We left Fredericksburg and continued west along I-10.  The terrain started to change more as we headed west.  The trees became smaller and more sparse until eventually there were no trees.  There was also no development, no houses, no towns.  Just wide open rolling desert plains for miles and miles with mesas and buttes in the distance.  The elevation also climbed from 1,200ft to 4,300 ft. 

We made it to Fort Stockton to refuel and then turned south for 60 miles to the town of Marathon.  This is a small town in the middle of nowhere.  The road from Fort Stockton has no houses, just 60 miles of high desert plains.  We spent the night at the Marathon Motel & RV Park.  Its a nice small compound with a motel, cafe, and about 20 RV sites with full hook-ups.  Its sort of a gate way point to Big Bend, which is another 60 miles further south.

Big Bend is huge.  Its 60 miles from Marathon.  Then 20 more miles to the Panther Junction Visitor Center and then another 20 miles to Rio Grande Village.  This is high plains desert country with no human development.  The park is over 800,000 square acres and 3,100 square miles.  Its hot and very dry.  Just in the first few hours, I could feel the moisture being sucked out of my body.

We camped at Rio Grande Village Campground with is right on the Rio Grande.  The campground was full but the sites are spaced out so it doesn’t feel crowded.  There are no hook-ups but you can run a generator.

Rio Grande Village Campground

Near by are some good hikes.  We hiked the Rio Grande Scenic Overlook trail and hiked into Boquillas Canyon.  These were short hikes but had breath taking views.  We saw lots of local Mexicans on the trail who seem to cross the river at will and sell trinkets and souvenirs.  Here are some pictures.

Village of San Vicente in Mexico

At an Overlook

Trail Vendor Display

Local Mexican in the Rio Grande

Boquillas Canyon

Next up is our trip crossing the border to the town of Boquillas del Carmen.