Being a lover of photography, anything with the word “photo” catches my eye.  It thrills me to see groups of seniors on an outing with cameras strapped around their necks or take an instant camera out of a pocket to snap a memory.  For most, the beauty of the photo is in the eye of the beholder.    I know of one woman who stops on the roadside to photo anything that catches her eye.  Looking at many of her photos, I can see what she is trying to preserve, however,  more often than not, her photos will include the side of someone’s head, a crumbling building with trash in the background, or telephone lines running through an otherwise beautiful sunset.  She like many of us need help in seeing what is around us.

On my trip through Big Bend, everywhere I looked, there were plants, animals, and landscapes to photograph.  In fact so many that even I had a difficult time attempting to capture the mood of the environment in some shots.  Oh, I have a lot of memories on Kodak and Fuji paper, but some of them are missing the valid point.  With Big Bend as massive as it is, a narrower perspective is sometimes better than trying to take in every view and vista at once!  If you find yourself in this dilemma, you’re a good candidate for the Big Bend Ranch State Park Photo Workshop which will be held April 22-24 and April 26-28.  Houston photographer, Jim Carr, who is also a veteran explorer of Big Bend, will instruct the sessions.  The $400 workshop (hosted on individual dates) will include lodging, meals, park fees, and park transportation during the workshop. (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/bigbend).

This past fall and winter was a record rainfall for the desert area in Big Bend and spring flora will be in full bloom.  A desert bloom is glorious to behold!  For any senior or family member who has always wanted to see Big Bend, this is the year to do so.  Wildflowers, cactus, sage, and other desert plants have been nourished by the rainfall, giving spectators an unusual peak into the magnificence of the Chihuahua desert.  Interpretive guides throughout the Big Bend area are a great source for information.  One such company to link up with is www.farflungoutdoorcenter.com.

Traveling to Big Bend takes a bit of planning on your part.  For those coming in from the north, or east flying into Midland-Odessa Airport and then driving on to Marathon, Texas staying overnight in one of the charming bed and breakfast homes or the Gage Hotel, will allow you to rest and refresh before driving further into the Big Bend State Park.  While the scenery from Midland-Odessa is full of flat land and pump jacks, as you near Marathon, you’ll begin to see the Guadalupe Mountains in the distance.  Be assured, you will be in those mountains before nightfall!  I hope you allow yourself enough time to visit Marathon.  This “oasis of the Trans-Pecos Desert” sustains bed and breakfast homes such as the Adobe Rose, a couple of RV parks, a radio station, as well as the historic Gage Hote (picture to left)l with its very own Café Cenizo and the White Buffalo Bar (with a very large white buffalo head taking center stage)!

Traveling on into the Chisos Mountain Resort area  you’ll discover fabulous Texas cuisine such as buttered squash with crème - freshly served, Adams Tomato (roma tomatoes filled with feta cheese, pine nuts, and basil roasted to perfection), chicken fried steak, roasted cactus, Black Angus filet mignon, and should you still have room for dessert, molten chocolate cake with chiffon mint and strawberries.  Lodging consists of neat and tidy rooms with double beds, and refrigeration units.  There is limited access to telephones (none in rooms), and no television.  You came to Big Bend to spend time working on your photography and seeing these 801,000 acres of wild desert and mountains.  

Seniors who are capable of exploration will find a number of easy level trails to scour around.  In the Big Bend area, there are also jeep tours, birding, walking tours, and  gentle raft rides down the Rio Grande, with many miles of pleasurable views to drive along and visit.  For specific information on the many attractions within the entire Big Bend area, visit website http://www.nps.gov/bibe, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/bigbend, http://www.marathontexas.net, and www.visitbigbend.com.   Remember to pack plenty of film or memory sticks for your digital camera, comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunglasses, and layer up your clothing.  Warm days and chilly nights, after all it is a desert!  I hope to see you at the photography workshop.  Happy Traveling! (photos courtesy of Rhonda Pipkin, Marathon CVB, Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Parks service).