This past January, I made a road trip to Big Bend National Park. Due to a last-minute change in plans, I ended up going by myself—against everyone's advice—and had a fantastic time.
I spent my first day in the park just driving around so I could decide what to hike the next day.
I returned to my campsite at Rancho Topanga just in time to catch the sunset. I set up my tripod at the entrance and caught some pretty spectacular views:
Then I spotted the landowner's horses, and couldn't resist grabbing a few photos there too.
I knew it was going to be dark out there, but I wasn't prepared for it to be pitch-black. I miserably failed at making a campfire (lol), ate snacks for dinner, and fell asleep at 9 pm.
I woke up the next morning to this beautiful sunrise, and headed into the park to hike.
I hit the hot springs trail first, on a recommendation. It was a short hike, and I met a nice couple from Canada while soaking my feet in the water.
Next I headed into the Chisos Mountains to hike the Lost Mine Trail (spoiler alert—I didn't find a mine. I guess it was lost...). It was a 4.2 mile round trip to the top, and the elevation was about 7,000 feet. The weather was pretty overcast and cold on the way up, but the view from the top was spectacular.
After I finished, I was too tired to do another hike, but still wanted to hang out in the park. I went back to my favorite spot in the park, Sotol Vista, found a nice rock to lean back against, set my camera up on my tripod, and read my book (To Kill a Mockingbird) until sunset.
Afterwards I headed out of the park to grab dinner and wait for it to get dark enough to see the stars. When I returned to the park, there was a lightning storm on the horizon.
By the time I made it back to my campsite, the moon had risen, and it was so bright it drowned out most of the stars.
On Sunday, I wanted to get one last hike in before I headed home, but got sidetracked by Tuff Canyon on the way.
When I was almost to the trailhead of my hike, a rainbow appeared! I immediately pulled over to the side of the road to catch it.
Then I made my final hike in Santa Elena Canyon. It was gorgeous!
When I returned to my campsite, the wind was blowing at 21 mph—making packing up pretty difficult. My tent went into parachute mode and my stuff was flying everywhere.
When I made it home, I was reprimanded by a few people for pulling such a dangerous move, but I regret nothing. I had a great trip, and learned to enjoy my own company and made important decisions myself. I highly recommend both Big Bend and "me-cations"!