After lunch, I walked a short loop trail surrounding one of the few shaded areas in the Dugout Wells park as trees, shrubs, and wildflowers grow around water generated by the windmill (spring.)

There were beautiful wildflowers and even butterflies available for photos.

Across the road was the short .5 easy trail, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature trail.

This short loop winds through vegetation typical of lower elevations in the park, and small metal signs along the way introduce plants commonly found in the Chihuahuan Desert. Cactus blooms and desert and mountain landscapes were quite beautiful.

Our final stop of the day was at the Rio Grande Village Visitor Center where we hiked the Rio Grande Village Nature Trail.

The trailhead was across the campground road, and parking for hikers was at least a quarter mile away! The first part of the trail is a boardwalk over a small pond that showcases riparian plants and animals. The trail proceeds up and around a small ridge that has a 360-degree view of the Rio Grande, the Sierra del Carmens in Mexico, and the Chisos Mountains in the park. It was a landscape photographer’s paradise.

We finished up the day at a natural hot springs that was on the edge of the Rio Grande River.

The paved road turns off onto Hot Springs Road, a two-mile gravel road descending down a rough, narrow wash to the Hot Springs Historic District and trailhead area. This road was ROUGH! After parking at the the 0.25 mile trail to the hot spring. The spring is contained by the foundation remains of J.O. Langford’s bathhouse ruins, on the north bank of the Rio Grande The ruins structure could comfortably hold about a dozen people at a time.  The water temperature was around 105°.  Overflow from the structure fell into the river and the water there was probably in the 80°s.  We didn’t take any photos at the spring as it was very crowded and sandy. These photos were borrowed from internet files.

We enjoy our morning routine, so our explorations today, once again, didn’t begin until mid-morning. 

Our first stop was at Sam Nail Ranch.

In 1916, Sam Nail built a two-room adobe house on the banks of Cottonwood Creek.

He soon married, and he and his wife raised a family there. We wandered through their homestead, observing remains of the original house, its adobe walls melting back into the desert. Soon, we were diverted to the sight of several Vultures sitting in a few trees on the homestead.

As we exited, the old, wooden windmill came into view and we imagined it pumping water up to a tank on the top of Burro Mesa for the Nail’s cattle.

Next, we stopped at the Chesos Basin Visitor Center

with plans to hike the Chisos Basin Loop Trail, but low blood sugar prohibited me from hiking the 2.0 mile trail. Instead, we hiked the short Window View Trail which offered a great view of The Window. Even a bird perched in a nearby tree.

The Chesos Mountains provided spectacular landscape photo opportunities. 

From the Chesos Basin Visitor Center, we drove to Dugout Wells for a picnic lunch.

Dugout Wells was once known as the “Cultural Center of the Big Bend.” The railroad reached Marathon in 1882, which drew people to the area with the hopes of making a life in West Texas. In the early 1900s, ranchers and farmers began to move into what is now Big Bend National Park. The Green family and their neighbors, the Averys, began to run livestock in the area around this spring. Community members built a schoolhouse which attracted children from the immediate area. This development made the area the social center for the surrounding families.