>>I'm taking my daughter (9 yrs old) to Big Bend for the first time July 14 - 19th. I need to do kid-friendly stuff, so Sonora Caverns, and swimming at Balmorhea are in order)
>>We plan on staying in the Davis Mts. for a couple of nights at Balmorhea s.p. and then heading south for another night.
>>Any recommendations on a place to stay in or near the park?
>>(I hate to show up at the Nat'l. Park and the sites be all booked.)
>>I do plan on doing a little road-photography after dark.
>>Is Big Bend State Park pretty safe?
>>I know it will be extremely hot, but we were planning to tent camp. Any reason why we should not proceed in this manner?
>>Thanks for any suggestions or advice
>>
>>-Jack
>>-----
>>Jack Jeansonne
Sonora Caverns is very cool as is Balmorea. Take a mask and snorkel to Balmorea and a rolled up tortilla. There is a spps. of fish there called Mexican Tetra. It a much smaller relative of the Piranha. They have the same aggressiveness but are way to small to break the skin. Take the rolled up tortilla while snorkeling and hold it out in front of you. Your arm will disappear into a cloud of them as they devour the tortilla. In the frenzy, your hand and arm will get nibbled on but you can barely feel it.
You shouldn't have any issues at Big Bend being too crowded this time of year but I'd call ahead just in case. Be Careful if you go out at night taking pictures as there are rules against artificial lights in the park. I'd speak with the Park Ranger first. If you're up to it, try the window hike and for your daughter, take her to the hot springs for some relaxation. I've tent camped in the park many times. It can get a bit chilly tent camping in the chisos mountains not to mention we've been visited by javalina there a couple of times. Nothing dangerous, just odd to wake up to. The ground there is rough so take a mattress. There are some other, better accommodations in the Chisos if your daughter gets tired of the tent thing. In the Chisos or any of the other camp grounds, I prefer a mattress in the back of my pickup now to keep the crawlies out of my daughters' sleeping bags. Take LOTS of water and if you go out hiking, make sure someone knows where you're headed. You can dehydrate VERY fast out there this time of year.
-----
HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas
