Mule ears

I took this sunrise picture at 7:58 a.m. this morning. Sunrise is rather late in this part of the country, particularly now with daylight savings time.

For our last day of exploring the Big Bend National Park we headed back to Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and the Mule Ears Spring Trail. When we got to the trailhead, this group of young people were organizing for an extended stay in the backcountry.

Ready to begin the trail. See the mountain formation over Frederick's right shoulder? Mule ears. 

We decided to take a little longer hike so the total distance was 4.97 miles. I should have walked around the parking lot when we got back to make it an even 5 miles.

We skirted the south slope of Trap Mountain and the trail crossed several arroyos before reaching a wash that we followed almost to Mule Ears Spring. There are the Mule Ears - upper right.

Near the spring is a rock corral which was part of Castolon Ranching Properties before the area became an National Park.. 

The trail continues beyond the spring for another mile to an overlook with a good view of the Mule Ears Peaks.

At the overlook we ate our lunch with a view out over the desert and Mexico in the distance.

On our way back to the spring the backpackers from the parking lot came by.

We stopped at the Mule Ears Spring where you could hear the spring gurgling and see a little stream of water. 

There were hundreds of blooming Torrey yuccas along the trail. Here is one close up - with downward hanging petals which are edible.

About half way back we turned around for one more picture of the Mule Ears from the trail.

From Mule Ears we headed back to the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and the Santa Elena Canyon Trail, 2.43 miles, that we didn't have time to take earlier this week. 

The trail crosses Terlingua Creek, then climbs some concrete steps. From there, the trail slopes gradually down. We are almost to the river's edge inside the canyon. A ranger that we met on the trail said that the canyon walls are 1500 feet here. It has taken the Rio Grande 2 million years to carve Santa Elena Canyon.

Near the river's edge we could see evidence of the beaver (le castor) on the riverside cotton-wood and willow trees. The beavers live in bank burrows here. 

From inside the canyon.

The trail ends abruptly where the canyon wall meets the river. Perhaps you can see Frederick standing against the canyon wall at the end of the trail. This is one of the narrowest places in the seven-mile long Santa Elena Canyon.

It was very windy, and even though the river flows out of the canyon, the wind made it very difficult for canoers to make head-way against the wind which was blowing up the canyon. You can see how low the water level is here.

The trail winds among large boulders. Frederick is actually standing on the trail beneath this boulder.

Returning to the mouth of the canyon we had to re-climb to the top of the concrete steps. There was a lovely view out of the canyon to the mountain ranges beyond.

This is Cerro Castellan, 3,293 ft., a prominent, isolated butte that dominates the Santa Elena Canyon area. It is spectacular - I wish the iPhone did it justice.

One last picture of the Mule Ears formation, this time from the south on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.