People struggle to understand the remote nature of Big Bend. In 2015 I flew a plane around the entire border of Texas and photographed it from the air. It took 6 days to complete the trip. Big Bend alone was one full day of flying and photographing. Both sides of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo, are hundreds of miles of the most inhospitable, yet beautiful desert landscape. The Chihuahuan Desert is unforgiving country. A place with massive rock cliffs and very little terrain you can traverse by foot safely. The visitor rate in the park is on the lower end compared to more accessible parks like Yosemite and The Great Smoky Mountains, but its popularity among those who have actually visited is astounding. In fact, this summer I was camped in the Smoky Mountains next to an older couple who travels the country in their RV. Being from North Carolina they had spent a lot of time there as well as many of the parks in the West. They saw my ¡Viva Terlingua! sticker and asked if I’d been. I told them that I’d spent about a week in Big Bend for the last 19 years and got out there any time I could. They said they took the desolate drive along State Highway 90 through Sanderson on their way out. It was on the husband’s bucket list to visit and it was by far his favorite park now that he had. The untouched, rugged, austere nature of that area is the feature that draws people in and leaves a lasting impression. If you’re at a loss to understand why there’s such an uproar over construction of a road barrier through Big Bend Ranch State Park and BBNP, then it’s my belief that you’ve likely never been. Because if you had, you’d understand.