BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

Our 26th park in our 14th State was Big Bend National Park in Big Bend, Texas.

Big Bend is a beautiful and big park, over 800,000 acres.  It is a long way from every where.  Great for hiking and camping.  Very isolated and desolated.

RIO GRAND WILD & SCENIC RIVER

Rio Grand Wild and Scenic River was our 25th park in our 14th State.

Rio Grand Wild and Scenic River

Splendid Isolation, The Big Bend...

There is a place in Far West Texas where night skies are dark as coal and rivers carve temple-like canyons in ancient limestone. Here, at the end of the road, hundreds of bird species take refuge in a solitary mountain range surrounded by weather-beaten desert. Tenacious cactus bloom in sublime southwestern sun, and diversity of species is the best in the country. This magical place is Big Bend.

The Rio Grand River for 1250 miles is the border between the United States and Mexico.  For many years tourist went bad and forth into Mexico.  In recent years it has not be safe to go into Mexico because of the drug traffic.  Along all the road along the Rio Grand there are border patrols and check points.  

We got the stamp for this park at the Big Bend Vistor's Center at Panther Creek.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON NHP TEXAS

OUR 24TH PARK IN OUR 14th STATES WAS LYNDON B. JOHNSON NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK.

"All the World is Welcome Here"                            

                                                 ---Lyndon Baines Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park tells the story of our 36th President beginning with his ancestors until his final resting place on his beloved LBJ Ranch. This entire "circle of life" gives the visitor a unique perspective into one of America's most noteworthy citizens by providing the most complete picture of any American president.

We found this park very interesting.  His ranch is located about 20 miles from Johnson City, TX.  Many people referred to this as the "Texas White House" because President Johnson spent so much time here and conducted much of his presidential affairs from here.  If you were a diplomat or dignitary and you had an audience with Presdent Johnson you came to his home in Texas.  His "Presidential Office" in Texas remains today as it was when he was president.  This park presents an interesting look into the life of a president.

If you visit this park make sure you go to the Ranch.  There is a visitors center in Johnson City and this is the visitors center near the ranch where you buy tickets to tour the Ranch.  This visitors center is all about the Texas Hill Country.  It's beauty, plants and inhabitants.  

There is a lot to see in the Fredericksburg area and we had a really good time.