They say everything is bigger in Texas. I can’t comment on everything, but I will say the sunsets have a way of burning in the open sky that make me believe they’re bigger. This juggernaut of a sunset lasted for over an hour, shifting from day to orange to red to, eventually, a dusky blue as the sky lit up with lightning from a passing storm.

This was my first and only trip to Big Bend National Park, but I can’t wait to get back. Imagine driving west out of Dallas for over six hours, passing through tiny towns, the population of which you could seemingly count on one hand. Now, after that tedious drive, you reach one of the big brown signs saying “Big Bend National Park Next Left.” At last, we’re close! After turning left, you just see a straight, flat stretch of road, and eventually you find another brown sign indicating “Big Bend National Park - 247 mi.” That entire drive is full of flat, empty ranch land, until you reach the edges of the park and a massive mountain range rises up from the horizon. Talk about remote! June 2012.