Mileage:  61,297 Pine Springs Campground Guadalupe Mountains National Park Salt Flat, Texas

We started our day watching the cottontails hopping around outside the RV. 

As we watched, we also saw bighorn sheep on the rocks across the way.

We hiked some of the accessible trails at Hueco Tanks.  Hikers are only allowed to explore the North Mountain area without a guide. 

We saw ancient pictographs covered with graffiti. 

Beautiful claret cup cactus.

Lots of cool rock formations.

This is one example of how pictographs have been destroyed.  This pictograph is thought to be a painting of the war between the native people and Mexican soldiers that occurred in 1839.

This is how is appears today.

It really gave us a greater understanding of the need to protect these ancient documents.

We left Hueco Tanks with the plan to travel east.  Tim asked me to drive this morning.  He got us onto the highway and I drove more than 80 miles on 62/180 or the Texas Mountain Trail.  It is a lot to pay attention to. I feel like I cannot relax for even a second…but I also don’t mind doing it. It gets easier each time I climb into the driver’s seat!

We still were not certain where we wanted to go.  Tim decided  that we should go to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  I pulled over in a picnic area and let him take us into the campground.

After lunch, we headed out in the Jeep to the Williams Ranch Trail.  This trail is secured by locked gates.  First, we had to get the key from the visitor’s center. 

The sky had some dark and threatening clouds.  We got a few drops of rain and the clouds blew by.

This trail intersects with the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail or the Butterfield Stagecoach Trail.

The trail was gravel and rough in places.

Williams Ranch was built in the early 1900’s. The guy who built it brought his new bride here.  She stayed one day and one night and then went back home!  Given how isolated and remote this site is today…I can only imagine how she must have felt!

It is a beautiful place.  The views of the mountains and the salt flats far below are incredible.   

The rain clouds in the distance.  We could even hear thunder.

We got back to the RV, happy and tired!!