the end of the day we went to the Rio Grande Village part of the park. There were two cars on fire in the parking lot of the Visitor's Center so we couldn't go in. Instead we went to the Boquillas Canyon trail. It was very hot, 96 degrees Chihuahuan desert. This is where the Rio Grande enters the third mountain range through sheer cliff walls. On the trail we could see a tiny Mexican village of Boquillas just across the river. And at little unmanned stations on the trail we found Mexican art objects for sale on behalf of Mexican school children. There were painted walking staffs, fluorite chunks, and pretty wire scorpions and dragonflies, and tiny bobble head turtles, all colorfully painted Mexican style. The signs told the price of each object, and there was a plastic bottle to place money for things hikers might purchase.