The One About Edmond Losing His Mind By Visiting West Texas in July

I totally forgot to post a blog about my West Texas adventures. You know how much I travel. By that I mean hardly at all. So my going someplace far away...further away than, say, Austin...and for a few days is a huge deal in my life.

I posted these pics on my Facebook and through Twitter. There really isn't much to say that these samples can't tell. My solo jaunt was fun, educational and finally off my bucket list.

My five-day drive into Big Bend territory include quick stops at Fort Davis (well, the McDonald Observatory, anyway), Alpine (Museum of the Big Bend), Marfa (just my luck, a passing thundershower screws with my effort to see the lights) and the ghost town of Terlingua (where local craft beer was to be enjoyed).

Camping out in Big Bend itself was cool in that I didn't set myself up with ridiculously high expectations, such as attempting to climb Emory Peak. I settled for more scalable hikes...hikes in the mid-afternoons, completely by myself and virtually nobody else around for miles at times. Oh sure, Boquillas Canyon would've been more enjoyable if I could've actually step down to the Rio Grande's banks, had it not been for - ahem - friendly crossing illegals loudly reminding me not to look their way.

Then there was the 4-mile, 2-hour, round-trip walk to/from the Windows Arch. No shade, flat, rocky ground, NOBODY for miles around. I do believe I almost began hallucinating just before I could finally reach my car at the end of my journey. A 4-mile, 2-hour walk/hike may not be a big deal to you. It is when you barely have enough water to survive a relentless sun. Didn't help reading that, the week before, a Texas State geology student was found dead in Big Bend park while doing research. Eesssh.

Wish there were more time to hike other places around Big Bend. Wish there were more time to stop by all the other little towns in the region. Wish this for that, and so forth. I realize I'm far behind many of my friends and colleagues when it comes to traveling, to all those exciting adventures. An exhausting drive to and from the Big Bend, with all the hikes that came with it, in a few days may not seem terribly impressive to the veteran traveler or the experienced hiker.

For me, it was a trip to savor for a lifetime. I shot my mouth off about it plenty of times beforehand, never really able to take advantage of any seemingly clear opportunities previously. This trip, while preferable in spring or fall, came about by circumstances in my life and I made the most of it. Neither bears nor lions or javalinas could stop me. No regrets.