My First Big Bend National Park Visit – An Ill Fated Adventure

This post goes back a few years and some of you may have heard this story before.  My first visit to Big Bend National Park remains one of the most memorable, though unsuccessful, trips that I have taken, so I’m revisiting it here, since I will not have anything new to blog about for awhile.

This trip to Big Bend was supposed to cover a total of 10 days (Dec 30 – Jan 8), two for travel and the rest in the park; but our plans went considerably awry due to circumstances beyond our control. It was a bit like those comedy vacation movies you have probably all seen.

This is a bit of a long story, so I apologize in advance and will understand, if you elect not to read all the details.

When we (myself and three of my four sons) planned the trip, there were no available rooms in the lodge in the park until Jan 4; but we were able to get lodging in Terlinqua Dec. 30 to Jan 4 and the park lodge from Jan 4 until Jan 8.

A winter storm was forecast for the initial day of our trip and we drove through rain, freezing weather, sleet and snow showers on the way to Terlingua.  Ice accumulated on the vehicle and windshield, but the roadways did not ice over during our journey.  Fortunately, we got into Terlingua, prior to the really bad freezing rain and icy road conditions over most of southwest Texas that day and night.

For the best photography, we wanted good early morning and late day light.  Instead, we got heavily overcast skies for most of our useable time there. Consequently, we spent the first day Dec. 31, driving around the park and checking out the area in general.  We did hike about .8 miles into Santa Elena Canyon and hoped to come back when the weather cleared.  I made a few shots in the canyon, but they were just blah.

The evening of Dec. 31, we had dinner in a local restaurant/bar and watched a football bowl game (Oregon beat Florida State to our enjoyment).  When we got in our vehicle, after dinner, (a 2014 Nissan Rogue, that one of my sons, who was supposed to go with us, but backed out due to his business considerations, had let us use), we had low air pressure indications in one tire.  The tires were run flat, so there was no spare.  We had sufficient air to drive the short distance back to the motel.  The next morning (Jan 1) the tire was completely flat.  We were able to inflate the tire, using our little air compressor and we could drive the vehicle; but we were afraid to get far away from the motel for fear of getting stranded somewhere and no way to call for help (there is very scant and weak cell phone coverage in the area).  Being New Years Day, there was no way to get the tire repaired that day and there was only one place in Terlingua to fix the tire.  I was at that place before it opened the morning of Jan 2 and got the tire repaired; although they could not reset the low tire indicator.

While we were considering our options for that day, the power went out, due to a truck reportedly taking out numerous power poles somewhere to the north of us.  The local motel restaurant/gas station employed a large portable generator to continue operating, so we could at least eat; but since the roads were iced over north of us, no gasoline deliveries were being made.  The one and only gas station in Terlingua at our motel ran out of gas.  We were able to get gas at one of the two stations in the park that had a generator, shortly before it ran out of gas.   Some portions of the roads in the park were icy, requiring great care driving on them.

It is a long drive into and out of the park, so by the time we got back to our lodging in Terlingua, our gas level was down a bit.  We heard there was gas at a small store in Lajitas, 17 miles from Terlingua, so we drove over there to top off our tank, arriving there just before the store closed.  They were also running out of gas; but we were able to top off our tank.

With gasoline in short supply and uncertainty on when delivery of additional supplies would resume, we were reluctant to get out and about.  So we hung around our lodging, hoping to get updates on road conditions, fuel deliveries and weighing our options.

{I had purchased the last 8-D cell Coleman lantern with detachable, rechargeable lights on it and batteries in the motel store, so we had light for our room.  The detachable LED lights’ batteries were charged via the 8 D cell batteries, so we could detach one of those smaller lights to take into the bathroom.  I now take this lantern with me in the Sportsmobile, just in case I need it, and maintain its batteries here in case of a power outage in our home}.

On Saturday, Jan 3, our motel was running out of water, due to no power for the well pump.  The motel managers were asking all that had enough gas to get to Alpine to leave.  The local cell phone tower was out and the local phone lines did not work, so no one  could call anywhere to check on anything.  We decided to go to the park lodge and check on conditions there.  We had already been there on our trip into the park to get gas and knew they had no power; but we did not know what their water situation was.  The park lodge had rooms available, due to cancellations, and they had water (and hot water), so we decided to stay there.

There is a trail from the lodge area that follows a drainage down to a place referred to as “The Window”, where there is a drop off into the valley below and a view through the canyon window of the valley.  We only ventured a short distance along that trail, shooting a few moon light photos that night.

The next day, Sunday, Jan. 4, the report had not changed. No one really knew when gasoline would arrive and power was not expected to be restored until Tuesday.  We might have been able to do a bit in a limited area around the lodge; but we were reluctant to use our gasoline to get around in the park, so we decided that since we had more than enough gas to get to Fort Stockton, that it was worth the risk to try to make it there.  We did not really know what the conditions were in Fort Stockton.  We had heard mixed reports about power,  gasoline availability and road conditions.

We passed through Marathon, which had no power and hence no gasoline.  We passed several stations in Fort Stockton that had no gas, began to worry,  but we found a convenience store station with gas. We filled up and were on our way, thinking we would be back in Rockwall that day.

A few miles (about 30, I think) north of Fort Stockton on route 18, as I was driving, the auto engine died.  I coasted off of the roadway and tried to restart the engine with no success.  My older son, who had pumped the gas, began to worry that he might have put the wrong gasoline or even diesel in the engine.  Fortunately, we had cell service (earlier portions of this road did not) so I called AAA and learned that the nearest place they could find that had an auto shop that could service our vehicle was in Midland/Odessa, 60+ miles away and the nearest tow services they had were also in Midland/Odessa.  Since there was a Nissan dealer in Odessa, I arranged to have the vehicle towed there.  I was also able to find a motel a couple of blocks down the street from the dealer and was able to get a room reserved there.  There were three of us and normally, the tow trucks have room for only two passengers; but AAA checked with the tow service and they said they could accommodate all of us, since we did not have a child seat to deal with.

The tow truck arrived a couple of hours after the initial call to AAA.  Needless, to say the front seat of the tow truck was a bit crowded with the driver plus the three of us.   I let the kids use the two available passenger seat belts and I sat forward on the edge of the seat with no seat belt, leaning on the dash.  The driver told us to not bother with the seat belts, saying “We never use those”, and he was not using one.  He was also doing paper work, texting and other things while driving.  My older son later told me he was sure we were going to die in that truck.

As we neared Odessa, my phone buzzed.  I check it and had a recorded message from the reservation system for the lodge in Big Bend, informing me they were canceling my reservation due to weather conditions, lack of power, etc.  No doubt that message had gone out to my phone, when I had no service and I was receiving it much too late, when it no longer mattered.

The tow truck driver stopped by the motel and let us unload our luggage, then I rode with the driver to the dealership.  Due to ice on the drive in front of the service entrance, it was a chore to unload the vehicle and I had to help the driver work the vehicle off of the flatbed.  Of course, being Sunday the dealership was not open.  I filled out the drop off form, etc.  I had planned to walk back to the motel; but the tow truck driver was going back that way, so he dropped me off.

We walked a few blocks from the motel to a bar/restaurant, had a late lunch and watched an NFL playoff game.  Back at the motel, we settled in for the night.  I began to have the initial indications of getting a cold that Sunday afternoon; but I initially though it was just a dry cough from the cold weather.  The cough and sinus drainage was enough that I had considerable trouble sleeping.  My two kids like it quite, when they sleep and were using ear plugs.   My older son likes it dark, so he was wearing an eye mask, too.

Sometime between 11:00PM and midnight, the room entry way light came on.  Turning over,  I saw someone in a dark coat leaving the room.  I could see one son still in bed, so I though my older son might have gone to the lobby for a snack or something to drink.  I lay in bed for a few minutes, but being a little concerned, I got up, went to the bathroom and sipped warm water to sooth my throat.  When I came out, I saw that both of my sons were still sleeping.  I thought maybe the older one had come back, while I was in the bathroom.  I noted that the safety latch on the door was not closed, so I closed it.  Just to be sure, I looked around and did not see anything missing (we had a considerable quantity of camera gear about the room).  I turned out the light and went back to bed.  Shortly afterwards the room phone rang, waking the two kids.  I fumbled in the dark for the phone; but did not get to it in time.  Since the kids were awake, I told them what I had seen.  They were sure that I had dreamed it and were sure the light had not come on, until I turned it on after the phone range.  The phone rang again as we were talking and it was the front desk, apologizing for calling, but asking if there were any belonging in the room when we moved in.  I told them there weren’t anyone else’s belonging in the room and I reported that someone had just been in my room.  They confirmed that, telling me that someone from the electric power transmission repair company had been checked into our room.  I did not really understand how this was possible and did not get more details until the next morning.

I stopped at the front desk before I went out to the Nissan dealership early Monday morning.  The night person who had called in the middle of the night was still there and was briefing the day shift about what had happened.  Apparently, the Oncor repair person had a room there with his belonging in it and was being reassigned to another room, where his belongings were to be moved.  Apparently, he had been given our room number by the crew changing his room assignment, then we were given that room, when we checked in.  The day shift did not pass the correct information to the night shift, which had no clue into which room his belonging had been moved and apparently took his word for the room that he was to be assigned to, not checking to see that that room was already taken.  When the Oncor person came in, he was given new key cards to our room, which wiped out our key cards.  I got new keys while at the desk.  I, also, explained our situation to the front desk people, telling them that we might need the room for a few days.  I was assured that that was not a problem.

I walked to the Nissan dealership to be there at opening time, to find that it was still locked up and no one around.  I stood outside in the cold, until someone finally showed up late to open the dealership.   I got to, at least, talk to the master technician, who opened the place, about the vehicle symptoms and, explaining our situation, asked that he expedite the repair, if possible.  I asked that he call me as soon as possible after the diagnosis, since we needed to make a decision about our motel situation.  Getting no call prior to the motel check out time,  I called and was informed that the fuel pump was the culprit and they would have to order it; but at least the part was covered under the warranty.  They thought they might get it on Tuesday; but were not sure, because of the weather issues.  At least we had a place to stay that night.

An hour before check out time on Tuesday morning, I began calling the Nissan dealership to get an update.  I had to leave a message with the phone receptionist, who promised a call back.  Thirty minutes later, having received no return call, I called again, was put on hold and after more than 10 minutes on hold, I hung up and called again. It took several renditions to finally get to talk to someone, who knew anything.  The fuel pump had arrived and the best we could get out of them was that the repair would be completed by 6pm.  Just to be sure, that we would still have a room that night, I called the front desk to make sure our stay was still extended.  The very same person who told me that he would extend the room for three days, told me they had no capacity for extending our stay.  They, at least, agreed to call around to help us find another room.  There were other motels very nearby, but none of those had rooms available.  We walked to the dealership to try to get a better idea of when the vehicle would actually be ready and learned it would be ready around 3pm.  So we decided that was early enough to safely (we were still concerned about road icing late at night) drive home that day.

To end of a long story, we made it back home safely around 9:45PM.

We did see much of the park from the roadways.  There was one stretch of the basin road with heavy frost cover, from the mist hanging over it, that was absolutely beautiful.

Please remember to always fasten the safety latch on your public lodging room.

But wait, there is more.  Some weeks later, prior to going on another trip, I could not find my Nikon 24-70mm lens.  I knew I had loaned it to one of my sons and I knew he had returned it.  I thought maybe I had loaned it to another one, but they all confirmed that they did not have the lens.  I thought that it might turn up somewhere.  Months went by and I had not found it.  Finally, resolved to having lost the lens, I purchased the newer version of that lens, which cost $1000 more than the one that I lost and which I had only purchased less than two year prior.  A few weeks later, I was informed by the son whose vehicle we had used for the Big Bend trip, that he had found my lens in an inconspicuous place in his vehicle!  (He had checked his vehicle for the lens, after I reported it missing and not found it).  Now having two Nikon 24-70mm lens, I gifted the older one to one of my sons, who also shoots with Nikon cameras.  So at least he got a positive outcome to this trip.  (His manager, overhearing him tell a colleague about this trip, told him “I’m giving you your vacation days back”).