Big Bend National Park: A week in the wilderness
- Thread starter Ash
- Start date
1leglance
2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
wow...
I am a Texas native and yet have never been there, put you can bet it is now on the road trip from Arizona short list, thanks for doing such a great job telling the story through the pics & words.
I have to say this post should go on an example list of great ways to post a trip report.
All in all did it work out well with the (future) in-laws? Great on them for being willing to camp out for a week like that. Did you guys use 2 tents?
You mention lots of gear prep in advance of the trip, any thoughts on what will get changed now with experience?
Again great job and thanks for posting! Oh and I second the thought that Holly is a stunning addition to your photos, that she enjoys the outdoors with you is beyond cool.
I am a Texas native and yet have never been there, put you can bet it is now on the road trip from Arizona short list, thanks for doing such a great job telling the story through the pics & words.
I have to say this post should go on an example list of great ways to post a trip report.
All in all did it work out well with the (future) in-laws? Great on them for being willing to camp out for a week like that. Did you guys use 2 tents?
You mention lots of gear prep in advance of the trip, any thoughts on what will get changed now with experience?
Again great job and thanks for posting! Oh and I second the thought that Holly is a stunning addition to your photos, that she enjoys the outdoors with you is beyond cool.
Tucson T4R
Expedition Leader
Ash, well done.:wings: Great photography and narrative of your trip. Thanks for posting it. I enjoyed reading it and seeing all the sights and gorgeous views.
AmericaOverland
Explorer
Haven't I seen you two at my REI store recently (Westheimer)? You do seem familiar! I work in the camping department. Stop by anytime you need gear!
Stephanie
AmericaOverland
Explorer
Mr. Leary
Glamping Excursionaire
Great pics, Ash. You are wetting my appetite for our upcoming trip down there! Thanks also for the info about the overnight hike. I think we will have to make some time to do that...
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to traveling with you guys again in the future!
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to traveling with you guys again in the future!
Mr. Leary
Glamping Excursionaire
Bryan is Strizzo. I'm not sure if Angela has a handle.
AmericaOverland
Explorer
Thanks!
Strizzo, didn't I see you at my REI store? I'm sure I said hi to you with Angela close by, and I was facing you due west, facing the women's pack wall behind you.
I would love to do a trip with you guys soon. I don't have a 4X4 truck, yet. I'm thinking of upgrading my Scout II to 4X4 in the future. Maybe you guys can do the driving in the meantime?
Stephanie
P.S I want to say, thanks for the photos and reminding me of my home state. Absolutely beautiful photos, and they bring back memories of living in rural south Texas.
In-laws were great
They really enjoy this sort of stuff and do a lot of skiing and golfing. In fact, they have just bought a campervan in England to tour around in when they aren't soaking up the sun in Australia. Which, they have kindly offered us the use of any time we please :victory:We Borrowed a tent from Bryan and Angela (which we need to give back! oops...) and the lin-laws slept on an airbed in the back of the Land Cruiser. Worked very well in the end as we really didn't have any problem weather to contend with.
In terms of gear. We NEED a fridge! We did the entire trip with a cooler. It is a very very good one, and was kept frozen solid for the first three days with dry ice, but we had to resort to 'wet' ice after that. The trouble with a fridge is we need a RTT as we can't sleep in the back anymore. Quite a commitment in $$ for a fridge and RTT in one go... Time will tell.
I picked up 6 pelican cases just before we left, and a waterproof bag for the rack. Completely invaluable. I love knowing I can leave all my gear outside and never have to worrow about it getting wet or dusty.
I loved the ARB awning - Even though we used it once. It's so easy and sturdy.
My modified Zodi Extreme left a little to be desired. I'm hoping it's my crappy shower head connection but we just couldn't get a lot of pressure. Tell you what though - the shower makes a HUGE difference on an extended trip like this (no shower facilities within an hour of the Chisos campsite) and makes for clean and happy campers. We were also pleased with the Orzak shower tent, for $35 you can't go wrong. Held up well to strong winds too. Could be wider at the shoulders but that is the only complaint.
The BajaRack and the Cook Partner stove are just brilliant
I'm not going to lie - it was a long 3 hours! :sombrero:
Haven't I seen you two at my REI store recently (Westheimer)? You do seem familiar! I work in the camping department. Stop by anytime you need gear!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie - Holly is on the left and I'm in the middle in that picture and yes I'm sure you would have run into us recently. We seemed to be at REI every other night for a while there! Next time we come in we'll see if we can find you
Great pics, Ash. You are wetting my appetite for our upcoming trip down there! Thanks also for the info about the overnight hike. I think we will have to make some time to do that...
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to traveling with you guys again in the future!
Let me know if you want the details to the Casa Grande hike (scramble) - I reckon that would be a brilliant climb to the top and not something most people do (or even know you can climb).
And to everyone else - thank you for the kind words! Your replies made putting the trip report together totally worth while
Ash
nwoods
Expedition Leader
Finally, pictures and info that truly make me want to go to Big Bend. I thank you for that.
And for this:
2010 Sexiest ExPo picture. :victory:
I must say, I tend to agree
Ash, terrific report. I love your first statement too. It's perfect:
"...This was our first ‘major’ trip for Holly and I, neither of us having any camping or overlanding experience whatsoever. Expedition Portal proved invaluable for gear and vendor selection with Sierra Expeditions, TRDParts4U, BajaRack, American Toyota and craigslist (amongst many others) all getting a workout.
The itinerary? Well, the idea was to spend 9 days away from Houston headed West to Big Bend National Park. The kicker was our two extra passengers – Holly’s parents were flying in to stay with us for a month.
The final week saw parcel after parcel arriving each day, and our nights spent trialing, test packing, cooking and preparing meals. When Thursday night finally rolled around and we headed off to the airport to pick up the (future) in-laws we were both pretty exhausted but we felt we had done everything we needed to get done."
Just awesome. Being prepared, testing the gear, and most importantly, getting out there. That's takes more gumption than many are willing to do, and not only did you do it with the stress of keeping your (totally cute) finance happy and comfortable, but her parents too?!! My hats off to you young man!
Nicely done, and beautifully photographed. I really like one too:
texas taco
Adventurer
Again nice Job on the trip report.. My family and I love Big Bend.I see a BI BE Expo trip coming.