Week 17: From Plastic Beaches to Colorful Cacti

Texas is huge.

Most Americans like myself know this at an intellectual level. All you need is a map to see how huge Texas is. However, the true scale of the Lone Star State didn’t quite hit me until we tried driving across the southern border. We spent countless hours driving over 1,000 miles just to get into Big Bend National Park.

Along the way, we devoured TexMex, found forgotten treasures, and camped on the world’s largest undeveloped barrier island!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I can’t start sharing our adventures without first giving a very warm and thankful shoutout to Sam’s Aunt Sam and her family. We made sure to stop in Houston to say hi, do some laundry, and hang out. Although our time together was short, we had a blast playing games, sharing our stories, and eating their delicious chili. Thank you for housing us, feeding us, and, most importantly, letting us take a shower. We desperately needed it and the rest of the world thanks you.

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Remember how excited I was to finally be west of the Mississippi? Well, one big reason for that is the camping. As soon as we crossed, all the stress of finding a place to stay the night seemingly melted away. After months of having limited options while settling for loud parking lots and questionable neighbors, it felt good to have a little more freedom. Don’t get me wrong, we stumbled across quite a few stunning campsites during that time, but it sure wasn’t easy finding them.

Nonetheless, Sam and I steeled ourselves for a hearty five hour drive from Houston to the edge of the Gulf Coast. Any further and we’d need a passport. There lay Padre Island National Seashore, a place we’d call home for a few nights.

Barrier islands are important, yet small strips of sandy land that protect the eastern coasts of the United States. These islands protect the mainland from hurricanes and nasty waves. Remember when we went to Jekyll and Cumberland Islands (Week 13) in Georgia? Or the Outer Banks (Weeks 8 & 9) in North Carolina? Those were also barrier islands. As you can imagine, all that coastal land would be prime real estate. Low and behold, you’ll often find houses, hotels, or anything else you might want while on vacation.

All this development may be fun during a visit, but it can also cause issues. Hurricanes and rising sea levels can displace and threaten the people that live or work on these islands. As for these environments, they are extremely fragile. When the bushes and grasses are removed, especially right beside the beach, the island is at risk of shrinking into the sea. After all, these roots are the only things stabilizing the sand.

Padre Island is special because it’s the world’s largest undeveloped barrier island. Shortly after we entered the National Seashore’s gates, the paved road spit us out onto the beach. Although there are few trails to hike into the island, we didn’t care much. We were just excited to be camping on the beach. For free, no less!

Shoutout to Sam for taking this wonderful photo of our campsite!

Our first night was . . . rough. A storm was blowing in, creating vicious wind and destined to bring rain any second. Sam and I took our time while setting up camp to make sure we were prepared for the oncoming onslaught. We set up the canopy over the teardrop, filled our buckets with sand, and tied them all together. The last thing we wanted was to be woken up in the middle of the night by a rogue canopy flying into the gulf.

The wind was so intense, I remember seeing tiny piles of sand beginning to build up behind the tires of the Jeep.

Once we secured everything to our liking, Sam and I took a walk along the beach in our winter jackets. After driving for hours at a time, no amount of bad weather was going to stop me from stretching my legs.

We didn’t have to walk too far before we ran into the trash. Scattered across the beach were countless items brought in by the gulf, nearly all of them plastic. From soda bottles to a washed up boat from Mexico, the array of trash on the beach was fascinating. Our casual walk on the beach soon turned into an investigation of humanity.

The irony of seeing an island oasis atop a beach full of plastic was not beyond me.

I want to know who lost this and how. Did they drop it off a boat or lose it while swimming?

My first reaction to seeing more plastic than seashells was, predictably, sadness. Seeing other people’s trash is never enjoyable, but seeing so much in a place that’s supposed to be untouched? That’s a hard pill of reality to swallow.

The spike of existential dread dimmed when I got sucked into finding hidden treasures. As depressing as it is to see the ocean cough up so much plastic, there was a thrill in beachcombing at Padre Island. Sam and I pondered the stories behind the most notable items. Who did this belong to? How did this end up here? We never found many answers.

My mind was still racing from our walk among plastic when we got back to camp. We hid in the teardrop for most of the day afterwards, bringing in snacks and watching Cobra Kai. Side note: if you love movies from the 80’s, you’d like that show.

You’d think being beside the ocean while listening to its waves would make you sleep like a baby. Yes, that was true for most other nights, but not that first night. The wind howled and occasionally blew sand through the window. The canopy sounded like it was about to take flight. And, worst of all, the rain.

I have a faint recollection of waking up in the middle of the night and asking Sam to open the window because it was so hot. This man answered me in a voice void of sleep: “Um, no. It’s raining horizontal.

Later on, Sam woke me out of a deep sleep to point out the sunrise over the ocean the next morning. With my lids half open, I dashed my phone out, snapped a quick pic, and promptly went back to sleep. Very pretty.

The storm was still knocking on our door when we woke up. Excitedly taking the hint, we proceeded to stay in bed as long as possible. Some notable moments from the morning were sleeping in, eating breakfast in bed, and watching Terminator 2: Judgement Day. I don’t know what it is about watching older movies, but we can’t get enough of them.

When we finally crawled out of the teardrop, the skies were starting to clear. Perfect timing for our next beachcombing adventure.

We took the Jeep further down the beach, partially for the ride but mostly for the plastic-y adventure.

I wonder how many bottles are buried on the island.

The plants don't seem to mind at least.

This tiny Barbie doll was a particularly fun find.

The microwave was just weird. Think we could repair it?

Voodoo Ranger is a fan favorite among our friend groups.

The recycling symbol on the beach litter was difficult to see. It brought me back to the reality of why there is so much trash on the island.

The most noteworthy, yet horrific piece of trash was this washed up drum of petroleum product. Notice how the warnings on the right feature the keyword "victim." Given all the oil drilling done in the Gulf Coast's waters, I hate to say I'm not surprised to see this.

Upon further investigation of the drum, the words "ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIAL" appeared on the label beneath a layer of sand.

Some of our “found treasures” were interesting and, dare I say, amusing. However, the longer we walked along the beach, the more bothered I became. For every exciting piece of trash, there were twenty mundane items. When I say mundane, I simply mean anything you’d see in your day-to-day life.

Cigarette lighters.

Toothbrushes.

Soda bottles.

Beer cans.

Juice jugs.

Styrofoam.

Plastic.

Plastic.

Plastic.

Then it hit me.

I did this. My friends, my teachers, my family. They did this.

Every single person I know has used plastic in its many forms and thrown it away.

Yes, that includes you, too. But, and I cannot stress this enough, you don’t have to feel bad about it.

Allow me to discuss a brief history of plastics. Ever since the concept of single-use materials came to be, the world has dealt with a trash problem. Landfills quickly rose in height and streets were littered with waste. Recognizing the poor publicity this gave plastic, oil companies searched for a way to continue selling plastic. Their answer? Recycling.

This NPR article (How Big Oil Misled the Public) gives more detail on this story, but allow me to summarize it for you: Many oil companies convinced people that their trash can be easily made anew through recycling. With heavy advertising and the promise of recycling programs, the public’s waste worries were eased. Now people could buy their plastic products with a clear conscience, and the oil companies would continue to profit.

Fast forward twenty-plus years. Recycling plastic has never been economically viable. Most of it is burned or shipped away for far away countries to deal with. We were lied to.

This is where my soapbox comes in handy.

Every single one of us has used plastic in our lives. Sometimes, it’s absolutely unavoidable. The world we live in has made it difficult to think of life without plastic because it is so ingrained into our every day lives. From grocery stores to restaurants to schools, how else are you supposed to live? So, please, don’t feel guilt about the waste you’ve contributed.

Instead, all I ask is that you take the information I’ve given you and reframe the way you think about plastic and waste. Because, as much as I enjoyed combing Padre Island’s beaches for interesting finds, I would much rather look for shells and crabs.

Despite all the trash, there was a lot of life on the island, from birds large and small to coyotes and deer.

I could watch these guys fish all day. This is probably one of my favorite photos from our time at Padre Island.

The same heron loved to perch just above our campsite. I think he was posing just for me.

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The sun didn’t come out until our third and last day on the beach, and when it did, the day was blissful.

I can’t even fully remember everything we did, other than we enjoyed every second in that warm sun. We read, wrote, painted, explored, relaxed, and anything in between. As the sun set, we started a fire, ate another one of our delicious meals, and enjoyed those little moments together.

Funny, how we’ve spent so long at each other’s side, yet we never run out of things to say.

This buoy bounced to close to shore, allowing hooligans to claim refuge from the waves.

Ah, yes, the never ending search for better internet.

As the sun set behind the dunes, the last light blanketed the wave tips with a pink blush. The sky bursts with color along the solar descent, and the water reflects those colors as best it can. One lonesome bird uses the dying light to look for dinner. I am in love with this shot.

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With a garbage bag full of beach plastic in tow, Sam and I said our goodbyes to Padre Island and began our journey to our first western national park since Wind Cave, South Dakota! I can hardly believe it.

We stopped by Austin, TX on the way to Big Bend National Park to run a few errands and eat some good grub.

Walking around a big city is always so weird. They're both oddly similar to other cities, while also being entirely different.

Unfortunately, the day we decided to visit Austin was the same day a huge rainstorm hit the city. After finishing up a few errands, we went to a public library and hid from the rain for a while as I worked on the blog.

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Big Bend National Park

Despite the chilly warnings of a winter storm, Sam and I decided there was no way we could skip Big Bend. We were originally going to meet up with his parents and Teardrop 1.0, but they didn’t want to risk driving the ten hour drive in the middle of a winter storm. Sad, but understandable.

Nonetheless, this section is devoted to making Lisa and Randy jealous. Love you!

The beauty of the Chihuahuan desert is absolutely incredible. As I share the vistas of this stunning area, I’d like to focus on the photos more than my words. I'll write each caption on the spot. I want to do this as a way for me to connect with my photos on a deeper level than simply shoving them into the blog where I see fit. Thank you in advance for allowing me to exercise the artist in me.

Now, without further ado, allow me to present the Beauty of Big Bend.

The day we arrived in the park, we were taken by how vast the valleys and mountains were. The sun was blaring, and we soaked up as much warmth as humanly possible. Even while sweating, it felt so good.

First off, these gigantic bunches of prickly pear peppered the land of Big Bend. This being the desert, I was shocked they could grow so large and abundantly.

Our first trail was tiny, but it allowed us to become familiar with the type of life we’d see here in this portion of the Chihuahan desert. Sam and I are particularly fond of trying to remember the plant names, even though it’s so dang hard.

These mountains towered above us during our short hike. This stark background was jam packed with color, from the yellow brush to the purple rocks to the baby blue skies. I wonder how the scene would change if I could see from the cloud’s perspective.

Our next hike was also short. I was excited to walk alongside the Rio Grande, a river I’ve always felt a connection to. Back home in New Mexico, I can hike to the top of a mesa and watch the Rio gently glide across the land. Here, I was able to see just how important this little river is. On the right hand side of this photo is Big Bend National Park. To the left, Mexico. So natural a border seems difficult to understand at times.

During our hike, we ran across handmade goods strewn about. Embroidered hats, hand carved walking sticks, ceramics and beaded statues. All had a price and came from Mexico. Looking across the water was a wooden boat, a few cars, and, oddly enough, a volleyball net. Laughter echoed across the river banks, heard but not seen.

No one was there to watch the merchandise, the entire system relying upon good faith. Although I couldn’t convince myself I needed any of these wares, I so badly wanted to take something home with me. Mexican craftsmanship and art is so bright and colorful. These delicately embroidered aprons stole my gaze, and it took a great deal of strength for me to wrench it back to the trail ahead. The sunflowers were my favorite.

We followed the river into a canyon. As we walked alongside the water, the sheer scale of the cliffs above was hard to fathom. Even more difficult to comprehend was that this shallow, slow moving river is the reason this canyon exists.

Here is one of my favorites from Big Bend. Soft footsteps break the smooth surface of the small sand dunes at the foot of the canyon. Bright yellow bushes grow anywhere they can get their roots into. The best part of this image, however, is in the lighting. The low light of the afternoon sun gave each rock a warm glow, contrasting well with their cooler shadows.

If you look closely, you’ll see two people on the river bank. They look like ants compared to the massive wall of stone that rises on either side of the Rio. I also love how the river is flowing so slowly that the cliff face is almost perfectly reflected.

I just like this photo of Sam, my cute adventure buddy.

That night at our campsite, Sam was cooking dinner while I painted. At one point, he told me that I would want to look up at the sky and take my camera with me. Oh, boy, was he right. A cold front was blowing in as the sun was setting. The mountains, with their jagged peaks and curvy ridges, were blanketed in a soft blue as the hot orange sun set fire to the sky.

Maybe 10 minutes later, the clouds creeped ever closer. The wind that carried them began to break them up, causing the sun to bounce in wild and colorful ways.

Directly behind where I took the above photos, I was blessed with the sight of bright pink mountains. The Mexican range of exposed, ancient Permian reef basked in the rosy light. Looking at this photo, it’s still hard to believe that I saw this with my own eyes.

This was our next campsite, nestled at the foothills of many different mountains and hills. As the winter storm blew in during our last day, the tops of those peaks disappeared into the freezing clouds.

Our second day was actually very pleasant despite the overcast skies. This hike, aptly named The Window, was among the most enjoyable hikes I’ve ever been on. Not only were we graced with this stunning view for the first half hour of the hike, but the conversations only got better the further we went.

Blue sky was nowhere to be found, smothered by this tumultuous blanket of clouds. Although their presence signified a frigid future, I couldn’t help but to admire their beauty. The Chisos mountains reach towards moisture with their ruddy red peaks, begging for their thirst to be quenched.

By the end of this trip, I will have an entire collection of Sam in adventurous situations looking extremely cute and/or handsome. As you can imagine, I’m quite happy about it.

The erosion of rock by wind and water created these massive pillars of stone. I was captivated by their reddish-orange hue, which contrasted so nicely with the vibrant green of the trees and shrubs dotting the inclines. If you look closely, you’ll see that the largest plants grow where the water will flow the most.

The end of the trail lead us to the top of a huge waterfall. When the rains dump inches of rain all at once, this would not be a place we want to be. The stone is nearly polished by the water and debris that periodically flows here, making each step slippery. Beyond the maw of The Window is a drop of more than 100 feet. You have to admit, though. That is one stunning view.

The above and below photos are from Big Bend National Park’s own landfill. Very few parks pack their trash in their own boundaries. But here, in Big Bend, everything you throw away will stay in the park. Forever.

Believe it or not, we did yet another hike on that second, cloudy day. We didn’t have to drive very far before we saw the scenery change drastically. Instead of vast, red mountains in the sky, we were climbing among boulders big and small. The two people walking along the trail behind us are my favorite components of this shot.

These balanced rocks were what we came to see on that second hike. The boulders in this area are wrapped in layer after layer of rock. Those that broke open remind me of the jawbreakers from middle school that I could never finish.

I mean, seriously, what a great photo of this man!

Our last full day at Big Bend was blissfully dotted with blue sky. The previous night pelted us with freezing rain, so any pocket of sunshine was all but worshiped. The air, however, was well below freezing. The yucca even began forming their own little icicles from their pointy leaves.

I leave you with my last photo from Big Bend. As I wrap up our time together, feel free to reflect on the images I’ve shown you today. Which ones spoke to you? Which colors stole your attention? For this photo, I cannot stop looking at that beautiful blue sky. For a moment, I can pretend I’m still standing on that rock in the freezing cold, begging for the shot to turn out.

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I hope you enjoyed my wandering thoughts on this wonderful place.

After Big Bend, we hit 6 additional national parks in the span of two weeks. I am thoroughly fulfilled, yet physically drained. And the fun doesn't stop there.

Through the end of March, we'll be hopscotching between place to place all through New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah, and Colorado. As you can imagine, we'll be going through a lot during that time.

Since we'll be doing so much, these posts are going to change slightly in order for me to keep you updated while also remembering to enjoy the ride. I'm not entirely sure what that looks like yet, but we'll both know soon enough.

Until then, keep an eye out for Sam's Appetizers, they sure are fun to read.

Oh! And please share your favorite photo of the week. I'm sure you could guess which ones were mine ;)

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Housekeeping

Hi friend,

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Without further ado, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

Best,

Kes the Photobean