Texas Vacation - Day Five - Big Bend National Park - Part 4 - Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff Hike/Sotol Vista

 Short hike number 4 for today.  We are at Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff.  It is 1 mile roundtrip with 120 feet in elevation gain, the most overall gain of the day.  This is supposedly an easy walk that leads through a gravel creek bed (yay - those are such fun) to a narrow box canyon where water has carved a deep channel into Burro Mesa.  This 100' pouroff attests to the power of water that floods this canyon during summer rains.  Burro Mesa also shows Big Bend's volcanic past with its yellow and orange bands across the bluffs.  They are ash-flow tuffs (there is that word again), which show the layered beds created as they were deposited.  

And away we go - 

Sotol abound - with great rock formations as a backdrop.

Mister wishes the path went -- that-a-way

Instead it goes this-a-way

Proof that we are here (and small) -- always required.

Crazy rock formation.

At the pouroff ---- wow

To the left of the pouroff --- there is vegetation growing in the rocks.

The enormity of it all - 

This has to be a rocks version of an old-weathered face.  Goodness, but what has it seen?

Mister's up-close view - 

Heading back out and watching the light change as the evening nears.

The Sotol Vista arrives next, but after 4 (albeit small) hikes, my boots are off and I'm just in socks.  Can't leave the walkway so will leave the long range pics to my sweetheart.

We are gazing towards Mexico, the Rio Grande, and Santa Elena Canyon - which is 14 air miles away and appears to be a small gap in the mesa.  Why Sotol Vista?  Well, because they are everywhere.  Period.

Since I'm sidewalk bound --- my view is behind the vista - 

And, in front of the car.  

We have made a decision while resting at the vista.  Going to the east side of the park tomorrow for just one thing when there are tons we want to do doesn't make sense.  We're going to head to Chisos Basin for some dinner and the sunset and plan a return trip down here to hike some more on the other side.  A couple of the other hikes we wished to do tomorrow are closed for maintenance and it just makes sense when you toss in that we don't have a room for tomorrow night yet and NOTHING is available within 100 miles of exiting the park.  We're good for this trip and WILL be back next year for fun and exploration of the area between San Antonio and the east entrance.  Now, onto Chisos Basin and a final post for today.