. OnHiatus.com > Journal 1 > Day Index > Journal Entry: May 9, 1997
Friday, May 9, 1997
Big Bend National Park to Fort Stockton, Texas
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Map
Fort Stockton, Texas:
Latitude: 30° 53' 38" North
Longitude: 102° 54' 46" West
Altitude: 2887 feet
From Seattle: 1671 miles
Lodging: Hotel - Hotel 6
Map
Today's Travel:
Country: United States
Region: Texas
Route: SR118, US90, I10
Start: Big Bend National Park
Stop 1. El Paso
End:Fort Stockton, Texas
Road Miles:661 miles
Linear:489 miles
Weather: Cloudy
Available Photos:

Clouds pouring through the mountains. Big Bend National Park, TX

Mountains in the clouds Big Bend National Park, TX

Tarantula on the side of the road Big Bend National Park, TX

Curled up millipede Chimney Trail, Big Bend National Park, TX

5 inch millipede Chimney Trail, Big Bend National Park, TX

Petraglyphs Chimney Trail, Big Bend National Park, TX

Arch Chimney Trail, Big Bend National Park, TX

Distant canyon Big Bend National Park, TX

All photo images © 1997-2000 Anthony Jones - Images may not be used without prior written approval.
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Map
Trip Stats to Date:
Day: 29
Miles Driven:5238
Linear Dist: 35552
Countries Visited: 1
Regions Visited: 8
More stats...
Hotels: 7
Friends / Family: 14
Camping: 7
Hostels: 1
Beers: 81
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Journal Entry:
Somehow my tent survived the night, I'm really not sure how. The rain finally dropped off some, but the wind got worse. Let's just say I didn't get much sleep last night. This morning I saw a huge spider. It was so big I saw it off the side of the road while driving by at 60 mph. I stopped and went back of course. It was a tarantula, and must have been close to 5 inches long. After that I went for a jog / hike, and since I'd left my running shoes in the jeep I wore Tevas. Thinking back I can't believe I wore sandals after seeing that spider! The jog was nice, and there were some petraglyphs at the end for a reward. I had to run against the wind (a steady 20mph blow) which was a lot harder than I expected, but at least it helped keep me cool. Big Bend National Park must be the place for big crawly things, I saw several dozen millipedes around 5 inches each, and a wasp like this that was better than two inches. Maybe everything is bigger in Texas.

After my hike I drove the 350 miles back to El Paso to get my car. Then I turned around and drove that 120 mile stretch of I-10 for the third time in two days. I only made it about 90 miles past the turnoff for US-90 (to Big Bend) before exhaustion forced me to stop for the night.

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