Missie navigating our trip.  Our phone service was very sporadic on this trip, so thank goodness we had my Mom's old Road Atlas to help us along the way.  We would have been way lost without it.  If you are planning a trip to Big Bend, pack a map!

We stopped in Panther Junction at the Ranger Station for lunch and a photo op with Flat Stanley, our Spring Break homework assignment. 

Maverick RV Park at Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa.  By far, the nicest resort and RV park in the Big Bend area. 

Our first hike of the trip was Closed Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park.  Its an easy hike through a narrow canyon and would be great on a hot day, because you are in the shade for the whole hike.  This is one of the few hikes that you can take your dogs on.

Some of our stops on the way back to Lajitas from Big Bend Ranch State Park

One of our favorite parts of our trip was the Lost Mine Hike in the Big Bend National Park.  It is an almost 5 mile hike in the Chisos Mountains with an elevation gain of 1300 feet.  We started at the Chisos Basin Lodge where there is a ranger station, restrooms, restaurant and convenience store.   The lodge parking lot  was very crowded as we were there during Spring Break.  

On our last full day at Big Bend, we took at canoe tour of the Rio Grand with Big Bend River Tours.  It was a really east canoe trip.  The guides provided water, drink mixes and snacks (cookies, oranges, crackers).  They also have dry bags if you want to take your camera.  They do allow you to take a small cooler with canned drinks. 

I ordered t-shirts from http://www.customink.com for each of the 11 kids in our group.  They decorated their own shirts with stencils and fabric markers. Then, they all signed the back of each other's shirt.  It was so fun to watch them creating a souvenir from our Spring Break together.