Click on Title Bar for Pictures
Have to admit, Texas had been pretty crowded up to this point.
East Texas or the triangle (Dallas-Houston-San Antonio) is
home to most of Texas' 24 million people.
West of San Antonio things are different.
The desert takes over and you can go for miles without seeing
a single house or building. I went through a rainstorm that
kept getting darker and darker before getting to Del Rio.
From Del Rio I drove along the Rio Grande with the 'hills
of old Mexico' in view. Gradually the Texas side became
more and more mountainous as I got closer to Big Bend.
I ended up at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to
the highest point in Texas at over 8600 feet.
This is the end of the Pecos River where it flows into the Rio Grande.The sides of both rivers are quite steep at this point and one of the
reasons the Rio Grande makes an effective border.
The Rio Grande is hidden from view down in its canyon.The mountains in the distance are the 'hills of old Mexico'
Guadalupe Peak. El 8749' (Highest point in Texas). GuadalupeMountains is a gorgeous park about 100 miles east of El Paso
along the border with New Mexico. Backpacking is next to
impossible because there's no water. I opted for a couple of day
hikes instead.