Goldenrod In the Bend

The Big Bend, Texas photographed by my brother Mark

Big Bend National Park.

There is a national park back in Texas known as Big Bend. I’m planning a future series of posts about it to be written by my son Chris and my brother Mark who took the photograph above. For, now, here is a taste. The Bend encompasses fifteen hundred square miles of the Chihuahuan desert cradled in the bend of the Rio Grande River that separates Texas from Mexico. It stands 1800 feet above sea level along the river. In its center lie the Chisos Mountains, towering 6000 feet higher. There you will find rattlesnakes and panthers and austere beauty.

And now, just for fun, what exactly is the difference between Texas and Alaska?

Size. Texas: 268000 square miles / Alaska: 663,000 square mile (Texas claims to be big / Alaska simply is)

Population. Texas: 26,000,000 / Alaska: 723,000

Current evening temperature. Texas 48 degrees F / Alaska 41 degrees F.

Tomorrow’s temperature. Texas 90 degrees F. Alaska 48 degrees F.

Poisonous snakes. Texas: rattlesnake, copperhead, cottonmouth / Alaska: none

Mosquitoes. Texas: pesky / Alaska: man-eaters

Proven crude oil reserves. Texas: 5.5 billion barrels / Alaska 3.5 billion barrels

Gold production. Texas: enough to make you poor (none but legend) / Alaska: enough to make  you rich (800,000 troy ounces per year)

Grizzly bears. Texas: the only one ever seen in the state was murdered in 1900 / Alaska: 30,000 just coming out of hibernation lean and hungry

Mahsi’ Choo

(thank you for visiting)