It’s getting to be that doldrum part of the summer, when in West Texas, the photography seems to be getting more sparse in terms of vegetation, and the days drag on. It’s like an old Ford/Wayne western placed in a dried up town with nothing but a jailhouse and the quintessential hotel. Alright, alright, so it’s not that extreme. It’s actually been a nice summer so far, but you can tell the heat is coming on and the photographic days are just creeping along.

The shot above is from a few years back, during the Spring actually. The Chorro Vista campsite in the Big Bend Ranch State Park is found on one of the longest stretches of unmaintained high-clearance road in to the Fresno Canyon area, just south of the Arroyo de los Mexicanos. At the time this photograph was taken, it was one of the newest roads in the park, and in Big Bend, when they say unmaintained and high-clearance, they mean bring two spares and plenty of what they refer to as “desert pin-striping.” The ocatilla and desert yucca are abundant, and the campsite offers some of the best vistas in the park looking toward the Chisos mountain range. Just below the campsite is another jewel of a find in Madrid Falls, the second highest waterfall in the state. It’s pouring straight out of the Chihuahuan desert.

I haven’t been back to this site in a couple years, but I feel an itching to get back that way. The Texas Big Bend is a special sight, and it’s worth every drop of gas getting you out there!

Here are a few formats for the calendar you’re welcome to download:

Large: 2400 X 1600

Laptop: 1440 X 960

iPad: 1024 X 768

iPhone 4: 960 X 640