We took a short hike into the mouth of Boquillas Canyon this morning. The trail first took us higher so that we could get a good view of the river,
and then lower down along the water. It was very pretty looking out across the landscape to the layers of mountains in the distance.
It seemed most of the residents were on the US side, selling walking sticks, bracelets and little wire sculptures.
We had no dinero with us, however, which was convenient, given that I already purchased two of the wire scorpions last time we visited Big Bend.
The park newspaper informed us that we might see Singing Victor Valdez, a Mexican man, who serenades hikers and rafters as they go by. (Again, I encourage you to click on the link I've given you for Boquillas so that you can hear Victor for yourself.)
It was so funny after reading about him to actually see him, and his voice is surprisingly good. I applauded and shouted, “Buena!” which seemed to encourage him. His voice echoed around the canyon with his “Aye, Aye, Aye Aye,” and ended up stuck in our heads for the rest of the afternoon.
It was quite warm, mainly because of the sun beating down on us. There was a slight breeze, which made the warm temperature bearable. It’s much warmer in Big Bend this time than it was the last time we were here. We did several long hikes last time, and I don’t recall being uncomfortably warm. We’ve limited our outings into the sun to these short hikes, but it’s cool and comfortable in the shade at our campsite.
Yesterday, we discovered the free Wi-Fi at the store in Rio Grande Village, which is just a short walk away, and we’ll probably gather up our iPads and walk over there again today. Mike has been trying to obtain a document via email for some work he’s finishing up for his former employer. I’m just checking email and answering a few comments—trying to keep up with blog land and home for the duration of our stay here. Given how warm it is, we’ll probably move on at the end of our four paid nights. The heat makes it unpleasant to do much more than sit. However, the sky is very dark and we’re planning to get out and do some stargazing later on this evening. It takes a while for the temperature to cool off after sunset, which makes for comfortable nighttime temperatures.
and then lower down along the water. It was very pretty looking out across the landscape to the layers of mountains in the distance.
At one point, we were able to see the mortars where ancient people ground their grains into masa. (I always love seeing this evidence of the indigenous culture.)
And, of course, when one looks across the Rio Grande, one is looking into Mexico. At this point, it is possible to see the village of Boquillas, Mexico, population about 175. (I strongly encourage you to click on the link I've given you for Boquillas so that you can read or listen to the NPR story about this village. It's a tale of the Law of Unintended Consequences.)
It seemed most of the residents were on the US side, selling walking sticks, bracelets and little wire sculptures.
We had no dinero with us, however, which was convenient, given that I already purchased two of the wire scorpions last time we visited Big Bend.
The park newspaper informed us that we might see Singing Victor Valdez, a Mexican man, who serenades hikers and rafters as they go by. (Again, I encourage you to click on the link I've given you for Boquillas so that you can hear Victor for yourself.)
It was so funny after reading about him to actually see him, and his voice is surprisingly good. I applauded and shouted, “Buena!” which seemed to encourage him. His voice echoed around the canyon with his “Aye, Aye, Aye Aye,” and ended up stuck in our heads for the rest of the afternoon.
It was quite warm, mainly because of the sun beating down on us. There was a slight breeze, which made the warm temperature bearable. It’s much warmer in Big Bend this time than it was the last time we were here. We did several long hikes last time, and I don’t recall being uncomfortably warm. We’ve limited our outings into the sun to these short hikes, but it’s cool and comfortable in the shade at our campsite.
Yesterday, we discovered the free Wi-Fi at the store in Rio Grande Village, which is just a short walk away, and we’ll probably gather up our iPads and walk over there again today. Mike has been trying to obtain a document via email for some work he’s finishing up for his former employer. I’m just checking email and answering a few comments—trying to keep up with blog land and home for the duration of our stay here. Given how warm it is, we’ll probably move on at the end of our four paid nights. The heat makes it unpleasant to do much more than sit. However, the sky is very dark and we’re planning to get out and do some stargazing later on this evening. It takes a while for the temperature to cool off after sunset, which makes for comfortable nighttime temperatures.
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