Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ojito Adentro Trail in Big Bend Ranch State Park


Steady streams of running water
What do you find at the end of Big Bend Ranch State Park's Ojito Adentro trail?  Cool pools of water, ferns, dragonflies and damselflies, boulders and a quiet, relaxing beautiful place. 

The park lists the trail as one of their premier birding spots...and last weekend we heard birds, and saw lizards and dragonflies and damselflies.

From the park's website:

"The trail from the parking area traverses desert scrub into riparian woodland. The song of the Bell’s vireo is a common sound of the thickets along arroyos and in the understory of riparian habitats, and can hardly be missed between early March and September. In the spring and summer, watch for the zone-tailed hawk, vermilion flycatcher, summer tanager, blue grosbeak and varied bunting. Canyon, Bewick’s and rock wrens are present year-round, and a wide variety of sparrows can be found here in winter. This area can be very productive during migration (late March through mid-May and late August through mid-October) when flycatchers, warblers and tanagers can be common. Migration in West Texas is not as spectacular as farther east, but surprises can be found. Some of the more interesting finds at Ojito Adentro include painted redstart and a variety of eastern warblers."

 
From Trails.com

"The trailhead to Ojito Adentro not only marks the trail but provides hikers with an overlook of where they will end up. The arroyo that travels northeast from the trailhead ends in a cleft populated with a dense cluster of vegetation, interrupting an otherwise earthy colorscape with a sweep of bright green. Such is the nature of spring areas in this desert where long, uninterrupted vistas often offer trekkers with a view of distant but welcomed water sources. The Ojito Adentro Trail leads across a hot but mercifully short stretch of desert to a shady, cool oasis. The translation of “Ojito Adentro” is a charming one, where the diminutive suffix “ito” is added to “ojo,” meaning both “eye” and “spring.” Adentro is, in fact, an adverb rather than an adjective, and means “within.” Hikers who view the geography from the trailhead will begin to understand why Ojito Adentro is called “the little spring within” and will appreciate it fully once they are embraced by the spring’s cozy confines."
View from the trailhead
Travel Spotlight - the rocking chairs of the historic Hotel Limpia

What's better than a sunny spot to relax, and rock away the stresses of the city?  All week we're featuring the rocking chairs of the Hotel Limpia in Fort Davis.  Come, sit and stay awhile!

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