On the Edge of Old Mexico

Yesterday we drove down into Big Bend National Park.  What a vast expanse of pretty untouched landscapes.  Our first stop, albeit short was Chisos Basin.  There is road construction and the are is open for two hours, then closed until all the blacktop trucks are empty.  We didn’t want to get stuck in there for 2-4 hours.  The basin is cool with stunning views in all directions to include the drive in and out.  It is very narrow and I don’t think I would have liked bringing Sis in there.  

Our next stop was Panther Junction.  We used the facilities, picked up a sticker and I inquired about a paddle permit for Rio Grande Village.  I was asked a series of questions and when I told them we are in kayaks and don’t have extra PFD’s or an extra paddle, I was told we couldn’t get a permit.  When I asked a few questions and told them I could tie my paddle to the kayak, I was told I’d be fined and that they wouldn’t give me a permit.  “Sir, thems are the rules.”  Well, I got a permit at a different station.  More on that later.  

We then drove the 20 plus miles down to Rio Grande Village.  We headed into the NE campground which doesn’t have hookups.  There is a small hike that we took and it is a pretty short loop.  The loop overlooks Boquillas Mexico.  The river is very small here and there were some trinkets left on the NP side with money buckets on the honor system.  The young couple we met at Carlsbad told us about this place.  They bought a coozie and another trinket.  We did not have change and I didn’t want to go rummaging through their cans to try to make change.  Some very cute items, we may go back today.  I’m sure just as in the US, they are hurting due to the river crossing being closed.  

After our walk we ran into a NP Ranger.  I introduced myself and asked him about the river rules.  He said there are river rangers that are different than what he does.  He did tell me that I would “likely” be OK with only one paddle if I was only headed out for an hour.  

We checked out the boat launch area and the water was pretty deep.  You could’ve easily tossed a ball to the other side and played catch with someone.  The banks on the NP side are full of reeds and the bank is steep.  The Old Mexico side is a little more graded in this area and you can see in.  We picked up a permit and I told them I’d take a second paddle.  I advised them I’d only be out for an hour or so.  

Back down to the boat launch we went.  I put on my Life jacket, took half of Katy’s paddle and went for it.  Katy took a picture of me in the water and I snagged my phone from her.  I headed up river and had been told it was a half mile or so until it got shallow.  “You might have to get out there and walk a bit vs paddling.”  You can see in the pictures...there’s no paddling up that spot and it was .45 miles not .5 miles.  I did a quick up and back and it was 👌.  On the way down I saw a saddled up Burro and Chihuahua on the Mexico side.  The owners remained unseen...although we had seen them on our previous hike.  A little beyond the ass and pup, I saw some heavy gauge fishing line in the river, tied off to a tree.  They were set lining for “big” fish based on the size of the line.  

I got the kayak strapped back on the truck and we headed back.  It was over an hour from the boat launch back to camp.  The wind was howling and continued through a good part of the night again.  There was a lot of dust and debris in the air so we stayed in for the majority of the evening.