Update: Big Bend lived up to it's name. It is a really spectacular place in every sense of the word. Going at this time of the year was terrific as the weather never got above the low 60s. I definitely underestimated how massive the place is. It's still a 55 minute drive to the Chisos basin from the Persimmon Gap Visitor's Center at the entrance of the park. Another 1hr+ to get from the Basin to Santa Elena Canyon, but I'm really happy I ended up fitting that in one evening at sunset. One unfortunate thing going on is a lot of construction to the road leading into the Basin, so it's completely blocked off from 8-11am and 1-3pm. That created a few logistical nightmares, and ultimately prevented me from doing a few of the things I wanted to do because of the inevitable time war against the setting sun. It's all good though. I'll be back soon enough! Here's a few of the pics I shot going thru Laguna Meadows and Santa Elena:
