Dax is Inventing Again

Dax has always been pretty inventive, all the way back to when he made those homemade gifts including a shopping cart for Mom. So when he started watching videos about homemade smokers online, we weren't that surprised. We were also not surprised when he took an old cardboard box and mounted a sturdy shelf inside with wood glue and nails. He created a hinged double door, and then covered the entire thing with tinfoil to protect it from the flames. Finally, he added a rack to set the fish on during smoking. Looking at the final product, we were pretty skeptical.

I wish I had taken a picture of the inside.

Of course, Dax still had to catch the fish, so he talked us into going down to Salem Pond on the same Saturday afternoon that Mark was at Prom. He and Seth fished near the bridge with little pieces of bread. They caught a few fish each, but they only brought two home, a tiny rainbow, and a much larger tiger trout, which we'd never seen before. 

It's a cool fish!

When we got back from the lake, Dad helped him clean the fish and fire up the smoker. He put wood chips in a small pan in the bottom, placed a pan of water on the shelf above to boil for steam, and put the chips in the top rack. Then, he and Seth took turns watching the smoke billow out of the cracks around the door. 

The stump held the door close.

After about an hour, the smoke started to slow, and Dax wondered about adding more wood chips. Unfortunately, the new chips squelched most of the remaining fire, and he was losing heat fast. He decided to add a bit of newspaper to the wood chips to get a steady heat going. Just minutes later, he came in and grabbed our largest cup for water. 

As you've probably guessed, he was soon dousing a small inferno. Despite the tinfoil, the cardboard had caught fire! As Mom rushed out with a pitcher of water and put out the flames, Dax was sure he was in some trouble. But this was exactly what we'd expected. We were just glad that he'd spent the day doing something that didn't involve a screen (other than those instructional videos). 

Mom was too busy putting the fire out to take a picture with the flames.

Poor little smoker.

Best of all, when the flames were out, Dax pulled the two fish from the blackened rack. They were nicely cooked, and with the butter, salt, and pepper we'd put inside, they weren't half bad. We each took a taste, and then Dax finished those smoked trout right down to the last bone! It was definitely a day to remember.

Big Bend Day 4

This morning came a little too early after the long day yesterday, but you have to use the ends of the day in Big Bend, because the middle is so hot! We drove into the park and headed down to the Castolon area, which is quite remote. We made a few stops, mostly at overlooks, but we did stop for a short hike at Sam Nail Ranch. We also enjoyed looking through the donkey ears, which reminded us of yesterday's ride.

We hope Seth always loves holding our hands.

The clouds were cool in this picture.

Just having some fun along the trail.

The mules ears are in the background.

We also stopped at Tuff Canyon.

Yes, they were seeing who could spit the furthest. 

We wanted to get to the end of the road to do a hike into Santa Elena Canyon, where the Rio Grande river enters the basin. This was the busiest hike, and we managed to get the last parking space in the large lot. Then we hiked down to the edge of the river. 

We had to cross a small inlet, but it was dry. Mark liked spotting turtles on the bank, though. Then we climbed a large embankment and headed up the canyon wall. Steep switchbacks carried us up above the water, and then we slowly descended back into the canyon. The trail was really busy, but we got to a point where the walls provided a bit of shade, so it was really pleasant. Again, we spotted turtles right there in the Rio Grande. 

We stayed in the shady canyon for awhile, and then headed back toward the Visitor Center. It was pretty small, and there wasn't much to look at, so we moved on. Lunch was at a picnic area and Mark was really excited because of all the birds. We spotted a scarlet tanager and a gray hawk, both of which were new. Then we coasted back to the duplex.

The trail along the Rio Grande was beautiful.

We had to keep reminding ourselves how close to Mexico we were.

Mark chose this trip to see birds, and he was right!

Finally, the trail faded into the river.

The narrow canyon at the end was pretty.

The boys spotted several turtles swimming right off this rock.

This guy looked like he was begging for food.

We laughed at this selfie for a while!

Mom sure is going to miss Mark.

Most of Big Bend didn't look like this.

Mom made lunch at a small picnic area.

We loved the bright red head on this bird.

Mark was excited to see this hawk.

During the heat of the day, the boys watched some TV while Mom and Dad rested. We were heading back into the park for dinner at the lodge in Chisos Basin. We were still hoping to see the bears or cougars that are possible. 

At dinner, we were surprised at the prices, but there was nowhere else to eat within an hour, so we enjoyed what we could. Seth and Mark had burgers. Dax loved his trout. Dad had a steak, and Mom enjoyed her ravioli. Then, we must not have been too upset with the bill, because we ordered and split two desserts. 

Dax is all about trout at these places.

Seth spilled his water!

The dessert was okay.

The view back toward the Window was spectacular.

The boys were still on the grind for bears and cougars, so Seth, Mark, and Dad went hiking around the Chisos Basin. They saw only deer. Dax's foot was really hurting and starting to look infected from the injury he sustained at the hot springs the day before. He ripped the nail and got moss under it, and it was getting swollen and red. He and Mom stayed in the car and chatted, where they saw deer and rabbits as well. 

After it got dark, we drove back to the duplex, hoping to see something in the dark on our last night in the park. This time we weren't so lucky. 

The desert colors are really nice.

The sunset on the Window was different this night.

Dax and Mom stayed back together.

They did spot some rabbits.

And they saw a deer near the van.

It was a long fly day back to Utah, but it had been worth it.

Big Bend Day 3

Today was a really amazing day in Big Bend National Park. We got on the road early and made the drive down to the Rio Grande area. We wanted to do a nature hike in that area called Rio Grande Nature Trail. We saw a pair of cardinals, which was exciting. We spotted a few turtles and frogs, including a long-necked turtle. There was also a pretty yellow chat and some vultures. We even passed many "stores," or little places where people had crossed the river, set up shops, and left a pay station. You could choose an item, place money in the box, and take what you want.

This tunnel was fun to drive through.

The nature trail was fun. I love Randy and Seth peeping over the edge.

We spotted this roadrunner on the way to the trail.

Blurry pic of the frog we saw.

Horses and burros everywhere.

I'm sure Mark knows the name of this pretty yellow bird.

We walked past this millipede.

Gross!

We walked down to the river on the nature trail.

That is Mexico across the way!

We enjoyed the hikes in the morning when it was not blistering hot!

There are also great views on this trail.

We saw this turtle out of the water.

And this turtle under the water!

After we finished the nature trail, we headed down to the border crossing. There is a really easy crossing into a small town called Boquillas del Carmen. We had our passports and cash all ready, and there was no line to go through the checkpoint. Then we walked down to the rivers edge and met our boat. There were a few sandbags to walk out on, and then we stepped onboard. It costs $5 per person to cross, and we could easily have waded, but we were glad to pay and be towed across by the locals. 

As we climbed out of the boat, we were met by the mule wranglers. It cost another $15 to take a mule into Boquillas, and it was under a mile, but that's each way. So we saddled up and rode into town. Our guide did most of the driving, and we simply rode along, at the mercy of the mules.

The border crossing in the national park is small. 

We were excited to visit Mexico.

The Rio Grande was extra pretty this morning.

We got taken across the river in a small boat.

It took just a few minutes.

Then we got to ride burros to town.

Mom loved it!

When we arrived, we paid a small fee to be in Mexico, and then our guide walked us through the town, pointing out the school, the hospital, and the shops. Everything except for the restaurant was cash only, but we didn't buy anything because we don't carry too much cash. 

The restaurant, Jose Falcon, took Venmo, so we sat down and ordered. The boys wanted fajitas, which were really amazing. Mom got tamales, and Dad went for the chimichangas. All of the food was really good, so we decided to have dessert. We tried some empanadas, and also some sopapillas, which were even better than the food! Dax declared it a "Top 3 meal ever!" Most of all, we enjoyed the beautiful overlook of the Rio Grande and being together in the boys' 5th country.

The city welcome sign.

The stores had lots of beautiful items.

The view from the restaurant was awesome.

We were excited to eat food in Mexico.

Such a cute photo spot.

The fajitas were top notch.

Everything was amazing.

We had such a fun time.

Mark enjoyed the burro ride.

We named our burros as we rode, too.

Off we go again back to the river and the USA!

Back in America, we drove down along Rio Grande to another hike. This one entered a narrow canyon right along the river. It had a nice view of Boquillas del Carmen across the river, too. We walked right along the  edge of the Rio Grande, picking out birds, and passing the little "stores" set up by locals. Finally, the canyon narrowed down to just allow the river through, so we turned back. 

We loved walking along the Rio Grande.

The canyon really was beautiful.

We had one more stop to make in Big Bend at the hot spring. We slipped into our swimsuits and and made the hike along the quarter mile trail. We passed a few historical buildings, and then came alongside the river. There was a little pool that was right on the bank, and the water was 105 degrees. It was so nice to sit in the hot water, even though it was over 90 degrees outside. It was really cool to hop back and forth, spending equal time in the hot spring and the cool Rio Grande. The boys really enjoyed splashing in the shallow water in the river, but Mom stayed mostly in the warm water. 

This was one of the best things we did.

The warm water felt so good.

Dad loved the cold river water.

Mark and Mom stayed in the warm water.

Standing over in Mexico again.

We spent a lot of time at the spring.

Dax and Seth loved swimming in the river.

The hour drive back to the duplex seemed long, but we arrived back in time for Mom to cook up some pasta. We only hung out for a little while, though. We wanted to drive out and see a ghost town in Terlingua. 

This ghost town was really interesting because the modern town was built right around it. We actually had difficulty taking pictures of the tumbled down buildings without getting stores and houses in the photos! But there were about 30 buildings in various states of disrepair, and most were created by stacking flat rocks and putting wooden door frames between them. There were even a few cars from the 1930's that were all rusted out. 

The ghost town was fun.

We always love the rusted old cars.

Seth is taking this one for a spin.

It was a fun easy walk.

After the ghost town the boys wanted to go on a late animal drive. This made sense because the animals only come out at dusk and after dark. We drove into the park for about 20 minutes and then turned and came out. We didn't see much until just as we entered town. Two coyotes ran right into the headlights. The smaller one hurried into the bushes, but the larger one lingered for a few pictures. It was a great end to the day.

One quick, blurry pic of the coyote.