Day 3 & 4. Camp Chilicotal along Glenn Springs Rd and Rio Grande Village CG

Day 3 & 4.   Camp Chilicotal along Glenn Springs Rd and Rio Grande Village CG

At Chisos Basin CG we woke up to a clear cool morning at about 19*. Inside Homer it was about 45.  I lit the catalytic heater and ran the furnace for about 25 minutes to take the chill off.  For about 2 hours after sunrise our campsite remained in the shade of Casa Grande.  Once the sun hit us we were toasty warm.

Pictures of Chisos Basin & CG

We stopped by the Visitor Center at Panther Junction and got a backcountry camping permit for Camp Chilicotal campsite (CS) and drove down Glenn Springs backcountry road about 3 miles to our CS. 

Glenn Springs Rd is in fantastic condition.  It is almost paved.  At least as far as Camp Chilicotal, the park hauled in crushed limestone and covered over the rough rocky spots and built water diversion humps to help control run off from the occasional rains.   Pine Canyon Rd, at least as far as Pine Canyon CS #3 (PC#3) is in the same condition as Glenn Springs Rd. 

This picture is coming out of the 2^nd wash on Glenn Springs Rd.  It used to be a rough, loose, rocky road, and now it is almost paved.

Notes about Glen Springs & Pine Canyon Rd:

On Glenn Springs Rd, going to Camp Chilicotal, there are two deep dry washes.  The first, about ¼ of the way to Nugent Mt. CS at this time is easily passable by most motorhomes up to about 30’ long.  Trailers with long overhangs in the rear may drag.  The second dry wash has a steep entry and exit.  We drug the wheels on the bottom of our rear bumper going in and coming out.  We have a 10’ over hang from the rear axle to the rear bumper, but we are also lifted 6” higher than most motorhomes.

On Pine Canyon Rd, there are no problems getting to campsite PC#1.  There is a dry wash before PC#2.  We drug slightly coming back from PC#2.      

Camp Chilicotal is a nice large level CS with fantastic views.  You can see all of the Sierra Del Camen’s, the Chisos Mountains and Elephant Tusk.  

Turn off to Camp Chilicotal

Sierra Del Carmen

Chisos Mountains

Nugent Mt. 

Elephant Tusk

View to the south

We had beautiful sunset & sunrise

The Sierra Del Carmen’s

El Pico     

Sunrise over the Del Carmen’s

While at Camp Chilicotal I took a cross country walk.  I didn’t walk very far, only about ½ mile from camp. 

It has been very dry in west Texas the last several years.  Even many of the desert plants are dying.  Even a most despicable plant, the lechuguilla is dying!  Lechuguilla is a low agave type plant, typically four to 10 inches high with very sharp spines.  It tends to cover large sections of open desert ground, forcing you to walk sometimes hundreds of yards out of your way to get around an area. 

These dead plants in the foreground are dead lechuguilla. 

 

A closer look at the dead lechuguilla 

Even the creosote bushes are dying

This is what the creosote bushes should look like, nice bright green.

Dead creosote bush

But the lowly mesquite tree is surviving.  I’m guessing this four foot high, gnarled mesquite tree is a couple of hundred years old

I found this beautiful specimen of a fish hook cactus wedged between some rocks and a dead lechuguilla. 

Some of its spines are about 6” long.  I have never seen a cactus with spines this long. Use my eye glass lens for a size estimate.

This is the beautiful open country we camped in.  Homer is pointed to in the upper left corner.

We warmed up nicely this afternoon, our high was about 70* and nice bright sunshine.

The next day we moved to RGV National Park Campground for one night.  We stayed on campsite #98.  There are two campgrounds at RGV.  A concession operated FHU (Full Hook Up) CG, which has about 25 tight side-by-side campsites on asphalt.  The other CG is operated by the NP with about 100 campsites with dry camping only.   There is lots of grass and nice large cottonwood trees as well as smaller mesquite and huisache trees.  The CG has a nice open feel to it.   

Campsite #98

This site has a very nice view of El Pico

While we sat outside for happy hour we had visits by a couple of pretty birds

A Pyrrhuloxia, kin to red cardinal.

And a Golden Fronted Woodpecker

 























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Our high this afternoon was close to 80*

We are camped in the no generator zone, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to put up with the noise of generators.  Some “nice” person has noisy contractor generator mounted on the back of his MDT (Medium Duty Truck).   Even though the generator is about 100 yards away, we can very plainly hear the noise.  At least we aren’t in a campsite near him.  He did turn the generator off well before the 8pm no generator deadline