Pine Springs Campground at Guadalupe Mountains
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As we pulled out of Rio Grande Village, we said goodbye to our cow neighbors. We would definitely miss their mooing and cowbells at 3 a.m. as they wandered through camp. We had a long drive ahead of us to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, with a few unexpected roadside sights along the way. Out in the distance, massive dust devils spun up from the desert floor, tall swirling columns of dirt dancing across the landscape. One of the first was Wyatt Ranch, which looked like the front of an old Hollywood Western set. Just the facades, not an actual building. One of those blink-and-you-miss-it moments that makes a long drive more interesting.
Leaving Big Bend's Rio Grande Village Campground
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Then there was the UFO.
Out in the open desert sky, we spotted a floating object that didn’t immediately make sense. It was flying. It was an object. Beyond that, who could say. A quick Google search later suggested it was probably a weather balloon. Not exactly aliens, but still an unexpected sight out there in the middle of nowhere.
We rolled into Guadalupe Mountain Campground that evening, which is less campground and more parking lot. It also came with a fun twist. No water fill station for campers. We skipped filling up when we left Big Bend because hauling extra water for hundreds of miles kills gas mileage. Instead, we were greeted with a single pump spigot that meant we’d be hauling water back to the camper by hand.
And right from the start, limited water meant drama.
At the Pine Springs spigot, a mule deer had apparently decided the puddle underneath belonged exclusively to him. When a thirsty doe approached, he made it very clear she was not welcome. Things escalated quickly. Hooves were thrown. Sharing was absolutely not caring that day.
Welcome to Guadalupe Mountains.
Out in the open desert sky, we spotted a floating object that didn’t immediately make sense. It was flying. It was an object. Beyond that, who could say. A quick Google search later suggested it was probably a weather balloon. Not exactly aliens, but still an unexpected sight out there in the middle of nowhere.
We rolled into Guadalupe Mountain Campground that evening, which is less campground and more parking lot. It also came with a fun twist. No water fill station for campers. We skipped filling up when we left Big Bend because hauling extra water for hundreds of miles kills gas mileage. Instead, we were greeted with a single pump spigot that meant we’d be hauling water back to the camper by hand.
And right from the start, limited water meant drama.
At the Pine Springs spigot, a mule deer had apparently decided the puddle underneath belonged exclusively to him. When a thirsty doe approached, he made it very clear she was not welcome. Things escalated quickly. Hooves were thrown. Sharing was absolutely not caring that day.
Welcome to Guadalupe Mountains.