Peaceful Waters

— Canoeing on the Rio Grande River at Big Bend National Park can offer peaceful moments such as the one above. Discovering what lies ahead in each curve at the Santa Elena Canyon is a very rewarding experience for the eyes, mind, and soul. We had attempted to do this several times before, but every time the river conditions were not right. Once the water level was too low; another time, the river currents were so strong that even the local outfitters did not recommend the adventure. On this trip to Big Bend NP in 2017, our outfitter said things were looking good. We would either be able to canoe into the Santa Elena Canyon or we could use the Colorado Canyon. We were lucky that Santa Elena was our destination. We only had to get out of our canoe and pull it three times on the way in, and yes, the water was chilly. Floating back was a breeze since we were going along with the current.