April 3, 2012
Day 38: To Chisos Basin, Big Bend National Park
I slept late in the morning. On the way out of Study Butte I stopped at the cafe for a slow breakfast #2 to fuel me for a day of climbing with no services. I didn't get out of Study Butte until 11 AM! Fortunately today's ride is much shorter than yesterday's.
The morning was surprisingly cool, cloudy, and humid. The road climbs steeply to get into Big Bend National Park, so it didn't take me long to get hot and sweaty. The sun came out at about noon but the high temperature was only 75F. Much cooler than yesterday.
My original plan was to turn south on Old Maverick road just after entering the park. This 12 mile unpaved road goes to Santa Elena Canyon. After visiting the canyon and camping at Castolon, I planned to bike the Ross Maxwell scenic drive to the Chisos Basin.
I decided to abort the detour because it's too hot to camp down by the river, and because the route from Castolon to Chisos Basin has too much climbing for one day. Two huge mountain climbs with no water along the way. I did that route during a tour in 1990, but in the opposite direction so the Chisos Basin to Castolon route had only one huge climb.
Today I will take the direct route from Study Butte to Chisos Basin. It's much less interesting than the detour, but has only one huge mountain climb.
The route from Study Butte to the Chisos Basin turnoff is kind of boring. Several big ups and downs to cross valleys.
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The really big climbing begins when I take the turnoff to Chisos Basin. The road is 7 miles and the first 5.5 miles is steep uphill, climbing to 5800 feet elevation before descending to the Chisos Basin at 5300 feet elevation. The steepest parts are 10-12% grade. I stopped several times to admire the views and take pictures.
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The steep climb got me sweaty, so I stopped in the sun. It was cold to stop in the shade with soaking wet clothes. Much cooler than yesterday.
I arrived at the Chisos Basin campground at 4:30 PM. The campground was 3/4 full. I got a $14 site and set up my tent, then pedaled steep uphill to the store. A 260 foot climb in 0.7 mile.
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The Chisos Basin is in the middle of the Chisos mountains. Most of the basin is 5000-5600 feet elevation. The pouroff at the Window is about 4600 feet elevation. Most of the surrounding mountains are 7000+ feet elevation.
To the north are fascinating red rock pinnacles.
To the east is an imposing 7325-foot peak called Casa Grande.
To the south is 7825-foot Emory peak, the highest peak in the park. To the west is a small gap called The Window which drains the entire basin. I'll take pictures of them tomorrow.
This area is bear and mountain lion (cougar) country. Every campsite has a food locker.
I had a gentle tailwind for most of the day. The cooler-than-normal weather made the steep climbs quite pleasant. Overall it was a good day. I've been to the Chisos Basin several times before. It's nice to see my old friend again.
Distance: 32.5 mi. (52 km)
Climbing: 3858 ft. (1169 m)
Average Speed: 6.9 mph (11.0 km/h)
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 2,025 miles (3,259 km)
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8 months ago