Big Bend was full of firsts: My first time in the desert, first time (properly) visiting a national park, and first time camping since college. I couldn’t stop looking at the unique desert plants, especially the squiggly red-tipped limbs of ocotillo and the green bark of the palo verde trees in Santa Elena Canyon. We encountered free-roaming horses, donkeys, and mules along the river, and spotted roadrunners and a great blue heron. We saw the historic Mule Ears landmark formed from ancient volcanic dikes and soaked in the hot springs before spending the most luxurious ten minutes in the park’s only coin-operated showers. End of April was already too hot, with us overheating on our one short hike and the car overheating on the scenic drive back to our campsite at Chisos Basin. Despite our mishaps, we proudly recited the Junior Ranger pledge at Panther Junction and accepted our badge and activity patches. I finally have the first stamp in my national parks passport.
