Home » Travel » Texas » To The Top Of The World

To The Top Of The World

© Joy Butler

A few miles south of Marathon, Texas on 385, civilization vanishes in the rear view mirror and a land of unparalleled solitude replaces it. Travel brochures cannot adequately describe the emptiness that stretches as far as the eye can see and then fades into a distant blue haze. Across the cactus studded landscape, a paradise for rattlesnakes, rock peaks and jagged cliffs reach into a clear sky. One can imagine a line of feathered Indian braves on painted ponies riding out of the horizon, yet reality provides only an occasional jackrabbit or roadrunner for more than 70 miles. When the pavement narrows, and it seems you've reached the ends of the earth, a lonely wooden sign proclaims the entrance to Big Bend National Park, so named for the bend in the Rio Grande River that separates Texas from Mexico.

We stopped here and I approached the headquarters building. The manmade structure looked out of place nestled in the scrub brush of such a vast terrain. A note on the door said the attendant would be back in an hour. An hour from when, I wondered. And where could a person go in an hour's time in this desolate country? Nevertheless, there was nothing to do but wait and sure enough, after a few minutes, a man appeared from out of the ragged, brushy landscape behind the building. We decided later there must have been a house somewhere, hidden from view. He took our fee and we continued on.

We didn't dare deviate from the path for fear of puncturing a tire with one of the menacing thorns growing along the way. At least we met no other cars. In fact, in this no-man's land, the chill of isolation could very well have overtaken the mind and made it easy to believe we were the only humans on earth.

As we began our ascent into the spectacular Chisos Mountains, it became obvious why Big Bend has been called a geologist's paradise. We gazed up at towering rock walls and jagged crevices that revealed colorful ribbons of sedimentary layers, a testament to the prehistoric volcanoes and many years of erosion that carved out this compelling landscape. Foliage in rich hues of greens, yellows, and browns clung to the slopes in random shades and shapes. Though signs warned of black bears and mountain lions, very little wildlife stirred by day, and all we encountered was a family of peccaries making their way through the tall grass. I envied those creatures who made this magnificent world their home.

The copyright of the article To The Top Of The World in Texas is owned by . Permission to republish To The Top Of The World in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.