Big Bend National Park, located in Texas, has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States. Covering 801,163 acres, it contains more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds (including the above pictured Peregrine Falcon ), 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. When I entered the park early in the morning, the sky was totally clear.  By the time I arrived in lovely Chisos Basin, I was literally racing to stay ahead of a rapidly advancing fog bank that quickly inundated and totally obscured the mountains.

With nothing left visible to photograph in the mountains, I made my way to the Santa Elena Canyon.

Here the Rio Grande has carved through the mountains to create a very narrow and steep-walled canyon.  The hike in is generally easy except for the necessary waist-deep water crossing of  Terlingua Creek.

On the return leg of the hike, I extended the creek crossing to include a brief visit to Mexico.  The slow moving Rio Grande, pictured below is only about 30 feet wide at the bend and no deeper than 3 feet.  If Donald Trump gets to build his wall, this park will forever be spoiled and such an impromptu international excursion will no longer be possible.  I spent about 10 minutes on Mexican soil before crossing back to the US and continuing on to Rio Grande Village at the opposite end of the park.